Weekly hawk-eye and telegraph. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1855-1857, 1856-01-02

ssEsM - ~ s6sySs6 e
CAlas n esal n Nnn kNnnoeepS
rasas CeGsnsays
Yesteraay vas Z great day In ChinAdoM II
rich man Nd died. d He had during NE been .
protnineus nerchaat, and uccupjed : positioa sf
influence among his coantrymen. His death was
therefore considered 10 be an event. be had
been poor man he might have been carried
out, rolled up in . winding sheet on the back OF
his son or some faithful friend, and tumbted into
hastily constructed grave, and With the last
sod laid over him would have persisted ell recol-
Iect;ons Of his virtaes or his faults. With the
rich man 1t Ia different. His good qualities are
enhanced in the public estimation BY knowi.
edge Of his wealth. Virtue when associated
with large possessions shines oat with . pure re-
fulgence. while poverty obscures the brightest
rays. II Is 50 In civilized communities, and the
Chinese have not been bad imitators. The Chi
nese merchant, at whose grave most curious
ceremony was performed yesterday, died about
three weeks ago He was inferred in the Lone
Mountain Cemetery without any pomp. Yester-
day, however, a large number Of his relations
and friends proceeded to his grave for the pur-
nose Of making offerings to his names. rever-
ence for the dead is one of the most striking
characteristics Of the Chinese race. II Is in TACT
the corner stone Of their religious belief On
arriving at the grave the whole company alighted
from the carriages in which they had been con.
viewed and commenced the ceremony by spread
ing mats all around it. roast pig was placed
at the foot, something else at the head, while all
over it were strewed apple dumptings fruits and
flowers. To an outside barbarian it looked very
like gotten up picnic and to all appearance all
that the Chinese present required IN order to
make very good meal, which would certainly
be very practicable way Of testifying their re.
spect for the memory Of their deceased friend.
were the chop-sticks. The delicacies were, how
ever, all intended for the use Of the hungry soul
of the deceased merchant, which had not tasted
\ food for three weeks, Ia privation that would no
| oubt have been seriously felt If it had been in
| the fesh,) and which it was supposed was hover
| ing around, smacking its lips over the dainty
food they had prepared or it. As soon as all
the eatables were laid on the grave, the widow
of the deceased hobbled up and took her stand
at the foot. Around her head several yards of
white cloth were rolled. A priest with very
curly pigtail, a very long blue gown, reaching to
his feet, and a very long face stood at the head.
| The friends and relatives stood around. As
| soon as the woman commenced to vail, all the
clothes Of the deceased were taken out Of .
| trunk and set Oh fire. Among the clothes were
several pieces Of fine silk, which had apparently
| never been worn. The whole probably was
worth over 5000. Four canary birds were let
loose in order to help the soul of the deceased
| in its flight to another world, and when the
clothes were all consumed and the canary birds
had taken shelter in the neighboring shrubs, the
priest with the long face rang a bell which he
had in his hand, at the same time muttering q
prayer or incantation. A general howl followed.
The C remony was concluded by the whole COM
pany marching around the grave, headed by the
priest who rang his bell at every STEP and looked
solemn indeed. The pig and the apple-dnmp.
| lings, and the fruits and the flowers, and the
matiings were all carefully packed up and
placed in the carriages, and the whole party then
returned to town, where, We are informed, the
eatables exposed on the grave, will be sold in
small pieces at exhorbitant prices to those who
| are religiously inclined.