the river, or flitting about in every direction " may I be buttered, if here isn't a city all afloat. This beats all -nater !" And sure enough, here was a scene that might have made one of our Indians wonder. The whole world seemed on the water. Junks, with two eyes staring at the bows-canal-boats, flower boats, pleasure-boats, and boats of all sizes and descriptions, filled with all sorts of people, lay moored in regular streets, or were moving about to and fro in every direction, painted in all the colours of the rainbow, and ornamented with gold-leaf, and grinning monsters having no prototypes in nature, or any where else but in the grotesque imagination of the artists of the celestial empire. The busy activity of some of these boats was singularly contrasted with the luxurious ease of others, in which might be seen a couple of Chinese dandies reclining on mats and resting their heads on bamboo pillows, with pipes in their mouths, either listlessly contemplating the scene before them, or gazing with lack-lustre eye on the picture of some favourite beauty with penciled eyebrows, nails like a tiger, and feet almost invisible. Others were performing the ceremony of chin-chin-jos, which consists in throwing bits of burning paper into the water, while the din of innumerable gongs contributed a species of music to the scene, that made honest Jonathan stop his ears in reverential dismay. When our adventurer moored his sloop at Whampoa, in the midst of a fleet of vast ships, of almost all the nations of Europe, they did not know what to make of her. All he could say failed in convincing them that he had come from such a long distance, in such a vessel, navigated by such a crew. Besides, what could have brought him to Canton ? He had neither money to purchase, nor cargo to exchange for Chinese commodities, except it might be his river-horse, his ourang-outang, and his monkeys. Jonathan kept his own secret. He had heard that the Chinese were as sharp as the "leetle end of nothing whittled down," and determined to be as sharp as the best of them. Accordingly nothing could be got out of him, except, that he had come on his own bottom, and meant to turn a penny some how or other. He said nothing about his ginseng, which he had, as I before stated, stowed away in a secret locker. strange vessel that had been navigated "You do'nt now, do you?" quoth Jonathan. "Well then, I chin-chin you, and so we are even, guess." Fat-qua was very anxious to know all about Jonathan's business; but the Chinese were such plaguy slippery fellows, he was afraid to trust them with his secret. He therefore, very gravely, and with infinite simplicity, commended to him his cargo of live stock, begged he would dispose of them to the best advantage, and invest the proceeds in a cargo of notions. Fat-qua did not know whether to laugh or be angry-however, he concluded by laughing, and promising to do his best. The trifle which Jonathan brought with him had been all expended in maintaining himself and dog, and Fatqua did not feel inclined to advance any on the security of his live stock. This being the case, Jonathan one day brought a pound or two of his gin-seng, and asked him carelessly what it might be likely worth in these parts? "Hi yah!" exclaimed the hong-merchant in astonishment. No, have got some more of he-hi yah ?" "Some small matter -not much," said Jonathan, who was of opinion if he displayed the whole parcel at once, it might lower the price and injure his speculation. Fat-qua disposed of the two pounds of gin-seng for a thumping sum, which Jonathan pocketed in less than no time, and chuckled in his sleeve, as he thought of the means to get rid of the whole at the same rate. A day or two after, he delivered the hong-merchant a few pounds more, which he said he had accidentally found in a place where he had stowed away and forgot it. "Hi yah! Missee Joe Notting, I chin-chin you." And he began to have a great respect for Missee Joe Notting. In this way, by slow degrees, did friend Jonathan bring forth his hoard of The story of the strange man, and the hidden treasures, till it was all disposed of, and he found himself in possession of almost half a million of dollars; for, it is to be recollected, this happened long before the value of gin-seng was brought down to almost nothing by the large quantities carried to China in consequence of the successful speculation of Jonathan. Every time he produced a new lot, he declared it was all he had left, and consequently, to the last moment the price was kept up. Fat-qua began to believe that Joe Notting had discovered some hidden place where it grew, in the neighbourhood, of Canton, or that he dealt with the prince of Darkness. He accordingly caused him to be watched, but our hero was too wide awake for the hong-merchant. "Hi yah! Missee Joe Notting-some yet more when you shall tink shall you no more have-hey? Every day here come you say the last is he-hi yah! I tink no last come for ever!" "I han't another stick to save my gizzard," said Jonathan, and this time he spoke like a man of honour. He had at last sold out his hoard, with the exception of a small parcel for presents, and to use on an emergency. Jonathan was now thinking whether he would gather himself together, and point his bowsprit strut towards home. But first he determined to see about him, for he expected to be asked a heap of questions when he got amongst his old neighbours; and not to be able to tell them all about the celestial empire, would be to shew he had little or no gumption. He accordingly visited the famous flower garden of Fa-Tee, where he saw a vast collection of the most