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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..86475e0 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #63733 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/63733) diff --git a/old/63733-0.txt b/old/63733-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index a009082..0000000 --- a/old/63733-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,8035 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of China and the Chinese, by Edmond Plauchut - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this ebook. - -Title: China and the Chinese - -Author: Edmond Plauchut - -Editor: Mrs. Arthur Bell - -Translator: Mrs. Arthur Bell - -Release Date: December 05, 2020 [EBook #63733] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Image source(s): https://archive.org/details/cu31924023226149 - -Produced by: Tom Cosmas from files generously made available by The - Internet Archive. All resultant materials are placed in the - Public Domain. - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHINA AND THE CHINESE *** - - - - -Transcriber Note - -Text emphasis denoted as _Italics_ and =Bold=. - - - - - CHINA AND THE CHINESE - - - - - China - - AND THE CHINESE - - - BY - - EDMUND PLAUCHUT - - - TRANSLATED AND EDITED - BY - - Mrs. ARTHUR BELL (N. D'Anvers) - - AUTHOR OF 'THE ELEMENTARY HISTORY OF ART,' 'LIFE OF GAINSBOROUGH,' - 'THE SCIENCE LADDERS,' ETC. - - - WITH FIFTY-EIGHT ILLUSTRATIONS - - - - LONDON - - HURST AND BLACKETT, LIMITED - - 13 GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET - - 1899 - - _All rights reserved._ - - - - -TRANSLATOR'S NOTE - - -This brightly written little book by the well-known French author, Edmund -Plauchut, who has spent many years in China, is the first of the new -series known as the "Livres d'or de la Science" recently commenced by MM. -Schleicher Frères of Paris. It gives in a succinct form a very complete -account of the Chinese, both past and present, their religion, their -literature, and their time-honoured customs. Touching but lightly on the -many vexed questions of modern diplomacy, it yet presents a very true -picture of the problems European statesmen have to solve in connection -with the inevitable partition of the Celestial Empire, and will, it is -hoped, be found of real service to those who wish to be abreast with the -times, yet who have not the leisure to read the longer and more exhaustive -books on the subject which are continually appearing. - - Nancy Bell, - - _Southbourne-on-Sea, - May 1899._ - - - - -CONTENTS - - - -CHAPTER I - PAGE - The delight of exploring unknown lands--Saint Louis and - the Tartars of olden times--The Anglo-French force enters - Pekin--Terror of the "Red Devils"--The "Cup of Immortality"--The - "Sons of Heaven"--Hong-Kong as it was and is--The Treaty of - Tien-tsin--The game of "Morra"--First Tea-party in the Palace - of Pekin--Chinese agriculture and love of flowers--Chinese - literati--An awkward meeting between two of them--Love of poetry - in China--Voltaire's letter to the poet-king--The Chinese - army--The _Shu-King_, or sacred book of China--Yao and his - work--Chung, the lowly-born Emperor--The Hoang-Ho, or "China's - Sorrow"--Yu the engineer and his work--Chung chooses Yu to reign - after him--The foundation of the hereditary monarchy in China 1 - -CHAPTER II - - Trip up the Shu-Kiang river--My fellow-passengers and their - costumes--A damaged bell--Female peasants on the river-banks--I - am caught up and carried off by a laughing virago--Arrival at - Canton--Early trading between China and Ceylon and Africa, - etc.--The Empress Lui-Tseu teaching the people to rear - silk-worms--The treaties of Nanking and Tien-tsin--Bombardment - of Canton--Murder of a French sailor and terrible revenge--M. - Vaucher and I explore Canton--The _fétes_ in honour of the - Divinity of the North and of the Queen of Heaven--General - appearance of Canton--An emperor's recipe for making tea--How tea - is grown in China--The Fatim garden--A dutiful son--Scene of the - murder of the Tai-Ping rebels--The Temple of the five hundred - Genii--Suicide of a young engineer--Return of his spirit in the - form of a snake 33 - -CHAPTER III - - General Tcheng-Ki-Tong and his book on China--The monuments - of China--Those the Chinese delight to honour--A Chinese - heroine--Ingredients of the "Cup of Immortality"--Avenues of - colossal statues and monsters in cemeteries--Imperial edict in - honour of K'wo-Fan--Proclamation of the eighteenth century--The - Emperor takes his people's sins upon himself--Reasons for - Chinese indifference to matters of faith--Lao-Tsze, or the old - philosopher--His early life--His book, the _Tao-Teh-King_--His - theory of the creation--Affinity of his doctrine with - Christianity--Quotations from his book 57 - -CHAPTER IV - - Lao-Tsze and Confucius compared--The appearance of Kilin, the - fabulous dragon, to the father of Confucius--Early life of the - Philosopher--The death and funeral of his mother--His views on - funeral ceremonies--His visit to the King of Lu and discourse on - the nature of man--Confucius advocates gymnasium exercises--His - love of music--His summary of the whole duty of woman--He - describes the life of a widow--He gives a list of the classes of - men to be avoided in marriage--The seven legitimate reasons for - the divorce of a wife--The three exceptions rendering divorce - illegal--The missionary Gutzlaff's opinion of Confucius' view of - woman's position--The Philosopher meets a man about to commit - suicide--He rescues him from despair--He loses thirteen of his - own followers 73 - -CHAPTER V - - My voyage to Macao--General appearance of the port--Gambling - propensities of the Chinese--Compulsory emigration--Cruel - treatment of coolies on board ship--Disaster on the - Paracelses reefs--The _Baracouns_--The grotto of Camoens--The - _Lusiads_--Contrast between Chinese and Japanese--Origin of the - yellow races: their appearance and language--Relation of the - dwellers in the Arctic regions to the people of China--Russian - and Dutch intercourse with the Celestials--East India Company's - monopoly of trade--Disputes on the opium question--Expiration of - charter--Death of Lord Napier of a broken heart--Lin-Tseh-Hsu - as Governor of the Kwang provinces--The result of his measures - to suppress trade in opium--Treaty of Nanking--War of - 1856-1858--Treaty of Tien-tsin and Convention of Pekin--Immense - increase in exports and imports resulting from them 97 - -CHAPTER VI - - French aspirations in Tonkin--Margary receives his - instructions--Work already done on the Yang-tse--Margary - is insulted at Paï-Chou--He awaits instructions in vain at - Lo-Shan--The Tung-Ting lake--A Chinese caravanserai--The explorer - leaves the river to proceed by land--He meets a starving - missionary--Kwei-Chou and the French bishop there--A terrible - road--Arrival at the capital of Yunnan--Armed escort from - Bhâmo--Meeting between Margary and Colonel Browne--Threatening - attitude of natives--Margary crosses the frontier alone--Colonel - Browne's camp surrounded--Murder of Margary outside - Manwyne--Importance of Yunnan and Szechuan to Europeans 118 - -CHAPTER VII - - Sir Thomas Wade demands his passports--Retires to man-of-war - off Tien-tsin--Interviews with Li-Hung-Chang--Convention of - Che-Foo--Description of Ichang on the Yang-tse--The Manchester - of Western China--Pak-hoï and its harbour--A magnificent - pagoda--Ceremony of opening the port to foreign trade--New - Year's _féte_ at Pak-hoï--The game of Morra--Description - of Wenchow--Temples and pagodas turned into inns--Wahn - and its native officials--Dislike of mandarins, etc., to - missionaries--Beautiful surroundings of the town--An eclipse of - the moon expected--The eclipse does not keep time--Excitement - of the people--The dragon attacks the moon at last--Threatening - message from the Emperor to the astronomers--Two astronomers - beheaded in B.C. 2155--Reasons for importance attached to - eclipses in China 135 - -CHAPTER VIII - - I land at Shanghai--The Celestial who had never heard of - Napoleon--Total value of exports and imports to and from - Shanghai--What those exports and imports are--The devotion of - the Chinese to their native land--The true yellow danger of - the future--I am invited to a Chinese dinner at Shanghai--My - yellow guests--The ladies find me amusing--Their small feet - and difficulty in walking--A wealthy mandarin explains why - the feet are mutilated--Sale of girls in China--Position of - women discussed--A mandarin accepts a Bible--Our host takes - us to a flower-boat--Description of boat--My first attempt at - opium-smoking--A Celestial in an opium dream 151 - -CHAPTER IX - - Great commercial value of opium--Cultivation of the - poppy--Exports of opium from India--What opium is--Preparation - of the drug--Opinions on the English monopoly of the trade - in it--Ingenious mode of smuggling opium--Efforts of Chinese - Government to check its importation--Proclamation of the Viceroy - Wang--Opinion of Li-Shi-Shen on the properties of opium--The - worst form of opium smoking--Its introduction to Formosa by the - Dutch--Depopulation of the island--Punishments inflicted on - opium-smokers--Opinions of doctors on the effects of opium-eating - or smoking--Chinese prisoners deprived of their usual pipe--The - real danger to the poor of indulgence in opium--Evidence of - Archibald Little--The Chinese and European pipe contrasted 166 - -CHAPTER X - - Missionary effort in China--First arrival of the - Jesuits--Landing of Michael Roger--Adam Schaal appointed Chief - Minister of State--The scientific work of the Jesuits--Affection - of the young Emperor Kang-Hi for them--Arrival of other - monks--Fatal disputes between them and the Jesuits--The Pope - interferes--Fatal results for the Christians--Speech of - Kang-Hi--Expulsion of the Jesuits--Concessions to Europeans in - newly-opened ports--Hatred of foreigners at Tien-tsin--Arrival of - French nuns--Their mistakes in ignoring native feeling--Chinese - children bought by the Abbé Chevrier--A Chinese merchant's - views on the situation--Terrible accusations against the - Sisters--Murder of the French Consul and his assistant--The - Governor of Tien-tsin responsible--Massacre of the Abbé Chevrier - and one hundred children--The Lady Superior and her nuns cut to - pieces and burnt--The guilty Governor Chung-Ho sent to Paris as - envoy--No proper vengeance exacted by the French--Other sisters - go to Tien-tsin 184 - -CHAPTER XI - - The Great Wall--Its failure as a defence--Forced labour--Mode - of construction--Shih-Hwang-Ti orders all books to be - burnt--Mandarins flung into the flames--The _Shu-King_ is - saved--How the sacred books came to be written--The sedan-chair - and its uses--Modern hotels at Pekin--Examination of students for - degrees--Cells in which they are confined--Kublai Khan conquers - China--Makes Pekin his capital--Introduces paper currency--The - Great Canal--Address to the three Philosophers--Marco Polo's - visit to Pekin--His description of the Emperor--Kublai Khan's - wife--Foundation of the Academy of Pekin--Hin-Heng and his - acquirements--Death of Kublai Khan--Inferiority of his - successors--Shun-Ti the last Mongol Emperor--Pekin in the time of - the Mongols--When seen by Lord Macartney--The city as it is now 205 - -CHAPTER XII - - Fall of the Mongol dynasty--The son of a labourer chosen - Emperor--He founds the Ming dynasty--Choo becomes Tae-tsoo, and - rules with great wisdom--He dies and leaves his kingdom to his - grandson--Young-lo attacks and takes Nanking--The young Emperor - burnt to death--Young-lo is proclaimed Emperor, and makes - Pekin his capital--First European visits China--Tartar chief - usurps supreme power--Dies soon after--Foundation of present - dynasty--Accession of Shun-Che--Chinese compelled to shave their - heads--The old style of coiffure in China--Care of the modern - pig-tail 227 - -CHAPTER XIII - - The Founder of the Ch'ing dynasty--A broken-hearted - widower--The Louis XIV. of China--The Will of - Kang-Hy--Young-t-Ching appointed his successor--The character - of the new Emperor--Mission of Lord Macartney--He refuses - to perform the Ko-too, or nine prostrations--Interview with - Young-t-Ching--Results of the Mission to England--Accession of - Kien-Long--He resolves to abdicate when he has reigned sixty - years--Accession of Taou-Kwang--The beginning of the end--An - adopted brother--War against China declared by England--The Pekin - Treaty--Prince Hassan goes to visit Queen Victoria--The Regents - and Tung-Che--Foreign Ministers compel the young Emperor to - receive them 235 - -CHAPTER XIV - - A child of four chosen Emperor--The power of the Empress - Dowager--The Palace feud--The Palace at Pekin--A Frenchman's - interview with the Emperor--The Emperor's person held - sacred--Coming of age of the Emperor--An enlightened - proclamation--Reception of the foreign ministers in - 1889--Education of the young monarch--He goes to do homage at the - tombs of his ancestors--A wife is chosen for him--His secondary - wives--China, the battle-ground of the future--Railway concessions 251 - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - - FIG. PAGE - - 1. VIEW OF HONG-KONG TAKEN FROM ABOVE THE TOWN 3 - 2. CHINESE SOLDIERS 5 - 3. CHINESE WEAPONS 6 - 4. CHINESE HELMET AND QUIVER 7 - 5. A YOUNG CHINESE WOMAN 8 - 6. A CHINESE COURTESAN 9 - 7. HWANG-TIEN-SHANG-TI, THE GOD OF HEAVEN 11 - 8. A CHINESE MANDARIN 15 - 9. ANCIENT CHINESE COSTUMES 17 - 10. ANCIENT CHINESE COSTUMES 18 - 11. A YOUNG CHINESE POET 21 - 12. A NAUGHTY PUPIL 28 - 13. A CHINESE BRIDGE SPANNING THE HOANG-HO 31 - 14. A PAGODA 34 - 15. A STREET IN CANTON 40 - 16. A WOMAN OF THE PEOPLE WITH HER BABY 41 - 17. A CHINESE MANDARIN 42 - 18. A GONG-RINGER 43 - 19. A CHINESE ACTOR 44 - 20. A CHINESE ACTOR IN A TRAGIC PART 47 - 21. A VILLA NEAR CANTON 51 - 22. GENERAL TCHENG-KI-TONG 58 - 23. LAO-TSZE 67 - 24. THE HOUSE IN WHICH CONFUCIUS WAS BORN 75 - 25. PORTRAIT OF CONFUCIUS 76 - 26. A FUNERAL PROCESSION IN CHINA 77 - 27. CHINESE TOMBS 78 - 28. A CHINESE CEMETERY 80 - 29. A YOUNG CHINESE MARRIED LADY 88 - 30. A MARRIAGE PROCESSION 92 - 31. A DESPERATE MAN 94 - 32. THE TOMB OF CONFUCIUS 95 - 33. CHINESE PEASANT CRUSHING RICE 122 - 34. A CHINESE FERRYMAN 124 - 35. A MANDARIN'S HOUSE 127 - 36. PORTRAIT OF HIS EXCELLENCY LI-HUNG-CHANG 138 - 37. ICHANG 141 - 38. A CHINESE DYER AT WORK 143 - 39. A CHINESE VISITING CARD 144 - 40. A CHINESE RESTAURANT. AFTER THE REPAST 156 - 41. A CHINESE JUNK 165 - 42. AN OPIUM-SMOKER 179 - 43. OPIUM PIPES 181 - 44. REQUISITES FOR OPIUM-SMOKING 183 - 45. A TEMPLE AT TIEN-TSIN 195 - 46. THE GREAT WALL 206 - 47. BURNING OF MANDARINS AND HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS, - BY ORDER OF SHIH-KWANG-TI 209 - 48. A STREET IN PEKIN 214 - 49. NIGHT-WATCHMEN IN PEKIN 216 - 50. A CHINESE GENERAL IN HIS WAR-CHARIOT 220 - 51. PORCELAIN TOWER AT NANKING 222 - 52. MONOLITHS AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE TOMBS OF THE - MING EMPERORS 231 - 53. CHINESE BRONZES 233 - 54. PORTRAIT OF ONE OF THE CHINESE EMPERORS OF THE - CH'ING DYNASTY, PROBABLY KIEN-LONG 242 - 55. ONE OF THE REGENTS DURING THE MINORITY OF TUNG-CHE 249 - 56. A CHINESE SEDAN-CHAIR AND BEARERS 255 - 57. A BONZE TORTURING HIMSELF IN A TEMPLE, AFTER A - CHINESE PAINTING 260 - 58. THE TOWN AND BRIDGE OF FUCHAN 265 - - - - -CHINA AND THE CHINESE - - - - -CHAPTER I - - -The delight of exploring unknown lands--Saint Louis and the Tartars of -olden times--The Anglo-French force enters Pekin--Terror of the "Red -Devils"--The "Cup of Immortality"--The "Sons of Heaven"--Hong-Kong as -it was and is--The Treaty of Tien-tsin--The game of "Morra"--First -Tea-party in the Palace of Pekin--Chinese agriculture and love of -flowers--Chinese literati--An awkward meeting between two of them--Love -of poetry in China--Voltaire's letter to the poet-king--The Chinese -army--The _Shu-King_, or sacred book of China--Yao and his work--Chung, -the lowly-born Emperor--The Hoang-Ho, or "China's Sorrow"--Yu the engineer -and his work--Chung chooses Yu to reign after him--The foundation of the -hereditary monarchy in China. - -I do not deny the happiness of a life spent beneath the shadow of the -belfry of one's native place, in all the unruffled peace of one's own -home, surrounded by one's own family; but, after all, what are such -joys as these compared to those of the explorer who goes forth to meet -the unknown ready for all that may betide, making fresh discoveries at -every turn, gladly facing all dangers and rejoicing in the ever-changing, -ever-widening horizon before him? Who would care to forego the joys of -memory, the power of living over again in old age the adventures of youth, -of seeing once more with the mind's eye the wonders of the far-distant -lands visited when the mind was still buoyant, the sight still undimmed, -the limbs still in all the vigour of manhood? Happy mortal indeed is he -who, thoroughly imbued with the spirit of the discoverer, looks upon death -itself not as the end of all things, but the threshold of a new world, the -beginning of yet another journey fraught with the deepest interest, to a -bourne all the more fascinating because of the deep mystery in which it is -shrouded. - -This was how I reasoned with myself when I was a mere lad eagerly -devouring the accounts of the work of the great early explorers, Marco -Polo, the Dupleix, La Pérouse, Bougainville, Dumont D'Urville, Christopher -Columbus, Mungo Park, the Landers, etc., not to speak of Swift's -fascinating romance _Gulliver's Travels_, and the yet more thrilling -_Robinson Crusoe_ of Defoe. Like all boys with vivid imaginations, I was -fired with a longing to emulate all these heroes, and said to my mother: -"I have made up my mind to be a sailor!" - -[Sidenote: HONG-KONG] - -[Illustration: FIG. 1.--VIEW OF HONG-KONG TAKEN FROM ABOVE THE TOWN.] - -My ardour was, however, quickly quenched when I saw my mother's beautiful -eyes fill with tears at the thought of parting from me. This did not -prevent me from leaving France a few years later, for I found myself -whilst still quite a young man free to go whither I would, and I made -up my mind to make many a long and interesting journey. Of course I -expected to meet with dangers and misfortunes, but I felt sure that any -such drawbacks would be more than counterbalanced by the grand sights it -would be my privilege to witness. My anticipations were in every way fully -realized, and if after wandering all over the world I refrain from saying -with Terence: "I am a man, and nothing in the nature of man is strange to -me;" it is merely because poets alone are privileged to speak with such -egotistical assurance. - -I had already spent a considerable time in Oceania and a few months in -Egypt, when I landed at Hong-Kong on the very threshold of the ancient -Chinese Empire, which, according to well-authenticated annals, is older -even than the mighty and venerable Egypt of the Pharaohs. I went to China -as much to study her past on the spot as to be one of the first to hail -that transformation which, when I arrived, was already on the eve of its -inauguration, and is now rapidly becoming an accomplished fact. There was, -indeed, urgent need for haste if I wished to study that moribund China -so long closed to Europeans before the great change came, and cared to -gaze upon her far-stretching table-lands girt about by heights crowned -with never-melting snow, ere their solitudes were broken in upon by the -desecrating steam-engine, in districts whence in mediæval times great -hordes of yellow-skinned, fierce-eyed barbarians, their long black hair -floating on their shoulders, swept westward to devastate Europe. - -[Illustration: FIG. 2.--CHINESE SOLDIERS.] - -[Sidenote: SAINT LOUIS OF FRANCE] - -In those days five hundred thousand Tartars invaded Russia, took -possession of Moscow, burnt Cracow, and penetrated as far as Hungary. -Saint Louis of France, who was then on the throne, stood in the greatest -dread of them, but this did not prevent him from making a joke about them, -quoted by the Sieur de Joinville, which, considering the state of affairs -at the time, speaks well for his pluck and sense of humour. "Mother," he -said to Queen Blanche of Castille, "if these Tartars come here, we must -make them go back to the Tartarus from which they come!" - -[Illustration: FIG. 3.--CHINESE WEAPONS.] - -[Illustration: FIG. 4.--CHINESE HELMET AND QUIVER.] - -[Sidenote: WHOLESALE SUICIDE] - -Time, however, never fails to bring about the poetic justice of revenge. -Six centuries after the sack of Cracow a little Anglo-French force -entered Pekin with drums beating and flags flying, pillaged the Imperial -Palaces, and returned to Europe laden with rich spoil. Chinese, Tartars, -Mongols, and Manchus had all alike allowed themselves to be beaten by -a mere handful of resolute men. What had they to oppose to European -tactics, European weapons, and above all European discipline? Bows and -arrows, old-fashioned muskets, spears, and shields adorned with fantastic; -designs. There, was nothing for them to do but to run away; not that they -were cowards, for they never have any fear of death, but simply because -resistance was hopeless. Most of the generals in command of the army -followed the usual custom in cases of defeat, and voluntarily emptied the -bowl of poisoned opium to save themselves from being triumphed over by -their enemies. At Pekin, Canton, and many other centres of population in -the vast Empire, the terrified women flung themselves into the wells to -escape the violent death they expected the "red devils" would otherwise -have inflicted on them. Only some forty years ago what did that immense -multitude of Asiatic men and women know about us Europeans? Just about as -much and no more than we did of them. One thing only is certain, that in -the heroic days of the founders of the dynasty, from Hwang-Ti, the yellow -Emperor, to Khiang-Luanh, the poet sovereign more than one ruler of China -had drunk from the cup of immortality, that is to say, the cup of poison, -rather than live to see the enemy enter his palaces as a conqueror. -Enervated by a long course of self-indulgence, the Sons of Heaven, as the -Emperors of China proudly style themselves, have degenerated terribly, and -what with their own weakness and the arrogant encroachments of the eunuchs -who guard the Imperial harem, many of the sovereigns would have been -deposed, but for the intervention, now of an Empress-Dowager, now of some -favourite wife, who, seizing the reins of power, has wielded the sceptre -with virile strength and skill. - -[Illustration: FIG. 5.