166 



CHINA. 



an enemy of the republic. Condors have in- 

 creased so rapidly within the past few years all 

 along the entire western slope of the great 

 mountain-chain, that they have become, by 

 their foul habits, a scourge, increasing the al- 

 ready unwholesome character of the country. 

 "With the hope of exterminating them, or at 

 least greatly diminishing their numbers, the 

 Government offers a bounty of five dollars for 

 every condor killed. Hunting for condors has 

 become a regular business in the Andes mount- 

 ains ; but, like all the vulture family, the con- 

 dor grows suspicious and wary from contact 

 with mankind, and it has grown to know and 

 fear a gun, so that it is now next to impos- 

 sible to get within gunshot of one. Poison- 

 ing has been tried, but is not satisfactory to 

 hunters. 



CHINA, an empire in Asia, officially called 

 Chung Kwoh (" The Middle Kingdom "). The 

 Government is organized on patriarchal prin- 

 ciples laid down in the books of Confucius, 

 Mencius, and other ancient sacred writers. 

 The Emperor has supreme despotic power, but 

 for more than twenty years there have been 

 minors on the throne, and during this period a 

 regency has directed affairs. The Grand Sec- 

 retariat is the highest official body in rank, but 

 no longer guides the policy of the Government. 

 Another body, called the Grand Council, per- 

 forms the duties of a privy council, and exer- 

 cises a greater influence in the conduct of af- 

 fairs. There are six boards of administration 

 which have charge respectively of the civil serv- 

 ice, finance, ceremonies, the army, justice, and 

 public works. There is a Court of Censors, 

 which, in conjunction with the Board of Jus- 

 tice, or Punishments, constitutes the highest 

 judicial tribunal. The doctors of the Hanlin, or 

 Academy, draw up important state papers in 

 classical form, and collect the records of the 

 dynasty. The Li Fan Yuen, an important min- 

 istry, always filled by Manchus and Mongols, 

 attends to the relations with tributary states. 

 The Tsung-li-Yamen, founded in 1861, has 

 charge of foreign affairs. 



The provinces of Pechili and Szechuen are 

 each governed by a governor-general, or vice- 

 roy. There is a viceroy over the Liang Kwang, 

 or two Kwang provinces of Kwangtung and 

 Kwangsi ; one over Kiangsi, Kiangsu, and An- 

 whui, called the Viceroy of the Liang Kiang; 

 one over Fuhkien and Chekiang, the Viceroy 

 of Min Cheh ; one over Yunnan and Kwei- 

 chow ; one over Kansuh and Shensi ; one over 

 Hupeh and Hunan, the Viceroy of Houkwang. 

 Each of these provinces, except three, is admin- 

 istered by a governor, subordinate to the vice- 

 roy. The provinces of Shansi, Honan, and 

 Shantung are directed by independent gov- 

 ernors. In 1875 Manchuria was placed under 

 a viceroy, called the Viceroy of Shenking. In 

 1884 Chinese Turkistan was also organized as 

 a province. Since 1877 Formosa has been a 

 governorship. The Admiral of the Yangtsze- 

 Kiang has the rank and title of a viceroy. Pe- 



kin has its own government, subordinate to the 

 Board of Works. 



The Emperor Kwangsu is the ninth in suc- 

 cession from Aisin Gioro, the Manchu conquer- 

 or, who founded the dynasty in 1644. He was 

 born Aug. 15, 1871, and proclaimed Emperor 

 Jan. 22, 1875, on the death of Tungche. The 

 Empress-Regent is Tse Hi, mother of Tungche. 



During the minority of the Emperor the final 

 decision in matters of state has rested with the 

 Empress-Regent, and has been largely influ- 

 enced by the princes of the imperial family, 

 who preside over the important boards and are 

 guided by the counsels of the men who, in the 

 competition for preferment, in which knowl- 

 edge and education are the most important ele- 

 ments of success, have risen to the highest ad- 

 ministrative posts and are called to the Grand 

 Council and related consultative bodies. Prince 

 Kung, uncle of the Emperor, was for twenty- 

 three years, with slight intermissions, the head 

 of the Tsung-li-Yamen and the director of the 

 foreign policy. Great viceroys and generals, 

 like Tseng-Kwo-fan, Tso-Tsung-Tang, and Li- 

 Hung-Chang, have at times exercised a power- 

 ful influence, but the main course of the state 

 policy was directed by Prince Kung. This 

 policy, the natural result of the last Chinese 

 war, was one of seclusion, evasion, and timid 

 compliance, under threats of military compul- 

 sion. When the Tonquin question arose, Prince 

 Kung had become old and infirm. When, after 

 declaring that an attack on Sontay would be 

 regarded as a casus belli, he remained inactive 

 after the capture of the Chinese posts in Ton- 

 quin, and finally agreed to the Fournier conven- 

 tion, not only the general public, but Chinese 

 statesmen who had studied the military prob- 

 lem, and knew the difficulty that France would 

 experience in conducting a campaign in the far 

 East, were dissatisfied. The controlling minds 

 in Chinese politics demanded new men and a 

 new and positive foreign policy when France 

 demanded a heavy indemnity for the Langson 

 affair. Prince Chun was called to the direction 

 of the foreign policy. He prepared for a long 

 war. Three armies were thrown into Tonquin, 

 numbering nearly 150,000 men. A stubborn 

 defense was made in Formosa, the ports were 

 fortified, and great efforts were put forth to 

 organize an army and a navy that would prove 

 equal to the contest. 



Area and Population. The area of the eighteen 

 provinces of China proper is 1,533,650 square 

 miles, and their population, according to the 

 most recent official estimate, is 349,885,386, 

 according to a computation of Sir Richard Tem- 

 ple only 282,161,923, and according to a recent 

 Russian authority, 362,450,000. The immedi- 

 ate dependencies are : Manchuria, with an area 

 of 362,310 square miles, and an estimated popu- 

 lation of 3,000,000 persons; the Mongolian 

 steppe, with an area of 1,288,000 square miles, 

 and a population of 2,000,000 nomads; Thibet, 

 with an area of about 651,500 square miles, 

 and a population of 6,000,000 souls ; Soongaria, 



