The chief mandarin or magister gave us a dinner in company with Mr. Harris, Evans, the general, the interpreter + one other Chinese. They were all very jolly at the feast + talked + laughed continually. The affair started at 5 P.M., 7 with cigarettes, + then iten followed boiled spiggette + sweet cakes. After this someone entered the dining room. The mandarin had furnished 3 plates with knives + forks for us but the other guests used chopsticks. The food was nearly all boiled in the form of stews. There were some hot courses. Each course was served nice large bowl center of the table & everyone one dipped their chopsticks in & fished out some food. We had some old dishes such as stewed sea-cucumber turtle- fish, sea-weed (greenblu), bamboo-shoots, boiled bird-eggs.