452 C H I 
father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, uncle, or 
eldeft brother, he is condemned to receive an hundred 
blows of the pan-tfee, and to be banifhed for three years, 
even if the acculation is full; but if it prove fali'e, he is 
ftrangled. 
Criminal intercourfe between relations of different 
fexes, is punifhed in proportion to the degrees of confan- 
guinity between them. Deficiency of duty to a father, 
mother, grandfather, or grandmother, is condemned by 
the law, and punifhed by an hundred blows of the pan- 
tfee ; if abufive language is ufed, the offender is ftrangled ; 
if he lifts his hand againft his parent or progenitor, he is 
beheaded; and if he wounds or maims them, his flefli is 
torn from his bones with red-hot pincers. If a younger 
brother abufes his elder, he is condemned to receive an 
hundred blows of the pan-tfee. If he ftrike him, he is 
condemned to exile. 
The burying-place of every family in China is facred, 
unalienable, and cannot be feized. The trees growing 
upon it cannot, on pain of death, be cut, except when 
they are decayed ; and even then, not until a mandarin 
has inlpefted them, and attefled their condition. Rob¬ 
bery of thefe burying-places, even of the fmalleft of their 
ornaments, is punifhable as facriiege. 
The man who in an accidental quryrel happens to kill 
his adverfary, is ftrangled without remiflion. A rope, 
about fix or feven feet in length, with a running noofe, 
is thrown over the criminal’s head; a couple of execu¬ 
tioners belonging to the tribunal pull it in different di¬ 
rections, then on a full den quit it; a few moments after, 
they give a fecond pull, which generally finifhes thebufi- 
nefs. In certain parts of China, the operation is per¬ 
formed with a kind of bow. The criminal is placed on 
his^ knees, the ftring of the inftrument is put round his 
neck, which being ftrongly compreffed by the elafticity 
of the bow, he is inltantly ftrangled when the executioner 
gives it a fmart pull towards him. Beheading is con- 
ftdered by the Chinefe as the moft disgraceful of all pu- 
nifhments. It is referved for the moft defperate affafiins 
only, or for thofe crimes equally atrocious as murder. 
To be cut in a thoufhnd pieces, is a puniftiment we 
believe unknown but in China. It is deftined for ftate 
criminals, in cafes of high treafon, (imilar to our fen- 
tence of drawing apart or quartering the body, in Eng¬ 
land. The criminal is tied to a poll; the executioner 
icalps the (kin from bis head, and pulls it over his eyes; 
lie afterwards tears the flefli from different parts of his 
body, and never quits tliis horrid lab&fir until fatigue 
renders him unable to proceed. He then abandons what 
remains of the body to the ferocity of the people, who 
finifli what he has left undone. Much has been written 
in Europe againft the torturing of criminals, either in 
the common or extraordinary’manner; and the cuftom 
is in general happily fuppreffed; but they are both prac- 
tifed in China. 
With refpeft to the internal police, every city in China 
is divided into different divifions. An officer is appointed 
for each divifion, who is anfwerable for every thing that 
paffes contrary to good order; and if he negledls to make 
proper enquiry into any ito any irregularities, or to in¬ 
form the mandarin governor, he is fubjefted to the fame, 
punifhment as thofe who are refrafitory. Every city is 
furniftied with gates, and all the ftreets are barricadoed as 
foon as night commences. Centinels are pofted at pro¬ 
per intervals, who flop all thofe who walk abroad in the 
night-time; and a numb.er of horfemen are generally fta- 
tioned on the ramparts, who go the rounds for the fame 
purpofe. Seldom, however, do people of any character 
expofe themfelves to the danger of falling into the hands 
of the police. “ Night,” fay the Chinefe magiftrates, “ is 
tlefigned for repofe, and the day for labour.” Watch is 
likewife kept in the day-timfc at every city, to obferve 
thofe who enter: for this purpofe a guard is ftationed at 
each gate ; paffengers are carefully examined, and if they 
are difcovered to be ftrangers, they are immediately car- 
N A. 
ried before a mandarin, and detained until the will of the 
governor is known. The averfenefs of the Chinefe to 
admit ftrangers among .them, arifes from a fuppofition, 
that 'in procels of time, an alteration of manners, cuf- 
toms, and ceremonies, might refult from fuch an inter¬ 
courfe, and give birth to quarrels, party difputes, and (e- 
dition, which may at length overturn the government. 
