On Wednesday night Mr. Z. H. Volpicelli delivered a lecture on Arab Trade in China during the Tang Dynasty (IX Century), with an account of the count iven by those early travellers. Mr. N. J. Hannen, who presided, announced that the only business to transact, before calling upon the Lecturer, was to announce that Mr. Schomberg had been elected 4 member.
The Lecturer, speaking extemporaneously, reminded his audience that a short time ago he gave an account of the early Portuguese traders in China, and he now
earlier period, when the Arabs traded proposed to go buck and speak of x much with China, We were apt sometimes to think that we were almost the first who had been in China, just ax we sometimes thought when we came across a fuct unknown to us, that we were the first to discover it. The first proofs of Arab trade with China dated back to the fifth century, the principal port from which it was conducted being on the Euphrates at a point now no longer navigable. After-wands the starting point of Arabian trade shifted successively to Bastah, Al Siraf, and later on to Ormuz. The trade east: wards rapidly extended, and the accounts we had of the trade in the ninth century were from on interesting manuscript in two parts, which was translated by the Abbé "Eusebius Renandot in 1718. It was a fairly good translation, but as the manuscript could not he found for a long time people began to doubt, its existence, until it was discovered some fifty years later: another translation was con-piled in 1845 by Reinand. Of the first part of the manuscript we could not tell the author, but the second part we knew us written by Abu Zeid Hassan of Sirf. The Lecturer then proceeded to endeavour to locate the ports of call mentioned in the manuscript, contending that if attention were paid to the statements as to the time occupied in passing from one to the other we could ain a very fair idea of their approximate position. The ports of call extended along to Cochin-China and then north-wands, and he thought they might identify Khanfu, the great Arabic trade port in China, with Hangchow Fu, The travellers give a very detailed account of China, as Well as of India and the islands of the South Indian Archepelago, The first author, speaking of the climate of China, says it is very quod and far healthier than India. The country is more populous, and whilst he found many desolate places in India he did not notice the same state in China. He speaks of the large rivers, and the moisture of the climate, mat ters which would naturally strike a native of the dry atmosphere of Arabia, He says the people are very fine-looking, and very white, an impression which the traveller might have formed asa result of his wanderingsamongst the darker natives of India, The dress of the Chinese he describes as being silk, both the poor and rich being clothed in that material, and he was very much struck by the number of articles of clothing they wore. He says that the people wear five or more dresses; that they were a black-haired race—in fact the darkest haired rece in the world; the men let their hair grow ud did not wear turbans; the women did not wear any head-covering, but they usually indulged in a number of combs, and he had seen as many as twenty. Like a good Arabian the writer regretstheabsence of palm-trees, and he mentions the absence of lions and ele-pliants, and considers the Chinese horses superior to those of India. There were two hundred principal cities, each having many smaller ones administratively dependent them. The cities, he says, have generally four gates, and he makes some curious remarks upon the cities, stating that each gate is provided with five large trumpets, which are blown day and night to announce the hour. The peculiar construction of the houses is remarked upon. They are of wood or bamboo, and on account of the frequency of fires, have no steps or stai eases, so that the contents can be easily removed. The houses are also furnished with boxes on wheels, and when a fire breaks out the household articles are put into them and they are run out of the house. The food of the people consists largely of rice, but not exclusively. They have no wines, but they make a spirit from rice, which of course is what we know as smash. The people, he further eat_all kinds of animals, and also things which had died. The writer is one of the few medieval writers who mentions tea, and describes the plant. He notices that the people are not very clean, and says they never perform any of the ablutions of the Mahommedans. The marriage customs strike him as peculiar, and he speaks of the noise made by the beating of drums and musical instruments during the ceremony. Speaking of the burial customs he remarks upon the long time they keep the corpses, and notices the extraordinary care they have in performing the funeral rites, and the long time of mourning, which is generally three years. Headds—but perhaps it is a slight exaggeration—that those who do do not grieve constantly for the loss of the parents are bambooed. Polygamy is pra tised, and he says that the expenses incurred over funerals frequently ruin people. The great skill of the Chinese as workmen is spoken of, and he goes so fur as to say they are the most skilful people on earth. He says that when any workman acconpushes a new kind of work, which he thinks worthy of consideration, he presents it to the king (or governor) and the work is exhibited for a certain period. If nobody can find fault with it, the workman is rewarded, and he is entered in the curporation of artists. As an instance the writer says that a workman executed a most beautiful piece of embroidery, representing a bind resting on some corn. It was put on exhibition and admired for some time, until a hunchbacked man came to see it, and began laughing. Asked the reason of his amusement he said that everybody must know that if even the smallest bird rested on an ear of corn if would bend, but here the corn was quite straight. The criticism was found to be just, and the workman received no reward. Nearly everybody could read and write, and there were public schools where the people gained instruction, The peculiar corns are described, and he says they are strung on strings in bundles of a thousand, with a knot tied at every hundred, to facilitate counting. When 'a man cannot pay his debts, all his property is seized for the benefit of his Treditons, and all debtors have to pay what they owe the man. If the bankrupt reveals all his belongings, and is found not to have concealed any thing, or to have handed over any property to others for keeping, he is released, but if he is discovered acting fraudulently he is punished by death. Describing the punishments of the Chinese, he says that. they have a peculiar one, which consists in fastening the hands and feet behind the culprit's back, so that he becomes very much like a ball. He is then rolled about until his joints are dislocated, after which he is baubooed and left to die. The fondness for gambling peculiar characteristic, hut the people are generally sober. The people have little or no knowledge of science, and their mode of medicine is principally cauterisation. The Emperor lives in seclusion, only going out every ten months, the reason being that he thinks respect is gained by fear and my-story. When the officials go out, they are preceded by men beating pieces of wood, which is a sign to the people to retire into their houses, The administration of justice
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.