(* i f ) .
During the greaftpgft ©f this day the junks Were-towed along by
men particularly hifed for that purpofe i^and the mode of* drawing
•theft' ven^sJas may be fuppofe'd, Is-v'e^ different from that employed
Similar o c e a fi^ fin anjtlof the'fE&rSpeah rivers,-
On all the rivets of China.thereyre:%rgfebqdi®*1t>f men» whoft.
biifinefs itfe^td dt^g,5 o r tow tn^fjufefcs; when’fire wind drWideTailsi
-Theimethod.of proceeding in this bufiaeTs k by fa'Aenmgto"^: sOpe to
the-maft, and another to ‘tWsheadNofi the junk, which,; being properly
ftcnredythe draughtfmen take the-rope on Ihore along with them^the
length;',qf which muft depend* in-a great meitfure, on tbe breadth of th<*
riyei. Theft fnoi have, each of them, a pi&e''6ftw:bod,faH©«f tWtalfeet
and ap halfihlength*vaath a^jieth o f ftoutcord-llt dacft end^V’y wh'ieEit fa.
fattened to the ropes' attached to the junk ; theft- pieebwtf ^ o d 4 > d n g
-thrown ovhr-their heads, reft upon their breafts, and. by’, leaning fgainft
;|hem the towers increafe the power o f thdr-exertions ; they are finis har-
ne^ 5 i ^ A F a7 3 fe,t^e^xPrefli°n> in a_ftrait4tne,at the diftance bfafeput
apace and an half from each other, and when they are all-ready, .the
leader of, them gives the fignal: they then begin'a particular k in d o f
march, the regularity o f -whofe ftep is-effential to'ifhe draft .offthe
veflel, and can only .be maintained bjpajdbrt „of chime which' they
chant on, the occafipn :, .this chime, of cry, ^is -a kind o f brief - fttig j.
l^ t ithe words*, as far as I could leam, have no-more meaning annexed.
to them* than the bawling tones employed by Oar. teamen, as
notices to pull at the fame moment: they appeared, however, to give
the following diftinft, articulate founds, ncrt altogether unlike fome
o f thofe which we might hear on the Thames, Of the Severn.— ftoy-
alla-hoya j—yrhich word, for it is, delivered as one, was regularly-
fucceeded by the following ones—hoya, _hoya, hoy—waudi-hoya.
Thefe words are fung in a regular tune; and fo imiveifal is this
cuftom among the daft o f labouring Chinefe, that they cannot perform
the moft ordinary work, where numbers are employed together,
without the aid of this vocal accompaniment; which I was difpofed
to think, had fome agreeable notes in it.
4 It
I | |
It ftemed-j-'-iMefed f to he nedeflary’that- fheftpoor men fhould have jfeg
•eoh'fbiatibn df^^rrie-aid to ..aflifty them in the prodigious v“^ ^ j
f^Seur''dft'>dragging’'4h£ftifi^ge'jlifiks^/lMh1'.. flight--! and day, which is
frequent^fcoE^d^hyimteldy'banks,-t^dff"m'affhy>“!fhoi^«.where' I
haye^fMrfttim^yften Wading- up to their’ Very fhoulders,! gnd
dragging, one-a»o thefflas- well as the weffeh, 'i after' them.
- This morning;“ at fevem ‘o ’ilfock,. we’,r reccivddf-our ufual fiipply of Tuefday i
proviffens, .which' -wet.were;obligeito dcefsiourfclVes^ a.s,it<h‘e-:€hineft
areTjV very-dirty in thejr m o d e r o f - e o o ^ s j s ii t j .w a s impoffible fofr
‘the inhabitants! o'fira country .whereipleanlinefs^ is. fp.-pjevailing, a cir-
cumftanefe of the kitchen; unlefs im f^ e 'd by ftverer hiinger,’* f6 fhbmit
to it. -wTheir. -manner o f dieffihg.meati is hyputtifeglit in. .very %all ■'
|iteees,t whifeh fbey^fiy jin- « J , and.,he?hs. T h ey have
■ plettty of'ftrptandWihegaiy which-they;.addby w a y ^ C ^ c e ^ ,^
T h e diet which .the common people provide far themfelves is always
fh©,feme, and-they take their meals, w ^ i^ t^ u tm o ft .Regularity, '
‘ every four hojur$: it confifts-of boiled. riqe^,an d ^ /om e tin ^p f millet,
with a »few veget^Dfel^ia-- 'turnips chopped fmall; and, fried amongft
o il: this - they «put into a bafon, and, when they, mean to make a
regale, they’pour-fs.me-foy upon it.
- Theif;rtianner pf boilingj^fteds the only circumftance of cleanlinefs
which fl have .ohferved among them: they take a certain quantity of
lace,; and wafh it well in cold-water > after which ifcis drained off
through a.iieve : they then put the ripS. into boiling Waiter, and wjieft
it is quite foft, they take it out with a ladle, ;and drain it again through
a fieve'i they then put it into a clean velfel,' and cover it u p ; there it
remain's till- ?i'^ds.;bknphodJ.a|^hitefas.-;ftiow', and as djy. as a,cruft,
when the ricq, becomes a.moft excellent fubftitute for bread.
r The table on which they eat their meals is no more than a foof^from
the ground, and they lit around it on the floor: the veflel'of rice is
M thefe