Button

The round knob, about an inch in diameter, worn on the dre cap under the Manchu dynasty to denote the rank of the owner. There are nine cla es, each being divided into principal jE and subordinate IMG:p89_8.png:Chinese characters the former being plain, the latter bearing the character g shou, old age. The nine cla es, beginning with the highest are, i, transparent red, — ruby; ii, opaque red, — coral; iii, transparent blue, — sapphire; iv, opaque blue, — lapis lazuli; v, transparent white, — crystal; vi, opaque white, — stone; vii, plain gold; viii, worked gold; ix, worked gold with two characters (shou'), being the button for graduates of the lowe.st degree [Itsiu ts'ai). China as a Lazarist mi ionary, but apostatized. He was born at Turin, June 25, 1810, but in 1845 or 1846 he was naturalized as a French subject. He joined the Mi ions Etrangeres and was sent to China, reaching Macao in 1836, where he studied the language under G0N9ALVES. Besides Chinese he learned Korean. In his spare time he studied the botany and geology of the district. He returned to France in 1842, and the next year was appointed Interpreter to the French Consulate at Canton, and was attached to dk IMG:p89_9.png:Chinese characters Mi ion. Returning in 1846 he was naturalized and took up his abode in Paris. In 1847 he was made Secretary-Interpreter to the king and held this position till his death in Paris, June 8, 1862. His published works are Dictionnaire Encycloftdique de la langue Chinoise, Macao, 1844; (only vol. I i ued); the same was translated into English; System a Phoneticum Scripturce Smicce. Bretschneider: History of European Botanical Discoveries in China.