The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-03-25

erS Tor the trade OF the Chinese empire.
There has been a great advance in prices,
which is attributed to the reckless bar
gaining of American soldiers who come
ashore from the troopships bound to Ma
Mia. They paid whatever was asked. and
the Chinese merchants, as keen after prof
it's as any Jew, were not slow to avail
themselves OF their opportunity. What a
difference there can be between the sum
asked and that finally accepted may be
realized from this not uncommon incident:
A tourist going about. with a Chinese
guide-an honest fellow. as 1t happened,
who contented himself with the squeeze
be got cut of the dealers to whom he al
ways took his patrons-saw a porcelain
figure of Buddha which ne wanted. He
asked what il was w~orth-the dealer has a
little booth in the strickland was prompt
ly told that 1t was worth 81. The guide
frowned and shook his head warningly.
mo buy; no buy" he said under his
breath. 1T go catchee heap better Budd-
ha. and no pay so much" While the globe
trotter was inspecting some fascinating
ivory carvings, Aheum John slipped away
and returned with a counterpart of the
Buddha for which he had paid-seventeen
cents!
So important a commercial event was
the arrival of a transport, that there has
been general lamentation since they no
longer touch at Hong-Kong or Shanghai,
coaling at Honolulu outward bound. and at
Nagasaki returning. Whether this change
was due to a little difficulty that occurred
some months ago I was not able to learn.
AT any rate a ship arrived, and there be-
ing some trouble over anchorage or harbor
dues, the soldiers did not come ashore.
There was such an outcry on the part of
the shopkeepers, who were about to be
despoiled of their so per cent. profits, that a
big petition was circulated, and the harbor
master besought to remove the prohibitive
restriction, which he finally did, and the
much desired customers of the Hong-Kong
shopkeepers came ashore.
THE DELUSIvE MAP.
As the foreigner who has only a theo-
retical knowledge of China imagines that
Tien-Tsin and Picking are suburbs of
Shanghai, so there is an erroneous idea
that Canton is just across the bay from
the British concession. 1t looks upon the
map as if it might be. In reality it is five
hours rapid steaming. The fare there
and return is S., which does not include
meals, that must be paid for in addition.
The steamers leave Hong-Kong morning
and evening, returning from Canton at 7:3O
a. m. or at 4:30 D.. m. 1t is customary to
make one or the other trip by the day
boat, in order to see the scenery and the
life on the river, which is most interest
ing. Those returning in the daytime find
it is more convenient to go on board in
the evening, which entails another Eek
ira" since the berth must also be paid for.
With extra meals and bed it makes the
cost of the trip about s12, gold. and this for
a distance not much greater than from
New York TO Albany.
The coastwise steamers in the China
trade need more competition. AS matters
now stand they are a law unto themselves,
and i'm most of them the comfort of their
passengers is a secondary considera-
ton, their chief revenue being de-
rived from their freight traffic.
1t is difficult to arrange matters in a
thoroughly satisfactory way in China,
where a large per cent. of the passengers
are Chinese, for whom special arrange
ments must be made. Like most natives
in their travels throughout the far East.
they carry with them their own food and
bedding. L have but once seen Chinese
among the regular saloon passengers, and
this was in the ship of the Empress line
which has in its dining saloon one long
accommodate from four to six persons.
UIa 4.o TsLso-1 4 u.
Indian at one of these tables, and they
did not fraternize with the other passen-
gers on the deck, although they were
rather splendid creatures in their gar
ments of blue and cardinal brocade, lined
with sable. On all the lines the Japanese
come to the regular table, but generally
the awkwardness with which they handle
their knives and forks and the difficulty
they have in disposing of foreign food is
evidence that their chopstick days are not
far remote. 1 sat opposite two most
courteous japanese on board ship recently,
one of whom spoke very tolerable English.
He ate with the good breeding of an or
binary foreigner. but I observed the ire
pressible Orientalism cropping out in the
nail of the index finger manipulating his
OAF - ao oN Oo1 bA AA1h III Ch6N
and cried aloud for a nail brush: the other
was much less Europeanized, and such
portions of his food as he could not mas
ticate, the bones of fish and the like, were
elected from his mouth upon his plate;
both ate their soup with the loud in
halation that is the very essence of Chi
nese and japanese etiquette, since it is
considered an audible proof that the food
is appreciated.
HOW CHINESE TRAVEL.
The fact that the Chinese carry their W
food, rice, fish, vegetable" by which term
they call cabbage, turnips and white rad
ishes alike. and their manner of eating the
same-scattering it all about-makes much
work for the deck steward and would be
the total destruction of carpets. On the
Fatshan, in which l took passage for Can
ton, there was one great cabin aft, ex-
tending the entire width of the steamer
and nearly one-third of its length. This
was covered with hemp mating, and as
the Chinese came on board, either carry
ing their own impedimenta or attended
by coolies or ~servants-for rich and poor
apparently Jared alike-each chose or was
assigned a space. mats were unrolled and
the owner and his family-where he was
accompanied by his family-established
himself thereon. The rice was cooked i'm
the common galley GET aparf for &bo