94 CHINA. 



liest infancy; and leaving the great toe in its natural position, forcibly t& 

 bend the others, and retain them under the foot, till at length they 7 

 adhere to, as if buried in the sole, and can no more be separated. It 

 is said, indeed, that this practice is now less frequent than formerly;, 

 at least among the lower sort in the northen provinces." 



" The exterior demeanour of the Chinese (observes the same wri- 

 ter) is very ceremonious. It consists of various evolutions of the 

 body, and inclinations of the head, in bending or stiffening the knee, 

 and in joining or disengaging the hands, all which are considered as 

 the perfection of good breeding and deportment ; while the nations 

 who are not expert in such discipline are thought to be little better 

 Shan barbarians. When, however, those Chinese ceremonies are 

 once shown off, the performers of them relapse into ease and famili- 

 arity. In their address to strangers, they are not restrained by any 

 bashfulness, but present themselves with an easy, confident air, as if 

 they considered themselves as the superiors, and as if nothing in, 

 their manners or appearance could be deficient or inaccurate." 



The Chinese, in general, have been represented as the most dis- 

 honest, low, thieving set in the world ; employing their natural quick- 

 ness only to improve the arts of cheating the nations they deal with,, 

 especially the Europeans, whom they cheat with great ease, particu- 

 larly the English; but they observe that none but a Chinese can cheat 

 a Chinese. They are fond of law disputes, beyond any people in the 

 world. Their hypocrisy is without bounds ; and the men of property 

 among them practice the most avowed bribery, and the lowest mean- 

 ness, to obtain preferment. It should, however, be remembered, that 

 some of the late accounts of China have been drawn up by those who 

 were little acquainted with any parts of that empire but the sea-port 

 towns, in which they probably met with many knavish and designing 

 people. But it seems not just to attempt to characterise a great na- 

 tion by a few instances of this kind, though well attested ; and we ap- 

 pear not to be sufficiently acquainted with the interior parts of China s 

 to form an accurate judgment of the manners and character of the in- 

 habitants. By some of the Jesuit missionaries, the Chinese seem to 

 have been too much extolled, and by latter writers too much de- 

 graded. 



DRESs....This varies according to the distinction of ranks ; and is 

 entirely under the regulation of the law, which has even fixed the 

 colours that distinguish the different conditions. The emperor, and 

 princes of the blood, have alone a right to wear yellow ; certain man- 

 darins are entitled to wear satin of a red ground, but only upon days of 

 ceremony ; in general they are clothed in black, blue, or violet. 

 White is only worn for mourning ; and cannot be too much soiled for 

 the occasion, to avoid every appearance of personal care and orna- 

 ment. The colour to which the common people are confined, is blue 

 or black ; and their dress is always composed of plain cotton cloth. 

 The men wear caps on their heads, of the fashion of a bell : those of 

 quality are ornamented with jewels. The rest of their dress is easy 

 and loose, consisting of a vest and sash, a coat or gown thrown over 

 them, silk boots quilted with cotton, and a pair of drawers. Dress is 

 seldom altered in China from fancy or fashion. Even among the 

 ladies there is little variety in their dresses ; except, perhaps, in the 

 disposition of the flowers or other ornaments of the head. They ge- 

 nerally wear over a silk netting, which is in lieu of linen, a waist- 

 coat and drawers of silk, trimmed or lined in cold weather with furs. 



