Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1885-09-17

A RennarxahIe "Reminiscences IN OF GEN.
eraI GRANTS Visit to china.

eTHl Gr&Mps visit 20 ChAm1s
Some points Of special interest at
tached to General Grants reception at
Tien-Tsin, where he and his party were
entertained with all the honors that
could be devised by foreigners and Chi
nese authorities Ii Hung Chang, the
greatest of Chinese generals, had watched
the career of Grant with keen interest,
declaring that he himself and the Ameri-
can general were the two most success
ful soldiers of the age (his own laurels
having been earned in ouelling the
Taeping forces; curiously enough the
raeping rebellion and the American civil
war were contemporaneous. and re-
spectively came to close. the latter in
The spring and the former in the summer
of 1860. In recognition of such ser
vices, Ii Hung Chang, although pure
Cinnamon, has been raised to the high
est dignities that could be conferred by
the Tartar rulers He is guardian of
he heir apparent and viceroy Of Tien-
Tsin, which, as guarding the approach
to Pekin, is perhaps the most important
Of ali posts in the gift of the govern
ment. So, since this great viceroy had
resolved to do all possible honor to bis
military brother, Tien-Tsin was trans
formed from its ordinary condition Of
dullness and dust. The river decorations
were easy enough, for all the vessels and
junks were fringed with flags; but even
the dusty town was enlivened with col
ored calico and real flowers and much
military show. There were chairs of
state lined with yellow silk, and quaint
uniforms and fireworks and feasting.
Ii Hung Chang himself was carried in a
covered chair with an avant-courier
bearing huge scarlet umbrella, badge
of very high estate, with large escort
of about {, 1000 very disreputable-l looking
soldiers in blue coats and red trousers.
Perhaps the most remarkable feature
of this reception of the American whom
the viceroy SO exceptionally delighted to
honor was an invitation to dinner from
Mrs. Ii Hung Chang to Mrs. Grant and
to the principal foreign ladies of Tien-
Tsin. Such thing was altogether
without precedent in North China, and
consequently was an occasion of exceed
ing interest, inasmuch as few of the old
st inhabitants ha ever been privileged
to look upon these greas lalies, who now,
at the instigation of this very ad-
vanced viceroy, were actually to do the
honors Of their own homes. No gentle
men were present. but there were in all
about dozen ladies, Chinese and for
eigD, lady from one Of the missions
acting as interpreter. From time to
time the tall form of the viceroy was
seen, overlooking the throng Of Chinese
spectators (who, as is usual at festivities
of great men, crowded around every
door and window to stare at ''the quail
ty,n and who, of course mustered in
double force on so extraordinary an oc-
casion as this, but it would have been
too gross a breach of etiquette for him
to have ventured to appear in the pres.
ence of the ladies, though his views on
this subject had been vastly enlarged in
the previous fortnight, when for the first
/ time he had been present at two din
ner- parties graced by the feminine pres
ence. Atthe first of those, given by the
French consul, it had been decided
that, to avoid giving this rare guest too
rude shock, all the ladies should sit to-
gether at one side of the table. At the
second dinner, however, at which about
fifty guests were present, it was decided
to let them sit alternately, as usual-the
only difference being that the viceroy
walked in first, by himself.
These extraordinary innovations led to
his devising this invitation Of foreign
ladies to his own house. so he was
naturally anxious as to the result. But
all went off admirably, and his wife en-
tertained her foreign guests with perfect
composure and courtesy. OF course. the
foreigners appeared in their best evening
dresses and Jewels, the examination Of
which is never-failing subject Of inter
est, after the discussion of the ladies' age,
and the numerical list of babies and their
age has been gone through. The per-
sonal appearance and pretty names Of
the viceregal ladies produced great
impression on their guests. The hostess,
who came to the outer door to receive
Mrs. Grant with all honor, was comely
middle-aged woman, whose tiny feet ap-
peared from beneath dark trousers, and
richly embroidered skirt and long jacket.
With the exception of very large but
terfy of pearls worn on the back of the
head, her necklace, bracelets and head
ornaments were all of priceless green jade.
A daughter in-law, aged twenty=three,
was dressed in similar style, quiet though
rich in color and material, but an un-
married daughter Of sixteen was gor-
geously attired in green satin trousers
and pink satin jacket, all richly en-
broidered in gold and gay silks and
loaded with jewels Of pearl and jade.
Long pendants Of jade hung from her
ears and from the silken cord Of her fan,
while the third and forth finger nails Of
the left hand had been allowed to grow
! to an enormous length and were shielded
| by golden nail protectors All these
three ladies wore the same excess Of jew