630 L I E 
a magnificent manner, and loaded them with prefents. 
He foiemnly declared Tfay-tou a vafTal of the empire ; 
and, after having received his firit tributy, (which con- 
fjited in valuable horfes, aromatic wood, fulphur, copper, 
tin, &c.) lie fent to this prince a golden teal, and con¬ 
firmed the choice he had made of one of his fons for f'uc- 
ceiTor. The emperor afterwards fent thirty-fix families, 
aim oft all from the province of Fo-kien, to Lieou-kieou. 
Tfay-tou received them, afligned them lands near the port 
of Napa-kiang, and appointed certain revenues for their 
ufe, at the fame time that Hong-vou made them confider- 
able remittances. Thefe families .nr ft introduced into 
Lieou-kieou the learned language of the Chinefe, the ufe 
of their characters, and the ceremonies praftifed in China 
in honour of Confucius. On the other hand, the fons of 
feveral of the grandees of the court of Tfay-tou were fent 
to Nan-king, to ftudy Chinefe in the imperial college, 
where they were treated with diltinCtion, and maintained 
at the emperor’s expenfe. 
The ilies of Lieou-kieou had neither iron nor porce¬ 
lain. Hong-vou fupplied this want; he caufed a great 
number of utcnfds of iron and inftruments to be made, 
which he fent thither, together with a quantity of porce¬ 
lain veffels. Commerce, navigation, and the arts, foon be¬ 
gan to flourifh. Thefe illanders learned to call bells for 
their temples, to manufacture paper and the fineft fluff's, 
and to make porcelain, with which they had been fup¬ 
plied before from Japan. 
The celebrated revolution which placed the Tartars on 
the imperial throne of China, produced no change in the 
conduft of the kings of Lieou-kieou. Chang-tche, who 
was then reigning, fent ambaffadors to acknowledge Chun- 
tchi, and received a feal from him, on which were en¬ 
graven fome Tartar characters. It was then fettled, that 
the king of Lieou-kieou fliould pay his tribute only every 
two years, and that the number of perfons in the train of 
his envoys fliould not exceed 150. 
The emperor Kang-hi feemed to pay more attention to 
thefe ifies than any of his predeceffors. He caufed a fu- 
perb palace to be ereCted in honour of Confucius, and a 
college where he maintained mailers to teach the fciences 
and the Chinefe characters. He alfo inftituted examina¬ 
tions for the different degrees of the literati. He ordained, 
that tile king of Lieou-kieou fhould never fend in tribute 
rofe-wood, cloves, or any other production which was not 
really of the growth of the country ; but that he fliould 
fend a fixed quantity of fulphur, copper, tin, (hells, and 
mother of pearl, which is remarkably pretty in thefe 
iflands. He permitted, that, befides the ufual tribute, he 
might prefent him horfe-furniture, pillol-cafesj and other 
things of the fame kind, which thefe illanders are faid to 
manufacture with great tafle and neatnefs. 
The vvorftiip of Fo is the eftablifhed religion. There 
is in the royal city a magnificent temple, ereCted in ho¬ 
nour of another idol borrowed from the Chinefe named 
Tien-fy , which fignifies Celeftial Queen or Lady. Thefe 
iflanders refpeCt the dead as much as the Chinefe, and are 
no lefs ceremonious in wearing mourning; but their fu¬ 
nerals are neither fo pompous,'nor attended with fomuch 
expenfe. Their coffins, which are of an hexagonal or oc¬ 
tagonal figure, a v e three or four feet high. They burn 
the flefh of their dead, and preferve only the bones. 
