ON THE ROAD TO CHINA.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11807, 9 August 1900, Page 2

ON THE ROAD TO CHINA.

GOSSIP OF THK VOYAGE,

Bt ARTHUR H. ADAMS, Our Special Cokbkspoxdext in the Fah East. CAPE CAPRICORN, July 16. The steamer Airlie, of the Eastern and Australian Steamship Company, commander Captain St. John George, an old Wanganui boy, is at present just entering the tropics, en route for Hongkong and the Far East. ' THE FLAVOUR. OF THE ORIENT.

The flavour of the Orient, is already about me. The ship is manned by sleek, stolid Chinese snilors ,md firemen; Chinese "boys" noiselessly wait at table, their shaven brows one long frown of anxiety in their eagerness to attend to the passengers' wants, a Chinese electrician inspects the electric light fittings with the blase air of a man born in a. dynamo, four Malay quartermasters lord it about the bridge, and a Chinese boatswain, fat and redolent of authority, blandly orders his countrymen about. On the boat they say that this individual has never once lost his respect for his own position sufficiently to touch a rone with his own hands. _ The. sailors handle the gear with a gentle, caressing care that reminds one of a new housemaid dusting a drawing room. Passengers: ignorant of " pigeon-Eng-lish " find a little difficulty at meal time in communicating theii wants to the Chinese "boys." You order fowl, and get curry; but a Chinaman is not easily discouraged, and the boy cheerfully tries again. Last night a friend and I were thirsty. My friend took whisky ; I asked for a " spa." It was a puzzler for the Chinese bnrman. He retired to think it out. Then he came back and said something that sounded liVe "boat-hook." We firmly declined the boat-hoik, and at last the boy came back with a Japanese mineral water. Strange dishes are beginning to appear on thn table;*, and invariably there is curry. It is an art to cat curry. The "boy" places before you the framework in the shape of the rough materials, and you build un to flavour. A kind of roulette table of 12 different and gaudy-coloured ingredients is offered you, and the perplexed diner has to select from this varied assortment. I usually dine blindly, and if I draw anything strong, I pass.

PASSENGERS. I loft Wellington on the 7th of July by that splendid Huddart-Parker sea.bont the Westralin. and though the steamer had to lio to in mid-ocean for a few hours to remedy a heated bearing, itc arrived in Sydney early on the morning of the 12th. I was thus enabled to catch tho E. and A. line Airlie, leaving Sydney at 1 p.m. that day. Our next port of call ia Townsville, where I hope to posb this letter. Thursday Island, Port Darwin, and' Manila are the other ports of call, and we hone to be. in Hongkong by August 7. ' Our holds are crammed with potatoes and onions labelled " U.S. Army, Manila " : and we took in at Brisbane thousands of cases of preserved meat for China, and .Tapar— the. opening up of what promises to be a biV trade. On board the boat is Mr S. H. Jeiildn«an. of the editorial stafF of lite Melbourne Argus, who is proceeding to the seat of trouble in the Ftv East on behalf of that journal and of the Svdnoy Morning Herald. He is a brother of the Hon. J. E. Jenkinson, M.L C. V/o are enrrvinir a great number of Chinese passengers in the steerage. The'v.are returning to their naUve lnnH. each with his little fortune of £100 or £?.00, whereon to live for (he rest of his'life an the bloated plutocrat, of his native .village. The Chinese, both passengers and crew, arc paraded at cadi port for medical inspection. CHEAP LABOUR,

There are only 11 Europeans connected with the working of the shir:—officers, engineers, nnd steward. The steward tolls me his " boys " nra easily managed by fair treatment and a little tact. They arG.fi'mot, very clean, and never pet drunk. 'the most highly-sala-ried man in the crew is tlie cook, w!-o receives 35d0l a month, which is just £3 10s. Next to him come-? the electrician, at a monthly salary of 25d01, and thence the wages taper down till we reach the peamen, who. look grateful and happy on 28s a month. The Chinese returning to Chin*, have not done Australia ono atom of good. All tho' food they consumed while making their -nile in the colonies was brought from' China," and now each is carrying back his little fortune. Perhans it is jupt as well Maoriland imposes a £100 poll-tax on the Celestial.