for loose ones The gentry and officials have reduced their dresses m a simular manner: while the poorest of the common people appear not only bareheaded, but with bare feet and bare backs, having but a single garment reaching from the loins to the calf of the legs

The eatables seen in the markets during the month, are the le che, taou, sheih lew, kin kwa, suh me, yang taou, yang mei, ling keo, fuh show, mung kwo, se kwa, sha le, nan hwa le, poo taon, etc.; these are the native names of fruits: the kinds of fish are immerous; the following are the most common, namely, the tsin lung, keën, hwei, sắng, tang sheil, lưng le, hwang, trăng pei, hwang kul, pil fan, woo, ma tse, senn kõ, hwa, leën, hae la, hwan, sung, ma, and tsze woo: of flesh of the animal kind, I may mention, tsaou yang, new, choo, ke, yă, ngo, ma, and kow jow: of birds there are the pih ho, the pil ko, chay koo, pan kew, ngan shun, heën yă, teën ke, shuy yu, etc. Such are some of the most common vegetables, fish, beasts, and birds, which constitute the catables of the Chinese at this season of the year. May 20th.

N. B. The word 'esplanade' is not employed with strict accuracy in the preceding paragraphs; I have used it, because I could not find a better one. The same plot of ground is sometimes called the respondentia walk,' 'the square and by the Chinese it is called the rear of the thirteen factories

ART. VIII. Journal of occurrences. The priest and the chefoo; deaths by fire; rain; Mohammedans of Canton; opening of the southern gate; Mowqua; Fatqua; linguist, and pilot; gambling; literary examinations; cholera; smugglers; riot.

May 1st. The priest and the chefoo. In our last number it was stated that, on account of the long continued drought in Canton, the chefoo of Kwangchow had issued a document requesting aid to force the dragon to send rain; and that in consequence of this, an extraordinary person,' a priest of the Budhistic sect, had proffered his services, and being accepted, had undertaken to procure rain in three days. A high stage or altar was erected in front of the chefoo's office; and on three successive mornings the priest, with his cymbal, wand, and sacred books, mounted it bareheaded, and continued there each day till the sun went down. But all his efforts were unavailing, and the heat and the drought have both continued. This morning, the priest offered to enter on another trial for three days, but the chefoo, already sufficiently chagrined, bid him begone. The man is a native of Szecbuen, and is said to enjoy considerable celebrity for his power over the elements and for his influence with the gods of the country; and had rain fallen in this instance, no doubt it would have been attributed to his exertions. Tuesday, 5th. Deaths by fire. The period for worshiping at the tombs terminated to-day, and the doors of the tombs, i. e. the doors which confine the acei or spirits of the dead,' beneath the ground, were closed. On this day, it is customary for people to offer sacrifices to their ancestors, in order to secure their protection during the ensuing year. This evening, three individuals, viz., a mother and her little son and daughter, while together engaged in these acts of idolatrous veneration for the dead, accidentally set fire to their honse and pe ished in its ruins. The house stood in the western suburbs, about half a mile

from the foreign factories. The fire broke out about eight o'clock; several engines were soon on the spot, and the flames extinguished; but not, however, until their bodies were nearly consumed. The father and master of the family, Chun Atib, a fishmonger, who seems not to have been at home when the house took fire, was seized by the police and carried before the magistrate of the district, to be examined concerning the circumstances of the fire. The accident in this instance was occasioned by the burning of paper, which was being offered to secure the protection of the spirits of the dead. From the manner in which offerings of paper are almost daily made in the houses of the Chinese, it is matter of surprise that accidents of this kind are not of much more frequent occurrence than they are.

Friday, 8th. Showers of rain. To-day, after an uninterrupted drought of eight or nine months, we have had copious showers. Crowds of people have almost daily, for the last three or four weeks, thronged the shrines of their gods to intercede for rain. On the 1st instant, it was supposed that not less than 20,000 persons, men, women, and children, went to worship the image of the goddess of Mercy, that inhabits a temple on the hill the north side of the city. To show their humility and contrition, the fooyuen and chefoo, and their subordinate officers, descended from their sedans and went on foot with the multitude. Yesterday, it was rumored that the fooyuen, as a last expedient, would release from the prisons of Canton all their inmates, except those who had been committed for capital offenses. Whether this report be true or not, and if truc, with how much sincerity the determination has been made, are points which we shall not undertake to decide.