--A YOUNG CHINESE WOMAN.] - -[Sidenote: TWO POTENT POISONS] - -In 1851, when the English took possession of the island of Hong-Kong, it -was but a rugged conical-shaped rock, dreary and forbidding in appearance. -The Chinese then living on it were enraged at the intrusion of the -foreigners, and one of them, the only baker on the island, resolved to -dispose of all the intruders at one blow. He decided to poison them, and -with this end in view he put arsenic into all the bread he supplied to -the foreigners. He over-reached himself, for the dose was too strong, and -suspicion was at once aroused. Those who tasted the bread escaped with -violent sickness, and the English were not going to abandon the place for -a reason so insignificant as that. - -[Illustration: FIG. 6.--A CHINESE COURTESAN.] - -Hong-Kong is now a maritime port of the first rank, and its harbour is -one of the finest and most beautiful in the whole world. The town boasts -of hotels managed on the European system, and the slopes of the rocks -are covered from the sea-shore to the highest point of the island with -tasty villas. It is to opium, that other poison responsible for the death -of so many Celestials, and as potent in its effects as the arsenic with -which the patriotic baker tried to kill off all the foreigners, that -Hong-Kong owes its immense prosperity. The French did much to aid the -English in inaugurating that prosperity in 1857 and 1858, when they joined -them as allies in the brief campaign which resulted in the taking of -Canton and the signing of the celebrated Treaty of Tien-tsin. The various -stipulations of that treaty, the full significance of which the Chinese do -not seem to have realized at the time, included the right to the allies -of appointing diplomatic agents to the Court of Pekin, and the opening of -five fresh ports to European commerce, whilst a strip of territory on the -mainland, opposite to the island of Hong-Kong, was ceded to the British -colony. The benefits which accrued to France were small, but the increase -of British trade was enormous, and from that time to this the grand -harbour has been: one of the chief naval stations of the East. - -In spite of its prosperity and importance, however, the town is anything -but a pleasant place to stop in, and the foreign visitor soon gets tired -of being jostled about by busy coolies and tipsy sailors. The great -delight of the latter is to get drunk in the brandy-stores of Victoria -Street, and then to dance, not, strange to say, with women, but without -partners, to the music of a violin and a big drum. In the evening the -floating and resident population alike resort in crowds to the opium-dens -and houses of ill fame in the upper portions of the town. No one seems -to feel any shame at being seen to enter these places, the windows of -which are wide open, so that all can look into the brightly illuminated -rooms, whence proceeds the sound of oaths in all manner of languages, -whilst the loud clash of gongs mingles with the muffled songs of the -Chinese beauties, and every now and then a shower of crackers is flung -into the street below, bursting into zigzags of fire on the heads of the -startled passers-by. In the eyes of the masters of the island, the intense -commercial activity of the day atones for the dissipations of the night. - -[Illustration: FIG. 7.--HWANG-TIEN-SHANG TI, THE GOD OF HEAVEN. - -(_In the Guinet Museum._)] - -[Sidenote: THE GAME OF MORRA] - -Contact with Europeans has, however, done little if anything to modify the -ideas and customs of the Chinese. A few of the great native merchants, -it is true, are willing now and then to drink a glass of champagne with -the representatives of foreign houses, and teach them the game of Morra, -which, strange to say, is to all intents and purposes the same as that -played all over Italy, and is so well described by Mrs. Eaton in her _Rome -in the Nineteenth Century_. "Morra," she says, "is played by the men, and -merely consists in holding up in rapid succession any number of fingers -they please, calling out at the same time the number their antagonist -shows.... Morra seems to differ in no respect from the _Micure Digitis_ -of the Ancient Romans." If it be a fact, as some assert, that the various -races of the world are more truly themselves in their games than in their -work, this similarity in a pastime played by people so different as the -Chinese and the Italians, would have a deep psychological significance. - -However that may be, drinking champagne and playing Morra together do -not lead to any real friendship or intimacy between the Celestials and -their hated foreign guests. There is not, and it seems as if there never -could be, any true _rapprochement_, and this fact is at the root of the -anxiety of statesmen for the future, in spite of the apparent progress -made in the introduction of European ideas into the very stronghold of -Chinese fanaticism, the Palace of Pekin, where a few months ago, on the -occasion of her birthday, the Dowager Empress held that first reception of -European ladies which was hailed by the European press as the commencement -of a new era for China. An account of this historic tea-party may well -be added here, for its being given was truly among the most remarkable -events which have taken place in the century now so near its close. It -seems that Lady Macdonald, the wife of the British Minister, was the prime -mover in bringing about this startling innovation in the customs of the -most conservative of all modern nations. The fact that it was the guests -themselves who compelled the hostess to invite them, detracted not at all -from the cordiality of their reception. Received at the entrance to the -precincts of the Palace by numerous mandarins in brilliant costumes, the -visitors were carried on State chairs to the electric tramway, strange -anomaly in such a stronghold of retrogression as the capital of the -Celestial Empire, and thence escorted to the audience-chamber by a group -of ladies of the Court specially selected to attend them. - -[Sidenote: A STRANGE TEA-PARTY] - -In the throne-room, the Empress and her unfortunate son, the nominal -ruler of China, were seated side by side on a raised dais, behind a table -decorated with apples and chrysanthemums in the simple but effective -Chinese manner. Presents and compliments were exchanged, a grand luncheon -was served, over which the Princess Ching presided, and when tea was -handed round later the Dowager Empress again appeared and sipped a little -of the national beverage from the cup of each minister's wife. Finally, -when the time for leave-taking came, the astute Dowager, giving way to an -apparently uncontrollable burst of emotion, embraced all her visitors in -turn. Time alone can prove whether this kiss were indeed one of peace or -of future betrayal. In the eyes of the Court officials and their ladies it -must have appeared far more startling than any of the political changes -with which the air is rife. - -The Chinese people, who know next to nothing of what is going on, and are -more ignorant of the transformation taking place than even illiterate -Europeans, are as indifferent to the past as to the future; they have been -accustomed for centuries to obey unchanging laws of a wisdom acknowledged -by even hostile critics; and startling innovation touching their own lives -is the one thing which moves them out of their constitutional apathy. - -Agriculture is the favourite occupation of the Chinese, and they consider -the tilling of the ground almost a religious duty. It has been customary -for many ages for the supreme ruler to turn over a few furrows at the -beginning of the agricultural year, that is to say the spring, and in -all the provinces of the vast empire a similar ceremony is performed by -the delegate of the Emperor. Flowers are everywhere cultivated, though -generally in pots, with an enthusiasm amounting to passion, and marvellous -skill is shown in the growing of dwarf trees, which produce quantities -of fruit. In a word, vegetation in China is stamped with an originality -setting it apart from that of any other country. In irrigation and the use -of manure Chinese gardeners were long far in advance of western nations. - -The chief ambition of every native of China is to leave behind him sons -who on his death will give to his memory the homage he himself rendered -to that of his own father, for it is in the reverence in which ancestors -are held that the Chinese concentrate all their religious feeling. Even -Shang-Ti, or the God of Heaven, Buddha, Lao-tsze, and Confucius only take -secondary rank as compared with these ancestors. - -[Sidenote: CHINESE LITERATI] - -The Literati, or scholars of China, have won their much-coveted -distinction by many very severe examinations in the so-called King, or -the five sacred books, and in the works of the great philosophers. Armed -with the diploma securing to him the rank of a scholar, its fortunate -possessor may aspire to the very highest functions of the empire. So very -many win that diploma, however, and the numbers increase so rapidly every -year, that, as in France and in England, there are not enough appointments -for those qualified to receive them. In spite of this, the scholar even -when out of place commands the respect of all who have not been promoted -to the grade he has won. In his interesting account of his travels in -Asia, Marcel Monnier gives a very pregnant illustration of the state of -things I have been describing. - -[Illustration: FIG. 8.--A CHINESE MANDARIN.] - -"As I was leaving the rampart," he says, "I witnessed a curious scene -illustrative of the esteem in which--in this land where an hereditary -aristocracy does not exist--is held the one ennobling rank, that of being -the owner of a paper diploma. My bearers had just entered a very narrow -causeway between two rice-fields, when they were suddenly brought to a -halt by another chair coming from the opposite direction. This chair was -occupied by a young man in elegant attire, wearing spectacles, and with -a general air about him of being pleased with himself. Apparently he was -a scholar fresh from examinations. The bearers on each side parleyed -together, but neither seemed disposed to yield place to the others. The -discussion seemed likely to be interminable, when the scholar intervened, -and addressing the chief of my bearers, shouted haughtily to him: - -"'Why don't you get out of the way of a licentiate of Kan-Su?' - -"My chief porter, a big sturdy fellow of about forty, did not move, but -without budging an inch replied with equal haughtiness: - -"'A licentiate? And of what year, pray?' - -"Then without giving the other time to answer, he quickly dived into the -little leather-bag hanging from his waist-band, brought out a greasy -paper, and proudly unfolded it as if it were a flag, before the eyes of -his astonished questioner. - -"'Look!' he said. - -"The young man took the paper with the very tips of his fingers, but he -had scarcely glanced at the magic inscription on it before he handed it -back with a respectful inclination of the head, at the same time ordering -his men to withdraw. My porter, too, had his diploma, and he had had it -for a long time. That of recent date had to give way to the earlier one. -My chair passed on in triumph, whilst that of the newly-created scholar -humbly waited at the side of the road in the rice-field." - -[Illustration: FIG. 9.--ANCIENT CHINESE COSTUMES. - -(_Univers Pittoresque._)] - -[Sidenote: CHINESE HONESTY] - -The Chinese have the trading instinct as fully developed as have the -descendants of Shem. They carry on commerce with the same wonderful -_finesse_, the same keen eye for a bargain, and they are as fond of money -as the Jews themselves. At the same time in really important affairs they -are as much to be trusted, as thoroughly loyal to the other side, as any -great merchant of the City of London, or the _Rue du Sentier_ in the -French capital. These Chinese traders gave credit for enormous sums to the -first foreign firms which had the audacity to found the Canton factories. -On the faith of their signatures alone guaranteeing eventual payment, -the heads of these foreign firms found themselves trusted with whole -cargoes of tea and silks. After the failure of the Union Bank, of the -_Comptoir national d'Escompte_, and certain great American houses, this -giving of credit was discontinued, but that it was ever granted remains a -most significant fact. One proof of the extreme caution which succeeded -the extraordinary confidence is, that there are no branches of the great -Chinese firms of Shanghai and Hong-Kong in Paris, Marseilles, or Lyons. -This is really no great loss, for the West will be invaded all too soon by -the yellow races. - -[Illustration: FIG. 10.--ANCIENT CHINESE COSTUMES. - -(_Univers Pittoresque._)] - -[Sidenote: BONZES AND BONZESSES] - -In Asia there are many more mystic dreamers and poets than is generally -supposed. A Chinese mystic is called a bonze, or talapoin, the former word -being of Japanese origin, introduced to China by Europeans. Women who -devote themselves to a religious life are called bonzesses, but as certain -abuses crept in of a kind which can readily be imagined, a very wise law -was passed some time ago forbidding any woman to become a priestess till -after her fortieth year, and certain censors have long advocated a yet -further higher limit of age. - -Amongst young women of the higher classes in the remote East, especially -amongst those whose beauty destines them for the harem, poetry is -held in high esteem. On the richly-lacquered screens and on the -delicately-coloured fans so popular in China, are many representations -of frail Chinese or Japanese beauties, tracing certain letters of the -Mandarin alphabet with a fine pencil held in their tapering fingers with -the characteristic pink nails. The words formed by these letters make up -poetic phrases imbued with all the freshness and grace of the fair young -girls who transcribe them. In them are sung the praises of the flowers -of the hawthorn, the peach-tree, the sweet-briar, and even of a certain -savoury tea. More than one Chinese Emperor has done homage to the Muses, -and the most celebrated of these crowned poets was Khian-Lung, of the -Tartar Manchu dynasty, who died at the end of the eighteenth century, -and to whom Voltaire addressed the celebrated letter in verse of which -the royal recipient was probably only able to understand, and that with -considerable difficulty, the last few lines of which are quoted here: - - Receive, Celestial King, the compliments I write - To one whose mighty throne stands on a double height! - The western world knows well, in spite of all my crimes, - I have a deep regard for monarchs who make rhymes. - O thou whose soul is lit by Art's poetic fires, - I pray thee tell me if your prosody requires - That you in far Pekin, like us, must e'en submit - To bind your thoughts in rules to make the tenses fit? - Thus, if you choose to take the Alexandrine beat. - Two equal lines must walk on six plain, equal feet, - And so, one half for rhyme, the other for the sense, - The whole of one great work to half you may condense! - -The fame of two other Chinese poets, who flourished in the eighth century -of our era, has also come down to us. These were Tchu-Fu and Li-Tai-Pé, -who, as was Malherbe in France, were the first to reform poetry in their -native land, laying down certain rules, which are still observed in the -present day. - -The peace enjoyed for so long a period by the country under consideration -has led to the profession of arms being held of small account. Until quite -recently all the "warriors" had to do was to put down local revolts, or to -win for themselves a good drubbing from some aggrieved foreigner. - -[Illustration: FIG. 11.--A YOUNG CHINESE POET. - -(_Univers Pittoresque._)] - -[Sidenote: THE CHINESE ARMY] - -The weakness and defective organization of Asiatic armies is well known, -and is proved afresh at every contact with a European force. The thorough -inefficiency of that of China was forcibly brought out in the recent -war with Japan, when the latter country showed itself to be so far in -advance of its antagonist in every way. Nothing but drilling by European -officers, for at least half a century, could make Chinese soldiers at -all formidable to white troops. It is just the same with the people of -the Corea, Annam, Tonquin, and Siam. It will, of course, be urged: but -look at the Japanese, they too belong to the despised yellow races, yet -have they not proved themselves able to organize a campaign? are they -not full of warlike energy and martial ability? do they not also take -high rank as imaginative artists? In what do the white races excel? To -all these queries we reply, the assumption that the Japanese belong to -the same race as the yellow natives of the continent of Asia has to be -proved. The children of the land of chrysanthemums and of the rising sun -indignantly repel this hypothesis, and such authorities on ethnology as -Kœmpfer, Golownin, Klaproth, and Siebold also reject it. Moreover, in this -world everything is relative, and because the Japanese troops, armed with -weapons of precision, were able to beat the badly-equipped Chinese forces, -it does not follow that they could do the same if pitted against European -soldiers. Whether they could or not still remains to be proved. - -Before penetrating into the interior of the country, and studying the -actual customs of the inhabitants at the present day, it will be well -to glance back to the remote times when China first became a nation. -Very interesting details of those early days have been preserved in the -traditions of the Celestials, and from them we gather that the first -dwellers in the land lived, as did so many of the races of Europe, in the -forests, or in caves, clothing themselves in the skins of the wild beasts -slain in the chase, whose flesh supplied them with food. - -The first efforts at civilization appear to have been made in the -North-west of the vast country, amongst the tribes camped on the banks -of the Hoang-Ho, or Yellow River. The chiefs of these tribes gradually -contracted the habit of making regular marriages, and living a home life -with their families. To protect their wives and children they built huts; -they discovered how to make fire, and with its aid to fashion agricultural -implements and weapons. They knew how to distinguish plants good for -food from those dangerous to human life; they fixed precise dates for -the commencement of each of the four seasons; invented various systems -of calligraphy, finally adopting the one still in use; and they acquired -the art of weaving silk and cotton, which, according to the eminent -sinologist, Leblois of Strasburg, recently deceased, they learnt from -watching spiders at work. - -[Sidenote: THSIN-CHI-HWANG-TI] - -Until the third century B.C. China was divided into small states, -the weaker tributary to the stronger, the latter independent. The -too-celebrated Emperor Thsin-Chi-Hwang-Ti, who two hundred years before -the Christian era ordered the destruction by fire of all books, united -the various little kingdoms into one, and it was only in his time that -the Chinese Empire properly so called began. At this period, too, the -name of Thsina, or China, originally that of the district governed by the -incendiary, came to be given to the whole country. - -The most important historical documents are those making up what is called -the _Shu-King_, dating from about B.C. 500, and written by a certain -Kwang-Tsen. This valuable book has been translated into French by P. -Gaubil and L. Biot, and its history is very romantic. It was supposed -that every copy had been burnt by the agents of Thsin-Chi-Hwang-Ti, but -an old literate, Fu Chang by name, had learnt it by heart, and later, one -copy engraved on pieces of bamboo was found hidden in the wall of an old -house which was being pulled down. - -This sacred book, which is indeed a literary treasure, is now more than -2300 years old, and it contains extracts from works yet more ancient, so -that it is the very best guide in existence to the early history of China. - -It begins with a description of a chief named Yao, who, according to -official Chinese chronology, flourished some 2350 years before the -Christian era. If the portrait is not flattered, Yao must have been a -perfect man. He lived in the province now known as Chen-si, and, like some -great illumination, he attracted to himself all the barbaric hordes in -the neighbourhood. His first care was to teach them to honour the Shang -Ti, or Tien, that is to say, the Supreme God. He also employed certain -men to watch the course of the heavenly bodies, or rather to continue the -study of the stars begun before his time, not from any curiosity as to the -science of astronomy strictly so called, but that agriculturists might -learn the right seasons for the work they had to perform. According to -the _Shu-King_ the year was already divided in China into 366 days, and -these days into four very strictly-defined periods, beginning at the times -enumerated below: - -[Sidenote: THE WISDOM OF YAO] - -1. The day and night of equal length, marking the middle of the spring -season, or what is now known in Europe as the Equinox. - -2. The longest day, marking the middle of the summer, now called the -summer solstice. - -3. The day and night of equal length, marking the middle of the autumn. - -4. The shortest day, marking the middle of the winter solstice. - -Yao having asked for a man capable of aiding him to govern his people -well, his own son was the first to be suggested as a suitable person, but -he was rejected, the father saying: "He is deficient in rectitude, and -fond of disputing." Another candidate was sent away because he did a great -deal of unnecessary talking about things of no value, and pretended to -be humble although his pride was really boundless. Then a certain Chung -was brought forward, renowned for his virtues in spite of his obscure -birth. Although he was the son of a blind father and of a wicked mother -who treated him cruelly, whilst his brother was puffed up with excessive -pride, Chung yet loyally performed his filial duties, and even succeeded -as it were unconsciously in correcting the errors of his relations, and -saving them from the commission of serious crimes. He was quoted as the -greatest known example of the practice of that most honoured of all -virtues in China, filial piety, which is looked upon by the Celestials as -the source of every good action of justice and of humanity. - -Chung therefore was chosen, and he did not disappoint the hopes Yao had -founded upon his rectitude and ability. The sacred book praises the -justice of his administration, and he succeeded Yao on that great ruler's -death, proving that the hereditary principle was considered dangerous -in China even at that remote date. He commenced his reign by offering -to the Supreme God, and performed the customary ceremonies in honour of -the mountains, the flowers and the spirits, then held in veneration. He -took the greatest pains to ensure that justice should be done to all. It -is evident that there were schools in his day, for he gave orders that -nothing but the bamboo should be used for the correction of insubordinate -pupils. Chung wished faults committed without malice prepense to be -pardoned, but severe punishments to be inflicted on the incorrigible and -on those who abused their strength or their authority. He was anxious, -however, that judges under him should temper their justice with mercy. - -[Sidenote: A LOWLY-BORN RULER] - -The ministers of state had names suggesting a pastoral origin, for they -were all called Mon, a word answering to our shepherd. When Chung gave -them their appointments, he would say to them: "You must treat those who -come from a distance with humanity, instruct those who are near to you, -esteem and encourage men of talent, believe in the virtuous and charitable -and confide in them, and lastly have nothing to do with those whose -manners are corrupt." He would also say to them sometimes: "If I do wrong -you must tell me of it; you would be to blame if you praise me to my face -and speak differently of me when my back is turned." - -The _Shu-King_ tells us further that having appointed a man skilled in -music to teach that art to the children of the great ones of his kingdom, -Chung said to him: "See that your pupils are sincere and polite, ready to -make allowances for others, obliging and sedate; teach them to be firm -without being cruel; inculcate discernment, but take care that they do not -become conceited." He appointed a censor to preside over public meetings -where speeches were made, saying to him: "I have an extreme aversion for -those who use inflammatory language; their harangues sow discord, and do -much to injure the work of those who endeavour to do good; the excitement -and the fears they arouse lead to public disorders." - -Would it not be well for a similar formula to be pasted up in every place -of public meeting at the present day? - -Every three years Chung instituted an inquiry into the conduct of the -officials in his dominions, recompensing those who had done well, and -punishing those who had done ill. Few other sovereigns have merited the -eulogy pronounced on Chung by one of his ministers: "His virtues, said the -critic, are not tarnished by faults. In the care he takes of his subjects, -he shows great moderation, and in his government his grandeur of soul -is manifest If he has to punish, _the punishment does not descend from -parents to children;_ but if he has to give a reward, the benefit extends -to the descendants of those recompensed. With regard to involuntary -errors, he pardons them without inquiring whether they are great or small. -Voluntary faults, however apparently trivial, he punishes. In doubtful -cases the penalty inflicted is light, but if a service rendered is in -question, the reward is great. He would rather run the risk of letting -a criminal escape the legal punishment than of putting an innocent -person to death." The same minister thus defines a fortunate man: "He -is one who knows how to combine prudence with indulgence, determination -with integrity, reserve with frankness, humility with great talents, -consistency with complaisance, justice and accuracy with gentleness, -moderation with discernment, a high spirit with docility, and power with -equity." - -[Illustration: FIG. 12.