istakes. John eats principally rice. It is in fact the basis
of all his dishes, which are varied by the addition of dried fish and
vegetables, adding occasionally such portions of animals as are usually
thrown away by civilized people. Rats, cats, and dogs are not declined
by his omnivorous appetite, and he is charged with craving nearly all
sorts of vermin, such as snakes, slugs, scorpion's eggs, and
caterpillars, which he complacently adds to his stews. Without the
physical strength or size of Europeans, he makes up in industry what he
lacks in muscle; and as his food costs about one fifth the sum which we
generally calculate necessary for a common laborer, he can work much
cheaper, and still lay up money from his wages.

Certain peculiarities challenge our observation. The Chinese mariner's
compass does not point to the north pole, but to the south; that is, the
index is placed on the opposite end of the needle. When Chinamen meet
each other in the street, instead of mutually grasping hands, they shake
their own hands. The men wear skirts and the women wear pants. The men
wear their hair as long as it will grow, the women bind theirs up as
snug as possible. The dressmakers are not women, but men. The spoken
language is never written, and the written language is never spoken. In
reading a book the Chinaman begins at the end and reads backwards; all
notes in the books appear at the top of the page in place of the bottom,
as with us. White is the mourning color, not black; surnames precede the
given names; vessels are launched sideways, not endways; in mounting a
horse the Chinese do so from the off-side. At dinner we commence the
meal with soup and fish, they reverse the order and begin with the
dessert. Grown up men fly kites, and boys look on admiringly; our
bridesmaids are young and dressed in white, theirs are old women clad in
black; and so on.

From its special position in the East, Hong Kong is the resort of all
sorts of people, from all quarters of the globe. England is of course
the most strongly represented. There are comparatively very few
Americans, but plenty of French and Germans, the latter mostly Jews and
money lenders. There are numbers of East Indians, Italians, Portuguese,
and Spaniards, with here and there a Parsee, making altogether a
population which reminds one of Marseilles in its conglomerate
character. These several races, mingling with the Chinese, make up an
incongruous community. An early