isa matter of every-day observation that what is peculiar to China is almost incomprehensible to those who have never lived in China—us indeed w part of it is incomprehensible even to those who have lived there for a long time. That the interior polities of this empire should baffle the understanding of the well-read wan of other countries is not surprising, but it is not to matters of this sort that we now refer, but rather to the manners and customs of the people. It is at this point that the greatest interest in any foreign land is displayed. The constant appearance in Occidental journals of paragraphs relating to China and the Chinese, is a proof that western interest in China and the Chinese is unfailing. At the same time, the quality of the information conveyed is often so surprising that we are obliged to read a paragraph ice, to be sure that we have not. een! deceived by an optical illusion. Every reader will be able to recall many such news-peper items, and if he should be so judicious as to make a collection of them, he will have am entertainment always ready for the next company who gather at his parlours. Of this general class of paragraphs is the one conveying the information that. the Chinese pay a doctor by the year, with the understanding that he is to guarantee his patients good health. If the patient is taken ill, the doctor is fined according toa sliding seule, and the amount is deducted from the sulu due to him at the end of the oar. This plan is found to work well for wth parties, and gives excellent satisfac-tio". 'This makes 'a very good item, but not so good, upon the whole, as another class, which deals with known facts in a still' more fresh and original mauner. Thus: In China, where labour is cheap, a man will sit all day chinking gold pieces ina leather bag. At the close of the day, the gold pieces are as good as they were the morning, and the man has enough gold-dust from washing the leather, to pay him fur hie work". There are many possibil ties to the man who can compile an item which he has witnessed, albeit he did not like this, and the method described opens perhaps at the time apprehend the full also many possibilities for China which ' force of the quotations pointed out. we should like to see tried.
We never study information of this The most recent instance of paragraph species without, in the phraseology of of this sort which has chanced to fall under ' young Mr. Twist, calling for note," and our notice, we clip from the jeurnal_ there are several reasons which lead us to claims the largest circulation in the nited ' infer that the supply is likely to be regular States, amounting, if we recollect aright, to j and unfailing. more than 400,000 copies a week. The} In the first place, the Chinese are now subscribers tu so widely circulated a periodic felt as a factor over almost the whole cal ought to get the very best, and asa rule lised world; if not directly, then indirectly. they do so, as witness the following
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.