--A NAUGHTY PUPIL.] - -[Sidenote: A BOASTFUL ENGINEER] - -The Hoang-Ho, or Yellow River, the mighty stream which rises in Thibet -and flings itself into the Gulf of Pechili after a course of some 3000 -miles, had from time immemorial been the cause of constant and terrible -catastrophes in the districts it traversed. Chung therefore sent for -a talented engineer named Yu, and ordered him to superintend the work -of making canals and embankments to remedy the evil. There had been -a specially destructive inundation just before this appointment, and -the sacred book contains Yu's own account of what he had accomplished, -couched, it must be owned, in anything but modest terms. "When," he says, -"the great flood reached to heaven; when it surrounded the mountains and -covered the hills, the unfortunate inhabitants were overwhelmed by the -waters. Then I climbed on to the four means of transport. I followed the -mountains, and I cut through the woods. I laid up stores of grain and meat -to feed the people. I made channels for the river, compelling them to flow -towards the sea. In the country I dug canals to connect the rivers with -each other. I planted seed in the earth, and by dint of work something to -live upon was won from the soil." - -The memory of these vast undertakings has remained engraven on the minds -of the Chinese, and they still think of Yu with undying gratitude. For -all that, however, the Hoang-Ho has continued to be a menace to the -Empire, for in 1789, and again in 1819, it overflowed its banks, causing -a considerable amount of damage to property, and killing countless -numbers of the river-side population. Only twelve years ago the -wayward river, justly called by the sufferers from its ravages "China's -sorrow," burst its southern embankment near Chang-Chan in the inland -province of Shen-Hsi, and poured in one great mass over the whole of the -densely-populated Honan, drowning millions of helpless people, and undoing -the work of centuries. In a word, what the erratic river will do next is -one of the chief problems of the physical future of China. It has already -shifted its course no less than nine times in its troubled career; and -on account of the great rapidity of its stream it is of little use for -navigation. Could Yu have foreseen the destruction of all the grand works -of which he boasted, he would probably have taken a less exalted view of -what he had accomplished. - -However that may be, his contemporaries were so impressed by his ability, -and the great Chung so admired his virtue and talent, that he was chosen -as heir in the life-time of that mighty sovereign. The dialogue said to -have taken place between the Emperor and his subject on the question of -the succession to the throne is curious and interesting: - -"Come," said Chung to Yu, "I have been reigning for thirty-three years; my -advanced age and growing infirmities prevent me from giving the necessary -application to affairs of state. I wish you to reign instead. Do your -utmost to acquit yourself worthily of the task." - -"I am not virtuous enough to govern well," replied Yu; "the people will -not obey me." - -He then recommended some one else. - -Chung, however, insisted in the following terms: - -"When we had everything to fear from the great inundation, you worked -with eagerness and rectitude; you rendered the greatest services, and -your talents and wisdom were made manifest throughout the whole country. -Although you have led an unassuming life with your family, although you -have served the State well, you have not considered that a reason to -dispense with work, and this is no ordinary virtue. You have no pride; -there is no one in the country superior to you in good qualities. None -other has done such great things, and yet you do not set a high value on -your own conduct. There is no one in the country whose merit excels your -own." - -[Illustration: FIG. 13.--A CHINESE BRIDGE SPANNING THE HUANG-HO.] - -[Sidenote: YU BECOMES EMPEROR] - -So Yu became chief ruler, and his name was associated by posterity with -that of Yao and of Chung. The sacred book has preserved many of his -sayings, and I will quote the most beautiful here: - -"He who obeys reason is happy, he who resists it is unhappy. Virtue is the -foundation of good government; the first task of government is to provide -the people governed with all that is necessary for their subsistence and -preservation. The next thing is to make the population virtuous; to teach -them the proper use of everything; and lastly, to protect them from all -which jeopardizes their health or their life. The prince who understands -men well will appoint none to public offices but those who are wise; his -generous heart and liberality will win him love." - -When Yu died, the chiefs of the people unfortunately failed to carry on -the custom of choosing as a successor to the throne the wisest and most -illustrious of their number. The law of hereditary right was recognized, -and dynasties henceforth succeeded each other in China as elsewhere, each -lasting a long or short time according to whether the people were or were -not satisfied. There was, however, one salutary exception to the usual -interpretation of the hereditary principle. The reigning Emperor could -choose as his successor the son he considered the most intelligent of his -children; and as a Chinese ruler generally has at least fifty children, -without counting the girls, there is no difficulty in making a selection. - - - - -CHAPTER II - - -Trip up the Shu-Kiang river--My fellow-passengers and their costumes--A -damaged bell--Female peasants on the river-banks--I am caught up and -carried off by a laughing virago--Arrival at Canton--Early trading -between China and Ceylon and Africa, etc.--The Empress Lui-Tseu -teaching the people to rear silk-worms--The treaties of Nanking and -Tien-tsin--Bombardment of Canton--Murder of a French sailor and terrible -revenge--M. Vaucher and I explore Canton--The _fétes_ in honour of the -Divinity of the North and of the Queen of Heaven--General appearance -of Canton--An emperor's recipe for making tea--How tea is grown in -China--The Fatim garden--A dutiful son--Scene of the murder of the -Tai-Ping rebels--The Temple of the five hundred Genii--Suicide of a young -engineer--Return of his spirit in the form of a snake. - -Well-built, comfortable steamers leave Hong-Kong daily for Canton. I -embarked in one of them one fine spring morning, when a fresh sea-breeze -was blowing, such as gives new life to those enervated by too long a -residence in the tropics. I did not see a single white face amongst the -passengers, for European trade is all transferred to Hong-Kong, now driven -away from Canton by the burning by the Celestials of the fine factories -built outside the gates of the city by European contractors. - -[Illustration: FIG. 14.--A PAGODA.] - -My fellow-passengers, all Chinese, wore loose garments of blue cotton, -thick-soled shoes, and a skull-cap, from which a long pig-tail, in many -cases of false hair, hung down the back, reaching to the heels. The crew -of American sailors as they navigated the vessel kept a watchful eye upon -the passengers, for though the latter looked peaceable enough, there had -been more than one instance of the sudden transformation of inoffensive -travellers into daring pirates, who, after pillaging and burning the ship, -had made for the nearest shore and escaped the vengeance of those they had -robbed. - -Before entering the great Shu-Kiang river, on the north bank of which -Canton is built, we passed the ruins of a fort dating from the time of -the Dutch supremacy. Beyond it the stream is bordered by green rice -plantations with little hills rising up here and there surmounted by -isolated pagodas of several storeys high. On one of them I noticed -standing out against the sky from the fifth storey the fragment of a bell, -one-half of which had been shot away by a ball from a French cannon. -Great indeed must have been the astonishment of the Chinese, posted on -this particular pagoda to watch the movements of the enemies' troops, -when the projectile struck the sonorous mass of bronze and shivered it -to splinters. The catastrophe must have been to them a warning full of -sinister yet salutary meaning. - -[Sidenote: THE PEARL OF THE EAST] - -The river rushes proudly along towards its final home in the ocean, but -narrows before it reaches its actual mouth, the water becoming yellow, -as does that of the Nile at the time of its rising. Even without glasses -I could quite clearly make out several poor-looking villages, the houses -with their dull red roofs occupied no doubt by fishermen and their -families. Oh, how different were the surroundings of these water-highways -of China to those of the Seine, the Rhone, and of the charming Gironde! -How much I preferred even the Nile, which I had but recently left, to -this so-called Pearl of the East, for in spite of the ugly black mud-huts -of the fellaheen, there is something beautiful about the river-side -scenery. I like the graceful date-tree far better than the bamboo with its -self-conscious uprightness, and I considerably prefer the slim and supple -Egyptian women to the clumsy, heavy-limbed female peasants of China, such -as I saw on the banks of the Shu-Kiang, dragging heavy loads behind them -as they strode along in a manner which made me doubtful as to their sex, -especially as their faces were hidden by the great hats they wore. A few -more turns of the paddle-wheels of our steamer, and it stopped opposite -Canton. In a moment a virago, such as those I had been looking at with -anything but admiration, was on the deck, and seizing me in her strong -arms as if I were a delicate baby, she quickly deposited me at the bottom -of her own boat, roaring with laughter over my embarrassment. I had no -longer any doubt as to her sex, as with a few vigorous strokes of her oars -she ran her boat ashore, and with the same maternal care as she had shown -before she landed me upon the wharf of the little island of Hainan where I -was expected. - -There is no particular historic interest attached to Canton except that it -was the very first Chinese town to enter into relations with foreigners. -We know that this opening of intercourse took place in the year 618 -A.D., but whence the foreigners came is not so certain. Possibly some of -them were from Ceylon, and undoubtedly others were from the continent of -Africa, as proved by the fact that elephants' tusks, the horns of the -rhinoceros, coral, pearls, redwood, and medicines were brought into the -city by the strangers, who received metals in exchange--that is to say, -copper, tin, and gold, and silk--especially silk--for it was manufactured -in the Celestial Empire twenty-seven centuries before the Christian era. -It was Lui-Tseu, the wife of the great Emperor Kwang-Ti, or the Yellow -ruler, who taught the people the art of rearing the silk-worm and spinning -the material it produced. The industry of silk-weaving has brought such -wealth to China that Lui-Tseu has been raised to the rank of a beneficent -genius, and is honoured under the name of the "Spirit of the mulberry-tree -and the silk-worm." - -In 1127 an edict was issued forbidding the exportation of metal, and -ordering all payments to be made from henceforth in money alone. It is -recorded in Chinese annals that at a considerably later date a French -vessel came up the river Shu-Kiang and fired her cannons in an aggressive -manner, so that relations with foreigners were broken off. - -In 1425, however, an embassy from Portugal resulted in the re-admission -of foreigners to Canton, and a century later the Dutch also obtained a -footing in the city. - -[Sidenote: ENGLISH MONOPOLY OF TRADE] - -They in their turn were, however, supplanted by the English, who -practically enjoyed a monopoly of trade from the beginning of the -eighteenth century until 1834. At that date their prosperity began to -decline, one dispute succeeding another, and in 1839 open war broke out -between England and China. In 1841 Hong-Kong was ceded to the former -power, and in 1842 the Treaty of Nanking was signed, opening to British -traders the five ports of Canton, Amoy, Fuchau, Ningpo, and Shanghai. -Fresh friction was caused by the arrogant assumptions of the Chinese and -the vacillating policy of the English, culminating in the war of 1856, -the immediate cause of which was the capture by the Chinese of a lorcha, -or small hybrid vessel of European build, with the rigging of a Chinese -junk flying the British flag. After a fierce struggle a peace was again -patched up, but the factories outside Canton had all been destroyed by the -mob, and prosperity has never since fully returned to the city. It was -not until 1860, when the Convention of Pekin was signed, ratifying the -Treaty of Tien-tsin, that anything like cordial relations were established -between England and China, and since then these relations have been again -and again disturbed. - -Before the bombardment of Canton by the united fleets of England and -France every foreigner found within the walls of that inhospitable -town was beheaded at once. Naturally, with the memory of all that had -so recently happened fresh in my mind, I hesitated when M. Vaucher, -representative on the island of Hainan, of the Swiss house of the same -name, suggested that we should go together through the streets of Canton -in sedan chairs. I did not like to allude to the danger I might run -myself, but I asked if I should not be exposing him to peril. "No," was -his reply, "your fellow-countrymen have won the permanent respect of -the people for all foreigners, and you will be able to boast on your -return home of having explored the vast city with no other protector than -myself." - -[Sidenote: A TERRIBLE REVENGE] - -M. Vaucher then told me the following story: - -"After the allied fleets had taken possession of Canton, the commanders -used to send a party of men every morning to get fresh fruit for the table -of the officers, and rarely did a day pass without at least one Englishman -being absent at calling over. Any sailor, who to satisfy his curiosity was -foolish enough to leave his comrades for a moment, was at once set upon by -Chinese soldiers and murdered in the open street. Vainly did the Admiral -of the English fleet threaten to make bloody reprisals if the authorities -did not punish the offenders. The same kind of thing happened again and -again. At last one day five or six sailors belonging to a French frigate -landed and made their way into Canton. As they turned into a street they -missed one of their party, and presently they found his headless corpse -lying on the ground. When the crime became known to the French, the second -in command of the fleet collected fifty volunteers, armed them with -revolvers and hatchets, and landing with them, marched them into Canton. -On arriving in the street where the murder had been committed, some of the -men were told off to guard the entrances to it, whilst the rest made their -way into the houses and killed all the Chinese they found in them except -one, who, though he had already been hit by six bullets, calmly walked -up the middle of the street without quickening his pace or even turning -his head to the right or the left at the sound of the renewed firing. -The leader of the expedition at last ran up to him and gave him a smart -blow on the shoulder. The fearless Celestial merely turned his pale face -towards his assailant, looking at him without a smile. He did not even -tremble in the grasp of his enemy. Touched by his courage the officer -spared his life handing him over to two sailors with orders to do him no -harm. - -[Illustration: FIG. 15.--A STREET IN CANTON.] - -"After this bloody punishment, which was very hostilely criticized by -the English press of Hong-Kong and Shanghai, Europeans, whatever their -nationality, have been able to wander about unmolested either alone or in -parties in the streets of Canton." - -[Sidenote: I EXPLORE CANTON] - -[Illustration: FIG. 16.--A WOMAN OF THE PEOPLE WITH HER BABY.] - -After listening to this tale, I had an eager desire to explore the town, -which, since the departure of the allied fleets, had rarely been entered -by Europeans. I watched anxiously for the first symptom in the faces of -the inhabitants of the hereditary hatred of white men, which had most -likely been greatly intensified by the bombardment of the town, and by the -punishment inflicted for the murder of the French sailors, a punishment by -no means excessive, terrible as it was. I am bound to add, however, that -as M. Vaucher and I were carried rapidly through the crowded streets by -our coolies, in our respective chairs, we noted no hostility in the placid -faces of those we encountered. The people stood aside to let us pass, -and showed rather benevolent curiosity than insulting indifference. The -Chinese children, with their round heads and strongly-marked eyebrows, -who are so aggressive and impudent in the interior of the country, here -remained perfectly silent. Only the old women tottering along on their -deformed feet paused in their painful walk now and then, to lean against -the walls of the houses, and look at us in a mocking though not exactly -a hostile manner. Our progress was only once arrested for a moment, when -we met a great military mandarin in a narrow street, escorted by some ten -warriors bearing their halberds on their shoulders. The mandarin stopped, -and we passed without difficulty, giving him a military salute in return -for his courtesy. - -[Illustration: FIG. 17.--A CHINESE MANDARIN.] - -I confess that this unexpected complaisance put me into a very good -humour, and after this incident I gave myself up without reserve to the -enjoyment of my first visit to a Chinese town. - -[Illustration: FIG. 18.--A GONG-RINGER.] - -[Sidenote: HOMAGE TO PAKTAI] - -By a lucky chance I had arrived at the very moment when the inhabitants -were celebrating two of their greatest festivals. The first, in honour -of the beautiful Paktai, the fair Divinity of the North, was simply -remarkable for the immense crowds flocking to the pagodas, crowds made -up of bonzes, bonzesses, portly mandarins, cooks and barbers vigorously -plying their trades, æsthetes with effeminate faces, young girls full of -delight at getting out of their palanquins for once, and at being able to -totter about on the flag-stones of the temples for a few minutes on their -poor mutilated feet. - -When the gilded pedestal upholding the shrine of Paktai was completely -hidden beneath the flowers flung upon it by the crowds, the worshippers -all repaired _en masse_ to see the theatrical representations which take -place after the religious ceremony. Not until midnight did every one go -home, only to meet again the next day, when a great procession passed -through the city, in the midst of which the venerated idol was carried -with the greatest pomp. Some on horseback, others in sedan chairs, were -many young boys and girls wearing the costumes in vogue amongst the heroes -and heroines of the earliest days of the Celestial Empire. Many too -were the banners of beautiful silk embroidered with various devices or -inscriptions in golden letters, and still more numerous were the bearers -of the large gongs, some of which were of such an immense circumference -that it took two strong coolies to carry them. - -All Asiatics love a deafening noise, and the delight of the Chinese may be -imagined when the accumulated din of these great bronze disks becomes one -continuous roar like thunder. - -[Illustration: FIG. 19.