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miles in circumference. It is of the massive masonry, being sixty feet high and forty feet broad, with nine great iron gates, each surmounted by a lofty tower. It is a proof how much prejudices are being softened down, that foreigners, who not long ago were refused admission to the gates, are now allowed to enjoy a promenade on the ramparts. The central space is called Kin-chang, or "Forbidden city," because it contains the palaces, and cannot be entered without permission from the Emperor. The roofs of the building, being slated with yellow porcelain, gleam in the sunshine like burnished gold.

In the other parts of the city several long streets run parallel to each other: they are broad and dusty, and throw off, on either side numberless alleys, where are the private residences, the broad thoroughfares being occupied with shops. These shops are not attractive in appearance, being low and shabby, not a few of them displaying old furniture and old clothes for sale. But the throng of people at once arrests attention, it is so motley, and unlike all to which an European eye is accustomed. Here comes (( a high Mandarin, riding in a green sedan, borne on the shoulders of eight men. Numerous horsemen lead the way, with their heads dressed with peacocks' feathers and precious stones; while several carts, drawn by mules, and destitute of springs, bring up the rear, and convey the other attendants of the great man.

Yonder comes a caravan of Bactrian camels. They have long hair, and two mountainous hummocks, between which a Tartar wedges himself as naturally as if he had been born there.

There, under that awning, you see a man who is entertaining an audience with a tale from the history of their country. Further on a mountebank is displaying the suppleness of his joints, or exhibiting his powers of deglutition in swallowing all kinds of indigestible things; and all along the thoroughfare you may see men cooking and eating in portable kitchens, or shaving their heads and plaiting their tails in the open air. Indeed, the street seems to be regarded as private property, and used for all kinds of purposes. There the heathen kneel down on the bare ground and perform their devotions. With wedding processions, carrying gay banners, and funeral trains, with melancholy music and white mourning habits, and a thousand other strange objects, a street of Pekin is a small panorama of the empire.

Turn now into an alley, or smaller street, and inspect the architecture of private dwellings. A low brick wall on either hand is all you see, with ranges of small windows peeping out like the loop-holes of a battery. These windows are glazed with paper. Whatever is rich or beautiful within, is jealously concealed from view.

The houses, none of them more than one story in height, are hidden by these blind walls. They are covered with earthen tiles, floored with brick, and supported by wooden pillars. The rooms are usually ranged in a hollow square around a paved court.

Pekin was a fine city once; but it is now in a state of sad dilapidation. It still contains a large population-wholly given to idolatry. Every square has one or more Pagan temples; and every family has its household gods! When shall these temples be supplanted by the churches of Christ, and household gods give place to the family altar?

NINGPO.

NING-PO-FU (Peaceful Wave City), of a part of which a sketch is given, is the most important city in the Che-kiang province, next to the capital of the province Hang-chow. It is admirably situated for trade and influence at the juncture of three streams, in lat. 29° 55' N.,

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VIEW IN THE CITY OF NINGPO. (From a sketch made on the spot.)

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and long. 121° 22′ E. The united river flows on to the ocean, eleven and a half miles distant. Its population has been variously estimated from one-fourth to one-third of a million, and even more, including the suburban and floating population.

It is almost impossible to obtain a good view of the whole city, for though surrounded by an amphitheatre of fine hills, they lie at distances varying from ten to thirty miles, and, though visible from the nearer hills on a clear day, the city looks merely like a flat confused mass of houses, with the great pagoda rising out of the smoke. The accompanying sketch is taken from the southern wall. The T'in Fong-T'ah is seen on the right side of the small canal, and nearer to the spectator stand some buildings connected with a large cluster of Buddhist and Taouist temples, which are situated further to the right. The building in the distance, with the bell turret, is the Jing-eng-dong, the chief church of the Church Missionary Society in the city of Ningpo. Slightly to the left stands the Lao-dzing-wông-miao, the "Old City Protector's temple."

The house immediately in the foreground is a common native house, with two very inadequate windows opened in the wall for the summer months. This part of the city is chiefly occupied with temples and monastery grounds. An attempt is made to the left to give some idea of the dense massing of the houses in the more populous parts of the city.

The distant hills are those which separate the great Ningpo plain from the plain of San-poh, where is situated the most important out-station of the Church Missionary Society's Ningpo Mission. Beside the church represented in the sketch, there are two smaller chapels of the Church Missionary Society, one near the South Gate, some distance to the left, the other near the Voen-ziu-z temple, in one of the chief streets leading to the busy Bridge Gate. The Sunday services are held in the Jing-engdông. One or other of the two chapels (the Jing-teh-dông and Jing-yidông) is opened for daily preaching to the heathen.

The American Presbyterian Mission has two chapels in the city. The larger one, standing alongside of the Fu's-ya-mun, the other just outside the great market in the street leading to the South Gate. The American Baptist Mission has a large chapel near the West Gate. There are also two English Missionaries (Mr. Hudson, a Baptist, and Mr. Meadows, who came out as a Scripture reader) residing in the city, who hold services in their own houses. The Roman Catholics have a cathedral near the Bridge Gate, and a large foundling asylum outside the south walls, just behind the spectator. There are in the city thirty-two miaos, or temples, eighteen z, or monasteries, and eighty-four convents.

