Now Chinese visiting cards differ from ours in differing in size according to the importance of the person to whom they are to be presented.

My ordinary card is eight inches by three, red in colour--the colour of happiness--and inscribed in black with the three characters of my Chinese name.

But the card that I was expected to present to the General was very much larger than this.

Folded it was of the same size, but unfolded it was ten times the size of the other (eight by thirty inches), and the last page, politely inscribed in Chinese, contained this humiliating indication of its purport: "Your addlepated nephew Mo-li-son bows his stupid head, and pays his humble respects to your exalted Excellency." [Illustration] I still have this card in my possession; and I should be extremely reluctant to present it to any official in the Empire of lower rank than the Emperor..