--A CHINESE ACTOR.] - -The second _féte_ I witnessed was celebrated in the Honan suburb in -honour of Tien-Ho, the Queen of Heaven, and the protectress of sailors. -All the ship-owners of the populous city of Canton, all the pilots, -all the captains of junks and sampans, all the fishermen, boatmen, and -boatwomen,--in fact, every human creature connected in the remotest -degree with anything like shipping or boats, were collected in front of -the sanctuary of the goddess. Her statue too was covered with flowers, -and, as in the case of the _féte_ of the Divinity of the North, the -theatre opened directly the pagoda of the Queen of Heaven closed. The -stage was erected about a hundred yards from the pagoda, so that the -devout had only to turn round to pass at once from the sacred to the -profane. - -[Sidenote: A GRAND DRAMA] - -A grand spectacular drama, called the Marriage of the Ocean and the Earth, -extended over twelve consecutive evenings; the only plot was, however, the -presentation to each other by the betrothed couple of the vast treasures -at their disposal. - -The Earth began by a grand show of tigers, lions, elephants, ostriches, -etc.--in a word, of all the big animals which our ancestor Noah took with -him into the ark. Then the Ocean, not to be outdone, paraded in his turn -his dolphins, his turtles, the vessels he had engulfed, his corals, and -great bunches of all the most wonderful growths of his submarine gardens. -All these marvels were, however, nothing but a prelude to the great final -surprise, when an enormous whale reeled into view, and as it flopped -about shot out a great volume of water over the whole stage. It would be -impossible to describe the enthusiastic delight of the spectators, who all -shouted like madmen. _Has! Hung haho!_ (excellent! perfect!) and if M. -Vaucher and I had not applauded too we should have been stoned. - -The beautiful river on which Canton is built presented for many days a -most picturesque appearance. I could wish those of my readers who love -the marvellous, who enjoy looking at crowds and do not mind noise, no -better pleasure than to gaze, if but for a moment, upon the Pearl of the -East at this _féte_ of the protectress of those who do their business on -the great waters, thronged as its surface then is with junks dressed with -flags, brilliantly illuminated flower-boats, little vessels transformed -for the nonce into miniature pagodas, gliding mysteriously along as do -the gondolas of Venice. I was told that on these occasions more than one -lovely young Celestial maiden is worshipped in these pagodas of a day, -with a ritual very different from that of the public ceremony we had -witnessed at the shrine of the goddess. - -[Sidenote: CANTON INDUSTRIES] - -Canton consists of a great number of narrow streets, each house in -which is adorned with coloured signs, giving a very quaint and charming -appearance to the façades, especially of an evening, when the gilt -lettering on the red and black lacquer ground is lit up by the rays of -the setting sun. As was the case in European towns in mediæval times, -and is still customary in the Orient, each district of the city has its -own special industry, and is closed at nightfall by a bamboo barrier. -The cobblers' quarter seemed to me to be the most densely populated; -a great multitude of workers, naked to the waist, zealously plying -their trade, chattering like magpies the while. Close to the cobblers -live the coffin-makers, who are even noisier than their neighbours, and -quite as happy over their work. Yet another quarter dear to the lovers -of _bric-à-brac_, is sacred to the manufacture of porcelain, bronzes, -cloisonné enamels, beautifully lacquered or delicately carved boxes in -ebony, ivory, and other materials, plain and figured silks, etc., which -are sent to Hong-Kong for trans-shipment to Europe and America. - -[Illustration: FIG. 20.--A CHINESE ACTOR IN A TRAGIC PART.] - -You can of course get all these things without going all the way to China -for them, and they are to be seen in Paris in the Guimet and Cernuschi -Museums, and at various Oriental houses in London and New York. Many -Chinese are very wealthy, and keep for themselves and their heirs the art -treasures they buy or have inherited from their ancestors. - -In spite of the fact that you can see Chinese curios at home, it would -be a pity to miss the pleasure of rummaging, in the shops. The owner -of those you enter will receive you with apparent cordiality, but at -the same time with a certain distrustful politeness, and you will be -carefully watched as you turn over the goods for sale. If you accept the -cup of tea which every merchant delights to offer to his visitors, and -you seem to appreciate the superior quality of the beverage, you will win -the golden opinion of the donor, for to the Celestial tea is a divine -plant. The drink made from it as a matter of fact quenches thirst better -than any other, not only in the heat of summer, but also in the extreme -cold of the heights of the Himalayas or of the desert of Gobi, where the -traveller is exposed to the icy blast of the north wind. From the east to -the west, from the north to the south of the vast Empire, we meet with the -hospitable tea-house; it is perhaps not quite such a fascinating place -as it is in Japan, but beneath its shelter the traveller is always sure -of finding the cheering beverage which will put new strength into him -for his further journey. There is not a Chinese poet who has failed to -sing the praises of the precious shrub. Even an illustrious Emperor wrote -directions in verse (reproduced below in dull prose) for the preparation -of a cup of tea, and described the salutary effect it has upon the mind: - - "Put a tripod pot, the colour and form of which testifies to long - service, upon a moderate fire; fill this pot with the pure water - of melted snow, and heat this water to the degree needed for - turning fish white or crabs red, and then pour it at once into a cup - containing the tender leaves of a choice tea; leave it to simmer - until the steam, which will at first rise up copiously, forms thick - clouds which gradually disperse, till all that is left is a light - mist upon the surface; then sip the delicious liquor slowly; it - will effectually dissipate all the causes for anxiety which are - worrying you. You can taste, you can feel the peaceful bliss which - results from imbibing the liquid thus prepared, but it is perfectly - impossible to describe it. Already, however, I hear the ringing - of the curfew-bell; the freshness of the night is increasing; the - moonbeams penetrate through the slits in my tent, and light up the - few pieces of furniture adorning it. I am without anxiety and without - fatigue, my digestion is perfect; I can give myself to repose without - fear. These verses were written to the best of my small ability, in - the spring of the tenth month of the year Ping-yn (1746) of my reign. - - (Signed) Khian-Lung." - -[Sidenote: AN IMPERIAL TEA-MAKER] - -The tea-plant is a shrub requiring very little care. A siliceous soil -suits it best, and in it it attains its fullest development. Great -quantities of seed are sown in September and October, and when the plants -are about nine inches high they are transplanted and placed about twenty -inches apart. When the leaves have reached their fullest development they -are gathered, carefully washed to remove any earth which may have clung -to them, and they are then exposed to the rays of the sun, the day chosen -for this part of the preparation being the very hottest in the year. In -the evening the dry leaves are taken up with every precaution against -injury, placed in boxes, and protected from the air by sheets of lead. -Millions of cases of tea thus packed are dispersed all over the world, -but it is needless to add that the Chinese keep the best leaves for their -own consumption. Green, or as they themselves call it, white tea, is put -into boxes directly it is picked, without any drying or other preparation, -and black tea is produced by placing the leaves in a brazier over a slow -fire, these leaves being constantly turned over with the hands by the men -in charge of them, to prevent them from sticking together or drying too -quickly. When taken from the brazier they are placed in a sieve and still -further manipulated, always with the greatest care and delicacy. Lastly, -they are once more exposed to heat in the brazier to give them the brown -colour so much esteemed by many consumers. It is in this last stage of the -preparation that the skill of the manipulator is put to the severest test, -for if the tea is too much burnt it will have no taste at all, and if it -is not sufficiently burnt it will be bitter and heating. - -I forget now in whose house it was, but I was on one occasion stupid -enough, when the guest of a mandarin, to say I had once at the residence -of a clergyman drunk an excellent cup of tea mixed with rum and sweetened -with sugar. - -"Sugar and rum!" cried my host, who was terribly shocked. "We must take -care not to offer our best teas to you, for you would certainly not be -able to appreciate them." - -[Illustration: FIG. 21.--A VILLA NEAR CANTON.] - -[Sidenote: THE FATIM GARDEN] - -I stopped eight days at Canton; more than enough to visit everything worth -seeing in that now uninteresting city. I saw the endless rice-fields -stretching away beyond its gates; I went to look at the French concession, -where there is not a single French inhabitant, though the names of the -streets, such as the _Rue de la Fusée_, the _Rue de la Dordogne_, and -the _Rue de la Charente_, recall the vessels once manned by the brave -sailors who had for a brief time sojourned in this remote Chinese town. -One curiosity which every visitor to Canton ought to see, is the so-called -Fatim garden, where each tree represents some fantastic animal, and in -which prowl herds of pigs, more quaint in appearance than the shrubs -tended by pale-faced young bonzes wearing yellow garments. - -The cemetery of Canton is of vast extent, and every year in the month of -May, the pious Celestials all flock to it in white robes, to lay offerings -of rice, fruit, and flowers on the graves of those they have lost. The -gifts would be left unmolested for a long time, but for the fact that they -are presented in the spring, just when countless birds are nesting in -the branches of the lofty bamboos growing in the neighbourhood, and who -consequently look upon the rice and fruit as provided especially for them. - -It is not only after the death of those near and dear to them, that the -Chinese show the deep filial love for their parents which is one of their -most striking characteristics. The _Pekin Gazette_ gave a very touching -instance of this reverent affection, communicated to the official organ -of the Celestial Empire by the Governor of Schantung, which made such a -sensation that it reached the ears of the Emperor himself. Here is the -story: - -A certain native of China, Li-Hsien-Ju by name, whose father had died at -Feï-Chang, immediately sold the piece of land he inherited in order to -give a grand funeral in honour of his beloved and lamented father. The -time of mourning had not yet expired when a terrible famine took place -in the town where the ceremonies were going on. Provisions became so -scarce and so dear, that Li-Hsien-Ju found himself quite unable to provide -properly for his aged mother, so he decided to carry her on his back to -another province where the ground was less sterile. This he did, begging -his way as he went, and supporting himself and his sacred charge on alms -alone. - -[Sidenote: A DEVOTED SON] - -This model son, laden as he was, actually traversed the fabulous distance -of four hundred French leagues, finally arriving at Honan, where he and -his mother settled down. A year after this the poor mother was taken ill, -and Li-Hsien-Ju, fearing that she might die in a strange land, of which -every Chinese has the greatest horror, resolved to take her home to her -native country in the same manner as he had brought her from it, so he -started back again with his sacred burden, begging his way once more. The -two got back again to Feï-Chang at last, but had scarcely reached their -home before the old mother died. It is impossible to tell how many nights -the heart-broken son spent on the tomb of the lost one, but we know that, -thanks to his pious efforts, the bones of his father were laid beside the -body of his mother. A few days after the death of the latter, the grief of -the orphan became so terrible that he wept tears of blood. He is now sixty -years old, but he still mourns for his parents, and in the month of May -when the _féte_ of the dead is held, he never fails to drag himself to the -cemetery and place upon the tomb, according to custom, a bowl of smoking -rice of gleaming whiteness. - -There are no Monthyon prizes, such as those given by the French Academy -for acts of disinterested goodness, or surely this unselfish son would -have received one. - -M. Vaucher and I went to visit the quay outside Canton, which was the -scene of the massacre of 100,000 Tai-Ping rebels, after the defeat -of Hung-Hsiu-ch'wan in 1865. The ferocious mandarin Yeh had them all -decapitated at the edge of the river Kwan-Tung, their heads falling into -the muddy stream. A Dutchman, who had belonged to a factory in Canton at -the time, told me that he witnessed the terrible scene from his window, -and had been greatly struck by the extraordinary composure with which the -victims met their fate. Motionless and with bowed heads they knelt at the -edge of the quay, awaiting the fatal stroke of the sword. "I had some -idea," added the Dutchman, "of sending the poor fellows some packets of -cigarettes to cheer their last moments, but I should have been completely -ruined, for their numbers increased every day." - -The tragic story of the Tai-Ping rebellion, its extraordinary success -at first, and its final suppression under Gordon is well known. In the -two campaigns against the Tai-Pings, the future hero of Khartoum fought -no less than thirty-three battles, besieging and taking numerous walled -cities, and changing the whole history of the vast Celestial Empire. Had -the revolt been finally successful, as it at one time bid fair to be, -Hung, the enlightened leader, might have founded a new dynasty, and warded -off for a long time at least the dismemberment of the once vast Empire of -the East. - -[Sidenote: A CHINESE PANTHEON] - -My last visit was to the so-called Temple of the live hundred genii, -containing five hundred grotesque gilded statues, taller than life, and -of a surprising girth. We must not, however, make fun of them, for each -one represents some Celestial who has made his mark in art, science, or -philosophy. In France such a temple would be called a Pantheon, and that -is what it really is, a place set apart for the commemoration of the great -ones of the past. - -In the Temple of the five hundred genii lived a beautiful little -water-snake, which a bonze of venerable appearance tended with reverent -care, feeding it on green frogs and cantharides. I tried to find out why -he set such store upon it, and the following story was told to me: - -The river, from the banks of which rises the great city of Canton, often -overflows, and the inundations caused by the excess of water do a great -deal of mischief to the rice plantations. A young engineer was ordered -to construct an embankment, but he must have done his work badly, for -only a year after its completion the river again burst its bounds, and -the engineer in despair drowned himself in the waters he had failed to -control. Yet another inundation took place after his death, and in the -mud cast up by it upon the shore was found a little snake. By order of -the Viceroy the reptile was taken to the Temple of the five hundred -genii, and a miracle at once took place, for it had no sooner entered the -sacred precincts than the waters subsided. Every one attributed their -fall to gratitude for the kind welcome given to the little snake, and a -long memorial on the subject was addressed by the Viceroy to the Emperor, -which was at once published by the _Pekin Gazette_. An explanation -of the phenomenon was added, to the effect that the little snake was -really none other than the engineer who had committed suicide. There was -really nothing surprising in the matter, for of course by his death the -unfortunate young man had become a Chen-Ching-tung-Chang-chan, or divinity -of the river, and was anxious to repair the mistake made in his life-time -on earth, by exercising a benevolent influence over its waters now that he -had the power to do so. - -After the miracle which had taken place on the entrance into the Temple -of the little snake, the people had proclaimed it to be the genius of the -water, and as such they venerated and cherished it! - - - - -CHAPTER III - - -General Tcheng-Ki-Tong and his book on China--The monuments of -China--Those the Chinese delight to honour--A Chinese heroine--Ingredients -of the "Cup of Immortality"--Avenues of colossal statues and monsters -in cemeteries--Imperial edict in honour of K'wo-Fan--Proclamation -of the eighteenth century--The Emperor takes his people's sins -upon himself--Reasons for Chinese indifference to matters of -faith--Lao-Tsze, or the old philosopher--His early life--His book, the -Tao-Teh-King--His theory of the creation--Affinity of his doctrine with -Christianity--Quotations from his book. - -General Tcheng-Ki-Tong, who lived so long in France and married a French -lady, although rumour says he already had a wife in China, wrote a very -interesting but far from exhaustive book, with the title, _The Chinese -described by themselves_. He said nothing in it of the worship of great -men and of certain animals in his native land, nor did he refer to the way -in which acts of virtue and of courage are rewarded there. - -I will now endeavour to supplement the information given us by the learned -general. In addition to the statues erected in China, as in the chief -cities of Europe, to every man who has in any way distinguished himself, -triumphal arches are set up in memory of those who have done heroic -deeds, whether in the privacy of home life or in public. These arches are -known as _Pai-lans_, or Honorary Portals, and as a rule they have three -arcades, sometimes made of very fine stone worked with considerable skill, -and surmounted by a roof of varnished canvas with the corners gracefully -turned upwards as is the fashion in China. There are two kinds of -monuments in the Celestial Empire, one of very ornate, the other of simple -construction. - -[Illustration: FIG. 22.--GENERAL TCHENG-KI-TONG.] - -Widows who refuse to marry again; virgins who have kept their vows of -chastity till their death; men who have distinguished themselves in -science, literature, or philosophy; diplomatists who by their skill in -deception have mystified their colleagues as well as foreign ministers, -and thus won a reputation for great wisdom; soldiers who have fought -valiantly for their country; women who have committed suicide after a -lost battle; wealthy men who have given much away in charity; families who -have lived for many generations in one house; old men who can assemble -in the home of their ancestors four living and healthy representatives -of four generations, are honoured by the erection of Honorary Portals, -which are also set up in general commemoration of any victory or series of -victories in war. - -In the centre of the larger and grander monuments are inscribed three -words, signifying Faith, Submission, and Justice. - -[Sidenote: MONUMENTS TO WIDOWS] - -The Imperial Government of China goes out of its way to honour certain -acts of abstinence, such as the refusal of a widow to marry again, -erecting a monument to her when she has been true to her resolve till she -is fifty years old, and has lived alone for at least twenty years. I must -add that the Emperor himself contributes forty piastres, or about eight -English pounds, to the expense of erecting monuments in honour of women -who have been true to the memory of their husbands; he also gives a roll -of silk to each inconsolable widow, and what is more, he has written a -poem on widowhood. Who shall say after all this that the Chinese are not -jealous of marital faithfulness? Monuments to widows are more imposing -than any others, and bear an inscription signifying Chastity and Purity. - -An affianced couple, who, though engaged in early childhood, have been -prevented through some local rebellion, or through a foreign war, from -accomplishing their union before they are fifty years old, are honoured in -a similar manner. - -A monument with the inscription "Chastity and Filial Piety" may be erected -to glorify a Chinese mother, who having borne one child, takes a vow never -to have another, in order to be free to devote herself to the needs of her -poor parents. Similar honour may be done to young boys or girls who allow -a piece of flesh to be taken from their arms or thighs, under the belief -that this flesh mixed with certain ingredients will do their suffering -parents good. The Imperial Government both approves and rewards the bloody -sacrifice, the motive of which is that filial love held in such high -esteem throughout the whole Celestial Empire. - -On certain monuments with three arcades an inscription maybe read, -signifying, "Joy and Gladness to the Benevolent." Monuments such as these -are erected in honour of some Chinese who has brought up orphans as if -they were his own children, or of some rich man who has given a large sum -of money towards the making of roads or bridges. A kind-hearted employer -who pays poor men for collecting the bones scattered about the cemeteries -and giving them reverent burial, is also often rewarded by the erection of -a monument to his memory. - -Those of the Celestials who distinguish themselves by charity, but who -do not spend large sums of money, receive tablets of wood, on which are -inscribed pious sentences composed by the Son of Heaven, that is to say, -the Emperor. Many of these tablets, which answer the same purpose as did -the Greek _stelæ_, are to be seen in the rooms known as the Halls of the -Ancestors in the houses of the Chinese, especially those of the wealthy -mandarins. They constitute regular patents of nobility, and are not won by -favour or intrigue, as are so many titles in Europe, but by real acts of -charity performed by their owners. - -Three brothers, who have all passed their eightieth year and are still in -good health, can have a monument erected announcing this fact, and so can -husbands or wives who attain the age of one hundred. - -[Sidenote: A CHINESE HEROINE] - -At Amoy, in the province of Pecheli, are two monuments with arcades -erected to the memory