A Chinese Wedding.-The young wife dwells with her mother-in-law. -Marriage trousseau and presents.-Noisy arrival of the Marriage Procession.-The Bride comes home to the Bridegroom.-Wedding ceremony performed.—Rough manner of treating the Bridegroom by his friends.-The Bride criticised by her lady friends.-A Supper ends the Marriage.

EVERAL days after this interview with the mandarin and his daughter, I proceeded to meet them according to appointment. When

we reached the house we found them ready to start in their sedan-chairs. The chair-bearers were dressed in the livery of their master, and as it would be dark on their return, each carried a lantern with the mandarin's name and titles inscribed on its paper covering. When they arrived at their destination the gentlemen were ushered into the apartment set aside for the male visitors, and A-Lee went into the one for the ladies. After being introduced to the chief persons of the company, I inquired in whose house

we were.

Meng-kee replied, "This is the residence of the bridegroom's father and family, and where we await the coming home of his bride, who will afterwards live with him in the house."

“Why, that is the reverse of our marriage custom, for the

bridegroom proceeds to his father-in-law's house and takes away his bride to an independent home of his own."

"There are instances of that kind among us, where the bridegroom is a Government official, but these are rare. In other cases, such as the one before us, the young wives are always brought to their father-in-law's house, for it is considered a breach of filial duty for the son to set up a household of his own while the father lives. In this house there are four married sons, and this marriage will make a fifth, so that there are a good number of wives in the establishment, including the father's secondary wives. But the first wife is mistress over all. These young wives are not only subordinate to her, but they are taught that their most binding duty is to obey and serve her."

"Well," I thought, "these are privileges for old ladies with a vengeance! Wouldn't our British mothers-in-law glory in having such power by Act of Parliament?"

Meng-kee now pointed to a doorway with a screen before it, and asked me to follow him into the hall. On entering we perceived a narrow table on the right hand of the door, covered with sweetmeats and fruit, having two small wax candles burning at each end. At the side of the hall opposite to this was the picture of a deified hero, with the ancestral tablet below, resting on the family altar, before which incense sticks were burning and filling the hall with a pleasant perfume. By the sides of the altar stood two wax candles about three feet high and three inches in diameter. On a table standing before the family altar were placed at one end more than twenty female garments and a pair of small embroidered shoes. At the other end were packets of red paper, containing pieces of gold and silver coins, and in the middle was a tray, with a cincture for the waist, made of

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solid gold, a splendid
large buckle for it, a
handsome pin for the
bosom, and several rings,
all of gold. These were
presents to the bride from
various friends and rela-
tives, the mandarin and his
daughter being among the donors.
The table was covered with a red
velvet cloth, embroidered with
gold thread, and at each end of it
stood a chair with a similar cloth
upon it.

Further inspection was interrupted by a bustle outside the hall and the entrance of all the relatives and friends come to witness the ceremony. Soon afterwards the word "coming" was spoken by some one, whereupon a young friend of the bridegroom, chosen as "the receiver of guests," put on a long light-coloured silk garment over his usual dress. The exclamation "Coming!" was twice repeated, upon which he put on two other garments, one of figured light-green silk, and the other a dark purple robe of figured satin, having in his hand a pyramidal cap, with red silk at the apex. The father now asked if all was ready; he was answered in the affirmative. Then his son entered the hall, and "the receiver of guests" conducted him to his seat at the head of the table.

The sound of music was now heard outside, together with the banging of gongs, and the noise culminated in a shower of fire-crackers that fairly deafened our ears.

When these noises ceased, the procession entered the court-yard. It consisted of persons holding scarlet canopies over the heads of relatives of the bride, and others carrying chests, carved and painted in red, edged with gold, containing the bride's wardrobe. In the midst of the procession came her chair, a very gorgeous sedan, hired for such occasions, elaborately carved and gilded, with the red satin curtains drawn so that no one could see her. When the four chair-bearers arrived at the outer gate, they set down the chair, and opened it to let her out. She was dressed in a scarlet robe of satin, richly embroidered, and wore a thick scarlet veil of silk crape, so that literally she could not see, or her features be seen. Her head-dress was an elaborate toilet of blue and gold flowers. Two old women stood at the door of the chair and took her out, while she

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remained perfectly passive in their hands. They then carried her into the hall, where they set her down before the altar and tablet of her future husband's ancestors.

Meanwhile the bridegroom had left the hall, but in a few minutes returned with his young male friends and the Buddhist priest appointed to perform the rites of marriage. These friends almost carried him in bodily, and set him down beside his bride before the ancestral tablet, each clasping their hands, and reverentially bowing their heads. Then the priest began to intone the service, in the midst of which, at a given signal, the two old women joined hands and knelt before the tablet. Then they tied a piece of red silk ribbon to the girdle of the bridegroom, and a piece of green silk ribbon to that of the bride. The priest muttered again, and they all joined in; after which the two women tied the ribbons together, and thus they were united for life in the bonds of matrimony.

This done, they all rose from their prostrate position, and the united couple were seated together before the table where the collation was spread. Here the two old women poured out two cupfuls of wine, which they held to the lips of both; they then changed the cups, poured the wine out of one cup into the other, thus mixing the wine together, and again presented them to their lips. In like manner two dishes of rice were intermingled, and partaken of by the bride and bridegroom. Having thus seen them go through the ceremony of eating together, the old women. retired, but immediately returned with a pail and a broom, which they placed at the side of the wife, to indicate her household duties; while the priest pronounced a benediction on the married couple.

These forms concluded the ceremony. The bride was