feet were univerfally fqueezed down to an unnatural fize. Few
females were feen among the immenfe crowds that the novelty
o f the fight had brought together, but great numbers had affem-
bled in. the houfes and particularly on board the pleafure or
paifage yachts, with the intention o f fatisfying their curiofity.
The fuperior ftyle o f drefs and the appearance o f the women
in public at this place, fo different from the general cuftom o f
the country, could only be explained to us by the writings o f
the Chriftian miflionaries, who obferve that the concubines o f
mandarins and men o f property are chiefly procured from the
cities o f Tang-tchoo and o f Sou-tchoo, where they are educated
in the pleafing arts o f finging, mufic and dancing and every
other accomplifhment fuitable to women o f fuperior rank, in
order to render them the more agreeable and fafcinating. That
fuch women are generally purchafed by perfons engaged in
the trade, in different parts o f the country, and trained in thefe
cities, where they are difpofed o f to the higheft bidder, “ this
“ being the principal branch o f trade that is carried on in tbofe
“ two c i t i e s How do thefe holy men reconcile fo infamous a
traffic among a people whom they have adorned with every
virtue ? a people whom they have rendered remarkable among
nations for [their filial p ie ty ! Is there on earth a crime
more revolting againft civilized nature, or more deteftable to
civilized fociety, than that o f a parent felling his own child and
configning her, exprefsly and voluntarily, into a ftate o f profti-
tution ? Thofe unfortunate wretches who, in Europe, have by
any accident reduced themfelves to that degraded and deplorable
condition o f becoming fubfervient to the pleafures o f a
man, whom they probably deteff, are generally the objeCts o f
P'ty.
pity, however their conduCt may be difapproved; but a parent,
who Ihould be the caufe o f reducing them to fuch a ftate, would
be execrated; but the affertion is as abfurd as ridiculous, and
the writer muft have been very credulous to fuppofe, that the
principal trade o f one o f the largeft cities in the world, whofe
population cannot be lefs than a million o f fouls, ihould confift
in buying and felling ladies o f pleafure. Buying females in
the legal way is certainly the greateft branch o f trade throughout
China, as every woman there is bought and fold." Thefe reverend
gentlemen likewife inform us, with great indifference,
that i f a man be defirous o f having a male child and his wife
ihould happen to be barren, he will purchafe one o f thefe concubines
for the foie purpofe o f getting an h e ir ; and, when this
is accompliihed, he either provides her with a hufband, or
turns her adrift. Such are the moral virtues o f the Chinefe,
compared with whom all other nations have been accounted
barbarous *.
T o the weft o f Sawtchoo-foo is a range o f mountains higher
than any we had yet feen, -well covered with w ood ; and an
extenfive lake ftretches along their bafe, famed in China for
its piCturefque beauties' and for its fiih. We would gladly
have made a party o f pleafure to this delightful fpot, but innumerable
objections, as ufual, were ftarted by our conductors,
on the fcore o f delay that fuch an excurfion would occafion.
* It may be obfervedpf almoft all the writings o f the miflionaries concerning China/
that virtues o f fo trifling a nature as hardly to defervc the name, have met their unqualified
praife, whilft enormous vices have either fyeen palliated or palled over in
filenc,e. ’
The