you may be disappointed after all. Perhaps the 
bugs will destroy half your vines.” 
"I can kill the bugs,” said Nat 
"Perhaps dry weather will wither them all up.” 
* I can water them every day if they need it” 
"That is certainly having good courage, Nat,” 
added his father, "but if you conquer the bugs, 
and get around the dry weather, it may be too 
wet and blast your vines, or there may be such a 
hail storm as I have known several times in my 
life, and cut them to pieces.” 
"I don’t think there will be such a hail Btorm 
tills year; there never was one like it since I can 
remember.” 
“ I hope there wont be,” replied his father. 
"It is well to look on the bright Bide, and hope 
for the best, for it keeps the courage up. It ia 
also well to look out for disappointment.” 
We arc obliged to pass over ranch that belongs 
to the patch of squashes—the many hours of hard 
toil that it cost Nat to bring the plants to matu¬ 
rity,—the two-weeks’ battle with the bugs when 
he showed himself a thorough Napoleon to couquer 
ihe spicy compliments he received for 
these parts, and the workman who does it is an 
artist in his way, working from a cast of the 
figure to be copied, which is set before liim. J 
noticed a head which seemed to be familiar to m<\ 
and was Just, about to be added to a body clothed 
in regimentals. There was the generous, beaming 
eye, broad brow, and firm month; and you saw 
perseverance, courage, and the respect of duty in 
all the features, about which there was yet a mild¬ 
ness and benevolence which inspired affection. I 
looked again. The head was Havelock’s. “We 
canuot make them fast enough,” said my guide. 
No wonder. Who would not wish to have that 
honest, noble face, to look upon, to spirit him on 
to deeds of duty and perseverance such as 
his were. 
I passed into the room where they were work 
ing with the hand, and stood for nearly a quarter 
of an hour over one man. Prom a lump of pre¬ 
pared Parian, he would nip oil' a tiny bit, place it 
in the hollow of his left hand, and, with the fore¬ 
finger of his right, smooth it out, giving it a deli¬ 
cate wave and turn. Then, with a modeling 
pencil, he would delicately mark a few light lines 
toward the thin end of it, and then lay it on the 
table before him. Another, and another, and 
another, differing but little, and then turning this 
way and that, he joined them together. Ho! 
there was a heart'.-t-caso before me. I’alnt it, and 
1 would have put it into a glass of water, so natu¬ 
ral was it. He saw mo watching him, and took 
another bit of the clay, Quick as thought, leaf 
after leaf was laid on the table. Wlmt was it to 
be? Surely be has leaves enough. Not he. Ho 
knows all about it. More and more, growing 
larger and larger, curling more ami more. Then 
to wag his head again, and delicately to set them 
together, but so secretly that I could not tell what 
it should be. Then a line., thin stripe.; stick it 
on; and then, turning to me, he presented me 
with a rose, which wanted nothing but hue aud 
scent to have blossomed in my own garden.— 
Small Beginningi, or (lie Way to (let On. 
Wt's"- 
Special Correspondence of Moore’s Kural New-Yorker) 
LETTER FROM CHINA. 
by n on. t. h. htatt, r. s. consul at ahoy. 
into the subject sufficiently to do justice to all 
the various branches pertaining to the rural 
affairs of this strange people. About my last 
dissertation on these subjects, for the public 
press, was from the Land of the Moor; but the 
Chinese, though equally strange and unique in 
their manners and customs, as are the Moors, are 
vastly beyond then; in agricultural and horticul¬ 
tural improvement. In fact, I think it doubtful 
whether any nation in Christendom, even, can 
be found that excels the Chinese in the neat and 
tasteful appearance of their farms, and their 
system of tillage, of fertilizing and irrigating 
their lands, and the rapid succession of crops 
which they obtain — often gathering two, aud 
sometimes three, crops from the same piece of 
ground, in a single year. The appearance of the 
Chinese farming country is like a succession of 
landscape gardens, from the paddy fields of the 
plains, to the sugar-cane plantations of the ter¬ 
raced hillsides of their highest mountains. Not 
a weed or noxious plant is suffered to encroach 
upon Hies space allotted to the husbandman’s 
tillage; and their economical system of manur¬ 
ing aud fertilizing the soil, is, I venture to say, 
beyond that of any other country on the globe. 
