On 2ist June, at 6 p.m., the gunboat Kun Liwo arrived at Shanghai with the daughter of the Marquis Tseng, formerly Minister to England, on board. [This indy n hor way, it is said, to Tientsin, to join her father. She is the d-daughter of the great Tstng Kwo-fan.
On29th May the French Deputy-Resident at Langson, Tongking, telegraphed to Haiphong that the French Consul for Lungchow had taken up his residence there, and was busy making arrangements for the conduct of the trade which will pass through the Customs at Lungchow on the frontier between China and Tongking.
The Viceroy of Fukien and Chekiang has issued a severe proclamation against the drowning of female children too common amongst poor families in the former province. lo warns the people that the penalties provided by the law will be strictly enforced; they are 60 blows of the heavy bamboo and one year's banishment,—Shén Pao.
On 14th June a most daring robbery was committed on a pawn- in the suburbs of Peking outside the Chang-i Gate, by 100 armed men. Two watchmen and a man living next door were shot by the robbers, the last named being killed. The house was surrounded by soldiers while the robbers were still busy looting it; the robbers fled, and one man falling and breaking his leg, was killed by his companions so that he might be able to keep his mouth shut when captured. The soldiers, however, succeeded in capturing one of the men alive, whose confession will be valuable.
Tt is not certainly known when, and from whom, the origin of the Chinese women's custom of foot-binding originated. Some say it arose in the time of the Five Dynasties, which intervened in the 10th century A.D. between the Tang and the Sung. Jao Niang, the beautiful concubine of Li Yii, the last of one of these dynasties, called the Kiang-nan or Southern T'ang, tied up her feet with silk into the shape of the crescent moon, and all the other beauties of the time imitated her. Indeed the poets of previous dynasties do not allude to such a custom as existing in their days, thus Sie Lin Yin, of the 6th century A.D. and the great poet Li Tai-peh who flourished in the Sth century under the T'ang dynasty, both sing of the beauty of the snow-white feet of the women of their times, in which when any foot-gear at all was worn, it was square-toed for men and round-toed for Fave mentioned such a custom had it ex-ow." Probably the custom was progress
isted.
Yang Kwei-fei, the lovely secondary consort of the voluptuous T'ang Emperor Huan Tsung, is said to have worn shoes three inches long, in the middle of the 8th Century A.D., but we are inclined to disagree with the theory that assigns an earlier origin to foot-cramping, namely Nbout 500 3.D., "when P'an el danced before the last of the sovereigns of the Tsi dynasty, and every footstep made a lily grow." Probably the custom was progessive, and only gradually attained to its present pitch. In Kuangtung and Kuangsi it is universal; at Soochow the women effect the practice, but outside the walls tone sees country women at work in the fields with feet of the natural size.
During the Srd year of Kang Hi (1664 A.D.) an Edict appeared forbidding foot-cramping, under a penalty of blows, cangue, and" banishment, the tipao and local officials being also held =e in! some degree for violation of the law by people in their district; but in 1668, at the instigation of the Board of Ceremonies, this Edict was withdrawn, and the people were allowed to follow their own taste.—Hu Pao.
At Tokio, says the Shen Pao in yesterday's leader, is a bridge as broad as the Maloo and twice as long as the White Bridge (North Szechuen Road). The people crowd over it like ants in an ant-run; there is a continual ya-et-vient which reminds one of a weaver's shuttle, Horse-carriages pass in the middle, and at separate sides paso foot-passengers and jinricsha. This fine bridge bears the extraordinary name of Adzuma-Bashi, " My Wife's Bridge," and the following touching account is given of its origin:—A brave Shigun, or General, bade farewell to his dearly-loved wife in Yedo and went at the head of an army to ell a rebellion, With one roll of the rum the rebel' banditti were scattered and fled; but when the General was preparing to lead back his victorious army, the hour of triumph was embittered by the arrival of a messenger from Yedo announcing the grievous illness of his wife and urging him to hasten back ere it should be too late, He hurried homewards by forced marches, but on the last day he found his impetuous course barred by a bridgeless river, and when, after long and anxious waiting, he managed to find a boat to cross in, he was met by messengers bearing the sad tidings that his dearly-loved wife had just died, before he could arrive to press her hand for the last time and say adieu. "My wife could not wait for me," was the stoical warrior would trust himself to say, as he stood there as if frozen by the shock. His sovereign, touched by compassion for the blow that had fallen upon him while fighting for his country, ordered a bridge to be built at the spot, and named it Adzuma-Bashi (Fi 3EH@) Now the people tell the traveller with pride that the cost of building the bridge was $24; for the Government paid the large sums employed in its construction in paper money, made and stamped for that special this Gorerament paper monty was exactly purpose, and the cost of the production of
Now is it not admirable and worthy of imitation, says the Shen Pao, this confidence of the Japanese people in their Government, shown in much weightier matters than the building of this bridge? That nation accepts the Government paper ex: actly as they would accept the precious metals which it represents. When a bank la. started in Japan, the subseribers of the capital deposit their money in the Government Treasury. the capital is $1,000,000, they receive a million in Government Treasury notes, marked with the Government such a skilful way a8 to be practically inimitable by forgers; and on these notes they have to engrave their own seal in turn, These notes are taken at par, and are paid at sight. How much more convenient this than the system we have in China for pay ing large amounts! Our 3, we must wait till they fall due (Chip'iao), Our HEZ, we can only draw the money at one particular bank (Chreang-piao). At small cash for every dollar for which we exchange money-changing shops, we must pay five the most unimpeachable notes, and when we ask the reason why, we are told it is for jinricsha fares for the money-changer to the bank Yesterday at the Kin-lee-yuen godowns of the C.M.S.N, Company were to be seen vast heaps of tea-bricks, which were to be loaded on the s.s. Chintung for Vladivostock, (Heh-lung-kiang country), and Nicholaevsk. We made some enquiries on the steamer, and learned that the last named place was seven days journey Deyond Viadivostock, being another Russian port of international trade. The road thither has the Hei-lung-kiang, or Amour River on one side, and mountains covered with heaven-piercing trees on the other; the exportation of the timber the Russian Emperor does not permit. It is so cold at Nicholaevsk that ships can trade there only in three months of the year, the 5th, 6th, and 7th. The principal
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.