"^^6 HISTORY AND ETHNOLOGY. 



of the person to whom the visit is paid. For mourning, white paper is 

 taken. Sometimes a mandarin is satisfied with receiving the " tye-ze," and 

 then tells the stranger that he need not trouble himself about descending 

 from his sedan. This, however, occurs only when mere visits of politeness 

 are paid. The reverence manifested towards the Chinese Emperor con- 

 forms to his absolute power, and is almost equivalent to worship. No one, 

 not even his eldest brother, is allowed to speak to him otherwise than 

 kneeling. The grandees constituting his daily society are alone permitted 

 to stand in his presence, and address him, merely bowing one knee. 

 Similar testimonies of respect are due even to the things used by the 

 Emperor, for instance the throne, the robes, &c. A peculiar right of the 

 Emperor is the power enjoyed by him of selecting, not the firstborn of his 

 sons or kinsmen, as his successor, but the one whom he considers best 

 qualified ; and should he deem none of his own relations capable, he is 

 allowed to appoint the most deserving individual of his subjects heir to the 

 throne. Hence the greatest attention is bestowed upon the nurture of the 

 princes. It is the right of the Emperor, immediately or mediately, to 

 appoint all public officers, from the highest to the lowest, and again to 

 remove the same ; to invest with places and titles of honor, to ennoble even 

 the dead, and in his capacity of high-priest, to register, the latter among the 

 number of the saints considered worthy of adoration as divinities, and to 

 whom temples are erected. No order of any of the authorities is valid 

 before it is approved by the Emperor ; his ordinances and commands, 

 however, are unalterable and irrevocable. Among the principal tokens of 

 imperial power belong the seals, which are annexed to all public documents 

 and enactments of the offices of state. These seals are about eight inches 

 square, and are cut in very fine jasper. This stone is highly esteemed by 

 the Chinese, and no one besides the Emperor and his officers is allowed to 

 make use of it as a signet. , No person can obtain a place in the adminis- 

 tration of the Chinese Empire who has not prepared and qualified himself 

 for the situation by literary studies. In case the examination which is 

 held, shows the requisite capacity, and the applicant enters into the service 

 of the state, he receives the title of quang (z. e. overseer), translated by the 

 Portuguese into mandarin (from mandar, a commander). The quang or 

 mandarins are divided into nine classes of nicely graduated rank. Besides 

 the before mentioned buttons upon the caps, the different classes wear 

 upon the breast as badges of distinction a piece of stuflf called pud-sy, 

 expensively worked, and containing a motto in the midst having a refer- 

 ence to the office. Some mandarins in the civil service have in addition 

 a dragon with four claws, others an eagle, a sun, &c. In like manner 

 mandarins of the army wear representations of leopards, tigers, lions, &c. 

 Upon the pud-sy of the Emperor are found his arms, a dragon with five 

 claws on each foot, in a blue field. 



The laws have banished revelry and pomp from the private life of the 



Chinese, but upon public occasions they are not only permitted but even 



enjoined. Ceremonies and testimonies of respect, which must be paid to 



the mandarins by the people in the streets, vary according to their rank. 



388 



