CHINA. 
460 
nafty of the Han, who began to reign in the year 206 
before Chrift. It is reduced to a finall number of fami¬ 
lies, who are eftablilhed only at Cai-fong, the capital of the 
province of Ho-nan. Thefe Jews neither kindle fire nor 
cook any viftuals on Saturdays; but they prepare on 
Friday whatever may be necefiary for the day following. 
When they read the Bible in their fynagogue, they cover 
their faces with a tranfparent veil, in remembrance of 
Mofes, who came down from the mountain with his face 
covered, and in that manner pubiifhed the Decalogue. 
The Mahometans feem to have multiplied much more 
in China than the jews. It is above fix hundred years 
iince they firft entered this empire, in which they have 
now formed different eftabihhments. Fora great num¬ 
ber of years they were preferved only by marriages, and 
by the alliances which they contrasted ; but, for fome 
time paft, they feem to have been more particularly at¬ 
tentive to the propagation of their doctrine. The prin¬ 
cipal means which they apply for this purpofe, are, to 
purchafe, for a l'um of money, a great number of chil¬ 
dren brought up in idolatry, whom their poor parents, 
compelled by neceffity, readily part with. Thefe they 
circumcife, and afterwards educate and inftruif in the 
principles of their religion. During the time of a terri¬ 
ble famine, which defolated the province of Chang-tong, 
they purchafed more than ten thoufand of thefe chil¬ 
dren, for whom, when grown up, they procured wives, 
and built houles, and even formed whole villages of 
them. They infenfibly increafed, and are now become 
fo numerous, that they endeavour to exclude from the 
places in which they re fide, every inhabitant who does 
not believe in their prophet, and frequent a moique. 
Although the manners of the Chinefe people have been 
varioufly reprefented, yet it is certain that they bear no 
kind of rel’emblance to thole of any other known nation 
on the face of the earth ; and what is equally remarkable, 
they have remained always nearly the fame. Every cul- 
tom formerly praftifed, is Hill preferved with little varia¬ 
tion ; whatever they formerly did, they feem to do at 
prefent, and nearly in the fame manner. Public decency 
has alfo been always refpeted in China, and great care 
and attention have been employed to enforce lti Mar¬ 
riage, recommended and encouraged by all great leglfla- 
tors, is particularly protected in China. Whoever leduces 
the wife of another is put to death ; and the fame p uni fli¬ 
nt ent is generally infli&ed on the perfon who debauches 
a-young woman. In both thefe circumftances, the pre¬ 
cautions dictated by universal cuftom tend greatly to fup- 
port the law, and often render it fu pel'll nous. 
According to the abbe Grofler, “ a Chinefe enters into 
the married itate often without ever having Gen the wo¬ 
man whom he efponles : he knows nothing of her looks 
or perfon, but from the account of fome female relation 
or confidant. The fame matrons who negociate the mar¬ 
riage, determine the fum which the intended hulband' 
mull: pay to the parents of the bride; for, in China, a 
father does not give a dowry to his daughter; but the 
hulband gives a dowrytohis wife, or, we may fay with more 
propriety) purchafes her of her parents or friends. When 
the day appointed for the ceremony arrives, the bride is 
placed in a chair, or dole palankin. Every tiling that 
compofes her portion is borne before or behind her by 
different perfons of both fexes, while others furround 
her, carrying torches and flambeaux, even in the middle 
of the day. A troop of muficians, with fifes, drums, and 
hautboys, march before her chair, and her family follow 
it behind. The key of the chair in which fhe is Ihut up, 
is committed to the care of a trufty domeftic, to be de¬ 
livered to the hulband only. The hufband, richly dreffed, 
waits at his gate for the arrival of the procelfion. As 
foon as it approaches, the key is put into his hands; he 
eagerly opens the chair, and at the fir It glance learns his 
fortune, it fbmetimes happens, that the hufband, difeon- 
tenfed with his intended fpoufe, fuddenly fhuts the chair, 
and lends her back to her relations. To get rid of her, 
it only cofts him a fum equal to that which he gave to 
obtain her. If the hufoand is contented, fhe defeends 
from her chair, and enters the houie, followed by the re¬ 
lations of both, where the new-married couple talute the 
Tien four times in the hall, and afterwards tile parents 
of the hufband. The bride is then committed into the 
hands of the women who have been invited to the cere¬ 
mony, and who, together with her, partake of an enter¬ 
tainment. which continues the whole day : the male part 
of the guefts are treated in the like manner by the huf¬ 
band 1 . The lame form prevails among the Chinefe at all 
their grand feafts: the women amufe themfelves feparate- 
ly; and the men do the fame in another apartment. The 
pomp increafes according to the riches and rank of the 
parties, and diminifhes alfo in the fame proportion. 
