embroidered. Her father or brothers look after furniture, which probably consists of three tables, four wardrobes, four trunks, four boxes, two looking-glasses, two brass wash-basins and stand, cloths, rails, chairs, and footstools. Teapots, cups, kettles, dressing-case, and an imposing array of boxes for odds and ends, flower-vases and trays, and a glass globe for gold fish, are also essential to complete the collection.
The dress varies according to rank. A month before marriage another set of presents is despatched by the bridegroom to his bride. These commonly are four pigs, four sheep, four geese, and four jars of wine, besides twenty loaves of bread; also a number of changes of dress, with ornaments for the hair made from the feathers of the kingfisher, together with about one pound of silver called « pin-money." Materials for bedding, two mattresses and two coverlets, are included in the list. These commodities are carried in procession through the streets by hired bearers, headed by one or two domestics. A woman who has had sons and daughters is always selected to make up the material for bedding — a duty which widows or childless women are never permitted to fulfil.
Ten days before the marriage invitations are issued. These are printed on sheets of red paper about a foot long and half a foot broad, and enclosed in envelopes of the same gigantic proportions.
On the day before marriage the bride's plenishing is carried through the streets in procession to the house of the bridegroom's father, the escort being composed of bearers to the number of eight, or some multiple of eight up to 120, which figure denotes the highest rank. Ten official gentlemen are invited to accompany these goods, and to add to the pomp and display. When the bride enters her sedan, she must turn her face in a certain direction, and when she quits it she must look in a certain other direction. The bride's sedan is covered with crimson cloth. Her veil is also crimson, and richly embroidered. Midnight marriages are most fashionable among the Manchus.
Many other tedious details too numerous to mention follow, and are the essential accompaniments of the dreary monotony of a Manchu marriage, in this respect more irksome and painful than the prolonged ceremonial of a Manchu funeral, and fully as uncertain to terminate in peace. The most sensible thing the assembled guests do is when they take leave of the married couple by drinking to their united happiness in a parting glass of wine. The newly-married pair sit down to a repast, but the lady quits the table, and her lord is supposed to breakfast alone, a form very soon over.
On the ninth day after marriage the wife wakes up to industry, and makes a pair of nether garments for her husband; and this practice she adopts because the character for " treasury " in Chinese has the same sound as that which denotes " trousers."
