New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-10-10
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
A CHINESE NOVEL,
rnE rRIRuLArIeNs oF A cnINAMAN By JTnl

There seems 10 be no reason why M Jules verne
should not 20 or selling stores ana hAihg MS
scene lerever he peascs on land or sea or uno .i'
sea dprng the remainder Of his natural life. lie has
now given us a Chinese novcl-as he NAV give us
n pataconian romance to- inorrow-a book of winch
most of the characters are Cinnamon, though QUIZ
side barbarans are not wanting. NJ Verne SHOWS "a
good deal Of knowledge Of the manners ana customs
of the Flowery Land. and as much as possible Is
madc of them; and yet in its plot ana general de-
tails il is no difereut from hat it would have been
IL the scene had been France and the characters
Frcnchinen. 1t is Western novel with ChiIese
scenery il we may use the phrase. And yet there
is in il so much that odd and curious, and at te
same time authentic, that it may be commended 70
any reader who would know something more OF
China and its inhabitants than he wouio 10 aoic
to gather from encyclopaedia
The book opens in the saloon of one of the
Measure Yachts on the Pearl River at Canton
Here the Young and wealthy kin-fo is dining Win
his inseparable companion, Nang the philosopher
and four of the earliest friends OF his youth. Inc
reader may find description oil thiS pahque' cn''i
tanning If not appetlzinG:
For the figst course handed sngared cakes
cayiare, fried graSshoppcrs dried IultS ana NihS
Po oysters. Then followed succeSsiIey. at snor r
Intervals ducks, pigeons, and peewlts eggs
pcachcd. swallows nests with mashed eggs lrlc'S,
sees of ginseng. stewed storgocns rilS, what's
sinews with sweet S8vce, fresh Ter tadpoeS Hc1
crabs spawn sparrows gZZardS. she, ~ eyes stHed
with garlic radishes IA milk davOIed With apricot
Kernels matelOieS Of hothuuaS, lamboo-sprouls
I'm syrup and sweet salads. The last course CON
sisted Of pine-applcs from SINGAPORE. eaIth,nntS
sailed almonds. sayory mansoe> IN" Winto ,oS ~
fruits of the long-yen." the pulpY nuts oil the
lit-chee, chestnuts, and preserved oranges iloih
Canton. For drinks, there we're beer wine from
Chant higue and an amDle supply of champagne
Aftrr fhe dessert rice was served which the guests
raised to their mouths with little chop-SMGhs.
Three hours were spent over the banquet. W hen
II was ended and at the time when, according to
European usage, salyers of roSe-wateT are IRE.
quently handed round, the waiting ii"lGS PiouSm'
napkins stepped in warm water. winch All the coui,
pany rubbed their faces apparently WIN great
satisfaction.
concert 10y pretty young girls follows the
dinner, after which the company proceeds 10 take
tea. beverage of which IN It's purity and periec-
tion we seem TO know little. Here is an account OF
the Chinese tea-taDle
Here we're laid SIX covered cups, each embossed
with portrait OF Bodhldharama, the cclebrate1
Buddhist monk, standlnS on ms SechuaII "ncriii
The cups were already full OF boiling water. ana
each member OF The party was proFldeu WIN
pinch OF tea. winch he put into inc cup, Wituoht
SMEAR, and at once drank Oh the Infusion anu
what tea it vas! Direct from the stores OF Odd
Gibh & Co. there no fear OF IFS having pceh
aduterated by extrane0us matter. nor OF It's being
colcred by tur1neilc or RUSSIAN biue no SusplCi"r
of IFS having already been subject 20 IA process VI
decocton that left IL only fit to lay upon the carpet
of a dusty room II was the lnperlai Ht' III ~ i
purity the Young eaf-buds allowed to be gain req
only by children with gloves on their hanus ahu
that but rarely, as every gathering Kills Il 'i'o'
The gentlemen Sho partake of this banquei- as
the author takes pans to inform Us. were not of
that conventional typo which might step out from
paper screens or from old Oriental porcelain but
on the other hand, examples of the mOden. IN
babitants os the Celestial Empire, who, by edu-
cation travel. and intercourse with Europeans
have adopted not a few of the habits OF Tie CIV
ilized West" Attached TO Kin-Fo. the gver OF
the feast. was Wang, the philosopher aforesaid
who rarely Quilted his pupil. During the civil war
had lpgn
rebel Emperor but having been rescued by the
father of Kin-Fo from death, he has become nX-
ture in the family. He a stad moraLst OF
fifty-fve philosopher of wooden spertacles" lie
has told his pupil that-he would never be really
happy until he had passed through some great ms
fortune; and this prediction is the key note OF the
book.
Kin-Fo has a servant called Soon, who is greedy,
laundering and awkward, and is summed up as
the very type i'll fact of the conventional China
man as Denoted upon hand screens and tea-cups"
He is always punished, not by blows. but by cut
ting of an inch of his cherished pig-tail. In four
wears he had lost two feet of this sacred aDpen-
dage. Having delayed to deliver a letter to KIN
Fo when he does so this amusing scene occurs:
Kn-Fo started up and brandshed the cane.
Soon crouched down to the carpet. supporting
himself with his left hand he held up letter III
his right tY
"Rascal where have you been ~ cried kln-fo.
All nj ia" groaned Soon; Il did not expect
You till the third watch. Beat me! beat me; am
The Wallets face turned several degrees paler as
his master flung the cane angrlly on the ground.
"Tell me-" exclaimed kin-fo, why is IL you eX-
pect q. beating what nave you done 'eH nle al
This letter." gasped Soon.
"Weil. what about that letter ?" shouted Kin-Fo,
and he snatched 1t from his hand.
forgot it forgot to give III YOU DelOre you
went to Canton"
"A week ago, You vagabond come here"
al am a crab without claws" plteously Dew ailed
Come here ~ shrleked his master.
9Ai al ia moaned the servant.
This {" al al ia " was a wall If despair. Already
Kln-Fo had seized the unfortunate valet by his
pigtail, aud in an instant had caught up par
of scissors and shipped OIL It's TIP .
The crab soon found its claws again, and AFTER
scrupulonsly picking up every morsel OF the mar
that was lying on the carpet made his escape from
the room Twenty-three inches before, the tail
was only TWENTY-FIVE now.
.Kn-Fo negiects to read the letter after all. but
instead writes one to La-oo, a charming widow to
whom he is betrothed and whose portrait is thus
given:
la-oo herself was charming. Her beauty could
not fail to commend itself to the most critical OF
European eyes. Her complexion was fair, escap-
ing entirely the national characteristic OF being
yellow her eyelids had scarcely the least lnciina-
tons toward the temples; her haIr, when was
rather dark was SET of by a little bunch of peach
blossoms fastened in by bodkins OF green jade;
her teeth were small and white; her ey4DroWs
stippled in most decatey with Chinese INK. NO
lowed to enamel her cheek no circle of carmine
gave a false ruddiness to her lip; no line of pen
ciIling Joined eye 10 eye; nor was there on her
countenance "A tinge Of the rouge upon which the
court annually cXpends ten million Sapecks La-0o
would have nothing TO do with cosmetics. Rarely
as she left the retirement of her house, she knew
well enough that it mattered not TO her, and that
she was at liberty 10 dispense with the ordinary
distinctions which Chinese ladies feel bound to
exhibit when they appear in public.
As simple as elegant was hei dress Over a
pleated skirt she long robe embroidered
on the border. and fastened at the waist by q
stomacher embossed with gold filagree "a pair of
boref lyip6,s Of INK sill