210 



CHINA. 



obedience to the command* of the monarch $ in unpar- 

 donable crime. 



The government it composed of the emperor'* council, 

 ml of tne grel public tribunals. The emperor's coun- 

 cil is competed of the minuter* of Ute taken from the 

 Cola i, or firtt order of mandarin*, of the presidenu of 

 the supreme tribunals, of thetr-anewors and secretaries; 

 but it never assembled unle*s upon affair* of the greatest 

 importance ; and, in general cae, every thing i directed 

 by what i* called the inner court, or private council of 

 the emperor. Thrre are six superior tribunals at Pekin, 

 distinguished by the general name of Leoo-poo. 

 Trtbou'i. Lil-poo, or trit**nl of appointment* to office, supplies 

 mandarins whcrvver they are required, watches over their 

 conduct, and keep* a journal of their transaction*, to be 

 submitted to the emperor'i inspection, that he may dis- 

 pense promotion or punishment, according to the mem* 

 of every individual. This court is tubdivided into four 

 subordinate tribunals, the first of which select* those 

 persons, who are supposed best qualified for supplying 

 the offices under government, the second examines the 

 conduct of the acting mandarins ; the third affixes the 

 seals to public acts assigns to every mandarin the seal of 

 hi* office and dignity, and inspects the seals of the dif- 

 ferent dispatches addressed to the court ; and the fourth 

 inquires into the merit of the princes of the blood, and 

 other grandees. 



2. Ho-poo, a name which siirnifies grand treasurer, is 

 the court of finance, and has the superintendance of the 

 whole revenue* of the empire, of ihe emperor's treasures, 

 domains, and cxpcnces, of pensions, salaries, and presents, 

 of the public maga/.ines, customs, and coining of money. 

 It has fourtecen courts, dispersed through the empire, 

 subservient to its numerous objects, and assisting in ii> 

 immense labour. 



S. Lee poo, or court of ceremonies, protects the ancient 

 custom* and religious rites ; directs the repair* of tem- 

 ples, and the conduct of the different sects ; inspects the 

 progress of the sciences, the examinations, and schools ; 

 receives, lodges, and dismisses foreign embassies, and re- 

 gulate* all those points of etiquette, which form so es- 

 sential a part of the Chinese government. It has four 

 subordinate tribunals engaged in its assistance. 



4. Ping-poo, or tribunal of arms, has jurisdiction over 

 ihc whole military concerns of the empire, fortresses, 

 arsenals, manufactories of arms, the examination and 

 appointment of officer* ; and yet it is composed entirely, 

 as well a* the four tribunals in its service, of civil manda- 

 rins. 



5. Hong-poo, or tribunal of justice, directs every thing 

 relating to the detection and punishment of crimes ; and 

 ba* fourteen tribunals under its inspection, and employed 

 in its service. 



6. Kong-poo, or the tribunal of public marks, has the 

 care of the palaces, public halls, monument*, temples, 

 canals, bridgm, high ways, mines, manufactories, and 

 every thing relating to foreign and inland navigation. It 

 has four inferior courts employed in expediting its la- 

 bours. 



Each of these six supreme tribunals has two presi- Oorrr. 

 dents one of whom must be a Tartar by birth ; and 24 mem. 

 counsellors or assessors, one half of whom are Tartar*, * "V~ 

 and the other half Chinese. Ii order to check these va- 

 rious tribunals, it i enacted, that none of them shall have 

 uh-oliitc authority, even in its own department, and it* 

 decision* can have no effect, without the concurrence of 

 the other courts. 



Next t > these MX tribunals is that of the princes, which 

 i* named Tsong-giu-foo, and which regulates every thing 

 relating to the princes of the blood; keeps a register of 

 all the children of the imperial family, with thi-ir future 

 honours and apj , as th> y are bestowed in the 



course of tlieir lives, judges of their conduct, and sub- 

 jects them to punishment ; and presides likewise over the 

 eunuchs, slaves, and officers of the palace. 



Tilers is also a very important tribunal, called Too- Ccnton. 

 tche-yuen, or tribunal of public censors, who have thein- 

 sj) ction of the whole nation, of the emperor himself, of 

 the supreme tribunals, of the different orders of manda- 

 rin?, and of every class ot citizens. Along with the 

 chiefs of the several tribunals, they have the privilege of 

 addressing remonstrances to the emperor himself; but it 

 would be a capital offence in any of them to fail in shew- 

 ing due respect to the person of the sovereign ; and even 

 the emperor's forgiveness could not save him from the 

 vengeance of the laws. This tribunal sends an inspector 

 general, called Ko-tao, to each of the six supreme tri- 

 bunals, who take no part in the deliberations of these 

 courts, but merely observes all that passes ; and, without 

 even communicating with his colleagues, renders an ac 

 count in secret to the emperor of all that he has noticed. 

 The same tribunal likewise sends visitor*, every three 

 years, to each of the provinces ; and these officers, as 

 soon as they reach their respective destinations, are supe- 

 rior to the governors and mandarins, whose administra- 

 tions they inspect, but whose oppressions they seldom 

 denounce, unless when they are very flagrant and exten- 

 sive. They dispatch even secret visitors through all the 

 provinces j and their enquiries are dreaded by all classes 

 in the state. They have the power of nominating the 

 inspector of the imperial canal, which is one of the most 

 lucrative offices under government ; and, though all the 

 members of this tribunal of censors are only of the seventh 

 order of mandarins they possess, from their office, the 

 greatest authority, and comu and thc-utmost respect. 



While it is by means of the viceroys and mandarins, 

 that the emperor governs and reigns, it is by means of 

 these different tribunals, that he knows and sees, as it 

 were, every thing that is transacted throughout his im- 

 mense empire. As the grandees and mandarins, in their 

 different stations, have a right to a part of that rcveu 

 which is due to the sovereign from whom they derive 

 their authority ; he is careful, both for his own safety 

 and the welfare of his subjects, that these officers be pre- 

 vented from abusing their power, or acquiring too much 

 influence over the people. He, therefore, changes them 

 regularly every three years; obliges them to present 

 themselves before him, both when they depart for their 



ou lift, u ucured, that his memory will be annually brought into public view after his death, and be pronounced with reverence and 

 aJfcdiofi, or loaded with contempt and eiecrationt, according to his conduct upon the throne. 



. In the iriho..al of eenwr., whkb-will afterwards be dwcribed, who have the |wwcr of remonstrating against 

 nwurthv act of tl And, 



..gr.pher. of the empire, who* office It 1. not only to give a faithful detail of public events ; but I 

 DM priv.tr ;.vt In* entiiiin,t. Hnd to record hi. memorable Mying*. These docum, nt, . 



Urg. I, .tand. in the rmirt of one of the .upretnc- tribunals, and which U .iippuwd not to be opened 



rate of the rriaTiing monarch, or, should any thing unfavourable to bin character be inMUcd in it. it iciiK.m.i si 

 lac.cofieftn.lK (pirsttoo o< tl,.- t -xi i ,,, K djiusiv, Uiat then these public recorders may not oc 



la thckt (Arc ky either fri or (ltler, of the prince or tut descendant* 



