L A W. 
•ne perfon, monopolizing, or ufing undue influence, com¬ 
pel another to pay an exorbitant price; or if by unwar¬ 
rantable contrivances, fuch as entering into a private un¬ 
derstanding with the commercial agent, lie raife his own 
goods of fmall value, and depreciate thofe of high value 
of his neighbour; the party offending (hall fuffer 80 blows. 
The laws for the accurate keeping and auditing of the 
public accounts, are very ftrict and laudable; as are thofe 
for preventing the embezzlement of the public revenue. 
The following might be ferviceable in countries to the 
weft of China : “ If any fuperintending officer of govern¬ 
ment, having charge of a part of the produce of the re¬ 
venue, whether in grain or the precious metals, borrows 
for his own uf'e, or lends the fame to others, although the 
acknowledgment and engagement in writing of the bor¬ 
rower fliould have been duly obtained, fuch fuperinten- 
dant (hall be punifhed for every offence in proportion to 
the amount and value, according to the law concerning 
tlie embezzlement of the property of government. If any 
other perfon borrows for his own ufe, or lends, the pro¬ 
duce of the revenues as aforefaid, he (hall be punifhed in 
proportion to the amount and value, according to the law 
for punifliing thefts committed upon the property of the 
ftate.” 
There is nothing ftrikes the reader of this code with 
more furprife, than the aftonifhing refemblance which the 
revenue-laws it contains bear in all refpects to the moft per¬ 
fect and recent fyftem which has been eftablifhed on that 
fubjeft in Europe. We find not only the old gabelle, or 
tax and monopoly of fait, but a regular excife upon tea, 
alum, and almoft every fort of merchandife, with a fyftem 
of pennits, excife-officers, infpeftors, licences to traders, 
and penalties upon fmuggling, almoft exactly as we have 
them at this day among ourfelves. The Chinefe laws, 
however, are, upon the whole, confiderably more mild 
than the Englifh. The fmuggler forfeits only one half 
of the unlicenced goods, three-tenths going to the infor¬ 
mer; and the perfonal pains are moderate. The carriage 
and horfes, however, or boat in which the goods are tranf- 
ported, are forfeited as with us. There is a duty on the 
iale of cattle; and no purcliafe of that kind can be ac- 
complifhed without a (lamped licence from government. 
The coafting-trade is alfo fubjefled to certain cuftoms ; 
and veftels having falfe manifefts of their cargo are for¬ 
feited. 
Pretty fevere penalties are awarded againft magicians, 
and the irregular worlhip of feftaries; but the law feems 
rather to have in view the tumults or confpiracies to 
which fuch pradices may give encouragement, than the 
offence to religion. Families burning incenfe to the 
North Star during the night are to be punifhed ; and of ma¬ 
gicians it is laid, that “ If they, having in their poffeftion 
concealed images of their worfliip, burn incenfe in honour 
of them, and they affemble their followers by night, in or¬ 
der to inftrudt them in their doctrines, and by pretended 
powers and notices endeavour to inveigle and miflead the 
multitude, the principal in the commiffion of fuch offences 
fhall be ftrangled, after remaining in prifon the ufual pe¬ 
riod, and the acceffaries fhall feverally receive ioo blows, 
and be perpetually baniflied to the diftance of 3000 lee. If 
at any time the people, whether l'oldiers or citizens, drefs 
and ornament their idols, and, after accompanying them 
tumultuoufly with drums and gongs, perform oblations 
-and other facred rites to their honour, the leader or infti- 
gator of fuch meetings fhall be punifhed with 100 blows. 
Sir George Staunton obferves, in a note, that this latter 
claufe muft be regarded as obfolete, fince the alleged of¬ 
fence is daily committed in open day throughout the 
whole extent of the empire. There is nothing laid ex- 
prefsly on the fubjeft of Chrifiianity, in the laws upon 
iedlarian worfliip, or elfeuhere in the code; though fir 
George l as printed, in the Appendix, two edifts on the 
fubjec't, ili'ued in 1805, exprefling great difapprobntion of 
their doftrines; and a lee , or lupplementary edift, has 
Vot. XII. No. 835. 