But it is not my intention, on this occasion, to 
enter into the details of Chinese agriculture, or 
horticulture, even, but simply to describe tbe 
appearance of a winter garden in this genial 
climate; and for convenience, 1 tako my own 
grounds, although, from the short time since I 
commenced my plantation, they do not yet make 
as gay a display of flowers as do those of some 
of my neighbors. The following is the result ef 
a survey of my grounds on New Year’s day. 
List of 'IVecs, Shrubs, Plants, Vines, etc, in leaf or 
flower January 1, 1S60. 
Banyan, Pride of India, or Guava, 
Camphor tree, Persian Lilac, Boston Squash, (in 
Oleander, Jasmine, fruit,) 
Orange, China Aster, Peppermint, 
Lemon, Pepa, Lobelia (in bloom,) 
Lime (in fruit.) IjLiche, Blacking plant, 
Puraelo (in fruit,) Pith, or Rice Pa- Japan Firs, 
Citron, per plant, Chinese Firs, 
Fig, Tailow Tree, Althea, 
Mango, Palm(Bananaand A/alia, 
Arbutus, Fan,) Mulberry, 
Gieng-gieng, Peach, Pomegranate, 
Persimmon, Pear, Honeysuckle, (in 
GrapeVine, Mimosa(in flower) bloom,) 
Passion Vine, Roses (in flower,) Sweet William, 
Geraniums, Camellia Japonica, Willow, 
Bamboo, (in flower,) Aprieot, 
Castor Oil Plant, Cock’s Comb (in Blood Plant? 
Pine Apple Plant, flower.) Cactus Tree, 
(200,) Mignonette (in Chrysanthemums 
Four o’clocks (in flower,) (in flower,) 
flower,) Marigolds(in flow'r)Tulips, Lilies, 
the enemy, 
his industry and success in gardening,—the pa¬ 
tient waiting for the rain drops to full in dry 
weather, and for the sun to shine forth In his 
glory when it was too wet,—the intimate acquain¬ 
tance he cultivated with every squash, knowing 
just their number and size,—and many other 
things that show the boy. 
The harvest day arrived,—the squashes were 
ripe,—and a fine parcel of them there was, Nat 
was satisfied with the fruit of his labor, as he 
gathered them for the markot. 
"What a pile of them!” exclaimed Frank, as 
lie came over to see the squashes after school. 
“You arc a capital gardener, Nat; 1 don’t believe 
there is a finer lot of squashes in town.” 
"Father says the bugs and dry weather conld’nt 
hold out against my perseverance,” added Nat, 
laughing. “ But the next thing is to sell them.” 
"Are you going to carry them to Boston?” 
asked Frank. 
"No; I shall sell them in the village. Next 
Saturday afternoon I shall try my luck.” 
"You will turn peddler, then?” 
" Yes; but I don’t think I shall like it so well 
as raising the squashes. There is real satisfaction 
in sceiug them grow.” 
" If you can peddle as well as you can garden it, 
yon will make a real good hand at it; and such 
handsome squashes as those ought to go off like 
hot cakes.” 
Saturday afternoon came, and Nat started with 
his little cart full of squashes. He was obliged to 
be ills own horse, driver, and salesman, in which 
three-fold capacity he served with considerable 
ability. 
"Can L sell you some squashes, to-day?” said 
Nat to tbe first neighbor on whom he called. 
"Squashes I where did you find such fine 
squashes as those!” asked the neighbor, coming 
up to the cart, and viewing the contents. 
"I raised them,” said Nat; “aud I have a good 
many more at home.” 
‘‘What! did you plant and hoe them, and take 
tbe whole care of them?" 
“ Yea, sir; no one else struck a hoe Into them 
and 1 am to have all the money they bring.” 
