ANTON is a city and seaport of China, and is surrounded by walls about six or geven miles in circumference. The streets are narrow and long, the houses are built of brick, and contain only one story, shops being plentiful, the factories of the different European Powers extending along the river. Canton is a place of very great trade, and its aspect is rendered peculiar by the many canals and bridges which intersect it.

Pekin is the capital of China, and it will, perhaps, be interesting to our readers if we glance at some of the habits and customs of the people who live in that country.

The Chinese are a people noted for the eccentricity of their appearance and manner. They belong to what is called the Mongolian race, and are distinguished by a tawny skin, coarse black hair, a thin beard, oblique eyes, and high cheek-bones.

Of the character of this nation no one who has not lived among them can judge correctly. They are exceedingly courageous, having no fear of death, and enduring all torture with great fortitude. They are generally unwarlike, fond of national and domestic peace, and are industrious, sober, exceedingly practical, and shrewd in business.

The custom of ancestor-worship is a prominent feature of their social life. In the

houses of the rich rooms are set apart, dedicated to their forefathers, where are placed tablets bearing the names of the deceased persons, before which ceremonies and prostrations are performed at certain times, according to the rules contained in the Book of Rites. Though the Chinese think but little of death, yet to them their coffins are of paramount importance, a coffin being considered a most suitable present, especially from children to parents. The Chinese say that to possess earthly happiness "one must be born in Su-chow, live in Canton, and die in Lianchau"Su-chow being famed for the beauty of its women, Canton for its luxury, and Lianchau for producing the best wood for coffins. It is remarkable that death is not spoken of by them in direct terms, but when a Chinaman has died he is said to "exist no more," or to have "saluted the age," or "ascended to the sky." Marriage among the Chinese is attended by great pomp and ceremony, the betrothal being arranged by the parents, or by professional match-makers, the bride and bridegroom frequently not seeing each other until the wedding-day. All the social intercourse of the Chinese is regulated by rules contained in the "Le-king," or Book of Rites, in which there are about 3,000 principles of behaviour.

In the matter of dress, the Chinaman exhibits his usual good sense, and alters the material of his clothing from fur-lined coats to the lightest gauze. Their shoes are different from ours, being made of silk or cotton, with felt or cork soles. White is the colour of mourning. The queue, or pig-tail, of a Chinaman is regarded by him as very important, and, as a consequence, barbers have large employment. But a great drawback in the Chinese is that they are very sparing in their ablutions, having a great dread of cold water, either for drinking or washing purposes. Long nails are considered a mark of beauty by both sexes, and small feet are thought indispensable among the ladies of the better class, a lady's shoe measuring about 3 inches from heel to toe. Literary proficiency is eagerly sought after and esteemed, and day-schools are general throughout the

country. The Chinese have a great reverence for written papers, which are collected from house to house to prevent their profanation. The language of the Chinese is monosyllabic, all their words being uttered by a single movement of the organs of speech, and each word conveying an entire idea or thing. The word "people" in the Chinese becomes "multitude-man,' 99.66 son becomes "man-child," and "the best of men" is rendered "a hundred-man good." The written characters of the Chinese are hieroglyphic or pictorial, and are arranged in perpendicular columns, which follow one another from right to left.

There are three principal religions, the Buddhist, the Taonist, and the Confucian, each of which is gradually losing its hold on the people. The Buddhist and Taonist priests are illiterate, and the philosophic Chinamen hold them in derision.

HE answers to the puzzles for February are:-10; 2; and Newton.

The following are the names of those who have answered both :-J. Butterworth, W. H. Holden, W. K. Dunn, E. Meadowcroft, L. Meadowcroft, M. A. Moscrop, W. Briggs, C. W. Heywood, M. C. Brooks, A. M. Olds, M. Wardlow, B. Illingworth, A. E. Cope, W. H. Whitworth, T. Raymont, C. S. Butterworth, J. Greenwood, A. J. Haynes, J. W. Howarth, W. Cartwright, and T. E. Wakefield.

The following are the names of those who have answered one :-J. W. Lister, M. E. Clegg, L. J. Barkes, R. Bateman, A. Cuttell, D. G. Chilton, W. Chapman, J. Smedley, A. Horrox, J. A. Dale, W. H. King, T. H. Tom, W. H. Cockayne, and W. E. Menhennick.

I.—ARITHMETIC.

A has £100 43. 11 d., and B has 64,392 farthings. If A receives 1,492 farthings, and B £1 2s. 34d., which will then have the most, and by how much?

II. CHARADE.

My first the passage doth denote
Of a large ship or little boat;
My next the point at which we sever
The ocean from the flowing river;
My whole, whose name you please must tell,
A seaport where the soldiers dwell.

Letters for the Editor to be addressed-
Rev. R. GRAY,

Heywood, Lancashire.

London: T. NEWTON, Methodist Free Church Book-room, 119, Salisbury-square, Fleetstreet, E.C.

HINGS that we do not see very often excite

our curiosity, and it is a too common practice with us to conclude that a thing is of doubtful character simply because we do not know much about it. There is such a thing as rash judgment, too, with regard to the persons that we happen to meet with. Mr. Wordsworth, the celebrated poet, had a habit of giving names to places in order that he might be able to recollect what had transpired there. One place on the borders of the Grassmere Lake he named "Rash Judgment." His reason was this. He and a few friends were sauntering along the edge of the lake one hot harvest day, when they saw a man fishing with the usual fishing-rod. He was poorly dressed, and was probably a farm labourer. The corn was fully ripe, and farmers were employing everybody they could get, at high wages, in order that the ripe corn, might be saved before the rain set in. Well, Mr. Wordsworth and his friends began to talk to one another about this man whom they saw ahead of them fishing. They blamed him for wasting his time in that way instead of hiring himself to the farmers for harvest wages, and so earning money to buy comforts for his family when the winter came. As they drew nigh to him, however, they found that they had been mistaken; that the man had evidently been suffering from a severe and long sickness, that he was still thin and weakly, and utterly unable to work, and had therefore come out to try and

catch a few fish to provide his family with a meal. That Mr. Wordsworth and his friends might not forget the lesson of charity which the incident was so well calculated to teach, they called the corner of the lake where the man stood fishing, "Point Rash Judgment."

Now I think we sometimes do people wrong in a similar way. We do not know much about them; their ways of living are strange to us; and we therefore hastily conclude that they are bad ways.

These gipsy women, for instance, that sell baskets, and hoops, and pegs for fastening the clothes upon the line that they may dry and not be blown off into the dirt: we conclude that they are not particularly honest; that anything of value or service will come handy to them; and that they will steal whatever is not too hot, or too heavy, or out of their reach. No doubt we

There are bad

are a little unjust in this. ones in the gipsy class as there are in other classes, but there are good ones too. This young mother in the picture has a nice kindly face, and the little one leaning over her shoulder looks as if he had been treated with care and gentleness. The baskets, too, are skilfully made, showing that the gipsy is clever as well as kind; and altogether her appearance bespeaks our confidence and good opinion.

The gipsy's life is a hard life; her circumstances are very trying. We must, therefore, give her the help of our patronage.