A large crowd of
people soon collected in our rear, and began pushing the children up
against us, in order to excite our rage; but arming ourselves with
patience, we moved quietly on, and reached, without any accident,
the garden gates, which we instantly closed behind us.
The garden was in a perfect state of cultivation, but without the
least pretension to taste in its arrangement. On every side were
summer-houses, kiosks, and bridges, and all the paths and open spots
were lined with large and small flower-pots, in which were flowers
and dwarfed fruit-trees of every description.
The Chinese are certainly adepts in the art of diminishing the size
of, or rather crippling their trees, many of which very often
scarcely attain a height of three feet. These dwarf trees are very
prevalent in their gardens, and preferred to the most magnificent
and shady trees of a natural size. These lilliputian alleys can
hardly be considered in good taste, but it is most remarkable with
what a large quantity of beautiful fruit the tiny branches are
laden.
Besides these toys we also observed figures of all descriptions,
representing ships, birds, fish, pagodas, etc., cut out of foliage.
In the heads of the animals were stuck eggs, with a black star
painted on them to represent the eyes.
There was also no scarcity of rocks, both single and in groups,
ornamented with flower-pots, as well as little figures of men and
animals, which can be removed at pleasure, so as to form new
combinations, a kind of amusement of which the Chinese ladies are
said to be very fond. Another source of entertainment, no less
popular, as well among the ladies as the gentlemen, consists in
kite-flying, and they will sit for hours looking at their paper
monsters in the air. There is a large open spot set apart for this
purpose in the garden of every Chinese nobleman. We noticed an
abundance of running water and ponds, but we did not observe any
fountains.
As everything had passed off so well, Herr von Carlowitz proposed
that we should go and see the garden of the Mandarin Puntiqua, which
I was very anxious to do, as the mandarin had ordered a steam-boat
to be built there by a Chinese, who had resided thirteen years in
North America, where he had studied.
The vessel was so far advanced that it was to be launched in a few
weeks. The artist showed us his work with great satisfaction, and
was evidently very much pleased at the praise we bestowed upon him
for it. He attached great importance to his knowledge of the
English language, for when Herr von Carlowitz addressed him in
Chinese, he answered in English, and requested us to continue the
conversation in that idiom.