of the Chinese women who flung themselves into the -wells of their houses when they heard the shouts of the English soldiers -and sailors entering the town. - -This act of despair is explained by the fact that the Chinese themselves -give no quarter when they enter any place as victors; the men are -strangled, and the women become the slaves of those who take them -prisoners. In the very centre of Canton is a temple remarkable alike for -its size and beauty. It was built in honour of the memory of a great -Chinese lady, who in December 1857 committed suicide when the English -and French took the city. This heroine, the wife of Pun-Yu, one of the -chief magistrates at Canton, learning that the allies already occupied -the northern portion of the town, put on her most magnificent apparel, -and summoning all her servants, gave to each a parting present. She then -killed herself by drinking what the bonzes call the "cup of immortality," -a very strong poison, containing amongst other ingredients opium and the -droppings of peacocks. This potent poison has often been given to emperors -under pretext of making them immortal, but really with a view to getting -rid of them. - -There is yet another mode of honouring the illustrious departed. The -children of civil and military officers have the right of erecting avenues -of colossal figures opposite the tombs of their parents; these figures -representing giants or monsters. The length of the avenues and the size -of the figures is regulated by law, according to the grade of those they -are intended to honour. The state itself pays for these quaint memorials, -unless the necessary sum has been raised by voluntary subscriptions. - -On the death of any illustrious soldier or politician whose firmness -has added to the stability of the throne, the Emperor always hastens to -give publicity to his grief at the public loss, and his gratitude for -the services rendered by the deceased. Here is a specimen of an Imperial -proclamation such as is frequently issued: - -[Sidenote: AN IMPERIAL EDICT] - - Imperial Edict. - -"The deceased K'wo-Fan was a man of great knowledge, of varied talent, of -profound penetration, of stainless morality, and of incorruptible honesty. -He left the schools with the title of doctor; his merits were discovered -by the Emperor Tao-K'an, who promoted him to the rank of Chingerh -(colonel). - -"In the reign of Hsien-Feng, he was commissioned to raise an army in -Hunan, and after the battles in which he was victorious over the Tai-Ping -rebels, he received the praises of the Emperor and the thanks of the whole -country. It was then that my predecessor appointed him to the vice-royalty -of the two Kiangs, and named him Generalissimo of the Imperial forces. -During my own reign I made him chief Secretary of State. He became to me -a second self; he was my life, my heart, and my backbone. I therefore -bestowed on him the title of hereditary count, and I authorized him to -wear the double peacock's feather. I had hoped that he would live long -for me to heap fresh favours upon him, so that the news of his death has -filled me with sorrow and dismay. I wish that according to custom three -thousand taëls[1] should be spent on his funeral. A jarful of wine shall -also be poured out on his tomb by General Mutengah, chief of the Manchu -garrison at Nanking. Two tablets of stone, bearing his name, shall be -erected, one at Nanking in the Temple of the Loyal and the Illustrious, -the other in Pekin in the Pantheon of the Wise and Good. - -[1] A taël is worth about five shillings. - -"I wish the life of K'wo-Fan to be written and given into the care of the -Imperial historiographers, that the memory of a life so beautiful may be -preserved in the national annals. His son will inherit the title of count, -and I give him dispensation from an audience. - -"I appoint Ho-Ching, lieutenant-general of Kiang-Su, to be instructor of -the children and grand-children of the deceased. A token of my munificence -will be given to them, that they may know how my throne remembers and -honours a loyal servant. - - "Let this edict be respected!" - -The homage rendered to heroes, wise men, and philanthropists, has its -origin in the religious principles inculcated by Chinese philosophers. -These philosophers were very numerous in China in past days, and it is -only possible to give an account here of the most celebrated of them. - -Some twenty-three centuries before the Christian era the Chinese simply -worshipped one Supreme Being, first under the vague name of Thian, or -Heaven; later under the more personal title of Ti Shang, or the Great One. - -Gradually, however, this monotheism was succeeded by the deification of -the heavenly bodies, each with a priest of its own, whose business it was -to advise those responsible for the government of China. These priests, -who became in course of time extremely powerful, won their influence -through the study of astronomy; but as that influence sometimes ran -counter to the wishes of the emperors and bid fair to supersede their -power, they eventually suppressed the entire hierarchy. In Europe this -interference with the spiritual guides of the people would have aroused a -passion of fanaticism, and have resulted in massacres and religious wars, -but nothing of the kind occurred in China, for there the martyr's palm and -crown are never coveted, and religious zeal never produces the terrible -results with which the student of European history is familiar. Truly, the -Celestials are to be congratulated on the calmness with which they accept -what they consider the inevitable. - -[Sidenote: A WISE EMPEROR] - -The following characteristic epitome of the religious ideas in vogue -amongst the Chinese in B.C. 1760, is taken from a proclamation issued to -his people by the Emperor then on the throne: - -"Shang-Ti, the supreme ruler, has given reason to man, and if he listens -to its dictates his spirit will exist for ever, but if he does not he will -revert to nothingness." - -"The ruler of Hia," continues this old-world proclamation, "extinguished -in his soul the light of reason, and inflicted a thousand ills upon the -people in all the States of the Empire. Oppressed and unable longer to -endure such tyranny, the people made known to the spirits of high and low -degree, that they were unjustly dealt with. The eternal reason of Heaven -gives happiness to the virtuous, and misery to the vicious and depraved, -and this is why Heaven has visited Hia with all manner of calamities to -make his crimes manifest to all. - -"As a result of this, all unworthy though I be, I have felt it my duty to -conform to the unmistakable and terrible decrees of Heaven. I dared not -leave such great crimes unpunished, but I did dare to take a black bullock -to serve as the sacrifice I felt bound to offer. I ventured to appeal to -the august Heaven and to the divine ruler of the earth.... To each of you -I have assigned the States he is to govern. Beware of obeying unjust laws -or adopting unjust customs. Do not fall into the mistakes which result -from idleness, nor yield to love of pleasure. By observing and obeying -wise and equitable laws, you will be following the commands of Heaven.... -All is sifted in the heart of Shang-Ti. The crimes any or all of you -commit will be visited on me alone, but if I do evil you will have no part -in it." - -In this quaint address is shadowed forth the beautiful idea that the -Emperor is responsible to God for his people, though they are not -responsible for him. A similar thought is apparent in the following -quotation from a kind of penitential psalm which the same Emperor is said -to have composed on the occasion of a famine which decimated China during -his reign. Feeling that he must have done something to arouse the wrath -of Heaven, he cut off the long hair and nails which are the special pride -of highly-born Celestials, and laying aside his Imperial robes, wrapped -himself in the skins of beasts. Thus disguised he went forth alone to a -mountain and vented his grief and remorse for having: - -1. Neglected to instruct his subjects as he ought to have done. - -2. For failing to win them back to their duty when they had departed from -it. - -3. For having built grand palaces, and incurred other expenses by -unnecessary building. - -4. For having too many wives, and loving them too much. - -5. For caring too much for the delicacies of the table. - -6. And lastly, for having lent too ready an ear to the flattery of his -favourites, and of certain high officials of his court. - -[Sidenote: LAO-TSZE] - -[Illustration: FIG. 23.--LAO-TSZE. - -(_Univers Pittoresque._)] - -Another significant and noteworthy fact brought out alike in the -proclamation and confession of this enlightened ruler is, that there -is no idea of any intermediary being necessary between him and God. It -is the same to this day, no priest intervenes between the Emperor and -Shang-Ti, and the bonzes who spend their lives studying the moral precepts -of Lao-Tsze and Confucius are merely thinkers who never interfere in -affairs of State or with the religious teaching of the people. Hence the -total indifference of the Chinese to matters of faith; they believe in -free-will, and act in accordance with that belief. - -In the sixth and seventh centuries before our era the Chinese Empire was -in a condition little short of anarchy. The wealthy were depraved, the -poor were steeped in misery, and everywhere injustice and oppression -were the rule. The emperors frittered away their lives in their harems, -giving no thought to the welfare of their people. It was time indeed for -a reformer to arise, and the first to appear was the great Lao-Tsze, who -is supposed to have been born about 604 B.C., fifty years before the yet -greater Kung-Fu-tze, or, as he is called by Europeans, Confucius. - -[Sidenote: LIFE OF LAO-TSZE] - -The state of the Celestial Empire when Lao-Tsze first began to inculcate -his peculiar doctrines was corrupt in the extreme, greatly resembling -that of the Roman Empire in the time of Nero, when the disciples of Christ -preached equality and contempt for riches, striving to win souls from -the awful depravity and sensuality of the heathen world, and to teach -them to aspire to an ideal and divine love and to the immaterial joys of -the Christian heaven. Lao-Tsze, who was to inaugurate the great reform -completed later by Confucius, began his public career as curator of the -library of the King of the Tcheou, in what was then the city of Lob, not -far from that of Lob-yang in the present province of Honan. His real name -is supposed to have been Erh-Li, but that of Lao-Tsze, signifying the old -philosopher, has entirely superseded it. Whilst keeper of the royal books -he is said to have read many of the works of Indian philosophers, and from -them to have imbibed the principles embodied in his own immortal work, -called the _Tao-Teh-King_, the exact meaning of the title of which has -been so much discussed, but is generally translated the "Book of Supreme -reason and virtue." If, as may well be, the word _Tao_ is identical with -the Greek Θεος and with the Latin _Deos_, both of which mean God, then the -proper rendering of _Tao-Teh-King_ is the "Book of God and of reason." -However that may be, it is certain that its author was a true theist, -rightly considered the founder of Theism, which is one of the three -doctrines held in equal honour by the Celestials, the other two being -Confucianism and Buddhism. - -Many legends have gathered about the memory of Lao-Tsze, and the young -Confucius is said to have met the old philosopher more than once. The -former is reported to have said after an interview in Pekin with his -forerunner: "To-day I have seen Lao-Tsze, and can only liken him to a -dragon who mounts aloft in the clouds, I cannot tell how, and rises to -heaven." Another story is that the older Chinese philosopher travelled in -India and there met Pythagoras, the great mathematician and believer in -the transmigration of souls; but if so, there is no trace of the influence -of the Greek in the _Tao-Teh-King_, which must have been written before -its author left China. As a matter of fact, very little is really known of -the life of Lao-Tsze, but some idea of his peculiar views can be obtained -from the following quotations from his book: - -"God," he says, "is spiritual and material, so that He has two kinds of -existence. We emanate in the first instance from the former or spiritual -nature, to enter later into the second. Our aim upon earth should be to -return to the first, or spiritual nature. To succeed in this we must -refrain from the pleasures of the world, control our passions, and -practise boundless charity." - -It is the advocacy of this boundless charity which justifies us in -comparing the doctrine of Lao-Tsze with primitive Christianity. Before, -however, we give proofs of this affinity it will be interesting to note -how the old philosopher proves his assertion, that all the material forms -of nature are but emanations from the divine. - -[Sidenote: THE _TAO-TEH-KING_] - -In the twenty-fifth section of the _Tao-Teh-King_ we read: - - "Beings of corporeal form were made from matter which was at first - in a chaotic condition. - - "Before the heaven and the earth came into being, there was nothing - but a profound silence, a boundless void, without any perceptible - form. - - "It[2] existed alone, infinite, immutable. - - "It moved about in the illimitable space without undergoing any - change. - - "It may be looked upon as the mother of the Universe. - - "I am ignorant of its name, but I call it the Tao, by which I mean - supreme and universal Reason. - - "Constrained to make a name for it, I designate it by its - attributes, and call it grand, lofty. - - "Having recognized that it is grand and lofty, I add that it is - all-embracing. - - "Having recognized that it is infinite, I designate it as unlike - myself.... - - "The earth is ruled by Heaven. - - "Heaven is ruled by the Tao or universal Reason. - - "Universal Reason is a law unto itself" - -[2] Lao-Tsze speaks of the Supreme Being as "it," not "he," and implies -that his Tao, whatever he signified by it, may have existed even before -God.--Trans. - -These quotations cannot fail to give an exalted idea of the principles -advocated by the Chinese sage. They even shadow forth, to some extent, the -doctrine of the Gospel, which was not preached until 600 years after the -death of the author of the _Tao-Teh-King_; but the extract I give now -from the forty-ninth section of the book on Supreme Reason is yet more -strikingly significant: - - "The heart of a holy man is not inexorable. - - "His heart is in sympathy with the hearts of all other men. - - "A virtuous man should be treated according to his virtue. - - "A vicious man should be treated as if he also were virtuous. - Herein is wisdom and virtue." - -Again in the sixteenth section we read: - - "To be just, and equitable to all, is to have the attributes of God. - - "Having the attributes of God is to be of the divine nature. - - "To be of the divine nature is to succeed in becoming identified - with the Tao or the supreme and universal Reason. - - "To be identified with the supreme Reason is to win eternal life. - - "Even when the body is put to death, there is no need to have any - fear of annihilation." - -So much for Lao-Tsze's belief in the immortality of the soul; now note -in what touching terms he expresses his compassion for the unhappy and -unfortunate: - - "If the people suffer from hunger, it is because they are weighed - down by taxes too heavy for them. - - "This is the cause of their misery. . . . - - "If the people are difficult to govern, it is because they are - oppressed by work too hard for them. . . . - - "This is the cause of their insubordination. - - "If the people are indifferent to the approach of death, it is - because they find it too difficult to obtain sufficient nourishment. - - "That is why they die with so little regret." - - - - -CHAPTER IV - - -Lao-Tsze and Confucius compared--The appearance of Kilin, the fabulous -dragon, to the father of Confucius--Early life of the Philosopher--The -death and funeral of his mother--His views on funeral ceremonies--His -visit to the King of Lu and discourse on the nature of man--Confucius -advocates gymnasium exercises--His love of music--His summary of the whole -duty of woman--He describes the life of a widow--He gives a list of the -classes of men to be avoided in marriage--The seven legitimate reasons for -the divorce of a wife--The three exceptions rendering divorce illegal--The -missionary Gutzlaff's opinion of Confucius' view of woman's position--The -Philosopher meets a man about to commit suicide--He rescues him from -despair--He loses thirteen of his own followers. - -Under the continued influence of Lao-Tsze, China would probably have -become in course of time crowded with monasteries, in which numerous -bonzes would have devoted their lives to sterile contemplation, which -would have profited their country not at all. Fortunately, however, the -old philosopher was succeeded by the more practical Confucius, who made -China what he meant it to be during his life-time, enforcing respect -for tradition with the strict observance of the worship of ancestors. -Devoted to agriculture, he did much to promote its scientific practice; an -inexorable lover of justice, he had no mercy on the abuses and peculations -of the mandarins. He knew how to turn to account every incident which -could redound to his fame, and about his name gathered many romantic -legends such as serve to fix on their hero the love and admiration of -the populace. In this he differed, as did all the other great leaders -of thought in the East, from Lao-Tsze, who owed his celebrity to the -culte of pure reason alone, a doctrine too abstract for the apprehension -of the general public, who ever delight in the marvellous. The earlier -philosopher appeared and disappeared with absolutely no _éclat_, and his -most ardent admirers never associated his birth or death with anything -supernatural. It was far otherwise with Buddha, Confucius, Mahomet, and -our Saviour, who one and all were credited with the power of working -miracles, though those of Christ alone have been authenticated. - -It could only detract from the real glory of Confucius to dwell on the -many extraordinary phenomena which are said by his disciples to have -accompanied his entrance into the world. The great Chinese dragon called -_Kilin_, who never comes down to earth from his home in heaven except to -foretell marvellous events, failed not to appear in the garden of the -house of the future hero's father, where he vomited forth a stone of jade -bearing the following inscription: - -"A child as pure as the crystalline wave will be born when the dynasty of -Tcheu is in its decline; he will be king, but without any kingdom." - -[Illustration: FIG. 24.--THE HOUSE IN WHICH CONFUCIUS WAS BORN. - -(_Univers Pittoresque._)] - -[Sidenote: BIRTH OF CONFUCIUS] - -According to the most trustworthy accounts Confucius was born in the -village of Ch'ieh in the present province of Shantung in B.C. 551. The -only child of his parents, he lost his father when he was but three years -old, and was brought up by his mother, who was left with very little -money. To quote the philosopher's own words, he could from the first "do -whatever his heart prompted, and his mind was set on learning from the age -of fifteen." - -[Illustration: FIG. 25.--PORTRAIT OF CONFUCIUS. - -(_Univers Pittoresque._)] - -Before he was twenty he had attracted the general attention of his -neighbours through the skill with which he rendered fertile districts -which had long been considered barren. He was equally successful in the -breeding of flocks, and the land under his care supported thousands -of animals, so that the farmers who before could scarcely eke out a -miserable subsistence, now found themselves rich and well-to-do. - -[Illustration: FIG. 26.--A FUNERAL PROCESSION IN CHINA.] - -[Sidenote: QUOTATION FROM CONFUCIUS] - -On the death of his mother he had her body transported to the grave -of his father, saying: "Those who were united in life should not be -separated after death." The two were therefore buried together with their -heads towards the north and their feet towards the south. The remains -were protected from wild beasts by being placed in strongly constructed -wooden coffins, made of planks four inches thick and smeared with oil and -varnish. To ensure their preservation as long as possible mounds of earth -forming regular little hills were piled up above them. - -During the three years of mourning which succeeded his sad loss, when, -according to a custom still observed, he could do no public work, -Confucius devoted himself to the study of ancient usage in everything -connected with the death of a father or a mother. - -[Illustration: FIG. 27.--CHINESE TOMBS.] - -[Sidenote: A CHINESE TOMB] - -"As man," he wrote, "is the most perfect being under heaven, that of which -he is made up is worthy of the very greatest respect; as he is by nature -the king of the earth, every other creature upon that earth is subject to -his laws and bound to do him homage; to be indifferent to what becomes of -his remains when the breath of life no longer animates those remains, is -to a certain extent to degrade him from his dignity, and to reduce him to -the level of the brutes. The honours you render to those you replace upon -the earth will be rendered to you in your turn by those who succeed you." - -[Sidenote: BURIAL CUSTOMS IN CHINA] - -During a long sojourn in the Philippine Islands, which have recently been -so very much before the public in consequence of the results of the war -between America and Spain, I was surprised to notice that the cemeteries -were as a rule situated in the most barren and uncultivated districts. -Once a year plates of rice were brought and placed upon the graves by the -relatives of those interred in them. When I arrived in China, however, I -found the same peculiarity the fashion there, and the last resting-places -of the dead who had once resided in Canton, Macao, and other large -Chinese towns were far away from the haunts of the living. The reason -was explained by the sentence quoted below from the books of the great -philosopher which is translated from Father Amiot's version. - -It appears that some agents of Confucius had been sent by him to survey -certain districts in the kingdom of Lu, and on their return they reported -to him that wealthy inhabitants were in the habit of erecting sepulchres -on lands which might be made very fertile. - -"That is a strange abuse," cried Confucius, "and one which I mean to -remedy. Burial-places should not resemble gardens of pleasure and -amusement, they should be the scene of sobs and tears; it was thus that -they were regarded by the ancients. To enjoy magnificent and sumptuous -repasts where everything is suggestive of luxury and joy, near the tombs -containing the bones of those to whom we owe our lives, is a kind of -insult to the dead. These tombs must no longer be surrounded by walls, -they must no longer be encircled by trees symmetrically planted. When -deprived of all these frivolous ornaments, the homage which all will -hasten to pay to those who have ceased to live will be sincere and pure. -If, then, we desire to perform funeral rites in the spirit of their first -founders we must remain true to the traditions of the sages of the remote -past." - -[Illustration: FIG. 28.