Munich, the capital of Bavaria, is situated upon an elevated, cold, sterile plain. Within the present century, it has grown from a third-rate city of not any note, to one of about 100,000 inhabitants, and in the magnificence of its buildings, to one of the first capitals in Europe. Mr. Taylor thought he had seen everything in Vienna to excite admiration, or please the taste, but here, he says, all he had conceived of oriental magnificence, of kingly halls, and splendid palaces, was immeasurably below the reality. Some of the public buildings are so novel in their arrangement, and so gorgeous in their ornaments, that he thought the artists must have derived their ideas from the Arabian Nights.

Our traveler's tour through Germany was now drawing near to a close. From Munich they proceeded through Witemburg to Heidelberg and soon were again among their friends in Frankfort. After a month's sojourn in that city, Mr. Taylor left Frankfort and continued his travels through Switzerland, Italy, and France, meeting much of interesting adventure all of which is described in his peculiarly attractive manner. For these details and those of his tour in Great Britain, as well as much relating to Germany, which our rapid sketch has not drawn upon we refer the reader to the volume itself. With a few words describing the return of himself and companions to New York, and his journey home to his native state, Pennsylvania, we close this article.

After an absence of two years, one beautiful afternoon in early June, the young wanderers sailed up the bay of New York, and were again upon the soil of their native land. They were at once struck with the energy and activity of the people, the keenness of expression on every countenance, the glorious independence of manners-even in the children, all of which was most refreshing after having been so long accustomed to the servile air of the common people of Europe.

A run across New Jersey, a night in neat Philadelphia, and a sail down the Delaware brought them to Wilmington, within twelve miles of home. Now came the realizing of a plan that had a hundred times whiled away many a dreary mile of European travel. Their knapsacks, slouched German hats, belts, blouses, and pilgrim staves, untouched since leaving Paris, were resumed, and they started on that, short walk of three or four hours, but which from the crowd of emotions that pressed upon them, seemed three times as long. As the broad bright sun went down, their homes were not far off. "When the twilight grew deeper," says Taylor, "we parted and each thought what an experience lay between that moment and the next morning. I took to the fields, plunged into a sea of dewy clover and made for a light which began to glimmer as it grew darker. When I reached it and looked with most painful excitement through the window on the unsuspecting group within, not one face was missing!"

SKETCH of China-Peculiar Civilization-Industry-Chinese mind-Gambling-Government, Patriarchal Great wall-Life in a Chinese city-Police-Brilliant appearance of the streets and Shops-Shop Signs-Merchants, their politeness-Silk, Cloth, and Tea stores-Portrait painters-Doctors-Itinerating Tinkers-Barbers-Shoemakers-Fortune-tellers-Crani

ologists--Librarians-Chess-players-Firemen-Freemasons-Beggars-Chinese Agriculture-Patronized by the Emperor-Irrigation-Farmer's house and family-The BambooMulberry-Tea culture Chinese Bill of Fare-Cooking-Skill in fishing-High estimation of Learning-Universities-Village School-books and Literature-Religion-Confucius, his life and person-Temples-No Sabbath-New Year Festivities-Settlement of debts-New Years' Calls-Small feet of Chinese ladies-Other curious Fancies-Marriage and Funeral Ceremonies-Chinese Character.

THE Empire of China, comprising China proper and several external territories of vast extent, forms one of the largest, and in regard to population, civilization and industry, one of the most remarkable nations to which the attention of mankind has ever been attracted. Separated by a wide

interval from any other civilized country, its history, its government, and its manners, are peculiar to itself, and date from ages long prior to all extant records. Its civilization has been developed under its own institutions; its government has been modeled without knowledge of, or reference to, that of any other nation; its literature has borrowed nothing; its language is unique, and its people essentially peculiar.

The examination of such a country and such a people, can scarcely fail to be both instructive and interesting, and-in exhibiting the characters of an isolated nation numbering hundreds of millions, and swayed by one power, progressing in all that is useful and ornamental in life to a high development-prove incontestably that man, wherever he may be, even though unthought of and unknown to the rest of the world, and unacquainted with foreign progress, is the same creature, and capable, under all circumstances, of adapting himself to the great ends for which he was created.

The limits of the vast territory of the Chinese empire are not well defined. It approaches in form nearly to a square its greatest length is 2,350, and its greatest breadth 2,100 miles. The empire includes about one-third of Asia and the enormous population of 400,000,000, or nearly half the inhabitants of the globe.

The empire of China exhibits in its physical conformations many of the grand proportions of Asia generally. Within its confines are several large chains of mountains, with peaks of stupendous height, but the ridges themselves generally range below the snow line. The country is almost surrounded by a wall of high mountains. Nearly four-fifths of China is either mountainous or hilly-excluding the great desert of Gobi or Sha-moh-but most of it is susceptible of cultivation, which, in many cases, is carried even to the hill-tops. The great desert has a length of over 1800 by a breadth of near 400 miles; the general features of this immense tract are more forbidding than the steppes of Siberia, though not so much so as the Sahara of Africa.

The rivers of China form one of its most conspicuous features, and no country can compare with her for natural facilities for inland navigation. Her lakes are comparatively few and small. Most of the coast is lined with multitudes of islands.

