Celestial Cruelty

OorrMpondiog to the date of the 20th Of Atijru-t la-t, the l'ekin Gazette contains the fullowing accjunt of the execulion of a woinüii in China, who had been fouut guilty of' the uuirder ol' her husband, and bfed nrrived tlu? sentenco of " ling ehi ' (eutting into 10,000 sliees), which, aecording to tho Chinese penal code, is ioflieied on a wii'e for killing her husband, ir either of his parent", M me vena. The method of executing the " ling chi " is as followa : The criminal is cooveyed to the execution ground in a basket slung on a bauiboo be tween two ooolies. Halt' stuifiod ly fear, and rendered almost insensible to the fate about to be sunVred, trom the effeots f samshoo, which ii given to the victitu in abundanee, the procession wends lts way between throngs of celestials. The ruad is lined with sedán chaira conveying tho officials, botli high and low, to witness the sight. I pon the arrivul at the place of puotshment a crowd of chattering Chinese niay be socn, souie engaged in smoking their pipes, others disenssing their early bovl oi'copgee at the stall of the peratubulating vendors of edities. Not the least trace of any feeliog of awe or compulsión is exhibited at the tragedy about to be enacted. The criminal is made to kneel, while a subordinare officer reads the edict of the vioerny. At a giveu signal frotn the judge the two executioners ttep forward and seiia the unlbrtunate wretch. Divested of every partiële of cloiliing, he is bound hand and foot to two up right pieees of wood in the fonu of a St. Andrews cros?. The lukiion-i of the law diaw from their belts two sharp knives. They are now ready for their bloody work. 'ítIi ¦ deyilish lfi!l ihcy oommence toslit the mn and Hesn at me vrtawi Proeeeding up the arins until the neck is reached, thtir attention is then directed to fl,n l,.,nf.r lim},s. The ankles upward, the neshy part of the legs anu tiugn-s nyui up to the chest, are under operation. The whole body is now one quivering mass of ol skin and flesh, from which the blond is pouring in streams, dyeing tlie ground and the executioners' clolhes a vivid red clor By thia time the vast orowd are on the tipioe of expectaiion, -training their bodirs to get a glitiiise ol' the figure, and eager to watch the least sound of a sigh or groan. Afier the shriek of pain which atienda the first use of the k 11 it', ii equi-iitly nithing but low, angoniz ing iiumns escape the lips Wliücthis horrible scène isbeingeDacted, ihe peanut hawkers, the bean curd and eimly hucksters ply their trade, oblivious of tho i.ict that a human being is uadergouil; tortura Vitli kead drooped on the bn as:, clocd eyes, and face bearing an un uttenble look of' pain and agony, the vict i ui now stands! 'Jhe judgo, seemingl; tirad at the disiru-ting sight, claps hi hands. The ohief executioner at the sig n.-il plunges his knife into the breast, aoc with one hand tears open the flesh, whil with the other he pulls the quivering hear out of the roots, holds it up to view, ani then daahes it to the ground. Justice I vindicated. '