" You deserve it, Nat, every cent of it. I de¬ 
clare, you boat mo completely; for the bugs eat 
mine all up, so that I did not raise a decent 
squash. How did yon keep the bugs off?” 
" 1 killed thousands of them,” auid Nat "Tnthe 
morning, before I went to school, I looked over 
the vines; when I carne home at noon I spent a 
few moments in killing them, and again at night 
I did the same. They troubled mo only about 
two weeks.” 
"Well, they troubled mo only two weeks," 
replied tbe neighbor, “aud by that time there 
was nothing left for them to trouble. But very 
few boys like to work well enough to do what you 
have done, and very few have the patience to do 
It either. With most of the boys it is all play 
and no work. But what do you ask for your 
squashes I” 
Nat proceeded to answer:—“That one is worth 
six cents; such a one as that, eight; that is ten; 
and a big one like that, (holding up the largest,) ia 
fifteen.” 
The neighbor expressed his approval of the 
prices, and bought a number of them, for which 
ho paid him the money. Nat went on with his 
peddling tour, calling at every homse in his way; 
and he met with very good success. Just as he 
turned the corner of a street on the north side of 
the common, Ben Drake discovered him, and 
shouted, 
"Hurrah for the squash peddler! That is tall 
business, Nat; don’t you feel grand? What will 
you take for your horse?” 
Nat made no reply, but hastened on to the next 
house, where he disposed of all the squashes that 
he carried but two. He soon sold them, and 
retured home to tell the story of his first peddling 
•trip. 
CONSULAR BUILDINGS—VILLA OF HIE BANYANS—ISLE OF KOLOMTSOO, AHOY, CHINA. 
ut me. The other main walks, which even the lawn grass seed, which I also procured 
x to twelve feet wide, arc tiled. Most at the same place, turned out a failure. Perhaps 
ind is devoted to grass-plots and trees; Ihe seeds were good,—perhaps not. 
ire bordered with belts of flowers and * H1UV '*■ stated,— I think in the Rural New- 
hrubs, among which are also tbe pine Yorker,— that the probable cause of tbe atel in 
the poach leaf, was tho coldness of the climate, 
iiple of the rapid growth of plants in We have the same difficulty in China, but it can- 
their fruitful precocity, I would men- not be from a cold climate, for here wo never 
ie bud of a grape which I put into the have it apld enough for a frost, aud the summers 
t spring, made a growth of twenty-five are of uniform heat, only varying from about id 
; the summer and autumn; and one set to 90 degrees all summer. The curl seems here 
i root, made about the same growth, to be produced by a small insect, the eggs or 
ruit upon it in early summer; und a larva of which appear to be deposited by a small 
rf puraelo, which 1 transplanted from fiy, swarms ot which Infest the trees in tbe late 
f to my garden in April or May, bore spring. 
g the summer, aud I plucked off the The white trumpet honeysuckle grows sponta- 
u New Year’s day. It measured 10J neously on our little Island of Kolnugaoo, on 
ircumferenee, and this on a little shrub which my residence is sitnated. They have yel- 
>et high. On the 8th of April I planted low aud white blossoniB at the same time, hence 
ipple plants, and had first fruit from they arc called by the Chinese the gold and silver 
arly autumn. Green peas, aud most flower. Some of the vines which I have traus- 
irden vegetables, may be had at almoBt planted t.o my grounds, are now in bloom, and 
of the year. have been all the past summer and autumn, 
rieties of Fruits, tropical and hardy, These, together with a luxurious growth of the 
in perfection. The puraelo (or shad- passion vine, aud the grape, cover the lattloe 
is called in the West Indies,) Is hero work of my verandas, on all sides of the house, 
orlte fruit, much finer than any I saw t° the top of the third story, 
st India Islands. Oranges, mandarin My buildings, yon will observe, are in^ather a 
are very good,_the former having mixed style of architecture. The mansion, with 
skins, are more conveniently oome-at-a- verandas on all sides, to each story, surmounted 
io coolies, but not so juicy. Tbe per- with battlcmonted walls; the main building, iu 
re the best I have ever eaten, but they octagon form, 28 by 2.1 feet on the ground, with 
It to eat unless they are punctured just f °ur wings, each about 17 by 221 fret in diameter; 
ening, with a small, sharp stick, or tbe ceilliigs of tho two upper stories, 12 feet 
ar the' stem; the Chinese make three h »8 b - and of thc luain room *> (drawing room and 
nctures. The pines are very fine, but diningroom,) H feet high; the two latter rooms 
as and plantains are not as good as being 25 by 30 feet in diameter, and thc charn- 
d In Cuba or Java. Mangoes and cus- hers, library and office, about 15 by 18 feet The 
'■s are also produced, as well as thc extreme length and breudth on thc ground, in- 
gieng-gieng, mulberry, raspberry, etc. eluding verandas, are about i 5 feet. The summit 
ad pears, strawberries, plums and ap- of tbo iuain building Is ctfiWned will, a pagoda, 
uch inferior to those of our country. affording a fine look-out over tbe surrounding 
some delicious grapes, which were Escape. The cross roof* are somewhat in the 
om thc Golf of PechilT, much sweeter Chinese style of architecture, as is also the new 
juicy than any I ever tasted in the building I have just erected for a Consular oflice. 
