THE PASSING BELL.
BY J. U. U.
With its measured pause, and its long-drawn wail,
The minster bell swings on the gale,
And saddens the vale with its solemn toll,
That passeth away like a passing soul—
Pulse after pulse still diminishing on,
Till another rings forth for the dead and gone.
The minute-sound of that mourning bell
Is the lord’s of the valley—the rich man’s knell:
While it swells o’er his lawns and his woodlands bright,
He breathes not, hears not, nor sees the light:
On the couch of his ease he lies stiff and wan—
In the midst of his pomp he is dead and gone.
The pride hath passed from his haughty brow—
Where are his plans and high projects now?
Another lord in his state is crowned,
To level his castles with the ground;
Respect and terror pass reckless on—
His frowns and favours are dead and gone.
Had he wisdom, and wealth, and fame,
Mortal tongue shall forget his name:
Other hands shall disperse his store—
Earthly dream shall he dream no more:
His chair is vacant—his way lies yon,
To the formless cells of the dead and gone.
Passing bell, that dost sadly fling
Thy wailing wave on the air of spring.
There is no voice in thy long, wild moan,
To tell where the parted soul is flown,
To what far mansion it travels on—
While thou tollest thus for the dead and gone.
Yet, bell of death, on the living air
Thy tones come bound from the house of prayer—
They speak of the Valley of Shadow, trod
On a path once walked by the Son of God,
Whose word of promise inviteth on,
Through the gate unclosed for the dead and gone.
Current Coin of China.—The only coin made in China is the tchen, or cash, as it is called in Canton. It is composed of base metal, having the date and reigning emperor’s name stamped on it. According to Gutzlaff, they had coins of this description a thousand years before our era. It is nearly as large as an old shilling. There is a square hole in the centre, to admit of a number of them being strung on a bamboo. From seven to eight hundred of these, according to the exchange, may be had for a Spanish dollar. Silver is the commercial medium of barter; it is not coined, but passes by weight, after being purified, when it is called sycee silver. It is then cast into lumps of one tael, or Chinese ounce, each, the value of which in English money is about six shillings. When decimal parts are required, it is cut. Spanish dollars are current in Canton, and they are also cut when required for lesser portions. Whenever one of these gets into the possession of a Chinese, he stamps his name on it; hence in a short time the Spanish marks become quite obliterated, and then they are called chop dollars, and are melted into sycee silver. Gold is like any other article of trade, and is not used as a medium of barter.—Dr Fulton’s Travelling Sketches in Various Countries.