. Recollections of a sea wanderer's life; an autobiography of an old-time seaman who has sailed in almost every capacity before and abaft the mast, in nearly every quarter of the globe, and under the flags of four of the principal maritime nations. all. Thesalaries of public officers are very low, not enough to paytheir expenses in some cases, for instance that of revenuecollectors, who are said to extort money as a necessity fortheir own needs. On my third visit to China I had learnedto pick out the nine different kinds of mandarin, one fromanother, by their dress and attendants. We found the
. Recollections of a sea wanderer's life; an autobiography of an old-time seaman who has sailed in almost every capacity before and abaft the mast, in nearly every quarter of the globe, and under the flags of four of the principal maritime nations. all. Thesalaries of public officers are very low, not enough to paytheir expenses in some cases, for instance that of revenuecollectors, who are said to extort money as a necessity fortheir own needs. On my third visit to China I had learnedto pick out the nine different kinds of mandarin, one fromanother, by their dress and attendants. We found theChinese industrious, peaceable, mild in disposition, docile,and having a profound respect for the aged. Such goodqualities of course have their opposites, and they are in-sincere, liars on principle, and every man suspects everyother. Gambling is nearly universal. A common sign inthe windows of shops is, There is no cheating here, while Look out for your purses, meaning beware of pickpockets,is seen in all places. The fact is, their government is too fatherly, meddlingwith every act from the cradle to the grave. Custom isvery onerous, even to the little matter of regulating the sizeof visiting card you may or must give on making or return-. CHINESE FOOD. 35 I ing a call, so they vary from an inch or two to a yardsquare. But your extremely polite visitor may rob youthen, or any time a chance may occur. The Chinese eat everything without exception that ispalatable, and some things that we hold in disgust: as rats,mice, etc., though I confess a rat stew is good if you donot know beforehand what it is. Their favorite spirit ismade from rice, and they do not make wine from is the universal drink, and they are very fastidious intheir taste. Drunkenness is common enough, and opium issaid to be used by great numbers, but as it is a secret viceI did not see any of it. There are many countries which one may visit to ad-vantage without the least desire to remain as a resident,
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectseafari, bookyear1887
