Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1871-06-14
FACTS ABOUT THE CHINESE.
Their .anenare and .caston,s.

| n correspondent of the Cleveland %.
Lc0dcr, travelling with Secretary Seward
writes some Interesting facts about tho
Chinese, MS follows: -.>'
! The spoken language Of China 50 differ,
| in every separate province, that peoplC
! living within a hundred miles can nom6re
understand each others dialect than an
| Englishman can understand a Spaniard
/ The Mandarin or court dialect is more
common than any other, and is used ut the
capital and among officials throughout the
| empire.
The difficulty Of acquiring language SO
artificial and elaborate rs the Chinese. and
which only the missionaries attempt ia
| learn, has given rise to a curious iargon
called pigeon English - which is the eX-
clusivemcdium of communication between
natives and foreigners at the open ports.
Ask native to pronounce the word "busi-
ness" " and he will produce a sound that
more resembles "pigeon" than anything
else, and hence the term pigeon Eng
lsh.n
Before / became proficient in the Ian
guage. ] one day told a servant at the hotel
to go up to my room and bring the book |
was reading yesterday. He started but
stirred not, evidently not understanding
my request \ friend translated my mes
sage thus: 200 tOpSidc and cutcbcc one
JItCCft DOOhCc Cftt sumo Tffftt NCSgf FCfgfV,' ~
OFF he started like a shot
The Chinese currency in dealing with
foreigners is, like that of the japanese,
exclusively Mexican dollars. They have
no coin of their own, except copper cash
value One-tenth of cent, and you will
sometimes meet Coolies loaded down with
this coin in strings of 100 to 600.
Every Cinnamon received into the SER
vice of a foreigner is expected to give n
hniI hnn1 hiC hnnnCtN- y1-l,isl, Lin,I. III
his relatives. Father, mother, wife and
children would all be ruined by his mis-
conduct.
The custom of binding the girls feet is
not so universal as / first supposed. 1t is
mark of gentility, and among the fash
ionable and wealthy classes of women, of
whom the stranger sees very few, it is said
to be universal.
Fond mothers commence to bind their
daughters feet when very young with
narrow strips of cotton wound tightly
about them, until the foot assumes the
form of an acute triangle, the big toe form
ing the apex the others being bent under
the foot and almost absorbed. The effect
of this deformity is to produce AN ungrace-
ful, tottering gait, which, however, is as
sociateh here with theidea of good breed
ing and gentility.
When Chinaman has committed
crime which has made him amendable to
the laws he is very apt to commit suicide
aud cheat the gallows. He is very sensi-
tive to the disgrace which would be brought
upon himseHand his family; although L !
do not think the Chinese entertain any
high moral sentiment which would lead !
them to do right because it is right. They |
are generous aud hospitable to fault, aud |
for the sake of appearances will often in
volve themselves in expenditures, especial |
y at weddings and funerals, that keep |
Them under the harrow for years.
. While at Shanghai | was glad to accept |
he invitation Of very wealthy Chinese !