A family of only four persons requires at least eleven or twelve domestics, if not more.  In the first place, every member of the family must have an attendant especially for his or her use; then there is a man-cook, a number of nursery-maids, and several coolies for the more menial duties, such as cleaning the rooms, carrying the wood and water, and so forth.  In spite of this number of servants, the attendance is frequently very bad; for, if one or other of them happens to be out, and his services are required, his master must wait until he returns, as no servant could ever be prevailed upon to do another’s duty.

At the head of the whole household is the comprador, who is a kind of major-domo.  To his care are confided all the plate, furniture, linen, and other effects; he engages all the servants, provides for their board, and anything else they may require, and answers for their good conduct, deducting, however, two dollars a-month from the wages of each, in return for his services.  He makes all the purchases, and settles all the bills, giving in the sum total at the end of the month, without descending into the items.

Besides these domestic duties, the comprador is also entrusted with the money belonging to his master’s firm; hundreds of thousands of dollars pass through his hands, and he is responsible for the genuineness of every one.  He has persons in his own employment who pay and receive all monies, and who examine and test every separate coin with the most marvellous rapidity.  They take a whole handful of dollars at a time, and toss them up separately with the finger and thumb:  this enables them to determine whether each “rings” properly, and on the coin falling into their hand again, reversed, they examine the second side with a glance.  A few hours are sufficient to pass several thousand dollars in review; and this minute inspection is very necessary, on account of the number of false dollars made by the Chinese.  Each piece of money is then stamped with the peculiar mark of the firm, as a guarantee of its genuineness, so that it at last becomes exceedingly thin and broad, and frequently falls to bits; no loss is, however, occasioned by this, as the amount is always reckoned by weight.  Besides dollars, little bars of pure unstamped silver are used as a circulating medium; small portions, varying in size, being cut off them, according to the sum required.  The counting-house is situated on the ground floor, in the comprador’s room.  The Europeans have nothing to do with the money, and, in fact, never even carry any for their private use.

The comprador has no fixed salary, but receives a stated per-centage upon all business transactions:  his per-centage upon the household expenses is not fixed, but is not on that account less certain.  On the whole, these compradors are very trustworthy.  They pay down a certain sum, as caution-money, to some mandarin, and the latter answers for them.