[10] Roberts, the president of the Liberian Republic, boasts of but a small portion of African blood in his veins. Sequoyah, the often-cited inventor of the Cherokee alphabet, so far from being a pure Indian, was the son of a white man. [11] For the great perfection to which the Chinese have carried the luxuries and amenities of life, see particularly M. Huc's _Travels in China_. He lived among them for years, and, what few travellers do, spoke their language so fluently and perfectly that he was enabled, during a considerable number of years, to discharge the duties of a missionary, disguised as a native. [12] It would be useless to remind our readers of the famous Great Wall, the Imperial Canals, that largest of the cities of the world--Pekin. The various treatises of the Chinese on morals and politics, especially that of Confucius, have been admired by all European thinkers. _Consult Pauthier's elaborate work on China._ It is equally well known that the Chinese knew the art of printing, gunpowder and its uses, the mariner's compass, etc., centuries before we did. For the general diffusion of elementary knowledge among the Chinese, see _Davis's Sketches_, and other authors. Those who may think me a biassed panegyrist of the Chinese, I refer to the following works as among the most reliable of the vast number written on the subject:-- _Description Historique, Géographique, et Littéraire de la Chine._ Par M. G. PAUTHIER. Paris, 1839. _China Opened._ By REV. CHS. GUTZLAFF. London, 1838. _China, Political, Commercial, and Social._ By R. MONTGOMERY MARTIN. London, 1847. _Sketches of China._ By JOHN F. DAVIS. London, 1841. And above all, for amusing and instructive reading, _Journey through the Chinese Empire._ By M. HUC. New York, 1855; and _Mélanges Asiatiques._ Par ABEL REMUSAT. Paris, 1835.