MACAO.

Hokitika Guardian, 20 September 1921, Page 3

MACAO.

MONTE CARLO OF THE EAST. (By T. J. HenryJ A.S the river steamer on which our party bad made the four-hour trip It.mi Hongkong arrived near Macao 1 was struck with the exceeding beauty of that historic settlement It is a lefty island of gramtd formation. On the broad slopes of a natural amphitheatre rise in irregular array a mass ot buildings. Many have roofs tinted red and the white walls are relieved by balconies and lattice., on which green, pink, yellow, or blue have been pleuteuusly bestowed. The density ol the town is lessened by private or 'uiblie gardens, while cvdrv eminence is crowned by some conspicuous <tt iictuie a church, a convert. military headquarters, Governor's residence, and the great gaunt skeleton of the ruined sixteenth century cathedral impressively dominate the seductive scene. The foreground is skirted by a long granite quay lined by nondescript and rather shabby tenements whose basements are shops; along the Quay pours a throng of people, and moored in the anchorage in front are crowds of fishing sampans, light cargo j links, with mu or two river steamships or Portuguese mot of war. toweling like tritons amid the small craft which hem them round. But we found oil clos ■ mV"’firm later

that much of the variegated loveliness disappeared. What looks bright and dainty to distant vision is in reality tawdry and stained, the ordinary dwellings are for the most part meagre and miserable and evidently the hand of poverty presses hard on their inhabitants; the streets are narrow mil uninviting. and the gardens with one or two exceptions owe more of their charm to the profuse growth of vivid tropical flowers than to continuous care. Mendicants abound on every side. Let olio pause in tile street, and maim and blind halt, who apparently treasure th'-ir disabilities as business assets, beseech him for alms; and grimy little toddlers hold out their hands and cry “Msrser. Mni'srr” while both on the broad, xpleti did steps of the ruined cathedral, and at the port ice of tin’ Buddhist Temple, aged 'women lie in wait, stretch forth their skinny arms and utter the familiar prayer. “Marser, Marsel’’ give. give.

Macao has the unique distinction ot living the- oldest European colony ill the Far Fast. It was founded by Portugal ill the sixteenth century. Fur long it was the onlv portal whereby the piodnets of China passed • ut for the West, and those of Europe cussed in. Many an argosy of portly sail anchored in its roadstead and tic name of Mai a,I was better known to '•'nrojieiiti merchants than that of ant other far \sialic place, lint in the tieU handled wars China has opened lire doors: Hongkong. Canton, S-Uaughni. and other ii'iities have taken Hie trade, and now M a fin, lies in decay and dccri'pt it ode. a inch, noholy relic oi departed "lory, stranded on the shores of Asm.

THE OPII'M TRAEEU’. Being hut a little tongue of mini a mile nr so long. Macao cannot ..induce

anything ;**«i l to make noi a (fiitif nf modern romnierrc. In lift' shil'ts tn keep going sin' lii |s full 1 '" 'ii' 4 ' l ' on tin- ploitntion nf huinnii weakness and made the. prepnrut ion id opium and tin- maintenance nf gambling huiM's an important source nf ’I In' cultivation and preparation nf opium mi* practically forbidden in China so tliat Macao is indirectly favoured. As opium is tlie most betiofieicnt drug over vnccli.safed ]ioor lininanity for its unrivalled |iro|iert ies in relieving pain. Lliere is certainly a legitimate place, an absolute necessary place, for its use We visited an opium factory, and sousome of the processes, hvery oliasc is closely followed and recorded bv do-vei-mnent inspectors. Me watched the final pack ing i,f the precious, -veil il oftentimes pernicious cum into ounce tins, on each of which tin* oflieiul ivuinl.er was carefully stamped. Owing to the care with which the nianufaet.ue is followed and noted, it is eneeedingly difficult for opium to he smuggled abroad. Sometimes we read of a haul, lint the authorities in .Macao tie not content with deriving a revenue from tile legitimate traflie; they exploit its illegitimate side, and license dens in ! which tin* drug may he smoked under 1 snnetion of law. \Ve visited one ol these enstiiblishments. A number of tables, about ISin high an* set out. each ill a cubicle. One or two smokers use one table. After turning the gummy material about on a wire held in tin* (lames of a spirit lamp, and watching it sizzle, and inhaling its mawkish aroma, tin* victim finally it'ticn rs the molten mass .'round I the small orifice ol tin* pipe-bowl, lie I then lakes a slow, deep breath, and rej tains the smoke as long as possible. One pull may lie suflicient. Hut il 1 o . lie a hardened smoker, and lias aciper- ! on “tolerance" In* may lake two or three before he sinks hack on tin* I table. There lu* lies, a hard porcelain ! pillow under his neck, and for an hour ; or so is wrapped in dreams, or sciniwnl.eful hallucination's, until consciousness returns, and with it the inevitable reaction. One could tiisdy pick out the hardened smokers by the' wizened faces, tanking like yellow pari-linn'iit drawn taunt over :i death’s head. It is fair to say, however, that all the habitues we saw were Chinese. It is said that there are European addicts, hilt they are uncommon. ]i. any j ease they would not he shown, to viritj ing tourists. The coolie class Chimi- * man does not care, and takes ilo exhibition of his feelings with good humoured nonchalance. The whole population of Macao is under one hundred thousand. ’I hero

