Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1869-02-12
The Chinese m Se,r IOrk--HOr
anil Where they Lire.

4 writer in the New York Tribune
gives the following interesting account
of visit to a Chinese locality in that
Polyglott city;
I'VE paid visit the other night to
Baxter street, and its immediate neigh
borhood, the particular locality in which
all the Chinese live. We first visited
boarding-housc for Chinese sailors, where
we saw phase OF life which We have
certainly never before witnessed These
Chinese sailors are not able scamen, but
are nearly all Of them stewards or cooks
o. different vessels which arrive here,
principally from China or California
Happily for them, they do not care for
Water street life. its dance houses and its
bucket shops they are never 70 be found
there they prefer to remain quietly nj
home in their boarding houses. The
house we have alluded 10 is kept 10y u
Chinanlan, whose wife is China woman
very well-looking FOR an Oriental, and
possessing a mass of jet-black hair Mt the
back of her head, sufficient to make half
dozen chignons. They received Us with
the greatest civility: requested Us to he
seated. and showed The greatest willing
ness to give us Ill the information in their
power concerning themselves, their hab-
lis and their customs. Around the room
were n series of beds arranged similar to
the berths of Ship-one above the other.
On many of these, men were lazily re-
clining, smoking opium. The opium pipe
is h somewhat novel thing to the Ameri-
can eye. 1t has large wooden bowl,
pierced with very fine hole down the
centre, which is attached to n very thick
stem about eighteen inches long, the
bowl being placed about four inches from
the bottom of the stem. There each man
lies. with little lamp and a small tin pot
of opium (Which has all the appearance OF
very thick molasses Of the consistency Of
pu:ty) by his side. With apiece OF steel,
something like large bodkin, the smoker
takes up small quantity of opium. and
Lurniup IL for few seconds in the
lamp. stuffs it into the small aperture in
the pipe, and puffs away with an air OF
the most consummate enjoyment. Others
were sitting reading at table in the
centre Of the room, using the point ofthe
forefinger as they read upward from the
bottom to the top of the page. Some OF
them had little books Of dialogues, with
Chinese on one page and English on the
other. They told US they experience the
greatest difficulty in learning 10 read Eng
lish, as their own language has no aipha-
bet. Judging from the books they showed
us. three or four hieroglyphics. with
couple of lines drawn through them, con-
stitutc n word, or In some instances SEN
tence. Several Of them were studying
together, and their efforts to pronounce
common English words were very anus
ing.
Others were playing cards. Their cards
were very quaint. They were about FIVE
inches long and an inch wide, and are
gorgcously painted with Chinese gentle
men and ladies, and in the most grotesque
costumes and attitudes of the first century.
Each card has certain value attached to
it. They begin the game by dividing the
cards into six little packs. the two players
choosing pack alternately. The first
player places card on tho table, his OPP