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PO R T R A IT OF VAN-TA-ZHIN.
A miliiary Mandarine for Xohleman) o f China.
T h i s officer (a colleague o f ClioM'-ta-zhin, who was a m a n d a rin e o f the
c iv il dep a rtm en t) was ap p o in ted b y the Em p e ro r to a tten d th e B ritish
Em b assy , from the time o f its a rriv a l in the g u lf o f P e -tch i-li, till its
d ep a rtu re from C a n to n . V a n -ta -z h in was a m an o f a b o ld , generous,
an d amiable cha rac ter, an d possessed o f q u alifica tio n s em in en tly suited to
his profession, b e in g w e ll skilled in the u se o f th e bow, an d in the
management o f the sabre. F o r services p erformed in th e >vars o f
T h ib e t, he wore ap p en d ed from h is ca p , a p e a c o c k s fe ather, as an
ex tra o rd in a ry m a rk o f fa vour from h is sovereign, besides a re d globe of
coral w h ich d istin g u ish ed h is ra n k . H e is re presented in his u su a l, o r
undre ss, consisting o f a sh o rt loose ja c k e t o f fine cotton, an d an u n d e r
vest o f embroide red s i lk ; from h is g ird le h an g s suspended h is h a n d k e rchief,
h is k n ife an d c h o p s tic k s “^ in a case, an d pu rse s for tobacco : on h is
th um b s are two broad rin g s o f agate, for the purpose o f d raw in g the bowstrin
g . T h e heads o f the a rrows, w h ich are th ru s t in to th e q u iv e r, are
v a rio u s ly p o in ted , as laarbed, lozenge-headed, k c . H is boots are o f satin,
w ith th ick soles o f p a p e r : these are always w o rn b y th e m an d a rin e s a n d
superior C h in e se.
• Q u o i t - z a u , o r C h o p s t ic k s , a re u se d in C h in a in s te a d o f f o r k s ; th e y a re tw o
ro u n d s le n d e r s ti c k s o f iv o r y , e b o n y , & c . a n d u s e d in th e m a n n e r o f p in c e r s .