a man belonging to the government office. Yang owned a house in the city where his wife and daughter lived. On the 20th of the last moon, Yang went round to the neighbouring shops, and paid all his debts, which suggested a suspicion that he had obtained some ill-gotten gains. However there was no proof of this. The next day, the door of his house remained unopened till noon. The neighbours knocked, and called; but no answer was given. At last, they broke open the door, and on entering found Yang and his wife hanging by the the neck, on opposite sides of the bed, and the daughter rouged, dressed in scarlet, and other gay raiment, lying on the bed, a corpse. They were all three quite dead.
The neighbours united their names and informed the Nanhae magistrate, and also Yang's master. The next day, as the magistrate was proceeding to hold an inquest on the deceased, the master, Choopayay, laid hold his of sedan, knelt, and knocked head, entreating him to desist; which, at last, the magistrate did, on the master's promising to have all the bodies decently interred.
The cause of this melancholy catastrophe is not known. Who can but lament the ignorance, or pride, or passion which leads to self murder!
The cause of the girl's being dressed arises from a belief, that after death, the individual will appear among the inhabitants of the invisible world in the attire in which she died. We once knew a case of a young wife, who being offended with her husband, dressed herself, took poison, and died. Even murderers, going to the place of execution, dress themselves, from the same motive, in the best raiment they can procure.
A match.—The bad effects of the system of early betrothing young children, or even infants before they are born, as is sometimes done, was exemplified the other day in a case which occurred in a village of the Pwanyu district. The lad Ho was early betrothed to the lass Seay, of course, without their consent. When this took place, both families were prosperous. Ho's affairs, however, went ill in the world, before the proper age for marriage arrived. On this account marriage was deferred for several years, till the lady reached the age of 24, and the gentleman 26. He appears to have been some spoiled child, which Miss Seay would, of course, know by report, though she was supposed never to have seen him. Her family wished to get rid of the contract, but the poor and the profligate would not consent to give up the match. The unfortunate young woman must marry. Therefore, on the 25th day of the 9th moon, the external ceremonies were performed, and the lady was carried to the house of the husband. When evening came, however, she would not retire; but addressing her husband said, "touch me not, my mind is resolved to abandon the world, and become a nun. I shall this night cut off my hair. I have saved two hundred dollars, which I give to you. With the half you may purchase a concubine; and with the rest enter on some trade. Be not lazy and thriftless. Hereafter remember me." On saying which, she instantly cut off her hair. The kindred, and worthless husband, seeing her resolution, and, of course, fearing suicide, acquiesed, and Miss Seay, who left her father's house to become a wife, returned as a nun.
It is said, young ladies are often reduced to this necessity, and cry, and plead with their parents to permit it, rather than become wives of men reduced to poverty, and perhaps of bad character besides. But few have the resolution to get rid of a bad bargain in the spirited manner of Miss Seay.
A literary graduate.—A young man named Lewtingse, who is a literary graduate, has appeared at the board of general police[1] at Peking, with a sealed document from his mother, complaining of the unjust and tyrannical treatment of certain official people, who contrived to get his father driven from his farm, and then so maltreated his mother and sister, that the sister threw herself into a well and was drowned.
- ↑ Too-cha-yuen, means the "censorate," or the court of universal scrutiny. It is appointed to receive appeals to the Emperor.