--A CHINESE CEMETERY.] - -For the twenty-three centuries which have elapsed since this protest -was written, Chinese sepulchres have always been placed on high ground -of a dreary, desolate aspect, with nothing to mark them but a plain -unsculptured slab of stone. - -Philosophers very seldom become real friends, and the more they are -thrown together the less cordial become their relations. The story goes -that Confucius as a young man went to pay his respects to Lao-Tsze, -but that the latter gave his visitor very haughtily to understand that -he considered him wanting in humility, by which he probably meant that -Confucius was too much occupied with the things of this world, and not -enough with those of heaven. The fact is, that the younger reformer was -interested in everything that was going on wherever he happened to be, and -was ready to talk to everybody. For all that, however, he studied the most -abstruse psychological problems, and I do not suppose that even Lao-Tsze -himself could have made a better answer than Confucius did to the King of -Lu when he asked the difficult question quoted below. - -[Sidenote: THE KING OF LU] - -It must be remembered that in the time of Confucius, China was divided -into little kingdoms, all of which the sage, who was fond of travelling, -visited in turn. When he arrived at Lu, the king, who was already an old -man, received him at once, and is reported to have thus addressed him: - -"I have been expecting you with impatience, for I want you to explain -certain things to me about nature and man. Man, our sages tell us, is -distinguished from all other visible beings by the intellectual faculty -which renders him capable of reasoning, and all our wise men agree in -adding that man derives this valuable faculty direct from Heaven. Now is -it not true that we derive our whole nature from our parents, even as -other beings are reproduced by generation? I entreat you to enlighten me -on this point." - -"It is not easy," replied Confucius, "to explain clearly to you a matter -of which so little is really known. To obey you, however, I will give -you in a few words a _résumé_ of all I know on the subject, and your own -penetration will find out the rest. - -"A portion of the substance of the father and the mother placed in the -organ formed for its reception is the cause of our existence and the germ -of our being. This germ would, however, remain inert and dead without the -help of the two contrary principles of the Yang and the Yin.[3]--These two -universal agents of nature, which are in all things and everywhere, act -reciprocally on it, developing it, insensibly extending and continuing it, -and causing it to assume definite form. - -[3] "In the order of living beings," says M. G. Pauthier, in the section -on China of _L'Univers Pittoresque_, "the Yang and the Yin are the male -and female principles; in the order of the elements they are the luminous -and the dark principles; in the order of natural substances the strong and -the weak principles." - -"The germ has now become a living being, but this living being is not -yet promoted to the dignity of a man; it does not become one until it is -united with that intellectual substance which Heaven bestows on it to -enable it to understand, to compare, and to judge. So long as this being, -thus animated and endowed with intelligence, continues to combine the two -principles necessary to the development, extension, the growth and the -perfection of its form, it will enjoy life; it ceases to live as soon as -these two principles cease to combine. It does not attain to the fulness -of life except by degrees, and by means of expansion; in the same way -it is only finally destroyed by gradual decay. Its destruction is not, -however, destruction properly so called, it is a decomposition into its -original elements; the intellectual substance returns to the heaven whence -it came; the animal breath, or the _Khi_, becomes united with the aërial -fluid, whilst the earthly and liquid substances become once more earth and -water. - -[Sidenote: THE NATURE OF MAN] - -"Man, say our ancient sages, is a unique being, in whom are united the -attributes of all other beings. He is endowed with intelligence, with the -power of attaining perfection, with liberty, and with social qualities; -he is able to discriminate, to compare, to work for a definite aim, and -to take the necessary measures for the attainment of that aim. He may -become perfect or depraved according to the good or evil use he makes of -his liberty; he is acquainted alike with virtue and vice, and feels that -he has duties to perform towards Heaven, himself, and his fellow-men. If -he acquit himself of these various duties, he is virtuous and worthy of -recompense; he is culpable and merits punishment if he neglects them. This -is a very short _résumé_ of all I can tell you of the nature of man." - -The King of Lu, it is said, was delighted with this reply, as how could -he fail to be? Some years later the monarch made his sage adviser -prime minister of his realm, and the philosopher remained in power for -three years, administering justice so rigorously that, says one of his -biographers, "if gold or jewels were dropped on the highway they would -remain untouched until the rightful owner appeared to claim them." The -story goes that under Confucius, Lu became so prosperous as to arouse -the jealousy of the neighbouring King of Tse, who, with a wonderful -insight into human nature, sent not an army, but a troop of beautiful -dancing-girls to the court of the rival monarch. The manœuvre was -successful; the King of Lu neglected the affairs of state to watch the -posturing of the sirens, and Confucius fell into disgrace. When he proudly -told his sovereign to choose between him and the dancers, the old king -promptly replied that he preferred the latter; so Confucius went forth -with his followers to seek his fortunes elsewhere. - -[Sidenote: CONFUCIUS ON THE ARTS] - -Many are the anecdotes told of the wanderings of the sage after this -tragic end to his work of reformation in his native state. In some -districts he was gladly welcomed; in others he was often in danger of -his life. At the court of Yen, where the king questioned him much as the -monarch of Lu had done, he held forth less on abstruse doctrine than on -education. "Young men," he is reported to have said, "should travel and -become acquainted with many lands, so as to be able to judge the customs -of different nations, and the peculiar characteristics of various races. -I am so penetrated by this truth," he added, "that I will not fail to -put it in practice whenever I get the opportunity. I would recommend the -exercises of the gymnasium to all adolescents, and the study of what -are called the liberal arts: Music, civil and religious ceremonial, -arithmetic, fencing, and the art (_sic_) of managing skilfully a carriage -of any kind drawn by horses or oxen." To his son, who asked him if he -ought to devote himself to poetry, he replied: "You will never know how to -speak or write well unless you make verses." - -One day he met a party of hunters, and, to the great surprise of his own -followers, he asked to be allowed to join them, explaining that the first -inhabitants of the earth lived by the chase alone, and adding that the -reason he wished to be a hunter was to impress upon those about him once -more how great a respect he had for the traditions of olden times. - -He learnt music when very young, and found in it a rest and recreation -after his arduous and varied avocations. He became, it is said, so -wonderfully skilful in the art of music, that when he had once heard the -work of a composer, he could draw a faithful portrait of him, bringing -out alike his physical and moral characteristics, which was indeed going -to the very root of the matter. As for me, I do not think it is by any -means necessary to be able to perform on an instrument in order to form a -very good idea of the character of such composers as Rossini, Berlioz, and -Wagner, after hearing _Il Barbiere di Siviglia_, _Les Troyens_, or _Die -Meistersinger_; but as for giving portraits of their personal appearance, -that would truly be difficult! - -Confucius, who took to himself a wife at the age of nineteen, was in -favour of early marriages, and placed the limit of age for a woman at -twenty, and for a man at thirty. He founded his arguments on the fact that -in China a boy is considered to have become a man directly he enters his -twentieth year, and that as soon as a girl is fifteen the management of -the house is entrusted to her during the winter, whilst in the spring, -when ploughing begins, she is sent to look after the mulberry trees. At -the respective ages of twenty and fifteen, a boy and girl may become -the head of a family, "if," discreetly adds the sage, "the parents give -permission." - -[Sidenote: MEANING OF THE PHŒNIX] - -I take a real pleasure in recalling the kindly sayings of this old-world -sage, who, it must be remembered, lived 600 years before the birth of our -Lord, a fact which ought to silence those who are accustomed to speak -flippantly of the barbarism of past centuries. Moreover, the laws and -customs advocated by Confucius had really been in force, in what was -then called the "Middle State," for no less than 2500 years before the -Christian era, but they had fallen into abeyance. The great philosopher -was not so much an innovator as a restorer, for so lofty was the morality -of the ancient laws that the Chinese people never dreamt of modifying -them. Hence the extraordinary immobility of the manners and customs of the -Orient, which contrasts so forcibly with the constant eagerness in the -West for meaningless novelties. To give an account of the doctrines of -Confucius is really to revive the traditions of the remote past, for which -the Celestials have so deep a reverence. To give but one case in point: -noticing that all mandarins have a phœnix with outspread wings embroidered -on their robes, I inquired what it meant, and learnt to my astonishment -that in the year 500 B.C. an Emperor had ordered this design to be worn -by his chief officers on their breasts. The fabulous phœnix, the herald -of good fortune so often seen in China, had appeared to this Emperor on -his ascent to the throne; a sure symbol in the eyes of the Chinese of a -prosperous reign, and the conservative Mandarins have kept up the custom -of wearing a representation of the bird with outstretched wings ever since. - -For the benefit of those who do not rightly reverence antiquity, I will -quote a speech on the subject of marriage, addressed by Confucius to the -King of Lu before the great philosopher was exiled from the kingdom he had -ruled over so wisely. - -"Marriage," said the sage, "is the right state for man, because it is -only through marriage that he can fulfil his destiny upon earth; there -is therefore nothing more honourable, nothing more worthy of his serious -consideration than his power of fulfilling exactly all duties. Amongst -these are some shared in common by both sexes, others which are to be -performed by each sex in particular. The man is the head, it is for him -to command; the woman is subject to him, it is for her to obey. It is -the function of both together to imitate those operations of the heaven -and the earth which combine in the production, the support, and the -preservation of all things. Reciprocal tenderness, mutual confidence, -truthfulness and respect, should form the foundation of their conduct; -instruction and direction on the part of the husband, docility and -complaisance on the part of the woman, in everything which does not -interfere with the requirements of justice, propriety, and honour. - -[Illustration: FIG. 29.--A YOUNG CHINESE MARRIED LADY.] - -[Sidenote: CHINESE WIDOWS] - -"As society is now constituted, the woman owes all that she is to her -husband. If death takes him from her, it does not make her her own -mistress. As a daughter, she was under the authority of her father and -mother, or failing them of the brothers older than herself; as a wife she -was ruled by her husband as long as he lived; as a widow she is under the -surveillance of her son, or if she has several sons, of the eldest of -them, and this son, whilst ministering to her with all possible affection -and respect, will shield her from all the dangers to which the weakness -of her sex might expose her. Custom does not permit second marriage to -a widow, but prescribes on the contrary that she should seclude herself -within the precincts of her own house, and never leave it again all the -rest of her life. She is forbidden to attend to any business, no matter -what, outside her home. As a result she ought not to understand any such -business; she will not even meddle in domestic matters unless compelled to -do so by necessity, that is to say, whilst her children are still young. -During the day she should avoid showing herself, by refraining from going -from room to room, unless obliged to do so. And during the night the room -in which she sleeps should always be lit up. Only by leading a retired -life such as this will she win amongst her descendants the glory of having -fulfilled the duties of a virtuous woman." - -It would indeed be difficult for a widow to live up to such an ideal as -this, and that the Chinese themselves realize the fact, is proved by their -raising monuments to the memory of those who succeed. - -"I have already said," adds Confucius, "that between fifteen and twenty -is the age at which a girl should change her state by marriage. As on -this change of state depends the happiness or misery in which she will -pass the rest of her days, nothing should be neglected to procure for -her a proper establishment, and the most advantageous one permitted by -circumstances. Special care should be taken not to allow her to enter a -family which has taken part in any conspiracy against the State, or in -any open revolt, or into one whose affairs are in disorder, or which is -agitated by internal dissensions. She should not have a husband chosen -for her who has been publicly dishonoured by any crime bringing him under -the notice of the law; to a man suffering from any chronic complaint, any -mental eccentricity, any bodily deformity, such as would make it difficult -to get on with him, or render him repulsive or disagreeable, or to a man -who is the eldest of a family but has neither father nor mother. With -the exception of these five classes of men, a husband may be chosen for -her from any rank of society, with whom it will depend on herself alone -whether she passes her life happily or not. She has but to fulfil exactly -all the duties of her new state to enjoy the portion of bliss destined for -her." - -It is the parents who decide who their children shall marry, and a young -Chinaman does not know his _fiancée_ until the day of his wedding. This -explains why Confucius thought it necessary to go into all these details -on the subject of suitable husbands. - -[Sidenote: REASONS FOR DIVORCE] - -"A husband," he adds, "has the right to put away his wife, but he must not -use this right in an arbitrary manner; he must have some legitimate cause -for enforcing it. The legitimate causes of repudiation reduce themselves -to seven: The first when a woman cannot live in harmony with her father- -or mother-in-law; the second, if she is unable to perpetuate the race -because of her recognized sterility; the third, if she be justly suspected -of having violated conjugal fidelity, or if she gives any proof of -unchastity; the fourth, if she bring trouble into her home by calumnious -or indiscreet reports; the fifth, if she have; any infirmity such as every -man would naturally shrink from; the sixth, if it is difficult to correct -her of the use of intemperate language; the seventh, if unknown to her -husband she steals anything secretly in the house, no matter from what -motive. - -"Although any one of these reasons is sufficient to authorize a husband -to put away his wife, there are three circumstances which forbid him to -use his right: the first, when his wife has neither father nor mother, and -would have nowhere to go to; the second, when she is in mourning for her -father- or mother-in-law, for three years after the death of either of -them; the third, when her husband, having been poor when he married her, -has subsequently become rich." - -[Illustration: FIG. 30.--A MARRIAGE PROCESSION.] - -Truly there is much wisdom in the counsels of Confucius on the vexed -subject of marriage, but it is impossible to help feeling that the very -low view he took of the position of women detracts greatly from the merit -of the discourse quoted above. We are, in fact, inclined to endorse the -opinion of the missionary Gutzlaff, who, speaking of the revered sage, -remarks: "By not giving a proper rank in society to females, by denying to -them the privileges which are their due as sisters, mothers, wives, and -daughters ... he has marred the harmony of social life, and put a barrier -against the improvement of society. The regeneration of China will, in -fact, never take place, unless the females be raised from the degraded -state which Confucius assigned to them." - -[Sidenote: SUICIDE] - -On yet another exciting topic, that of suicide, it will perhaps be -salutary to relate one anecdote illustrating the view the reformer took -of the matter, now that so many despairing souls have lost the aids and -consolations of religious faith in struggling with the difficulties of -their life on earth; when followers of the stoical and heroic Zeno are -becoming rarer and rarer, and so many young men and women resort to the -fumes of charcoal, or to the waters of the nearest river, to put an end to -the woes they have not the courage to face. We must premise, however, that -there is really far more excuse for an Asiatic to take his own life than -for a European, there being nothing unreasonable about it according to the -doctrine of Buddha, whose disciples believe firmly in the transmigration -of souls. They do not, it is true, profess to know whether, if they commit -suicide they will become animals, but they are firmly convinced that they -will continue to live, whereas the atheist has faith in nothingness alone. - -[Illustration: FIG. 31.--A DESPERATE MAN.] - -In one of his many journeys Confucius and his disciples met a man who was -trying to strangle himself with a rope. When asked what his motives were -for wishing to commit suicide, he replied that he had been a bad son, -a bad father, and a bad citizen. The remorse he felt for the terrible -character his self-examination revealed him to be from all these three -points of view, had made his life odious to him, and he had come out to a -lonely place to put an end to it. - -Greatly shocked, Confucius reproved him, addressing him in the following -terms: "However great the crimes you have committed, the worst of all of -them is yielding to despair. All the others may be allowed, but that is -irremediable. You have, no doubt, gone astray from the very first steps -you took upon earth. You should have begun by being a man of ordinary -worth before attempting to distinguish yourself You cannot attain to being -an eminent person until you have strictly fulfilled the duty imposed by -nature on every human creature. You ought to have begun by being a good -son; to love and serve those to whom you owed your being was the most -essential of your obligations; you neglected to do so, and from that -negligence have resulted all your misfortunes. - -[Illustration: FIG. 32.