109 
DETAILS RESPECTING COCHIN CHINA* 
By the Right Reverend Dr. Le Fevre, 
Mishap of Isauropolis and Vicar Apostolic of Lower 
4i Cochin China. 
(Continued from p. 65.) 
GOVERNMENT, KING, MANDARINS, 
The Government of Cochin China is the most pure despotism 
which is to be found. For the rest, it is an imitation of that of 1 
China. The power of the king is absolute, and without restric¬ 
tion. He can make ail laws which appear proper to him, for he 
is Hie sole legislative authority. He cannot, however, entirely abro¬ 
gate fIte ancient laws, on account of the respect which he believes 
himself bound to shew to the memory of the kings his ances¬ 
tors, and because these laws have acquired a sacred character ac¬ 
cording to the opinion generally received by the nation, and against 
which the most absolute power could not struggle; but he is able 
in many circumstances to mould them to his laws, and to elude 
them in a thousand w’ays without expunging them from the code. 
The lives and the properties of his subjects are in his hands and 
at his disposal; severe punishments are all inflicted in his name, 
and never without his consent. If the case is capital by law, 
which often happens for it is excessively severe, the judges have 
nothing to do, but to institute the process and pronounce the legal 
punishment, but the king usually mitigates. it, in order to manifest 
that he only acts to shew clemency and moderate the rigour of 
law. He thinks by this to escape the odium which attaches to 
the condemnation to death. The power of conferring rank and 
dignities is -also reserved for the king, as also of displacing the man¬ 
darins and disgracing them. In a word he has the same authority 
over the subjects of his empire that a father of a family has over his 
children. The people are taught not to raise their looks towards the 
throne, except with sentiments of fear and veneration, and to re¬ 
gard all the blessings ol life as emanations of his goodness. Every 
year he oilers a solemn sacrifice tb heaven for the prosperity of his 
reign. In times of calamity and in difllcuU circumstances he fasts, 
