, 1889-03-28

girl In order that she might adopt the
baby OF q neiahbor to raise as wife for
her little son. and missionary
there told me of man who went
around peddling children. There
Is a foundIing asylum here,
which upon the payment OF 20 cents BY the
other, will take q girl baby to raise. but
these girls are sold as soon they grow
much past the weaving age, and they are
bought In large numbers by brothel keep
ers. The ling Of girls for wives and
concubines Is com mon and full grown
maidens bring from S25 upward. I spent
day sitting beside the Chinese judge in
the mixed court in Shanghai and among
the cases tried was that Of an old woman
who wanted to prosecute mandarin tor
breaking his contract in the buying of her
daughter. The girl was sold for $3O and
the mandarin took her with him to Formo-
81 but did not pay the mother. Babies are
often bought here, their eyes are put out
and they are raised as blind beRgars.
AMONG THE BEGaARs.
There are thousands Of blind beg9ars
here In Canton. and going through the
city to-day saw at least 800 of all ages
and sexes. They went in groups of six
and eight In ling file and the leader
could see just !, oug to get along. The
others held on 100 q another's clothes.
and all from deri,pit old women to little
blind boys, held ont little AAt round bask.
cts, and Turning up their siehtless eyes
asked for aims in piteous tones. These
blind bepRars come from the
out daily to beg through the city and then
stand in front of the shop until its owner
pays them to 20 away. They barely get
more than the tenth of cent from single
man, and inasmuch as the asylum fur
nishes them but little food they are pale,
thin and pititully ragged The sackcoth
in which the beggar Of China is usually
clad is of the coarse coffee sackn1. He il
dirty and loathsome to an extreme, and
would as soon think of touching small
nox patient or leper as one OF these beg
gars.
CONSULAR GOSSIP.
Mr.. Charles Sc, mour, the American
consul at Canton. has been my companio
during much of the week have spent
here. He understands this city and dis
trlct better, perhaps than any other for
eigner in 1T. He Is the senior consul
among the foreign representatives here,
and during the dangerous troubles OF che
French war he was the only consul who
had nerve enough to take matters in hand
and not run from the Chinese mob. He
has about 40, OOO, 900 people in his consular
district, and his position is more
that Of minister than consul.
He has the worst element of the Chinese to
deal with, and in the foreign changes
made by President Cleveland, he was one
OF the few republicans left in office. The
foreign colonies in Asia are now discuss.
ing the three American weddings Of this
winter. Pretty American girls are as
much in demand here as in London, and
Mr., Seymour's daughter is 10 be married
in about month TO the manager of the
b g house of Jardine, Mathieson x Co.,
MIR. MacHafiin. a young Scotchman who
has lived some years In China. Jardine,
Mathieson IL Co. Is the wealthiest Of the
foreign firms in China, and Jardine has
buildings at Shanghai which rent for
$4,000 a year. The company have large es-
Establishments for both residence and bust.
ness, and Miss Seymour will preside over
a big estabilsb ment at Cantor. Colonel
Denby's daughter, who was very popular
among tue foreign legations at Peking, Is
to be married in Mvrch to the grandson
of Admiral Wilkes. The wedding il to
take place in America, and Miss DENLY is
now in the United States. The other
wedding is that of the daughter OF tine
consul at Ningpo. It was celebrated to
last of November and the wedding was a
large one.