--THE TOMB OF CONFUCIUS. - -(_Univers Pittoresque._)] - -[Sidenote: SPEECH OF CONFUCIUS] - -"Do not, however, suppose that all is lost; take courage again, and try -to become convinced of a truth which all past centuries have proved to be -incontestable. This is the truth I refer to; treasure it up in your mind, -and never lose hold of it: _As long as a man has life, there is no reason -to despair of him;_ he may pass suddenly from the greatest trouble to -the greatest joy, from the greatest misfortune to the greatest felicity. -Take courage once more, return home, and strive to turn to account every -instant, as if you began to-day for the first time to realize the value of -life." - -Then turning to the younger of his disciples, Confucius said to them: -"What you have heard from the lips of this man is an excellent lesson for -you--reflect seriously upon it, every one of you." - -After this remonstrance it is said that thirteen of the followers of -the sage left him to return home and perform their filial duties. The -Celestials, in fact, all agree in saying that filial piety was alike the -groundwork of the Confucian philosophy and the foundation of Chinese -society. In spite of much that is strange to European ideas, might we not -well follow many of the precepts of the enlightened pre-Christian teacher? - - - - -CHAPTER V - - -My voyage to Macao--General appearance of the port--Gambling propensities -of the Chinese--Compulsory emigration--Cruel treatment of coolies on board -ship--Disaster on the Paracelses reefs--The _Baracouns_--The grotto of -Camoens--The _Lusiads_--Contrast between Chinese and Japanese--Origin -of the yellow races: their appearance and language--Relation of the -dwellers in the Arctic regions to the people of China--Russian and -Dutch intercourse with the Celestials--East India Company's monopoly of -trade--Disputes on the opium question--Expiration of charter--Death of -Lord Napier of a broken heart--Lin-Tseh-Hsu as Governor of the Kwang -provinces--The result of his measures to suppress trade in opium--Treaty -of Nanking--War of 1856-1858--Treaty of Tien-tsin and Convention of -Pekin--Immense increase in exports and imports resulting from them. - -I had confided to M. Vaucher, that most amiable of cicerones whom I -had been fortunate enough to meet at Canton, my great wish to go to -Macao and make a pilgrimage to the grotto where it is said Camoens, the -great Portuguese poet, wrote a portion of his most important work, the -_Lusiads_. M. Vaucher at once made arrangements for me to go to the -celebrated Portuguese settlement by river and sea, and placed one of his -own decked boats at my disposal. He even went so far as to choose a crew -for me, and to arm that crew with six rifles. Before I started he warned -me to keep in my cabin so as not to arouse the cupidity of the banditti, -who abound on the river, by appearing on deck. - -"If," he said to me, "my men point out to you a suspicious-looking craft, -be on your guard against it. You may easily," he added, "recognize pirate -boats for yourself, for this reason, they always prowl about in groups -of three, so that each may help the others in case of bad weather or any -difficulty; a clever arrangement greatly facilitating their evil designs, -for the crews are rapidly transformed from harmless fishermen to fierce -pirates should occasion serve for doing a stroke of business." - -In spite of these ominous warnings, however, my voyage passed over without -incident, and I arrived safely at the port of Macao, situated on the -southern extremity of a small peninsula of the island of Hiang-shang and -separated from the Chinese province of Canton merely by a wall, which is -in as ruinous a condition as is the more celebrated Great Wall of Tartary. -As we approached Macao a beautiful scene was spread out before us, wooded -hills dotted with charming villas, in which the wealthy English of -Hong-Kong spend much of the summer, and groups of picturesque rocks rising -from the curving shores of the lovely bay with its stretch of gleaming -white sand, to which the Portuguese, to whom Macao was ceded by the -Chinese, have given the appropriate name of the _Porto de Praya grande_. - -Here swarms the teeming amphibious fishing population of Macao, and from -this perfect bow with its picturesque surroundings were shipped, alas! -for all too many years, thousands of coolies for the labour market of -Havana and Peru, who were many of them embarked under terribly tragic -circumstances. - -[Sidenote: EMIGRATION AGENTS] - -A true Celestial is in fact a born gambler, and indulges his instincts -to such an extent that when he has lost fortune, wife, and daughters he -finally stakes himself! This fact is well known to the emigration agents -not only of Macao, but of the other Chinese ports, where numbers were -formerly enrolled for service in Peru, Chili, the Philippine Islands, and -various places in Oceania with very little, if any, volition on their -own part. Emigration agents used to lie in wait for Chinese loungers, -and accost those who looked fairly robust politely, take them to the -flower-boats and other public resorts where opium was smoked, and if their -luckless victims still had any money left, their insinuating tempters -would entice them into some low gambling hell, where, after a few throws -of the dice, the ruin of the simple, confiding fellows was complete. -Then when the unfortunate Celestials had emptied their purses, and their -brains were muddled with opium or from the effects of debauchery, their -dim eyes were dazzled by the offer of a few piastres, and in exchange for -a trifling sum they signed away their liberty. When they came to their -senses they found they had bound themselves to leave their country. - -The agents were careful when they got the poor fellows' signatures not -to let out how far from China were the sugar-cane plantations of the -Antilles or the guano isles of Peru. Their victims had only learnt one -fact thoroughly, and that was that their country is the centre of the -universe, the foreign nations surrounding it being looked upon as its -tributaries. If the emigrants asked where they were going, they were told -to some place very near the port of embarkation. This wicked deception -was really the cause of the terrible massacres of coolies to which many -captains of emigrant vessels were driven to save their ships and crews. -When after a few days' voyage a vessel had to touch at some port for any -reason, and the poor coolies packed away below the hatchways saw above -the barriers or through the portholes, the bright verdure of an island of -Oceania, or the distant blue mountains of the American continent, they at -once jumped to the conclusion that their journey was at an end, and were -wild to leave the vessel, no matter at what cost. Some even in mid-ocean, -out of sight of land, became so heart-broken from home-sickness that they -quietly packed up the few things belonging to them and jumped into the sea -with them. Now and then a few of these would-be suicides were fished out -again by order of the captain, and would calmly explain their action by -some such speech as this: "We want to go back to our own country." Truly -those who believe in metempsychosis cherish wonderful delusions! - -On one occasion in the roadstead of Manila a swarm of coolies who thought -they had arrived at Havana mutinied because the captain would not allow -them to land. The crew of the vessel drove them back between decks at the -point of the sword, and they all perished from suffocation in a few hours -for want of air. - -[Sidenote: A TERRIBLE CATASTROPHE] - -Mutiny on their part was not, however, the only reason which sometimes led -to the sacrifice of a whole cargo of Asiatics. It was all too often a case -of might makes right, and when some convulsion of the elements rendered -it imperative to lighten a vessel, many a captain easily persuaded -himself that he had no choice but to save his crew by the sacrifice of -his human freight. This was the cause of the awful catastrophe off the -Paracelses reefs in the China Sea, which have as sinister a reputation as -the Goodwin Sands of the English coast, or the Baie des Trépassés of that -of Brittany. An unskilful captain had run his vessel on to the far-famed -reefs during the night, and seeing that it was hopeless to attempt to save -the five hundred coolies he was to have taken to Peru, he called his crew -together and told them to lower all the boats as quietly as possible. -This was done, and the captain saved himself and his sailors, leaving -the five hundred Celestials to their fate. The unfortunate coolies, -roused from their sleep by the bumping of the vessel against the rocks, -uttered piercing screams for help from the narrow space in which they were -confined, but we need scarcely add that the cautious captain had most -likely had the hatchways securely nailed down by his carpenter before he -left the ship. - -When there is not much sea on, the Paracelses reefs can be clearly seen, -certain flat portions emerging here and there for a few inches above the -surface of the water. If there were never such a thing as a storm, and -no danger of the islets being swept by the waves, it would be possible -to live on them and even to support life by feeding on the turtles and -shell-fish abounding there; so that if the poor abandoned coolies had -been able to get out of their prison, who can tell but what they might -have saved themselves by clinging to the rocks till help arrived? As it -was, however, not a single emigrant was ever seen again. On the arrival -safe and sound at Hong-Kong of the captain and his crew, the English -authorities at once sent the fleetest steamer in the port to the scene of -the shipwreck, but those on that steamer saw nothing of the lost vessel, -which must have been quickly dashed to pieces. The Paracelses reefs were -completely under water, masses of surging foam hiding all trace of them, -so that had any of the coolies landed it would only have been to be swept -quickly away to the open sea by the force of the current. - -Perhaps the saddest part of the tragedy was that the fate of so many human -creatures who had disappeared for ever in the depths of that blind and -reckless destroyer, the Ocean, should have raised so little regret, either -amongst the white-skinned traders in human flesh or the yellow-faced -Celestials of Macao and Hong-Kong. Maybe the latter themselves realize -that they really are too prolific, and are not sorry when their numbers -are lessened, no matter by what means. - -[Sidenote: THE BARACOUNS] - -When I was at Macao, I saw some of the so-called _baracouns_, where the -emigrants used to be shut up whilst awaiting their embarcation. These -_baracouns_ are the disused vaults of old convents, damp cellars of vast -extent, which were closed with strong bars when in use as pens for human -cattle. I am thankful to say these barracks are empty now, and are no -longer hot-beds of disease, for the European powers have interfered to put -a stop to the infamous traffic. It is a great gratification to me to know, -on the authority of the Quai d'Orsay officials, that an indignant article -on the subject, which I contributed to the _Revue des Deux Mondes_, had -something to do with this most desirable step. - -Emigration still goes on, on a very large scale, but it is conducted in a -less barbarous manner. No Chinese can now be made to embark against his -will, and his signature to a contract no longer compels him to leave his -native land if he has any means of support. As time goes on, it is to be -hoped that something like true liberty will really be the heritage of the -Chinese people, and already, where European ideas are gaining ground, -there are glimmerings of the dawn of a better state of things. - -In China, as elsewhere, the glory of the Portuguese colonies is departed, -and the settlement at Macao is no exception to the rule. For many -years the name of that port was synonymous with decay and degradation. -The native population was more debased; the foreign traders were more -grasping, more greedy of gain, and more reckless of the means employed to -secure it than anywhere else, and one tri-colour flag, floating above a -hospital for invalid sailors, was the only note of true civilization to -redeem a deplorable state of things. The Sisters of Charity, who had come -all the way from France to soothe the sufferings of European mariners in -a strange land, taught the people of Macao that there was another love -than that of the piastre, another intoxication than that produced by the -fumes of opium: the love of helping others, the intoxication of zeal for -humanity. The much-abused and hated Macao is now the seat of a bishop -and the head-quarters of French missionary effort in China, whilst the -export trade has passed from the hands of the Portuguese into that of the -British, a truly beneficent change for all concerned. - -My visit to the horrible _baracouns_ made me quite miserable, so vividly -did they bring before me all the horrors of the but recently-changed -system of compulsory emigration. I did my best to forget them; and on -the eve of my departure from Macao I went to see the grotto associated -with the name of Camoens. It will be remembered that the poet was banished -to Macao in 1556 on account of his quarrel with the authorities at Goa, -whither he had been sent after the fracas in the streets of Lisbon, in -which he wounded a royal equerry. He seems on the whole to have enjoyed -his exile, for he obtained a post with a large salary, and in two years -made quite a fortune. This so-called grotto is not really a cave now, -whatever it may originally have been, but is a picturesque little building -perched on a site commanding a beautiful view of the bay and its shipping. -Truly a fitting scene to inspire the rhapsody in which Camoens celebrated -the glory of his fellow-countryman, Vasco da Gama, and bemoaned the -sad fate of the beautiful Iñez de Castro, who, the story goes, after -being for some ten years the mistress of the Infante of Portugal, Dom -Pedro, was secretly married to him in 1354, and murdered by order of her -father-in-law in 1355. When the bereaved husband came to the throne he put -two of the murderers of his bride to death by torture; and, according to -Camoens, had the dead body of Iñez exhumed, dressed in royal robes, and -placed upon the throne she would have occupied had she lived, to receive -homage from the court. - -[Sidenote: THE LUSIADS] - -In the _Lusiads_, which has been called the "Epos of Commerce," and is to -the Portuguese what Chaucer's _Canterbury Tales_ is to the English, a -vivid picture is given of the grandeur of the poet's native country in the -fifteenth century, when it was the rival of Spain, and a leader in the -colonization of distant lands. Perhaps one of the finest passages of this -remarkable poem, or series of poems, is that in which its author invokes -the mighty spirit of the storm, Adamastor, the fierce guardian of the Cape -of Good Hope, over whom Vasco da Gama and Magellan, also of Portuguese -birth, both triumphed. Now that time has proved how fatal to the real -welfare of both Spain and Portugal was the wealth of India and of Mexico, -one cannot help feeling that the poet may perhaps have had something of a -prophetic intuition of the future decadence of the peninsular kingdoms, -when he placed a giant in the pathway of the Conquistadores, to bar the -way against them. - -It has only been for the last forty years that either China or Japan can -be said to have been open to Europeans. The history of the latter nation -is a proof of what an active, brave, and intelligent people may achieve -in the course of a few years; whilst that of the former illustrates all -that may remain undone where the natives of a country are convinced that -they have for forty centuries had an ideal government, the best possible -religion, and that the products of their industries are quite incapable of -improvement. - -In passing judgment on the Chinese it must, however, be borne in mind -that their country is, by its natural boundaries, so completely isolated -from the rest of the world as to justify to some extent their intense -reluctance to open relations with the Red Devils of the West, as they call -all Europeans, whether fair or dark, though it was evidently the bright -auburn hair and rosy complexions of so many of the English visitors to -China which originated the name. The giving of this title is the only -vengeance the poor yellow skins have been able to take on those who -invaded their capital, pillaged their palaces and burnt their arsenals and -vessels, not to speak of the importation of the pernicious drug, opium, -which is responsible for the death of thousands every year. - -[Sidenote: THE BOUNDARIES OF CHINA] - -Independently of the Great Wall which once, though not very successfully, -defended China from the incursions of the Mongols and Manchus, the -Celestial Empire is bounded on the north by the great Gobi desert and the -grass steppes of Southern Mongolia; on the east by the sea of China, the -Eastern and the Yellow Seas; whilst on the west rise many a lofty chain -of mountains, their summits almost always crowned with snow. These latter -have not yet been all fully explored, though the name of many a hero -of discovery is connected with them, including that of Prince Henry of -Orleans, Margary and Marcel Monnier of quite recent fame. - -In the vast circle enclosed within these boundaries of desert, mountain, -and sea, nearly every kind of vegetation can be successfully cultivated -in one district or another, whilst a considerable variety of types of -the great human family is met with, including members belonging to the -same groups as the people who have poured into Corea, Japan, Formosa, the -Philippine Islands, Indo-China, Siam, Kulja, and even a country so far -away as Persia. - -As is well known, anthropologists are divided into two absolutely -distinct camps: the Polygenists, who claim that differences of species -evidenced by differences in height, in features, and in complexion, are -the result of the springing of the human race from different progenitors; -and the Monogenists, who believe in one primæval pair of parents only, -and look upon all differences between human creatures as caused by -accidental conditions modifying the primitive type. The latter assert -that it was within the boundaries mentioned above, on the central plateau -of the present Celestial Empire, that the first men appeared, and as -they multiplied, became diversified into yellow, black, white, and red, -remaining in their primitive home until, like a cup filled too full, they -overflowed in every direction to people other lands. - -[Sidenote: THE MONGOLIANS] - -It is not for me to decide the vexed question of whether the polygenists -or monogenists are in the right; those curious on the subject may refer to -the learned and deeply interesting works of Quatrefages, Haeckel, Darwin, -Huxley, Wallace and others, who have brought their critical acumen to -bear on the subject of the origin and antiquity of man. I merely wish to -emphasize here the fact that all agree in believing China to have been -occupied at an extremely remote date, and in admitting that, however the -changes may have come about, the human family is now undoubtedly divided -into five distinct groups: the brown, the black, the red, the white, and -the yellow. To the last belong the Mongolians, with whom alone we have now -to do, and which numbers, whatever its peculiarities, more representatives -than any other at the present day. - -The skin of this prolific race is always yellow, sometimes pale, and -sometimes of a brownish tinge. The stiff straight hair of the Mongol is as -black as ebony, and the skull is of the so-called bracycephalic type, that -is to say, short as compared to its breadth, whilst that of the Chinese -and Tartars is mesaticephalic, or of medium length and breadth. - -The face is round, the eyes are mere narrow slits, often decidedly -oblique, the nose is large, the cheek-bones are very prominent, and the -lips are thick. - -At first sight it would appear that the Mongolian dialects all spring -from one primitive speech, but examination of evidence proves that this -is not the case, for they really belong to two very ancient branches of -human speech: the monosyllabic language of the Indo-Chinese races, and the -polysyllabic of the other Mongolians. The Tibetans, Burmans, Siamese, and -Chinese dialects are all monosyllabic, whilst those in use by the Coreans, -Japanese, Tartars, Kirghizes, Kalmucks, Buriats, Samoyedes, and Finns are -polysyllabic. - -All the inhabitants of the continent of Asia, with the exception of a -few tribes of the extreme north, certain groups of Malays and Dravidians -in India, with some of the dwellers in the Mediterranean districts of -the south-west, belong to the so-called _Homo mongolicus_, or Mongolian -branch of the great human family, whilst in Europe it claims the Finns and -Lapps of the north, the Osmanlis of Turkey, and the Magyars of Hungary. -_Homo articus_, or the Polar group, is considered by the best authorities -to have originally formed part of the Mongolian branch, including the -Esquimaux, the Greenlanders, the Kamtchatkans, etc., all of whom, however, -as pointed out by Haeckel, the great German naturalist, have in the course -of centuries become so modified by the conditions of life in the Arctic -regions, that they may now be looked upon as forming a separate species. - -The inhabitants of the extreme north are short and squat, their skulls -are of the mesaticephalic, or even in some cases of the dolichocephalic -type, that is to say, they are long in proportion to their breadth; their -eyes are narrow and oblique, as are those of the Mongols; they have high -cheek-bones and large mouths. Their hair is coarse and black, and their -skin of a more or less clear brown colour, sometimes approaching to white, -and sometimes to yellow, as amongst the Mongols, whilst now and then it -is reddish, as is that of the native Americans. The dialects spoken by -these remote tribes differ as much from those of other Mongols as they -do from the American forms of speech, and the probability is that these -inhabitants of the Arctic regions are really a degenerate branch of the -Mongol race, whose progenitors passed over into the north of America from -the north-east of Asia. - -[Sidenote: CHINESE ISOLATION] - -In spite of the fact that emigrants did occasionally drift across the -formidable northern and western boundaries of the vast Celestial Empire, -the one leading idea for many centuries, alike of rulers and ruled, was to -keep their land sacred from intruders, and discourage all intercourse with -other nations, whom the Chinese were trained from infancy to look upon as -utter barbarians. There is no more thrilling or more interesting story in -literature than that of how this cherished isolation was in the end broken -in upon and the delusion finally dispelled, that Europe was but a small, -sparsely populated district, whose inhabitants were eager to trade with -the yellow men because of the poverty of their own land. - -The Russians and the Dutch, as well as the Portuguese, were eager in -the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries to trade with China, and plant -permanent colonies within its boundaries, but self-interest alone prompted -their efforts, and they did nothing to open the eyes of the natives to -the true character of western civilization. The French, however, to -their honour be it spoken, were the pioneers of missionary effort, and -as has been well pointed out by Archibald Colquhoun in his _China in -Transformation_, page 43, "the earlier knowledge of the West acquired by -China, and that of China acquired by the West, were mainly achieved by -French missionaries; no French Government ever sent a mission to Pekin -to seek merely advantages of trade," and it was not until 1869 that a -different policy was inaugurated. Far different was it with the English -who obtained a footing in China, for from the very first their one aim -was to trade upon the ignorance of the natives, and to make the largest -possible fortunes. British trade with China began later than that of the -other great Western powers, but it rapidly grew to far greater importance -than that of Russia or Portugal, chiefly because it was mainly carried on -by that great and powerful commercial body, the East India Company, on -whom rests the responsibility of the first introduction to the Celestial -Empire of opium, now consumed in such immense quantities and cultivated in -China itself, but which was totally unknown there before the eighteenth -century. For over two centuries the East India Company enjoyed a monopoly -of trade, and in their eagerness for gain its members swallowed many an -affront to their own and their country's dignity, for their relations to -the Chinese Government resembled those of humble suppliants to the "Son of -Heaven." - -[Sidenote: THE EAST INDIA COMPANY] - -There is something deeply pathetic in the gradual realization by that -"Son of Heaven" that the sons of earth from over the sea were really more -powerful than himself, and that he was the one to be defeated in any real -conflict with them. How touching, for instance, was the edict issued -in 1800, the first year of the century, so fatal to China as a nation, -prohibiting the importation of opium, an edict utterly powerless to check -the evil, which was spreading like a fatal blight throughout the length -and breadth of the doomed