Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1874-06-25
,LE,A GAZETTE l. VIRGINIA ADVERTISE
4 death CIII.'

They are usually situated few mlles from the
living ones, and have no parallel that know Of
anywhere. shall essay to convey an idea of
the one outside Of Canton. which visited lu
the company Of friend thoroughly versed in
Chinese matters 1t presented at first sight
the appearance Of any other Chinese city, with
the exception Of the dead silence, derth Of
movement, aud sort of atmosphere that ies
yapid and stagnaut There were the same
narrow streets paved with the cotblesoucs,
and the same quaint little square houses with
the elaborate screen in the doorway instead OF
door. the little laNiccd venetian window
frames, whence the Chinese woman satisfies
her curiosity as to what is going on 10 the outer
world. But here 10 eyes peeped through, 20
figures gided in and out trow behind the screen;
no pattcrlng feet of bearer coolies Smoothed the
cobbe stoucs; no cry OF vcDder OF fruit and
fish broke the dull monotony. The streets in.
,ersecled each other aud ranin crooked z!gzags
as most Chinese streets do. Here aud there
were patches of garden ground, planted with
cadavcruus, sapleSs flowers, looking as though
they had been struck with paralysis. few
dwurfed shrubs stood langudy up, seeming as
thru.h they could not put forth more than Que
leaf 10 century, There was no hum of ln-
sects or hes-Dot even the ubiquitous mosqui
to- Not so much as d rat ran ACROSS the silent
streets which We travcrsed Tor some time, ex-
periencing with terrible acuteness the lrk-
some lar of cur owu football. My cnmpan-
lou suggested that we should enter Que of
the houses; we therefore stepped behind the
screen and found ourselves IN an ordinary
Chinese parlor or receiving room, fur
nished with the usual black ebony chairs aud
teapoys, with the quaint gaudy pictures lack
nh ,Irlf fur
hung in sheer perversty perpendicularly in
stead Of horizontally, commencing at the cell
ing and extending to the floor In narrow strip,
the Gugers appearing on various stages upon
ladder. AT one end of the room was the
altar, which adurns the principal apartment OF
every Chinese house, sustaining some teroclous
looking joss. which represents either saint or
demigod On either side were brass urus cou-
taniug smoulderiug incense, and 10 the front
cups of tea and samshoo. do not know II the
tea was hot; did not taste It, for 1t 1t is III to
step in dead mems shoes 1t must be Worselto
drink dead mems tea ln the centre OF the
room was bulky article which looked like au
ottoman or d,vaD covered with quilted silk
counterpane or mastoyd such as is used on
Chinese beds, and it might have passed tor
one of those most uncomfortable articles OF fur
niture. But it was hollow and within it lay
the inhabitant of the dwelling, sleeping his last,
long Sleep never more to rise, never more 10
SIP his tea or samshoo, though 1t waited there
prepared for him; never to SIT on bis ebony
chairs; never to light any more JIss stick TO his
ancestors, but have them lit for hlu by his
posterity. There we're other chambers IN the
house similarly furnished, except that the mas
.toyd was thrown back, aud displayed an empty
coffin, which lay ready liued with sandal wood,
its owner not yet being dead. The veraUda
was furnished with the usual green porcelain
seats and vases, in which seemed to stagnate
the bcodless flowers We stole softly out into
the street, chilled and painfully yet not mourn
tuly impressed. We went 10 the next door
that house was "rv Let Uuturnished. A
third was rich in gliding aud vermilllon, aud
mirrors reflected and glittered through the
rooms. The ebony and ivory furniture was
most beautifully carved. The tea and sam
shoe cup were of exquisite egg,shel china; ob,,
jets de virtu lay about on the altar emblazoned
with real Jewels The bed was covered with
magnificent crimson velvet quilt richly EN-
broidered in gold and seed pearls, with deep
bullion fringe worth its weight in gold. Uuder
the quilt lay high mandario, who had amass
ed au enormous fortune by the very simple pro-
cess of choppiug off the heads of all such as he
discovered to be possessed of money. Twas IN
formed that he had Immense money with him
In his cofiu, and was adorued with all his jewels
and costly mandarin dress The coffin, OF state
bed on which be lay, had cost FL ,00O The
outer one was Of ebony, beautifully inlaid with
gold, silver, ivory, aud mother of pearl. The
inner case was of the famous iroswood, from
BorDeo OF Burmah, considered more ln-
vulnerable than metal, as 1t neither rusts nor
DECAYS, and de6cs the white ant. Within that
there was a sandal wood shell lined with velvet
the body being highly spiced to preserve 1t.
The furniture Of the house might we'll exceed
thousand pounds The alter cloth and hang
ings were Of rich embroidered silk, with pro.
fusion of gold fringe, aud the lattice hllgree
which the Chinese are SO fond of Introducing
everywhere, was gilt aud ve,milliou.- The h,or
was in-laid marble.
Wandering about 10 this oddly dreary
place, which was neither mirth nor woe, the
painful stiffness and the heavy atmosphere be-
ing the ouy elements which inspired awe, my
nerves, nevertheless, received sudden shock
when, just as was examining the decorations
Of an apparently new visitor, speaking III whls-
pers and raising the mastoyd, shrli shrek
made me start, drop the mastoyd, aud clutch
my companion by the arm, aud for a minute
could scarcely control my fright He laughed,
for it was only the Growing OF cock but de-
clare St. Peter was never more startled. But
this was proof that the corse was a fresh one,
as the white cock, without a colOred feather,
which accompanies the coffiu, is usually left
there when the body merely goes into lodgings.
II really Inferred, believe 1t is killed and eat
en-. In another portion of the city W saw sew
eral of them, though think they We're past
Growing. Sume OF the Interior walls OF the
houses we're decorated with portraits supposed
to represent tie dctuuc, on the toilet tables
were the brass basins used for abutions; and 10
one, where there was the portrait of lady
who must have been Chinese beauty, there
was large pot of red paint aud another Of
white, which the Chinese use uusparingly; by
the side of that lay her jade comb and silver
pins, aud the gum which was used to stiffen
her hair. We quilted the city, nothing loath.
We seemed to breathe more freely when fairly
outside the pent air of the; death city.