Page:Journal of the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Banks.djvu/470

412 crying by turns, each invoking his relation. In this manner they go on till they are fortunate enough to see, or fancy at least that they see, one, when their music at once stops, and they throw overboard provisions, betel, tobacco, etc., imagining, I suppose, that their civility to the species will induce their kindred at home to think well of them, though unable to pay their proper offerings.

Next come the Chinese, who in this place are very numerous, but seem to be people of small substance. Many of them live within the walls, and keep shops, some few of which are furnished with a pretty rich show of European as well as Chinese goods; but by far the greater number live in a quarter by themselves, without the walls, called Campon China. Besides these, there are others scattered everywhere about the country, where they cultivate gardens, sow rice and sugar, or keep cattle and buffaloes, whose milk they bring daily to town. Nor are the inhabitants of the town and Campon China less industrious: you see among them carpenters, joiners, smiths, tailors, slipper-makers, dyers of cottons, embroiderers, etc.; in short, the general character of industry given to them by all authors who have written on them is well exemplified here, although the more genteel of their customs cannot, on account of the want of rich and well-born people, be found among them: those can be shown in China alone; here nothing can be found but the native disposition of the lowest class of people. There is nothing, be it of what nature it will, clean or dirty, honest or dishonest (provided there is not too much danger of a halter), which a Chinese will not readily do for money. They work diligently and laboriously, and, loth to lose sight of their main point, money getting, no sooner do they leave off work than they begin to game, either with cards, dice, or some one of the thousand games they have, which are unknown to us in Europe. In this manner they spend their lives, working and gaming, scarcely allowing themselves time for the necessary refreshments of food and sleep; in short, it is as extraordinary a sight to see a Chinaman idle as it is to see a Dutchman or Indian at work.