No. 3.

THE CHINESE

There are few works of art which have excited at once more wonder and curiosity than the celebrated great wall of China. Until within a few years the information within our reach was very general and unsatisfactory. Our school books and such other works

WALL.

as were in the hands of most persons, gave merely the facts of the extent of country traversed by this immense work, with estimates of its height and thickness, and left to the imagination the nature of the materials and the manner of construction, with several other

points which we would naturally wish to understand. Happily we are now much better informed, with respect to this, as well as many other things in that most populous, as well as most ancient empire; the observations and enquiries of missionaries, and the changes consequent on the war with England, having brought & large amount of facts before us all, on which we can rely. Some of these, it is true, have been derived from European works of previous dates, whose scarcity had kept them from the view of the common reader, or whose contents had not been fully authenticated.

The successive English embassies to the Chinese emperors contributed largely to the information we now possess respecting the interior of China; and notices or extracts are now to be found in popular works extensively diffused in the country. We abridge from some of those before us, the following account of the Great Wall, as it comprises most of those facts which we can say, for ourselves, we desired to obtain for many years.

"The Great Wall of China was constructed by Chi-hwang-te, of the Tsin dynasty, the first universal monarch of China, about 200 years before the Christian era, to keep the Tartar hordes from invading the empire. It extends from the Gulf of Pechele, in a westerly direction, a distance of more than 1500 miles; descending into the deepest valleys, and ascending the highest mountains, one of which is 5000 feet above the level of the

form of square bricks. It was 20 feet high, including the parapet, which was 5 feet; while the thickness was 25 feet at the base, and 15 feet at the terrace.

At distances of about 100 yards were towers, about 40 feet in diameter on the ground, and 30 at the summit, to serve as bastions or flankers.

No other human work of which we have any account can at all compare in magnitude with this: yet it is said to have been completed in five years, as one-third of all the men in the empire were required to work upon it. It has even been questioned whether all the great edifices and constructions ever made by the human race comprised an equal amount of labor and materials.

"The important figure which the great wall makes in the maps of China entitles this vast artificial barrier to be considered in a geographical point of view. It bounds the whole north of China, along the frontier of three provinces, extending from the shore of the Gulf of Pechele, 3 degrees east of Peking, to Syning, 15 degreees west of that capital. The emperors of the Ming dynasty built an additional inner wall, near to Peking on the west, which may be perceived on some maps enclosing a portion of the province between itself and the old wall. From the eastern extremity of the great wall there is an extensive stockade of wooden piles enclosing the country of Mougden, and this has, in some European maps, been erroneously represented as a continuation of the solid barrier.

"The gentlemen of Lord Macartney's embassy had the good fortune to pass into Tartary by one of the most entire portions of the wall, and a very particular examination of the structure was made by Captain Parish. On the first distant approach, it is described as resembling a prominent vein or ridge of quartz, standing out ftom mountains of gneiss or granite. The continuance of this line over the mountain-tops arrested

the attention, and the form of a wall with battlements was soon distinctly discerned. It was carried over the ridges of the highest hills, descended into the deepest valleys, crossed upon arches over rivers, and was doubled in important passes, being, moreover, supplied with massive towers or bastions at distances of about one hundred yards. One of the most elevated ridges crossed by the wall was 5000 feet above the level of the sea. It far surpasses, in short, the sum total of all other works of the kind, and proved a useful barrier until the power of Zenghis Khan overthrew the empire of the Chinese.

"The bricks are, as usual in China, of a bluish colour, about fifteen inches long, half that in width, and nearly four inches thick; probably the whole, half, and quarter of the Chinese Chě, or covid. The blue colour of the bricks led to a doubt of their having been burnt; but some ancient kilns were observed near the wall, and, since then, the actual experiment of Dr. Abel in 1816 has proved that the brick-clay of the Chinese, being red at first, burns blue. The thinness of the parapet of the wall, about eighteen inches, justifies the conclusion that it was not intended to resist cannon: indeed, the Chinese themselves claim no such antiquity for the invention of firearms. The above description confirms upon the whole that of Gerbillon, about a century before. "It is generally," 66 no more than eighteen, twenty, says he, or twenty-five geometrical feet high, but the towers are seldom less than forty."

"The same writer, however, informs us, that beyond the Yellow river to its western extremity, or for full onehalf of its total length, the wall is chiefly a mound of earth or gravel, about fifteen feet in height, with only occasional towers of brick. Marco Polo's silence con. cerning it may therefore be accounted for by the supposition that, having seen only this imperfect portion, he did not

deem it an object of sufficient curiosity to deserve particular notice; without the necessity of imagining that he ente ed China from the westward, to the south of the great barrier."

