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Leader (1850-1860), 11th December 1858, Edition 2 of 2, Page 12, THE WAR TIGER. The War Tiger. Bv William...

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      1348 The Leadj_U. [No. 455, Decembekjli,...

      1348 THE LEADj _ U . [ No . 455 , DecembekJLI , 1858 .

      The War Tiger. The War Tiger. Bv William...

      THE WAR TIGER . The War Tiger . Bv William Dal ton . Griffith and Farran . Mr . Dai / tost , who has already favourably introduced himself to us in bis Wol f Boy of China , has . chosen a most fortunate moment to "bring forth- another work , calculated to display throughout a very sparkling and lively romance , the manners and habits of a people who are about for the first time to throw open their country to the trading visits of the " European Barbarians . " The War Tiger is

      a light volume , pretending to no serious weight , and brought forward as a means of affording picturesque and exciting views of the habits of the Chinese ; it may fairly be recommended , as it fully carries out its purpose . In such a tale probability is not a necessary ingredient , and of this fact Mr . Dalton avails himself liberally . The hero is a sort of Gliine . Don Quixote , accompanied throughout his adventures by a faithful esquire , named Chow . Their first meeting is thus told :- — ami after

      Then the first officer took the glass , gazing for some time , said , " Truly , my brothers , this is no ship , but a frightful demon that the insulted Ma-tsoo-po has sent from the bottom . of the sea to devour us for carrythis impious youth . " This -was sufficient for the superstitious fear of the crew , -who , clustering towards Nicholas ,. -with one voice cried , " Over the side with the irreligious dog . " Seeing no other chance , the boy ran to the stem of the vessel , and , keeping them at a distance with his sword , said , " Let my brothers open their ears . Their servant has brought this calamity upon them , but will yet save them from the anger of the demon by seeking him before he reaches the vessel , for surely the demon will be satisfied with one victim . "

      " The boy ' s words are good , and if he will pay for the boat it shall be so , otherwise it is not -well that we should lose its value , " said the artful captain , fearing he should lose any money Nicholas might have about his person . . " Back , rat , " said he to the advancing captain , keeping him off with his sword , and springing sidewards on to the edge of the junk , adding , " Lower the boat , with provisions , and I will give you silver ; refuse , and I will leap into the sea . " Fearing he would keep his word , the crew placed some rice cakes and a small >\* ater cask ia tlxe boat aod lowered it ; and when Nicholas saw it fairly afloat , and held but bv one cord , he scrambled down , the side like a

      cat , drew his sword across the rope , threw a handful of silver upon the deck , and palled so hard at the oars that in a very short time he was far out of the cowards ' reach and on his way to the floating demon ; which , however , be had no sooner caught full sight of than he laughed till he could handle the oars nc longer , for the terrible demon who had scared the wits of the sailors proved to ba neither more nor less than a great tree which the circular winds had wrested from the earth with such violence that the root bad dragged with it a mass of earth and pebbles sufficient to keep it afloat in a perfectly upright position , when , with its spreading branches and lower boughs , it bore in the distance no bad resemblance to a well-rigged vessel .

      Rowing cautiously , for fear the tree might topple over and upset bis boat , he heard a faint cry . Surely it could not be human ; he listened ; again he heard it ; and looking upwards you may imagine bis astonishment at seeing a boy sitting across one of the upper branches . " Who cries for help ? " said Nicholas . " It is the miserable Chow , who must die if the benevolent stranger will not aid him , " was the reply . " Canst thou swim , O Chow ? If so , drop into the water , for I dare not come nearer , " said Nicholns ; but

      scarcely had he spoken when a strong gust of wind toppled the tree over , with its groat arms stretched out as if to save itself from falling . Fortunately it fell in an opposite direction to the boat . In the full the boy was dashed so violently upon the water , that becoming instantly senseless hq would have sunk but for Nicholns , who , getting hold of the long hair of his head , managed to drag him into the boat . Upon recovering his senses be said , " Alas I -then , Yen-Vang has poor Chow after all . "

      Thou art far away from the king ; of the lower regions , my poor Chow , " Bald Nicholas . " By the social relations , I inn alivo and on earth—no , on water- —and ungrateful to the benevolent stranger , " said the boy , holding his head with both bands , as if the better to comprehend his situation . " Satisfy thy hunger and say how It happenod that Chow came to bo porohed like a wild gooso on a masthead , " said Nicholas , giving the boy some of the rice cakoa , which toe devoured as ravenously as if he had not tasted food for a week . ...

