It is absurd to talk of bloodshed. No Chinese soldier will stand in the ranks to be shot down; no man-of-war keep her station till a broad-side is poured into her. No great officer of state will refuse a reasonable demand when it is made in a proper tone. The voyages to the northeast coast of China have filled the court with fear. The emperor himself, not long ago, asked the governor of Cheible whether it would not be necessary to fortify the mouth of the Pihho, because a single barbarian merchant ship had reached Shantung. We do not wish Great Britain to commence hostilities against the Chinese; we only desire that our country would treat this government as it is, weak, decrepit, haughty, and knowing how to be liberal and friendly only when it is forced to be so. No fleets and large expenditure of treasure are wanted. There are only needed a few frigates and sloops of war, under the command of a resolute man, who should go directly to Peking, with a treaty ready prepared for subscription, and tell the members of the imperial cabinet that he has received plenipotentiary powers to negotiate, and that he will not leave the capital till he has accomplished the object of his mission. It may be urged that we have no right to act thus; but if China rejects international laws, are the same binding on us in regard to China? Treat the government with civility, and it is regarded as weakness; approach the officers with a frowning aspect, and you conciliate their favor. "If you supplicate, you are confessedly too weak to demand, and being so, we can have no motive for granting your requests; but since you make demands, and have power to enforce them, we must yield." From the emperor to the lowest magistrate in the country, this is the sentiment which everywhere controls the policy of the Chinese. As soon as our sloops and frigates approach the coast north of Canton, the Chinese would fear not only for the stoppage of their trade but also of those supplies of grain, which annually and in great quantities are conveyed by their rivers and canals to the capital.

We have now sketched the leading measures requisite for forming a treaty with the Chinese. Let Great Britain be known as an independent state, as the greatest naval power on earth, sincere in intentions, upright in dealings, faithful in promises, bold in enterprises, undaunted in dangers, unmoved by threats, and the magic spell, which has so long kept us aloof from the imperial government and caused us to be viewed and treated as enemies, will be dissolved, and henceforth we shall be regarded, as we indeed are, the promoters of commerce, and the true friends of the celestial empire.

Note. We quite agree with our correspondent that "re have yet to learn how we ought" to treat a haughty, semi-civilized, despotic government. Still we are of opinion that the nations of the west-Great Britain, France, and the United States of America, not to mention any others,-ought without further delay to open a friendly intercourse with the emperor of China. Surely there are relative duties among nations; but with China, they have hitherto been neglected.-We do not know precisely what our correspondent means by arguments from the cannon's mouth," when at the same time he declaims against hostilities. We are the advocates of energetic and decisive measures, and think plenipotentiaries ought to be sent direct to Peking, and in such a manner as to secure the respect and protection due to the representatives of independent nations.

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ART. II. Island of Bali: its situation, divisions, lakes, population, manufactures, commerce, agriculture, government, language, education, and religion.

In the survey of the Indian Archipelago, published in our second voJume, (page 385,) Bali was included among the sixteen islands, which, with regard to size, constituted one of the four classes into which the whole group was divided. Our attention is now called to this island by a letter before us, dated " Bali, November 5th, 1835," written by an Armenian gentleman residing there. An extract from his letter will serve as an introduction to an account of the island, which we have compiled from the papers of Raffles, Medhurst, and others. He says:

"We left Singapore on the 16th of August, having contrary winds and waters. On the 21st, at half past ten o'clock, the brig ran and sat over rocks and reefs; she remained there for a full half hour, knocking and thumping, which shook her frame dreadfully; we lost all hopes of our safety, and the ship was full of cries and lamentations. I stood firm in my belief of a providential help, yet ready at His call. I got myself into the long-boat, went round about, and found at the stern of the ship twelve fathoms of water; immediately returned to the ship, informed the captain of it, and the next moment the brig was again afloat. ** It took two full months for us to reach this part of Bali, which to the eye is one of the most beautiful and verdant spots I ever saw, well populated and conducive to trade: yet the place is full of sickness, the natives are troubled with constant diseases, and it appears to be a poison to settlers; it does not, however, hurt much the seafaring people, because they live upon the water, yet they sometimes suffer. The diseases are of a bilious kind, with chilling cold, hot fevers, pain in the head and loins, coughing, swelling of the spleen, and weakness of the body; but its first symptoms are headache and stupidity. We have no doctors here, nor do the natives study medicine.

