Hamilton’s account of the east indies.

508

examinations. They alfo wear a diffinguifhing cap on their head, and look as graveas an old advocate.

A merchant and mechanic wear the fame cap as the courtier, but their habit is along robe w ith narrow" fleeves, and ftockings made of coarfe cotton cloth, with fquare-toed fhoes, without heels or latchets to tie them on. The peafants and fifhers are nottied up to fumpture laws, but wear what they pleafe.

Every houfe, flap, and fiffiing-boat keep a domeftic god that they pay adorationto evening and morning; and he has always a frnall fiat table with ledges before him,filled with wood-affies fmoothed over, and frnall furrows drawn through the allies inorder, and thofe furrows filled with powder of putchock, or radix dulcis, mixed withpowder of fandal, myrrh, or olibanum ; and the compofition is fired at one end, and itgives a little but pleafant fmoke the whole four-and-twenty hours, without the leaft needof mending or renewing it.

When two China Men quarrel, (for they are naturally a little choleric,) if the breachis fo wide that it will be difficult to be made up again, then they will threaten not topay any reverence or refpect to one anothers god ; and that word cuts off all meansof communion and fociety ever after. And fo I leave them, and proceed to my obfer-vations on other things.

Chap. LIII. — Gives an Account of the natural Rarities of China, and of the Emperor ’s

Revenue and common Expcnce.

THERE are many artificial as well as natural rarities in China . Their artificial onesare in ftupendous bridges, that give fafe and convenient paffages over great and rapidrivers, and over vallies between the tops of mountains, to make roads eafy and pleafantthat would otherwife be very fteep, crooked and dangerous ; but I never faw any oithem, though I have heard much talk of them.

They have alfo great and convenient fluices to check the violence of floods from lakesand rivers, and to ferve out their waters to lower grounds, to moiften them and makethem fit to yield good crops of corn, but I being confined to the ifland of Amoy, couldnot have an opportunity to fee them, fo that what I add more to my obfervations, isonly by informations and reports from others, (who had travelled where I had no per-miflion to go,) whofe acquaintance I cafually fought after to be informed.

I now begin again to continue my courfe along the fea-coaft to the northward : Andin the fame province of Fokien is the river and city of Hockfew ; but whether the cityof Hockfew be the fame with Fochew, I know not; it is very large however, and isfamous for being the refidence of the chungtock, and in brewing a fort of good ftrongale in frnall pots of coarfe China ware, luted over with a clay head as big as the pot.

About twenty leagues to the northward of Hockfew begins the province of Chequiam,whofe chief city is Limpoa, by fome called Nimpoa, and by others Ningpoo ; however,it is a large city and drives a great trade. Here the Portugueze were once well fettled,and had a numerous colony. When the Chinefe were mafters of their own country,and the Portugueze of the feas, it is reported, that they had above one thoufandPortugueze families fettled in Limpoa, and were governed by their own laws. Then"trade through China and Japon, which they carried in flapping to India and China ,made them prodigioufly rich, which brought them into luxury and debauchery, and,at laft, was the caufe of their expulfion from Limpoa.

They began to be notorious ravilhers of women. They would go into the countryvillages, and carry off young virgins by violence, from their parents, and when they