sire tlio official and hotter typo mcr- . onntilo classes above, alio are mistly pure Fortugiieso; in the middle some thousands of a mixed blend of l’o"tnguese and Chinese in varying piopors tion, and beloiv a predominant i umber i who are either pure Chinese or in ■ whom the European admixture is negligible. THE FAN TAN FARMS. The gambling establishments are known as “Farms,” and this strange form of agriculture seems to be pnr--1 sued with much diligence. Indeed, large numbers, both of Europeans and “ Chinese., specially visit Macao to in1, dulgo in it. Special excursions are run :1 on Sundays. There is no attempt to . disguise the casinos, and over the - doors, in conspicuous letters are painted sucli legends as “First-class Fan

• Tan Farm,” or Gambling House,” No matter how shabby it may look, no resort is anything but “first-class.”

Wo. of course visited the best. .The 1 biuldiug is three stories high, and the j whole is devoted to fan tan. This is a i game which may be played in several j ways. The connecting feature be- | i tween every way is, however, the reI markable iclority with which money i changes hands. On tlm ground floor ; stood a long oval table. Tile lower i end of the table was kept? clear for the ! banker, a singularly impassive, inTMvidI ual. Close by he had n huge pile <>P brass counters. Tho greater part of , the table had comfortable chairs nr- ! ranged around for tho convenience, of ! nations. Little'packets iff sweet-moats j were also provided without charge. In ! the centre lay a copper plate, about 18 j inches square. The sides of the pinto 1 woro numbered consecutively 1,2, 3, 4. I The principle is that the gamester ' places his money on one or othet; nutn- | her, and if it proves the winner he re- ! wives hack three times his stake, less )K) per cent. The method of computing the winning number is somewhat intricate. The stakes being all in position. the banker separates, with a. rod, a haphazard pile of ,milliters from the main mass. Then he dexterously ti kes this smaller heap into sets of Loir. If it divides exactly then number I wins; if thre,. counters remain three wins, and so on with one and l tw’o. But not only is the' basement devoted t.) the game. In the centre ol each floor above is an opening corresponding exactly to the size and position of the table underneath. Around each opening are seats and railing. These were filled with canisters- or spectators, who thus had a clear view of the main proceedings. Active hoys provided with little baskets with cords attached, collected the stakes on the upper floor?, and lowered them to the hotting arena. As they did so they called out the rum her selected, and the attendants below would place tip-ill where directed. Thus perhaps a dozen persons, situated on different floors, would be hotting on the same table, all taking part in the same deal. Chinese have a remarkable memory for faces, and no matter how many stakes were put down the attendants never hesitated a moment in doling out the correct dividends to the correct persons. An amusing feature was the presence near the hanker ol two lads, apparently spectators, who would follow his little rake with their eyes as he counted out the •ominous sets of four. An appreciable time before the imperturbable hanker could complete his raking out of tho heap of coins, these lynx-eyed urchins invariably had computed the winning number. This they indicated by holding up the corresponding number of fingers, in such a w ay that the punters on each lloni ,smld see. Thus they amused themselves, relieved the suspense cf the “guests," and tendered tie- subsequent proceedings of the banker an empty formality._ As the light was slowly failing we sailed away from the Monte Carlo of the .East: the serried line* of Macao faded, hut to the last there stood up in austere dignity, a. fitting monument of the strange old-world settlement whose glory, too. has passeel.