"Bali contains some volcanoes, and their eruptions poison the air, the waters, and every thing in them. The country is governed by many beads, who are called rajahs or kings; the weakest submits to the powerful according to the times; they seem savage in appearance, yet are friendly, charitable, and moderate. In general, the people do not burn their dead, nor even their wives and concubines; but among the great, wives and concubines or slaves are sometimes burnt, which they say is done by freewill: this is not true, for others say the freewill is asked, and if refused, they then give them something to eat and drink, which intoxicates them, and thereby they draw the party to consent, when a nod or shake of the head is enough. But if they cannot even get this, they then murder them by some false pretense or other. However, it seems to be one

of the greatest honors which they can enjoy to have some one burnt along with them, no matter who.

"The Balinese believe in one supreme God, and in future rewards and punishments; yet they worship many and various images, which they call mediators for the remission of their sins. They detest the Mohammedans, eat pork, and if need be, are not averse to any other eating. They are punctual in paying their debts; but not a single man will work, except in attending his plough. The women are the merchants, and often the carriers of their wares. The men go with their heads naked, and the women with their bosoms open. There are but few poor people, for their country abounds with plenty, and they need no great labor to provide for themselves.

"The present queen, Chokordy, was invited to follow the late king who died about a year ago; she refused to be burnt. The said king had a concubine, with an only son and heir, who insisted on his mother's following his father to ashes; and she out of modesty consented to do so, but at the pile of fire, refused; the consequence was, that the said unnatural son drew his kris, stabbed her through, and plunged her into the deep.

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"I have not yet made any progress into the interior, because of my subordination to our captain; I do not wish to act in any way without his consent, which I shall apply for in one of these days. The soil is extremely rich, and produces almost every plant whether native or foreign, and the least encouragement will make it a country of great value. The English carry large quantities of the best rice to China. The island produces rice in abundance, sapan wood, cocoa oil, hides, rattans, bird's nests, horses, cows, buffaloes, goats, bears, and many feathered fowls." * * *

Thus far we have quoted from the letter of the Armenian. Sir Stamford Raffles visited Bali prior to 1815. The Rev. W. II. Medhurst visited it in the winter of 1829-30. According to the latest account, the island is divided into eight states, namely, Baliling, Karangassam, Kalongkong, Gianjer, Badong, Bangli, Mangoei, and Tabaunan. The first of these is situated on the north side of the island, and includes a rich and fertile plain about thirty miles in length and ten in breadth; Djambaraua is included in this state and is situated west from it on the shores of the straits which separate Bali from Java. Karangassam occupies the northeast corner of the island, near the strait of Lombock. Kalongkong adjoins Karangassam, and ruus more inland; it includes the port of Casamba and is the oldest and most important state of Bali, its princes tracing their descent from those of Java, and having once possessed authority over the whole island. Next to Kalongkong is Gianjer, extending southward to Badong, which forms the southeast corner of the island and has a treaty with the authorities of the Netherlands: an agent of that government has resided there for the last few years, in order 'to purchase slaves and recruit corps of native troops.' Bangli, called also Taman Bali, 'the garden of Bali,' is an inland state, lying between the two ranges of hills, one on the north the other on the

south, and occupying a beautiful spot of arable land, where the climate is cool and the soil fruitful. West from Badong is Mangoei, a large, rich, and populous state. Tabannan is another large inland district, bounded by Djambarana and Baliling on the north and west, and by Mangoei on the east, having only a sinall part of its territory on the seacoast.

sea.

Bali has several lakes, which are situated near the tops of high mountains, several thousand feet above the level of the sea. These contain fresh water and have tides, [?] corresponding with those of the Their depths are great; the largest is about four miles across and twelve in circumference. They contain sufficient water to irrigate the whole country, and are of great value, there being no rivers of any magnitude on the island. By means of these lakes the diligent husbandman is enabled to obtain water enough for all his wants, and consequently two crops of rice are taken from the ground annually, and the price of it is sometimes as low as one rupee per pecul. The names of these lakes are Batur, Baratan, Boejan, and Tambilingan.

