Wells Williams describes an interesting scene. "In the middle of
the sixth moon lanterns are hung from the top of a pole placed on
the highest part of the house. A single small lantern is deemed
sufficient, but if the night be calm, a greater display is made by
some householders, and especially in boats, by exhibiting coloured
glass lamps arranged in various ways. The illumination of a city like
Canton, when seen from a high spot, is made still more brilliant by
the moving boats on the river. On one of these festivals at Canton,
an almost total eclipse of the moon called out the entire population,
each one carrying something with which to make a noise, kettles,
pans, sticks, drums, gongs, guns, crackers, and what not to frighten
away the dragon of the sky from his hideous feast. The advancing
shadow gradually caused the myriads of lanterns to show more and
more distinctly, and started a still increasing clamour, till the
darkness and the noise were both at their climax. Silence gradually
resumed its sway as the moon recovered her fulness." [294] On
another page Dr. Williams tells us that "some clouds having on one
occasion covered the sky, so that an eclipse could not be seen, the
courtiers joyfully repaired to the emperor to felicitate him that
Heaven, touched by his virtues, had spared him the pain of
witnessing the 'eating of the sun.'" [295] The following passage
from Doolittle's work on the Chinese is sufficiently interesting to be
given without abridgment: "It is a part of the official duties of
mandarins to 'save the sun and moon when eclipsed.' Prospective
eclipses are never noticed in the Imperial Calendar, published
originally at Peking, and republished in the provinces. The imperial
astronomers at the capital, a considerable time previous to a visible
eclipse, inform the Board of Rites of its month, day, and hour.
These officers send this intelligence to the viceroys or governors of
the eighteen provinces of the empire. These, in turn, communicate
the information to all the principal subordinate officers in the
provinces of the civil and the military grade. The officers make
arrangements to save the moon or the sun at the appointed time. On
the day of the eclipse, or on the day preceding it, some of them put
up a written notice in or near their yamuns, for the information of
the public.

"The Chinese generally have no rational idea of the cause of
eclipses. The common explanation is that the sun or the moon