CHINA. 



215 



I'opogra- find employment suited to their strength, and even blind 

 persons gain a subsistence by p undmg the colouring 



""V ' materials. It is said to contain about 500 furnaces, all 

 employed in making porcelain, the flames and smoke of 

 which give it the appearance at night of a city on fire. 

 Strangt rs are not permitted to lodge in the town, but 

 must sleep in the b lats, unless they have friends among 

 the inhabitants, who become security for their conduct j 

 a regulation which is supposed necessary in a place, which 

 13 go full of valuable articles, and so likely to attract 

 plunderers. Lin-kiang-foo,. situated on the banks of the 

 Yu-ho, in a healthful climate and good soil, is so much 

 deser'.ed, that the Chinese have a saying, that one hog 

 would maintain the whole of the inhabitants for two 

 days. But one of its villages is a considerable market 

 for drugs, and its neighbouring mountains yield great 

 quantities of oranges, on account of which articles it is 

 held in some repute. Kang.tcheoo-foo, a populous and 

 flourishing city, situated at the confluence of two rivers, 

 has a bridge of 130 boats, joined together by iron chains, 

 and upon this bridge is built the custom-house. Two or 

 three ot the boats are left moveable, in such a manner as 

 to aff.ird an opening, when necessary, for vessels to pass 

 up or down. In the neighbouring country is found 

 abundance of those trees, which yield the varnish used in 

 japanning, and which are supposed to be the R/ius Vernix. 

 This province extends from 28 C to 30 ot north la- 

 titude ; and its mean temperature, in November, was 

 found to be- from 56 at sun-rise, to 62 at noon. It is 

 full of rivers, lakes, and marshes towards the north j but 

 rather mountainous in the south. The soil is, in gene- 

 ral, a dry reddish, occasionally yellowish, sand, upon a 

 bottom of clay ; and in some spots was observed a depth 

 of BIX ieet of vegetable earth ; but around the Fo yang 

 lake, which is in this province, the country is a continued 

 mai sh for an immense extent. It produces excellent rice, 

 with which several barks are annually loaded for the use 

 of the court ; but wheat and sugar-cane are the chief 

 crops, the latter of which is peculiarly juicy, and ha 

 joints from six to nine inches in length. Though suffi- 

 ciently fertile, it is BO very populous as to be unable to 

 supply its inhabitants, who are, on that account, extreme- 

 ly economical, and accustomed to very spare diet. Hence 

 they are exposed to the raillery of their neighbours ; but 

 they are said to be very acute and intelligent, and readily 

 rise to the higher dignities in the state. Its mountains 

 are covered with medicinal herbs; and contain also gold, 

 silver, iron, lead, tin, vitriol, alum, and crystal. It fur- 

 nishes also, as articles of trade, tallow, paper, and var- 

 ni-h. The women of this province are more robust than 

 those of most other parts of China ; are strangers to the 

 custom of cramping the feet, and are much employed in 

 the labours of the fi. Id. When a Chinese farmer, there- 

 fore, is in quest of a working wife, he goes to purchase in 

 Kiang-see. 



nber of According to the flaming statements of the Chinese, 

 |a, kc. the whole cities of these 15 provinces amount to the 

 number ot 4402, divided into two clasps, civil and mili- 

 tary ; the frontiers and sea coasts art- defended by 439 

 castles, well fortified, and covered by 29^0 towns, many 

 of which are equal in population and extent to the wall- 

 ed cities ; while the villages, scattered ov;r the interior, 

 are declared to be innumerable. There are also, accord- 

 ing to the same authorities, 1145 royj hospitals, or 

 lodging places, for the officers and servants of the court ; 

 11 M triumphal arches, erected in honour of kings and 

 heroes ; 208 monuments, dedicated to the memory of 

 fern. iles, who have been distinguished by the virtues of 

 thur sex ; 272 libraries, continually open to the learn- 

 ed ; and iu almost every city or town, school} and col- 



leges, established by Confucius, or founded in honour of Topogra- 

 his name. ^J^> 



The other parts of the Chinese dominions and tributa- """Y" 

 ry states, viz. Chinese Tartary, the island of Formosa, Tributary 

 the kingdoms of Corea, Tonkin, Cochin china, Thibet, states. 

 Hami, and the isles of Lieoo kieoo, will form the sub- 

 ject of separate articles. But we may here shortly no- 

 tice those distinct and almo t independent tribes, who 

 reside within the limits of the Chinese empire, and 

 may, indeed, be classed among its subjects ; but who 

 are still so different, in many respects, from the other 

 inhabitants of the country, as to require a separate de- 

 scription. 



1. The SIFANS or Toopans, whose country is eitua- sifans.. 

 ted to the west of the provinces Chensee and Se-tchoo- 



cn, between the 30 and 35 of north latitude, and forms 

 a continued ridge of mountains covered with snow, even, 

 in the month of July, inclosed by the rivers Hoang-ho 

 on the north, Ya-long on the south, and Yang-tse-kiang on 

 the east. They are divided into two tribes, called by the 

 Chinese, from the different colours of their tents, th 

 black and the yellow Sifans. The former are a misera- 

 ble uncivilized people, who live in small bodies, govern- 

 ed by petty chiefs, who are all dependent upon one as 

 their head. The latter are ruled by a family of princes, 

 or rather priests of the god Fo, who have each a sepa- 

 rate district ; and the oldest of whom is styled Lama, 

 and is distinguished by a yellow dress. The payment of 

 certain honours, and of the duej to the idol divinity, 

 which are not very burdensome, is all that they exact 

 from their subjects. A few of the Sifans have houses 

 of earth or brick ; but the greater part live in tents, in 

 small hamlets of five or six families. Their chief occu- 

 pation is the rearing of their flocks, and a traffic iu rhu- 

 barb, which their country produces in great abundance. 

 Some of their rivers wash down particles of gold among 

 the aand, of which they form small vases and statues ; 

 and with the general use of which, they seem to have 

 been long acquainted. They were once, it is said, a 

 powerful nation, whose dominions extended to the boun- 

 daries of Cachemire, and often proved formidable enemies 

 to their Chinese neighbours. But since the year 1227, 

 they have been confined within their native mountains, 

 and have sunk back into their original barbarism. They 

 still maintain a proud and independent spirit, acknow- 

 ledging, with reluctance, the supremacy of the Chinese 

 emperors, and seldom obey the edicts of the mandarins ; 

 but the government of China connives at their disaffec- 

 tion ; and endeavours, by mild measures, to preserve in 

 some degree of subjection, a people, whose frightful 

 mountains would enable them to defy all attempts to 

 reach them by force. 



2. The Lo LOS, who are dispersed through the pro- 

 vince of Yun-nan, were formerly governed by their own '" 

 sovereigns ; but submitted to the Emperor of China, 

 upon condition of enjoying for ever the honour of man- 

 darins, with which office accordingly the head of every 

 family is invested. They are ruled by princes of their 

 own nation, who govern them in a very despotic manner, 

 and have the power of punishing with death, without 

 the concurrence of the Chinese viceroy. These princes 

 huve numbers of officers attached to their respective ser- 

 vices, and can appoint the commanders of their own 

 troops. These people are a well made and very hardy 

 race. Their dress consists of plain drawers, a cotton 

 vest, which reaches to the knee, a straw hat, and sandals 



on their feet, but no covering to their legs. The women 

 wear a long robe, covering the whole body, and descend- 

 ing to thu feet, above which is fastened a small cloak 

 reaching to the girdle ; and in this dress they appear on 



