CHINA. 



245 



Mandarini. same tribunal. If the perpetrator of a robbery or mur- 

 T""' der cannot be discovered, the mandarin of the district 

 where the crime was committed is deprived of his office. 

 A mandarin cannot be brought to justice as long as he 

 is invested with authority, because he then represents 

 the emperor ; but he must be cashiered, before he can be 

 subjected to trial and punishment. A mandarin has full 

 power in his district ; but they are all subject to the au- 

 thority of those who occupy a higher degree, and the 

 superior orders are responsible for the conduct of the 

 inferior. Both civil and military mandarins are payed 

 from the revenues of the province, in the different parts 

 of which they are employed ; but their salaries are bare- 

 ly competent to defray the expences of their office, 

 which is one cause of their general inclination to pillage 

 the people. The highest does not amount to 1000 

 crowns ; but, in spite of all the checks which the laws 

 have placed upon their conduct, they easily find means 

 not only to supply their wants, but also to acquire 

 wealth. It is so rare to see one of them leave his em- 

 ployment without having become rich, that a disinterest- 

 ed mandarin is regarded by the Chinese as a phenome- 

 non ; and it is a common proverb in the country, that 

 the emperor lets loose jut as many wolves and robbers 

 as he creates mandarins. Notwithstanding this general 

 opinion of their character, and the circumstance of their 

 being all taken chiefly from the lower classes of citizens, 

 the people obey them with great reverence. They are 

 saluted with the appellations of Lao-ye, or lord ; Ta-lao- 

 ye, or great lord ; Ta-gin, or great man. Every one, 

 who is not himself invested with an office, or honoured 

 by a literary degree, must bend the knee when he ad- 

 dresses a mandarin ; and every person, who meets him 

 on the road, must stand with his head erect, and his arms 

 by his side, till he has passed. This awe and servility 

 is kept up by the great show which they attempt to 

 make, and by the severe punishments which would be 

 inflicted, upon the least symptom of disrespect. They 

 never appear in their districts without a considerable re- 

 tinue, composed of all who belong to their tribunal, 

 consisting frequently of more than 100 persons. The 

 procession is opened by two men, armed with long flat 

 bamboos, for inflicting the bastonade, who call out at 

 intervals to intimate the approach of the mandarin, and 

 who are followed by two drummers, beating on large 

 copper kettles. After them walks a company of execu- 

 tioners, provided with chains, whips, and sabres; and 

 next the bearers of parasols, standards, and other in- 

 signia of authority. A few soldiers on horseback then 

 appear, preced'ng the palanquin of the magistrate, which 

 is borne by four men, and surrounded by his principal 

 domestics. A few more soldiers, mingled with persons 

 carrying various articles, which are required in the ser- 

 vice of the great men, terminate the train. But all this 

 apparent pomp, which consists chiefly in the number of 

 attendants, discovers, upon a nearer inspection, very 

 little magnificence, neatness, order, or wealth. Except- 

 ing those, who arc stationed nearen to the person of the 

 mandarin, the persons who compose the retinue ire 

 poorly cLthed ; the parasols are often in tatters ; and 

 whenever the mandarm leaves his palanquin, the cavaliers 

 mix with the lowest soldiers, executioners, and other 

 menials, and may all be seen together upon the ground 

 Drmofthc engaged at different games. All the mandarins wear 

 mandarins, robes of a violet colour, and are alone entitled to use 

 golden embroidery. Their different orders and degrees 

 are minutely distinguished by particular kinds of dress ; 

 and their wives also are habited in a manner conformable 

 **me rank of their husband*. They are characterited 



at one glance by the figure upon the front and back of Mandarins. 



their robe, by the colour and form of the girdle, and " '"% ""' 



by the button upon the top of their bonnets, of which 



they have two kinds, the bonnet of ceremony, and one 



for ordinary use. There is a difference also between 



their winter and summer dress : the former of which, 



ornamented with furs, is put on about the middle of Oc- 



tober, and laid aside about the middle of April. The 



chief mandarins are distinguished farther by having eight 



bearers of their palanquins, while the inferior orders have 



only four, and private persons never more than two. 



There are nine orders of mandarins, who arc dis- 

 tinguished, besides other less prominent marks, as fol- 

 lows : 



1. By a ruby of transparent red on their bonnet ; by 

 the figure of a Ho, or pelican, on the front and back of 

 their robe ; and by four stones of agate, with rubies on 

 their girdle. The military officers of the same order, 

 having the same decorations, but instead of the pelican, 

 have the figure of Ky-lin, afabnlmis animal. 



2. By a ruby of opaque red, the figure of a Kin-kee, 

 or golden hen, and four wrought squares of gold, witK 

 rubies on the girdle : The military officers of the same 

 order, have the figure of a Sie, or lion, 



3. By a sapphire of transparent blue, the figure of a 

 Kong-tsio, or peacock, and four squares wrought with 

 gold on the girdle : The military officers of the same 

 order have the figure of a Pao, or panther, with round 

 spots. 



4-. By a stone of opaque blue, the figure of a Yen, or 

 crane, and four squares of wrought gold, with a bilver 

 button on the girdle : The military officers of the same 

 order have the figure of a Hoo, or tiger. 



5. By a rock crystal of transparent ivliite, the figure 

 of a Pe-hien, wltite-pheasaiil, and four squares of plain 

 gold, with a silver button on the girdle : The military 

 officers of the same order have the figure of a Hiong, 

 bear. 



6. By a marine shell of opaque white, the figure of a 

 LU--U, stork, and four round plates of shell, with a but- 

 ton of silver on the girdle : The military officers of the 

 game order have the figure of a Pien, or small tiger. 



7. By a small crystal and button of plain gold, tho 

 figure of a Kec-she, partridge, and four round plates of 

 silver upon the girdle : The military officers of the same 

 order have the figure of a See, rhinoceros. 



8. By a button of wrong/it gold, surmounted by an- 

 other of the same Kind, the figure of a Ngan-shun, a 

 quail, and four plates of rams-horn, with a silver button 

 upon the girdle : The military officers of the same order, 

 have the figure of the 7th order, the See, or rhinoceros. 



9. By a button of u-rouglit gold, surmounted by an- 

 other of silver, the figure of a Tsio, or sparrow, and four 

 plates of black horn, with a silver button upon the 

 girdle : The military officers of the same order, have the 

 figure of a Hay ma, sca-horic. 



Next to the mandarins, the persons who have obtain- 

 ed degrees in the civil or military examinations, and who 

 arc the candidates for vacancies in these orders, have also 

 a distinguishing mark according to their progress, and 

 which consists chiefly in a button of wrought gold, a 

 button of wrought silver, or a button of plain silver. 



Of the civil mandarins, the chief officers, who govern Civil tnau- 

 the empire, are the darins. 



1. Ttsong-too, whose jurisdiction extends over one 

 or two provinces ; and of whom there are reckoned only- 

 eleven in the empire. 



2. Foo-yuen, or governor of a province. 



3. Poo-tching-sse, or chief treasurer, and chril judge. 



