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According to die Chinefe calendar, itcemwneraseSion the fecond daycd
^urmenth of February, and isi&bforved -with great -Jfey and gladneft-
thFa&gheut the whole empire,' 'and 1^ !®ji-erttire tfwfp«*Sfibn of-all bufi-
ne£s, Of any religious ceremonies fftat asfbttr in the dawn-of'the year, I
.cannot fpeak, ftMll^he- diftlnftipnsipfithe feafoa which appeared ito riSy.
confifted e'f foafting by day*, and-'fireworks 'by night. ' This feftiv-al ft
prolonged, by tbofe who can afford it, for feveral days-* and tfoeysj
•whofe circumftances- Confine their joy to one day* take fowvcteh -of it’,
that they generally feel ifcs'-effefts on the next: I - *
. 7- O f themarmer in which they keep or(^f&FVe' their o#dinary h©lidayS,
I fhafl-give the following account: ■
lathe firfipkeetheypurehafe prbvifiorvs according fotheir fitodtion.
and capacity, which are dneflfed, and placed before a'fmalli-iS8'l-,’( 'fikM*
on an altar, with a I curtain before i t : ’ahd fileh 'an altar, inf feme
form or other,-every Chinefe has in&hk -habitation, whfeth&r-if be
on the land, or on the water, in an houfe, or a junk. AThis regaft; w itli
bread ’and fruit, and three fmall cups of-wine, fpirks’, and vifkgftft, are, -
after a ihreefold obeifanee from the people-hf :the hodfe to th^iKrab,_
carfte3r*to the front o f their dwelling: they there %n eel and pfaypypth
great fe'rvbur,*!!# feveral minrifes'j and, after frequftftlyheatitig their
heads ondhe'grourtil, they rife, and throw the contents of thdffifed-cnjft
to the right and left‘o f them. 1 They then take abundfe dFfhafff piefceS
o f gift, paper, which they fet ofr'fhe, and'hold' Ovter fhe“mdat. That
is fucgeeded by firings of'fmall crackers, hangir^'fdHhe endfraPa &ane-,
which are lighted and made ter track over the bread ' The'rep aft
is then placed bpfofe the idol, or Jofli, as it ls^callect Qfterrfi% Hi‘ch
meatS a deity) and after a- repetition.Qfpgbeifances, S ^ ‘TpdcMge
with a joybus'^dinner, exhilarated' by plenty flripftits, ' which are
always-'boiled'in fnfall pewter or copffer v^ls^BefbfOney' are taken.'
; 'On the firft o f ‘March it is ufiaal, according to ancient- euftom, lfor.
dramatic pieees to be performed onfiages in the principal ftreet of
9 . ; ... ' ’ ■ " the
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the- différant' towns- throughout the, empire,, for tfte;aimjfemenfr o f the
poor people^ywho açe not 'able tq purehafe thofe pleafures. This bene-t
ftcpnt aft' com mues for^a furceflion o f feveral days*! at the expenfe of
the,Erngeror.j5 fo that every morning apftevening, during this period,
the lower -j^laflps o f fift, fubjêftst, eagpy, a favourite- pleafure- without
cqfejyrd blefo the hand that befiows itpnist-hqm, -.
i >Of t-he; knowledge, o f medicine among-.'foe Chinefe; I can, fay not
rpote, than that 1 was witmefs,. in one> infiasase, to a.flbilfuL application,
qf,it,i in the.,cafe of John Stewart;,• a* fervant, o f J0apt. Mackiritofh,
who^on ©nr return from Jehol,. haft .been feized, with the: dyfenter.y;
which increafed.fo, much-on. the roaft; that at'Waunchoyeng, -there
were, no-hopes- entertained-, of hia ‘being;, able toj leave that'-pïgcfi;
Whether- i^àtofor frpm"<tK‘e“defite df the, patient, or was fuggeftgd by
any perfon in the fi||||P, 1 know notp'b1u|;â’ GÉpïèf©' phyfician was
caAlgdy to his- aftiftancej, when! foe-.man’s cafe was explained to
h im jjy Mr. Plumb,, - in, the; prefep|^ pjf,, iSLç .G^prgg,,,, Sjtjtunt op..
Thq pliyficiap 'remain«! a;rfiQpfidejaljle4 ,.time wit}^ bis patient,, and
lent hinç | medicine,,, vyhiefi temped,-the cpmplftnt,f;aad -reftpre-dj
hipr to.hqalth, -
,T ® .peqpjojate, imgmeial,; of,,anlhpaslthy appearance: it i£~\ery>
rare, iraïs.diKtô.fçe,neon's marked with thç frnalltpjoX,>.,and,, except,
in.!tbg,^^ppr|»''ofj Macao, apd 'Canton, lcvuarof the diloidci unloi-
tupaft^lmfàfrequ^lin.Europe, are:npt-knowo, in;?Ghipa-
The çjxtee is the ,®ly„ curxept poin ’ ip-, -CJhina;, any_ qthgr ig^-j
de| ofi mon^» ds aqfoJutely.^forb^ddpPfn.^pd, is mad® ’ 4 - white
rpelai rS-fc^bsut the .,fixe, o|!;j®ur farfcbing*: with a fmall fornare bole»
driven throu^i,the^. middle,, for rtbe. purpofo mf'irunning^theniiO.iy
a firing to.be compofeft intoqand,ereen® ari(l maces: Jfuf ajthongh;
the tè'rmS candereen^ araî^mace aft employed- tot certify
quantity o£t cassées,* thdre-rare-np coins Ïfïi-fti® country which’ bear
w ib f n % - that!*1