the earlier acts, the progress of the story is slow; and the scene wants that animated appearance, which the skilful introduction of mere characters would have supplied. We perceived, too, that in these scenes, the interest was too unvaried; and required the relief of gaiety and humour. We are now speaking of the drama in its relation to the stage. Perhaps, simply considered as a poem, which may be laid down and resumed at pleasure, its transitions from the lighter to the deeper shades of passion, give sufficient diversity. But whatever the defects of the play, they do but afford additional evidence of the truth of the principles it recognizes. Cordially do we thank Mr. Macready for the part which he has taken in the developement of this experiment. That the ideal and the poetical is to be worshipped in the present, is a truth, the importance of which is not confined to the drama. The scepticism that discredits contemporary 'greatness, prevents it. The ideal is only unmanifested, or rather unapprehended, because it is unreverenced. We thank Mr. Macready, then, for his assertion of a great truth-the truth, perhaps, most required by the age. That in spite of the doubts of those who rely on mere precedent, and the sneer of those who discern but the commonplace aspect of their age, he should have produced this tragedy, -is consistent with those honourable exertions which he has made for the drama,-exertions which will rank him with posterity, not only as the noble illustrator, but as one, through whose instrumentality of his art, new developements and perceptions of that art were given to the world.

ART. XII.-The Last Year in China, to the Peace of Nanking: as sketched in Letters to his Friends. By a Field Officer, actively employed in that country. Longman.

OUR conflict in Affghanistan has given birth to a far larger list of volumes than our Chinese expedition; while those relative to the flowery land have, for the most part, been books of moderate size and modest pretension. The Field Officer's work does not prove an exception to this welcome state of matters,-being brief, but satisfactory, so far as it professes to go, and very pleasant besides, whether tone, or talent and observation are to be regarded. The writer possesses also a piquant, but the reverse of an ill-natured humour; and although frequently as familiar in manner as if he chatted to you as an old acquaintance at your own fire-side, he never oversteps the boundaries of courtesy or of correct taste.

The letters-for the book pretends to no higher character-consist of communications to the Field Officer's private friends in England, or other in India, and relate to such matters as any observant person connected with the expedition might gather for memoranda, or for

the entertainment of his correspondents, and as any one in high command might speak of, without divulging secrets, or even going deeply into the policy of the war, or the mode of its conduct. Still, the acute reader will find abundance in the present pages to engage re flection with regard to the conflict and its issues, and to suggest speculative trains of thought concerning our probable relations with the Chinese for the future.

It cannot be denied that although in the meanwhile the British Plenipotentiary has obtained from the Celestials whatever terms his discretion prompted him to dictate, our relations with the jealous and flowery people stand in such a ticklish posture, and will have to be maintained amid so many delicacies and difficulties as to suggest fears. How, for instance, is the smuggling of opium from India to China to be checked? Will the opening of four new ports for our trade conduce to this end, and render prohibition effectual practically? But a report has reached this country that Sir Henry Pottinger had promised to the Emperor, in order to get the treaty confirmed the sooner, to prohibit English vessels importing the drug to any of the five ports named in the preliminary arrangement. Now, this measure will amount to our establishing a coast-guard to prevent the traffic; and surely this would not only be a most obtrusive interference, but be sure to become worse than an entire failure, in so far as repression is concerned; 'while the misunderstandings that would ensue from the impotency of any such maritime police, would daily grow more inextricable, and the jealousy of the Chinese authorities more bitter. It appears that the course to be pursued by us, on the contrary, is the maintenance of a moderate and unmeddling, but firm and intelligible policy; leaving it to time and to the quick discernment of the Chinese themselves, to appreciate our superiority to them in the arts of peace, and the transactions of commerce, just as they have been made already smartly to feel what we are in the practice of war. In confirmation of this view, let the Field Officer's representation be cited of the effects of the English triumphs at the time he wrote, or rather, we should say, when his letters received those corrections and additions which the issues of the war enabled him to make to first impressions. He thus expresses himself:

