immortality by graving their names, or their poetical effusions, or else a record of some local incident upon the imperishable surface of these stones. Here the foreign houses and many of the native ones too, are built with a local concrete, made of the felspar clay which abounds in the neighbourhood, combined with shell-lime. In process of time this compound hardens into a stony substance, producing solid and durable walls. The interiors of these dwellings are no less remarkable, for the ceilings are adorned with beautiful stucco cornices, re- presenting birds and flowers in endless variety and profusion. The men who execute this sort of artistic work are to all appearance coolies, receiving for their labour but little more than they could earn by tilling the soil or drawing water ; and yet, to fit themselves for their tasks, they must undergo what is a fine art training, at least to a Chinaman. When at work they squat on the floor, wifli a hod full of stucco before them, and a sort of small baking-board at their feet. On this board, with their fingers and a trowel, they model flower after flower — stems, foliage, fruit and all — besides birds of one or two kinds ; passing the portions, as they complete them, up to a workman, whose business it is to group the bits together, and fix them in position. No moulds are used, no wooden pattern of any sort, — all is done with the unaided hand and eye.
Of the native settlement of Swatow I need only say that it is more or less like the river quarters of Canton, or Fatshan, or any other town in the south of China; but I cannot refrain from introducing the reader to the Swatow fan-painters. There are a number of fan-shops in the main street, and one which is perhaps more celebrated for the beauty of its work than any of the others can pretend to be. To this shop, then, I repaired in the company of an English merchant, whose warm
