in all things, is highly developed both mentally and physically,
though its government, as judged by Western ideas, is hopelessly
obsolete.

If left to themselves I see no reason why the Chinese should not
slumber on as they now are till the crack of doom, but, the world
having become so reduced in size through the agencies of steam and
electricity, they never will again be left undisturbed, but more and
more subjected to the pressure of other nationalities in the feverish
struggle for domination and wealth. To this pressure they will surely
yield in one way or another. Will they forestall the inevitable by
reforming themselves, or will they for a time fall beneath the foreign
yoke until they have learnt their lesson, and then reassert their
solidarity and independence?

In whatever light we may view these people or animadvert on their
numberless contradictory qualities and failings, it is as certain as
day and night that they are here to stay, if only by force of numbers,
and that no political convulsions will wipe them out. They may be
battered and even sundered for a time, but each successive shock will
only serve to resuscitate their vitality.

Already possessing an equipment of wealth, numbers, thrift, good
physique and high mental power, they only await good government to
start them along the rails of progress. Whatever nations may rise or
fall, the future is big with promise for the children of Han.

* * * * *

[Sidenote: LANGUAGE.]

The Chinese language is like China itself: colossal!

Roughly, the mandarin or official language is spoken by all officials
throughout the empire and by all classes in those provinces which lie
north of the Yangtse, while south of this line Cantonese is the
principal dialect, although the number of others is legion, and so
pronounced are the differences between them that countrymen dwelling
but a few miles apart are frequently at a loss to understand each
other.

On one occasion, when making "a little trip to Japan," I took my
Pekingese boy with me. Having missed the fortnightly mail-boat I made
the passage from Chefoo in a small German collier, and on arrival at
Nagasaki took rickshas to the hotel. In the streets were a goodly
number of Chinese, members of a considerable colony of small traders,
and the sight of compatriots in a foreign land greatly delighted the
boy, who, on my departure after tiffin to make a tour of the town,
asked if he