Houma Ceres. [volume] (Houma, Parish of Terrebonne, La.) 1855-18??, 1858-12-25
Albert smith At honykong.
Here va are, all safe and sound, an

Here, We IRE, all safe and sound, among
them ~st last. surrounded by junks and
pigta AND noble ladies' aud gentlemen.
| b.vsl beua t,t the enclosed pictu..s from =
splendid merchant who has come oil 10 the
side Of the ship on three planks, by the aid
Of a broomstick. We leh Singapore on
the twenty.third ofJuly. | was Immensely
delighted with it; il is quite a Chinese
place. The shed shops are such rich
places. they sell the most wonderful things
in them-'oys and gods and lanterns, and
joss properties aud queer crockery. The
filth they eat in the eating. houses far sur.
passes that cooked at ,ha, old trauoria AT
Genoa. Itconsists, for the mos, part, Of
rats, bats, snaiIs, bad eggs. and hideous
fish, dried in the most frghiful attitudes.
Some Of the reStrurateurs carry their cook
shops about with them on long poles, with
the kitchen at one end and the sale man.
ger at the other. These are celebrated
for soup made, shound think from large
carterpilars, boiled in thin gravy with
onions. The BARRIERS also carry their
shops about, and they shave, cut boards.
and syringe ears right in the middle of
the street. A Chinese merchant asked
me 10 dinner. | went, ofcours., and after
dinner we started for the theatre. They
played Chinese opera, with abou, fifty
performers there were lots Of devils in
the piece, with 'urnbIing and fighting in
every scene. They only had one claronet
and two gongs in the orchestra, but when
there was situation in the piece one ftl.
low knocked two hollow canes together to
show the audience they were to applaud.
The merchant lives in frst.rate style, and
has wonderful garden. All the fru,.,rees
are yer, small; there were pines like
cabbages. and quantity of large crrcper
called 2 monkey cups" because down lbe
stalk there are regular pitchers aud tops
filled with water, from which Jacko re
h"sbesI himself i'r'he wood +.
Cashmess go~,s, porcnp'nrs, kaugIs.--sil
and Pekin pigs, and in the jungle across
the valley tigers, aud all sorts OF novelties.
| slept on shore that night, or rather |
went to bed, bu, | could no, sleep. as 1
missed the noise Of the screw, and the
creaking Of the timbers, and the bed was
too steady. The last nigh. before we GOT
to Hongkong we had an ''enter,ainmen,"
on board, and was stage manager. We
made a irst.rate room of sails and flags,
and the whole affair wen: off cap,sly.
There are no hotels at Hongkong, but IA
very nice club, with bedrooms. Iswas
proposed and elected as soon as arrived;
so ,ha, is very jolly. To-day they hold a
Chinese ttte in honor Of their dead rela.
tiOns.
They keep firing crackers all day in the
streets, and burn these long pas,lles. |
don't think they care much abou, their rri.
gion; they go into the temples to get cool,
or sit down. or 90 TO sleep. 1'he.children
are frightened at the gods. they are so
hideous; they roar with terror when they
are placed in front oflhem. The people
walk about with their hat on, and whistle
and smoke, and do what they like /; the
merchants selling gil, paper and pastilles
sit round the sides, and sometimes they
beat gong TO attract customers. Nothing
that | can write now can give you the
least idea of this wonderful place; see
every hour how very faithful Cooks des.
cripti0ns were.-London Times.