by permitting them to be held in the most public and spacious streets at the expense of the citizens. On some particular days the Mandarins supply the necessary funds, but more frequently the wealthy engage a company of actors for their own entertainment, and that of their guests.

The principal of these plays are performed on religious occasions being in honour of their gods, or on the anniversary of their temples, when temporary theatres, constructed with surprising facility, of bamboos and mats, some of them in dimensions as large as Exeter Hall, are erected in the squares adjoining them, where the sportive scenes are kept up for seven successive days and nights. Before introducing the performance, the musicians visit the temple, where they play one or more tunes; they then retire, bearing away a small altar, with incense burning on it, which they place on the stage, and in this manner invoke the presence of their deity during the continuance of the amusement. Once a year these exhibitions are held in the market place, a duty sacredly observed by the Chinese tradesmen, as their gods are supposed to preside over the affairs of the market, and to cause equity and justice in the transactions of commerce.

The performers who travel up and down the country in small bands of ten or a dozen, register their names in an office at Canton, and on leaving the city, every company gives in a notice, intimating to what province and town they are proceeding, so that letters on business are transmitted them without delay. They are distinguished into several classes, and according to their rank and merit in the profession is their emolument. The best are those from the neighbourhood of Nankin, who are occasionally fortunate in obtaining large sums for their performances at feasts provided for their friends by the rich.

No females, as was the case in Greece and Rome, and during the earlier period of the English Drama, ever appear on the Chinese theatre; their parts are sustained by boys who are so cleverly disguised, and act the woman so thoroughly, that many, ignorant of the circumstance, have been carried away with the deception.

From all the descriptions we have read of their dramatic exhibitions, they appear to be very little superior to puppet shows. Many of their most popular pieces (not a few of which it is said closely resemble the Greek plays,) are of a tragic character, founded on the ancient chronicles of the empire, and designed to perpetuate the most notable facts

1

of its history;-but with these are mixed up such fanciful tales, childish whims, and gross obscenities, that it becomes a wonder how the spectators can endure, not to say enjoy them. The costumes of the Chinese stage are appropriate to the characters represented, are usually vivid in their hues, and gorgeous in their texture, and in the case of historical plays, which allude to the manners and events of the nation prior to its conquest by the Tartars, the dresses worn represent the ancient garb of China. The scenery is exceedingly rude and defective, remaining the same throughout the whole performance, but this does not prevent the supposition of frequent changes of place;-for example, If a general is ordered upon an expedition to a distant province, he brandishes a whip, or takes in his hand the reins of a bridle, and striding three or four times round the stage in the midst of a tremendous crash of the gongs, drums, and trumpets, he stops short and tells the audience where he has arrived.' 'In a pantomine exhibited before lord Macartney,' relates Mr. Ellis, 'was represented the marriage of the Earth and the Sea. The former deity displayed her various productions, such as dragons, elephants, tigers, eagles, oaks, pines, &c. Ocean on his part produced whales, dolphins, porpoises, and other marine monsters, also ships, rocks, corals, sponges. All these objects were personated by actors covered with cloths, who performed their parts cleverly. The two troops of terrestrial and marine productions moved round the stage, and at last united; they then opened to the right and to the left, to clear a way for a prodigious whale, which, stopping just opposite to the Emperor, spouted forth several buckets of water, which drenched the spectators in the pit, who immediately disappeared by holes made in the floor.'!!

The music on these occasions is more wretched still, and from the sounds emitted, and the grimaces made, one is strongly inclined to doubt whether any effect is aimed at save that of mere noise and childish buffoonery.

The first mention of the stage in the annals of China is coupled with a panegyric on an Emperor of the Chang dynasty, who proscribed it as a frivolous amusement. By another Emperor actors were deemed infamous and inadmissible to the public examinations, and were banished from the capital as they corrupted the morals of the community either by their example or by the dissolute principles which they instilled;-and by some of their authors too, they are spoken of in terms not the most commendable. 'Plays, observes one of their distinguished writers, 'are a sort of intellectual fire works, which cannot be seen but in the night of idleness; they degrade those who subsist by their exhibition, offend the delicate eyes of the sage, afford pernicious amusement to indolent spirits, corrupt women and children, who look at them too closely, give more smoke than light, dazzle the sight in a dangerous manner and frequently cause tremendous conflagrations.'Strictures, which may be applied with equal justice to the English stage, of whose corrupting tendency no language can be sufficiently descriptive.

LETTER II.

TO THE LITTLE FRIENDS OF GREAT CHINA.

