File:Narrative of the expedition of an American squadron to the China seas and Japan (1857) (14804460353).jpg

Identifier: narrativeofexped05perr (find matches)
Title: Narrative of the expedition of an American squadron to the China seas and Japan
Year: 1857 (1850s)
Authors: Perry, Matthew Calbraith, 1794-1858 Hawks, Francis L. (Francis Lister), 1798-1866
Subjects: United States Naval Expedition to Japan (1852-1854)
Publisher: New York, D. Appleton and company (etc., etc.)
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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, like the gipsies, have their kings, who as-sign to their ragged subjects their particular offices of vagabondage and theirrespective fields of operation; and what is singular, the laws of China secureto these rogues certain rights and privileges. These laws give to them theright of approaching and knocking at the door of any domicile, or to enterthe shops, and there to strike together a couple of sticks similar to thoseused by the watchmen employed by families to guard their premises againstthieves; these sticks produce a disagreeable sound, and, however long thebeggars keep up this annoyance, they cannot be legally ejected until they arepaid the usual gratuity, which is the smallest coin in use, termed a cash, andwhich in value is about the twelfth of a cent; when supplied with this thebeggar takes his departure, and repeats the stick striking nuisance next door,and so on until he has completed his daily circuit. It is said that one hundred of these mendicants are assigned by their
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/ \ CHINESE BEGGARS. 343 king to Old China street alone, wliicli is altogether occupied by wealthyshop-keepers. Some of these commute with the beggars, by paying them around sum for exemption from the annoyance of these noisy visitors; othersrefuse to do this, and hold out as long as their patience will allow, with aview of wasting the time of the suppliant, who, having a right to visit all theshops, desires to make the greatest number of calls possible in the course ofthe day, and thus be able to pay into the general treasury at night the largestamount of cash. The organized beggars have their own benevolent institu-tions, where provision is made for the sick and needy and the old and infirm.The number of these well disciplined gentry can hardly be estimated by astranger, but it is undoubtedly very large, if we may judge from the crowdswhich infest those parts of the city of Canton accessible to foreigners. Each city has its own laws with respect to mendicants, and its own chari-tabl

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