The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1830-05-12
Ertraets from a Canton papsr.

CRUEL SUPEksTIrloNs OF PHYSICAL MA :
TURE. China is tolerably free, from direct cru
city in her religious supepstitions. At least
she allows nothing at all tina. can compare with
Hlndoo Suttees-except her horrible infanti-
eide; which by the way is induced, not by re-
llglous superstition, but by hard-hearted scep-
tlclsm and the visionary dreams of political
economy, which says, the young stranger has
no right to the board of privileged fathers, and
therefore must be gone But China has her
Authropophagi-M Those who for medi-
cal purposes, feed on various parts of the hu-
man BODY. The murder of a young lad at Ma
Gao, three years ago, was accustomed by the
mlsbelef that portion of human flesh would
restore dying man. And the Executioner of
zen thousand, mentioned in the Canton Register,
exhibited Tor sale, the other day, the Gall -blad.
der OF man he had cut to pieces, in which
grams OF rice were stepped 10 be eaten daily in
sspecihed numbers On turning to the Penal
Code, 1T appears that man oil this Haong shang
Distrlct, named Lew, was on a former occasion
brought to justice for procuring a portion of
human gall at the price of one hundred and
twenty Taefs of silver And about The year
1911, man in Che Keang, named Chang, was
convicted, who had in the course of is wears,
caused the death of eleven young girls, that he
might drink certain fluids TO add vgor to his
own constitution The twelfth victim to his can.
nioalism escaped, to be a. witness against him /:
ana the " Man in form, but brute in Nature"
as the official document characterizes the afro
cIous criminal 4; was put to death by slow and
ignomlnous punishment. The wretch, when
no uieo' was about soVeHty years of age. Six
teen families who had suffered by his horrible
propensity, were summoned to attend his exc
cutIon by being cut to pieces
Inc popular idea and phraseology in China
supposes relation between animal COURAGE
ana the quantity of gall A large proportion
oil mat secretion is found in bold daring spirits,
and tIlnld people have little or none. Hence it
Is SAID a greater quantity is found when death
Is Is lnti'cted without causing previous bodily fear
o say man has no gall, denotes he has no
courage. And clustering man will excuse
n NJ Tor something cowardly, by demanding,
!. you imagine he has gal-bladder as big as a
nrkln. The inference drawn from these onin
IONS 49, ina; man can increase the quantity of
gail IN MS own system, by eating the gall of a
fellow creature.
FUNERAL RITES. On the Goth of October.
the whole city of Canton, official servants, and
humble piebians, carried slaughtered sheep and
pigs, TO olIer TO the names of the head Honv
Merchants late son. When questioned ma 10
the intention; what is meant by this service !.
the Chinese are utterly at loss for an answer.
The common phrase is; ga sacrifice TO the
Soui OF the departed 1t is for the deceased
spirit to eat But the dead cannot eat True,
still the spirit receives the act gratefully, is the
| reply.
Among the middling classes, if the sacrifice
and present cost 10 dollars, it is handsome Ia
make return equal to 8. But with rich men.
! II the offered sacrifice and libations amount 10
10 dollars, he makes return equal to 90
ttence IN this case the whole city went forth to
HIS funeral. Beside, all these sheen and
swine are to be eaten, after being offered in sa.
crIilce and large potations of liquors accom-.
pany the feast. 1t is supposed that the father
on this occasion, must have spent fifty or a
hundred thousand dollars, at the funeral of his
eldest son. The Sexagenarian. not long ago
spent as much on attaining his Goth wear. and
| 1t was said 100000 dollars as fee to be en-.
emPted from daily attendance at public Offices.
and to change the name of the firm from his
own to his sons name.