Civilian & telegraph. [volume] (Cumberland, Md.) 1859-1875, 1860-02-09
Misuel(anruus.
For the Cirilin and Telegraph.
Shanghai, China.

Sir, send you few extracts from lot
tor just received from China, presuming that
they will be of interest to many of your read
ers, especially to those who are personally
acquainted with the writer: L.
suppose you wish to hear why wo did
not stay at Shantung. After the defeat Of
the English, We waited and waited in sus-
penso to hear something Of the American
treaty. We waited until September. Az
last the news came that the Americans had
succeeded, but the wording of the Treaty was
That We should have every privilege Of
the most favored nation" II the English
had succeeded, we of course could lave had
the same privileges that they had, but as
they failed, our Treaty is not worth much
The Russians however, in their treaty, had
stipulated that certain number of mission =
aries should be allowed to travel unm olested
through any part of China. OF course, we
are entitled to tho same privilege, if our
Minister will only interest hi mself enough in
the matter. Well, as our treaty
named no ports to be opened, We have no
more right at Cheefoo now. than before
Still the people look upon Americans as
friends, and perhaps wemight have been able
to rent a house, but it was late in the season,
ord the houses are not fit to live in, in the
winter, without considerable work, having
only ground floors, no glass windows, and no
fire places. So we took passage and were six
days coming down-got here, at Shanghai,
about the middle of September, and have
gone to house. keeping agair. Again gone
to studying regularly every day; and am
as busy as bee from morning till night, with
health a great deal better than when / left
\ america, and feel like an altogether different
person than when first reached China, after
tie trying voyage on the Falcon.
on ask what kind Of vegetables we have
We have Tomatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Bamboo,
Egg plants, Radishcs, and Water Chesnuts.
The latter taste very much like green corn.
Cabbage is brought here from Shantung.-
We get corn meal sometimes. Most vegeta-
oes are cheap. Eggs are about eight cents
per dozen, the year round. Chickens are
much dearer than in Cumberland, owing to
he great demand for them, to supply the
shipping.
Shanghai -four is not good. Foreign -four
s high. Butter here sells for so cts, per.
pound. Some of ours that we brought from
New York is left yet When that is out !
hink we will try keeping goats, and make
DUR own butter. mentioned in one Of my
letters that wc had Fig tree in our yard
Il has borne figs since then, but fresh figs are
not near as good as dried ones. Shall / tell
,ou little of Chinese customs. One thing
hat looks very queer, is to see two Chinese
women riding in wheelbarrow. The wheel
3arrows are made with wheel in the mid
lie, and one woman sits on each side Of it,
This is a custom among the poorer class who
annot afford to ride in Sedan chair
Another queer custom exists at Shantung.-
They don't keep any fire in the day time,
,ut their beds are placed on singular sort
# bedstead built Of brick and mortar, some
hing like an oven, under which they build
fire at night, and suppose thoy sleep very
comfortably. At Shanghai, the Chinese do
,ot keep any fire day or night, except when
hey kindle little to cook their rice, but
hey uad their clothes with cotton. The
,hildren appear Dearly as broad as long, and
lon't often hurt themselves if they happen
o fall, for they can't feel it through all that
,otton. hardly know how to give you an
dea of the state ofthings here. The amount
If comfort. convenience, &C., enjoyed by the
,oreigners, exceeds my expectations, at tho
,anie time tie wretchedness, misery, dirt
and disease, which meets us at al
most every turn, exceeds any thing had i'm
,glncd.
Nov. 7TH.--I have just been in the kitch-
IN putting up tomatoes in cans, had Chi
naman to make some cans after the plan of
,ur patent cans at home. am really so
busy that have scarcely time to write any
more. We hired a servant at Shantung, who
made his way down here over land to us, l
think he is going to turn out quite good
servant, he had never seen a foreign house
rntil he rsaehed SHANGHAI He has one vir-