

CHINA. 





;irw, at great attention ha* been paid to its improvement, 

 and as all the children, one of whose parents is of Tar- 

 tar descent, have bri expressly required to be instructed 



' : ' : ' i , ,;::,!:;.:'. r J iWi ! r\. n.::'.. - 

 in the V tongue. The Emperor of 



China, likr .ul princes, shews no tendency to 



become indigenous to his adopted soil, but continues in- 

 variably attached to his native cast, and systematically 

 favours his countrymen in every possible instance. The 

 Tartars in China, it has been asserted by an eye witness, 

 thus continue, from prince to peasant, to preserve their 

 native character distinct, and to hold the subjugated Chi- 

 nese in tfce utmost contempt. These, on the other hand, 

 are represented as daily becoming more dissatisfied with 

 the imperious manners of their conquerors, whom they 

 heartily hate, while they are obliged to submit to their 

 way. 



A kind of piratical republic has been gradually form- 

 ing upon the coasts, which, since the year 1805, 

 has become extremely powerful. The number of the 

 rebel vesselt has been stated, by recent accounts, as not 

 lew than 4000 ; of which the largest are about 200 tons 

 bnrden, carrying from 200 to 300 men, and from 12 to 

 20 guns ; while the smallest are about 30 tons, with 50 

 or 60 men. In the beginning of the year 1810, they 

 even attempted to blockade the port of Canton ; and 

 though they have not yet penetrated into the interior of 

 the country, they are said to have numerous partizans in 

 every quarter. 



During the last twenty-five years, there has existed 

 in China, particularly in the southern and western pro- 

 vinces, a kind of sect or association of disaffected per- 

 sons, who furnish the rebels with all necessary intelli- 

 gence. This association is named Thian-thee-ohc, which 

 signifies " heaven and earth united :" and its members 

 are extremely numerous. They know each other by 

 private signs, such as the manner in which a cup of tea, 

 or a pipe of tobacco, is offered and accepted. In the 

 form of initiation, the new member is placed between 

 t wo naked sabres, which arc crossed over his head ; and, 

 in this position, he solemnly swears rather to perish than 

 to betray the secrets of the society. A few drops of 

 blood arc then drawn from him, and from the person 

 who administers the oath, which are mingled in a cup of 

 tea, of which both parties partake. The great prin- 

 ciples of this body are, the equality of all men, and the 

 obligation of the rich to communicate of their abun- 

 dance to the poor. In the year 1804, not less than nine 

 provinces of the empire were disturbed by the machina- 

 tions of these levellers ; and their numbers daily in- 

 created to such a degree, that many of the more wealthy 

 r.atives had become members of the association, and sur- 

 rendered a part of their property to preserve the rest. 

 Those, who resisted their influence, and refused to make 

 such a compromise, were often secretly seized, and kept 

 as prisoners, and even threatened with death, unless their 

 friends should procure their release, by depositing a sum 

 ef money in a place appointed. A sect of a similar de- 

 scription exists hi the northern provinces, under the 

 fume of Pflin- Kins, which signifies " enemies of foreign 

 religion ;" and which is founded upon discontent with 

 the existing government, and dislike of a foreign dy- 

 nasty. These associations obtain numerous partizans 

 among the lower classes, who arc often rendered despe- 

 rate by their extreme indigence' ; and, in some districts, 

 their members have abandoned themselves to the most 

 daring excesses, and even to open revolt. The govern- 

 fnent have made great exertions to suppress these sedi- 

 tions ; and it i raid, that not less than 401)0 persons had 

 keen capitally punished, within a very short period, on 



t of tho<e practices. In 1798, one of their chiefa 

 was proscribed by public proclamation, and a price of 

 10,000 piastres set upon his head ; but he took refuge A. D. 1810. 

 in the inland of Java, where his principles have made 

 great progress among the Chinese residents ; but whom 

 the dread of the European authorities has hitherto re- 

 strained from committing the excesses, to which their sys- 

 tem has often given rise in China. By a recent edict of 

 the Chinese government, all who were detected as mem- 

 bers of the Thian-thee-ohe, association, were condemned 

 to have the tendons of the right foot cut across, and to 

 have the left check marked with a red-hot iron : but, if 

 farther convicted of having been engaged in any disturb- 

 ance, they were sentenced to be capitally punibhed, by 

 being beheaded. The people, however, in general, as 

 long as they can easily procure their portion of rice, 

 and a few savoury sauces, are in no temper for a revolt 

 against their government : and hence it is the principal 

 care of the latter to provide magazines throughout the 

 empire, to serve as a supply in seasons of scarcity or 

 famine. 



From a short recapitulation of the principal facts and Recapitu- 

 events recorded in the Chinese annals, it may be seen, at l-ition of 

 one glance, that the boasted antiquity, extent, civiliza* 

 tion, and tranquillity of China, have been too easily ad- 

 mitted by Europeans, and are clearly incompatible with 

 the most authentic historical documents of that nation. 

 From these it appears, that the greater part of the cities 

 of China have been founded posterior to the dynasty of 

 Tsin, about 250 years before Christ ; that the empire, 

 about 800 years before the Christian era, was composed 

 only of the provinces of Honan, Shan-sec, Pc-tche-lee, 

 Shan-tong, and a small district in Shen-see, while the 

 rest of the country was in the possession of barbarians ; 

 that the province of Se-tchuen was occupied by savage 

 tribes, who were not subjected till the year 206' before 

 Christ ; that the philosopher Men-tse, who flourished 

 336 years before Christ, expressly declares, that the 

 people of the kingdom of Tsoo, that is of the province 

 of Hoo-koang, were at tha' time a savage race ; that 



?uang-see was inhabited by barbarous hordes named 

 ue, the ancestors of the Miao-tse, who still exist in its 

 mountainous districts, and that the lower parts were 

 not subdued till the year 223 before Christ ; that Koei- 

 tcheoo was not reduced till the year 20<> before Christ, 

 and Yunnan not until the 7th or 8th century of the 

 Christian era ; that the kingdom of Oo in Kiang-nan 

 was destroyed by the people of Yue and Tsoo in the 

 year before Christ 473, but not subjected by the Chi- 

 nese sovereigns till 200 years after ; that Kiang-see, si- 

 tuated between the people of Yue and Tsoo, and the 

 constant theatre of their wars, was not subjugated till 250 

 years before Christ ; that Tchc-kiang, inhabited by bar- 

 barous tribes, under the dominon of the Yue and Tsoo, 

 was brought under the Chinese princes only about the 

 same period ; that Fo-kien, separated from the Chinese 

 dominions by the kingdom of Oo, was annexed to the 

 empire only about 200 years before Christ ; that Quang- 

 tong, inhabited by the Southern Yue, was partly sub- 

 dued 214 years before Christ ; but was only gradually 

 civilized by the intercourse of the Chinese, and was finally 

 subjugated in the year before Christ 109. The empire 

 of China, in the earlier ages of its existence, if indeed it 

 existed so early, must have been composed only of a few 

 civilized clans, who lived in the midst of barbarians, and 

 who changed their, place of residence as circumstances 

 required. This point is sufficiently established by such 

 events as the following, recorded in the Chinese histo- 

 ries : namely, that in the year 1401 before Christ ( 1500 

 yean after the pretended commencement of the mo- 



