china's place in ancient history: a fragment. 131 



of China extended to something like, if I remember rightly, 

 30,000 volumes. A short time before the date of Confucius, 

 an Emperor came to the throne, who like a certain Egyptian 

 monarch, desired it to be understood that history should 

 begin with him ; he gave stringent orders that all the existing 

 records should be burned, and that all scribes and literary men 

 should be put to death. I am speaking from memory ; but many 

 hundreds of the literati were put to death, and wherever any 

 literature could be laid hold of it was burnt ; but there were in 

 China many men, as amongst ourselves, partial to literature and 

 historic records. According to history, fragments and portions 

 of old books in the possession of private individuals, were secretly 

 preserved — many of them by being built up in the walls of 

 houses and thus preserved for some centuries; when Confucius 

 lived, and for some time after him, these records or fragments 

 were got possession of, and from them the history of China was 

 reconstructed. I believe that the treatises on the subject so 

 conveyed to us were reconstructed with very great pei'fection. 

 The whole story of the books which perished is related by 

 Du Halde in his History of China, also by Gutzlaff in his history,, 

 and these authors also give the particulars under which the records 

 of China were preserved and the history of this wonderful people 

 reconstructed. 



It seems to be a very suggestive circumstance, that dealing as 

 Chinese historians have with Chinese history, through such enor- 

 mously distant periods, how wonderfully I'eliable it is as compared 

 with the history of other nations. There is less doubt — and in 

 fact no difference of opinion among authorities on Chinese history 

 that I have consulted. As regards Du Halde, Gutzlaff and 

 others — Pauthier particularly — there is an absence of all difference 

 in their statements, with regard to historical events in China. 

 Certainly amongst authorities on history in connection with 

 Western countries, including Egypt, Babylonia, and Assyria, there 

 is no such cl<=iar concord ; the more we enquire into these histories 

 the more numerous are the great differences we see ; but as 

 I have stated, one intention of my paper is to bring about a 

 re-study or re-comparison of the data, by the great authorities, 

 and if in any way it has this effect, I shall be very well satisfied. 



A visitor asked a question as to China's intercourse with 

 other nations. I think I mentioned that about 1113 years B.C. the 