All the Mohammedans of Canton, it is said, have been engaged, like the other Chinese, in offering sacrifices and prayers in order to obtain rain. The sacred books of these followers of the false prophet are in Arabic, and they object to their being seen by Christians or pagans, lest they should be profaned,

The great southern gate of the city, which has been closed for the last week, was opened to-day in the presence of chefou, which act was accompanied by an odd ceremony of burning a sow's tail. Elsewhere such a ceremony might have been attended with some danger. But it was not so here. The animal, lashed fast in a cage or basket, so as to be unable to move, was borne on mens' shoulders to a convenient spot near the gate; and then and there under the direction of the chefoo, the fire was applied to her tail. After this ceremony was completed, the poor sow was carried over the river, where she is to become an inmate for life of the famous Hona: jos-house! The rationale of all this we are not yet able Jully to comprehend. It is a grave maxim with the Chinese, that water quenches fire. A knowledge of this fact, and of another equally incontrovertible, that hot winds here come from the south, suggested the idea of closing the great southern gate. It was hoped by this wise and prudent measure to repress the heat of the Southern regions, and thereby cause the descent of genial showers.

Death of Monoqua. This occurred yesterday, the 7th instant, about 10 o'clock, P. M. at his residence in Honan, E. 49. It is not easy to determine whether the sensation produced by the announcement of this sad event, bears the strongest testimony against the individual, or the native inhabitants of Canton who were acquainted with him. From all, except his relatives and personal friends, there seems to be one universal expression of joy, that he is taken away. It is proper, no doubt, to throw the mantle of charity' over the misdeeds of the dead, so far as they have no connection with the living. It is possible, in the present instance, that sufficient allowance is not made for the circumstances of the individual. Be ing one of the senior merchants of the co-hong, he was often compelled to be the organ of the government; and in this way he sometimes drew down on himself censure when it was not due. He was, however, evidently unfriendly to the extension of the rights and privileges of foreigners in this country. He poscessed nominal rank; and has, we understand, been at the capital, where he formed an early acquaintance with his excellency Loo, the present governor of this province. Great efforts are being made, by the employinent of priests and nuns to secure for him an entrance into the temple of heaven.' The coffin in which his body is to be laid cost $370.

Fatqua, it is said, continues to urge his request for a speedy removal into banish

ment, that he may not die in the midst of his troubles in Canton' It was supposed that his family had secreted a large amount of property for private use; but his wives and daughters, six of the foriner and eleven of the latter, have testified before the hoppo that such is not the fact. His debts to the government, amounting to 300,000 taels and upward, of course cannot be paid.

Monday, 11th. Imprisoned linguist. When the rumor went abroad, the other day, that the prisoners of Canton were to be liberated, the friends of Hopin immediately took courage and presented a petition with money to obtain his release But the falling of rain or some other cause changed the determination of the authorities, (if indeed they had ever determined on performing such an act of justice.) and after delaying the petitioners four days, gave them a flat denial. It will be remembered that this man was imprisoned last July, on the false charge. that lord Napier came to Canton in a ship of which he was the linguist.

The pilot of the same ship, who was imprisoned at the same time, and who was also to be sent into banishment, is reported to have died on the 5th instant Reports of this kind are sometimes manufactured by the underlings in the governmental offices: they accept a certain sum of money: his death is put on record; and the man, sometimes changing his name and sometimes not, goes free. The innocent man, who in 1833, was persuaded to declare himself to be the person who accidentally caused the death of the Chinese native unfortunately killed at Kumsingmoon," was released last July.

Gambling, it is well known, is strictly forbidden by the penal code of China It is equally well known that this vice pervades every part of the empire, and is not always the least prevalent among those who are in authority. Annual or ders are issued interdicting the practice; and immediately a contract is made with the same authorities, and the gambling-houses remain unmolested. Such orders came out in Canton early this year; but in forming the contract to secure connivance, the parties came to a rupture; the police-rurners were soon set in motion; and the consequence was that all the nests of gamblers in the suburbs of the city were completely broken up.' This occurred two or three months ago; and to the present time, no one has dared to open an establishment of this kind. It appears that the authorities struck" for an increase of fees. It is expected, however, that an arrangement will soon be effected, and that the practice will proceed as usual.

Tuesday, 19th. Literary examinations, during the last week, have been held in Canton under the direction of the chefoo. The students assembled, amount ing to more than six thousand in number, were from Nanhae, Pwanyu, Sinhway, and Tungkwan,-four of the districts which compose the department of Kwangchow. This and others, which have already been held, are preparatory to the extra, gracious examination,' which will commence on the 8th of the Eth moon, September 29th, of the current year.

4

Monday 25th. Cholera. Many cases of sickness and death have occurred in Canton and its vicinity during the last two or three months: some of these, so far as we can ascertain, are evidently cases of the epidemic or malignant cholera The death of the late Mowqua seems to have been occasioned by this disease. A few other cases, equally well defined, have occurred within the circle of our ac quaintance. The scanty details which we have been able to obtain concerning the extent of the disease forbid us to say more on the object at present.