We have already noticed that a Chinefe is permitted 
to have only onedawful wife ; but that he may purchafe 
feveral concubines. Every Chinefe, who is defirous of 
embracing this privilege, and keeping on good terms with 
his wife, pretends to be actuated by fome good motive, 
and he- is particularly careful to let her know, that if he 
takes concubines, it is only with a view of procuring her 
a greater number of women to attend her. A widower 
r-aifes fometimes his favourite concubine to the rank of 
lawful wife. He is not then obliged, as in the former 
cafe, to examine whether the rank of her whom he efpoufes 
approaches near to his own : and lie is alfo freed from all 
preliminary formalities. Thefe concubines are nearly all 
procured from the cities of Yang-tcheou, and Sou-tcheou, 
which are almoft wholly engaged in this fpecies of traffic, 
and where girls are educated, and taught finging, dancing, 
malic, and every accomplifhment fuitable to women of 
quality, or which can render them agreeable and pleat¬ 
ing ; and the greater part of them are purchafed from 
other places, to be again difpofed of. 
The Chinefe women, even of the greateft rank, feldom 
quit their apartment, and their book of ceremonies re¬ 
quires, that there lhould he two apartments in every 
houfe ; the exterior for the hulband, and the interior for 
his fpoufe. They mult be leparated by a partition or 
wall, and the door mult be carefully guarded : the huf¬ 
band is not always at liberty to enter the inner apart¬ 
ment, nor mult the wufe quit it without leave, or a fuffi- 
cient caule. “ A wife,” adds this book, “ is not miftrefs 
of herfelfIhe has nothing at her own dilbofal; Ihe can 
give no orders but within the precindts of her own apart¬ 
ment, to which all her authority is confined.” It leems, 
however, from the account with which we have been fa¬ 
voured by fir George Staunton, that the charge brought 
again ft parents and hufbands, of binding up the feet of 
the Chinele females purpofely to prevent their walking 
or gadding abroad, is a popular error; for that this ridi¬ 
culous cuftom owes its origin to nothing more than an 
ablurd fa (hum among the ladies of having, fmail feet: 
We lhall prelent the fadl in fir George's own words: 
“ Molt of the Chinefe women, even of the middle and 
lower dalles, have their feet unnaturally fmail, or rather 
truncated. They appear as if the fore part of thefoot 
had been accidentally cut off, leaving the remainder ot 
the ufual fize, and bandaged like the Stump of an ampu¬ 
tated limb. They undergo, indeed, much torment, and 
cripple themfelves, in a great meafure, in imitation of la¬ 
dies of higher rank, among whom it is the cuftom to 
ftop, by preflure, the growth of the ancle as well as toot, 
from the eariieft infancy. Leaving the great toe in its 
natural fituation, they forcibly band the others, and re¬ 
tain them under the foot, till at length they adhere to, 
and are buried in, the i'ole, and can no more be fepa- 
rated from it. Where thefe cornprefl'es are conftantly 
and carefully kept on, the feet are fymmetrically fmail. 
The young creatures are, indeed, obliged, for a con- 
fiderable time, to be fupported when they attempt to 
move; and ever afterwards they totter, and walk upon, 
their heels. This artificial diminutivenefs of the leet, 
though is does not entirely prevent their ufe, mull 
certainly 
