The following account of a public dinner given to the officers of British ships, and other gentlemen who com posed an embassy to this country, may serve to illustrate the manners of the inhabitants. "As none of the houses in the town were large enough for the accommodation of so numerous a party, the Governor issued his direc tions for building a spacious shed, which, by the help of the ever-ready and useful bamboo, was finished in the course of a few hours: the roof and the sides were co vered with thick close mats. Within this shed was pla ced a row of little tables, with forms on each side, to which might sit down conveniently from twenty to t•en four persons. In China it is the custom to cover these little square tables so completely with dishes, or rather bowls, that no part of their surfaces shall be seen; but the Cochinchinese seem to have improved upon the li berality of their highly polished neighbours, by not merely covering the table, but by piling the bowls in rows upon each other three or four in depth. Of table linen, knives, forks, bottles, and glasses they make no Ilse; but before each person is laid a spoon of potters ware, and a pair of porcupine quills or small sticks of bamboo, of rose or sandal wood, sometimes tipped with silver or tootanague, of the same kind in every respect as those used by the Chinese, and known to the English under the name of Mob-sticks. The contents of the howls are preparations of beef, pork, fowls, and fish, cut into small pieces, mixed with vegetables, and dressed in soups and gravies, variously seasoned, and composed of various materials. We had nothing roasted, nor prepa red in the dry way. Neither wine nor spirits, nor fer mented liquors of any kind, nor even water, wire served round during the th»c of eating; but w hen dinner was o er, Chinese arau-choo was handed about in little por celain cups." Barrow's Voyage to Cochinchina, p. 287.
In this, as in all other countries where civilization has made but little progress, the females are doomed to the most laborious occupations. They may be seen standing from morning to night, in the midst of pools of water up to the knees, occupied in transplanting rice. They undertake the labours of tillage, and the various employ ments of agriculture; while those who live in the sea ports, besides the management of their domestic con terns, undertake the superintendance of the various bran ches of commerce. They even assist in constructing and repairing the cottages; they conduct the manlike tures ; they ply the boats in the rivers, and in the hat hours; they carry the articles of produce to market; the% weave the cotton into cloth, dye it, and make it into chess es for themselves and their families. But nothing be a stronger proof of the degradation of the female cha ratter, and the unceasing labour to which they arc doom cd, than the proverbial expression in the country, "No a woman has nine lives, and bears a great deal of kill ing." The younger part of the males are compelled to enrol themselves in the army; and the rest arc employed in fishing, in felling timber, in building and repairing ships and boats, and in preparing articles of export fin the China market ; but leaving always a considerable portion of time for some favourite amusement.
An idea of the nature of their amusements will be lies._ formed from the account which Mr Barrow gives of an entertainment prepared by the inhabitants, on the fourth of June, in honour of the birth-day of the king of Great Britain. "We were conducted from the place of land
ing to a temporary building, on a larger scale than that which we had hitherto occasionally occupied. The two pitches of its roof were supported by a row of bamboo poles, which running down the middle, divided the build ing into two parts. The sides of the roof were covered with thick double mats, and lined within with coarse Manchester cottons of various patterns."—" In the far ther division of the building, a party of comedians was engaged in the midst of an historical drama when we entered; but on our being seated, they broke off, and coining forward, made before us their obeisance of nine genuflexions and prostrations; after which they returned to their labours, keeping up an incessant noise and bus tle during the day. The horrible crash of the gongs, kettle-drums, rattles, trumpets, and squalling flutes, were so stunning and oppressive, that nothing but the novelty of the scene could possibly have detained us for a mo ment. Their airs, rude and unpolished as they were, ap peared to be regular compositions, and were sung in ex actly measured time. One in particular attracted our at tention, whose slow melancholy movement breathed that kind of plaintive softness so peculiar to the native airs of the Scotch, to Nrhich, indeed, it bore a very close resem blance. The voices of the women were shrill and warb ling, but some of their cadences were not without melo dy. The instruments at each pause, gave a few short flou rishes, till gradually overpowered by the swelling and deafening gong. By different gestures of the head, bo dy, and arms, the dancers assumed a variety of figures ; and all their motions were exactly adapted to the mea sure of the music."—" The Cochinchinese are %cry fond of theatrical amusements; the actors are busily engaged in their perfoimances the whole day, proceeding appa rently with as much ardour when there are few, or even no spectators present, as there were many. Being hired for the day, a crowded or a thin audience makes but little difference to the performers; all their concern being the receipt of their pay on the finishing of their labour."—" Leaving the comedians in the midst of their labours, we walked across the village green, which was also the market place, where we were highly entertained with a variety of sports and gambols. The fourth of June was for once a day of general festivity, in this pail of Cochinchina. In one place we observed about a do zcn of young fellows, playing at foot ball, with a bladder; in another. they were di,play ing their agility, by leaping over an horizontal pole ; here a noisy groupe v. ere amu themselves in fighting cocks; there boys, in imitation of their elders, were training quails, and other small birds, and even grasshoppers, to tear one another in pieces ; and in every corner gamesters were playing cards, or throwing dice. But that which most attracted our at tention, was a party of young men keeping up a shuttle cock in the air, by striking it with the soles of their feet. Nothing, indeed, could exceed the activity and energy of the men of Cochinchina. Active as they were in the use of their feet, their manual dexterity was not less re markable. Jugglers, and conjurors, and posture-makers, were exercising their respective arts for the amusement of the crowd, and for their own advantage ; and we found to our cost, that those who did not openly practise jug gling as a profession were equally expert in the art of picking pockets." P. 295, Sc.