The soil of the island is generally fertile. On the plains a loamy black soil is common, and there is much volcanic matter mixed with it; for in addition to a volcano on the east of Bali, which is continually at work, the eruption of that on Sambawa in 1815 covered the whole island with ashes, and in some places "more than a foot in depth.”-Here we will introduce an account of a "falling mountain," which was occasioned by an earthquake about twenty years ago. The shock was violent; "buildings were throwu down, heavy things were removed out of their places, and all the people felt sick with apprehension; when suddenly one of the hills above Biling gave way, and several immense rocks, some fifty feet square, were dislodged from their places, and carrying with them abundance of smaller stones, earth, and water, did not stop in their course till they were precipitated into the sea. This falling of the mountain, might have been occasioned partly by the earthquake, and partly by the force of the water of the upland lake, which bursting out its sides, carried rocks and ground along with it into the ocean. The whole surface of the country between the mountain and the sea, an extent of five or six miles, was thus overwhelmed in an instant in oue undistinguished ruin: fields and plantations, houses, cattle, and men, were at once covered by and crushed under the falling mass; and the sea, agitated by the plunging of the rocks into its waves, burst the bound which nature had assigned it, and came pouring over the land in return; thus were the remaining houses upon the beach, which had escaped the mountain's crash, suddenly swept away by the foaming waves; the walled and tiled buildings of the Chinese were immediately overturned, and the light bamboo dwellings of the Bugis were carried wholesale to about a gun-shot distance from the place where they once stood. Those who were crushed and drowned by the breaking in of the sea, were more than the sufferers by the breaking out of the mountain, and the whole number of

persons deprived of life on this occasion are reckoned to exceed a thousand."

The population of Bali is estimated to be seven hundred thousand. The people generally have an open, independent look, and to those who are accustomed to the mildness and servility of the natives of Java, their conduct appears rough and even surly. The Balinese are of about the middle size of Asiatics, larger and more athletic than the Malays. The men employ themselves only in those labors which are connected with the cultivation of the soil; and to obtain their two crops of rice annually, occupies them only about one fourth of their time: the other part of it they waste in cock and cricket-fighting, gambling, smoking opium, and in sauntering from place to place; and when short of money they expect their wives to supply their wants. The women are sadly circumstanced; if left orphans and without brothers to take care of them while young, they immediately become the property of the rajah, to use or abuse, hire or sell, as he thinks proper. When marriageable, instead of being wooed as western ladies are, or bought like Turkish maidens, they are actually ravished and stolen away by their brutal lovers, who seize them by surprize, and carry them off with disheveled hair and tattered garments to the woods. When brought back from thence, and reconciliation is effected with the enraged friends, the poor female becomes the slave of her rough lover by a certain compensation being paid to her relatives. She must now work for the support of her partner, cook the food, attend the market, carrying the wares and the produce most frequently herself, and must see to it that she bring home gain enough to support the family, and maintain the intemperance and extravagance of her husband. Hard indeed is their lot, and severe the burdens put upon them by those who ought to protect and treat them with kindness. Would that the blessings of Christianity might ouce spread their genial influence over this land, then would most of these evils cease!

"The dress of the natives," says Mr. Medhurst, "is very simple and sparing, consisting merely of a sarong (or checquered cloth) round the waist, falling down to the knees, and blue and white coarse cloth, that is sometimes either thrown over the shoulders, tied round the middle, or used for a covering at night. None of the people, great or small, male or female, are ever seen with a jacket, or any certain covering for the upper part of the body; the men when cold wrap their shoulders in their coarse cloth, and the women sometimes allow their scarfs to fall negligently over their bosoms, but more frequently they are open and exposed, and they do not seem to feel the least reserve or reluctance at being gazed on by strangers. They never wear handkerchief on the head like the Malays, but tie their hair when long and inconvenient, with a strip of cloth, or even with a wisp of grass. The most favorite bandage for the hair, is generally a piece of list, taken from the edge of European broad cloth. In front, where the sarong is bound round the waist, they generally stick a small pouch made of grass or rushes, which serves them for