CHINA. 



Thi> inrplui U deposited in the public treasury after 

 the tmpe ror has lak-n from it what be find) necessary, or 

 thinks proper for hi* own rxpencrs. Hi. tl..m.;h he pos- 

 altn a reve 



Amy. 



revenue of hit own, calculated at 1(10,000,000 

 French livrt* or 1 414.444 stetling. yet it would nut 

 teem, that he ha* much wealth at command ; a* it appears, 

 that he was recently undrr the neceuity of accepting an 

 offering of 500,000 tacls or ounce< of silver, lC)t'>,iMi 

 sterling, fn'tn thr wit merchant! of Canton, and of tiling 

 a quantity of hit precious Mono, in order to defray the 

 unexpected charges occa iot.ed to the government, by an 

 insurrection in the wettern provinces. 



According to the statements of the Chinese govern- 

 ment to Lord Macartney, the amount of their (landing 

 o( army, even in times of peace, is immense, namely, one 

 million of infantry, and eight hundred thousand caval- 

 ry ; and, according to a calculation made by his lord- 

 ship, from the information of the officers, the annual 

 pay and expences of this force could not be less than 

 L. 49,982,933 Stirling. These statements, however, M. 

 De Guignrs positively affirms to have been greatly exag- 

 gerated by the Chinese mandarins, in order to give the 

 embassy a higher idea of their power ; and in this view, 

 he adds, that the number of military seen by the British 

 in the different places through which they passed, had 

 been purposely collected from a distance, and placed 

 upon their route. The Dutch embassy, which he ac- 

 companied, perceived nothing in the whole of their pro- 

 cress, which served to indicate such a multitude of sol- 

 diery. They never met upon their route a single corps, 

 either of infantry or cavalry, in motion. They found 

 only about 40 soldiers at the entrance of cities of the 

 third class, about 200 in those of the second, and from 

 1000 to 2000 in th.se of the first. Even at Pckin they 

 taw only two miserable companies of guards at the gates 

 of thr palace, a few of the emperor's guards in his gar- 

 dens of Yu Ti-ming-yuen, and a small number of soldiers 

 on the day of their last audience. M. Van Braam ex- 

 pressly declares, that he never saw, in all his progress 

 through tlu capital, more than a guard of six soldiers to- 

 gether ; and, during his visit, he did not observe a regu- 

 lar guard even at the gate of the palace. " We passed, 

 and halted," says M. De Guignes, " in the same places 

 as t!i English ; but the number of soldiers, stationed on 

 purpose on their line of progress, was no where seen by 

 us. livery one had returned to his post, and we found 

 only the ordinary number." According to the calcula- 

 tions of different missionaries, the whole of the forces 

 throughout the empire do not exceed 800,000 ; and the 

 Chinese assured M. De Guignes, that there was not 

 more than 120,000 or 25,000 troops in each province. 

 Upon these grounds, he calculates the whole of the Chi- 

 nese standing army at 842,000 men, of which number 

 240,000 are cavalry. 



Condition As the empire of China enjoys a state of profound 

 of thetol- peace with its neighbours, of whom there is none suffi- 

 ciently powerful to endanger its repose, the condition of 

 soldier in this country is not attended with much danger 

 or fatigue, and is generally very much desired by the na- 

 tivei. Those who enlist arc enrolled in the provinces 

 where they arc born, or reside ; and the corps, to which 

 they are attached, never change their station. Hence the 

 greater part of the army is a Kind of fixed militia, never 

 moved from their homes, and even rarely called into service. 

 All the Tartars are considered at soldiers from their birth, 

 and begin very early to receive pay. The lather of a nu- 

 merous family, an only son, or the no', if an aged widow, 

 are exempted from military service, except in cues of ur> 



gent necessity. Every soldier hit his own house, and a Army, 

 mall garden, where lie lives with his family, and is free - ~T""*' 

 to employ hioiself at any trade when i.ot upon duty, or at 

 drill. Those who are mployed at the different stations 

 upon the rivers and high-ways, have generally also a por- 

 tion of land, which they have leisure to cultivate for 

 their support, and pay their taxes from the produce, like 

 other husbandmen. The- greater part of the Tartar ca- 

 valry are stationed on thr northern frontiers, and in the 

 conquered provinces of Tartary ; and the Tartar infantry 

 are distributed in garrisons throughout the different ci- 

 ties of the empire. The rest of the army is dispersed 

 arming the smaller towns and villages, where ihey act a* 

 jailors, constables, tliiel-takers, sulu.rdinatr collectors of 

 taxes, guards of the public granaries, and in various 

 other offices under the magistrates of police. A great 

 proportion is employed at the military posts upi.ti the 

 high-ways, canals, &c. where they serve both as guards 

 to prevent robberies or suppress disputes, and also as 

 couriers, to convey the public dispatcher to or from the 

 metropolis. It is said, that few of the Chinese enter 

 the army, except those who want ability t succeed in 

 the civil department j and the best recruits are procured 

 from the northern provinces. 



The pay of the infantry, including the price of their P*f- 

 rations, according to Mr Barrow, is two taels of fine 

 silver, about 12s 6d. per month, which may amount to 

 2.^(1. and a measure of rice, a day ; but M. De Guignes 

 makes it three taels, or 18s. 6d. per month ; and that of 

 the cavalry, according to both of these authors, is four 

 taels, or 25s. per month. In time of war, every soldier, 

 besides his m-.liuary allowance, receives six months pay 

 advance ; and a part of his regular pay is retained by go- 

 vernment, for the support of his family during his ab- 

 sence. 



The clothing of the soldier varies in the different pro- Uniform. 

 vinces, but consists chieflyof large blue jackets edged 

 with red, or brown edged with yellow. Some wear 

 long pantaloons, some breeches with stockings of cot- 

 ton cloth, and some quilted petticoats with sattin boots. 

 Their heads are covered with helmets of leather, or gilt 

 pasteboard, resembling an inverted funnel, with a long 

 pipe, terminating in a kind of spear, at the top of which 

 is a tuft of long scarlet-coloured hair. These caps, or 

 helmets, have large flaps on each side, which cover the 

 cheeks, and rest upon the shoulders, and are tied with 

 ribbands under the chin. Sometimes thtoi- helmets are 

 made of polished iron, and above two pounds in weight. 

 In some provinces, the bowmen particularly wear a kind 

 of cuirass, or coat of mail, made of brown or blue cloth, 

 stuffed with a kind of frit, or with doublings of cloth 

 studded with round brass knobs, each rivetted on the 

 inside upon a small bit of leather. These are sufficient 

 to resist the stroke of an arrow, but not a mnskt-t-ball. 



Their offensive weapons are, swords or sabres, pikes, Amu, 

 muskets, bows and arrows. The swords, or sahres, 

 (which they seldom wear except when on duty, and in- 

 stead of which, those who act as policemen carry whips,) 

 are worn on the left, <uid not on the right side, as has 

 been supposed, with the point turned forwards in time 

 of peace, and backwards in time of war. A corps, call- 

 ed Tygers of War, use long swords, and large shields of 

 basket- work, on which arc painted the faces of s,.me 

 monstruu.- looking animals, with a view to intimidate 

 the for. These bucklers are fully two feet in diameter, 

 and weigh about four or five pounds. 



Their match- ock, which they generally prefer to 

 firelocks, (perhaps owug to th.-ir bad powder, and want 

 of proper steel for making locks,) are mounted on a 