beautiful flowers, and roses of all colours. Returning, he passed through the suburb of Ho-Nam, where he was called Fankwei, which means "foreign devil," and pelted handsomely with stones, according to the hospitable custom of the inhabitants. Jonathan was now so rich, that he felt himself a different man from what he was when the boys pelted him at the village of Ho-tun. He had moreover seen the bamboo so liberally employed on the backs of the Chinese by their own officers and magistrates, that he thought he might make use himself of this universal panacea for all offences in the celestial empire. Accordingly, he sallied forth among the inhospitable rogues, and plied his stick so vigorously that the rabble fled before him, crying out "Fan-kwei!" and making motions significant of cutting off the head, as much as to say that would be his end at last. The reader must know that beheading is considered the most disgraceful of all punishments in the celestial empire, where they do every thing differently from the rest of the world. A formal complaint was laid before the Gan-chatsze, a minister of justice at Canton, against the Fan-kwei, who had feloniously bambooed the mob of HoNam. Fat-qua, one of our hero's securities, was taken into custody till his forthcoming, and an express sent off to Pekin to announce the intelligence to the brother of the sun and moon, that a Fan-que had beaten at least two hundred of his valiant and invincible subjects, who could not bring themselves to soil their fingers by touching even the clothes of a foreign barbarian. Jonathan was soon arrested, and being carried before the illustrious Gan-chatsze, was astonished at seeing the infinite mischief he had done. There was one poor man who had his eye put out; another his head fractured; a third his arm broken; and what was worse than all this, three children were so disabled that they could not stand, all by Jonathan's bamboo, which was about as thick as your finger. This was a serious business for a Fankwei. But his friend Fat-qua whispered in his ear— "Hi yah-Missee Joe Notting-you some more have got of that grand-Hi yah! You stand under me-hey?" Jonathan tipped him a knowing wink, and Fan-qua then crept close to the ear of the incorruptible Gan-chat-sze, and whispered him in like manner; but what he said being only intended for the ear of justice, must not be disclosed. The effect, however, was miraculous, the Ganchat-sze forthwith started up in a mighty passion, and, seizing his bamboo, attacked the complainants in the suit with such wonderful vigour, that he actually performed a miracle, and restored every one of them to the use of their limbs. After this, he discharged the offender with a caution, which Fat-qua translated into excellent English, and the next day Jonathan sent him by the hands of the same discreet friend a pound of gin-seng. "Hi yah! Missee Joe-more some yet, hey! Believe him make him as him go along-Hi yah! Chin-chin you, Missee Joe Notting." Fat-qua was determined to signalize this triumph of Chinese justice over prejudice against foreigners, by a great feast of bears-claws, birds-nests, and all the delicacies of the east. He, therefore, invited a number of the Fan-kweis about the factory, to meet Jonathan at his country-seat, near the gardens of FaTe, and they had a jolly time of it. Our hero was complimented with a pair of chop-sticks of the most elegant construction and materials, which he managed with such skill, that, by the time the dinner was over, he was well nigh starved to death. The hong-merchant, Fat-qua, was a jolly little fellow, "about knee-high to a toad," as Jonathan used to say, and fond of a good glass of wine. He plied his guests pretty neatly, until they began to feel a little top-heavy, and sailed away one by one under rather high steam, leaving Jonathan and his friend alone together, the latter fast asleep. Jonathan was by this time in high feather, and thought this would be a good time to take a peep at the establishment of his friend, that he might know something of these matters when he got home. He arose without disturbing the little fat gentleman, and proceeded to penetrate into the interior of the house, until he came to the female apartments, in one of which he saw a young lady smoking, to whom he paid his compliments with a low bow. Her pipe was formed of slender pieces of bamboo, highly polished, with a bowl of silver and a mouthpiece of amber. Her hair was beautifully long, and tastefully dressed with flowers, and gold and silver bodkins, and the whole atmosphere of the room was perfumed with jasmine and other odoriferous plants and shrubs. By her side lay a guitar, on which she seemed to have been playing. The entrance of Jonathan threw her into great confusion, and she uttered several violent screams, which however brought no one to her assistance. The illustrious Fat-qua was still sleeping in his seat, and the servants making merry as usual with the remains of the feast. Jonathan attempted an apology for his intrusion, but the more he apologized the louder the young lady screamed. Jonathan wondered what could be the matter with her. "Well, I never saw any thing like this growing among corn-what's come over the gal? May I be chiselled if I don't think she's afeard I'll eat her. But why the dickens, if she's frightened, don't she scamper off, that being the most nat❜ral way of getting out of dan ger!" Jonathan did not know that the feet of the poor young damsel were not more than two inches and a half long, and that she could no more run than fly. They were what the Chinese poets call a couple of "golden lilies." Encouraged by