TneRe appear to be two persons at present residing in China who are exceedingly anxious to got married; 80 anxious, indeed, that they have adver. tised in a well known London paper in hopes of finding suitable partners for life, The lady describes herself, with candour that scorns anything like modesty or self-depreciation, as " beautifal, fair, and young;" and she is anxious to hoar froma gentleman residing in the same country who is in want of "a loving little wife." This engaging person says that she is twenty. one; but ladies enjoy much licence in matters of age, and we do not suppose woe should be doing her any very grievous injustice if we put her down at, say, something under soveu-and-forty. It is tantalising to be told that the editor has the address of this beantifal, fair, young English lady tantalising indeed, when one considers that she may possibly be residing in the very next street to that in which one lives. But there is already a Richard in the field, who offers "speedy marriage" to any young lady willing to come out to China, and possessed of private means. The male aspirant is evidently unaware of the loving little wife" in posse already living in Chi who might have been had for the asking. Bat more is required than mere youth, beauty, and means. The lady desirous of "speedy marrisgo" with the adver-riser must undertake to assist him, after marriage, "in purchasing a partnership in one of the oldest and best mercantile houses in China," It would be manifestly impertinent to speculate which of the old-established hongs, on the Band or elsewhere, is here referred to; bat what are we to think when we are told, farther on, that this would. be Benedick and merchant is a doctor Here we confess ourselves at fault. A doctor, aged only twenty-four, living in or connected with Chine, anxious to become a partner in one of the oldest and most respectable hongs, of good social position, five feet eleven inches high, and in receipt of a good income from his practice, is a character difficult to identify, and certainly not known in Shanghai or any of the ear-rounding parishes, But if such an i dividual exists, be will at least be grate. ful to us for advertising his wants and thereby increasing his chances of success in satisfying them. We do not presume to speculate about the other advertiser whom we have quoted, because there are so many "benutifal, fair, young, English" ladies in China "aged twenty-one" and willing to become loving little wives that any such researches would be a waste of time, Bat the columns of the Matrimonial News coutatn many other ourionities of great value to all students of human natare. The Indies in nearly every instance describe themselves og Laud-some, or good-looking, or fair; though one advertiser speaks of herself more cautiously as "a respectable person aged forty," and another does not venture farther than the assertion that she is "considered wot bad-looking." A clergyman's daughter, whose views are decidedly evangelical, says that hor chief attraction would be "a decided, good, kind-hearted, Christian goutlemau; while Rita, who is tall and dark, and of unblemished reputation, is ready to make a tino and loving wife to a Christian, abstemious man. The most characteristic advertisements on the male side, however, appear to emanate from the army. One rans, in plain, blaff style:—"Geueral North wants a wife. Ho is a widower without family, aged 55, aud over£1,000a soar." There is "a lady, aged 40, very domesticated and jolly," who would, we should think, suit the General toa T. The follow. ing, from a retired Lieutenant Colonel, should also meet with its reward. He describes himself as " widower, without encumbrances, a Christian man, Church of England, sufficient means, aged 48, said to be good-looking, with even temper, first-class state of mind and body, again game to give himself away to a worthy Christian woman, who would, in weal and woe, love, honour, and obey him, in addition to Laving at all times, a kind word and sweet smile" for the gallant advertiser, who, on his side, guarantees to "love, honour, and comfort, with God's help." The strangest feature of this strange journal is the execrably bad English in which all the advertisers, even those who Iny stress upon their education and accomplishments, describe their persons, their characters, and their wants.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.