473 



There are, however, three exceptions in favor of 

 the wife» admitting eveD that several of the above 

 cao be clearly proved, 



*' These are, first, if she have mourned three 

 years for her father-in-law, or mother-in-law ; 

 secoTidly, if, when the parties^ were married, the 

 husband was poor, hut has since become rich \ 

 and thirdly, if, at the time of their marriage, the 

 woman's parents, or lelatives, were alive, but 

 have since died, so that she has no home left her 

 — if any one of these three things can be proved, 

 she cannot he legally put awf»y. In case of a 

 wife's deserting her husband, the law enjoins that 

 she be beaten one hundred blows with a rod, 

 and leaves it at the hnsband's ojition, either to 

 give her away to another man, or to sell her. if 

 a wife elope from her husband, and marry ano- 

 ther man, she is to be put to death by strang- 

 ling." 



The above extract is sufficient to shew the de- 

 graded condition in which the female sex is held 

 by the Chinese, and it appears almost a natural 

 consequence of marriages so fortuitously contract- 

 ed, and has ever been the distinguishing charac- 

 teristic of heathenism. As, however, my object 

 is rather to present a faitldul picture of the man- 

 ners of the inhabitants than to moralise thereon, 

 I will DOW pass on to a detail of the superstitious 

 ceremonies observed at the death of a Chinaman. 



When a wealthy Chinese is at the point of 

 death, whatever clothing he may have on at the 

 time is exchanged for silken garments, generally 

 of a red colour. The notion which induces this 



M S 



