This form of feeding, I vnderstand, is generally vsed in all places of Italy, their forkes being for the most part made of yron or steele, and some of siluer; but those are used only by gentlemen. The reason of this their curiosity is, because the Italian cannot by any means indure to have his dish touched with fingers, seeing all men's fingers are not alike clean. Hereupon I myself thought good to imitate the Italian fashion by this forked cutting of meate, not only while I was in Italy, but also in Germany, and oftentimes in England, since I came home: being once quipped for that frequent vsing of my forke, by a certain gentleman, a familiar friend of mine, one Mr. Laurence Whitaker, who in his merry humour doubted not to call me at table _furcifer_, only for vsing a forke at feeding, but for no other cause."--_Coryat's Crudities_, 1611. Even when Heylin published his Cosmography, (1652,) forks were still a novelty. See his Third Book, where having spoken of the ivory sticks used by the Chinese, he adds, "The use of silver forks, which is by some of our spruce gallants taken up _of late_, came from thence into Italy, and from thence into England."--_Antiquarian Repertory._ CHINESE PUNISHMENT OF THE KANG OR WOODEN COLLAR. The Chinese are very quiet and orderly; and no wonder, because they are afraid of the great bamboo stick. [Illustration: [++] Kang or Wooden Collar.] The mandarins (or rulers of towns) often sentence offenders to lie upon the ground, and to have thirty strokes of the bamboo. But the wooden collar is worse than the bamboo stick. It is a great piece of wood with a hole for a man to put his head through. The men in wooden collars are brought out of their prisons every morning and chained to a wall, where everybody passing by can see them. They cannot feed themselves in their wooden collars, because they cannot bring their hands to their mouths; but sometimes a son may be seen feeding his father, as he stands chained to the wall. There are men also whose business it is to feed the prisoners. For great crimes men are strangled or beheaded. CASCADE DES PELERINES. [Illustration: [++] Cascade des Pelerines.]