NEWS OF THE CELESTIAL EMPIRE.

THE Chinese are nationally the most original of any civilized people under the sun, and any glimpses we obtain of their familiar habits and manners cannot but be curious. We have been favoured with the view of some files of the Canton Register, an English news- paper printed at Canton, which is sufficiently impregnated with the matters of the Celestial Empire to be highly amusing.

In the paper of March 22d, we have the edict of a Governor against smoking opium. His Excellency LE's proclamation has the advantage of our JAMES'S counterblast in pithiness of descrip- tion and vigour of hostility. LE first defines the use of drink and food to be the production of harmony in the system ; he then goes on to say that the object of gulping luscious things is to obtain strength, and the smoking of such filthy stuff as opium has a ten- dency only to the worst debaucheries, and is destructive of body and property. " There is no want of severity in the enactment of the laws," observes LE, just as if he were an English legislator; and yet folks will persevere in smoking, till "their faces become sharp as sparrows, and their heads sunk between their shoulders in the form of a dove." To check these courses, which end in picking pockets, housebreaking, &c., LE promises the severe pun- ishment of smokers. " I shall not show any lenient treatment," says his Excellency emphatically, in conclusion.

Severity seems to be considered as fine a thing in China as in England—and as inoperative, if we may judge by Lis representa- tion, and his reference to the no want of rigour in the enactment of the laws which have yet left occasion for his counterblast.

We copy the paper:— "Le, by Imperial appointment, Governor of the two Kwong provinces (i. e. Kwongtun" and Kwongsei) rigorously interdicts the practice of buy- ing opium, for the purpose of smoking. He is impelled to do this from a wish to insure respect to the laws, and an attention to the preservation of the lives of the people. The use of drink and food, is to induce har- mony in the system ; the gulping of luscious things must be with a desire to obtain strength : but if there exists a drug destructive of life (and which instead of possessing any pleasant taste, is spit out by every one with disgust) incessant efforts should be made to keep it at a distance. How is it, that men though well aware of this, still offend with the con- viction of it upon their minds, desirous, as it were, to bury themselves alive ? Now, as the drug opium, bought in foreign countries, and whose nature is originally poisonous, is both offensive in taste and fla- vour, and debilitating to the constitution, I am at a loss to imagine who originally conceived the idea of adapting it to the purpose of smok- ing, and seduced others to inhale it. He who, grasping at gain, could open a shop to yield an inexhaustible supply of poison, must have been a mostworthless vagabond. Formerly there existed a respect for fixed regu- lations. There is no want of severity in the enactment of the laws. But Canton being a place where people are collected from all quarters promis- cuously, both good and bad, idle vagabonds will be found, who mutually invite each other to this practice of opium-smoking, and forming them- selves into groups and crowds, they sit in rings all day. Having used the drug some time, the habit is termed Sheong-yun (i. e. subject to the draw- ing) for at last they must have recourse to it every day, and can by no means whatever relinquish it, till finally the poison flows in their inmost vitals. Their faces become as sharp as sparrows, and their heads sunk between the shoulders in the form of a dove. Physic cannot cure their disease. Repentance comes too late for reform.

" In addition to all this, opium being a contraband article, and sold clandestinely, its price is necessarily high, and the use of it is succeeded by an additional longing for luscious and savoury food. People in general are not possessed of large property, and thus, in a few years, both their purses and constitutions are mined. Although they become stupid in an excessive degree, they cannot leave off the habit. Further, it is proper to examine into the consequences of smoking opium, which are, to raise the spirits to an unusual degree, a most stupid expedient of worthless people to excite a desire of whoring and gambling. Their substance hav- ing dwindled away, and being possessed of neither food nor raiment, they resort to stealing, picking pockets, housebreaking, and joining gangs of robbers. There is no crime that they will not commit. Injuring both themselves and others, they become involved in endless calamities.

"I must inquire into the affair secretly, and severely seize the of- fenders. It is proper to send forth a strictly prohibitory edict. I there- fore publish this proclamation, that all those under my jurisdiction, mi- litary, civil, and others, may be aware. After this, let every one rouse himself to attention, feel remorse, and alter his ways. Leave off your former evil courses, and avoid the destruction of your health and lives. Those who have dissipated their property must have recourse to trade. Do not oppose my decree by setting up shops secretly, to buy and sell opium. If you persist in your wickedness, without regard to my injunc- tions, you will be seized and apprehended. When I receive information, I shall in a twofold degree punish the offenders, in conformity with the laws. In examining the affair, I shall not show any lenient treatment. Feel awe, and pay attention—Do not oppose—A special edict."

