jin, a man,

equally simple in its form? Does not the addition of sufficiently bewray its true character a as derivative, and when taken away, lead us to its primitivego? Further, does it perform the office of its primitive? Is it found in any one of the other twentyseven derivatives, in all of them, and in them as communicating in some degree its general meaning? I will go still further, and allow, that a derivative may assume a name different from that of its primitive; as is the case with gan, to flatter, (see p. 607) and if there were a sufficient number of these in the language, they might be culled, and said to contain every sound in the language. But would these possess the other qualities mentioned? Would they be the simplest characters in form which bear the name? Would each of them be found performing the office of a primitive by embodying itself with ten, twenty, or fifty other characters? Such of them as were found united with even three each, would be the derivative-primitives, described under Class IV, and of which there are not six hundred in the language. These characteristics, therefore, their superior simplicity of form, and their embodying themselves in numerous characters derived from them, unite in the twelve hundred primitives which appropriate nearly every name, in the language,-and in these alone. And if it be a fact, that the significant parts of a character must have existed before they were united with each other, these characteristics united stamp them indisputably, the original characters of the language, from which, (the few other original characters excepted,) all the rest are formed in the manner already described.

Thus by collecting into one focus the few scattered rays of light afforded, it is possible to trace this singular language to its origin, a few imitations of natural objects, chiefly the elements-to ascertain the principles upon which these unite with each other in producing the primitives, and to follow these primitives, in their reuniting with the elements so as to form a multitude of derivatives; some of which in their turn unite anew with the elements, till five or six characters are combined with each other, and the language becomes, if we may believe one of their own writers, not only clear and forcible, but rich and elegant in the highest degree.

ART. V. Notices of China, No. 1V.: theft, robbery, and funerals. Translated and abridged from the Annales de la Propagation de la Foi. By S. R.

FRAUDULENT dealing is very common in China. Those who make it their business give it no other name than trade; so that to steal, and to take the property of others by cheating them, is to traffic. There are two sorts of thieves, pickpockets, and thieves properly so called. The first are incessantly passing from one fair to another. When they arrive, seven or eight in number, at a market-place, they go and pay their respects to the chiefs of the borough, and request permission to trade, a privilege which is seldom denied, if there be nothing to fear from the officers of government. At the same time the chiefs recommend to them not to make too much noise, for fear of exposing theke chang, or headman of the village. Emboldened by this permission, they then enter the markets, and stationing themselves in places where the crowd is greatest, take whatever they can, and pass it on from hand to hand. Should they be taken in the act, and receive a few blows, they are not careful to parry them, lest they bring themselves too much into notice. These pickpockets have laws among themselves, which they observe wonderfully well. If one of them, through want of adroitness, miss his aim, or expose his comrades, he is sure, when the market is closed, to be judged and punished according as his awkwarduess has been more or less palpable. If one band of pickpockets encounter another, they must needs fight, or else one of the two parties yields to the other the privilege of trade for that day. They all have places of deposit, where they lay up their stolen goods, and afterwards sell thein. There is no trickery which they do not employ to rob travelers; as a specimen, we may mention the following; they often feign the loss of something, and pretend that the persons passing by have found it, and the pretext is quite sufficient to enable them to rifle them of their valuables.

So much for the first class of thieves. The second is composed of those who plunder by night and commit burglary. To guard against them, there are few Chinese families that do not keep dogs, often as many as ten. A good dog is very valuable. But it is not merely necessary to guard their houses; if the fruits of the earth, when they come to a certain stage of maturity be not equally watched,

the owner may be pretty sure to have none of the trouble of gathering them.

The penalty for theft is generally a few hundred [?] blows with the bamboo, and confinement for a time in prison; but when once released, though their wounds be scarcely healed, these light-fingered gentry recommence their business. If the officer of the district, in which they are found, should enforce too strict obedience to the law, they quit it and pass to another place more accommodating to their pursuits. This is the only variety experienced in their mode of life. These companies of robbers have likewise their chiefs; a single chief has sometimes a thousand men under his direction. Notwithstanding this, assassinations are rare. The deaths that occur so frequently arise from other causes.

*

The festivals and ceremonies that are kept on the death of a Chinese, especially that of the father of a family, deserve to be spoken of. When a sick man is at the point of death, they put a piece of silver to his mouth, and carefully cover his nose and ears, superstitious practices calculated to aggravate his disease and hasten his death. Scarcely is he dead, when they make a hole in the top of the house in order to allow the spirits that are escaped from his body, greater facility of exit, and then hasten to bring the priests to commence their prayers. When they come, they at first set up the tablet of the departed soul by the side of the coffin, at the foot of which is a table loaded with meats, lamps, and perfumes. All those who come to condole with the mourners, and to assist at the funeral, enter the hall where the corpse is placed, and prostrate themselves before the table, upon which they ordinarily deposit lights and perfumes, for they always have some little presents to give, unless the family should be wealthy, and hence unwilling to receive them.

