Although numerous bulky volumes have been written upon China and the Chinese, and intercommunication with Western countries has been vastly extended of late years, it is marvellous how vague, and in some cases how erroneous, are the popular notions prevalent in Europe and America in regard to the country and our relations with it. Everyone believes perhaps, and rightly, that China counts her population by hundreds of millions, and that her territory occupies a very considerable proportion of the Asiatic continent; and misty impressions are cherished no doubt as to the existence of evidences of an advanced state of civilization in the way of a literature, a philosophy, a highly-perfected social system, and so on. But test the information a little further, and it will be found that the prominent idea with regard to a Chinaman is that he is a quaint but stolid besotted creature, who smokes opium perpetually, and drowns his daughters as fast as they appear; whose every-day food consists of puppies, kittens, rats, and such like garbage; whose notions of honour, honesty, and courage, are of the loosest; and to whom cruelty is a pastime. This opinion may not quite tally with the impressions as to civilization and social advancement above alluded to, but no trouble is taken to explain the contradiction, and the more ridiculous and familiar fancy is indulged in.