ith a
less serious air) that if by the delay of supplying him with fresh
provisions his men should be reduced to the necessity of turning
cannibals, and preying upon their own species, it was easy to be foreseen
that, independent of their friendship to their comrades, they would in
point of luxury prefer the plump, well-fed Chinese to their own emaciated
shipmates. The first mandarin acquiesced in the justness of this
reasoning, and told the Commodore that he should that night proceed for
Canton; that on his arrival a council of mandarins would be summoned, of
which he himself was a member, and that all that was demanded would be
amply and speedily granted. And with regard to the Commodore's complaint
of the custom-house of Macao, he undertook to rectify that immediately by
his own authority; for, desiring a list to be given him of the quantity
of provision necessary for the expense of the ship for a day, he wrote a
permit under it, and delivered it to one of his attendants, directing him
to see that quantity sent on board early every morning; and this order
from that time forward was punctually complied with.

A DINNER PARTY.

When this weighty affair was thus in some degree regulated, the Commodore
invited him and his two attendant mandarins to dinner, telling them at
the same time that if his provision, either in kind or quantity, was not
what they might expect, they must thank themselves for having confined
him to so hard an allowance. One of his dishes was beef, which the
Chinese all dislike, though Mr. Anson was not apprised of it; this seems
to be derived from the Indian superstition,* which for some ages past has
made a great progress in China. However, his guests did not entirely
fast, for the three mandarins completely finished the white part of four
large fowls. But they were extremely embarrassed with their knives and
forks, and were quite incapable of making use of them, so that, after
some fruitless attempts to help themselves, which were sufficiently
awkward, one of the attendants was obliged to cut their meat in small
pieces for them. But whatever difficulty they might have in complying
with the European manner of eating, they seemed not to be novices in
drinking. The Commodore excused himself in this part of the
entertainment, under the pretence of illness; but there being another
gentleman present, of a florid and jovial complexion, the chief mandarin
clapped him on the shoulder, and told him by the i