1.—THE, TEA star.
Another institution intimately connected with the Chinaman's social habits is the Tea-shop. On arriving at a now place, a native of the Celestial Empire looks out for the grateful character Cha, as naturally and with as much interest as a Jack Tar looks out for an emporium where Bass' ale and Henessey's brandy may be obtained to allay his thnt. The Teashop, however, is not merely a place of refreshment. It forms also a kind of popular Club, and at times a species of tribunal. It is there that all the gossip of the day is communicated from one Chinaman to another; and there, too, are settled a variety of disputes, which they do not care to take to the Yamuns for fear of Being uselessly squeezed and bullied. The Chinese are perhaps the greatest gossips in the whole world. They have a fund of small talk that is never exhausted, and would excite the envy of a veteran tittle tattler at home. Theinexpensive luxury of five cash worth of tea, witha. humourous and congenial companion, is. one of the chief delights of life in most parts of China. Visitors to Hongkong dre disgusted that there are none of the regular Tea-shops in the place. A northern man, lamenting this circumstance in pisteous tones, declared that it wasa great draw-back that in Hongkong they were obliged to purchase a whole meal in what should be Teashops; as he said Chinamen liked to Ent of the conversation?"—a subordination of the. physical to these establishments, "not for the sake of the tea, tothe mental that, might be advantageously con: the writers in the Saturday on Dinners and Dinner giving. Tt was once observed by a genial writer, that when a man had seen one country town in England he had practically seen them all, so little do they differ in appearance. great degree this may be said of China, where, at least in its main features, one town is an exact counterpart of another. A description of one Tea-shop will at all events suffice pretty well for all, bearing in mind that some are a little more eleanly—or more accurately speaking, less dirty—than the others. On entering, as the Irishman said, the first thing you seo is a noise. Seated at little square table, on plain wooden benches, are innumerable Chinaman,-: all garbling away ¢o their hearts' content, and alternately sipping fron their caps and smoking their mild and sickly smelling tobacco. In one corner, are half-dozen boat-coo-Ties, counting over their gums for the day, and endeavouring'to come to an equitable division. It will be strange if this be accomplished without a breach of the peace. In another, are two respectably dressed men, inj eager disoussion as to the terms of settling a bargain. They are a couple of "middle men," the indispensable requisites in all nese settlements, large or small, from the most trifle purchase up to a wife. Those two serious looking indi duals, who are giving themselves the airs of great men, are runners from the Hsien's Yamun, They are treated very respectfully and do, not pay s runners in_Yamuns in Chinn having the same kind of license in regard to Tea-houses and Opium-shops, and toa certain extent brothels, that the Press enjoys at home in regard to theatres and other places of public amusement. Everything looks very chatty and cozy, though rather dirty; but there is more going on in this sociable establishment than a man uuacquained with the language and ways of the Celestials would suspect. Hullosh! they ace lugging a fellow out neck and crop, some holding him by the shoulders, others by the arms and waist, while he is kicking and struggling to free himself, The master of the shop is asked by the writer in the plainest words what is the matter, A vacant stare and a Puhtoong" (I don't understand) is all the reply that is voushenfed; while the guests around chime in wit
to the conclusion that the ejected individual has seriously baad man," "thief" "rogue," and other epithets leading offended in some way, and has been turned out in consol quence. Subsequent enquiry, however, shows that the real fact of the matter is, that the youth so summarily jostled out was the servant of a foreigner, who had in-Formed against a coolie for stealing his master's property. Such a breach of all rules caused him to be summoned to the Tea-shop to discuss and settle the matter. He not refuse, as this would at once render him able to be mobbed and punished in tke streets, so he goes to this peculiar tribunal, accompanied by some of his friends; an informal and noisy argument as to the merits of the casels
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.