The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-08-26
VALUE OF WIVES IN CHINA.

Not long since, young English merchant
took his Youthful wife with him to Hong Kong,
China, where the couple were visited by
wealthy mandarin The latter regarded the
lady very attentively, and seemed to dwell with
delight upon her movements. When she at
length left the apartment, he said to the hus
band, in broken English worse than broken
China):
"What give YOU for that wiley wife yours -
"Oh.n replied the husband, laughing at the
singular error of his visiter, two thousand
dollars"
This the merchant thought would appear to
the Chinese rather high figure; but he was
mistaken
well said the mandarin, taking out his
book with an air Of business, "spose you give
her to me; give you fue thousand dollar y
"lt is difficult to say whether the young
merchant was more amazed than amused but
the very grave and solemn air of the China
man convinced him that he was in sober ear
nest and he was compelled, therefore to re
fuse the offer with as much placidity as he
could assume. The mandarin, however con-
tinued to press his bargain
=" i give you SeUen thousand dollar said he,
"you take 'em!"
The merchant, who had no previous notion
of the value of the commodity which he had
taken out with him, was compelled ut length,
to inform his yisiter that Englishmen were not
in TIE habit of selling their wives after they
were once in their possession-an assertion
which the Chinaman was very slow to believe
The merchant afterwards had hearty laugh
with his young and pretty wife, and told her
that he had Just discovered her value, rs he
had that moment been offered seven thousand
dollars for her; a very high figure, "as wives
were going in China at the time
Hdrpers Magasine'
CATERPILLAR FUNGUs-On the subject of
| fungi of all the strange fungi that ever met
with--not excepting the luminous toadstool OF
Australia by which you may see to shave your
self at midnight! the vegetable caterpillar
whereof | saw several specimens found in tins
district is the most strange. believe the in
sect is, at one stage Of its existence, large
gray moth at another, it becomes caterpll-
lar When tired of somewhat dull life, it
buries itself in the earth, and after death as
sumes fungous form, or Mt least there springs
! from its skeleton iungous excrescence like
bulrush which pierces and rises several inches
above the ground.
Our Anhpodes, by Colonel Mundy.
! THE SEVEN ANCIENT WONDERS OF THE
WoRLD-These were LIST. The brass Colossus
of Rhodes, 100 feet high, built by Cares, A. d
2ss, occupying ~ years in making 1t stood
across the harbor of Rhodes sc years, and was
then thrown down by an earthquake, 1t was
bought by Jew, from the Saracens, who load
ed 900 camels with the brass. I'd. The Pyra-
mids of Egypt. The largest one engaged
| 100000 workmen 30 years in building, and
has now stood at least 5000 years 3D. The
Aqueducts Of Rome, invented by Appius Clau-
dus, the censor. ith, The Labyrinth OF Psam-
metchus, ON the banks Of the Nile, containing
within one continued wall, 1000 houses, and
- royal palaces, all covered with marble, and
having only one entrance. The building was
said to contain 1000 chambers and a hall
built of marble, adorned with statues of the
gods 5th. The Pharos of Alexandria, tower
built by order of Ptolemy Philadelphus, in the
year 2s2 B. c. 1t was erected a. a light house,
and contained magnificent galleries Of marble,
large lantern at the top the light Of which
was seen near hundred miles of, mirrors Of