9^4 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1804. 



obliged to keep up with them as 

 long as they could. In the course 

 of two nights, Mr, Van Braain ob- 

 serves, not less than eight of these 

 poor wretches a6lually expired un- 

 der their burdens, through cold, 

 • hunger, fatigue, and the cruel treat, 

 ment of their drivers. 



" It had been the practice of some 

 of the gentlemen of the British em- 

 basvsy, in their return through the 

 country, to walk during a part of 

 the daj', and to join the barges to- 

 "ward the hour of dinner. One day 

 an officer of high rank took it into 

 his head to interrupt them in their 

 tisual walk, and for this purpose dis- 

 patched after them nine or ten of his 

 soldiers, who forced them in a rude 

 manner to return to the vessels. 

 Our two conduf^ors, Van and Chou, 

 coming up at the time, and being 

 made acquainted with the circum- 

 stance, gave to each of the soldiers 

 a most severe Hogging. One of 

 these, wlio had been particular!y 

 insolent, had his ears bored through 

 with iron wire, and his hands bound 

 to them for several days. The vice- 

 roy of Canton was at this time with 

 the embassy, and being in rank su- 

 perior to the offending officer, he 

 ordered the latter to appear before 

 Jiiin, gave him a severe repri- 

 mand, and sentenced him to receive 

 forty strokes of the bamboo as a* 

 gentle correction. Our two Chinese 

 friends were particularly pressing 

 that the gentlemen insulted should 

 be present at the putishment of the 

 officer, and it was not without dif- 

 ficulty they could be persuaded that 

 such a scene would not afford them 

 any gratification. It happened also, 

 in the Dutch embassy, that an in- 

 ferior officer was flogged and dis- 

 graced by their conductors for not 

 having ill readiness a sut^cieut num. 



ber of coolies or porters to proceed 

 with the baggage, and to carry the 

 sedan chairs in which they travel, 

 led. 



" The tyranny that men in office 

 exercise over the multitude, and 

 each other, is perfe6lly agreeable 

 to the systematic subordination 

 which the law has sanctioned. But 

 as authority is a dangerous deposit 

 in the hands of the wisest, and leads 

 sometimes the most wary to 



" Play such fantastic tricks before high 



heaven, 

 " As make the angels weep — " 



what must the effeCis of it be when 

 vested in an illiterate Chinese or 

 rude Tartar, who has no other ta- 

 lent or recommendation for his au- 

 thority than the power alone which 

 his office allows him to exercise ? 



" Several instances, however, oc- 

 curred in the course of our journey 

 through the country, which seemed 

 to mark the same unfeeling and 

 hard-hearted disposition to exist be- 

 tween persons of equal condition in 

 life, as in men in office over their 

 inferiors. One of these afforded an 

 extraordinary trait of inhumanity. 

 A poor fellow at Macao, in the em- 

 ploy of the British faftory there, 

 fell by accident from a M'all, and 

 pitched upon his skull. His com- 

 panions took him up, with very lit^ 

 tie appearance of life, and, in this 

 state, were carrying hini away to- 

 wards the skirts of the town, where 

 thiy were met by otve of the medi- 

 cal gentlemen belonging to the em- 

 bassy, lie interrogated them what 

 they meant to do with the unfortu- 

 nate man, and Avas very coolly an- 

 swered, they were going to bury 

 him. Having expressed his astonish- 

 ment that they should think of put- 

 ting 



