Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-06-17

i "Agate," the Washington correspondent
Of the Cincinnati Gazette, gives lively de-
/ scriptiou of the Chinese ambassadors at the
capital
"All wore the inverted washbasin hats,
surmounted at the apex of the cone with a
button, which marks the rank Of the wearer,
and covered with q flowing sassel of silk.
/ The two high mandarins had, in addition,
1 an ornament of peacock feathers, floating
| with the silk tassel over the back of the
/ hat. Their shoulders were covered with a
/ garment somewhat, like the loose sacques
| now worn BY the ladies'. Beneath these
/ were the skirts which reached below the
knees, underneath these were silk trowsers,
tucked inside of most extraordinary boots
-shapely enoGgh-but made to augment
the height of the wearer BY soles over an
inch in thickness, which were of pure soft
white. ORe of the mandarins wore huge,
round-eyed. spectacles, framed in tortoise
shell, that gave to his face an expression of
almost owl-like wisdom. All carried fans,
on which we're inscribed notices from Con-
fueius or parting injunchons from the
friends who had presented them as souve-
Mrs. They wore their hats throughout the
ceremonies. Beneath them could be seen
heads shayen all around the forehead, till
they looked preternaturally and painfully
clean; and down their backs hung long
plated queues of glossy black hair, reach
ing far below the waist.
"The two high mandarins wear black
moustaches; the rest have'perfectly smooth
faces, which add to their feminine appear
ance. All look intelligent, and the man
darians, in particular, have heads that
will compare in volume of brain with
almost any of our public men. One of
them bears marked resemblance in the
lower part of the face, to General Butler.
They are represented by Mr.. Burlingame
to be statesmen of experience, Of high
ability and scholarship that would enti-
tie them to take rank with such men as
Edward Everett That they are exceed
ingly observant and intelligent is evident
enough to all Two of the Chinese stu
dents speak English quite well, and almost
without perceptible foreign accent, and
write it almost as rapidly as their own tea
chest cabalistics. They are both young
one of them only twenty-two-aud are just
out of the Imperial College at Pekin. They
were greatly interested in the short. hand
writing Of the Globe reporters, which they
watched curiously while they remained in
the hall after business was resumed. One
Of them gave some samples of their own
shorthand writing, which appeared to be
based on the same general principles.
"After listening to the progress of regu
lar business for perhaps half an hour, the
Embassy retired with ceremony, the mem
bers standing till they had passed out by
the door to the left of the Speaker. They
we're next taken into the Speakers room,
where crowd of Congressmen's wives and /
daughters we're presented, autographs were
solicited ad nGsSeam, and the two who
spoke English were kept busy answering
how they liked this country and how it
compared with theirs. Altogether, the
impression which they left on the minds of
most spectators was that we have few diplo-
mats who (under similar novel circum-
stances) could have borne The trying ordeal
of such reception better.
That they thoroughly appreciate their
position, and determined to maintain its
dignity, and astnte enough to see the
changes it is likely to work in their an
cient and populous empire, Mr.. Burlin-
games address serves to hint. But we have
scarcely begun to comprehend the real inn
Portance of this strange mission from the
FloWery Land, and the last page of this
letter is not the place 10 attempt TO treat Of
it." @