Travels in the United States, etc.,: during 1849 and 1850./ By the Lady Emmeline Stuart Wortley.

CHINESE THIEVES.
in order that any one seizing them should rapidly let them go
again.
One of those sharp sharpers paid a visit one night to the eabin
of a young officer, who woke, and despite of oil and fish-hooks,
took a good gripe at the interloper and held on like grim death
with one hand, while with the other, armed with a stout cutlass,
or some weapon of the kind, he actually inflicted the grim death
aforesaid on the rascally son of the flowery central land, who thus
like a celestial Paul Pry, had dropped in literally in the cool of
the evening. The officer flung the body into the sea, and it was
found afterward by the indignant Chinese, and a mighty hubbub
was raised. It was discovered by some means, or at any rate
shrewdly suspected,. that the aet had been committed on board the
merchant ship, and the mandarins insisted that the offender should
be given up to them. It happened that the buteher of the ship,
at this juncture, committed suicide. They bethought themselves
of dressing him up in the officer's clothes, and formally exhibited
the body to the mandarins, who were invited on board-peacockfeathers, buttons, and all. The mandarins were informed that the
unfortunate officer, struck with remorse, had put an end to his existence. But our good friend, John Chinaman, was not to be thus
easily imposed upon. He declined putting any faith in the outer
barbarians' bare assertions, and proceeded to examine the corpse.
Immediately that the mandarins noticed the hands of the deceased
Knight of the Cleaver, thev exclaimed that those were not the
hands of an officer, and demanded that the real offender should be
forthwith produced. With great difficulty the young man was secreted, and his life preserved from the vengeance of the Celestials.
I intend to leave a trunk here, with all the things I set most
value on, for fear of accidents on the Isthmus, and to take as little
luggage as possible, as on such expeditions it is very inconvenient:
"Ojala hubiese empezado antes esta reformS." There is a report
that the "Georgia" is in sight. I shall not see much of the Havana this time, but I hope to visit it again on my return; it is so
interesting and beautifill an island.
I must go and take leave of my American acquaintance, Mrs.
She is going with her husband and little girl back to the
United States. They have taken passages on board the "Ysabel
Segunda," and they fear she will be very crowded, as they find
the Italian operatic company are going by the same steamer, on
their way to New York, where they are going to perform. Mrs.
is in very delicate health, suffering firom that fell disorder, so
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