another remarkable fancy, evidencing Chinese faith in musical magic:--

"When I smite my [_musical_] stone,--
Be it gently, be it strongly,--
Then do the fiercest beasts of prey leap high for joy.
And the chiefs among the public officials do agree among themselves."

KWANG-CHAU-FU.--Literally, "The Broad City,"--the name of
Canton. It is also called "The City of Genii."

LÍ.--A measure of distance. The length of the _li_ has varied
considerably in ancient and in modern times. The present is given by
Williams as ten _li_ to a league.

LI-SAO.--"The Dissipation of Grief," one of the most celebrated
Chinese poems of the classic period. It is said to have been written
about 314 B.C., by Kiu-ping-youen, minister to the King of Tsou. Finding
himself the victim of a base court-intrigue, Kiu-ping wrote the _Li-Sao_
as a vindication of his character, and as a rebuke to the malice of his
enemies, after which he committed suicide by drowning.... A fine French
translation of the _Li-Sao_ has been made by the Marquis Hervey de
Saint-Denys (Paris, 1870).

LI-SHU.--The second of the six styles of Chinese writing, for
an account of which see Williams's "Middle Kingdom." ... According to
various Taoist legends, the decrees of Heaven are recorded in the
"Seal-character," the oldest of all; and marks upon the bodies of
persons killed by lightning have been interpreted as judgments written
in it. The following extraordinary tale from the _Kan-ing-p'ien_ affords
a good example of the superstition in question:--