regular Fourth of July supply), and that the
realism should not be missing, some small boys on the corner exploded a
bunch of fire-crackers.

There were other factories, but the most interesting was one devoted to
the manufacture of silk thread from cocoons. It was very large, and only
women and girls were there employed, and the deft way in which they
caught the silk end from the cocoon (the latter is first placed in
boiling water) and wound it on reels quite won our admiration. We were
then taken to rooms where large twists of silk were placed ready for
shipment to England, a package not over two feet square representing an
investment of many thousands of dollars. The long drive to the hotel
ended an eventful day; the evening was to furnish further excitement in
a visit to some fan-tan parlors for which Macao is noted; indeed, it is
the Monte Carlo of the Far East, and I fear this feature attracts more
tourists than the beauty of the location. Certain it is that the
steamers from Hong-Kong supply a large contingent that comes hither
daily, since both fan-tan and lotteries are prohibited in Hong-Kong. All
the parlors are under Chinese management and are extensively patronized.
Some are said to be very luxurious in their appointments, being, of
course, for the wealthy patrons, who do not, however, sit on the floor
where the gambling is going on, but in a little room arranged with
galleries all around. Their servants sit below and receive from them an
indication as to certain numbers which may win or lose as the wheel of
fortune turns. There are retiring-rooms for the opium smokers and
separate places for serving refreshments. Such a condition represents
the aristocratic status of the game. The reverse aspect is seen in the
miserable "joints," which are too dreadful even to contemplate. Here is
where Macao derives the revenue to carry on its fine improvements, and,
as in Bangkok, there is no intimation of a desire to reform the evil.

The Chinese have also invaded Burma, and intermarriage with the Burmese
maidens is becoming general. Java is not exempt from their presence; in
Siam they are very numerous; in Singapore they permeate everywhere; and
in Macao they are possessors of the field. Truly their colonizing power
is tremendous, and, unlike the British, they commence downward and work
upward, the coolie ever being the advance guard.

On Sunday morning there was no service at the English church, and so two
of our pa