CHINESE LOVE LETTERS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume III, Issue 144, 8 October 1853, Page 6

CHINESE LOVE LETTERS.

•'.,■ We think we, might safely venture on a wager that perhaps not half-a-dozen—if any—of. our , readers have ever seen ;i genuine Chinese loveletter. We have, though. Recently in Amoy a .'marriage was concluded between a son of the ancient family of.- " Tan" and'a-daughter of the old and respectable house of " O," and the annexed productions, we are assured, are literal translations of the letters that "passed on the occasion between the fathers of the young cou- . pie- Here we have the proposal of the father of the bridegroom :— " The ashamed younger brother, surnamed Tan, named Sn, with washed head makes obeieance, and writes this letter to the greatly virtuous and humble gentleman whose surname isO, old teacher, great man, and presents it at the foot of the gallery. At this season of the year the satin curtains are enveloped in mist, reflecting the beauty of the river and hills, in the fields of the blue gem are planted rows of willows close together, arranging and diffusing the commencement of genial influences, and consequently adding to the good of the old year. " I duly reverence your lofty door. The guest of the Su country descends from a good stock, the origin of the female of the Hui country likewise (is so too). You have received their transforming influences, resembling the great effects produced by rain, must more you, my honourable nearly related uncle, your good qualities are of a very rare order. I," the mean one, am ashamed of myself, just as rotton wood is in the presence of aromatic herbs. I now receive your indulgence, inasmuch as you have . listened to the words of the matchmaker, and given Miss S. in marriage to the mean one's eldest son, named Kang ; your assenting to it is worth more to me than a thousand pieces of gold. The marriage business will be conducted according to the six rules of propriety, and I •will reverently announce the business to my - ancestors with presents of gems and silks. I will arrange the things received in your basket so that all who thread the threshokfof my door may enjoy them. From this time forward the two surnames will be united, and I trust the union.will be a felicitous one. and last for hundred years, and realize the delight experienced by the union of the two countries Chin and Chin. I hope that your honourable benevolence and consideration will defend me unceasingly. At present the dragon flies in Sin Hai term,°the first month, lucky day. I, Mr. Su, bow respectfully. Light before." .

On this decoction pf the essential oil of modesty, the young- Miss O's father looks with favour, so he responds in a state of still more profoundly polite humility;— "The younger brother, surnamed O, named Tvs, of the family to be related by marriage, washes his head clean, knocks his head and bows, and writes this marriage letter, in reply to -the far-famed and virtuous gentlemen surnamed Tan, the venerable teacher and great man who ;inanages this business. At this season, the heart of.the plum, blossom is increasingly white, at the beginning of the. first' month it opens its petals. The eyebrows of the willow shoot out their green, when, shaken by the wind, it displays its glory and giows luxuriantly into five generations. Tis matter for congratulation, the union of a hundred years. I reverence your lofty gate. The prognostic is good, also the divination of the lucky bird. The stars are bright and the dragons meet together. In every succeeding dynasty office will be held, and for many a generation official vestments will be worn (not only those of your family surname will enjoy all the aforementioned felicity), more especially will your honorable gentlemen who possess abilities great and deep, your manners are dignified and pure. I, the foolish one, am ashamed of my diminutiveness. I for a Jong time have desired your dragon powers, now you have not looked down upon me with contempt, but have entertained the statements «t the matchmaker, and agree to give Mr. Kan to.be united to my despicable daughter. We all wish the giil to have her hair dressed, and the young man to put on his cap of manhood. The peach flowers just now look beautiful, the red plum also looks gay. I praise your son, who is ii-<e the fairy horse .who can cross over through water, and is able to ride upon the Winds and waves, but my tiny daughter is like a green willow and a feeble plant, and is not worthy of becoming the subject of verse. " Now I reverently bow to your good words, ana make use of them to display your good

breeding. Now, I hope your honourable benevolence will.always remember me without end; Now the dragon flies in the Sin Hai term, first month, lucky day. Mr. Tv makes obeisance. May the future be prosperous." The modesty of the old gentleman is so painful that we are almost afraid to guess what may have been the feelings of Master Tan and Miss 0 ; but whatever they were, they must have overcome them by this time, for the friend to whom we are indebted for these epistolary gems danced at their wedding a couple of months back, and was nearly suffocated with drinking scalding black tea out of cocoa-nut shell cups.

But the letters themselves—for we have received the originals, together with the translations—are, at least, as remarkable for external glitter as for internal value. Each of them is about the size of one of the Citizen's pages, and consists of a rich frame, composed of something like our papier mache, inside of which is artistically folded a scroll of richly tinted crimson paper, studded with the golden letters that convey the words of love and modesty. The outer surface is likewise, emblazoned with a quantity of raised work, representing robes of honour, tails of distinction, the smallest of small shoes, peacock's feathers, and a variety of other equally tasteful designs, which are supposed to be emblematic of the vast accession to the wealth and honour of both contracting houses that may be expected to flow from the union of the gallant Su Tan, junior, and the accomplished Miss Tv G.— Panama Herald.