The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-10-10
sNAsEsass slttelliaeaeer.
THE CHINEgE an H01gE,
An Interesting. Account OF the Manner,
Costumes and Habits OF the Cslestis
1ssnPlre.


The Washington Poa contains an IN.
teresting letter from Robert @. Murphy,
exsCqpsnl General to China, from which
We max fhe following ey tracts: u
Ihe title TO the land IL Chinat, veated
Nee aiinpls Ia the Emperor; ell occu,
pants are tenants meraiy. and pay O -enl
of$6 per acre. This forms the principal
source OF revenue to the government.
There the science of life is TO live, and
as the soil is the original source of all
wealth, their statesmen took care early to
preve-t the monopoly of the land by the
rich. This they etfected by collecting
their greatest tax from that source.
Land 10 not held therefore In large tracts
by single individuals, but in small par.
cells, which they cultivate and utilize to
the last foot.
The endless chain-pump, all wood,
which we claim TO have discovered, but
which, vas used in China before Colum-
bus was born, serves to furnish water for
cow, and is very simple. They are thus
relieved from any reliance on the reeu-
larities OF tho seasons. Two crops, and
in some portions of the empire, three, are
raised annually.
In horticulture the Chinese are adopts.
trimming trees and shrubs to resemble in
outline birds and wild animals, while
they dwarf fruit trees to lilliputian di.
mensions yet bearing fruit The country
abounds in fruit such as grapes, melons,
citron, oranges, lemons, lines, pomola,
mango, mangustine, peaches. pears,
plums, apricots, lichees. custard apple,
bread fruit and persimmon, many of
these in great variety, and all superior to
the same kind of fruit raised in the West
Indies.
An official dinner In China generally
consists OF fourteen courses. The last is
the fruit, which, for taste, rs displayed
by the butler in its arrangement, cannot
be surpassed in any part of the world.
The various fruits are grouped on pyra-
midal dishes, each kind hanging from
parts of their own vines or branches in
terspersed with leaves, the whole en-
livened by the flowers of the japonica,
which grow in o great variety Of beauti.
ful tints. The butler will chip off the
outer surface of pomola, developing
scenes on the fruit. A watermelon he
will treat the same way, bringing out
farm scenes or perhaps marine views with
extracted the core, In place Of which he
has poured bottle of champagne it is
then frozen for hours in the ice chest.
Just before it 10 placed on the table he
cuts It down Ia slices from the top piece,
which has been cut like the teeth Of %
saw and holds it together. At the proper
time he removes the top by catching
hold of the red, white and blue ribbons
attached TO it, when the whole falls in
slices over the dish, q morsel that even n
member of Brick Lane branch of the
Evangelical Teetotal Temperance Asso.
citation" should be pardoned for enjoying.
The currency nf China Ia silver. copper
and bank paper. The silver is in form
of bullion, called "sycee," and ia meas.
ured by o "tael,n whichiis $l.333 of our
money In commerce. It Ia nodded some.
what in the ehsDe Of ahoe. and bears
the 'stamp Of the asaayer and refner, who
is responsible for its character. Copper
is the coin Of the masses, called "cash."
They cast it round, with o square hole in
the middle, end it is strung liz double
Tow5 or links, i,isy an esscciss, &c tEse;;iliate
payment. Sixteen of them make cent.
Three cash will buy cup of tee as good
ns most sent TO this country, while thirty
two viii support @ laborer one day.
and 44hAa habits of tho people go ample Il
isinot 80 surprising that If they can live
for two cents day they should be salts
fed with ten cunts IA compensation for q
days work.
Bank paper has been long known and
used in China. It Ia not State or na.
tional institution, but free TO all, founded
on individual responsibility. It is re-
daemable III coin on presentation, and II
ziss redeemed, not oa!y the property OF
the banker, but that oe his relatives 10
held for payment. This rule of respon.
sibility 10 general in oil their transac-
tons. Ita results are very salutary.
Few men run risks that would entail
minor misfortunes on all their relations,
however reckless they might be person.
ally. Tho system of guaranteeing is
universal in all business transactiI..,
and it is almost unheard of for the guar
antor TO fail 60 meet his engagements with
tho gfeatesS prompthesS. Your butler
gives yon security for double tho value
OF the silverware, dining room furniture
ana stores you r!ecc :c his charge. On
one occasion, the houss oss Oliphans q
Co., at Shanghai, had sll their silver
stolen. The same day ihe butley had an
exact duplicate placed on tb sir table.
the buffers serving foreigners. They in
sure each other. If eilk merchant finds
he will be unable to meet his obligations
falling due Tomorrow, he notifies the
I silk guild 60 which he balongs Of the fact,
and they appoint g. committee 70 ,ex-1
anime his aecodnta. II his ernbarr.ssss.
ment is found to ssii5s fsonl unavoidable
or natural causes, they pay his oblige-
tons and he goes on; but IL he is found
: 70 have been "crookel" in his business.
ne is ehu6 ont ffoH the guild and thus