this notion, that her pretending to be frightened was all sheer affectation, he approached her still nearer, took up the guitar, and begged her to play him a tune, such as "Yankee Doodle," or any thing of that sort that was pretty easily managed, for he did not much admire any of your fine fashionable gim-cracks. Jonathan was a plaguy neat kind of a chap-as handsome a lad as might be seen; tall and straight, with blue eyes, white forehead, and red cheeks, a little rusted to be sure with the voyage. The pretty creature with the little feet, whose name was Shangtshee, ventured at last to look at this impudent intruder, and, sooth to say, he did not appear so terrible at the second glance as at the first. She smiled, and put out her small foot for Jonathan to admire. She then took her guitar and played him a tune-it was not "Yankee Doodle" to be sure, but it rather pleased Jonathan, for he declared it beat all, he'd be switched if it did n't. Shangtshee seemed to understand the compliment, for she smiled and put out her other golden lily; I suppose, to shew Jonathan she had a pair of them. Jonathan admired the pipe; she handed it to him, he put it to his lips, and giving it back again, she put it to her lips, which our hero finally concluded came as near to kissing as twopence to a groat. "How the kritter blushes!" thought Jonathan. He did not know she was painted half an inch thick, after the fashion of the Chinese ladies. As they sat thus exchanging little pleasant civilities, which, innocent as they were, endangered both their lives, they were alarmed,at least the lady, for Jonathan had never particularly studied Chinese customsby the sound of a guitar, at some short distance, in the garden. It approached nearer, and, in a few minutes, seemed directly under the window of the apartment. Shangtshee appeared greatly agitated, and begged Jonathan by signs to depart the way he came. But Jonathan had no notion of being scared by a tune, and declined to budge an inch. was a nice tune, and he didn't much mind if he heard another just like it. It Presently the music ceased, and all at once the young Shangtshee screamed a scream almost as loud as the former ones. "What can have got into the curious varmint now, I wonder?" quoth Jonathan. He little suspected she had caught a glimpse of the face of her lover through the blinds. This young man was called Yu-min-hoo, which signifies feathered, because he was a great poet, and took such high flights that his meaning was sometimes quite out of sight. He always carried an ink-bottle suspended to his button, a bamboo pen stuck behind his ear, and a book under his arm, in which he wrote down his thoughts, that none might escape him. He made verses upon Shangtshee, in which he compared her to a dish of bear's claws, since her nails were at least six inches long, and she was a delicacy which the epicure might admire every day in the year. It was this sentiment which he had set to music, and sung on this eventful evening, under the window of his mistress. Yu-min-hoo was petrified when he saw his Shantshee sitting so cosily by the side of a Fan-kwei, which, as I said before, means foreign devil. His indignation was terible, and his jealousy prodigious. He had thoughts of sitting down by the light of the moon and writing a furious ode, consigning the Fan-kwei to all the Chinese devils, which are the ugliest in the world. Even their gods are monsters, what then must the others be? On second thoughts however, Yu-min-hoo restrained his muse, and in a moment or two they heard the clatter of his wooden shoes gradually receding. Shantshee again entreated with her eyes, her hands, nay, her very feet, that Jonathan would make himself scarce. The tears ran down her cheeks; and like torrents of rain, wore deep channels in them that almost spoiled their beauty. Jonathan tried all he could to comfort her, when what was his surprise and indignation at her base ingratitude, he was saluted with a scratch of those long nails that constitute the most unequivocal claim of a Chinese lady to rank. It was a scratch so emphatic and welldirected, that every nail, and most especially the little finger nail, left its mark on his cheek, and it was preceded and followed by a scream of the highest pretensions. Our hero was astounded at this salutation. He had heard of love taps, but never of such as these. But he soon understood the whole squinting of the bnsiness as slick as a whistle, when he saw little Fat-qua standing before him, breathing fire and looking fury from his dark sharp-cornered eyes. "Hi yah! - Missee Joe Nottingspose tink you daughter my one flowerwoman-hey!" Jonathan endeavoured to convince Fat-qua that there was not the least harm in sitting by the side of a young woman in a civil way—that it was done in his country every day in the year, particularly on Sundays and that the women there were quite as good as the Chinese, though they did not wear wooden shoes, and nails six inches long. Fat-qua was wrath at this indecorous comparison of the Fan-kwei ladies with those of the celestial empire; he ordered his servants to seize Jonathan as a violator of Chinese etiquette, and a calumniator of wooden shoes and long nails. He determined in the bitterness of his heart to have him immediately before the worshipful Gan-chat-sze, who would not fail to squeeze some of his dollars out of him. The only But further reflection induced him to abandon this course. He recollected, when the fumes of wine were somewhat dissipated, that both himself and his daughter would be disgraced and dishonored if it were publicly known that she had been in company with a Fankwei, a