Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-09-15
DINING WITH Ii HUNG CHANG.
Queer Food, Queer Clothes and Queer
Manners.
From the London Globe.

From the London Globe.
| A French naval officer, who happened to
| be at Canton last March, gives the follow
| ing description of dinner with Lii Hung
| Chang:
| I'VE left the French consulate In Filters
| at } o'clock one afternoon. These filters
are huge cages with large glass windows or
muslin curtains, and they are upholstered
in blue or green cloth. Each litter is borne
| very quickly and with only very gentle
| vertical rocking by four coolies, who are
clad in garments of white calico with a
| narrow triple-colored border. For an hour
we went through labyrinth of streets
until the filters halted before a building
| with very simple entrance. Only the
| fags of honor waving upon the roof
! showed that we were before the 'Yamen'
! of one of the great men of the land Being
| borne across the threshold we were within
a courtyard, in the background of which
We observed folding doors adorned with the
| paintings of two huge warriors. We were
before the house of Ii Hung Chang, the
viceroy of Canton. Our party consisted
| of NJ. Pichon, several officers and some
| French officials When we had waited for
| five minutes the warrior-painted doors were
| opened. salute was fired by artillery
and our filters entered entrance hall
paved with marble. Lis physician and in
| terpreter then conducted our party to the
| dining room, which contained large panes
| of glass, and was hung with very ordinary
cotton curtains Standing upon the thresh-
! old our host awaited He is a very fine
| old man, and bears lightly his age which
according to the Chinese reckoning, is sew
enty-eight years. He was wearing loose
| flowing fur cloak and carried a very simple
| stick in his hand. His high rank could be
! told only by the button which he is priv
| LEGGED to wear. He shook his visitors very
warmly by the hand and then we all sat
! down at a table which was loaded with
tea and champagne The conversation last
ed twenty minutes and was very common
| place.
THE next morning Lii returned the visit
| of the French officers board their ship
The viceroy was interested especially in
the guns He asked through his inter-
| prefer whether the guns were of Creusot
make, and the word 'Creusot' which he
! pronounced quite correctly. sounded very
strange coming in the middle of the native
patois which he invariably speaks. 1t was
quite manifest that the Chinese understood
1ulIy all the details of the guns which
were shown to them; nevertheless true to
| their instincts of false courtesy, they were
| so good as to express establishment and
wonder and to go into raptures over the
working of the guns. Before leaving the
ship Ii invited the officers to dine with
| him that same evening, and NJ. Pichon
| the French minister. and his wife We're
! also invited. Lii received with all due
pomp in a big room which bore testimony
| to the high respect enjoyed by it's owner
| In the shape of large official communica-
! lions in the handwriting of the dowager
empress, with which the walls were
adorned. On stool of carved wood in the
/ background stood altar adorned by
| dwarf trees, and devoted to Ancestry
worship The room was furnished in the
| French style-that is to say in the fash
! ion which prevailed fifteen years ago in
Paris In the most approved manner Ii
conducted her to the table. NJ. Pichon
| sat on the opposite side of the table The
| dinner was excellent, and was of a Euro
pean character The whole palace was
4 In tof Tn, tEA
| large crowd of subordinates and servants
| crowded themselves together to get a good
view Of US, and they made fearful noise
| Swallow-nest soup and turtle SOUP were
| served first, and then followed a cold fish
with mayonnaise; this was sharks fin. and
tasted like india-rubber. Then came pull
tets breasts with moril, pigeons eggs
! cooked in oil. mutton outlets with PURGE
| OF peas. variety of mushroom known as
| silver ears, ham with preserved fruits,
aspic made of pate de foie gras, fishes
| trlpe, roast ducks, roast fowl shrimps Chi
| nese cakes with very good flavor biscuits
| and EVERLASTING dessert cakes chocolate
cream and fruit ice. In ALL there were
| eighteen dishes. Before every guest was a
| menu printed on red paper. Twice during
| the meal LIS pipe bearer handed a nine
TO ms master. who gave it back after taxi
| ing two puns at 1t. When he does not give
| official dinners Ii lives almost exclusfveIv
| milk. A'i
| When the dinner was at an end we 70
| tuIneu 10 the large room, where tea and
coffee We're handed around. The afternoon
| call on Ii Hung Chang had really heen
| made with the object Of NJ Pichon havins q
little conversation with Ii. AS M. Pichon
did not then gain his point the interview
was postponed, to be suddenly renewed on
the present occasion. Thus the two chief men
plunged all at once into serious conyersa-
| Ton. IL was so earnest that the young
french omcers could not follow It: thev
iounsed In their chairs and. as they smoked
dreamed OF the distant outside world. Rnt
me mandarins In the suite of the yicerov
sWarmed around his chair, and entered
keenly into the discussion At last after
exchanging the usual complimentary e1.
pressions. and with certain vague ASSN
ahGes on the part Of Ii Hung Chang We
| TOOK our leave of that powerful man "e