CHINA. 



LAWS. 



and metjure of the srunJest policy, that the French 

 government afford succour to the missionaries, and ex- 

 hose person* who are truly respect- 

 able." Miiion, indeed, can never be considered at se- 

 curely ettabliihed in China, at the whole chancier and 

 manner* of the nation are against the progress of the 

 Chriuian religion; and no dependence can be placed 

 upon the natives, who will change opinions, everv mo- 

 ment, according to circumstances. One great hindrance 

 will always be found in the despotic nature of the go- 

 vernment, which cannot endure that one of the people 

 should have a tingle sentiment or observance, which it 

 could not have power to alter or suppress. By letters 

 received from Caaton in 1 802, it appeared, that the prohi- 

 bitions against the Christians had greatly relaxed in their 



r; and that the emperor had actually issued an 

 edict permitting the residence of the Roman Catholic 

 missionaries in any part of his dominions, within twenty 

 miles of the court ; in consequence of which indulgence, 

 it was added, that a number of converts had been bap- 

 tized. It appears, however, from a subsequent edict, 

 dated 1805, that the labours of some of those missionaries 

 had excited the alarm of the government ; and that a 

 persecution was then carrying on against the Christians. 



edict admits the right of Europeans, settled in the 

 country, to practise their own religious usages; but de- 

 clares it to be an established law of the empire, that they 

 should not propagate their doctrines among the natives. 

 A missionary residing at Pekin, and named Odeadato, 

 who had made many convert), and also printed several 

 religious tracts in the Chinese language, was banished for 

 life to Gchol in Tartary ; and a number of the Chinese, 

 who had become Christians under bis instructions, or 

 been assisting to him in his plans, were condemned to 

 suffer punishment, according to their respective degrees 

 of guilt. It was further declared, that all, who shall 

 hereafter frequent the houses of Europeans, in order to 

 learn their doctrines, will be punished with the utmost 

 rigour of the law.* 



The laws of China are directed by the government to 

 be carefully taught to the people, by the mandarins of 

 the respective districts ; and it may be said, that juris- 

 prudence is the only religion, which is inculcated by au- 

 thority in this vast empire. The laws are also published 

 for the use of the subjects, in the plainest characters of 

 the language, and in a popular and easy style. A rrpub- 

 lication takes place, at the accession of every new dynas- 

 ty, of the subsisting statutes, which forms the Leu, or 

 fundamental code, during the continuance of that family ; 

 and to this, as supplementary clauses, are appended all 

 the additional statutes, under the title of Lee. The ear- 



liest compilation of which any intelligence has been pro- Laws, 

 cured, is . to a person of the name of Lee Quee, w ^i" 1 



who is supposed to have lived about -.'.'>(> years before 

 Christ ; and the greater part of the existing laws of Chi- 

 na are conceived to be as antu : period. The 



t *) stem of Chinese laws is called Ta-tiing.lcti-lce, 

 and takes its date from the year 1 <>(>!, when the present 

 Tartar dynasty of Ta tsm ascei.ded the thn. ne. The sub- 

 stance of this work has been translated into En^lirhby Sir 

 George Staunton ; and we may thus have a more thorough 

 knowledge of the legislation of China, than of any other 

 subject respecting tliat country, to which our enquiries 

 can be directed. The laws also enter so minutely into 

 every circumstance of private life, that a perusal of the 

 work in question would afford a very complete view of 

 the manners and customs of the Chinese people. For the 

 sake of those, however, who may not have the opportu- 

 nity or the wish to examine that large compilation, we 

 may here insert a few of its principal enactment:;, as a 

 specimen of its contents, and as the most authentic infor- 

 mation on this branch of our subject. 



These may be arranged under the following heads, 

 the different kinds and degrees of punishment authorised 

 by the laws of China ; the principal regulations, which 

 they ordain in some of the most important and interest- 

 ing cases ; and the mode of administering those laws, in 

 the apprehension and trial of delinquents. 



In the time of Confucius, there were five sorts of pu- Pnni.h* 

 nishments ; viz. a black mark upon the forehead, ampu- mem*, 

 tation of the tip of the nose, amputation of the foot, or 

 cutting of the ham-string, castration, and death. None 

 of those punishments arc mentioned in the code of the 

 present dynasty ; but those which are in common use, 

 are, 



1. The bastonade, which is inflicted by the pan-tse, 

 or bamboo. This instrument is a lath of bamboo, about 

 five or six feet in length, and four inches in breadth at 

 the end which is applied to the offender, rounded at the 

 sides, and polished at the extremity which is held in the 

 hand of the executioner. It is generally applied in a 

 severe and cruel manner, and it is seldom that a delin- 

 quent survives after receiving fifty blows. This instru- 

 ment is in constant application, and is inflicted for the 

 smallest offence. The more ordinary chastisements are 

 not attended with disgrace, and are considered merely as 

 a slight paternal correction. It is said to be frequently 

 inflicted in this view, by the emperor himself, upon his 

 courtiers and prime ministers, without their forfeiting 

 his favour, or losing thiir respectability with the nation ; 

 and one officer may apply it to another of an inferior or- 

 der, in a very summary manner, upon his failing in any 

 duty, or even neglecting to salute his superior with pro- 



Some of the Christian associations in Great Britain have recently turned their attention to the practicability of sending the sa- 

 cred scriptures to the Chinese. In 1802, a note was sent by the Archbishop of Canterbury to " ti < pioinnt 



Xnowledgc," accompanied with copy of a memoir Ky the Hcv. \V. MOM.-IV, " on tlw iiupoitiim-c and practin.hility of piintiug tha 

 acrid Scriptures in thr Chinese language, and circulating them in that Mist empire;" ' Durham, 



the matter waa referred to the l'.j-.t India Mi>ion Committee. The same i leu had occurred to the British and ile Society ; 



and a young liini'w then residing in J.ordon. named Yong-xaam-tak, had been employed by them in transcribing a Chinese transla- 

 tion of a harmony of the go*pcl>, and most of the epistles, which had I wen found in the British museum ; bu! i . upon 



, to have been made from the Vulgate, probably by some JcMiit, and the work wns abandoned. This great object ha* 



aincc been undertaken, -and In great meuure accomplished. In the Baptist irmsiunaiv of a learned 



c; whose Important labours waa noticed with just commendation by the p in India, in the fo! 



Impressive language: I must not omit to commend the zealous and pcrscvcriii; and of i 



pious persona associated with him, who hove accomplished for the futuic benefit, we iii.-.y l.opc, of that immense and pnpi 

 Chinese versions, in the Chinese character, of the goipeU of Matthew, Mark, and I. like ; throwing open (hat precious mine, with all 

 its religious and moral treasure*, to the largett associated population in the world." A similar .11- a Mr Mor- 



/ison ..t fi.nl. !]. who waa sent to that station by the London Mission. : but, in the ye.u iHiU, he had sliil no prospect of 



being able to make his way to Pel in. In iHio, he I. .d piinlid 1000 copies ol ''the Acts ot i . in the Chin anil 



character ; and, as he understood that the Gospels and KpitUcii -HU, he had begun to tn.ni-latc the l>"uk of Ge. 



'I and the Psalms. lie bas lately published a work uiiitku llwat ii'mur, consisting chiefly uf translations from the Chinese. 