stain of the deepest dye according to the statutes of the celestial empire, in any but common women. way, therefore, was to make the best of a bad business. Accordingly he bribed his servants to secresy married his daughter to the poet-and swore never to invite another Missee Joe Notting to dine with him so long as there was a woman in his house. He had never, he said, met with a fellow of this chop before. Various were the other adventures of our hero, which are forever incorporated in the annals of the celestial empire, where he figures as the "Great Fankwei, Joe Notting." My limits will not suffice to particularize them all, else would I record how he was fined a thousand dollars by his old friend, Ganchat-sze, for bambooing a valiant sentinel who refused to let him enter the gates of Canton without a bribe; how his riverhorse, being tired of confinement, took an opportunity to jump overboard, whereby he upset a boat and came nigh drowning the passengers. This cost him three thousand dollars more. His next adventure was picking up the body of a drowned man in the river one evening, in passing between his sloop and the shore, whose murder he was found guilty of before Gan-chat-sze, who kindly let him off for ten thousand dollars; advising him at the same time through the hong-merchant, Fat-qua, to take the earliest opportunity of making himself invisible within the precincts of the celestial empire. "I partly guess I'll take his advice and pull up stakes," said Jonathan. "I never saw such a tarnal place. It beats every thing, I swow. Why squire Fatqua, I'll tell you what-if you'll only come to our parts, you may go jist where you please do jist as you please and talk to the gals as much as you please. I'll be choked if it is n't true, by the living hokey." "Hi yah! Missee Joe Notting," replied Fat-qua, "she must be some very fine place, dat Merrykey." "There you are right, squire. But, good bye; I finally conclude it's best to cut stick. They're plaguy slippery fellows here; if they aint, may I be licked by a chap under size." Jonathan received the remainder of his money, which he was then earnestly advised to invest in bills, and at the same time to sell his vessel, and embark for home in a safer conveyance. navigated with a Newfoundland dog for an officer. A NIGHT AT THE FRENCH FROM THE DIARY OF N. P. WILLIS. I went last night to the French opera, to see the first dancer of the world. The prodigious enthusiasm about her all over Europe had, of course, raised my expectations to the highest pitch. "Have you seen Taglioni?" is the first question addressed to a stranger in Paris; and you hear her name constantly over all the hum of the cafes, and in the crowded resorts of fashion. The house was overflowed. The king and his numerous family were present; and my companion pointed out to me many of the nobility, whose names and titles have been made familiar to our ears by the innumerable private memoirs and autobiographies of the day. After a little introductory piece, the king arrived; and as soon as the cheering was over, the curtain drew up for "Le Dieu et le Bayadere." This is the piece in which Taglioni is most famous. She takes the part of a dancing girl, of whom the Bramah and an Indian prince are both enamoured; the former in the disguise of a man of low rank at the court of the latter, in search of some one whose love for him shall be disinterested. The disguised god succeeds in winning her affection; and after testing her devotion by submitting for a while to the resentment of his rival, and by a He declined shipping a crew, for he pretended caprice in favour of a singing said he must trust, in that case, to stran- girl who accompanies her, he marries gers; and he thought to himself that he her, then saves her from the flames as could easily induce his two cousins to go she is about to be burned for marrying home with him now he was so rich. It beneath her caste. Taglioni's part is all happened as he had anticipated; both pantomime. She does not speak during gladly rejoined him again, each having the play, but her motion is more than failed in his speculation. The Dutch- articulate. Her first appearance was in men at the Cape forbade the one using a a troop of Indian dancing girls, who machine he had invented for saving la- perform before the prince in the public bour, lest it might lower the price of their square. At a signal from the vizier a negroes; and the Portuguese and Chi- side pavilion opened, and thirty or forty nese refused to eat the fish of the other, bayaderes glided out together, and combecause he neither crossed himself before menced an intricate dance. They were the picture of the Virgin, nor burnt gilt received with a tremendous round of appaper to the image of Neang-ma-ko. plause from the audience; but, with the exception of a little more elegance in the four who led the dance, they were dressed nearly alike; and, as I saw no particularly conspicuous figure, I presumed that Taglioni had not yet appeared. The splendour of the spectacle bewildered me "D'ye think I'm a fellow of no more gumption than that?" said he. "I'll be darned if there's a tighter safer thing than my old sloop ever sailed across the salt sea and as for your paper money, I've had enough of that in my own country in my time." A prosperous voyage ended in Jonathan's happy return to Salem, where he became a great man, even to the extent of being yclept honorable. He lived long and happily, and his chief boast to the end of his life was, that he had been the first of his countrymen to visit the celestial empire, and the only man that * The god and the dancing-girl. |