C H 
man can have no other hufband, and, if (lie marries ano¬ 
ther, the law declares luch marriage null. If, in the 
room' of a young woman (hewn to the female confidant 
whole bulinefs is to make up the match, another be lub- 
(fituted ; or if the daughter of a free man marry his (lave ; 
or if any one gives his (lave to a free woman, ,and per- 
fuades her parents that he is his Ion or relation ; the mar¬ 
riage is null and void; and all thole who have had any 
(hare in carrying on the fraud are leverely punilhed. 
Every mandarin of letters is forbid to marry into any 
family refiding in that province or city of which he is 
governor. The marriage is not valid if he trefpaffes 
againft this law. It is unlawful for a Chinefe youth to 
marry while he wears mourning either for a father or 
mother. If promiles have been made prior to the death 
of his parent, every engagement ceales upon that event, 
and the man is obliged to give information of it to the 
parents of his intended bride. Marriage is alfo fufpend- 
ed when a family experiences any fevere misfortune; 
fuch as a relation being thrown into prifon; but this re¬ 
gulation may be fet afide, provided he gives his confent. 
Two brothers cannot efpoufe two fillers; a widower is 
not at liberty to marry his foil with the daughter of the 
widow whom he efpoufes, nor is he permitted to marry 
any of his own relations, however diftant the degrees of 
confanguinity may be between them. 
Every father of a family in China is refponfible for the 
conduit of his children and doinellics. All faults are 
imputed to him, which it was his duty to prevent. No 
mother in China has the right of making a will. Adop¬ 
tion is authoriled by law, and the adopted child enters 
into all the rights of a lawful Ion, affumes the name of 
the perfon who has adopted him, wears mournirig if he 
happens to die, becomes his heir, and has a fhare of his 
money and effeifs, if any are left, as well as the reft of 
his children : a right only is referved to the father of 
making a few difpofitions in their favour. Children, 
whether adopted or not, fucceed to the eftates of the fa¬ 
ther, but not to his dignity or titles: the emperor alone 
can continue or confer theie. 
Cuftom feems now to have rectified among citizens of 
the higher and middling dalles, a law in China which 
authorized a father to fell his fon; and the fale of 
children is at prefent rather tolerated than authorized 
among people of inferior rank, who are forbid to fell 
them to comedians, or to thole of mean and profligate 
lives. A fon is always a minor during the life of his fa¬ 
ther, who is abfolute mailer of whatever he has inherited 
from his anceftors, or acquired by his own indullry. A 
ion is liable for the debts contracted by his father, thofe 
of gaming only excepted. A father’s laft will cannot be 
fet aftde on account of any error in the form. 
Slavery is authorifed in China in certain cafes among 
themfelves; inafmuch as a man may fell himfelf to dif- 
charge a debt to the crown, to affllt a father in diftrefs, 
or to bury his parent or relative in due form. If his 
conduft in fervitude (hould be unimpeadiable, he is en¬ 
titled to his liberty at the end of twenty years ; if other- 
wife, he continues a Have for life; as do his children, if 
he had included them in the original agreement. But 
the power of the mailer is entirely confined to what 
concerns his fervice. He would be punilhed with death, 
were it proved, that he had taken advantage of his 
power, to debauch the daughter or wife of his (lave. 
And no hulbandman can be harraffed for the payment of 
taxes, after he has begun to till the earth ; that is from 
about the middle of (pring, to the beginning of harvelt. 
Such are, in general, the eftablifhed laws in China, re¬ 
lative to civil affairs. With regard to certain temporary 
ediCls iffued by different emperors, it can only be faid 
many of them have difcovered wifdom and an attention 
to the public welfare; and others would certainly never 
have appeared, in a country where the perfons molt in- 
terefted had poffeffed any (hare in the-government. 