      The lad , who had so unexpectedly made the acquaintance of Nicholas , was a tall , ' bony youth of about sixteen , with a broad forehead , sparkling black eyes , and covered with a coarse robo , so torn and tattorod , that ho might have passed for a beggar of the lovost class , Our hero , after innumerable adventures , nmvos at Pekiu , and through a luoky aooident ( that of

      saying the life of the princess ) , is enabled to penetrate the walls of ' the palace . Previous , however , to his interview with ¦ " the Soil of Heaven , " The War Tiger describes many of the functionaries who surround the imperial throne , amongst others the chief historian of the empire , a post so very peculiar , that it will be best told iu the author ' s own WOl'ds : — . Next this prince , in their robes of office , stood the colaos , or ministers of state , and with them an officer -whose bird-embroidered robe and cap betokened him a mandarin of letters of the highest rank in the great college of Han-Lin . This officer was tutor to tbe heir to the throne , but in addition held art office so peculiar that I do not think you will accuse me of tediousness if I tell you something about it . He was the chief historian of the empire , an appointment which , if carried out with similar integrity , would be creditable to other

      empires besides China . " These historians , " says a writer who resided within the walls of the palace thirty years , " consist of acertain numl er of men , who for their learning and impartiality are purposely chosen for this office . Their business is to observe narrowly not only the actions but the words of the Emperor , which , without any communication with the others , each must write upon a loose piece of paper , and put in through a chink into an office set apart for the purpose .

      "In these pap ? r 3 both the Emperor's virtues and faults are set down , with the same liberty and impartiality . ' Such a day , ' say they , ' the Emperor ' s behaviour was unseasonable and intemperate ; he spoke after a manner which became not his dignity . The punishment which lie inflicted on such an . officer was rather the effect of his passion than the result of his justice . In such an affair , he stopped the sword of justice , and abrogated the just sentence of the magistrate . ' Or else , 'The Emperor entered courageously into a war for the defence of his people and for the maintenance of the honour of his empire ; and , notwithstanding the commendations given him by hid flatterers , he was not puffed up , bit behaved himself modestly , his words were tempered with all the sweetness and humility possible , which made him more loved and admired by his court

      than ever . " Such is the way in which they record down . all that occurs ; but that neither fear on " the one side , nor hope on the other , may bias men to give a partial record of the Emperor , the office -wherein these papers arc kept is never opened during the life of the sovereign , or while any of his family sit upon the throne . When , however , the imperial dignity passes into another family , all these loose inemoirs are gathered together , compared , and a history composed , that either hands down the Emperor as an example to posterity , or exposes him to the censure and odium of the nation , " if be has been negligent of his own duty and his people ' s good . Thus is it the interest of the Emperor to be circumspect , and cautious how he behaves himself during-his " reign . "

      The frequent destruction of idols by The Wat Tiger arc well told , the greed and dishonesty of the Chinese ministers arc graphically treated , while the revolutionary spirit which Mr . Dalton assures us pervades , or did pervade , all China , gives us a curious insight into the perpetually disturbed state of our new allies . "We may safely say that Mr . W . Dajt . on has added another capital volume to the boy ' s library , and we give it great praise when we say that it fully deserves to stand on the shelf with the author ' s previous book , The WoiJ-Jioy of China . Tlie author may now fairly take his p lace as a writer for juveniles—n position of no little importance and difficulty .

      Iron Trade Of The United States. Uistory...

      IRON TRADE OF THE UNITED STATES . Uistory of the Rise and Progress of the Iron Traiia of Che United Stales from 1621 to 1857 . hy B . F . French . New York : Wiley and Ilalatod . London : TrUbnor and Co . Although we arc not . prepared to coincide with tho author of this history in his views on tho subject of protection , we arc happy to admit that we mvo been highly interested as well as instructed by his elaborate memoir on tho Iron Trade of tho United States . Ho has traced the riso and

      progress of tho manufacture from 1021 , when Virginia led tho way , to 1-850 , at which period the ollioial tables seem to stop , and has embodied a mass of authorised statistical information which cannot fail to bo of value to all European manufacturers and economists who tnko interest in tho staple productions of the Statos . His objoct in tho publication of liis work is a political ono . lie desires to exhibit tlio evil effcot of free trade principles upon tho industry of his native country . Ho oomnlains that tho iron trade of tho States luis

      suffered ( wo oannot observe that ho says it / . » suffering ) from fiuanoinl revulsions , which havo , from time to time , brought ruin upon it , and arc bora of

      ircc trade . And he argues that it eau both be foT tcrcd and its results cheapened to the consumer hi the establishment ot permanent protective duiio upon the foreign article , lie coincides with n ¦ I ' rcnch diplomatist who remarked upon a . system of reciprocity and free trade submit ted to him that the p lan was excellent / - in theory , but to make if fair m practice the experiment should be deferred for half a century , until Fiance should be on the same footing with Great Britain in marine , in nia nufactures , and the many other peculiar advantages

      now enjoyed by the latter . Mr . French considers the foregoing-a most ' profound remark , but he must excuse us on the score of nationality it" we differ from him . The Frenchman must have hecn profoundly dull who imagined that Great Britain was going to wait fifty years for her fellow nations to overtake her , or that , supposing her marine , manufacturing , and financial energies to be equalled , her " peculiar" advantages would cease to profit her .

