Volcano weekly ledger., 1856-03-08

LIFE OF THE WEsT PoNT CApEr.-IIe
sleeps in the barracks, in room with one
other; at halfpast five in the winter the rev.
ellie wakes him; he Immediately arises
doubles up his blankets and matrass, places
them on The head of bis iron bedstead he
studies until seven O'Clock; at that hour the
drum beats for breakfast, and the cadets fall
into rank and proceed to the mess hail.
Twenty minutes is the usual time spent at
breakfast.
Guard mounting takes place at halfpast
seven, and twenty-four men are placed on
guard every day. At eight o'clock the bu-
gle sounds, and recitation commences.
At one O'Clock the bugle sounds again, the
professors dismiss their respective stations,
the cadets form ranks opposite the barracks,
and march to dinner.
Between eleven and one o'clock part Of
the cadets ere occupied in riding, and others
in fencing, daily After dinner they have
until two o'clock for recreation and from two
to four they are employed in recitation. At
four o'clock the buglc sounds and they go
either to battalion or light artillery and other
drill
This exercise lasts an hour and a half
After that they devote the same time TO re-
creation until parade, which takes place at
sunset. After parade they form into rank in
front of the barracks, ani the names Of the
deinquents are read by an officer Of the ca
dets
Supper comes ncxt-and after supper re-
creation till eight O'Clock, when the bugle
sounds to call to quarters, and every cadet
must be found in his room within few min
utes, at his study, and must remain there
thus employed until half past nine, when the
bugle sounds-this is called tattoo; and at
ten the drum taps, and every cadet must be
Immediately in bed having his light extin-
guished, and must remain there till morning
If, during the night, the cadet is found to be
absent from his room more than thirty min
utes and does not give satisfactory account
of himself, charges are preferred against him
and he is court-martialed.
The use of intoxicating drink and tobacco
is strongly repudiated so are playing al
chess, wearing whiskers and great many
other things The punishment to which the
cadets are liable are priyation of recreation,
&c, extra hours of duty, reprimands, arrests,
confinement in light prison, confinement to
dark prison, dismission with the privilege oi
resiguing, and public dismisson.
LIFE AND DEAru IN CHINA.-As every
thing relating to the principles and habits o
/ the Chinese is to us matter OF interest, w'
! select from an authentic source the following
as Illustrative of tie low estimation they pu
upon human life, even in the case Of thei
own offspring:
The number Of people who annually die il
-.
| China, is said to be truly frightful. Multi
tudes perish from starvation, from inunda
tions, and from suicide; and the late civil wa
has exterminated by famine, disease and tn
sword, millions Of men. women and children
/ Sir John Bowring asserts that at one perlo,
Of his residence in China, five hundred vic
tins fell daily by the hands of the headsman
Reverence for life there is none; and the dea'
are treated with the utmost indifference
corpse being often seen under the table Q
gamblers, and putrid body at the threshold
of door In many parts Of China, strang
TO saw. there are towers of brick or stone
whcge female children are thrown by thei
parents into a hole madc in the inside Of tn
wall: aud it is asserted that, while the desir
for offspring seems to be universal, inianti
eide prevails to an extent unequalled in an.
i other country; and, most astonishing, th'
childess wife Of Chinese willingly coincide
with the husband in introducing into tn
household any number Of concubines, whom
he is able to maintain, and she exercises Owe
them an undisputed authority, aud the clils
of a eoncubine is bound to pay higher re
spect to the lawful wife than to bis owl
mother.