Befides the vaft domains which the king poffeffes, he 
receives the produce of all the fulphur, copper, and tin- 
mines, and of the falt-pits, together with what arifes from 
taxes. From thefe revenues he pays the falaries of the 
mandarins and officers of his court. Thefe falaries are 
eftimated at a certain number of facks of rice ; but un¬ 
der this name is comprehended whatever the king gives 
in grain, rice, filk, cloth, &c. The whole is valued ac¬ 
cording to the price of the facks of rice. There are here, 
as in China, nine orders of mandarins, who are diftin- 
gtiifhed by the colour of their caps, or by their girdles 
and cufliions. The greater part of the titles of thefe man¬ 
darins are hereditary in their families 5 but there are fome 
L I E 
which are only bellowed upon merit. In the royal city 
there are tribunals eftablifhed for managing the revenue 
and affairs of the principal ifland, and of all the others 
which are dependent on it. The latter have agents, who 
refide at court. There are alfo particular tribunals for 
civil and criminal matters; for whatever concerns the fa¬ 
milies of the grandees and princes; for the affairs of re¬ 
ligion: for infpecling the public granaries, king’s reve¬ 
nues, duties ; for commerce, manufactures, civil ceremo¬ 
nies, and for navigation, public edifices, literature, and 
war. The veffels that are built in this country are greatly 
valued by the people of China and Japan. In thefe the 
natives go not only from one ifland to another, but alfo 
to China, Tong-king, Cochin-China, Corea, Nangaza-ki, 
Satfuma, the neighbouring ifies, and to Formofa, where 
they difpofe of their different commodities. Befides thofe 
articles of commerce which their manufactures of filk, 
cotton, paper, arms, copper utenfils, &c. furnifh them, 
they alfo export mother-of-pearl, tortoife and other (hells, 
coral and whetftones, which are in great requeft both in 
China and Japan. 
Different families are diftinguiflied in Lieou-kieou by 
fnrnames, as in China; but a man and a woman of the 
fame furname cannot be united in marriage. The king 
is not permitted to marry but in the three grand families, 
which always enjoy the higheit offices. A plurality of 
wives is allowed, Young men and young women enjoy 
the liberty of feeing one another, and of converfing to¬ 
gether; and, their union is always in confequence of their 
own choice. The women are very referved ; they never 
ufe paint, and wear no pendants in their ears; they col¬ 
led their hair on the top of their heads in the form of a 
curl, and fix it in that manner by means of long pins 
made of gold or lilver. The natives of Lieou-kiaou are,, 
in general, mild, affable, and temperate; they are aClive 
and laborious, enemies to flavery, and deteft falfehood 
and difhonefty. Excepting the grandees, bonzes, and 
Chinefe eftablifhed in Lieou-kieou, few of the inhabi¬ 
tants can either write or read. The people are fond of 
games and diverfions. They celebrate with great pomp 
and fplendour, thofe feflivals that are inftituted in honour 
of their idols, and thofe which are appointed for the ter¬ 
mination and commehcement of the year. Suicide is un¬ 
known among thefe iflanders; and they are free from 
thofe crimes that are common in the ifies fituated to the 
north-eafl of them, which, being nearer to Japan, have 
adopted the vices of its inhabitants, as well as their man¬ 
ners and cuftoms. 
LI'BOU-TCHE'OU, a town of Corea : thirty-feven 
miles fouth-eafl of King-ki-tao. 
LI'EOU-TCHE'OU, a city of China, of the firfl rank, 
in Quang-fi, on the river Leng : 1037 miles fouth-weft of 
Pekin. Lat. 24.. 12. N. Ion. 108. 47. E. 
LI'EOU-TCHING', a town of China, of the third rank, 
in Quang-fi : fifteen miles north-well of Lieou-tcheou. 
LI'EC)U-YANG', a town of China, of the third rank, 
in Hou-quang: thirty-five miles eall of Tchang-cha. 
LIE'PE, a town of Pruflia, in the palatinate of Culm; 
fourteen miles eaft-fouth-eaft of Culm. 
LIEP'PE, a town of Pruflia, in Oberland: eight miles 
from Ofterrod. 
LI'ER,y. [from to lie .] One that refts or lies down, or- 
remains concealed.—There were tiers in ambufh againlt 
him behind the city. Jo/'. viii. 14. 
LIE'RE, a town of France, in the department of the 
Two Nethes, on the Nethe. Here the French attacked a 
poll of the duke of York, on the 28th of November, 1795, 
but were repulfed with lofs : ten miles fouth-eafl of Ant¬ 
werp, and eighteen north of Louvain. 
LIERGA'NES, a town of Spain, in the province of 
Bifcay : ten miles fouth-fouth-eall of Santander. 
LIEREG'NO, a town of Germany, in the diocefe of 
Trent: feven miles ealt of Trent. 
LIER'NA, a town of the republic of Lucca ; feven 
miles north-north-wefl of Lucca. 
LIERNA'IS, 
