The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-05-17
EXTRACTS FROM NEW BOOKS.
INSIDE CANTON.
BY DIR. IVAN.
I From The Io1flOn AthenT1LJn

Canton, as painted by DR.. WAN, is city in a
kaleidoscope, mighty prison rejecting million
rays Ofght and brilliance, sapphire sphere, with
glittering radiations, world of vermion, gauze
and enamel. The China OF DIR. IVAN is the China
of Apologies and romances, lowery, mosaic, illumi-
nated-an ivory empire, 4 box of multitudinous
toys, realm of gardens, pavilions, bridges and ar
tfcial waters. The travellers kindled fancy, we
suspect, was at work on the waters and among the
palaces of Canton for, although his descriptions
may be in good faith and founded in fact he bur
nishes them into theatrical lustre and raises the
tain upon scene more gorgeous, quaint and fasci-
mating than opium caters vision. In this opinion
we are confirmed by DR.. Yvan's stray testimonies
concerning himself for he is at pains to conceal
the truth, that he sees through optic glass
very peculiarly tinted. At Canton he is in costa
cies.
In London, eternal fog would weigh down his
eyelids and roll melancholy shadows about his
brain. He has but one practical reminiscence of
England, and that is when "thOse inspid bits of
fried or roasted meat which people eat in London"
are contrasted with the delicaces of the race that
leeds on rats, kakkerlacs, rice, fatty cakes, and
puppies; but to enjoy the Doctors vivacitv, the
reader should be in good humor and in creduous
mood; and in that case, this volume will be pleas
anter to him than a chapter from "The Book of Ten
Thousand delights: or, the Garden of Knowledge
Inside Canton, indeed, written apparently from
sense of gratitude to hosPitable people,-to the
young girl, for instance, who first presented the
Foreign Devil with well-boiled polished scmitrans
parent RICE grown in salt soil and cooked as rice
should be, so as to leave each grain separate from
the others, or to the luebuttOned mandarin who
entertained him in vast puzzle of delicate archi-
lecture, constituting palace in China.
The house into which DR.. WAN was originally in
troduced at Canton was of composite disorder,
mingling the European with the Oriental, with a
ROOT oi sparkling granite stores of silk, tea, and
musk, and hospitable ranges of apartments hung
with silk, separated by ivory and ebony lattices
and in the harem portions decorated with species
of Pornography, that would have shocked Apueius
and given Parrhasius hint. Here, however, we
will not linger. The odor of Europe follows us;
but we escape from it in overtowing street of
Canton.
"And yet, in these waves of population, among
this compact crowd, we did not single woman
single child, single carriage, a single wagon, 4
single horse, a single dog, or single cat; we be-
held only men; everywhere men; men in silk robes,
men IN pointed hats, men tanning themselves, men
loaded with goods, or chair-porters. If we were
to stop, for Il few instants, the current of women
children, and of rolling and Of creaking machines,
which ncessantly traverse the principal streets of
Parls, the latter would suddenly be silent and de-
serted. Let the reader imagine, from this, the
enormous population of Canton"
No Aceldama, Dark and Bloody ground no
Golgotha, no execution ground slippery with the
blood OF perpetual massacre-in China nicknamed
Justlce-nothing of that which once shocked Stavo-
rinus and now appals ''Our Own Correspondent" !"
did DR.. Gval see All was pleasant and lvely
g The passengers We're little citizens, wearing
the long blue robe, the violet camail and the black
silk cap; members of the lower classes dressed
IN blue nankeen; beggars covered with rags, or
dressed in rattan mats; hawkers, itnerant barbers
dentists, restaurateurs, and dealers in sweatmeats
In the midst of these pcbeans moved mandarins
carried in their massive chairs by four robust
young fellows; rich merchants and Young literary
men, comfortably installed in their chairs of light
bamboo. At times certain portable cells strongly
excited my curiosity; they were yelled from all
eyes, and presented so discreet physiognomy that
presumed they contained the joys of the interior
apartments l was not mistaken. They were
young women going out to pay visits. They were
usually accompanied by one or two duennas, who
walked between the shafts of the paanuuin, hiding
their faces with their fans
Phantasy seemed to him the soul of Chinese life.
1t was visible cverywhere-in wood carved into
lace, in little silkdraped chapels in the concentrc
balls, in the military boots with beaver socs in the
music OF the Empire, in parasols, paanquins and
Dronzes, IN polished sicate, lacquer and porcelain
The lapdary of China is the prime inventor of these
grotesque celebrations.