tes, unless it be some produced in the The Chinese pointed guides, vith their high, 
art of California, (which T thought at crescent rldge-boards, are, I think, very fine and 
fter a long sea voyage, were finer than picturesque. 1 have embodied these varieties in 
sver tasted, iu Morocco or Spain, even.) Httld building, the pointed, as in the main 
we have at. Amoy, are not of the first K a ble, t.lie oval, as in the center of front veranda, 
it I intend to muke an effort to get and semi hexagon, as at cither end of ou¬ 
ts of thc Peiho grape. These grapes tnul0c veranda. These do not show very dis- 
>, juicy, and of very dellcions flavor, tinotl y» tho drawing, it being a distant view. 
very closely, tho white Muscat or l built tbe Consular mansion in 185(1,—the first 
ipe. I am told by gentlemen from the foreign house on tho Island of Kolangsoo; now 
chill, that very fine fruits are produced thcrc arc ««vcrul others, and more in coutcmpla- 
ples, pears, peaches, etc.; and T am in t * on ’ * bad to build with a broad-ax in one hand 
all be able to obtain specimens for my aild a battle-ax in the other, so to speak, such 
have just received about a dozen va- was ^ be opposition of Chinese superstition 
plants and small trees, from Japan, against such an innovation; buttho presence of 
iich arc some very curiously-trained atl American man-of-war, for a few months, with 
much resembling our pines; some fine determined perseverance on my part, overcame 
of camilliaa and other plants, of whose all obstacles and opposition, iu the end; so that 
ve no knowledge; some grafted peaches now » tho8 ° who were the most Opposed at first, 
e called, although they look more like ftre reconciled and very friendly, 
t.) They are grafted into stacks about Excuse this rambling sketch; and if yon think 
diameter, and nearly two feet from the it, or any part of it, wiy interest your readers, 
The scion is inserted just under the you can publish it; and I may write you again, 
ie top of the stock, something like our ere long. t. n. it. 
Form of tiik Earth. — The earth being round, 
like a ball, it follows that, at a certain distance, 
oven though our vision cun reach much further, 
its form will prevent us from seeing objects even 
if its surface wero perfectly smooth. It bus been 
calculated that at six huudred yards an object one 
inch high cannot bo seen in a straight line; at 
nine hundred yards, two Inches; at fourteen hun¬ 
dred yards, five inches; ut one mile, eight Inches; 
three miles, six feet—so at that distance a man 
would bo invisible. In leveling, it is usual to al¬ 
low the tenth of an inch in every two hundred 
yards, or eight inches in a mile, for convexity. 