None but military people are permitted to wear arms 
in public, and thofe only during aftual war: at other 
times they mull appear like plain citizens, except when 
they attend a review, mount guard, or accompany a man¬ 
darin. Proftitutes are not permitted to remain within 
the walls of any city, but they may refide in the iuburbs, 
though they tnuft not keep a houfe of their own. Some 
individual is exprefsly authorifed to afford them lodging; 
he mull watch over and obferve their condu6l; and if 
there arifes any noife*dr quarrel in his houfe, he alone is 
refponhble, and is punilhed for it. 
Every city of China, and fometimes even an ordinary 
town, has an eftablilhment, called by the Chinefe Tang- 
pou, where money may be borrowed upon pledges. No 
preliminaries are neceffary, the tranlaftion is concealed, 
and the borrower may remain unknown. Ifhechufes 
to tell his name, it is written down ; if he does not, no 
further quellions are alked him. Thofe who belong to 
thefe offices take an exaft defcription, when the cafe re¬ 
quires it, of the figure of the perlon, that they may be 
able, in any event, to give an account to the police. The 
ufual intereft of money in China is faid to be thirty per 
cent, which is a proof that coin is very l'carce. At this 
rate money may be borrowed at the Tang-pou. Every 
pledge is marked with a number when left at the office, 
and the office mull be anfwerable for it; but it is for¬ 
feited the very day after the term mentioned in the note 
of agreement is expired. 
The public roads in China are in general broad; they 
are paved in all the fouthern, and in fome of the northern, 
provinces. Vallies have been filled up, and paffages have 
been cut through rocks and mountains, in order to make 
highways, and to prefeive them as nearly as pofflble on 
a level. On all the great roads covered feats are erected 
at proper diftances, where the traveller may Ihelter him- 
iell from the inclemency of winter, or the heats of fum- 
mer, which are often exceffive. Temples and pagodas 
are alio frequently to be met with, to winch admittance 
is always granted in the day-time, though often refufed 
in the night, the mandarins only having the right of reft- 
ing in them as long as they think proper. The inns are 
fpacious and lufficiently numerous on the principal road%; 
but they ate badly l'upplied with provifions, and paffen¬ 
gers who have no beds with them mud deep on a plain 
mat. The Chinefe government has publifhed an itine¬ 
rary of the whole empire, which comprehends every road 
and canal from the city of Pekin to the remoteft extremi¬ 
ties of China. 
On all the great roads there are towers, on the tops of 
which watch-boxes are conftrufiled for the convenience 
of centinels, and flag-ftaffs raifed in order that they may 
make certain fignals in cafe of any alarm. Thefe towers, 
which are fquare, and generally built of brick, feldom 
exceed twelve feet in height. They, however, have bat¬ 
tlements when they are built upon any of the roads which 
conduit to court, and they are alfo provided with very 
large bells of call iron. They ferve alfo as polt-houfes, 
and the foldiers convey the letters on horfeback from 
one to the other, guarded by fix other horfe foldiers. 
Conveyance of every kind is eafy in China; and travellers 
find little difficulty in getting their baggage tranfported 
from one place to another. In every city there are num¬ 
bers of porters affociated under a common chief, who re¬ 
gulates their engagements, fixes the price of their labour, 
receives their hire, and is refponfible for every thing they 
carry. This eftablilhment is diredled by the general po¬ 
lice of the empire. On all the great roads the traveller 
finds in every city feveral offices of this kind, that have a 
fettled 