''There are human figures with faces carved in
yellow nephrtes, clothed in turquoscs or pieces OF
Jet there are women without feet, cut in transpa-
rent amber, who resemble the bulbs at the end of
burushes. These antastical creatures live in Jasper
houses built upon mountains of granite; the parks
OF these chateauX are shaded by trees with laps-
lazuli trunks and branches and crystal leaves and
fruit The sky earth, and sea correspond with these
strange compositions; the clouds of jade, and
cast green reflections heavy silver unks sail anon
the sea, the waves of which are golden, and the
ground is strewed with mineral spangles, which re-
fleet the solar rays in brilliant sparks.'
Night on the waters of Canton:
"Upon the roof beats the tam-tam; rockets are
fired from the mast-heads; from every window
sounds the music of shri voices and issues half
muiled light. 1t must be confessed these procc-
dures OF invitation are very successful. On every
hand, you may now see, noiselessly threading the
stream, boats laden with girls, boats laden with
wealthy merchannts-yes, and boats laden with
young students. 1t is even so! Just the same here
as with us in Paris! Dance or not dance, these
Chinese students find their way to their casino !
But let US watch Though some of these motley
cargoes discharge on board the flower boats, other
cargoes are leaving them; it is not uncommon to
see gorgeous mandarin-boats, lanterns lit and pend
nts1ylng glide up to take in a cargo of handsome
girls, and then glide off again, to unload their
charming freight before some one of the places
which border the canals of the Tchou-k kang!'
1t was a vision of pearl lanterns, of young dan
cling girls in short blue and and rose colored skirts
OF mandarins playing chess, of kosks, pyramids OF
flowers, epicureans eating branless ducks and force
meat balls painted tapestries, and gimpses of abom
Unable mystery. Also, of ladies feasting:
ga very charming and winsOme object is n Chi
nese woman eating Our pretty messmates helped
themselves, with the ends of their chopsticks from
the dishes spread upon the table, to a Nankin uju-
be, a bit of of ginger, of water-iy confcctiOn,
and carried it to their lips with mincing dclcacy
of movement, which made them look like pet birds
being fed, beak full at a time"
We will enter Chinese interior with DR.. IVAN
"The little chamber of Madame Pan-se-Chen, for
instance, is admirable boudoir-sofas chairs,
toilet-tabes, and the rest being made of beautiful
wood, chiselled with infinite art-but her bed "
ing underneath network of gauze, is filter for a
nuns penance than to rest the soft limbs of del
icate lady. A few strips of bamboo in a nankin
paasse serve for mattress, and the quilts attach
ed to the cotton sheet. might say Just the same
of a splendid hall which Pan-se- Chen had Just got
completed. The floor, in wood of different coors,
was covered with beautiful devices; the ceilings
were gilt like a shrine. The floor, cornices, and
walls were frightened with that wonderful varnish
which makes the substances to which it is applied
look like blocks of marble, porphyry, or other
rare stones, cut and polished.'
And here is the lady of the palace in the midst of
twelve plump handmaids
"Ths frail and delicate little creature, resembled
sprig of jessamine swayed by the wind; her love
able and enderly chiselled features wore an EXPIRES
sion in which smiling and sadness blended;
one might have fancied her thoughts were ROSY
white the hue which art had lent to her cheeks.
Her eyes like two black pearls, sent from behind
the shelter of her sken lashes soft languorous
glances, or sparkling rays of innocent womanly
malice. Notwithstanding little want of grace in
its curve, her nose would not have dsiigured an
European countenance. Madame Lii was ladylike
after the manner of charming young girl; her dig
nifty was intantine in its grace And on one of
the great sofas of black wood she sat see-sawinp
her legs backwards and forwards, showing her feet
encased in slippers broidered with gold, and her
ancles hung with bracelets, picking the leaves off
eyulan flower with her pretty little fingers muir
muring musically rather than talking-you could
hardly help feeling as if you could eat her up like
an orange flower"
This grand lady chastised one of her damses in
the presence of the visitors, and sent her bushinr
smarting, and sobbing into corner. Generally
speaking, says DR.. WAN:
"The law of association will always rule; and
Chinese woman, to be seen l have painted her,
must be seen in the gided prison which man has
made for her. Iou must watch her tottering
along, screen in hand, over those brilliant floors
which reflect her features, watch her seated in her
porcelain chair, her little body swaying to and
er-ofpearl chopsticks, which so well become her
little fingers and her little mouth! Removed from
these native conditions, the Chinese woman is a car
feature"
This translation has been neatly executed
and the volume is timely, and of proper COM
plexion.