The mode of procedure in criminal cafes among the 
I N A. ' 451 
Chinefe, is exceedingly (low; and this, as the accufed 
perlon is kept conftantly in prifon during the whole pro- 
cels, is a great evil; yet this llownefs becomes often the 
lateguard of thofe who are unjuftly accufed ; and time 
frequently unveils the truth, which mull always be unfa¬ 
vourable to the guilty. The; Chinefe prilons are not 
dungeons; they are fpacious, and have a degree of con¬ 
venience not generally found in fuch places. A manda¬ 
rin is obliged to infpeCl them, and to fee prifoners, when 
ill, properly treated, to fend for phyficians, and to fupply 
them with remedies at the emperor’s expence. If a pri- 
l’oner dies, the mandarins mull inform the emperor, who 
often orders fome of the higher mandarins to examine 
whether lie has faithfully dilcharged his duty. 
The feverity of the Chinefe punilhments is regulated 
by the different degrees of delinquency. Some of them 
however, are exceedingly rigorous. The flighted: of all 
their punilhments is tire baltinado, ufed only for chaf- 
tifing trivial faults. The criminalty of the offender de¬ 
termines the number of blows which he receives, but 
the loweft number is twenty. 
The emperor orders this punifhment to be infliCled 
upon fome of his courtiers; but this does not prevent 
them from being afterwards received into favour. The 
baton, or pan -1 fee, ufed for this punifhment, is a piece of 
bamboo, a little flatted, broad at the bottom, and poljlh- 
ed at the upper extremity. Every mandarin has autho¬ 
rity to ufe it at pleafure, when any one 'forgets to falute 
him, or when he adminillers public juftice. On fuch oc- 
calions, he fits gravely behind a table, upon which is a 
bag filled with thefe bamboo Hicks, while a number of 
petty officers (land round him, each furniffi.ed with fome 
of thefe pan-tfees, and waiting only for his lignalto make 
ufe of them. The mandarin takes from the bag one of 
thole (licks which it contains, and throws'it into The 
hall of audience. The culprit is then feized, and ftretch- 
ed out, with his belly towards the ground ; his breeches 
are pulled down to his heels, and an athletic fellow ap¬ 
plies five fmart (trokes with his pan-tfee; another fuc- 
ceeds, and bellows live more, if the mandarin draws an¬ 
other baton from the bag; and thus, by gradation, un¬ 
til he is pleafed to make no more lignals. The offender, 
who has undergone this challifement, mull then throw 
liimfelf on his knees before the judge, incline his body 
three times to the earth, and thank him for the care 
which he takes of his education. It is difficult to con¬ 
ceive how a people, not the dupes of the moll abject fla- 
very and fuperllition, can be brought quietly to fubmit 
to this arbitrary exertion of power. 
The punilhment of the wooden collar is alfo ufed in 
China. This is compofed of two pieces of wood, hol¬ 
lowed out in the middle, which when put together, leave 
fufficient room for the neck of the culprit. They are laid 
upon the (boulders of the criminal, and joined together 
in fuch a manner as to prevent his feeing liis feet, or put¬ 
ting his hands to his mouth; he is thus rendered inca¬ 
pable of eating without the afiiftance of another, and is 
obliged to carry his burthen night and day. The weight 
of this collar is heavy or light, according to the magni¬ 
tude of the crime. For robbery, having broken the 
peace, diilurbed a family, or being a notorious gambler, 
the duration of this puniffiment is generally three 
months. The criminal is not at liberty to take (belter’in 
his own lioufe : he is Rationed in fome public fquare, at. 
the gate of a city or temple, or of the tribunal in which 
he was condemned. When the term of liis^puniffiment 
is expired, he is taken before the mandarin, who exhorts 
him in a friendly manner to amend his life, and, after he 
has received twenty blows, he is difcliarged. 
Other crimes, of an inferior nature to homicide, are 
punifhed by banifliment into Tartary, by condemning 
the guilty to drag the royal barks for three years; or 
marking the cheeks with a hot iron. Robbery between 
relations is more leverely punilhed than when committed 
on a llranger. If any one gives information againft his " 
1 • father. 
