th brothers _Ahaton_, as they say, in whom they can place
full confidence, and who will undertake to manage their whole business
for them. A good dinner, provided in the back-shop, completes the
illusion--and when once the Chinese has established his hold, he
employs all the resources of a skilful and utterly unprincipled
knavery. He keeps his victim in his house, eating, drinking, and
smoking one day after another, until his subordinates have sold all
the poor man's cattle, or whatever else he has to sell, and bought for
him in return the commodities he requires, at prices double and treble
the market value. But so plausible is the Chinese, and so simple is
the Tartar, that the latter invariably departs with the most entire
confidence in the immense philanthropy of the former, and with a
promise to return, when he has other goods to sell, to the
establishment where he has been treated so fraternally.'

The missionaries were themselves mistaken for Tartars when they
visited the 'Blue Town,' and every kind of imposition was attempted to
be practised on them. The hotel scouts assailed them at their first
entry, and almost compelled them, by physical force, to become their
guests; shopkeepers cozened on all hands; and even bankers
condescended to cheat. Messrs Gabet and Huc wished to exchange silver
for Chinese coin current. The Tartars can weigh, but cannot calculate,
and accordingly the bank-teller of Blue Town, after gravely consulting
his _souan-pan_ (exchange-table), announced the value to be about a
thousand _sapeks_ less than it should have been. The missionaries
remonstrated, and a colleague was called in to check the sum, but he,
with due gravity, declared that the first was right. A bystander
interfered, and declared in favour of the strangers. 'Sirs Lamas,'
said the banker, 'your mathematics are better than mine.' 'Oh, not at
all,' replied we, with a profound bow; 'your souan-pan is excellent;
but who ever heard of a calculator always exempt from error?' These
phrases were, it seems, rigorously required under the circumstances by
Chinese politeness. Whenever any person in China is compromised by any
awkward incident, those present always carefully refrain from any
observation which may make him blush, or, as the Chinese call it, take
away his face. A further proof of Chinese cupidity was afforded by the
admission of a gentleman, whom we may take the liberty of denominating
an Oriental bagman. This worthy arrived