A Remarkable Trio.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 2, Issue 187, 8 November 1880, Page 2

A Remarkable Trio.

Three of the most remarkable men of the century are now on exhibition in -London at the Loyal Aquarium—the giant Chang, a tea merchant of Pekin ; Brustad, a tall Norwegian ; and Che-man, described as “ the smallest man in the world.” Chang is the largest giant in ex : istenco, stands" Bft. 2in., and is highly educated, speaking five different languages, including English, which ho speaks very well, but with the well-known sing-song of the Chinaman. He is Bft. high without his boots ; he measures GOin. round the chest, weighs 20 stone, has a span of eight feet with his' outstretched arms, and signs his name without an effort upon a signpost 10ft Gin. high. Chang is 33 years .of age, and it is about, fifteen years since he was in England. After five years’ residence in the Celestial Empire he returned to Europe for the Paris Exhibition, and has since visited Vienna (where the Emporer gave him a ring, which he proudly exhibits, marked with the Imperial eagles and initials of Francis Joseph), Berlin and Hamburg. Since his last residence in this country Chang has grown six inches. He has a benevolent face, a courtly manner, and wears a richly-em-broidered dress worked for him by his sister, who is, like the rest of his family, of only ordinary stature. Next to Chang, and next by no long interval, stands Brustad, about 7ft. 9in. high, very muscular, very broad back, having as great a girth as Chang, and a wider span in proportion to his height. He has a low forehead, but speaks English fairly well. Brustad has also a ring which he greatly delights in exhibiting. He presented it to himself out of the profits, it is supposed, gained by. being shown. It is oz. weight, and a penny goes through it easi To grasp his mighty hand in greeting is like shaking hands with an oak tree. His weight is 28 stone—greater than Chang’s, for his bones arc more massive.. His age is 35. Che-man, the dwarf, gives his age at 42, sings a Chinese elegy, describes himself with much fluency and variety, and, as his height is only 25 inches, appears to be what he is described, the smallest man in the world. It is common for exhibited dwarfs to be over three feet high. Sir Geoffrey Hudson, the dwarf, whom readers of Sir Walter Scott will best remember, measured 3ft. 9in. when he had.attained his full stature.