executed by being sawed in two, or left to die of starvation. In
the first case, the unhappy victim is made fast between two planks,
and sawed in two longitudinally, beginning with the head; and, in
the second, he is either buried up to his head in the ground, and
thus left to perish of want, or else is fastened in one of the
wooden yokes I have described, while his food is gradually reduced
in quantity every day, until at last it consists of only a few
grains of rice. In spite of the horrible and cruel nature of these
punishments, it is said that individuals are found ready, for a sum
of money, to undergo them all, death even included, instead of the
person condemned.

In the year 1846, 4,000 people were beheaded at Canton. It is true
that they were the criminals of two provinces, which together
numbered a population of 9,000,000 souls, but the number is still
horrible to contemplate. Is it possible that there could really be
so many who should be looked upon as criminals--or are persons
sentenced to death for a mere nothing--or are both these
suppositions true?

I once happened to go near the place of execution, and to my horror
beheld a long row of still bleeding heads exposed upon high poles.
The relations enjoy the privilege of carrying away and interring the
bodies.

There are several different religions in China, the most prevalent
being Buddhism. It is marked by great superstition and idolatry,
and is mostly confined to the lower classes. The most natural is
that of the wise Confucius, which is said to be the religion of the
court, the public functionaries, the scholars, and educated classes.

The population of China is composed of a great many very different
races: unfortunately, I am unable to describe their several
characteristics, as my stay in China was far too short. The people
I saw in Canton, Hong-Kong, and Macao, are of middling stature.
Their complexion varies with their occupation: the peasants and
labourers are rather sun-burnt; rich people and ladies white. Their
faces are flat, broad, and ugly; their eyes are narrow, rather
obliquely placed, and far apart; their noses broad, and their mouth
large. Their fingers I observed were in many cases extremely long
and thin; only the rich (of both sexes) allow their nails to grow to
an extraordinary length, as a proof that they are not obliged, like
their poorer brethren, to gain their livelihood by manual labour.
These aristocratic nails a