The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-03-15
TRonTnE CELEsTIAL EMPlRB.
some Notes Of Travel IN China By y For.
mOF wheeling Nan.

Some Notes Of Travel IN China BY . FOF'
meF wheeling Nan.
We are permitted to use the following
portions Of private letter written by an
old resident Of this city to Mr.. Joseph Bell,
which we think our readers will find Of
considerable interest:
HoSG KoSG, Dec, 81, 1880.
MYDRAR sER:-Nearly two months were
very pleasantly spent in Japan. have
been here since the 18th Of October, and,
while China is not as pleasant to travel in
as Japan, ] have enjoyed every hour
Everything Is go different from what We
have in our own country that one need
never be OF loss for interesting places 10
visit. There being no railroads, travelling
through the country Is necessarily slow
and expensive. The usual way is by boat
or canal. In some sections every farmer
seems 10 have his own canal and what is
called house'boAt, With cook aud one
servant, one can travel quite reasonably
and visit the interior towns, Canton Ia not
only the largest but the Cleanest, busiest
and most attractive city / have
seen. It was, as you are aware,
the first open port, and has conse'
quently become the centre oil trade, 30
that all travellers who come to the place
spend several days among the shops oil
Canton. The streets are very narrow,
the widest, Treasury street, not being over
twelve feet wide, while some are only six
or eight feet wide. rode through many
streets where could reach out from my
sedan chair and touch the houses on
either side, These sedan chairs have cur
taius which can be removed 30 that one
can have an unobstruCted view, but
Cinnamon travel with closed doors. In
visiting 1t ia not considered quite proper
to 20 on foot This is the only city in
China that has o supply oil water drawn
through pipes. In all other places 1t Is
carried In buckets. One meets al least
one carrier, with q bucket OF water in
each hand, on every block 10 all Chinese
cities, One often meets man carrying o
basket OF copper coin, the only cash used
by the Chinese Government, One OF the
institutions OF China Ia an official called 0
broker and cashier. He acts between the
tea buyer and the producer, Equeezipg
both sides, pays your check at bank, and
receives and pays out the mounys OF oil
business houses, lie hires the house ser.
wants, buys all supplies, and, out OF a
certain sum per month, which the house
keeper pays him, he Ia responsible for
everything needed In the house. Female
servants are used only as nurses and
maids. The men do all the rest OF the
work, even the washing, | have never
seen q female servant, in either b private
house or hotel. While at Canton | took
lunch with the entire American popula.
ton OF that great city. Including the
Consul, there were Just four persons pre-
sent beside myself. There Ia but one
American business house In the place.
The language as spoken between native
Chinese Is one Of the Curiosities Of litera.
ture when In print. For instance, stop
side" means Heaven, up stairs, two or
three stories above or any other elevated
place. "Maskse" Ia used for all right,
don't care, very well and o dozen other
like sentences. "Ohow chow" 10 used Tor
dinner, tea, or any meal, as we'll as fol-
rice or any other kind OF food.
The majority OF Chinese are anything
but polite, and do not believe there d
any word in the Chinese Language that
means thank you.
The cruel practice Of bandaging the
feet Of children TO prevent their growth ia
still In vogue In some localities.
Duck raising Is a profitable business in
China. 1t is conducted on an extensive
scale. Shops where dried duck In every
possible form can be obtained, are seen
on every street. Along the river are
loCks OF ducks, each flock attended by q
man whom the ducks follow and obey.
Near Canton there Is village where the
entire business Is Matching ducks by arti-
fetal heat.
Among the invitations have received
was one 10 heightened Chinese dinner.
There were present five Chinese mer.
chants, Mr.. Rodgers, an attorney from
San Francisco, and myself We partook
Of four purely Chinese dishes, among
which was birds nest soup, which was
very good. We had pigeon eggs, several
varieties OF fish, four kinds Of wine and five
different fruits. The whole affair was very
entertaining and highly enjoyed. We
were al the table i've hours.
l have only time to Close this letter.
Yours truly, ]. W. D.