The Sun.
London, England, 1857-12-29 00:00:00

.P.:zrowts.

The reasons u .ually a leged are-1, that the Chinese
are not easily induced to adopt foreign fashions; 2,
that the Chinese are a manufacturing people; 3, the dis-
turbances caused by the rebellion ; 4, the exactions of
thre Chinese Custom-houses.
Al! these difficulties exist, but they aro individually
much over-estimated, and they are in the aggregate
quite insufficient to account for the phenomenon.
Ist, That the Chinese are not easily induced to adopt
foreign fashions. This is true only to a very partial
extent. You can't snake a China woman wear a Cram-
bourne-street bonnet, ger a Coolio wear a pair of Stuart
plaid trousers ; they are even so bigote I as to consider
khat:their narrow cottons, 10 inches bread, are more
conveniently made into their garments t::au your wide
longclottis. Tway do co; like your flimsy cottons ;
have seen them take them between their fists, and rub
the dressing out. At Ningpo the Chinese can buy the
belt gray rhirttngs at SJ. a-yard, and they yet prefer to
pay 6d. a-yard for house-roe's cotton cloth not quite tso
width. But this is not because they are insensible to the
superior fluent s 3 of the English texture ; it is because
they cannot afford to buy the British material. The
home-made cloth is of thrice the sa'ostauce, and will la ,t
a Chinaman for at Last two years. The Bilitish caliep
washed in Chinese fath'on, by heating be`-seen stones,
would wear out is six week?. Depend upon it that a
Chinaman is'of all human creatures the most shrewd in'
all matters of economy ; provide him with a cheaper and!
better thing than he can make at home and he will buy
it. But you must give him what he wants. If Yung
A'Lung, the tailor of Caxton, were to send'a circu'ar to
th. Deputy-Lieutenants of England, telling them that
'he had sent to Euglaed rich mandarin dresses much'
handsomer than the stiff clothes which they _wear on;
grand occasions, and inviting them to go to Court a lai
Chinoise, we should searody think that Yung A'Lung'
had made a wise or profitable consignment. Yung
A'Lung is not such a fool. Be sends us cheav gold lace
of the proper width and quality. Surely Manchester can
produce a piece of strong ticck cotton cloth 10 or 12
inches wide and put it (flown •at Shanghai at less than:
td. a said?
At this moment narrow thick ca'ic.ies, which one of
-tee flung Kong Louses had tire wit to order from Bog-.
land, aro selling at very reecnArrativo p ices. There
-is also 8.3/110 trade doing in cotton bnicaiei.,; made in
ruination of the Chinese l brn.:ade,, of the
-eause -p4ttain, and dyed to tn) same
iiculoure. Tbeie aro WA down Siian.;tiai at 3!4
; they there readtlf fetch 5 tachi,;. and I
told ti' at toe Chinese nicrel,atits. and a r 3,Adynruk,-.
(t,Letn up in tiic tea country at 13 ;lel-. (!on!'a litho
to.aralacini ad this our, there will be. a tr..ment;us
Fciaai.Z.:i upon ti.; pr,..11,.. of 8 tad: sr:mewl:ere:
But it mists': supt)o,; that the Ciinese are not

fondn: Wcdtera fashion... In going through the house of
-t -e richerit merchant in Ningpo i :vas ;jurpristd to notice
EN,:ert in the -ervau,.e' r,o:_no,, there was not a bit
-furniture in the hou,e. Tile tnimitur) :van ail
61Chintse tuara•rfeeture, but it of s;1-111.1 fa•Li
I,*itliont a nranfl,riur a, or a pica of inlaid
. itoty about A. Au English i 6 ai,4st acuel,tat,le
.present to a Chinaman, and a tae.;copo
,ig a trent.uro to
eavet through a tixe., loVee cherry 'bra -14 and de-
lights in charnpagric, and maLy a Shantung wan comes
out innarton Newl4ear's-day in a caMiet coat (of Chinese
fashion) ar:a bras hut:ens from Biritirngtarr;. But why •
in,ist ripen a Chinaman changin4 his habit:i to become
your customer ? Every merging throughout the Chincie
empire there are 300,000,000 of blue cotton broaches
drawn over human leg-. Men, wcmon, and children alike
wear them. Thoy are loose and shapeless. There are not
five different patterns and five different sizes all through
the eiapire. My Coolie says that his cost him 200 cash,
k"" that he is obliged to have a thick quilted pair iu the
winter, which tort hint 1,000 cash, Here is scope for
lianeeester energy !
. 2. The Chinese aro a manufacturing people—This is
Act trite in the :;Crist in which it is used. Of course, they
obtaint proauco by hand Tabour, and so di I Attain when
salved and
84613‘e the c
,Eve when she spun. But in a competitive
have no manufactures.' -Their hand.
fro at
.a.4,,ter_nilerable thing. Their shuttles pass to and
gy,g
n gulls with zituid pace. They can produce small
.who imitztea wi.:;!_lZwenuity. There is a working weaver
Zu,,i,:ie4ritil art 1,11 our Eaglish rtbands
and fringe; and
zi,etttui cou,:tant employ 'oy Er.
ropean ladies to match
who wear out their fa1.,,w41,,,,1atA1c5. English ladies
patience ol pliteshopmen azid the
c"ra Inv,
f r dear country friends ewe ""Penny rihavus
a.tmole But
he could nut produce 20 yards of silt,:
rea •
sonatile
,price..
f
China is not a jpanu fact of aag ion ti%,ever bhe
become when.' her intercourse with this Weet tret,
and
her enormous coalti,l!s opt ri3d. Silo has at.
liappiei destiny than the factory raid the forge.
" Della gerent alii, sed to felix Austria nube.'
To manufacture is cur nec:ssity, to produce is Greiaa'.
Be it our humble task to work up her produce
into fabling; to supply local deficiencies its her favourite
food, and to clothe with blue integuments the nether.
portions of her teeming people. This is ti'e true interest
of the two icount4ie4, and any little gentle nninpu‘sion
tending thitherwards will b 3 to theultinsate good of both:
e.
The disturbance 4 caned tv the rebeltion.—This is
a rer-l'y important difficulty, and must be in some way
removed. I hope our commercial men do not propose
to themselves to postpone active business in China until
the roads shall be macadamised, gaslights established in