NASEBY, MOUNT IDA.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume I, Issue 37, 10 January 1874, Page 8

NASEBY, MOUNT IDA.

December 3lst, 1873. He Editor, ns a correspondent, I must confess Inm very slow. Tn future I think I will take a lesson from the spider, and " drop a line by i everj post." It is not at nil limes one can pet interesting matter. This time. 1 ha^e to write abo-ut diad rr.eu feasting. On Sunday last, I happened lo be jimr the cemetery, and perceiving a party of Chinamen coming towards me, some ot them havin^ baskets heavily loaded, curiosity roused me to unit and see what they ■were about. They made their entrance into the cemetery and marched towards the Chinese portion of it, and there presented to their dead count! ymen tiie contents of the baskets. Tho baskets were charged with loust pork, beef, mufton, and boiled fowls, together with a bottle of gin for euch dead Chinaman, and nlso rice, apples, nuts, and cakes and an opium pipe. Another of the CWnamen carried a large parcel of candles. The lighting of the cum les was tho first of the proceedings Around ench grave they lit twelve candles, and beside each gravo tliey burnt a large pile of paper carefully laid ovev each other, each piece of paper differently colored, the peisons in charge of the paper were most careful that none of it should escape without beiii<* consumed. I thought they would ihrow the allies on the Kraves, & no they left it where il was. They n-xt phu ed two pieces of paper nearly in the form of s\ doss af, the l.tad and feet of each dead Chinaman. Eut I observed befjre any of them took any p.ut in distributing the good things of the table, they had a little ceremony to perform. It was done is this v>a.\. he would place the fingers of 'one hand between the fingers of tho other hand, and perform a sort ot swinging motion with both in tho direction of his head and feet. Next tame the carving part, there v ci c te\e:i plates carefully arranged with a spoon laid on each plate, and the cmver \.-ns niosi. minrtnU in placing a foot, or a bill, or a win'; un e:.ch, sometimes he used to cut the lu-ud in' two The plai.s in rotation were nlso served most r-arefully with a little of the poik, beet, mutton, r.ce, upplee, cakis, i.vis, and a glass of "in the contents of the plaits were thrown on the graves, andafter that; 'they were "lesented with a large opium pipe. 1 observed tho eam-r when dividifg tho good tl.ir-s, putiixg a ,argc t j .antity of poik on one phto in partißuhu-, and my sirpic^crs being aroused, [ thought to myself that eitheir the carvi-r nu.st boa friend of his, or he "must have a greater appetite than the othciv-, and my suspicions were well founded us one oi the CLir.auen infemed niu that particular Chinamen was yciy foiul of pork, big man bi^ unpelite too." And the «ame

happened when presenting the pipe, it was left longer to one than to he other, I al.o inquired the reaaon of this and my fiiend told me " he very fond of opium," I was anxious to know what they intended to do with what was left, and I was informed they were to have a f eas V on it when they would go home. And what is the reason, , o id T™ u brought so much when you did not intend to give it to your friend" when he quickly replied " brought it to worship. 1 ' And now tn X John his due when he had done the honors of the table towarda hut dead friends, he d,d not forget the live ones, he also invited mean? my companion to a share of the feast, and if we did not h e ?p o"r selves it was not John's fault. As 80 « re of your readers mavhave seen a similar ceremony before, this may not i.iterest all roweiS T venture to say, B orne of them have not aee-n an/ » uc h thing' for these

I am, Sir, yours truly. (Correspondent.)