Out of the house, suspended upon bamboos, numerous burning papers on which figures are traced, are seen fluttering in the breeze. While the priests are reciting their prayers, beating time as they say them, which is generally several days, none of the viands are eaten. The priests, from time to time, call upon all to weep, and thereupon, parents and visitors approach the corpse, and nothing is heard but sobs and groans. Amid these preliminaries to the funeral repast, if a new comer arrives, and proceeds to weep over the corpse, all the rest

*From the manner in which our author speaks of theft and robbery, it might appear that an organized system of crime, like this, pervades the country, which we presume he would not wish to imply. His statements on the subject should rather be taken as descriptions of what exists in particular instances, and in some parts of China and then they may undoubtedly be substantiated Tr.

must join with him. Should one indulge in laughter it is only for a minute. The moment for mourning being come, he must quit his amusements, and be ready to make wry faces like the rest.

Meantime, the priest by force of their prayers make a breach in the nether world, for the escape of the departed spirit. It always goes there on leaving the body, and they know in what apartment of Tartarus it is detained, and what it suffers. The soul, when once out of hell, has to pass over a bridge, built across a river of of blood, filled with serpents, and other venomous creatures. This passage is dangerous, because that upon the bridge there are devils lying in wait to throw it into the accursed stream. But at length, the soul passes over, and the priests give it a letter of recommendation to one of the ministers of Budha, who will procure it a reception into the western heavens. According to the doctrine of the priests, every man has three souls the first comes to live in the body; the second goes to hades; and the third resides in the tablet, which has been prepared for it.

While the priests are performing these ridiculous ceremonies, they burn a great quantity of paper money,* in order that the deceased may not want for silver in the other world. On the day chosen, they proceed to the burial. The corpse is dressed in its best clothes, sometimes of four or five different colors. The coffin is carried by four men, and often by eight, on account of its weight. The persous who accompany it to the grave, must all have some token of mourn. ing, to which the appropriate color is white. In deep mourning, instead of the cap, they put a simple strip of white cloth about the head. The robe, the hose, the shoes, and the girdle must all be white. Those who have not a full dress, have at least the strip of white cloth around the head, or upon the cap. One or two go before the procession, and throw pieces of paper in the road to purchase a free passage for the corpse, for fear that it should be stopped by spirits. When they reach the place of sepulture, which has been inspected and pronounced good, they bury the dead under a discharge of rockets and crackers. Returning afterwards to the house, they make a grand feast in me mory and honor of the deceased. This is called kae teën tseu, because before the banquet they make libations to the manes of the dead. They also roast pigs, which they offer to the same, and then

* A new description of paper money used for "Peter's pence" in China was lately found at Chusan. It is made by taking a piece of silvered paper, and stamping it upon a Spanish dollar; the stamped paper having the device in tolerable relief, is then cut out and pasted on both sides of a bit of thick paper to resemble a dollar. Tr

eat themselves. Every body is admitted to this feast. If the parents of the deceased be in easy circumstances, it is a good windfall to the poor of the neighborhood, who all assemble on the occasion.

It should be observed that the prayers of the priests, on the day of the burial, and the kae teen tsew, are performances altogether distinct, and are very often separate, because the day favorable for the burial is not always so for the other. It may happen likewise that the place for interment is not yet propitious, according to the observations of the astrologers, and it becomes necessary to wait some months and even years, to secure good luck to the family of the deceased. While waiting for the period fixed by these worthies, they inter the body in another place, and disinter it on the day selected, and transfer it to the appointed spot.

The mourning continues for three years, that is to say 27 months, for the children and grandsons. For an equal it is merely kept up for a few days. There is no music at the funeral repast. After the sick person has expired, the tambour is heard, whilst the priests chant their prayers, and during the time of burial.*

ART. VI. Notices of Japan, No. IV: Domestic life and customs of the Japanese, relating to births, marriages, funerals, &c. We are now to seek such information concerning the social, political, and religious condition of the Japanese, as can oe gathered from the different members of the factory; and it is scarcely necessary to say, that a very ample harvest cannot be expected to repay the search. The inode of existence to which the Dutch residents at Dezima are condemned, does not authorize us to anticipate that it is in their power to afford a very complete picture of Japanese manners. They have, however, notwithstanding every disadvantage, collected a good deal of informa tion, seeing something and hearing more; which, methodized and arranged, may afford at least a general view of this extraordinary nation, whose really high state of civilization is so very dissimilar both to our own and to that of every other peo. ple with whom we are familiarly acquainted.

*While the great principles of ceremonial rites (great in the creed of a son of Han) are invariable, it is doubtless true, that there is much variety in the mere forms used at funerals and sacrifices in different districts of the country. The circumstances of wealth or poverty, and the influence of local superstitions produce diversity in these customs, as well as many others. Hence, though some of the ceremonies related above may not be noticed on such occasions in this neighborhood, they may still be observed elsewhere; most of them are matters of daily occurrence here. Tr.