My dear children,

Since you received my last letter, a great event has taken place. Do you know what I mean? Every body talks about it, and believes it to be quite true; but there are a great many people in the world who think very little of it, as they should do. My last letter was dated December, 1842, and now I write down January, 1843. A new year has come, to you and to me. Another year then we may turn over a new leaf,' and begin again with fresh determination to be better children; more obedient to our parents, more kind to our companions, and above all, more anxious to find pardon and peace through our dear Saviour. Is it not kind of the great God to spare us to see another year? Yes! indeed it is, and I hope and pray, and you must hope and try and pray, that it may be a happy new year' to all of us. And how can you be happy, only by being good and trying to make other people happy. Good and kind children are always happy.

I wonder whether this Christmas, when, perhaps, you have been enjoying yourselves as you sat with your brothers and sisters round the bright fire, you have ever thought of poor China, and whether you do really wish to do something for the poor people who live all in darkness and sin, for though

'God made the sun to shine by day'

upon them quite as bright as it does upon us, the Sun of Righteousness has never risen upon them, to warm their cold hearts, to enlighten their dark minds, and to heal by its heavenly beams, the diseases of their souls. You know who is the 'Sun of Righteousness,' and that he is also called 'The Great Physician.' Have you ever tried to guess

what the little girl I promised to tell you about did, by which she could help the poor Chinese, so far away? I dare say you have, and I should not wonder but you have found out some plan for yourself. This is just what I want, we must never wait to see what other people are going to do, when we are sure that we can begin safely by ourselves. It is always well to seek advice from those who are older, but never to delay, because other people are not ready. The Bible says, 'whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might.' Not wait a little, nor begin presently, but now, and as if you feared there might not be time enough afterwards. Now see what the little girl did. Her mother was very poor, but very good, and loved her little Rebecca very much. They lived in a very small cottage, which was quite out of repair, but as they could not afford a better, they tried to be quite content, and make their little room as comfortable as they could. I said the mother loved her child, and when I tell you that little 'Becca loved her mother, you will understand how it was they were so content with their hard lot, and happy in this miserable little cottage. 'Becca's mother used to take her little girl to the house of God, and there she learnt to love Jesus Christ, and to wish to tell other people about the great and kind Saviour. Once she went to a Missionary meeting, and after hearing about the wants of the poor heathen, and that the good society could send out no more Missionaries, because they had spent all their money, she appeared very much affected, and her mother noticed when she got home, that her eyes were filled with tears. So she called her to her side, and asked the reason. Would you like to know just what 'Becca said to her mother? This was it, -'Oh, mother! I am not ill, or unhappy, because of anything wrong that I have done; (for her mother supposed she was unwell,) the good Missionary, mother, said that the heathen were perishing, because we did not help them; and then he said, that there was not a child who heard him but could do something to help to send Bibles and Missionaries to teach them to worship God, instead of idols of wood and of stone; and when he said so I looked around, and saw other little girls, whose parents have money, and who are able to spare, and then I thought of myself, I have none, and I know you often almost go without that I may not be hungry. It is wrong mother, to be envious, but I never longed to be rich before. I can do nothing for the poor heathen. This makes me sad mother.' And when 'Becca's mother heard what was the reason, she could not help crying too, but she said, 'God will take care of us my child, and he does not expect us to give money when we have none.' The mother's tears were tears of joy, that God had given her such a treasure; but the little girl was weeping because they were so very poor. 'Becca cried very much while she prayed at her bed side that night. I wish I could repeat her prayer; it was very short, very simple, and quite her own; you can guess what a part of it would be. She prayed, that if there was any way by which she could help to tell the perishing heathen about Jesus Christ, God would tell her what it was. I do not think she slept much all night, for it was not enough for her to have asked God to help her, she felt that she must try and find out some way for herself. And in the morning she looked very pale and sad, and seemed often as if her little heart was breaking. This showed that she was in earnest, and really wished to do what she said was her desire. What a happy thing it would be if we really desired good things as she did. Would it not?

'Becca used to work for her living, and went every morning to a field to hoe potatoes, and this field belonged to a good farmer, who was very kind to the little girl, because she was industrious and well behaved, indeed, he used often to say, 'that 'Becca is a better sort of girl.' Well, away she went to her work, but not with the light and tripping step she usually had, she was full of thought, and kept her eyes fixed on the ground, and as she walked along, almost without looking before her, she went so close to the hedge as to get her little cloak entangled; while she was getting the prickly thorns out of it, she spied a lock of wool hanging to the bushes, and then another and another, till at last, when she went to look, she saw almost on every bush in the long hedge, by the side of the field some bits of wool, which had come from the sheep's backs.

If you could have seen her face as with the lock of wool, she ran from place to place with such a gladsome countenance and merry heart, you would have said, something must have occurred to make her seem so happy. What could it be? She had torn her cloak, and yet she appears to have forgotten that, all because of this bit of wool; and what good could that do her? Do you think she was saying to herself- If I could collect it all and put it into one little heap, I might sell it, and then help my dear mother to buv a warm blanket for winter.' No, this could