Price of a Wife - New York Times 1875

[helen]

The Chinese are in some respects very much like us. They buy their wives. A Chinaman here, in want of a wife, scrapes together his wages and sends the amount home, generally to his father or mother, with the order for a wife, and they go into the market and make the best bargain they can, according lo the money to be invested. Sometimes the amount is small and really a first class article cannot be had for the sum, but the old lady generally does her best, and ships over the woman consigned to her son, who meets her at the steamer with his bill of lading, pays freight and charges, and takes his property. It was a miscellaneous consignment of this sort that was grabbed by our zealous authorities; but Judge Field, of tho United States Supreme Court, decided that tho proceedings are illegal, and ordered the discharge of the squad. If any of your readers want to know the price of a real useful wife, of this sort, of reliable colour, warranted to wash (Mondays), I can inform them, as my Celestial, Ah Sam, who dusts out my office, has recently imported one. Sam sent money to his mother, and in due course of time the purchase arrived, and Sam brought her down for my inspection. She was as ugly a Chinese woman as I ever saw. I said, " Sam, not handsome, eh ? " Sam says, " No, no handsome much - handsome gal cost heap money, and all time kick up — bobbery. Sam had the correct idea of it and was wisely content with a plain article that was most likely to stay by him. Sam informed me that the original cost, with freight and charges, was 300 dollars — all it was worth, if I am a judge of that species of goods, gained from a mild experience, Taranaki Herald, 13 January 1875