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 a
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
Chna)
"What give you for that wiley wife yours!'
"Oh!" 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 "s'pOse you give
her to me give you five thousand dollar
1T 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 placdty AZ he
could assume. The mandarin, however, con-
tinued to press his bargain
give you seuen thousand dollar, said he,
a. 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, at length,
to inform his visiter that Englishmen were not
in the habit of selling their wives after they
were once in their possesson-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, as he
had that moment been offered seven thousand
dollars for her a very high fix re, "as wives
were going" in China at the time.
HdrperS Magdsms
CATERPILLAR FUNGUs-On the subject of
fungi of all the strange fungi that | ever met
wth--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 this
district is the most strange. | believe the in
sect is, at one stage of it's existence, a large
gray moth at another, it becomes catcrpil-
lar When tired of n somewhat dull life, it
bures itself in the earth and after death
sumes fungous FORM or at least there springs
from its skeleton "A fungous 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 IL years in making 1t stood
across the harbor Of Rhodes sc years, and was
then thrown down by an earthquake 1t was
bought by a Jew from the Saracens, who load
ed 900 cames with the brass ID. The Pyra-
mids Of Egypt The largest one engaged
100000 workmen 80 years in building, and
has now stood at least 1000 years. 3D. The
Aqueducts Of Rome, invented by Appius Clau-
dius the censor 4th, The Labyrinth Of Psam-
metichus ON the banks of the Nile, containing
within one continued wall 900 houses, and
~ royal palaces all covered with marble, and
having only one entrance. The building was
said to contain 1900 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 as 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