ever been permitted to arrive; but, at the same time, offered to supply the traveller with another conductor, who should carry him to the Land of Confidence a region where the inhabitants lived with the utmost tranquillity, and tasted almost as much satisfaction as if in the Land of Certainty. Not waiting for a reply, he stamped three times on the ground, and called forth the Demon of Error, a gloomy fiend of the servants of Arimanes. The yawning earth gave up the reluctant savage, who seemed unable to bear the light of day. His stature was enormous, his colour black and hideous, his aspect betrayed a thousand varying passions, and he spread forth pinions that were fitted for the most rapid flight. The traveller at first was shocked at the spectre; but, finding him obedient to superior power, he assumed his former tranquillity.

666

6

'I have called you to duty,' cries the genius to the demon, 'to bear on your back a son of mortality over the Ocean of Doubts into the Land of Confidence. I expect you'll perform your commission with punctuality. And as for you,' continued the genius, addressing the traveller, when once I have bound this fillet round your eyes, let no voice of persuasion, nor threats the most terrifying, persuade you to unbind it in order to look round; keep the fillet fast, look not at the ocean below, and you may certainly expect to arrive at a region of pleasure.'

"Thus saying, and the traveller's eyes being covered, the demon, muttering curses, raised him on his back, and, instantly upborne by his strong pinions, directed his flight among the clouds. Neither the loudest thunder nor the most angry tempest could persuade the traveller to unbind his eyes. The demon directed his flight downward, and skimmed the surface of the ocean; a thousand voices, some with loud invectives, others in sarcastic tones of contempt, vainly endeavoured to persuade him to look round; but he still continued to keep his eyes cov

ered, and would, in all probability, have arrived at the happy land, had not flattery effected what other means could not perform. For now he heard himself welcomed on every side to the promised land, and a universal shout of joy was sent forth at his safe arrival: the wearied traveller, desirous of seeing the long-wished-for country, at length pulled the fillet from his eyes, and ventured to look round him. But he had unloosed the band too soon: he was not yet above half way over. The demon, who was still hovering in the air, and had produced those sounds only in order to deceive, was now freed from his commission; wherefore, throwing the astonished traveller from his back, the unhappy youth fell headlong into the subjacent Ocean of Doubts, from whence he never after was seen to arise."

***

FROM LIEN CHI ALTANGI TO

STERDAM.

MERCHANT IN AM

The Description of True Politeness.-Two Letters of different Countries by Ladies falsely thought Polite at Home.

CEREMONIES are different in every country, but true politeness is everywhere the same. Ceremonies, which take up so much of our attention, are only artificial helps which ignorance assumes in order to imitate politeness, which is the result of good sense and good nature. A person possessed of those qualities, though he had never seen a court, is truly agreeable; and if without them, would continue a clown, though he had been all his life a gentleman usher.

How would a Chinese, bred up in the formality of an Eastern court, be regarded, should he carry all his good manners beyond the great wall? How would an Englishman skilled in all the decorums of Western good-breeding, appear at an Eastern en

tertainment? Would he not be reckoned more fantastically savage than even the unbred footman?

Ceremony resembles that base coin which circulates through a country by the royal mandate: it serves every purpose of real money at home, but is entirely useless abroad: a person who should attempt to circulate his native trash in another country would be thought ridiculous or culpable. He is truly well-bred who knows when to value and when to despise those national peculiarities which are regarded by some with so much observance: a traveller of taste at once perceives that the wise are polite all the world over, but that fools are only polite at home.

I have now before me two very fashionable letters upon the same subject, both written by ladies of distinction, one of whom leads the fashion in England, and the other sets the ceremonies of China. They are both regarded in their respective countries by all the beau monde as standards of taste and models of true politeness, and both give us a true idea of what they imagine elegant in their admirers: which of them understands true politeness, or whether either, you shall be at liberty to determine. The English lady writes thus to her female confidant:

"As I live, my dear Charlotte, I believe the colonel will carry it at last; he is a most irresistible fellow, that's flat. So well dressed, so neat, so sprightly, and plays about one so agreeably, that I vow he has as much spirits as the Marquis of Monkeyman's Italian greyhound. I first saw him at Ranelagh: he shines there he is nothing without Ranelagh, and Ranelagh nothing without him. The next day he sent a card and compliments, desiring to wait on mamma and me to the music subscription. He looked all the time with such irresistible impudence, that, positively, he had something in his face which gave as much pleasure as a pair royal of naturals in my own hand. He waited on mamma and me next

morning to know how we got home: you must know the insidious devil makes love to us both. Rap went the footman at the door, bounce went my heart: I thought he would have rattled the house down. Chariot drove up to the window, with his footmen in the prettiest liveries: he has infinite taste, that's flat. Mamma had spent all the morning at her head; but, for my part, I was in an undress to receive him quite easy, mind that: no way disturbed at his approach: mamma pretended to be as degagée as I, and yet I saw her blush in spite of her. Positively he is a most killing devil! We did nothing but laugh all the time he stayed with us: I never heard so many very good things before. At first he mistook mamma for my sister, at which she laughed: then he mistook my natural complexion for paint, at which I laughed; and then he showed us a picture on the lid of his snuff-box, at which we all laughed. He plays piquet so very ill, and is so very fond of cards, and loses with such a grace, that, positively, he has won me: I have got a cool hundred, but have lost my heart. I need not tell you that he is only a colonel of the trainbands. I am, dear Charlotte, yours for ever, BELINDA."

The Chinese lady addresses her confidant, a poor relation of the family, upon the same occasion, in which she seems to understand decorums even better than the Western beauty. You, who have resided so long in China, will readily acknowledge the picture to be taken from nature; and, by being acquainted with Chinese customs, will better apprehend the lady's meaning.

FROM YAOUA TO YAYA.

"PAPA insists upon one, two, three, four hundred tales from the colonel, my lover, before he parts with a lock of my hair. Ho, how I wish the dear creature may be able to produce the money, and pay

papa my fortune. The colonel is reckoned the politest man in all Shensi. The first visit he paid at our house-mercy, what stooping, and cringing, and stopping, and fidgeting, and going back, and creeping forward there was between him and papa; one would have thought he had got the seventeen books of ceremonies all by heart. When he was come into the hall, he flourished his hands three times in a very graceful manner. Papa, who would not be outdone, flourished his four times; upon this the colonel began again, and both thus continued flourishing for some minutes in the politest manner imaginable. I was posted in the usual place behind the screen, where I saw the whole ceremony through a slit. Of this the colonel was sensible, for papa informed him. I would have given the world to have shown him my little shoes, but had no opportunity. It was the first time I had ever the happiness of seeing any man but papa; and I vow, my dear Yaya, I thought my three souls would actually have fled from my lips. Ho, but he looked most charmingly; he is reckoned the best-shaped man in the whole province, for he is very fat and very short; but even those natural advantages are improved by his dress, which is fashionable past description. His head was close shaven, all but the crown, and the hair of that was braided into a most beautiful tail; that, reaching down to his heels, was terminated by a bunch of yellow roses. Upon his first entering the room, I could easily perceive he had been highly perfumed with asafoetida. But then his looks, his looks, my dear Yaya, were irresistible! He kept his eyes steadfastly fixed on the wall during the whole ceremony, and I sincerely believe no accident could have discomposed his gravity, or drawn his eyes away. After a polite silence of two hours, he gallantly begged to have the singing women introduced, purely for my amusement. After one of them had for some time entertained us with her