On Wednesday afternoon the funeral of Mr. Chen, formerly Mixed CourtMagistrate, who died on 7th March last, took place with all the ceremony which such an occasion is supposed by the native mind to demand. "He held the post at the Mixed Court for twenty years, up to 1883, the day of his resignation being also the anniversary of his reception of Sir George Balfour in 1843, so that his intercourse with foreigners had then lasted for exactly forty years to a day.
Funerals amongst most people are generally conducted according to well-defined regulations, so that novelty is hardly to be expected, and Chinese tenerals are no exception. Perhaps the chief point of comparison between the latter is the amount Of drowsiness and dirt which they exhibit, and tean be truthfully said that yesterday's was about the most complete representation of rag-tag and bob-tail dom that we have witnessed foursome time. The hundred odd coolies carrying boards setting out the putative titles of the deceased made up about as unwholesome a looking batch-of humanity as could be imagined, Lord Palmerston said that dirt was merely matter out of place, but somehow, with the unsavoury surroundings of the native city, the dirt did not look so out of its element, nay, it seemed almost appropriate, and cleanliness would have looked incongruous. When the procession emerged from the city, however, the contrast Was plain, and no foreigner could witness the spectacle without a feeling of repugnance.
Thinking from the public announcements that had been made that a parade a good deal out of the common might be witnessed, our representative was attracted into the native city, and directed his steps to what had been the residence of the deceased. Before much ground had been covered, straggling portions of the procession were encountered, and the crowded state of the narrow streets showed that something unusual was happening. Bat the board-carrying coolies and umbrella-bearers were somewhere near the middle of the parade, so to gain a full view of all it was necessary to catch up the leading division, a matter of some little difficulty, only lessened by the occasional halts which were called as the bearers and mourners twisted and turned through the narrow and passed over bridges. The proc was hended by some tawdry looking individuals mounted on shaggy ponies. Then at intervals came about x hundred of the before referred to coolies carrying rod boards with Chinese characters cut out of gilt paper pasted on, and intended to give the spirits an exaggerated idea of the deceased's importance, for they set furth that he possessed x most wonderful céllection of honours. Boys, dubbed by. courtesy "musicians," performing upon various instruments followed, the gong, which though loud produced perhaps the least unsatisfactory noise, being conspicuous. A body of lictors succeeded, their countenances being sufficient certificates of their calling. After some more musicians, priests, a number of old countrymen burning incense sticks who attended as evidence of the respect felt for Mr. Chen by the country people, came a batch of myriad name umbrellas," some red and some blue. To them succeeded a highly decorated table bearing a coloured portrait of the deceased. Immediately in front of the picture was a quantity of cake, and then further in front, a very handsome funeral wreath of the orthodox pattern, sent by some foreigners. After a batch of more-or less distant relatives had passed, the usual live white rooster was borne a long. which according to native belief has become the habitation of one of the spirits of the dead man. The bird seemed quite content with his surroundings and crowed frequently and lustily. Then came the deceased's chair carried by four bearers as befitted his rank, and after some more mounted persons, priests, etc., the deceased's sou and grandson, screened from view by a large sheet of white cloth, walked along. Then came the coffin, which was supported by sixteen coolies, who seemed to have plenty of work to bear up the tremendous mass. It was followed by chairs containing the usual allowance of hired mourners, shedding crocodile tears, and with a miscellaneous collection of those who could find a place nowhere else, the procession ended.
It emerged from the city at the Great East Gate, and passed along the French Bund, went down the Rue clu Consular, entered the British Settlement, and marched along the Bund, going up the Maloo to the Cemetery. When the procession reached Kinleeyuen, on the French Bund, it halted fora few minutes. A kind of altar with lighted red tapers upon it had been erected in the doorway, whilst a small band of musicians were drawn up on the footpath, A rush mat was placed in the roadway close to the kerbstone, and when the deceased's son and grandson arrived at the spot, the cloth was drawn aside and they came outend prostrated themselves to the ground, the forehead being pressed to the ground for some moments, The son was a middle aged man, and the grandson quite a youngster, The former looked a moat wniaorable object, the effect being heightened by the coarse sacking over-all which he wore, Several other male mourners clothed in white did some minor bowing in front of the altar, one of the men being disfigured by a bad hare-lip. 'The march' was then resumed and continued its course as indicated,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.