Madame——, who but recently passed through our fair city, little recks the narrow escape she encountered while within our portals. It will be remembered that the lady in question raised quite a stir in the legal dovecotes when she officially broadcasted the news that her working hours were given over to the terrible mysteries of the black arts, in revealing—for modest douceur—the secrets of the future, or in crystal gazing concentration which to those possessed of the seeing eye brought to the clear light of day matters all too darkly hidden from the gaze of the ordinary mortal. Ultimately she paid a visit to the U. S. Court for China,—or was it the British Police Court? But the incident has now fassed, to most of our readers as to the writer, into the limbo of forgotten matters.
But the stone cast into the water raises many little waves and the other day one such came to the surface in a cursory and very interesting glance through the Penal Laws of China." As might be expected from this land of ancient history the Penal Laws of China" is rather a fearsome looking tome. Not even Halsbury in all the glory of hig many volumes could be more awesome to the reader than this story of China's code of correction for the wrongdoers of Cathay. True, one binding covers the whole of the transgressions which may be committed, but it is a ponderous thousand odd pages—not a light task to be completed in the allotted span of three score years and ten.
The "Penal Laws of China," the writer discovered were translated la 1810 by Sir George Thomas Staunton, Bart., F.R.8., whose name thereby and, doubtless, for other very good reasons, will go down to history. That is but a fitting reward for what must have been a truly wonderful devotion to. duty. In the course of his peregrinations through the many interesting chapters the writer came across the following:—7 "Persons who raise evil spirits by means of magical books and dire imprecations, leaders of currupt and impious and members of all superstitious associations in general—whether denommating themselves Mi-lo-foh or Po-lien-kiao (White Lily Society), or in any other manner offend against the laws by their wicked ang diabolical doctrines and practices—when such persons, having in their possession concealed images of their worship, burn incense in honour of them, and when they assemble their followers by A night in order instruct them in their doctrines and by pretending to have super:
nat powers endeavour to inveigle and mislead the multitude, the principal in the con-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.