tiffin the yacht made her appearance, causing great
excitement in the minds of the natives. The gig was soon lowered and
came as close as she could. There was not water enough for her to come
within four miles of the shore, but we went out to meet her occupants.
Tom, who was one of them, looked so ill and miserable that I felt
quite alarmed for a few minutes, till the doctor comforted me by
assurances that it was only the effect of the Chinese dinner last
night--an explanation I had no difficulty in accepting as the correct
one after perusing the bill of fare. In their desire to do him honour,
and to give him pleasure, his hosts had provided the rarest
delicacies, and of course he felt obliged to taste them all. Some of
the dishes were excellent, but many of them were rather trying to a
European digestion, especially the fungus and lichen. One sort had
been grown on ice in the Antarctic Sea, the whale's sinews came from
the Arctic Ocean, the shark's fins from the South Sea Islands, and the
birds' nests were of a quality to be found only in one particular cave
in one particular island. To drink, they had champagne in English
glasses, and arrack in Chinese glasses. The whole dinner was eaten
with chop-sticks, though spoons were allowed for the soup. After
dinner there were some good speeches, the chief host expressing his
deep regret that their manners and customs did not permit them to ask
ladies, as they were particularly anxious to invite me, and had only
abandoned the idea of doing so after considerable discussion. I append
the bill of fare:--

_March_ 6, 1877.

BILL OF FARE.

4 _courses of small bowls, one to each guest, viz_.--

Bird's-nest Soup
Pigeon's Eggs
Ice Fungus (said to grow in ice)
Shark's Fins (chopped)

8 _large bowls, viz_.--

Stewed Shark's Fins
Fine Shell Fish
Mandarin Bird's Nest
Canton Fish Maw
Fish Brain
Meat Balls with Rock Fungus
Pigeons stewed with Wai Shan (a strengthening herb)
Stewed Mushroom

4 _dishes, viz_.--

Sliced Ham
Roast Mutton
Fowls
Roast Sucking Pig

1 _large dish, viz_.--

Boiled Rock Fish

8 _small bowls, viz_.--

Stewed Pig's Palate
Minced Quails
Stewed Fungus (another description)
Sinews of the Whale Fish
Rolled Roast Fowl
Sliced Teals
Stewed Duck's Paw
Peas stewed

We went all round the town, and then to see the ruins of the
cathedral, and the traces of the destructio