Rewards for the seizure of smugglers have been recently conferred, by imperial authority, on three of the officers of Heängshan This seizure was made last year. by Tsin Yuchang the chief military officer of Heängshan, who is now to be rewarded with a peacock's feather for his valorous deeds. The amount of opium seized, according to the report of the governor, as it appears in the Pe king gazette, was fourteen hundred catties.

Riots There is a new report of disturbances in the province of Szechuen 'This intelligence has reached Canton by a letter direct from Szechuen; but whether the riot is the same as that to which we alluded in our last number, we are as yet unable to ascertain

There is another rumor of more serious disturbances in the province of Shanse, which are said to have broken out on the 18th of the 2d moon March 16th but we hear no particulars on which we can depend

THE

CHINESE REPOSITORY.

VOL. IV. -JUNE, 1835.- No. 2.

ART. I. Political divisions of the Chinese empire: "Map of China and the adjacent countries, drawn from the latest surveys and other authentic documents." Parbury, Allen, & Co. London, 1833. We have seen somewhere an account of a sagacious elephant, that was required by his master to move out of its place a boat, which had just been built upon the shore, and lay with its keel imbedded in the sand. The animal first applied his foot to the keel, and, finding that to move it in its then condition was beyond his power, looked up to his master and refused to put forth his strength. The master then commanded him to try what effect a push with his head would have; but still the elephant refused to exert himself. No sooner, however, had a quantity of sand been removed from the other end of the boat, than the animal immediately did what was required of him. This boat, if it is allowable to compare great things with small, may be regarded as a not unfit emblem of China, which now lies imbedded in ignorance and mental degradation. Until the impediments which these present to its progress have been in a great degree removed, we may in vain look for the advance of this unwieldy nation along the stream of civilization and improvement. One, and but one, other chance of altering its present condition remains. Let us suppose, that when the elephant found himself incapable of moving the vessel, the object had been given up, and the boat had been forsaken. There it would have remained, until a storm coming on, the sea would have returned and driven it from its position, carrying it away, without rudder, compass, or sails, upon the face of the mighty deep. And such may, nay must, be the fate of China, if its present state should fail to excite the attention, and the benevolent and wisely directed exertions, of those who, having enjoyed greater advantages, are already prepared to encounter and ride out the storms to which they may be exposed.

Such are the thoughts which naturally arose in our minds, as we glanced our eyes over the heet on which is sketched the outline, nec ssarily imperfect, of a portion (though the largest and most important part, yet but a portion) of this extensive empire,-as we traced its varied surface, here rising into lofty mountains, there sinking into fertile plains, and everywhere copiously watered by majestic rivers, placid lakes, or gently flowing streamlets; and as, turning from the pictorial sheet to the reality, we saw the teeming and industrious population, laboriously pursuing their varied occupations, yet frequently suffering from the extremity of want or oppression ; while the consideration of their ignorance and debasement, their almost total destitution of truth and honest principles, and their hopeless condition in respect of all future prospects, involuntarily forced itself upon our recollection. Nor can we disconnect from the contemplation of the vast extent, and almost inexhaustible resources, of this great empire, such thoughts regarding its moral and political condition.

Of the map itself which has given rise to these reflections we have but little to say. The Chinese, possessing no knowledge of science beyond its most simple rudiments, had hardly any acquaintance with the topography even of their own country, until Catholic missionaries visited them in the 17th century, and were employed under the enlightened reign of Kanghe, to survey the whole empire, and draw maps of the several provinces. This task was very ably performed; and it is to the zeal with which they executed it, that we are indebted for being so well able to fill up our maps of this country, while those of countries much more frequently visited by Europeans still consist of large blanks, sparingly embellished with a few celebrated names. But here the advantages that we enjoy with regard to a knowledge of Chinese geography end, if we except some valuable additions that have been made to our acquaintance with the coast, chiefly by the surveys of Ross and Maughan, under the patronage of the honorable East India company, and also by the visits of two British embassies to the northern provinces of China, by the observations of officers in the company's service in the neighborhood of Canton, and lastly by the expeditions of the Lord Amherst and other vessels to the castern and northern ports. Not a single addition of importance has, we believe, been made to our knowledge of the interior of the country; and the maps of D'Anville, and the topogra phical summaries of Du Halde, continue to be our best authorities in all that relates to the internal geography of China.

Now if we consider the rapid advances that have been made in the arts and sciences, during the century that has elapsed since these works were published, as well as the great danger that exists of multiplied errors creeping into a series of successive copies, not merely out of one work into another, but also out of different languages; and if on the other hand we call to mind, that while the moral and political condition of China has undergone no perceptible change, her artificial divisions and extent. and the numbers of her native in