HOW NAT GREW SQUASHES, 
they divided even—taking thirteen each. One is 
very clever and good, but rather indolent about 
some things; the other quick, wido-awuke, perse¬ 
vering, always bound to accomplish, no matter 
how much labor it costs. The result of the whole 
matter was, that one allowed bis squashes to be 
eaten up with the bugs, lost his shilling and his 
trouble, and the other fought the bugs, raised a 
great many good squashes, (we have forgotten 
the number,) and sold over twenty dollars' worth 
of seed—all from a shilling and a little persver- 
ance. But we must give the promised chapter, 
and we hope there are a great many Nath grow¬ 
ing up, so that in a few years we shall not hear so 
much grumbling about bugs and insects: 
A little patch of ground inclosed by a fence, 
a few adjacent trees, Nat, with his hoe In band, 
his father giving directions, on one of tho 
brightest May mornings that was ever greeted by 
the carol of birds, are the scenes that open to our 
view. 
"There, Nat, if you plant and hoe your squashes 
with care, you will raise a nice parcel of them on 
this piece of ground. It is good soil for squashes.” 
“How many seeds shall I pat into a hill?” in¬ 
quired Nat. 
"Seven or eight. It is well to put in enough, 
as some of them may not come up, and when they 
get to glowing well, pull up all but four in a hill. 
You must not bave your hills too near together,— 
they should be five feet apart, and then the vines 
will cover the ground all over. I Bhould think 
there would be room lor fifty hills on this patch 
of ground.” 
“How many squashes do you think I shall 
raise, father?” 
“Well,” said his father, smiling, “that is hard 
telling. We won't count the chickens before they 
are hatched. But if you are industrious, and take 
very good care indeed of your vines, stir the 
ground often and keep out all the weeds, and kill 
the bugs, 1 have little doubt that you will get 
well paid for your labor.” 
“If I have fifty hills,” said Nat, “and four vines 
in each hill, I shall have two hundred vines in all; 
and if there is one squash on each vine, there will 
be two hundred squashes.” 
“Y'es; but there are so manyi/V about it that 
MANUFACTURE OF EARTHENWARE. 
We have our halls aud our churches, and we 
support our tea-urns, with Minton’s encaustic 
tiles. In the manufacture of these, separate layers 
of differently colored clays are spread one over 
another, and then subjected to a very powerful 
pressure, bringing out the pattern and causing 
them to unite in a firm, compact square, which 
then passes through the usual processes. The 
preparation of the l’arian is, of course, more or 
less a secret. Every potter has some secret of his 
own, or which he beliefs to be bis own, and he 
is rather jealous of your seeing his works ou that 
account. But where so many workmen are em¬ 
ployed, it is not probable that any secret can be 
long kept Copeland’s and Minton’s are thc two 
establishments at which most Parian work ia 
done, and their productions have, I believe, the 
highest value. Tho “body” used in each estab 
lishment differs a little, according to the ingredi¬ 
ents in each, and, iu consequence, Copeland’s 
Parian is of somewhat darker tint than that of his 
rival. 
When tbe body or material is ready for use, it 
may be fashioned in two ways, cither in plaster of 
Paris moulds, or simply in tbe hand. The former 
is adopted for statuettes, of which every limb is 
first cast separately, and then fixed to the trunk. 
Great precision is obviously necessary in uniting 
Treachery of Evil Passions. —Evil passions 
exert a powerful influence over the understand¬ 
ing; they derange its action, and having the urt 
of self-concealment, are likely to operate with 
greater fatality when least exposed to the notice 
of their victim. Of the drunkard, it is often Baid 
that ho is a poor judge of himself, often imagin¬ 
ing hirnself to be sober wben he is not. It is 
very much so with all the evil passions that prey 
upon fallen humanity; they beguile and deceive, 
ruin and destroy, without any advertisement of 
their presence, except iu their results. They 
shrink from the blaze of conscience, and burrow 
in the heart. 
Fame. —He that pursues fame with just claims, 
trusts his happiness to the winds; but he that en¬ 
deavors after it by false merit, has to fear not 
only the violence of the storm, but tho lqak3 of 
his vessel. Though ho should happen to keep 
above water for a time by the help of a soft breeze 
and a calm sea,at the first gukt he must inevitably 
founder, with this melancholy reflection, that if 
he would have been content with his natural sta¬ 
tion he might have escaped his calamity.— Johnson. 