The number of Protestant Missionaries is eight married, and three unmarried. More are on their way, it is hoped, and there is room and work for many more. In the city not one in a thousand, it is feared, are true Christians. Lift your eyes, in imagination, from the city, and think of a vast plain stretching round it, dotted with some 30,000 towns and villages. This plain forms but a small part of the province of Che-kiang, open now to Missionaries, and Che-kiang is by no means the largest of China's eighteen provinces.

China has been strangely forgotten in years past by Christians at

AN INTERESTING FACT, &c.

home. China is passing through a furnace of suffering from civil war. Idolatry has received a severe blow. The Taepings, the destroyers of idols, but the ruthless oppressors and murderers of the people, have been checked in their turn. No determined effort was made, by pouring forth more labourers, when the people were bowed down and humbled by calamity, to strike idolatry dead by the sword of the Spirit, and now it is lifting its head again. But it is not too late. Let Christians at home come forth, or help liberally to send forth, willing and able men, and let all pray earnestly, importunately, that God will send forth his Spirit, that China may be Christ's possession.

AN INTERESTING FACT CONNECTED WITH THE BRITISH OCCUPATION OF CABUL IN 1839.

PESHAWUR, situated near the Khyber Pass, the gateway which leads from the plains of the Punjab to the uplands of Asia, is frequented by men of various races, who meet there for the purposes of traffic; and this renders it a most suitable place for Missionaries. There are to be found Persians, Affghans, Cashmerees, Sikhs, Hindustanees, &c., each race having its own language. Amongst these the Missionary can make his way, entering into conversation with them as opportunity presents itself, removing prejudices, preaching in the bazaars, familiarizing them with the Christian Missionary, and with the truths he proclaims, and thus preparing the way for a future extension of Missionary effort into the countries from whence these men have come, and where as yet the Gospel has found no

entrance.

And hither come not only the natives of the surrounding countries, but some of that singular people who have now no country, "a people scattered and peeled," the Jews. In our last Number we referred to an interesting case-a Jewish merchant, named Abraham, of Jerusalem, who, in pursuit of traffic, having come to Peshawur, found that "merchandize which is better than the merchandize of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold."

The perusal of this brought to the recollection of a friend the following fact, of a somewhat similar nature, which took place many years ago.

On the 10th December 1838 the Bengal army intended to enter Affghanistan, and reseat Shah Shoojah on its throne, moved from Ferozepore, and, on the 6th of the subsequent August, entered in triumph the city of Cabul. In due time the British army, having fulfilled its mission, returned to Hindustan, one division of the Bengal army being excepted, which remained for the protection of Shah Shoojah. In November 1841 the population of Cabul rose in fierce insurrection against the British. In January 1842 a British army, consisting of 4500 men and 12,000 camp followers, set out

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AN INTERESTING FACT, &c.

on their retreat to British India, and of these, a few hostages excepted, all perished-one only, Dr. Brydon, escaping to Jellalabad.

The historian who has traced out the history of this war does not hesitate to state that this catastrophe was in a great measure caused by the ill-conduct of English officers at Cabul. There were those amongst them who did not respect the rights and feelings of the Affghans, and the latter revenged themselves as they could. But the anecdote we are about to introduce shows that this was not the case with all; that there were those among the English officers who did not forget how, as Christians and as Englishmen, they ought to deport themselves, and who were not only careful to act consistently, so as not to increase the prejudices of these Mohammedans to Christianity, but who were desirous of employing the oppor tunities which a residence in Cabul afforded for the circulation of the Christian Scriptures, and the extension of Christian knowledge throughout Central Asia.

Moosa, with his brother Ibrahim, were merchants at Cabul. He was employed by an officer in that place to transcribe the Persian Testament into the Hebrew character, retaining the language for the benefit of the Jews of Central Asia, who, while they speak and write the Persian language, use their own alphabet. This led him, a man of extraordinary vigour of mind, to study the spirit as well as the letter of the sacred volume, then for the first time put into his hands. The result was a growing anxiety and doubt as to the soundness of his own religious views. This disposition to inquire was kept alive by frequent conversations with the officer above alluded to, when his work was brought for revision. He had scarcely completed it when the outbreak took place. The two brothers remained faithful to our cause, and had, at great personal risk, kept up a communication with our people in the cantonment, gave what money they could to the authorities, and supplied our officers with necessaries. They became afterwards captives of the Affghans, their zeal having been noticed by Akhbar Khan, who imposed a heavy fine, and placed Moosa in confinement, where he remained some weeks, expecting daily that the threats held out of torture and death would be carried into effect. This trial was, by God's goodness, signally blessed to him, for he was thus driven to prayer by the extreme peril of his situation. He had, moreover, carried into his dungeon with him a Persian New Testament, by what some would term a mere chance. In the study of that precious volume he not only beguiled the hours of his solitude, but learned to perceive more clearly the hidden things of that love, the fulfilment of which was to be accomplished in the coming of Christ. On the release of the prisoners, himself included, he accompanied the retiring army to Hindustan, and, during the march, shared the tent of an English officer. His spare time was occupied chiefly in the study of the Scriptures, comparing the Old and New Testaments, in the former of which he was wonderfully well versed. Light thus came in on his soul. But his course was nearly run. After visiting Cashmere, he proceeded to Bombay, where, shortly afterwards, he died. "His dependence in

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