The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1858-08-12

We extract the following from the letter
Of the London Tunes correspondent at
Shanghai:
A fisherman aud his wife push their way
by. The lady, who IL not in her premiere
jsun,sss, Inns large natural feet, and having
tucked up her trowscrs, displays pair Of
calves which an Irish porter might envy.
Taking advantage of their wake, stiilly tot.
ters upon her small deers leet an extraordi.
nary China woman OF the urban population.
She has no calves whatever. The muscle
Of her legs was destroyed by the operation
that produced that beautiful foot. and from
the knee downards her lex il nothing but
skin and bone. DO you ask how this strange
deiormty h produced Stand back Of the
crowd, inside the entrance TO Mr.. Ileard's
compound, and will tell you There are
small footed woman at Hong Kong. who
gain very fair livelihood by exhibiting their
pedal extremties Ia sea captains and other
curious Europeans. ut dollar head but,
m 10 superficial an examination Of this mn.
tional popularity did not satisfy me, had
recourse Ia some OF my good friends
among the missionaries. by their aid Oh
tanned tina, some poor Chinese woman should
bring me complete gamut of little girls
from the mis- 10 Iary school.
Many OF these female children probably
owed their lives to the persuasion aided by
opportnne donations of rice) OF my mission
AIRY friend and his lady; but their influence
had been powerlcss to prevent the torture
OF the feet, On the appointed day they
were all seated In u row IN my friends IT,
brary AMI their ieet. which. | suspect. had
undergone PREDATORY washing, were un
bound 10y their mammas. The first was
u child Of two years old Her penancc had
just begun. When the bandagr OF blue
cotton was taken OH, found that the great
toe had been leit untouched. but the other
four had been forced down under the ball OF
the loot. AMI closely bound in that position
The child. therefore. walked upon the knuck
L. joints Of her four toes The toss were
red and inilamed. and the liga,ure caused
much pain. In the next thrrc children (all
Of ages advancing at small in,ervalsl the
preparation WINS only 10 tn same cNtent--it
was continc, 10 the four toes. Gradually,
however, these four tocs. ccding TO the con
tiiuui NNst hIituhtitu ~
identity as limbs. aud became amalga,c,i
with the soc OF the foot.
In the eldest OF the four the redncss and
the inflammation had entirely disappeared. the
foot was cool and painless, and appeared ~
though the iour'toes had been cut Oh with a
knife. The foot was now somewhat the
shape of the trowel. In the fifth girl saw
the commencement Of the second operation
"A torture under which sickly children IRE
quently die. The sole Of the foot was new
curved into the shape OF bow the great
toe and the heel being brought together as
near rs possible. Take jujube and double
1t till two points Of the lozenge nearly meet,
and you will sc what mean. This is done
very gradually. The bandage is never
slaekened-month by month IL is drawn
tighter the foot inilames and swells, but
the tender mama psrevcr,s; as the bone and
tendon accommodate themselves to the posi-.
ton constrained by the bandage. 80 |, is
drawn tighter.
into the hollow Of the sole, the 100, Of the
great toe is brought into cootac, with the
heel. The foot is shapeless lump The
instep is where the ankle was, and oil tina,
Is lett to go into the slipper and to tread the
ground Is the ball Of the gr At toe and the
heel. This is the small foo, Of the Chinese
women-a bit Of toe and bit Of heel, with
. mark like cicatrice left after huge cut.
running up between them. Two Of the girls
were yet suffering great pain, and their fret
were bot and intiamed but in the eldest
the operation WAS complete. She had at,
tanned to the position Of . small footed wo-
man and her feet were quite cool. had no
corns, and were not tender 10 the touch