      The arguments ot ^ the author iu favour of a protective duty upon English iron are not without ingenuity , and arc elaborately supported , but his readers are never permitted to lose tight of the fact that he writes more from an iron-master ' s point ot view than from that of a patriot . Page after pasrehe tells us of the rapid progress of the " iron manufacturers of the United States , and of the "Western States especially , of increasing prices of labour in those countries concomitant -with vastly swelling imports of British iron , lie shows us that these imports go into consumption , ami therefore not into dead stock ; and yet lie proposes to arrest ¦ the enormous maun fact uriiiir -energy of his count it now

      employed in the ' conversion ut all imported iron from the " pig or bar state , and to reduce the supply of the finished article or mightily enhance its price to every American man , woman , anJ child , who now * consume on the average about l . j , U <) O , 00 ! J dollars' worth of goods made from British iron in course , of the year . The amount , of the interests he would disturb may be . gathered from a irhuice at the fables of population andiron ni ; uiui * ; ietunrs . The production

      of pigs in the States lor . lboo , was i 05 , / 45 tons , valued at IG ., U 1 G , U 1 O dollars .. The actual home consumption of foreign iron and manufactures was about as much more iu weight , and worth ^ U , 191 , 802 dollars . The total consumption of the foreign and domestic article was 'JS , o J > , 3 l 0 . dollars . The intervening labour , therefore , which the cnule iron interest would derange without ilinching , in quest of what they term protection for domestic industry , would seem to have been worth , in 1 S 55 something

      like 02 , 389 , 02 $ dollars . Mr . French , although he does not seem to ignore the fact that an ample supply of iron is indispensable to the progress and welfare of his nation , alludes to her enormous purchases of British iron during her railway-constructing mama as a calamity due partly ( o her own fully , and partly to foreign rapacitv , for which she ha- , bled severely . Jiut lie must recollect that hail the prohibitory or protec tive tarifl * of his predilection prevailed , had the administered iu

      American enterprise—to which we manv cases by selling iron for bonds—been distributed over the time required for the American iron trade to answer the demands , upon it , the litliu fever had not iu truth been so severe , but ins country might even now have been cmvliiiff over the monstrous stage iu civilisation which , wit litno help of our oppressive mere-haul * , nmimluciureis , and speculators , she has cleared , as it were , at ft bound ' i ¦

      . . . _ .. , ... ..... OOUI 1 U . , ,, , f | , « Political economists , " says Mr . l-rcm-li , m " course of his argument , " usually allow lor cacu individual in this country \ C 0 "H t . "l ! l ! ,, l r products of tho land to Ihu value ol ««'« - ° - « J r annum . The number of people supported uyuu . iron business of the whole country is , ah ovuJ W ad malum , about 000 , 000 , who , ut fiO dollars i > cijena , consumcannually 30 , 000 , 000 < lollar . V wyr li « 1 stuffs . Xf these cannot find emp loyment in nmnu r .. ni .. •¦ : •! .. ¦ lUnnid lx'f'oiiiu Droducors , aim " »" 1 lll IIIUV 1111101 " 'H " I" ' i ( In

      JIULUI ^ T , -w " , _ is ii homo market to this innuendo amount , lobl tho present producers . " . tt But ho is here wandering ufliM- a sliailcm . » proves satisfactorily enough thai , those 000 , 000 sons of T . ibul Cain are iu no d'W ' - ^ S turned adrift . Were foreign irou oxclmloiUroi Arnprioan market , ho wonft , on the j ^ JJJ ' JSo to meet an immediate- duwurnl lor 0 ( JU ' ^; ' diln . of thorn ; and horc , we apprehend , " , ff l ° rjcn culty would arise If wo am road iiritf li ¦ An » i is rich enough , enterprising enough , to j oviu her own wniita . She is b u « J . with viu . N ^ ore and coal , her sous arc of surpassing i » g" - - « "

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Dec. 11, 1858, page 12, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_11121858/page/12/