New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-07-05
"Death'' City,

A s'Death" City.
A writer in Temple Bar sayss Of
the most striking and lnterestlngs IN
China is the death cities lnhaDlte Inc
dead only. They are usually sd a
few miles from the living ones, ane no
parallel that know OF anywherehaH
essay to convey an idea OF the onslde
of Canton, which visited In c0mpt
friend thoroughly versed IN Chimat-
teIs. 1t presented at first sight thar
ance of any other Chinese city, the
exception of the dead silence, q OF
movement, and sort of atmoepheich
felt vapid and stagnant. Iheere
the same narrow streets pavdth
cobblestones, and the same int
little square houses with tab
crate screen in the doorway inste a
door, the little latticed venetian ow
frames whence the Chinese womanies
her curiosity az to what is going che
outer world. But here no eyes ed
through, no figures glided in and ON
behind the screen; no pattering Of
bearer coolies smoothed the cobblees;
no CRY OF vendor Of fruit and fish bhe
dull monotony. The streets inted
each other and ran in crooked zigas
most Chinese streets do. Here anre
were patches of garden ground, I'd
with cadaverous, sapless flowers, loGas
though they had been struck with pas.
A few dwarfed shrubs stood langup,
seeming as though they could not pth
more than one leaf in a century. Thss
no hum Of insects or tlies-nOt even IT,
quitous musqu;to. Not so much as
across the silent streets which We trad
for some time, experiencing with te
acuteness the irksome jar OF our fl.
My companion suggested that we sh0l-
ter one of the houses; we therefore SO
behind the screen and found Ourselven
ordinary Chinese parlor or receiving,
furnished with the usual black ebOnys
and teapoys, with the quaint gaud-
lures lacking perspective, which onet
fancy ale hung in sheer perversity p
dicularly instead of holiZOntally,-
mencing at the ceiling and extendb
the floor in narrow strip, the tinge-
pearing on various stages as upon :
der. At one end Of the room was the,
which adOrns the principal apartme
every Chinese house, sustaining /,
Notwithstanding joss, which repr
either saint OF Gemigod. On either
we're brass urns containing smould
incense, and in the front cups of tes
samshoO. do not know it the tea
hot; did not taste it, for if it is i'll tt
in dead mems shoes, it must be wOr
drink dead mems tea. In the centre {
room was bulky article which locked
an ottoman or divan covered with gu
silk cOunterpane or mastOyd, such 81
used on Chinese beds, and il nj
have passed for one OF those
uncomfortable articles of furDi
But it was hollow, and within|
Lay the inhabitant Of the dwelling, s
ing his last long sleep, never NOR
rise, never more 70 sip his tea or sans
though it waited there prepared for \
never to sit on his ebony chairs; nevd
Light any more joss stick to his ancest
but have them lit for him by his poster
There were other chambers in the he
similarly furnished. except that the n
tOyd was threwn back and displayed
empty coffin, which lay ready lined v
sandal wood, its owner not yet being de
The veranda was furnished with the US
green porcelain seats and vases, in VIII
seemed to stagnate the b,oodless flow,
We stole softly ont into the street, chill
and painfully, yet not mournfully,
pressed. We went into the next door-tl
house was 'TO Let Unfurnshed." A tn
was rich in gliding and vermiiion, a
mirrors reflected and glittered through
rooms. The ebony and ivory furnitl
was most beautifully carved. The tea a
'anshoo cups were Of exquisite egg sh
'hina; otjets de rirtu lay about on the all
with real jewels. The bed "
covered with magnificent crimson vely
lullt, richly embroidered in gold and Sc
1earls, with a deep bullion fringe worth
weight in gold. Under the quilt lay hi
who had amassed an enormO
ortune by the very simple process of che
'ing OF the heads of all such as he disco
,red to be possessed Of money. / was
ormed that he had immense money wi
lm in his coffin, and was adorned with ;
lis Jewels and costly mandarin dress. II
ofhn, or state bed on which he Law, b.
Ost tl0OO. The outer one was of ebon
beautifully inlaid with gold, silver, Two,
nd mother-ofpearl. The inner case was
he famous iron wood. from Borneo or Blu
lah, considered more invulnerable tina
fetal, as it neither rusts nor DECAYS. an
efies the white ant. Within that there W;
sandal wood shell lined with velvet, IL
ody being highly spiced to preserve 1t. III
lrnlture OF the house might well excee
1000. The altar cloth and hangings we,
rich embroidered silk, with a profusio
gold fringe, and the lattice filigree whic
ne Chinese are SO fond of introducing ever,
here, was gilt and vermilion. The flor
as inlaid marble.
Wandering about in this oddly drear
lace, which was neither mirth nor wo,
10 painful stiffness and the heavy atmo.
here being the only elements which ir
)lred awe. my nerves. nevertheless. r.
lived sudden shock when, just as l wa
the decorations of an apparent
w visitor, speaking in whispers and rails
g the mastoyd. shrill shrek made m
art, drop. the mastoyd, and clutch m,
mPanlon oy the arm, and tor minute
uld scarcely control my fright. FL
lghed, for 1t was only the Growing of
ok; but l declare st. Peter was neve,
IRE startled. But this was q proof tina
, corse was fresh one, as the whit.
X, without a colored feather. which
companies the coffin, is usually left
re when the body merely goes int.
gings. If really inferred, believe it il
ed and eaten. In another portion of the
7 we saw several of them, though thin
Y were past growing. Some of the in.
or walls were decorated with portraits
posed to represent the defunct: on the
ct tables were the brass basins used for
ltiOns; and in one, where there was the
trait of lady who must have been a
nese beauty, there was q large pot of
paint and another of white, which the
1ese use unsparingly. By the side of
lay her jade comb and silver pins, and
gum which was used to stiffen her hair.
Quilted the city, nothing 10th. We
led to breathe more freely when fairly