CHINA. 1751- lS * 



Mandarin, or Commander > is a denomi- 

 nation which our people borrow from the 

 Portugueze, and which they give to all public 

 officers in this country, even to lower officers 

 of the cufloms : if a Chinefe was to pronounce 

 this word, he would fay Mandeli, for they can- 

 not pronounce the letter r; whence it plainly 

 appears that the word Mandarin does not be- 

 long to their language : fome of thefe gentle- 

 men now came on board, to fee what fort of 

 people we were ; two Mandarins accompanied 

 us up the river, to Wam-pu, where we met two 

 others, each of which joined the fhip in his 

 boat with his men, each having his appointed 

 flation. He who was on the right fide of the 

 fliip, and was the neareft to it, belonged to the 

 cufloms, and flayed with us whilfl we were in 

 China ; but the other on the left was a mili- 

 tary man, and was exchanged every month : 

 their bufinefs is, to keep off the thieving Chinefe 

 from the fhip, and to provide thofe, who mutt, 

 on account of bufinefs, go to Canton or other 

 places, with Tiapp, or paffports, which mufl 

 be (hewn at the cuflom-houfe. Their people 

 can almofl get a fufficient fubfiflence by wafli* 

 ing of linen : it is remarkable, that no Chinefe 

 can be a Mandarin in the place where he is 

 torn, 



