THE CHINESE QUARTERS IN DUNEDIN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 6096, 1 June 1881, Page 3

THE CHINESE QUARTERS IN DUNEDIN.

A beporter of the Dunedin Morning Herald has been "doing" the Chinese quarters in Dunedin. The Chinese sell tickets for lotteries, the tickets being sold and the prizes drawn for on Sundays. The article concludes thus :—" At the conclusion of the lottery last night it seemed that the bank had been fortunate, for there were investors to the extent of £C, and it was 'stuck' to the extent of two shillings only, leaving the bank a magnificent percentage of profits. The tickets for 'pakI ahpuh' are sold at various places in the , town, and we understand that the bank ; nets an annual profit of about £3000, an i amount probably equal to the annual income of Messrs. Cameron, Abraham, and the other runners of Calcutta sweeps. We stated that during the delay which took place while waiting for the opening of the lottery-room, our reporter executed a flank movement, and this enabled him to see about 30 Chinamen engaged at their favourite game of fan-tan. This was about 10 o'clock last night, and the number had been much larger during the afternoon—at least, so we were told by a European who had spent the whole day there. The room to which we now refer is a kind of underground cellar, which abuts &tafford*street nearly opposite the Rev. Mr. Byng's church. In the cellar there are two tables, one situated in each corner next the street. On these are the appliances for playing fan-tan, but last evening both were not in active operation for gambling purposes, as around one of them a number of Chinamen were assembled playing a game similar to our chess. The other, however, was a centre, and the centre of attraction. It was with extreme difficulty we could get a glimpse of it, as Chinamen, Europeans, aud niggers stood around three and four deop. The Children of the Sun predominated, and were of almost every type of countenance depicted or described in the pages of Lavater. They all kepi: their hats on, and many of them were smoking, and no one ■ seemed to enjoy his opium or tobacco with greater equanimity than the ' boss' or 'doctor' of the fan-tan table. Rarely, indeed, is such immobility of countenance, or such imperturbability of disposition, shown as was manifested by him. Those around who had invested their money on the' , table look quietly on to await the result, and do not betray much interest, except by their concentrated gaze. Indeed, our reporter noticed none ol those outbursts which Europeons sometimes indulge in over the cardtable on a sheep-station, or occasionally in the steerage of an ocean-going steamer iu the inter-colonial trade. A brief description of the fan-tan table will be interesting." In the middle of it is a portion containing numbers, from one to four, and these can be staked on four different ways, which have the effect of varying the odds. Under a cup on the table is placed a large number of pieces of brass, and these are pulled away four at a time by the 'boss,' who used a small stick for the purpose, he being closely watched all the time lest he would remove more or less than four. The result of course is that when finality is arrived at there are cither four pieces or some less number remaining, and the coincidence of that number or the reverse with the number upon which the investor has staked his money determines whether he wins or loses. It seems that any number of persons can stake at the same time, but we suppose that the odds are in favour of the fan-tan banker. The sums staked vary from pennies to pounds, and no doubt a much larger amount changes hands at fan-tan during an evening than at pakalipuh, at least it seemed to our reporter that that would be the case. Europeans also have a ' cut in ' at this game, and the fashionably dressed Caucasian, among the smoke and perfume which fill the air here, rubs shoulders with the Mongolian and the lowest type of the African. Last night the second best position around the table was occupied by a European. Indeed the importance of European support is fully recognised by the spirited and enterprising proprietors, for they keep a smart and intelligent ' go-between' to explain everything to visitors, and to invest for those who are not sufficiently advanced to do so on their own behalf. He very kindly explained matters to our reporter last night, probably under the belief that ho was a deluded individual who came to 'strike ile.' The other end of the room is used as a restaurant, in which fruit, something like oatcake, and platters of tea are served out. There are other Chinese quarters in Dunedin, but we understand gambling is confined to those we have now described."