During the whole feast the sackee never left the table, being
considered apropos to all the strangedishes which we partook
of. The first of these consisted of hard boiled eggs, cut into
slices, the outside, of the white being coloured red. A pair
of chopsticks* was now given to each person, and these were
not changed during the feast. lie x t came fish fried in
batter, which we found an excellent dish ; then sliced smoked
pork, next pig's liver sliced. After this, tea was handed
round in cups of a moderate size; the tea was quite
new, resembling, as was observed, an infusion of hay.
Pipes and tobacco served to fill up the short intervals
between the courses. A man attended behind each of our
chairs, whose sole business it was to fill and light the pipes.
The next dish was the strangest of any, and disgusted most
o f the p a rty ; it consisted of a mass of coarse, soft, black
sugar, wrapped up in unbaked dough, powdered over with
rice flour, dyed yellow. After this we had dishes of round
cakes, like gingerbread n uts; then cakes made in the form of
wreaths, and in a variety of other shapes. There was some-
* Chopsticks are two pieces of ivory or wood, about a foot in length, of the
thickness of a quill; they serve in China instead of a knife and fork, and are
held in the right hand. Until the difficult art of holding them is attained, they
are perfectly useless. The Chief at this feast, seeing that we made little progress,
ordered sharp pointed sticks to be brought, which he good humouredly recommended
our using instead of the chopsticks.