KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



289 



CHINESE MATCHES. 



There swims no goose so grey, but soon or late 

 She finds some honest gander for a mate. 



Pope. 



.WING 'elsewhere given 

 certain CURIOUS particulars 

 relative to the personnel of the 

 women of China, and recorded 

 one of the grand banquet-set 

 outs of the country, — we feel 

 justified in completing our 

 Sketches by the addendum of 

 a couple of billets-doux, which mark the 

 minds of the writers, and denote the national 

 custom of conducting les affaires du camr. 



The subjoined is a literal transcript from 

 the " Panama Herald. 1 ' It will be seen 

 therefrom, that the great point required in 

 the lady lover is to have her " hair dressed ;" 

 while her ardent swain must first " wash his 

 head clean, 1 ' and then give himself a few 

 " knocks " on the seat of knowledge. The 

 lady is, by her father, called u despicable ;" 

 and her lover says he is " mean, and ashamed 

 of himself!" These mutual confessions 

 made, the young folks carry on the war 

 much as we do in England. The poetry of 

 course comes first ; and as usual, it gradually 

 subsides into respectable prose. On this we 

 need not dilate. So now for the curious 

 document : — 



u We think we might safely venture on a 

 wager that perhaps not half-a-dozen — if any 

 of our readers have ever seen a genuine 

 Chinese love-letter. We have, though ! 

 Recently in Amoy a marriage was concluded 

 between a son of the ancient family of ' Tan' 

 and a daughter of the equally old and res- 

 pectable house of ' ; ' and the annexed 

 productions, we are assured, are literal trans- 

 lations of the letters that passed on the occa- 

 sion between the fathers of the young couple. 

 Here we have the proposal of the father to 

 the bridegroom : — 



The ashamed young brother, surnamed Tan, 

 named Su, with washed head makes obeisance, 

 and writes this letter to the greatly virtuous and 

 humble gentleman whose surname is 0, old 

 teacher, great man; and presents it at the foot of 

 the gallery. At this season of the year, the satin 

 curtains are enveloped in mist, reflecting the 

 beauty of the river and hills. In the fields of the 

 blue gem are planted rows of willows close to- 

 gether, arranging and diffusing the commencement 

 of genial influences, and consequently adding to 

 , the good of the old year. 



I duly reverence your lofty door. The guest 

 of the Sue country descends from a good stock, j 

 the origin of the female of the Hui country like- 

 wise (is so too). You have received their trans- j 

 forming influences, resembling the great effects '. 

 produced by rain. Much more you, my honorable, I 

 nearly-related uncle ; your good qualities are of a i 

 very rare order. I, the mean one, am ashamed j 



of myself ; just as rotten wood is in the presence 

 of aromatic herbs. I now receive your indulgence, 

 inasmuch as you have listened to the words of the 

 matchmaker, and given Miss S. in marriage to the 

 mean one's eldest son, named Kang. Your as- 

 senting to it is worth more to me than a thousand 

 pieces of gold. The marriage business will be 

 conducted according to the six rules of propriety, 

 and I will reverently announce the business to my 

 ancestors with presents of gems and silks. I will 

 arrange the things received in your basket, so 

 that all who tread the threshold of my door may 

 enjoy them. From this time forward, the two 

 surnames will be united ; and I trust the union 

 will be a felicitous one, and last for a hundred years, 

 and realise the delight experienced by the union 

 of the two countries Chin and Chin. I hope that 

 your honorable benevolence and consideration will 

 defend me unceasingly. At present, the dragon 

 flies in Sin Hai term — the first month, lucky day. 

 I, Mr. Su, bow respectfully. Light before. 



On this decoction of the essential oil of 

 modesty, the young Miss O's father looks 

 with favor ; so he responds in a state of still 

 more profoundly polite humility : — 



The younger brother surnamed 0, named Tus, 

 of the family to be related by marriage, washes 

 his head clean, knocks his head and bows, and 

 writes this marriage letter in reply to the far-famed 

 and virtuous gentleman surnamed Tan, the vene- 

 rable teacher and great man who manages this 

 business. At this season, the heart of the plum- 

 blossom is increasingly white ; at the beginning 

 of the first month, it opens its petals. The eye- 

 brows of the willow shoot out their green ; wheu 

 shaken by the wind, it displays its glory, aud 

 grows luxuriantly into five generations. 'Tis 

 matter for congratulation, the union of a hundred 

 years. I reverence your lofty gate. The prog- 

 nostic is good, also the divination of the lucky 

 bird. The stars are bright, and the dragons meet 

 together. In every succeeding dynasty, office will 

 be held ; and for many a generation official vest- 

 ments will be- worn. Not only those of your 

 family surname will enjoy all the aforementioned 

 felicity, but more especially will you, honorable 

 gentleman, who possess abilities great and deep, 

 your manners are dignified and pure. I, the 

 foolish one, am ashamed of my diminutiveness. I 

 for a long time have desired your dragon powers ; 

 now you have not looked down upon me with 

 contempt, but have entertained the statements of 

 the matchmaker, and agree to give Mr. Kang to 

 be united to my despicable daughter. We all 

 wish the girl to have her hair dressed, and the 

 young man to put on his cap of manhood. The 

 peach flowers just now look beautiful ; the red 

 plum also looks gay. I praise your son, who is 

 like a fairy horse who can cross over through 

 water, and is able to ride upon the winds and 

 waves ; but my tiny daughter is like a green 

 window and a feeble plant, and is not worthy of 

 becoming the subject of verse. 



Now I reverently bow to your good words, 

 and make use of them to display your good breed- 

 ing. Now I hope your honorable benevolence will 

 always remember me without end. Now the 

 dragon flies in the Sin Hai term — first month , 



Vol. III.— 19. 



