and mouth-piece of copper; to the latter is adapted a reed, like our own: there are eight finger-holes, and one of them for the thumb; and the bell is decorated with pendent silken ornaments. This appears to be the favourite instrument of the Chinese, being used as the leader in all solemn ceremonies, and on all festive occasions; it is considered equally indispensable in all congregations, either for profane or religious purposes; and it is remarkable for its sonorous and deafening blasts.

There are two or three varieties of horns; one is somewhat similar in shape to the Heang-tei, and is composed of copper. This instrument possesses the same peculiarity as our trombone, the stem or tube being constructed, to admit of being extended or shortened at the pleasure of the performer. The sound produced is very sombre and uninviting, but when contrasted with the tones of the heang-tei, and performed with more piercing instruments, the effect is good. There is another horn, which in shape resembles a shepherd's crook inverted, having a bell attached to the end, and having the same power of extension as described in the last instrument; the tones of this horn are also very melancholy, and far from pleasing when used alone.

The last wind instrument we shall describe is much more complicated than any of the preceding, and may be fairly called a species of organ, composed of a series of tubes of unequal lengths, which are placed in a hollow chamber of semi-spherical form, to which is attached a mouth-piece, by means of which the performer's mouth fills the chamber with air; some of

SUPERIORITY OF THE "KIN" INSTRUMENT. 17

the tubes have perforations near the chamber, which prevent them from sounding, unless stopped by the performer's finger. They are set up at intervals, and in order, one standing alone, and the clusters increasing in progressive ratio up to four. Great nicety and skill is required in the management and use of the pipes; by stopping some of them, the performer can produce most agreeable harmonies; while regular harmonic divisions of eighths and twelfths seem to be caused by covering others, by blowing gently, or by increasing the force of the blast. Again, the performer, by drawing his breath and stopping the perforations, may, at his discretion, make any one of the tubes sound singly.

Of all the stringed instruments in use amongst the Chinese, the Kin is by far the most agreeable, as well as the most difficult to acquire any degree of proficiency in performing upon. It is only used by the best informed and most educated portion of society in China, and is looked upon by the literary world as their peculiar property, because tradition has connected it with Confucius and the ancient sages, who are said to have devoted much of their leisure hours in practising and using this instrument.

The antiquity, however, of the Kin is carried back to ages much more remote than that of the philosopher in question, as the Chinese say they can trace it nearly to the common parent of mankind.

The difficulty of acquiring a competent knowledge of this instrument, as well as the excessive intricacies of the system of notation used for the Kin, are the true reasons for its exclusiveness, as the middle classes

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and artizans could not afford sufficient time to become masters of it: some idea may be formed of the difficulty from the fact, that a Chinaman expends the continued toil of months in learning one tune, and so great is the fatigue and study requisite to become a scientific performer, that many individuals can only execute the most simple airs, learned by ear, without the slightest knowledge of notes, or the approved method of fingering.

The Kin, or lute, is about four feet in length, made of woo-tung wood, lacquered over, the upper surface is convex, and the lower plain, having at the bottom two openings into cavities. There are attached to the smaller end seven silken strings, passing over a bridge, fixed three inches from the wider end, and these are tightened by means of moveable jaed-stone pegs, to which are attached ornamented silken tassels. The sounding-board is adorned

several mother-of-pearl studs, which are placed in a manner to mark off the lengths of the strings into equal parts of 2, 3, 4, 5, and 8. The instrument, when used, is laid across a table for the convenience of the performer.

The execution is most complicated, at the same time that the performance is rendered most graceful by the varied method of touching the cords, and the greatest ingenuity and taste is displayed in the management of the instrument: the fingers of the left hand are made to slide in a most peculiar manner over the strings, and to execute motions and trills of an extraordinary

nature.

The flowery and symbolic language of the Chinese

DIFFICULTY OF ACQUIRING THE USE OF THE "KIN." 19

has not only given an especial name to each particular position of the hands, but likewise denotes them by particular objects in nature. Thus one is the flowering lotus resting upon the bosom of the still waters; another, the industrious bee, collecting her sweet food from the delicious flowers of the earth; a third, a bird upon the wing, in chase of the cicada; while a fourth is a silk-worm in the act of spinning the cocoon; and so on, to an incredible number.

The notation for the Kin is most complicated and difficult to acquire; a mass of characters represent one note, which is intended either to be the symbol of a particular cord, or of the fingering either of the right or left hand, or possibly the stud marked upon the sounding-board, or the mode to be adopted in sliding the hand over the strings, or, again, the peculiar method to be used in striking the note, or if two notes should be struck at the same time.

The centre string of the Kin is tuned a, and the two outer strings a fifth from it, and they are respectively a fourth from the next string but one to each other.

Another of the stringed instruments is called the Y-an-kin, and is strung with brass strings; it is a description of dulcimer, which the performer strikes with two hammers. The sounds thus produced from this instrument are pleasing enough, being both melodious and harmonious.

The Ur-heen, or fiddle, is one of the rudest instruments probably in existence. The everlasting bamboo is again brought into requisition, the sounding-board being made of it, in the shape of a small drum,

covered with the skin of a tan snake, through the upper portion of which is passed one end of a bamboo stick, which forms the neck or arm, at the other extremity of the neck are inserted two long bamboo pegs, which serve to wind up or tighten the only two strings this machine has, and which are tuned a fifth from each other. The bow is made of bamboo, and its hairs are passed between the two strings, which are remarkably close to each other, by reason of which great difficulty arises in producing a sound from one, without touching the other, which, if not happily effected, renders this description of music most excruciating to an unaccustomed ear. Some of the Chinese have spent so much time and patient exertions in practising this wretched machine, that they have overcome the difficult task, and sometimes produce no despicable sounds.

The Sau-heen is a guitar with three strings, and is made of a particular wood, brought from Ton-quin, not unlike our cherry wood. It is formed in the body like a drum, covered with the skin of the tan snake, painted over with dark brown and yellow lines, to this is attached a very long and awkward-looking neck, or arm, terminating in a curve. The strings are tuned a fourth from each other. It often happens that two of these instruments are performed on together, one performer playing the air while the other improvised a running accompaniment.

The Pe-pa is a guitar with four strings, of a bladder-shaped form, is made of woo-tung wood, is three feet in length, and by far the most elegant, in appearance, of all the Chinese instruments. The