241 



CHIN A. 







to restore tranquillity. " The Chinese, in short," ob- 

 ervet the cane intelligent writer, (M. De Guignes,) to 

 whom we have already to often referred, " are treated 

 in molt rigorous manner ; and if they do not alwayt 

 complain, it it because tbey would gain little by doing 

 1 have lived a long time," he addt, " in China. 

 I have inverted that vatt empire in all its extent. I 

 have every where teen the strong oppress the weak, and 

 every man, who potaeited any portion of authority, em- 

 ploy it to haras*, to burden, to crush the people." 



i>uch is the mode, in which this government, which 

 hii been o highly extolled, and whose stability has' been 

 held up a* a proof of it* perfection, is found to be gene- 

 rally administered ; and how, then, are we to account 

 for itt duration and tranquillity ? It is still a matter of 

 iloubt, and sufficiently open to dispute, whether the 

 peace and permanency of the Chinese government is to 

 DC attributed to itt having been originally adapted to 

 the genius and habits of the people, or tofits having com- 

 pletely subdued and moulded their dispositions and man- 

 ner* to its views and maxims. Opposite sides of this 

 question seem to be adopted by the most recent and in- 

 telligent writer* on the subject, Mr Barrow and M. De 

 Guignet j the former, conceiving the nature of the Chi- 

 nese government to have given its present impression to 

 the character of the subjects ; while the latter rather in- 

 clines to the opinion, that the government itself has 

 arisen out of the genius of the people themselves, and 

 that any change in the system might be attended with 

 fatal effect*. There is, perhaps, a mutual reaction be- 

 tween the government and the people ; and while the 

 former may have gradually been framed according to 

 the ttate and temperament of the latter, it may be sup- 

 posed to have become active In its turn, and to have pro- 

 duced, by a long process, a degree of servility in the na- 

 tion, which cannot be imagined to have otherwise ex- 

 isted. 



The basis of the whole system is, the natural and un- 

 limited authority, which a parent is understood to possess 

 over his offspring, as long as they live ; a maxim which 

 has been industriously inculcated for ages upon the na- 

 tives of China, and which is now completely interwoven 

 with all their earliest feelings and principles. The em- 

 peror it regarded as the common father of his people, 

 and it accordingly invested with all that absolute domi- 

 nion which a parent is considered, in that country, as 

 necessarily possessing over his family. He is not only 

 placed above all earthly controul, but is supposed also 

 to be of more than mortal descent. Hence he not mere- 

 ly takes the title of the Great Father," but likewise 

 styles himself the Son of Heaven," and " the sole Ruler 

 of the World." He himself, too, gives the example of 

 that submissive respect, which, as the general parent, he 

 claims from his tubjectt ; and, at the commencement of 

 every new year, he prostrates himself in the presence of 

 the empress-dowager, before he receive* the prostrations 

 of hit officers and attendants. The same principle per- 

 vade* all the branches of authority ; and the governor of 

 a province, a city, or any other department, it consider- 

 ed at the father of all, who are under his immediate ju- 

 nidiction. In practice, however, at hat been shewn, 

 thit plausible theory it sadly defective ; and the parental 

 afkction and care of the governor hat rather the ap- 

 pearance of cruelty and oppression ; while the filial duty 

 of the governed is little better than fear, deceit, and dis- 

 affection. The very conduct of the monarch gives suf- 

 t proof, that it is an artificial policy, rather than an 

 arrangement of nature, by which he rules j for, in direct 

 apposition to that confidence and delight, with which 



father should appear in the miiht of" hit family, it is 

 the first and great maxim of state, that he should shew 

 himself as rarely as possible to his people in public, and 

 then only, when he is invested with the utmost degree of 

 magnificence and splendour. 



Another cause of the permanency and solidity of the 

 Chinese government, may be found in the circumstance ''"" of "* 

 of the first honours in the ttate being open to the lowest nouri - 

 of the people ; which satisfies and soothes the public 

 mind, and induces the subjects to bear with greater pa- 

 tience that insolence of office and stretch of power, 

 which they themselves, their friends, or their children, 

 may have the prospect of exercising. The very act of 

 choosing a magistrate from the lower class, seems to 

 give the people a higher idea of the wisdom of govern- 

 ment, and to satisfy them that affairs will be better ma- 

 naged by such persons, than by any other. They are 

 deceived in their expectation, while they still persist in 

 cherishing it. The more obscure that the condition of 

 a Chinese mandarin has originally been, the more he 

 strives to make it be forgotten, by treating with con- 

 tempt such as were once his equals. He imagines, that 

 the figure of a bird or a tiger embroidered on the front 

 or the back of his coat, bestows every species of worth ; 

 and he continues to solicit for places, till he becomes 

 governor of a city, governor of a province, and finally 

 reaches the dignity of Tsong-too ; when he begins to 

 abuse the authority with which he has been entrusted, 

 resumes all the native meanness of his original education, 

 pillages, oppresses, and grinds the people ; till the em- 

 peror, acquainted with his excesses, cashiers, banishes, 

 and remits him to the crowd, from winch he had by 

 chance been drawn. Still, however, his very misconduct 

 and dismissal open the way to another of the people ; 

 and they are pleased with a government, which is thu* 

 every day formed from tlu-ir own body. 



The following causes have also been assigned, as per- Subordi- 

 haps contributing their share of influence to l! : naieciuses. 



of the constitution. 1. The low state of civilization 

 among the Chinese, which prevents their acquisition of 

 enlarged views of political freedom : 2. The natural bar- 

 riers of the country excluding foreign enemies, and the 

 extreme caution of the government in admitting strangert 

 into tb,e empire: 3. The difficulty of making progrest 

 in the language, which kei-ps the body of the people 

 in ignorance : 4r. The complete religious toleration which 

 is exercised, (with only one exception, that of Chris- 

 tianity,) neither prohibiting the people from embracing 

 any sect that they choose, nor compelling them to con- 

 tribute to the support of one which they dislike : and, 

 5. The means which are employed to inculcate sober ha- 

 bits, and to render individuals reserved, formal, suspici- 

 ous, and unsocial, which prevents all haranguing and ca- 

 balling, all conferences about political right or wrong, 

 and all plans of opposition to the will of the govern- 

 ment. 



But, leaving all farther speculations as to the means 

 and contrivance s, by which this enormous and apparently 

 unwieldy machine of the Chinese government is kept to- 

 gether, and enabled to go on, let us attend to the consti- 

 tuent parts, which have been thus so long and so solidly 

 bound together. 



The court, or officers of state, and other attendants Tke curt. 

 upon the person of the emperor in public, are incalculably 

 numerous, and inconceivably magnificent. The general 

 appearance of the whole, on great occasions, all robed in 

 the richest silks, embroidcn-d with the most brilliant co- 

 lour*, and tissued with gold and silver, arranging and 

 conducting thcmtclvc* in their respective places with the 





