CANTONESE GENTLEMEN 2 - A black and white photo of a man holding a baseball bat

John Thomson: THE elder of the two gentlemen represented by the portraits before us is one who, in early life, devoted himself assiduously to the study of literature, and who, having obtained one or two degrees at the government civil examinations, and displayed a competent acquaintance with the classics, laws, and history of China, got his name enrolled as an unattached member of the Chinese civil service. In process of time he became a salaried official, and a mandarin of the sixth grade. When dressed in official costume, his rank is denoted by the style of his robes, and by the ornaments which adorn them, as well as by the colour and material of the button which surmounts his hat. The pay which he receives from government is small — probably not exceeding twenty pounds a year. This sum he is, however, at liberty to augment, by a system of bribery and extortion, to ,£1,000. or as much more as can be had in the ordinary course of his duties. Mr. Meadows 1 gives an instance of a mandarin whose annual legal income amounted to £22, and who complained bitterly that his supplemented revenue did not exceed ,£2,333.
The other portrait is that of a compradore, or treasurer in a foreign mercantile house— a man who, by his legitimate savings and private trading speculations, has accumulated a large fortune. It is the common practice of foreign merchants to employ a Chinaman of known repute and ability to act as treasurer to the firm. All the financial transactions of the house pass through this man's hands — he must therefore be one who merits the full confidence and support of his employers. He is a leading man among the native merchants, a member of their best clubs and guilds, and one whose intimate knowledge of foreign business diffuses a wide-spread influence among the wealthy traders who dwell at the Treaty Ports. This influence is unmistakeably one of the chief causes which induce Chinamen of means to become shareholders in foreign steam navigation companies, and in other commercial enterprises. The position of a Chinese compradore in a foreign house affords a striking example of the clannishness, or strong feeling of kinship, which binds the race together, and operates advantageously on the community at large. Thus the compradore is the head of his clan— all the native servants, and they are numerous in large foreign establishments, are engaged by him— and he it is who is held responsible for their honesty and good behaviour. The whole of the servants— from the coolie who carries the water, to the butler of the household— are members of the compradore's clan ; and so thoroughly united are they, that they are careful to avoid disgracing their chief by any breach of good faith.