The English will henceforth be respected in China as elsewhere, and they will never again deem it necessary to submit to degradation or ill treatment to obtain the highest commercial advantage. These must be the results of the expedition, for us. For the Chinese there will be liberty and enlightenment, if they have virtue and sense enough to know and use their power. What respect can they continue to have for their own government, when they compare it to ours? Their chiefs rely on treachery, bribes, and assasination. The English are only dreadful as open enemies. How can the Chinese continue to believe in the power of their “ great Emperor," when a few thousand of what he styles barbarians (but they know better) set him

so easily at defiance, and take and retain his towns at pleasure. An immense revolution of opinion must be fast working here. Many Chinese boys in our service are already ashamed of their countrymen as compared with ours, and could not be prevented from cutting off their own tails themselves; though this has hitherto been considered a most degrading punishment.

The revolution of opinion spoken of in regard to military prowess, must have made rapid strides since the victory of Sykee; for, after this event, certain official documents were found, that threw a curious light on the schemes that had been concocted by the childishly-cunning people, in as far as war was concerned, for the overthrow and destruction of the "outer barbarian." One sage John Chinaman, advises his brethren "to fight with the sword alone, to advance by files and take off the barbarian heads, and then leave room for another file to advance and take as many more." An inducement in the shape of a rich bribe is offered to Sir Hugh Gough, in order to bring about a most unconditional surrender. "Even your posterity will share in this." And then how affectionate and friendly and coaxing the hint to our people, that "after so long an absence, at so great a distance, your mothers and sisters must be longing for your return." But now to give some notices of Chinese warfare : begin with these,

Search having been made for a soldier of the 49th who was missing, his body (in consequence of information given to Mr. Gutzlaff) was found in a house not many yards from head-quarters. He had been murdered in broad daylight, strangled, bound, and bagged with the view of being carried over the walls at night. He was servant to one of the officers, and a very powerful man. A young sailor of H. M. S. "Columbine,' having strayed from his boat, was seized with violence and nearly carried off; he escaped, however, by the sudden and unexpected use of his knife on the kidnappers, and joined his comrades who were not far off. The villains escaped, but their boat with cords and a bag was found in a neighbouring canal. This is truly a celestial, enlightened, and flowery empire, where they carry on war by such grand means as bagging the enemy. They are keen sportsmen and are becoming very expert. About the same time another marine was carried off at Chinhae, as also a black cook. i dignation of both officers and men here, against the Chinese, is very great and very natural. I am glad that our chief does not partake of it, but judges as coolly of the business as all of us on reflection shall do a few years or even months hence. Nevertheless, I take good care of myself, for it must be no joke to be bagged and made game of for these rascally Mandarins, whether we be killed or kept alive in cages. I regard every illlooking Chinaman in Ningpo, as a pheasant or partridge may be supposed to eye a keen sportsman; except, that unless the odds were very great, flight would, in my case, hardly be proper. If the Fokies (as we call them) look grave, we say, "See the sulky villain." If, on the other hand, they smile, we exclaim, "Oh, the hypocrites! they smile now, but how quietly they would bag you if they dared." If, lastly, they avoid us or run away,

The

it is, "After them, they know their guilt, or they would not be afraid." In addition to this, some of the soldiers, and especially the followers, if no officer is by, purchase of things at their own prices, and beat and ill-treat poor Fokey.

Foky, be it borne in mind, is the Chinese word for friend, and was with the British the common appellation of all the natives. This of the affair at Ningpo:

The horrors of war first struck me when the enemy had ceased firing, . for I was then not aware that it was the General himself who, at the head of the 49th, had carried the larger encampment. Two British sailors and a soldier, about fifty yards apart from each other, formed the points of a triangle, in which six or eight Chinese were running helpless about over the paddy fields, some disarmed and others with swords in their hands. Our three men were loading and firing at them as coolly as if they were crows, and bayoneting to death those who fell wounded. I endeavoured to stop them, but they paid no attention to me. A soldier who was following me in search of his regiment took a shot himself, and said to me, "if we don't kill them now, Sir, they will fight us again, and we shall never finish

the war.

