There is no country more full of wonders than China, yet we know comparatively little of it. We know, indeed, something about Canton, near which foreign merchants are permitted to reside; about Nankin, which is famous for its beautiful pagoda; and about Pekin, which is a city almost as populous as London, and where the emperor resides. We know, also, that there are many other large cities in China; we know that the empire is the most populous in the world, containing three hundred and forty millions of people. We know, too, that the Chinese produce tea, and silks, and porcelain, and many other curious manufactures; that they worship idols, and sometimes eat worms, birds’ nests, rats and puppies; but still, it has been the system of the government to exclude foreigners from the country, and accordingly few travellers have penetrated into its interior, and given us an account of what is there to be seen. It is probable that we shall soon know more about China, for the British have sent soldiers and ships out there, who have made the emperor agree to be more sociable, and let foreigners come into his domains a little more. Our government has sent out Mr. Caleb Cushing, of Newburyport, in Massachusetts, to see the emperor, and make arrangements for a free trade between the people of China and the Americans. Mr. Cushing is a very learned man, and it is pretty likely he and the emperor will come to a good understanding. You must know that the emperor is fond of fine dress, and expects everybody who comes to see him, to make a dashing appearance. Accordingly, Mr. Cushing has carried out a gay military dress, in which he is to present himself to the emperor. The old man is named Taou-Kwang, and is over seventy years of age. I should like to see the meeting between him and Mr. Cushing――shouldn’t you? When Mr. Cushing comes back, he will write a book, and tell us all about China. In the mean time, we shall say something about a very beautiful place, called the Kin Shan, or the Golden Island. This is not far from the city of Nankin, and near the flourishing city of Quatchou. It is situated in the river Yangtse-Kiang, and is famous all over China, for its beauty. It is about three hundred feet high, and fifteen hundred in circuit. It is rocky and precipitous, but it is shaded with the loveliest trees. It is also decorated with temples, devoted to Confucius, Lockien and Fo――the divinities of Chinese superstition. Here, also, is a palace, erected by the emperor Kienlong――the grandfather of Taou-Kwang. In this he used to spend a great deal of time, to get away from the cares of governing such an empire, and to consider how happy he should be, if he was only a private individual, and not an emperor! [Illustration: _The Golden Isle._]