Ix various quarters efforts are being made to give the Chinese correct ideas of the mysterious Western World. The scientific and practical manuals issued under the fostering care of the Imperial Customs Service are doubtless contributing to the good work; the Missionary Societies, though engaged primarily in publishing theological trea-rises, occasionally allow individual members of their body to edit secular books, and lately we bear of the establishment of a Society in Peking which proposes especially to devote itself to the task of impregnating the Chinese mind with European ideas. It is not uninteresting, under these cir. cumstances, to see what efforts have beer. made in this direction in past years by the natives, as it is not, perhaps, generally known that a Chinese official published many years ago his ideas of the outside world, and endeavoured to do what the Foreigner is now labouring to accomplish. The work, which excited considerable attention at the time it was published, is called the "Universal Geography," and its author was his Excellency Si Ki'-vii of Watai, in Shansi, the Lieutenant. Governor of Fukien. This ambitious work is divided into ten Books, and commences, as might be expected, with an elaborate account of the countries of Asia and the islands on its coasts, The author begins with Japan and Lowchew, then follows an account of Annam, Siam, Barmab, &c., and a supplementary chapter.on Australia and Oceauica, wherein it is stated that the products of these islands have flowed into China, and the Fukieneso and Cantonese have passed over to them in ships, collecting these like wild ducks some of these emigrants have bought lands and married there, never return. ing home." The Book containing the Chinaman's description of some of the more prominent European countries, however, is the most interesting portion of the work to us.. Governor Sii's description of the people of Europe, though it has been before translated, is likely to be new to most of our readers. "The Europeans are tall and large, and very yellow pupi joes have bluck), their white, with high noses, deep eyes and
fall beards grow quite up to the temples, or come over under the ears, some having the hair straight like the Chinese, others curl like a deagou's whiskers, some shave the whole of it off, some leave it all on, and others again allow the mustache or the whiskers. to grow as we do, there being no restriction whether they be old or young. They. trim off the hair when it is longer than two or three inches; many have the hair and beard of a yellow or sandy colour, whence the Datch were called by us Hung-mau or Red-haired people, in the days of Ming; and afterwards the English wore called, but all Europeans have the same kind of hair. A few have black hair and these have black eyes, The hair and eyes of ternal 0 like the mel Some one has said that when Europeans live a long time in Chins, their hair beard and eyes gradually change to black."
On the subject of costume our Mau-darin has some naive remarks "The head covering of. the men is flat, round, and hollow, made of felt or cotton, with a narrow rim four or fir inches high; when they meet a friend, it is the custom to take it off. The collars and neckcloths are. broad, the sleeves narrow, and the waists tight reaching to the middle; the trousers ard tight about the hips, but the.outer coat is rather loose, reaching to the knees with the Jappels left open; the invest garments are of cotton, the outer of woollen; in winter they do nob us fars, nor wear grass-cloth in summer. On the delicate and difficult question
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.