Religions and Languages of
China.

The Taou sect are but few in number. Their priests wear their hair on the back of the head, done up in a kind of knot. The worshippers of Buddh compose the vast mass of the people, though this sect is more recent in its origin than either of the others, having been first propagated in China about the time of the destruction of Jerusalem. The number of their temples is great, and their priests, who shave the whole head, are numerous, but their worship is a round of ceremonies and vain repetitions.

Although these three sects are nominally distinct, there is little real difference between them, or rather, the relig ion of China is a mixture of the whole. The officers of government and the literati pay their devotions alike in the temples of all, imperial gifts are bestowed upon all, and it is not uncommon to see the god of literature and the Kwan Yin of the Buddhists, enshrined in the Taou temples. The real religion of China, (for there are few who will not laugh at an exposure of the folly of idolatry), is the worship of deceased ancestors, and most of the devotion they exhibit is in making offerings at the tombs. There are a few Jews, some Mohammedans, and about 300,000 Roman Catholics, chiefly descendants of those who embraced this religion in the reign of Kanghi, when the Jesuits had free access to China, and had many converts. Of the language and religion of the bands of mountaineers who yet live unsubdued in some of the Central and Southern provinces, nothing is known.

The language of China is perhaps the most remarkable in the world, for as written, it is understood by educated men all over the empire, but as spoken, it varies in almost every province. The Chinese say, that if they go a hundred miles from their native places in any direction they meet a new dialect. These dialects are not merely slight variations from a common standard. They differ so widely that those who speak either of

the dialects of Canton, Chaou-chow-foo, Amoy, Fuh-chow foo, Ningpo, or the provinces of Chih-le and Shensi, cannot understand any of the others. In the Northern Provinces, and perhaps in some of the Central and Western ones, the Mandarin or court dialect is generally understood, even by the common people, but in the Southern and Eastern provinces, the case is different. Learned men in all parts of the country understand and often speak the court dialect, but those in the parts just mentioned have to learn it as much as we would French or Latin, and they have often such a pronunciation as makes it difficult for the student of the pure court dialect to understand them. The "Ningpo Mandarin dialect," as it is called by the natives of Ningpo, differs widely in pronunciation from that of Nankin or Pekin.

This diversity and frequent change of dialects is a serious obstacle in the way of missionary labour. He who has learned the dialect of Amoy or Canton, cannot come to Ningpo or Shanghai, and preach to the common people, for they would understand him but little better than if he were a Hindu. Nor is the case much better if he learns the Mandarin dialect, for this is not understood by the mass of the people in the parts of the country to which we have access. He might in that case be understood by literary men, but these are a very small part of the people, not one in a hundred, and it is no new truth or discovery, that the wise and the learned are not the first to receive the gospel, and by learning only this dialect, the missionary could but poorly imitate our Blessed Master, who "preached the gospel to the poor.' The missionary to the Chinese must generally expect to learn but one dialect, or at the most two or three, and to confine his labours to only a small part of the country, even as already but partially opened to foreigners. The pure Ningpoo dialect is spoken by probably a million of people, and with some not important variations, by several millions more, so that a person learning even one of the dialects has a wider field before him, than his own personal efforts can ever properly cultivate.

While the spoken language is thus frequently changed, the written is as remarkably uniform. A book correctly written is intelligible (by scholars) in all parts of the country. The written lan

guage of China is so difficult, that to become able to write it intelligibly and acceptably is the labour of many years, while the spoken languages difficult as they are, may be mastered in half the time. This fact, which accounts in a measure for the different representations made concerning the facility of acquir ing the language, seems to intimate not obscurely the propriety of seeking to influence the Chinese chiefly by personal and oral intercourse.-Miss. Chronicle.

A Thief Reformed.

A Caffree, a fine, tall, athletic young man, addicted to all the debasing and demoralizing customs of his nation, one night resolved to go into the colony for the purpose of stealing a horse, which is a common practice with them. He immediately left home, came into the colony, and watched for an opportunity of accomplishing his purpose, which soon presented itself. He found two horses grazing in a sheltered situation near a bush, and he instantly seized one of them and made off with it as fast as he could. Elated with his success, and rejoicing in the prospect of securing his prize without being detected, he proceeded towards Caffreeland, when all at once the thought struck him, Thou shalt not steal." He could go no farther. He immediately drew up the horse, and said to himself, "What is this? I have frequently heard these words before in the church, but I never felt as I do now. This must be the word of God."

