COMFORTABLE BEDDING.
As you pass through the apartments of some of the dwellings in Hong Kong, you notice that bedsteads and beds are arranged for comfort in a hot climate. No blankets nor even sheets are visible. The bed is covered with bamboo matting, smooth and cool. Bajous and Pajamas, (loose jackets and pants,) of cotton, linen, silk, or bamboo cloth, are all the covering which is necessary, in the hottest nights. But the greatest luxury is the cool pillow. A strip of bamboo cloth tied round a pillow, no sewing necessary except of tapes to fasten it, keeps the head cool.
A SUNKEN VESSEL.
While we were at Hong Kong, a fine English ship came in and ran directly upon a point of the shore in full sight of the shipping. She sank in the water deep enough to cover all but a few feet of her masts. Some of the cargo was recovered; the vessel was a total loss. No blame was attached to the captain. Had there been a design to throw the vessel away, it could not have been done with greater safety to all on board; but the three masts of the sunken Dunmail, probably standing yet in Hong Kong harbor, are a warning against the least presumption in the very moment of apparent safety.
LOW ESTIMATE OF LIFE AMONG CHINESE.
Some of us called at the American Consulate on the Fourth of July, to pay our respects to the American Consul. One of the young men present mentioned this incident: He saw from his window a Chinaman with a vase of water on his head. He himself showed a reckless disregard of human life, in proposing to try his pistol on the vase. The bullet grazed the Chinaman’s heel. The young man was arrested, but the prosecution was withdrawn, on the plaintiff’s representation that satisfaction had been made. The satisfaction consisted in the proposition of the Chinaman to settle for one dollar, which the young man willingly paid. Whereupon another Chinaman came forward and offered to stand fire for one dollar.—The outrage on the French Catholics at Tientsin, thirteen of whom were murdered, was atoned for in part by the authorities, by putting to death thirteen of their countrymen. Thirteen of the assassins were not to be found, so the authorities hired men to take their places, which they did for five hundred dollars each. The papers of the day represented the volunteers as saying that by their death they should earn money for their families, whom otherwise they should leave in poverty. One needs to live among such people, if he would understand the degradation to which heathenism can debase mankind so far as to make them capable of such a deed. Robbery of the dwelling, money from clothing laid aside at night, and articles of jewelry is of constant occurrence.
REV. JAMES LEGGE, D. D. L.L. D.
I spent a fortnight at the house of R. F. Hawke, Esq., whose father-in-law, the Rev. Dr. Legge, the eminent Chinese scholar, was engaged on his five or six large volumes of the Chinese classics. The Doctor is not impressed with the intellectual ability of Confucius nor of his followers. His translations are invaluable, as saving missionaries and other students of the Chinese much pains by placing Chinese literature before them in a digested form. One could not help regretting that this laborious scholar cannot have the advantage of an international copyright law to afford protection to his costly fruits of research. American authors suffer the same loss, however, as he, in seeing their valuable works appropriated by foreigners.
PACIFIC MAIL STEAMER.
It was with a feeling of national pride that we repeatedly saw the Pacific Mail Company’s steamer “China,” Capt. Doane, thirty days from San Francisco, come into the harbor promptly on the day she was due. She is a noble ship of four thousand tons. Capt. Doane came on board our ship, and invited us to inspect his vessel. It is one of the principal events of the month with Americans to have the Pacific Mail Steamers appear. All other steamers seem diminutive by the side of them. It seemed strange to find on board these vessels five or six live oxen and the appurtenances of a slaughter-house, bestowed, however, out of sight.