Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1857-05-01

modify IN buckets OF water, saving all
they do not sell to be returned to the
pond or kept for another days service.
And the lakes and ponds of China not
only supply large provisions of tish--they
produce considerable quantities of edible
roots and seeds, which are largely CON
sumed by the people, Among these the
esculent arum, the water chestnut, (scir-
pns NbWoSus) and the lotus (nelunJtUa)
arc the most remarkable.
THE WATER POPULATION.
The enormous river population of China
who live only in boats; who were born
and educated, who marry, rear their fam
lilies and dic-who, in a word, begin and
end thoir existence on the water. and
never have or dream of any shelter other
than the roof, and who seldom tread ex
cept on the deck or board of their sam
pans-shows to what an extent the land
is crowded, and how inadequate it is to
maintain the cumbercrs of the soil. In
the city of Canton alone it is estimated
that 800, 900 persons dwell upon the sur
face of the river; the boats, sometimes
twenty or thirty deep, cover some miles,
and have their wants supplied by ambu-
latory statesmen who wend their way
through every accessible passage. Of
this vast population, some dwell in dec
Grated river boats used for every purpose
of license and festivity-for theatres, for
concerts, for fcasts, for gambling, for
lust, for solitary and social recreations
Some craft are employed in conveying
goods and passengers, and are in a state
of constant activity; others are moored,
and their owners engaged as servants or
laborers on shore. Indeed, their pursuits
are nearly as various as those of the land
population. The immense variety of
boats which are found in Chinese waters
has never been adequately described l.
Some are Of enormous size, and are used |
as magazines for salt or rice--others have
all domestic accommodations, and are
employed for the transfer of whole FAM
lilies, with all their domestic attendants
and accommodations from one place to
anothor-some, called centipedes, from
their being supposed to have 100 rowers,
convey with extraordinary rapidity, the
more valuable cargoes from the inner
warehouses to the foreign shipping in
the ports--all these, from the hugo and
cumbrous junks, which remind one of
Noah's ark, and which represent the rude
and coarse constructions of the remotest
ages, to the fragile planks upon which
solitary leper hangs upon the outskirts
of society of every form and APP
piled to every purpose-exhibit an in
calculable amount of population, which
may be called amphibious, if not aquatic
Not only are land and water crowded |
with Chinese, but many dwell on artif-
cial islands which float upon the lakes
islands with gardens and houses raised
upon the raftcrs which the occupicrs have
bound together, and on which they cul-
tivate what is nccdful for the supply of
lifc's daily wants. They have their poul-
try and their vegetables for use, their
flowers and their scroois FOR ornaments,
their household gods for protection and
worship.
THE CHINESE AS AGRICULTURALTsTs.
al parts " tlllii w WulCi We udNC J
access we find not only that every foot of
ground is cultivated which is capable Of
producing anything, but that, from the
value Of land and the surplus labor, cul-
tivation is rather that Of gardeners than
of husbandmen The sides Of the hills,
in their natural declivity often unavail-
able, are, by succession of artificial
terraces, turned to profitable account
Every little bit of soil, though il be only
few feet in length and breadth, is
| ttcfr1Tod tn UcCUunr, anu h6T only is the
surface of the land thus cared for, but
every device is employed for the gather
ing together Of every article that can
serve for manure. Scavcngcrs are con-
stantly clearing the streets of the ster-
GORGEOUS filth the cloacG are framed
by spectators in human ordures the
most populous place is often offensive by
the means taken to prevent the precious
deposits from being lost. The fields in
China have almost always large earthen
ware vessels for the reception Of the con-
tributions of the peasant or the traveller.
You cannot enter any Of their great
cities without meeting mutitudes Of men, /
women and children conveying liquid
manure into the fields and gardens
around. The stimulaDts TO production
are applied with most untiring industry.
In this colony Of Hong Kong scarcely |
ever ride without finding some little bit
of ground either nowly cultivated or
clearing for cultivation.
oNSIyEROUsSEss.
The Chinese, again, have no prejudice
whatever as regards food they cat any
thing and everything from which they
can derive nutrition. Dogs, especially 1
puppies, are habitually sold for food.
have seen in the butchers shops, large
dogs skinned and hanging with their
viscera by the side Of pigs snd goats .--
Even 10 rats and riice the Chinese have
no objections neither to the flesh OF
monkeys and snakes the sea slug is an
aristocratic delicacy which is never want
ing, any more than edible birds nests,
at feast where honor is intended TO be
done 10 the guest. Unmatched ducks
and chickens are fayoiite dish. Nor
do early stages Of putrefaction create
any disgust; rotten eggs are not con-
domncd 10 perdition, fish is more accept /
able when il has strong fragrance and
favor TO give more gusto to the rice. -
As the food the Chinese cat is, for