In

He dismounted and held the bridle in his hand, hesitating whether to go forIward with the horse or to return back with it, and restore it to its owner. this position he continued for upward of an hour. At last he resolved to take the horse back again, which he accordingly did, and returned home a true penitent determined to serve God. When he reached his dwelling, he could not rest; sleep had departed from him; the arrows of conviction stuck fast in his conscience, and he could not shake them off. The next day he took an ox out of his kraal, or cattle place, and went to the nearest village to sell it, in order that he might buy European clothing with the money and attend the house of God like a Christian. He is now a full member of the Christian church, and adorning his Christian profession. Mr. Chalmers.

Biography of Fellenberg.

(Concluded from page 23.) "He instituted an annual festival, where the farmers of Switzerland were invited to meet and receive premiums for the best specimens of their harvests and flocks. This idea is imitated in France, and produces the happiest results.

Another institution of Mr. de Fellenberg, is the School for the Poor,' founded in 1814. He collected foundlings, or orphans, received them gratuitously into his house, and gave them an education adapted to their condition. His principles were very simple: To rescue from physical suffering and moral depravity children without a home ;-to train them up in the vigorous and healthy discipline. of agricultural labor;-to prepare them, lastly, to be at once pious men, good fathers, useful citizens, laborious husbandmen :-such was the aim which Mr. de Fellenberg pursued with unshaken perseverance. These children were fed, clothed, supported, not in luxury, but in a suitable manner. Their recreations consisted especially in a change of work; they passed from the fields to their books, and from their books to the fields, for Mr. de Fellenberg believed that entire idleness is never good for man.

He was seconded in this excellent work by an instructor named Werkli, who, in his humble sphere, displayed real genius. Werkli loved children; he ate, labored, studied with them. He possessed in a remarkable degree, the difficult art of gaining their affections; he was to them a father, brother, and friend. For twenty years Werkli superintended and instructed these poor children. He attended to their rising up and their ly ing down; he never left them; and even during their repasts, he found means to cultivate their minds, by explaining to them the phenomena of the physical world, or the great things which the Lord doth for the good of man.

Mr. de Fellenberg was the first to show, by his School for the Poor, how the fearful scourge of pauperism ought to be combatted. He was not afraid to admit into his school young criminals, and to him belongs the first thought of nipping in the bud the first germs of immorality. It is not surprising then, that Hofwyl, with its School for the Poor, became a place of pilgrimage, to which the

most intelligent men resorted, to examine with their own eyes this new institution. Soon similar establishments were founded in almost all the countries of Europe, and even in the East Indies and in New Holland. I have already said that the Americans have also established a School for the Poor, upon the principles of Mr. de Fellenberg, and have placed it, if I am rightly informed, under the patronage of Washington's name.

A third kind of institution was owing to the indefatigable zeal of Mr. de Fellenberg. This was a classical college, or boarding school for the sons of opulent and aristocratic families. His aim was this: He would give to the sons of the great a more manly, more complete education than that which they usually receive. He placed this college by the side of his School for the Poor, in order to inspire all his pupils with feelings of equality and fraternity. He proposed also, by bringing under a common discipline, and under the same course of studies, youths from all parts of Europe and the world, he proposed, I say, to destroy that narrow, exclusive feeling which makes us despise foreigners, and to strengthen the ties between nations.

The methods of instruction adopted by Mr. de Fellenberg were borrowed from the system of the celebrated Pestalozzi. He sought to cultivate the reasoning faculty more than the memory, and the heart more than the understanding. He inculcated upon his pupils the habit of thinking for themselves, for he was persuaded that this is the most important element in intellectual culture.

Pupils flocked from all quarters. At one time, there were at Hofwyl seventeen young princes, who came to learn, better than in courts, how to govern nations. Twenty-two professors, of whom some are now in the most celebrated universities of Germany, gave lectures in this classical seminary, and statesmen came to see it and report to their sovereigns. Count de Capo d'Istria, among others, was sent to Hofwyl, in 1814, by the emperor Alexander, and gave so satisfactory an account that the Muscovite czar appointed Mr. de Fellenberg knight of St. Wladimir.

But this prosperity did not last long. Its highest point of splendor was attained in 1819. At this time the despotic governments fancied danger from the edu