wisely established, to make an entire separation between persons of different sexes, and the head of a house cannot be too strict in seeing them observed. When a boy is ten years old, his entrance into the inner apartment ought to be forbidden; in like manner, a young girl of the same age ought not to have the liberty of coming out of the inner apartments; let it not be said they are infants, and that there is nothing to fear, for is not a girl marriageable at twelve years of age.

"When in the ladies' apartments you do not hear the singing of pieces taken out of plays, nor the tone of the comedians imitated, it is a sign of regularity and virtue. If, while the husband is retired with his wife in the innermost apartment, there are no sounds of laughter heard, it is a sign that due respect is shown them. Male or female servants ought not to be allowed or permitted to go backward and forward in the house while it is night, without a lantern. This precaution is necessary, and prevents great inconveniences; both the head of the house and the wife should see this custom observed."

CHAPTER V.

Written characters used by the Chinese-Number of them-Various styles of writing — Language —The four different dialects; the Kou-ou-en, Ou-en-te-hang, Kou-ha-na, and the Hi-an-tang, or patois.

THE Chinese affirm, that the written characters were in use among them more than two thousand years antecedent to the Christian era; but although possibly this statement may be mythological, it is certain that records now exist in China which were written centuries prior to that period.

The number of characters which are used in the ancient code of laws for the Celestial Empire are said to exceed one hundred thousand; but for centuries past, the number of characters which are in use do not exceed eighty thousand; each character being the symbol of a word, or signifying a sentence.

There are various modes of writing the same character; and thus it is from the multiplicity, and different styles of writing the same character, that errors constantly arise in translations made by our interpreters. The difficulty of acquiring a complete and perfect knowledge of the written language must be apparent to all, but when this difficulty has been vanquished, the written language has the great and evident advan

tage of always remaining the same, as the character or symbol will invariably represent the object or thing originally intended to be represented; being thus unliable to variation is a manifest advantage over a spoken language alphabetically written, which is continually subject to variations, both in sound and orthography-the variations arising from fashion and caprice.

The symbolic mode of expressing things and ideas adopted by the Chinese, is similar to that practised by the ancient Egyptians, before hieroglyphics were used. There are many methods of writing the same character, which are adapted to various purposes, but the following are those which are generally employed:

Chu-en is the ancient hieroglyphics, and is now used only for inscriptions; these characters are said to have been used, in the early ages, when the Chinese wrote upon slips of bamboo with a style.

Kae-shoo is the most approved style for writing official communications and documents; complimentary odes and addresses are also written in the Kae-shoo.

Isaow-tsze is the writing used in business, and from the constant abbreviation, or contraction of the characters, is most difficult to decypher.

Sung-tsze are the characters, which are used in printing books.

Kea-tseay characters are used in writing metaphors and poetry.

Chuen-choo are employed when a compound meaning is intended to be given; thus, in one complicated character or symbol, the meaning of an entire sentence may be conveyed.

Hwuy-e are those characters which have a figurative rather than a literal meaning, but are totally dissimilar to the Kea-tseay.

Che-ke-tsze are a class of characters which are indicative simply of one thing intended to be expressed.

Although there are many other styles of writing used in China, the above-named are those which are usually adopted. It is considered a proof of high intellectual capability to be a good penman, writing the various styles in a clear hand, the characters severally being finely formed.

The sound of the spoken language is exceedingly unpleasant to an unaccustomed ear, from the peculiarity of the monosyllabic construction of the words, and the monotonous singing method of pronunciation, which is invariably in a slow measured tone-except when the Chinese are excited; then they shout, scream, and yell, at the top-pitch of their shrill voices, the sounds which are uttered being manifold, and most discordant. Although the written characters bear the same signification throughout the Chinese Empire, the spoken language of one province is totally unintelligible to the inhabitants of another; thus they are constantly compelled to express their ideas by the formation of the written characters, and natives of China may frequently be seen tracing with their forefinger on the palm of the hand, or writing, as it were in the air, the symbol of that which, orally, they are unable to make the listener comprehend the signification.

Europeans who have studied the Chinese language generally divide it into four distinct dialects, namely,

the first in order, and held in the highest estimation by the Chinese, is the

Kou-ou-en: this is now obsolete, but was formerly used by the ancient philosophers and sages; the principal works of most of the renowned authors of antiquity being written in this dialect. Occasionally a work is now compiled in the Kou-ou-en; but none but the most learned either attempt, the composition, or perusal of a book, written in this dialect.

Ou-en-te-hang, is used for its sublimity of charac ter, and is well adapted to the purposes for which it is employed, namely complimentary compositions, consisting of high-flown flattery, and hyperbolical adulation; this dialect is held by the literati in great estimation, being considered nearly as fine as the Kou-ou-en.

The Kou-ha-na, or court language, is that which is invariably used by mandarins, and government officers, in all official correspondence, and is spoken at the court of Pekin, and is also used as the medium of conversation in polite circles; in fact in civilized Chinese society a man would be considered A GOTH, being unpresentable, could he not converse in the Kou-ha-na, claim he what province he might for his birth-place. This dialect is used by all modern literary characters in their writings, and is considered to be possessed of a greater variety of expressions, whose significations differ but slightly, and to be more adapted for the purpose of general intercourse, than any other dialect. The mandarins and wealthy, throughout the empire of China, use the Kou-ha-na in their intercourse one with the other, and those only

can rise to eminence in the state who are proficients in this dialect. There are many and obvious reasons for this measure, all ancient inscriptions, laws, and records, as well as the official correspondence of the past and present are in this dialect; and it is presumed to have been the orginal and unaltered language, of the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire, from the earliest period.

The Hi-an-tang is the Chinese patois; the variations of this dialect are innumerable, each province and district, having a peculiar and distinct patois, which is used by the lower orders; in our opinion, and in that of many others, the Hi-an-tang, or patois, can only be considered as various corruptions of the Kou-ha-na. Although the lower orders understand not a syllable of the court language, the highly educated are able to comprehend the patois of that class, from their knowledge of the Kou-ha-na.

Differences of opinion have lately arisen among the missionaries in China, as to the correct mode of translating the word God, some asserting that Shin is the proper expression, whilst others affirm that Shangtee is the correct word. Sir George Staunton has lately published a most interesting pamphlet on the subject, entitled "An Inquiry into the proper mode of rendering the word God in translating the Sacred Scriptures." To this we refer our readers for information on this important topic, merely observing that from our knowledge of the piety and learning of the Rev. Mr. W. H. Medhurst, we should be inclined to take his translation of the word. The British and Foreign Bible Society are