There is at presenta set of idle vagabonds or old gossips, who, taking advantage of sume previous acquaintanceships to introduce themselves into the families of people, used plausible words and pleasing countenances to communicate that they a of pills called "The San Sin Fan" (Genii Powder) for distribution to people. That these pills could increase longevity and possessed a variety of other qua-Tities—too numerous to be fully set forth. Many honest people had been duped by them into the belief that if they used these pills to make their dumplings, with, the Iumplings would rise to an extraordinary extent, or if they used them as food in any other shape, the effect would be extremely beneficial. But after having taken these pills, the males would mostly suffer from swollen feet, while females would, from standing that peace and amity now exist} After a while, the sufferers would die off, unless their constitutions were extremely strong, and their systems most firm, or unless the family were in the habit of prac-rising charity. These might not suffer, and the utmost they would get was sickness only.
There is also a set of heartless and treacherous men and women, who aver that this disease is not curable by any save by the barbarians, This was at first not believed, but when the native doctors were called' in and failed in their numerous remedies, the sufferers were obliged to seek the barbarians for medical: treatment. As soon as the foreign medicine was administered, the disease was linlf cured. When another dose was sought for, the root of the disease was completely eradicated. From the rich, sums of thousands of dollars were exacted, while the poor would be forced to become converts, before they would be willing to give them the second dose of inedivine. "Though the disease was cured upon the administration of the second dose, yet the sufferers would be unsound in their minds, so that they were very glad to become converts. From this, it would appear that the spread of this poison, in its mild form, would jeopardize life, while in its severe form, it would overthrow ancestry and destroy lineage. This indeed is no small matter! Your servant (the author) having had many of his intimate friends sutoring from the poison, is afflicted in mind an leved ly the sight, He therefore specially rings forward what he has seen with his own eyes and what he has repeatedly heard spoken of, to notify his countrymen, with the hope that the goodly disposed persons, who are delighted in doing good acts, this informa it, in d 80, would be boundless!—Chine Mai
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.