94 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



ing house for so many centuries. True, that country has been 

 the scene of many bloody civil conflicts in her history. At the 

 time of Confucius the country was not, as now, one united em- 

 pire, but was divided into many smaller jurisdictions. The politi- 

 cal unity of China was brought about several centuries after his 

 death, and was the result of a long period of tribal or provincial 

 conflicts. 



Then later the Tartars subjugated China, and absorbed the 

 original China proper, as it is spoken of, into the present bound- 

 ary, and the Tartar dynasty has held the control of the govern- 

 ment ever since. The only attempt of any importance made since 

 that conquest to restore Chinese rule was the Taiping rebellion. 

 This revolt promised to be successful, until the British and French 

 Governments interfered in aid of the Tartars, and under Chinese 

 Gordon put down the rebellion. Now every precaution is taken 

 to j)revent another rebellion. Guns and gunpowder have been 

 declared contraband, and are not permitted to the ownership of 

 the natives. 



The Chinese contingent in the army is equipped with bows and 

 arrows, spears, and old-fashioned muzzle-loading blunderbusses 

 of the most primitive pattern. All native regiments are also 

 officered by Tartars, and Tartar regiments are equipped with 

 modern rifles, and drilled under European tactics, to give them 

 an advantage in the event of any future uprising. 



Local magistrates and governors of provinces and districts 

 are all appointed by the Emperor, from the Tartar contingent, 

 and hold their offices at the discretion of the throne. They 

 assume to judge of what is beneficial, and decide the policy of the 

 Government entirely on their own judgment, without consulting 

 the wishes of the populace. There is no appeal to the people for 

 approval or disapproval of the Government's action on any sub- 

 ject. The masses submit to the inevitable, not apparently so much 

 from any recognition of wisdom in its administration, but rather 

 as an inevitable result of their inability to help themselves. 

 Taxation is laid in a most summary and arbitrary manner, and 

 collected by the officers appointed for that purpose, and there is a 

 continual struggle between the tax-collectors and the tax-payers 

 to try to outwit each other. Duty is assessed upon every article 

 of domestic production, as well as all imports. Farm products 

 have to pay duty at every thirty miles they may have to traverse 

 to reach a market. A cargo of tea leaving Hankow for the sea- 

 board for export, if carried in native bottoms, must pay taxes 

 every thirty miles of the distance. Under treaty stipulations, 

 cargo carried under foreign flags is assessed only at the point of 

 departure. This has created a lucrative business for many Ameri- 

 cans and others, who ostensibly buy boats and cargoes, and fly 



