their practice of his precepts. He was now sought after by the rulers of the several states, and employed in high offices tending to mature his knowledge and experience; but at length retired to the company of his chosen disciples, to study philosophy, and compose or compile those celebrated works which have handed down his reputation to after-ages, and become the Sacred books of China.

Among the moral doctrines of this great Oriental teacher might be noticed

of the Confucians to all who have not the honour to profess the state religion of China.

By the marriage which he had contracted at the early age of nineteen, the sage had but one son, who died before his father, leaving, however, a grandson to Confucius, who inherited the talents and virtues of his progenitor, and distinguished himself in high stations. The founder of another sect calling themselves Taou-sze, or "Doctors of reason" (whom we shall hereafter describe), was contemporary with the great philosopher, and perhaps has been indebted, in some measure, for the consideration in which he is held, to the attention bestowed on him by Confucius, who is said to have repaired to his dwelling for the purpose of conferring with him, and exploring his tenets. After completing his last work, the Chun-tsieu, which was a history of the times in which he had lived, Confucius died at the age of seventy-three, much regretted by the rulers of the states whose government and morals he had contributed mainly to ameliorate. Time has but added to the reputation which he left behind him; and he is now, at the distance of more than two thousand years, held in universal veneration throughout China by persons of all sects and persuasions, with shrines and temples erected to his worship.

Dr. Morrison, in the first part of his Dictionary, has quoted various particulars relating to the life of the sagefrom several Chinese works. Confucius is said to have been more than nine cubits in height; and, whatever may have been the cubit of those days, he was universally called "the tall man." Various prodigies, as in other instances, were the forerunners of the birth of this extraordinary person. On the eve of his appearance upon earth, two dragons encircled the house, and celestial

When he was

music sounded in the ears of his mother. born, this inscription appeared on his breast-"The maker of a rule for settling the world." The pedigree of Confucius is traced back in a summary manner to the mythological monarch Hoang-ty, who is said to have lived more than two thousand years before Christ. The morality of his family, however, notwithstanding this high descent, and even of himself, was in one respect open to censure, for he divorced his legal wife, and the example was followed by his son and grandson.

When he had concluded his travels through the various states, and retired to his native kingdom, which was at the age of thirty, disciples began to flock to him in great numbers. "At fifteen (says the sage in the Lunyu) I commenced my application to wisdom, and at thirty my resolution was immoveably fixed." The close of his life was far from tranquil, and he was either employed in the affairs, or implicated in the disputes of the petty states of his day. A quarrel, in which the Sovereign of Loo was defeated, obliged Confucius to flee northwards to the kingdom Tsy, situated in the modern gulf of Pechely. Between his fiftieth and seventieth years he was absent from home fourteen years together. When seventy years of age, his favourite disciple Yenhoey died. Confucius being greatly concerned for the continuance and propagation of his doctrines, and having entertained great hopes of this person, was inconsolable for his loss, and wept bitterly, exclaiming, "Heaven has destroyed, Heaven has destroyed me!" In his seventythird year, a few days before his death, he moved about, leaning on his staff, and sighed as he exclaimed

"The mountain is crumbling,

The strong beam is yielding,

The sage is withering like a plant."

river impassable to European ships of war. The Alceste frigate forced her way, in 1816, almost without opposi- ́ tion; but, since that period, additional forts have been built, and all the guns that could be collected have been placed in them, with something like a determination to succeed in the object. When Lord Napier, in September, 1834, despatched a requisition to His Majesty's ships Imogene and Andromache to proceed to Whampoa and join the merchant shipping at their anchorage, it met of course with a prompt compliance, and a fair experiment of their strength and means was afforded to the batteries at the Boca Tigris, as they had been long preparing themselves. A comparison of the observations made on board the two frigates gave the following results as to the armament of the forts:

In the above account are not included two smaller forts, which may be passed out of gun-shot range; and as the notes were made after the affair was over, it is probable that many of the guns in the larger batteries had been dismounted by our shot.

At half-past twelve, P.M., on Sunday, the 7th September, His Majesty's ships Imogene and Andromache, two éight-and-twenty gun frigates, got under weigh to proceed

through the Boca, under the command of Captain Blackwood. A stir was immediately perceived among the war-junks in Anson's Bay, and at the forts nearest to the place of anchorage. All hands, on the Chinese side, commenced by firing blank cartridge; but this was soon followed up by shot, which, from the actual distance at the time, fell far short of the ships. The junks, about a dozen in number, fired away and made` a terrible din; but in the mean time retired as far as they could within the shoaly recesses of Anson's Bay to the right, the admiral leading in gallant style towards the shore. As His Majesty's ships neared the entrance and got within range of the principal batteries, the wind, which had been right aft at starting, suddenly shifted to the north, and blew down the strait against us. It now became a working passage, through a narrow channel about a quarter of a mile in breadth; but the tide was running flood, and strong in our favour. The Imogene at once stood towards the island battery on one tack, while the Andromache, Captain Chads, C.B., approached Ananghoy on the other.

The Imogene waited until the double-tier fort had fired several shots, and when the last one had nearly reached her, it was answered by two guns in quick succession; the Andromache, in the mean while, returning the fire of the Ananghoy battery with several well-aimed shot, some of which plunged into the parapet with prodigious effect, while others passed clean through the embrasures. It was observed that, as long as our fire lasted, it silenced that of the forts; but, as it soon appeared that any cessation on the part of the frigates produced a renewal from the batteries, it became necessary to discontinue the humane and often-repeated order, “to