Next attend to the capture of Chinkeangfoo:

When the town was taken, the author, who was nearly dying of thirst, broke into some houses and drank a quantity of cold tea; but his thirst was not half appeased when he heard there was a well of beautiful water in the neighbourhood. He hastened to try it. Never had he quaffed any thing more delicious. He recommended it to his friends. The well was universally extolled; and it was not, I believe, till the following morning, that nine bodies of women and children were found, which had been thrown into it, when the enemy despaired of success.

The interior of the Tartar part of the town stank of mortality for many days after the capture. There were also many dead in the small houses in the suburbs. On one occasion, on looking into a low little tent made of mattings, the author saw a corpse hanging by what appeared like a piece of twisted linen. The knees of the corpse were bent, the toes were on the ground. Such was the more than Roman resolution of our hitherto despised foes.

Notices of the river Yang-tse-keang will be acceptable:

Unless the Mississippi and Missouri are to be considered as one river, then, the Amazon being the first, the Yang-tse-Keang is the second river in the world in point of length.

If you consider, however, the countless canals which it supplies with water, to keep under constant irrigation the surrounding country, the commerce which it carries on its breast, the fruitfulness displayed on its banks, where the richness of the foliage and the greenness of the herbage are quite astonishing; if, lastly, you add the depth and volume of its waters, it has some claims, I conceive, to the very first place among the rivers of the globe.

In going up the river, nautically speaking, the left, geographically the right bank of the river, is the most picturesque side. The ranges of hills were frequently quadruple, the nearest sweeping down gracefully and gradually towards the river. The other side for a long way is very flat.

The neat little villages were frequently, if not generally, placed in an angle formed by a canal and the great river. The villagers as we passed crowded towards the mouth of their canals. Great, doubtless, was their astonishment at the noble, and, to them, novel sight of a British fleet of warships and transports, the latter glistening with scarlet. None of these men had ever seen a ship more powerful or larger than a Chinese junk of war. No greater astonishment would probably have been felt by a pigmy of yore, at first view of any of the giants, men of renown," who lived in days."

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those

We conclude with less serious matters, but such as lend an insight into social life and national character, the Field Officer's sketches of these things being remarkably clever. This of portrait painters is good:

Chinese artists abound. Some-the pupils of Chinnery-are very respectable performers. Lunquah is the first; but he is gone to Canton. They take accurate likenesses, and will make copies of paintings to resemble the originals to such a degree that none but an artist can tell the difference. They don't know how to flatter yet; but English dollars will one day teach them that profitable art.

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A lady at Macao was having her portrait drawn. As the work proceeded, she expressed her strong dissatisfaction at the performance. 'Spose," said the painter," you smile a little he lookee better." "Twas vain; for when the "pigeon" was done, the indignation of the fair one was so great and so disagreeably expressed, that the irritated artist naively exclaimed, "If handsome face no got, how handsome face can make?" English artists could teach him.

ness,

The word pigeon, we are told in a note, is Anglo-Chinese for busi"The -a word which the flowery people cannot pronounce. constant use of the former between the Chinese and English is one of the drollest things which first strikes a stranger.'

This of Chinese ladies' nails:

Mr.

Not long before the evacuation of Ningpo, a report was brought very early one morning to Mr. Gutzlaff, that the head of his Chinese police, who resided about a quarter of a mile from head quarters, had disappeared, as also one of his wives, while the other lay murdered in the house. Gutzlaff, a soldier, and myself, proceeded to inspect the house, to see if we could trace any signs of the murdering kidnappers. We found the woman lying on the floor with her throat cut. She had been dead some hours. While looking at her, I observed what appeared like thin brown slips of bamboo loosely fastened round her wrists; and remarked to Mr. G. how singular it was that they should have found it necessary to bind her. But he exclaimed "those are her nails;" and true enough it was, as I found when