349 
been promulgated during the prefent year, by which it 
is made death for any perfon to introduce a Bible into 
any part of the empire. Proceedings of the IVeJlminJler Bible 
Society, Dec. 17, 1812. 
If the emperor’s phyfician compound any medicine in 
a manner not fanftioned by eftablifhed ufage, he fhall re¬ 
ceive 100 blows. If there beany dirt in his imperial ma- 
jefty’s food, the cook fhall receive 80 blows; and, if any 
difli be fent up without being previcufly tatted, he fhall 
receive 50. Finally, if any unufual ingredient be put 
into the food, the cook fhall receive 100 blows, and be 
compelled to /wallow the article ! 
There is a very long (edition on bribery, with a prodi¬ 
gious fcale of punifhrnents, as ufual, according as the 
bribe is large or fmall, or taken for an innocent or a cri¬ 
minal objetf. The pains range from 60 blows with a 
bamboo, to death ; that extreme punifhment being in¬ 
flicted for taking more than 80 ounces of filver (under 30!.) 
for an unlawful object, and 120 (or6ol.) for a lawful one. 
Agreeing to take a bribe has the fame punifhment as ac¬ 
tually taking it; offering or giving it, a much lighter 
one; but, if afked or extorted by an officer of govern¬ 
ment, no punifhment at all. 
Forging an imperial edift is death ; or counterfeiting 
the copper coin, the only proper currency of the empire. 
There does not appear to be any precile regulation about 
the forgery of private Writings. 
Rape is punifhed with death ; adultery among private 
perfons with 100 blows; but much more feverely among- 
perfons high in office ; fornication with 70 blows ; other 
offences of a more deteftable nature only with the fame 
punifhment. 
A perfon accidentally fetting fire to his houfe, dial] re¬ 
ceive 40 blows ; and, if the fire fpread to the gate of an 
imperial palace, fhall be put to death. Wilfully fetting 
fire to one’s own houfe, 100 blows ; to any other houfe, 
public or private, death. Very fevere penalties for ne¬ 
glecting the reparation of roads, bridges, and canals, and 
for damaging or encroaching on them. 
Abufive language between equals fubjefts each to 1* 
blows, but, if a quarrel enfue and either wound the other, 
whether in defence or otherwife, he diall fuffer a certain 
number of blows, and punifhment according to the na¬ 
ture of them ; but that of him who defends himfelf (ball 
be in all cafes mitigated one degree lefs than that of the 
party affaulting; and, as if the round of blows beftowed 
fo liberally upon every occalion were infufficient, and in 
order to provide effectually for every latent cafe, a (weep¬ 
ing ordinance is added, that Whoever is guilty of improper 
conduEl, and fuch as is contrary to the fpirit of the laws, thougk 
not a breach of any fpecific article, fhall be punifhed at the leaf 
with 40 blows, and, when the impropriety is of a ferious nature, 
with 80. 
The general ordinances of the code will be alternately 
approved and condemned by the jurifts of Europe. The 
whole code, it has been f'een, is one fyftem of penal 
law, making the breach or negleCt of every common duty 
or tranfaCtion a punifhable offence. Thefe penalties are 
fundamental, and fundamentally applied too; but a woman 
is not bambooed on the naked polteriors, like a man ; (he 
is allowed to wear two petticoats in every cafe except 
adultery, when her covering is reduced to one. 
Acceflaries to crimes are punifhed lefs feverely than the 
principals. Errors in judgment in the pronunciation of 
a fentence of acquittal; inadvertent wrong and offences 
committed in a dillrict, when without the knowledge of 
the officers, or their power of prevention ; all thefe, as a 
ftretch of the claufe relative to improper conduCt, are pu¬ 
nifhable as crimes ; it may be (aid they are offences re¬ 
deemable by fine, but this makes no alteration in the juf. 
tice or injuftice of the enactment. On the other hand, it 
orders that five days fhall be allowed to difpatch bufinefs 
of fmall importance, ten days for bufinefs of ordinary im¬ 
portance, twenty days for bufinefs ot high importance; 
4 - U m d s 
