ship Doris-Trade stopped by the Committee, who suc- ceed in their objects-Mission of Lord Amherst-Question of the Ko-tow-Forts silenced by the Alceste frigate-Cases of Homicide in 1820 and 1821-His Majesty's ship Topaze-Trade re-opened-Fire of Canton-Failure of Hong Merchants · Discussions with Chinese-Factory invaded by Fooyuen-Letter from Governor-General to Viceroy-Voyage of the Amherst-Fighting between Eighteen Provinces of China-Comprise about twenty degrees of latitude, by twenty of longitude-Extremes of Heat and Cold-Principai Chains of Mountains-Two great Rivers- The Grand Canal-Crossing the Yellow River-Great Wall-Province of the Capital-Other Provinces-Inde pendent Mountaineers-Chain of Volcanic Symptoms in West of China-Manchow and Mongol Tartary-Neigh- Earlier History of China mythological-Three Emperors- Five Sovereigns-Periods of Hea and Shang-of Chow -Confucius-Period of Tsin-First universal Sovereign- Erection of Great Wall-Period of Hân-of Three States -of Tâng-Power of the Eunuchs-Invention of Printing -Period of Soong-Mongol Tartars-Koblai Khan-De- generacy of his Successors-who are driven out by Chinese-Race of Ming-Arrival of Catholic Priests- Manchow Tartars take China-Opposed by Sea-Em- peror Kâng-hy— Kien-loong —First British Embassy- Age-Wealth has influence, but is little respected-Real Aristocracy official, and not hereditary-The Emperor- is High Priest-Ministers-Machinery of Government- Checks on Magistrates-Civil Officers superior to Military -Low Art of War-Guns cast by Missionaries-Penal Code of China-Merits and Defects-Arrangement- Punishments Privileges and Exemptions-Crimes- Character of Code-Testimonies, foreign and domestic, in Chinese appear at Canton in their worst phase-Instance of Gratitude-Good and bad Traits-Pride and Ignorance- Age and high Station most honoured-Regard to Kindred and Birth-place-Real extent of Infanticide-Physical Cha- racteristics-Personal Appearance-Caprices of National Taste-Primitive Features-Degeneracy of Imperial Kin- dred-Highest Honours open to Talent and Learning- Absence of Ostentation-Condition of Female Sex-But The New Year-Fireworks-Contrariety of Usages and No- tions to our own-Festivals-Meeting the Spring-Encou- ragements to Husbandry-Festival for the Dead-Chinese Assumption-Ceremonial Usages-Diplomatic Forms- Feasts and Entertainments-Dinners-Particular Descrip- tion of one-Asiatic Politeness-Articles of Food and Costume of better Classes-Absence of Arms or Weapo.. from Dress-Summer and Winter Costume-Paucity of Linen-General Use of Furs and Skins-Sudden Changes of Fashion not known-All Modes prescribed by a parti- --- Dwellings-Description of a large Mansion-Tiling of CITIES PEKING. External Walls of Peking-Interior Aspect of Tartarian City 322 363 INTRODUCTION. THE following work owes its origin to a collection of notes which the author made while resident in China; and these notes were compiled for a reason not altogether dissimilar to the motive which a French writer alleges for an undertaking of the same kind— "le désir de tout connaître, en étant obligé de le décrire." A residence of more than twenty years (which terminated in the author succeeding, for some months previous to his final retirement, the late amiable and unfortunate Lord Napier as His Majesty's chief authority in China,) has perhaps been calculated to mature and correct those opinions of the country and people which he had formed, as a very young man, in accompanying Lord Amherst on the embassy to Peking in 1816. If some acquaintance, besides, with the language and literature of the Chinese empire has not been of considerable assistance to him in increasing the extent and accuracy of his information, it must have been his own fault entirely, and not any want of opportunities and means. It is singular that no general and systematic work on China has ever yet been produced in this country, notwithstanding that our immediate interest in the subject has been vastly greater than that of any other European nation. At the head of travels, both as to date and excellence, stand the authentic account of Lord Macartney's Mission by Staunton, and Barrow's China, to both of which works it will be seen that reference has been more than once made in the following pages. The above authorities have not been VOL. I. B superseded by any thing that has since appeared in the course of thirty or forty years, though the works of Mr. Ellis and Doctor Abel, the results of Lord Amherst's embassy, are of a highly respectable class, and contain much valuable information on those points to which they confine themselves. Still no general account of the Chinese empire has ever issued from the English press; and Père du Halde's compilation has still remained the only methodized source of information on the subject. One century exactly has now elapsed since that voluminous, and in many respects highly valuable work was first printed. A great deal has of necessity become antiquated, and it is not easy for any one who is personally unacquainted with China, to separate the really sound and useful information it contains, from the prejudice which distorts some portions, and the nonsense which encumbers others. Of the last, the endless pages on the "Doctrine of the Pulse" may be taken as one specimen. It may be interesting to the general reader to see before him, in one view, and in chronological order, most of the miscellaneous works concerning China, which have at different times appeared in various languages. To his original list the writer has added from the Catalogue* of the Oriental Library presented by his venerable friend Mr. Marsden to King's College, where a spacious room has been expressly devoted to its reception. The earliest in point of date are the Travels of Marco Polo the Venetian, of which a Latin translation was made about the year 1320, and the first edition appeared soon after the invention of the art of printing, in the fifteenth century†. *Bibliotheca Marsdeniana, p. 172. The best modern version of this work is in English, copiously illustrated with notes by Mr. Marsden, 4to. 1818. |