"OS 



CHINA. 



Neural 



i ;, v 



call then, are merely the symbols of ideal. Thrir phi- 

 losophy terms yet in so rude a state, as hardly to de- 

 serve the appellation. They have no ancient monuments, 

 from which their origin can be traced, even by plausible 

 conjecture. Their sciences are wholly exotic ; and their 

 mi charical art* have nothing in them characteristic of a 

 particular family, nothing, which any set of men, in a 

 country to highly favoured, might not have discovered 

 and improve 



The natural colour, both of the Tartars and Chinese, 

 is that intermediate hue between a fair and dark com- 

 plexion called brunette ; and those, who are exposed to 

 the influence of the climate, especially the women who 

 labour in the fields, have a deeper colour and coarser 

 features. There is said to be scarcely any apparent phy- 

 sical difference betwixt the Chinese and the Tartars, ex- 

 cept that the former are rather taller in stature, and 

 sore slender in form than the latter, who are in general 

 short, thick, and robust. The Tartar is also more ac- 

 tive, hardy, and able to endure fatigue, possessed of 

 greater firmness of character, and displaying greater for- 

 titude under pain. In the countenances of both, the 

 small eye, elliptical at the end nearest to the nose, is a 

 predominant feature ; and both, also, have high cheek 

 bones, and pointed chins, which, with the mode of sha- 

 ving thcrr hair, gives to the head the appearance of an 

 inverted cone. They have small flat noses, and extreme- 

 ly large ears. Their figure is generally large and square'; 

 and nothing is conceived more becoming and reputable 

 than a corpulent habit of body. Among the women, 

 there are few that can be called beauties ; and the uni- 

 versal features are a short rounded nose, generally a little 

 flattened, lips rather thick, a small and dark brown eye, 

 with jet black hair. The Mantchoo Tartars arc con- 

 sidered as in some degree a mixed race, partly derived 

 from the Greeks of Sogdiana ; and among them are some- 

 times seen fair and florid complexions, light blue eyes, 

 -traight and even aquiline noses, brown hair, and bushy 

 beards. 



The senses of the Chinese are in no respect easily af- 

 fected, nor their sensations, of almost any kind, very de- 

 licate. They are by no means a cleanly people, either 

 m their persons or dress. They seldom change their un- 

 der garments for the purpose of washing them ; never 

 mploy the bath, either cold or warm ; make no use of 

 soap, and scarcely ever wash their bodies ; and even the 

 interior wrappers of the ladies feet are allowed to re- 

 main, as long as they will hold together. They carry 

 30 pocket handkerchiefs ; but wipe their dirty hands 

 upon the sleeves of their gowns, and blow their noses 

 into small pieces of paper, which their attendants have 

 hand for the purpose. They sleep at night, huddled 

 ip under a coverlid, nearly in the same clothes which 

 they wear through the day ; a circumstance which, to- 

 gether with their general tilthiness, is productive of an 

 abundant tribe of vermin, which the highest officers of 

 the empire will not hesitate to call their attendants, even 

 in pubhc, to take from their necks, when they are trou- 

 blesome ; and which, when caught, they very compo- 

 sedly put between their teeth. 



The natural disposition of the Chinese people is mild, 

 chearful, contented, and obliging ; their exterior deport- 

 ment uncommonly decent, and their manners extremity 

 p re possessing. Their external behaviour, indeed, is so 

 much an object of legislature, that there are few instan- 

 ces of abusive language, and still fewer of a quarrel pro- 

 ceeding to blows even among the populace ; or if it 

 should go so far, the tearing of each others clothes, and 

 ihr plucking of each others hair, are generally the most 



serious consequences. The Chines?, indeed, are dccla- 

 red to be the most timid people on the face of the earth, 

 entirely devoid of personal courage and presence of mind 

 in cases of danger, and capable of being terrified almost 

 into convulsions by the drawing of a sword, or the pre- 

 senting of a pistol ; yet it is said, that suicide by both 

 sexes occurs more frequently among them, than in any 

 other country. 



The general character of the Chinese, in point of mo- Mnrat 

 ral qualities, is represented by mure recent observers, as qualinc). 

 a strange compound of pride and meanness, of affected 

 gravity and real frivolity, of refined civility and gross in- 

 delicacy, of great apparent simplicity arid openness in 

 conversation, attended with a degree of art and cun- 

 ning, of which an European has no conception. In the 

 Tartar race, there is often a bluntness of manner, ap- 

 proaching almost to rudeness, a considerable frankness of 

 disposition, and a greater adherence to truth and good 

 sense in conversation ; but in the real Chinese, there is 

 always a studied complaisance, bordering upon servility, 

 a ready acquiescence in every proposal, and an artful eva- 

 sion of inconvenient promises, by the most r-ly pretences 

 and plausible objections. They have no regard for the 

 sacred nature of truth ; but will assert or deny, without Mendacity, 

 hesitation, whatever chances to suit the present purpose ; 

 and mendacity, in every shape, is affirmed to prevail 

 throughout the whole nation, in a degree which is ut- 

 terly unparalleled among any other existing race of be- 

 ings. A natural attendant of this degrading habit, and 

 perhaps also a consequence of the almost daily correction 

 which they receive from the bamboo, is their general ser- 

 vility of mind, and entire want of all sense of shame. 

 There ie no principle of honour, or feeling of self-respect, 

 in China ; and the fear of detection, or rather of the 

 pain of punishment consequent upon detection, is the 

 great restraining principle and impelling motive both of 

 high and low. A Chinese prince, or powerful manda- 

 rin, will commit extortion or oppression, whenever he* 

 can do it with impunity, and almost regard it as a mat- 

 ter of right attached to his station. A Chinese trader, 

 or dealer of any description, will cheat and defraud 

 whenever it is in his power, and even pique himself up- 

 on his skill in over-reaching, as a proof of his address, 

 and a part of his profession. A Chinese peasant will 

 pilfer and steal whatever is within his reach, whenever 

 he can hope to escape detection ; and the whole nation 

 may be affirmed to have almost nothing in view, but 

 their own self-interest and security. Their general cha- 

 racter, in short, in point of morals, compared with the 

 minute enforcement of duty by their penal laws, affords 

 an irresistible proof of the utter incompetency of legis- 

 lative provisions, with'out the aid of religious principle, 

 to reach beyond the mere external conduct of individuals, 

 or to produce any thing like real social virtue among hu- 

 man beings. They are extremely deficient even in com- Inhuma- 

 mon humanity and fellow feeling, to which they might n ' tVt 

 rather have been expected to be generally predisposed 

 by their natural timidity and personal sufferings. This 

 cruel and unfeeling disposition appears, not only in the 

 tyrannical proceedings and arbitrary infliction ot punish- 

 ment by men in office, but also in the daily conduct of 

 equals and persons of the lower orders towards each 

 other. The conduct of the soldiery towards those 

 whom they have occasion to apprehend, is often brutal 

 and inhuman in an extreme degree ; of which a shocking 

 instance is mentioned by M. De Guignes, thut having 

 hold of some robbers, whom they had no proper r. tans 

 of binding, they pierced their hands with bamboo reeds, 

 and led them along in this agonising condition. Ot the in- 



