CHINA. 1751. 237 



wife with him at Canton this year : but the 

 Chinefe could find no proportion between her 

 fpacious hoop-petticoat and her waift. Their 

 ihoes are pointed; and have high heels, on 

 which they go crippling as upon flilts ; be- 

 caufe the unnatural pofition of the foot takes 

 off all the ftrength and ufe of the toes. The 

 poor only wear a fliort petticoat over their 

 breeches. 



The whole world knows how difficult a 

 matter it is to learn the Chinefe language ; but 

 you can have no true idea of it, till you hear 

 it fpoken yourfelf. Their various accents oc- 

 cafion the great difficulty. They pronounce 

 one word as if they were quarrelling, and pro- 

 long the next as if their tongue was fixed to 

 their gums. Their flrong afpirations, even 

 before the initial confonants, cannot be pro- 

 nounced by every tongue. The European lan- 

 guages are not very difficult to the Chinefe, if 

 only die D and R could be rejected. For 

 they fay inftead of doclor and padri, locla and 

 pali. They can in foir.e meafure avail them- 

 felves of the D, but as to the R it is too diffi- 

 cult for them. They generally converfe with 

 the Swedes in broken EngJiJh ; and fometimes 

 in broken Portugueze, French, and Dutch : and 



fome 



