empire, about the neighbourhood of Pekin, which district differs in so many ways from other parts of the empire that it can hardly be called China. My experience, which is limited to the country around Canton, Shanghai, and touching the Yang-tsze Kiang, has never shown me anything (if I except the interior of Nanking, which is also exceptional on account of having been once the capital of China) more than a causeway carried through the paddy-fields, seldom as much as, and never exceeding, six feet in width; and such roads, well paved as they are near the large cities, often dwindle into indifferent pathways when you get into the rural districts. There are no doubt some parts of China where good works of this kind have been carried for long distances, but they are of a former age, and under a more vigorous dynasty; you now see only the ruins of such beneficial provisions, and the dynasty of "Sing" seems to be one of beggary and corruption; everywhere its rule appears one of decay; and say what you will of Prince Kung and the regeneration of China, the latter days of the Manchoos have begun,—ay, are wellnigh accomplished. Then the question arises, What is to become of China? Who shall take the reins of government? -the Taipings? I think not; and my conviction is founded. on the want of organization among them, the absence in their religion of the first principles of Christianity, and the total disregard they appear to have for the comforts of the popu lation, the encouragement of agriculture, or other settled pursuits.

The Chinese are a people easily governed, for the simple reason that every one has a desire to mind his own business; and if they are not too severely "squeezed" or taxed, they are content to be ruled by any one. Huc mentions that, when he was speaking of the succession to the throne, which one would imagine should have awakened some interest among his listeners, to all his suggestions

they replied only by shaking their heads, puffing out whiffs of smoke, and taking great gulps of tea." At last one spoke to him in the following words:-"Listen to me, my friend. Why should you trouble your your heart and fatigue your head by all these vain surmises? The mandarins have to attend to affairs of state; they are paid for it. Let them earn their money, then; but don't let us torment ourselves about what does not concern us. We should be great fools to want to do political business for nothing." Just as I have heard a tradesman at Canton say,"That no belong my pidgin; my pidgin belong tailor pidgin."* And in another part of his interesting 'Journey through the Chinese Empire,' the Abbé puts the following sentence in the mouth of a Chinaman,-"We do not meddle much in public affairs, because we are persuaded that the empire would not be well governed if three hundred millions of individuals attempted each to make it go his own way." Such is Celestial political philosophy; but still there can be no doubt that there is some antipathy to the Manchoo-Tartar rule; and I am one who believes that, setting religion aside, were an influential Chinese party to start a rebellion to-morrow, with the express aim of overthrowing the present dynasty, it would carry the whole country with it. But will this be done, or will China split up into two or more kingdoms, ruled by different sects, and kept from internal strife by foreign bayonets? Are we to see the tricolor, the union jack, and the Russian eagle floating over the capitals of Canton, Nanking, and Pekin? Or are we to take to some other beverage instead of tea, and leave China to fight out this revolution as she has others in former times? Rebellion is no new thing in that country, for the establishment of the Tartars at Pekin was only the end of a period of twelve hundred and twenty-four

"Pidgin" is best translated business.

P

years, during which "China underwent fifteen changes of dynasty, all accompanied by frightful civil wars."

On approaching Chung-king one sees a sharp-pointed pagoda perched on the summit of one of the peaks of the range of hills on the opposite side of the Yang-tsze, to the eastward of the place, and we took it to be a very high one; but a visit to it on our downward voyage proved it to be not above eighty feet in height, its imposing appearance being due to its situation. As we could find no name for it, we called it the "Pinnacle Pagoda," and as such it is laid down on the chart. The mouth of the Ho-tow river, which separates the two towns of which Chung-king is composed, and falls in on the left bank of the Yang-tsze, was reached by us at 2.15 P.M.; but the immense crowd of junks which lined the shore caused us to take a very long time in moving another mile and a quarter up, and it was near half-past four before we came to an anchor off the Taiping Gate, or "Gate of Peace;" but there was no peace for us.