The Chinese empire is divided into three principal parts, viz: China Proper, Manchuria, and the Colonial Possessions. China Proper, or “the Eighteen Provinces," is the country which was conquered by the Manchus or Tartars in 1644 Manchuria, or the native country of the Manchus, lies north of the Great Wall and east of the Daourian chain to the Pacific. The colonial possessions include Mongolia, Ili-comprising Songaria and Eastern Turkistan-Koko-nor and Thibet. China Proper contains 363 millions, or 270 inhabitants to the square mile-the other parts of the empire 33 millions, or ten inhabitants to the square mile. The population of China Proper averages less to a square mile than Belgium, which has an average of 321 persons. The nine eastern provinces however average 458 inhabitants to the square mile, and one of these, Kiangsu, has the enormous average of 850 persons.

China Proper is the only division to which the name China is given and the only part settled by the Chinese, and that to which this article relates. The common name for this portion of the empire is the Eighteen Provinces; but the Chinese themselves term it the "Middle Kingdom." For beauty of scenery, fertility of soil, salubrity of climate, magnificent and navigable rivers, and variety and abundance of its productions, it will compare with any portion of the globe.

The ascertained history of China dates from the reign of Fuhhi, 303 years after the deluge and 2,852 prior to the birth of Christ, which extends from the present time back to the enormous period of 4,800 years. Prior to this the history of China is involved in fable. Ten centuries ago they were the most civilized nation on the earth, and the incredulity manifested in Europe five hundred years since, at the recitals of the Venetian traveler, Marco Polo, regarding their condition, is the counterpart of the sentiments now expressed by the Chinese when they hear of the power and grandeur of western nations. Their civilization has been developed under peculiar forms and influences, and must be compared to, rather than judged of by, European: the dissimilarity is as wide, perhaps, as can possibly exist between two races of beings having the same common nature and wants. A people from whom some of the most distinguishing inventions of modern Europe came-such as the compass, porcelain, gunpowder, and printing-whose population nearly equals all the other races of mankind combined, united in one system of manners, letters, and polity-whose cities and capitals rival in number the greatest metropolis of any age--who have not only covered the earth but the waters with towns and streets: such a nation must occupy a conspicuous place in the history of mankind, and the study of their character and condition commends itself to every well-wisher of his race.

It has been too much the custom of writers to overlook the influence of the bible upon modern civilization; but when a comparison is to be drawn between European and Asiatic civilization, this element forces itself upon the attention as the main cause of the superiority of the former. It is not the civilization of luxury or of letters, of arts or of priestcraft; it is not the spirit of war, the passion for money, nor the application of machinery, that renders a nation permanently great and prosperous. "Christianity is the summary of all civilization," says Chenevix; "it contains every argument which could be urged in its support, and every precept which explains its nature. Former systems of religion were in conformity to luxury, but this alone seems to have been conceived for the regions of civilization. It has flourished in Europe while it has decayed in Asia, and the most civilized nations are the most purely Christian." Christianity is essentially the religion of the people, and when it is covered over with forms and contracted into a priesthood, its vitality goes out; this is one reason why it has declined in Asia. The attainments of the Chinese, in the arts of life, are perhaps as great as they can be without this spring of action, without any other motives to obedience and morality, than the commands or demands of the present life.

The industry of the Chinese has given them their commanding place among the nations of the earth, and their superiority over all their neighbors is owing

chiefly to this virtue. Not only has the natural vegetation been superseded wherever culture would remunerate their toil, but high hills have been tilled and terraced almost to their tops; cities have been built upon them, and extensive ranges of wall erected along their summits. They practice upon a vast scale all the industrial arts, whether rural or manufacturing and maintain the largest population ever united under one sytem of rule.

An important event in the history of China was its conquest by the Manchus Tartars two centuries ago. They have since maintained their sway over the unwarlike Chinese with but little difficulty. The Tartars compelled the Chinese to adopt their mode of shaving the front of the head as a token of submission. This order was resisted by many who chose to lose their heads rather than part with their hair, but the mandate was gradually enforced and has ever since been one of the distinguishing marks of a Chinese. Anciently the Chinese wore their hair long, and bound it on the top of their head they took pride in its glossy black and called themselves the blackhaired race. That which was introduced on the penalty of death as a token of allegiance, is now followed from choice. The people are now vain of a long thick cue. In winter the head is covered with a silken skull-cap or felt hood. In summer the men usually go bareheaded and shade their eyes from the sun with a fan.

The Chinese are considered as belonging to the Mongolian variety of the human race. Their forms are well built and symmetrical; in stature they equal the Europeans, and their complexions are of a yellow tint. A great difference exists, however, among them in these respects, between the northern and southern Chinese, and between the inhabitants of the mountains and those of the plains and the sea-coast. In size, the women are disproportionately small, and to those accustomed to the European style of beauty the Chinese women possess but little. But still the Chinese face is not destitute of some beauty, and when animated with good humor and an expressive eye, and lighted by the glow of youth and health, their features lose much of their repulsiveness. The hair and eyes of the Chinese always being black, a European with light eyes and hair appears strange to them. The Chinese have applied the term "foreign devils" to Europeans, "because," say they, "they have deep, sunken blue eyes, and red hair like demons."

The only Chinese possessing hereditary rank are the members of the imperial family, who are distributed into five classes, all distinguished by wearing a yellow girdle; but they possess no political powers or privileges, and have only very small revenues assigned to them for subsistence. Beside thedescendants of the Emperors, there is another class of imperial kinsmen, descended from the brothers or uncles of the first Tartar Emperor, who are distinguished by a red sash and girdle.

Polygamy is not permitted; a man can have only one legal wife, but he may have as many concubines as he pleases; and the offspring of the latter possess many of the rights of legitimacy. The concubine is bought for money, and is taken into the house nearly as any other domestic. The wives are the slaves of their husbands; they live and die in ignorance, and every effort to raise themselves above the rank assigned to them is regarded as impious arrogance..