The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1875-01-01
CORRESPONDENCE.
Letter from China.
CHINA, October, 1874.

/ lJoufual, propose 10 Ulke up with the
proposition, at least so far as to make a
beginning, first assuring your readers
that I never looked upon newspaper cor
responding as my special calling. 1 be-
4 gin this letter seated in what is here
called "house-boat, sometimes to dis
tinguish it from other crafts which carry
] passengers of freight, this one being es-
Ipecially adapted to the use of two or
three persons only, and am on my way
from Soochow to Shanghai, a journey of
seventy-fve miles. As 1 have been to
ISoochow to rent achineeseh house, it may
not be uninteresting to give you some of
my experiences during the past week or
so.
Last week, Monday, the Rev. Mr.. Holt
and myself, started of, in our boat from
Shanghi, having first rolled UP few
oomfortables, eet., for bedding, aud hay
ing taken few loaves of bread and
some rice and q few pounds of meat toI
eat on the way. Our boat is worked byI
four cinnamon, who reeeiveabout fifteen
cents a day, per man, and board them
selves, On the way up, as there was o.
| fair wind, they had nothing to do but,
hoist the sails and thold the strings, . as
| they say, uutil we reached Soeehow,
which was just q hours afterwe started
Canals here run through the country,
very much as horse roads do at home,
except that most of the canals are very
crooked. The one we went over was
\ 100 feet wide Or more most of the way,
and is beautiful stream. One little
circumstance on our way up, was rather
amusing g-rsome, perhaps, would have
called it trying, but we only laughed
about it, and that was, We had come off
/ without spoon, knife or fork, and he'd to
work up our beefsteak and bread and
stir our coffee with our pocket knives,
4 We could have formed ''chop-sticks, :"
! but these would not have helped matters
much. We were able to supply our
selves as soon as we arrived in Sooehow.
As soon as we came inside the gates of
the city, we began to be greeted every
where with the cry of "Foreign duvil, :"
that being the common term by which
all foreigners are designated in China
We hear it so continually, that we usu-
ally pay no heed to it. Having moored
our boat inside the city, we left it, and
went to see some chinese friends, to let
, them know that we wanted to rent a
house. Next day we started out our
selves, and walked four OF five hours,
noticing all the houses that had ''to
rent" upon them, and enquiring about
them when they looked at all habitable.
At noon, being far away from the boat,
where our eatables were, we went into q
chinese cook shop and called for chick
en- and sort Of noodle soup, made by
rolling out dough very thin and cutting
it up into very fine long strips, and then
boiling, With only pair of chop
sticks, it is quite q feat to get these
noodles into your mouth. 1t was Mr..
Hollis first attempt, and he only suc7
ceeded with part of his bowl full. For
myself, who had often done the like be-
fore, it was not so much of q task, and
being hungry, L readily disposed of
what 1 had, but not until we had fur
nished many laugh to the crowd who
gathered round. In time, 1 said said to
them in jest, "now that we have afforded
you so much amusement by eating be-
fore you, you ought to foot the bill, at
which they all laughed most heartily.
The whole "bill' for two, including tea,
was about eight and half cents.
Beginning our walk, we at length
came upon house that seemed quite
suited to our purposes, being two stories
high, and just built. Then came the
question, "would the owner be willing
to rent to foreigners9" We went to a
chinese friend and asked him to go and
see for us. This is always the rule in
China, never do anything of this kind
yourself, but go to a third party who acts
as "go-between." The landlord upon
being applied to, said he must have two
days in which to consult with his broth
ers and friends, before letting us know.
At length he sent word that he was viii
ling, but his terms were so unreasonable
+ that we had to give up the place.
j There is an amount of machinery
| requisite about renting a chinese house;
} which, to an American is almost horrify-
) ing In America, Mr., A. says to Mr.. B.
81 want to rent your house." "All
/ right, says Mr.. B., ''you can have it
for so much per month, and Mr.. A., if
satisfied with the terms, goes and lives
in the house, and nothing more is nee
q essary but the payment of the rent. In
, China, however, it is different. First.
p an amount varying from 30 to 40 dollars
, up to 200, must be deposited with the
/ landlord as security money, security that
the tenant will faithfully pay his rent.
I This is all to be paid back whenever said
~ IL L. I.