We are next struck by a signal piece of wisdom in the inves- tigation of causes. It was observed that more executions took place at Canton than in any other province of the empire. The matter was .referred to a committee, who decided that the soil of the place of punishment was the cause of the excess. The sages thought that the rogues on the gibbet were the fruit of the earth, and abundant or scanty in proportion to its richness. This is no exaggeration of the text of the Canton Register :— " There are more executions take place in Canton, than in any other province in the Empire. About twenty years ago, the attention of Go- vernment was called to the fact. They consulted the Chinese geoman- cers to ascertain the cause. These impostors said, that the earth where the executions took place, whether fertile or sterile, had an effect on the increase or diminution of crime. It was now in too fertile and prosperous a spot. It was then at the outside of the south gate of Canton ; and in consequence of the sage advice of the geomancers, Tyburn was removed. to the outside of the north gate for a time. The executions however in- creased ; and after a trial, Government reverted to the original place of executions, where it still is. It is a small spot at which there is a pot- tery for making clay furnaces. It is a place of blood, and a potter's field. A little lime is sprinkled on the ground before the execution, and the bodies are thrown up at the foot of a dead wall, with a mat cast loosely over them, while the heads, which have to be exhibited in terrorem, are hung up in little cages against the wall."

In an English newspaper we are horrified now and then by see- ing that a master has starved an apprentice, or thrashed him black and blue ; or, in the interesting annals of the Old Bailey, we may read how Mother Brownrigg . . " whipped three female 'prentices to death,

And hid them in the coal-hole :"

But these would seem to be moderate exhibitions of drastic dis- cipline when compared with Chinese proceedings ; which do not appear to be attended with the inconvenience of the gallows to the performer: a judgment of heaven stands in the place of a judg- ment of court :— • " POPULAR NEWS.—An occasional newspaper is issued in Canton, con- taining extraordinary documents from the Peking Gazette, and wonder- ful tales of passing occurrences. The Imperial Edict in our eleventh number, allowing volunteers to proceed to Tartary, was hawked about on a slip of printed newspaper. "The following case was published in a like way a few days ago, In the Poonu district, dwelt a young woman of the name of Ling, (which means cold and cruel.) She was married to a Cantonman of the name Kwang, to be his wife. Cruelty to her became natural. I lived in her neighbourhood seven years, and calculate that she beat to death four slave girls.

" ' One day, I happened to meet with two of her uncles, and talked about this business. They gnashed their teeth with indignation, and said that I had underrated her murders ; and counting with their crooked fingers, made out that she had beaten to death fifteen slave girls. • " ' I then secretly thought—Shall such a cruelperson meet with no re- tribution ?—During the twelfth moon of the last year, it fell out that this woman became ill, of I know not what disease. Her whole body became putrid and broken. The stench was intolerable. Her cries of pain were heard outside the door. She continued alive till yesterday, at the second watch, when, the skin and flesh having entirely fallen from her bones, she died. This was the miserable retribution of cruelty "

In an article " showing up" the gamesters of Kwong-chow-foo, a " fat old woman," called FEICHINGPO, is especially denounced. She is described as seventy years of age, still in robust health, and a good boxer. Some particulars of the lady's history are then given, which are not in truth of the most reputable character. In moral Britain, what would become of the journalist who should make so free with our Feichingpos of the loo or faro tables ? " Fat, and seventy,"—there would be a libel even in those two words.

" GAMESTERS.—All around Kwong-chow-foo, there is a class of per- sons who make gambling their business. Sometimes they meet in flower- boats, and sometimes in houses rented for the purpose. The gamesters, who are occasionally people of family, literary rank, and some property, form partnerships, and inviegle the sons of rich men to play. To inspire confidence, they wear large gold rings round their wrists. When once the simple become stupified with the love of gaming, they are soon ruined.

" There are seven noted gamesters in the neighbourhood. Cheongheem is the first, a literary doctor fifty years of age, an exceedingly bad man, profligate, and devoted to gambling. Feichingpo, a fat old woman, seventy years of age, still in robust health, and boxes well. She also has pugi- lists who attend her as bullies. A tea merchant, many years ago, bought her from the haunts of prostitution. At his death, he left sonic money, with which she commenced a gaming-house, and connected herself with police runners, swindlers, and such like, to whom she was a liberal pa- tron. She has now amassed, it is said, a lac of Drs. She lives on the island Flonam, opposite Canton ; and, the breath of scandal whispers, is admitted to the acquaintanceship of a Hong merchant's wife, who has consented to be considered the adopted mother of Feichingpo's adopted son. Hungkweisze is both a smuggler and a gamester, &c. &c. Feitsuk is a great boxer, and shameless leader in gaining and kindred vices.

" The law of China on gaming is, all who play for money or goods shall receive eighty blows. The property found in a gaming-house shall be confiscated. Those who keep a gaming-house shall be subject to the

same punishment, To play for drinkables or eatables is no offence." Here is what Jonathan would term " a slap at the Sarpents :"--

" OATIIs.—It is impossible to govern without them, say the statesmen in the British Senate. And more than that, they seem to say by their practice, the more the better. The Deity is appealed to by law, many times a day, about pounds, shillings, and pence ; in which appeals ninety- nine out of a hundred are perjuries. But even taking the average Of per- jury at a much lower rate, suppose one out of a hundred, or even suppose none, stil we deny the right of any inferior authority, to make so many frivolous appeals to the Supreme Power. "China is governed without oaths. We believe no Chinese court ever administers an oath ; and China is the most populous country on earth : it is therefore possible to govern without oaths."