land. The traffic went on unchecked, and between -1821 and 1831 the amount landed at the various ports increased from 4628 -chests to 23,670. In 1832 the monopoly of the Company came to an end, -and the heads of the factories were succeeded by a representative of the -Sovereign of Great Britain, whom the Chinese authorities hoped to coerce -more easily than they could the many-headed hydra the Company had seemed -to be. "On the one side," says Professor Legge, "was a resistless force -determined to prosecute its enterprise for the enlargement of its trade, -and the conduct of it as with an equal nation; on the other side, was the -old Empire seeming to be unconscious of its weakness, determined not to -acknowledge the claim of equality, and confident of its power to suppress -the import of opium." For a brief space it seemed as if the latter would -gain the day, for England made the fatal mistake of associating with her -first representative, Lord Napier, two men who had been in the hated East -India Company. The policy pursued was weak and vacillating; Lord Napier -was disowned by his Government, and after suffering much indignity at the -hands of the Chinese, died at Macao of a broken heart. He was succeeded -by Sir J. F. Davis, during whose term of office the relations between the -two countries became more and more strained, until in 1839 the Chinese -Government made its last final effort to oust out alike the foreigners and -the abuses they had introduced, which were to it as an ever-present canker -eating into the life of the nation. The able politician, Lin-Tseh-Hsu, was -appointed Governor-General of the Kwang provinces with orders to bring the -foreign devils to reason. - -It so happened when the new ruler, who was "a thoroughly orthodox -Chinaman," arrived at Canton, there were British ships in port with some -twenty thousand chests of opium on board. Lin at once ordered these to -be given up for destruction, and as no notice was taken of his demand, -he commanded all the Chinese in the service of the foreigners to leave -them at once. They dared not disobey, and when they were gone a cordon -of troops was posted round the British quarters, and a manifesto was -issued to the effect that unless the opium was surrendered all the -merchants would be slain. Captain Eliot, who was Secretary to Sir J. F. -Davis, seeing no hope of rescue, gave up the opium, which was flung with -quantities of quick-lime, salt and water into deep trenches at Chunhow, -near the mouth of the river, "where it quickly became decomposed, and the -mixture ran into the sea." - -This and other high-handed measures of the energetic Governor of Kwang -led to the war which resulted in the ceding of Hong-Kong to the English -and the opening to British trade of Canton, Amoy, Fuchan, Ningpo, and -Shanghai. The spell was in fact finally broken, Chinese isolation was -at an end for ever, and the first chapter was written of the history -of modern China. China is a land doomed to partition amongst the hated -"foreign devils," who are eager to divide the spoil, and are preparing to -intersect the once sacred interior of the flowery land with the relentless -iron roads, before the advance of which all privacy and seclusion -disappear. - -[Sidenote: THE PEKIN CONVENTION] - -The Treaty of Nanking, signed in 1842, was succeeded after another war, -which began in 1856 and ended in 1858, by the Treaty of Tien-tsin, -making yet further concessions to England; but it was not until after -the Anglo-French Expedition had crossed the Pei-Ho river, and encamped -beneath the very walls of the capital itself, that the Chinese realized -how futile was further resistance. The Convention of Pekin, signed in -1860, ratified the Treaty of Tien-tsin, and formed the foundation of -the present relations between China and Great Britain. The Emperor, -Hsien-Fung, died the next year, and his last hours must indeed have -been embittered by the knowledge that the flood-gates were opened, and -that he could only leave the semblance of power to his successor, an -infant of five years old. Nothing could now check the introduction of -European civilization, which in the eyes of the Chinese was synonymous -with all that was most detrimental to their true interests. Fortunately, -however, the advantages were not really so entirely on the side of the -foreigners as is generally supposed; for the people will in the end, it -is hoped, lead better and nobler lives than before. Missionaries of many -nationalities are doing their best against terrible odds to introduce -the religion of the Redeemer, and even in material matters some good has -resulted to the much-oppressed natives. Numerous steamers have long plied -unmolested to and fro between the chief European ports and Shanghai, and -a system of custom-house control has been established in that important -town of Central China, greatly to the advantage of native trade. The taxes -imposed on foreign goods are now one of the most important sources of the -revenues of the Empire, and the driving away of the "foreign devils" would -mean an incalculable loss to the Chinese themselves. The total value of -the exports from Shanghai alone is more than £22,715,000, of which some -£8,746,000 represents native produce from the immediate neighbourhood -of the port, whilst the imports, including Chinese goods from other -districts, reaches a considerably higher figure. - -[Sidenote: HOPE FOR THE FUTURE] - -All this means prosperity to the millions, who before the throwing open of -the inland provinces to foreign commerce, lived from hand to mouth, and -were ground down by the ceaseless exactions of the native officials. This -truth is not unfortunately even now really understood by the populace, -for political knowledge filters very slowly from the palace to the -hovels of China; but we may yet hope to see the day when really cordial -relations will be established between the white and yellow races. The -defeat of China by Japan, with the huge indemnity exacted by the latter, -was of course a terrible blow to commerce; but already there are signs of -recovery, for the wealth and numbers of the people of the vast Empire are -really alike inexhaustible. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - - -French aspirations in Tonkin--Margary receives his instructions--Work -already done on the Yang-tse--Margary is insulted at Paï-Chou--He -awaits instructions in vain at Lo-Shan--The Tung-Ting lake--A Chinese -caravanserai--The explorer leaves the river to proceed by land--He -meets a starving missionary--Kwei-Chou and the French bishop there--A -terrible road--Arrival at the capital of Yunnan--Armed escort from -Bhâmo--Meeting between Margary and Colonel Browne--Threatening attitude -of natives--Margary crosses the frontier alone--Colonel Browne's camp -surrounded--Murder of Margary outside Manwyne--Importance of Yunnan and -Szechuan to Europeans. - -Whether, as has been asserted by more than one French writer, it was the -French operations in Tonkin which so roused the jealousy of the British -as to determine them at all risks to render those operations futile in -the opening of a direct route from Yunnan to Burma, or whether they were -merely pursuing their usual astute policy of making exploration precede -the flag, there is no doubt that the tragic fate of the young explorer, -Margary, whose adventurous journey deserves relation here, was fruitful -in most important political results alike to England and to France. The -French, who looked upon Tonkin as their own special key to China, had -meant to make the Song-coi, or Red River, which is its chief artery, -the outlet of the wealth of Yunnan; the English succeeded in making the -Yang-tse that outlet by the concessions they wrung from the Chinese as -part of the indemnity for the murder of their explorer. - -[Sidenote: MARGARY'S INSTRUCTIONS] - -It was in 1874 that Augustus Raimond Margary, an _attaché_ of the British -Embassy at Pekin, received instructions from Sir Thomas Wade, then -Minister Plenipotentiary to China, to go to Bhâmo, and there meet Colonel -Browne, who was about to start on an expedition across Western China, with -a view to open the overland route between Burma and the Celestial Empire. -Margary, who knew the natives well, and had on many occasions given proof -of his tact in dealing with them, was to act as interpreter and guide to -the English party. - -Already the Yang-tse, the great river at the mouth of which Shanghai is -situated, had been opened to foreign trade as far as Hankow, that is -to say, for 600 miles, but the difficulties of communication with the -interior were still immense, so bad were the roads, and so ignorant the -people of the districts those roads traversed. What was really needed in -the interests of British trade was a continuous route partly by water -and partly by land from the port to Burma, and Margary was to test the -practicability of such a route, although the brutality of the natives to -foreigners was well known, and much of the district he had to traverse had -never before been visited by a European. Even now, as those who have read -Marcel Monnier's account of his adventures in Yunnan in the pages of the -French journal _Le Temps_ know full well, there is anything but a cordial -feeling for foreigners in Yunnan, and a quarter of a century ago the -traveller who ventured far from Hankow must have carried his life in his -hand. - -[Sidenote: MARGARY IN DANGER] - -Nothing daunted, however, by all he knew of the perils before him, -the gallant young explorer left Shanghai in a little American steamer -on August 24th, accompanied only by one English servant and a Chinese -secretary. Arrived at Hankow, which, now that it is to be connected -with Pekin, Russian Siberia, and Tonkin by rail, has a great future -before it as a commercial centre, the little party left the steamer and -hired boats from a native banker for the further voyage. They started -again on September 4th, and on the 6th cast anchor off Paï-Chou, a -picturesque town rising from amongst magnificent trees. This town turned -out to be extremely well built, and prosperous, and to be surrounded by -well-cultivated plantations, yielding quantities of valuable produce. -Margary and his secretary wandered about for some time, noting everything, -and at first the natives were very civil; but when the visitors approached -the quay, to which the junks of the inhabitants were moored, the crowd -became insulting, and followed the travellers to their vessel, hooting -them and dancing round them with menacing gestures. They escaped without -injury, however, and pushed on to Lu-Chi-Ku, where they saw a big -war-junk, with no less than twenty-one guns. On September 11th they reached -Lo-Shan, where a halt was made to await a reply to a telegram sent by -Margary to Sir Thomas Wade. No answer came, however, and a whole week was -wasted, during which Margary nearly lost his life in a fracas with the -natives. The heat was intense, and but for the shade of the fine mulberry -trees on the banks of the river, would have been almost insupportable. -In spite of it the Englishman spent most of his time shooting the -plentiful game, consisting chiefly of partridges and pheasants. One day -he had left his gun behind him, to go and call on a mandarin, who held -an official post at Lo-Shan. As he was being carried in a sedan-chair by -native porters, he suddenly met a gang of conscripts bound for Formosa, -who surrounded him, shouting, "Ha! Ha! here is a foreign devil--let us -do for the foreign devil!" How the "foreign devil" wished he had had his -stout club in his hand, he would quickly have dispersed the cowardly mob; -but seeing he was absolutely defenceless, the soldiers seized the ends -of the bamboo rods supporting the chair, and began shaking its occupant -about in a most unpleasant manner. With a quiet smile on his lips, but -hatred in his heart, Margary was meditating a blow with his clenched -fist in the face of the ringleader, when his servant relieved the tension -of the situation by striking one of the assailants in the chest with all -his force. The result was magical and immediate, the brave soldiers all -ran away, and the "foreign devil" arrived safely at the house of the -mandarin. Fortunately that official proved friendly, and gave his visitor -the escort of two lictors for his return on board. Back again in his own -boat, the explorer harangued the crowd, which still lingered on the bank, -in these words: "Why did you treat me so roughly? Is this your politeness -to strangers? I had heard that the Chinese were distinguished amongst -other nations for their courtesy. Is this how you show it? Shall I go and -tell my fellow-countrymen how you treat me?" This speech, in their own -language, greatly astonished the audience, who received it in silence, -and quietly withdrew, apparently quite ashamed of themselves, the older -amongst them trying to lay the blame on the younger. - -[Illustration: FIG. 33.--CHINESE PEASANT CRUSHING RICE.] - -[Sidenote: THE TUNG-TING LAKE] - -On September 20th Margary gave up all hope of hearing from Sir Thomas -Wade, and resumed his voyage, feeling rather out of heart, no doubt, at -the silence of his chief Helped by a strong wind from the north-east, he -succeeded the same day in leaving the muddy Yang-tse, and entering the -beautiful Tung-Ting lake, of a lovely blue colour, from which the Great -River draws its chief volume. At the entrance to this lovely sheet of -water is the island of Chün-Shan, celebrated throughout the Celestial -Empire for its tea, considered the best in China, a portion of which is -set apart for the use of the Son of Heaven, or the Emperor, and for the -chief dignitaries of the province in which it is grown. The lake, lovely -as it is in appearance, is of little depth, and except for the clouds of -venomous insects which hover over it, inflicting torture on those who -venture to navigate it, there is but little life about it. A few towns of -no particular importance rise from its banks, but Margary did not land -at any of them. The natives of the shores of the lake say that the flies -which haunt the surface of the water are the winged guardians, appointed -by the Spirit of the Lake, to keep away intruders. - -On the 22nd the explorer entered the river Yuen, a stream of transparent -waters, and halted for a brief time opposite the town of Nih-sin-Tang, -where, to his relief, the winged and barbed sentinels of the lake melted -away as rapidly as they had appeared. - -[Illustration: FIG. 34.--A CHINESE FERRYMAN.] - -The banks of the Yuen are extremely picturesque: instead of the sewers -and rugged paths which generally disfigure the banks of the water-courses -of China, the riverine districts consist of well-cultivated land, cotton -plantations alternating with beautiful meadows bordered by venerable -willows. The farms, too, are clean and well kept; men, women and children -seem to lead happy, prosperous lives, and Margary was everywhere kindly -received. At sunrise, on the 28th, the expedition arrived opposite -Tao-Yuen-Hsien, a large, prosperous, but unwalled town. This was the -first important place without fortifications which Margary had visited. -The inhabitants seemed very independent, and their chief industry was the -making of pottery; every house, of whatever size, was decorated inside -and out with tasty vases, serving as pots for the dwarf orange trees and -other stunted plants in which the Chinese take so great a delight. - -Beyond Tao-Yuen-Hsien the river narrows, and flows between rocky gorges, -beyond which low conical hills, covered with sombre pines, rise one above -the other, none of them more than about 200 feet high, the effect of -which is, nevertheless, extremely fine. From the description given of -the scenery by Margary, it must greatly resemble that of Civet in the -Ardennes, immortalized by George Sand in her poetical romance, _Malgré -tout_. - -[Sidenote: AN OLD FRIEND] - -The province of Hunan, so rich in geological interest, and in which -such terrible convulsions must have taken place in the remote past, was -now entered, and the important town of Yuping-Hsien was soon reached, -where the drooping spirits of Margary were cheered by finding the chief -magistrate to be an old friend of his, who had formerly been interpreter -in the English legation at Pekin. The native official received his former -colleague with a salute from three guns, and, better still, wished him to -spend a few days with him at his own residence. Margary gladly accepted -the hospitality offered, donned his dress-uniform, and was carried in -state to the Yamin or house of the magistrate, where a great crowd was -assembled to witness the arrival of the foreigner. - -Refreshed by his rest, the English explorer soon started again, and on -October 27th reached the important town of Chen-Yuan-Fu, at the entrance -to which is a very fine bridge of six arches, which would be considered -a work of art even in Europe. Round about the city rise rocky heights, -which give it a very picturesque appearance. Margary landed near the -bridge, for he would now have to travel by land, and accompanied by his -own servant and four men who had been told off to protect him, he made -his way to a house where he hoped to be able to spend the night. It was -not exactly a hotel, but a stopping-place where travellers could hire -sedan-chairs, coolies, and horses; in fact, all that was needed for the -further prosecution of his journey. As there are generally several such -establishments in every important place, the Chinese proprietors always -send agents down to the landing-stages to secure the custom of travellers -just as do their brethren in Europe. - -[Sidenote: A RAGING MULTITUDE] - -Now the messenger who had got Margary to promise to patronize his master's -house, had disappeared as soon as he had transacted the business in hand, -leaving the English traveller and his men in the lurch. It was only -with the greatest difficulty that the little party made their way to -the caravanserai chosen, through the crowds assembled to stare at them. -Arrived there, they found a clean, comfortable-looking shelter, but no -one to receive them. The next thing to do was to get the baggage of the -expedition under shelter, but to this the crowd outside objected so very -vigorously that Margary was obliged to give up the attempt. He determined, -however, to seek the aid and protection of the Hsien, or first magistrate -of the town, and to force his way to him in spite of all opposition. He -had the door of the caravanserai opened, and faced the raging multitude -outside with head erect and an air of such determined resolution, that -the easily daunted Chinese recoiled before him, and withdrawing as he -advanced, allowed him to reach the Yamin unhurt. There he found the chief -magistrate, who must have heard all the noise, for the caravanserai was -only some two hundred paces off, quietly awaiting events without moving a -finger to control them. - -[Illustration: FIG. 35.--A MANDARIN'S HOUSE.] - -Margary could not persuade the official to let him remain for a night's -rest in the town, but he did succeed in securing four sturdy coolies as -porters, by whom he was carried from. Chen-Yuan, where he had been so -grossly insulted, to Kwei-Yang, capital of the province of Kwei-Chou, -receiving a kind welcome everywhere _en route_. - -Three days before his arrival at Yunnan, capital of the province of the -same name, as the English explorer was taking his lunch _al fresco_, -he was, to his great surprise and delight, accosted by a Frenchman, an -unfortunate missionary, who was bound for the same place, and was nearly -wild with joy at finding another European in this remote district. An -eager conversation began in Chinese, but as Margary could speak French, -the native language was soon exchanged for it. Margary tells how the -two sat down to the same "table," and were to share their meal, but -the missionary was so badly off for provisions that, in the end, the -Englishman gave him half his beefsteak, with all the bread he had. Then -he had an omelette made for his guest, and gave him a glass of spirits. -From the eagerness with which the food was consumed it was evident that -the poor fellow had been almost starving. The meal over, Margary told -his new friend of the way in which he had been insulted at Chen-Yuan, -and the Frenchman replied that most likely the magistrate had taken the -explorer for a Jesuit father, or a Lazarist, that is to say, a follower -of Saint Vincent de Paul. However it may be in the future, the people of -Central China had in Margary's time no toleration for Roman Catholic -missionaries, and there was little chance of their doing anything to -promote civilization amongst the natives. Had the magistrate looked at -the Englishman's passport when the latter first landed he would have been -very differently treated. It will be traders, not preachers of the gospel, -who will be the first to introduce European ideas. Even manufacturers -and engineers who elsewhere often achieve so much success have little -chance in China, for the people are as content with their own systems of -mechanical production and their clumsy primitive modes of working their -salt and mineral mines as they are with their religion. - -[Sidenote: A FRENCH BISHOP] - -At Hwei-Chow, a picturesque walled city of great importance, Margary met -an old French bishop and two of his priests who had adopted the costume -of the Chinese, and spoke their language even better than their own. The -bishop, in fact, had been so long expatriated that he had forgotten his -own tongue, and spoke that of his adopted country with his visitor. In -fact, instead of converting the natives he had become almost a native -himself, a sad fate for a once ardent missionary. He lived in a Yamin -and used a green arm-chair, a privilege accorded generally to officials -of Chinese birth only. He was even called Ta-jin, or a great man, a -title reserved, as a rule, for mandarins of the first class. Though this -assumption of native titles cannot but have been displeasing to the -literati and officials, the fact that the bishop was left unmolested is a -singular instance of tolerance; for what would be thought in Europe of a -Chinaman who should venture to adopt the uniform of a general or the robes -of a cardinal? Would not steps be taken at once to despoil him of his -borrowed plumes? - -It was now three months since Margary had left Shanghai, and forty-nine -days more would be required before he could reach Bhâmo on the Irrawadi, -where he hoped to meet Colonel Browne, with whom he was to make the return -journey, if the Chinese authorities would give the necessary permission. -There seemed no reason to suppose that it would be refused, for nothing -could have been more cordial than the reception of the young Englishman in -the capital of Yunnan. - -The road from Yunnan-Fow to Tali-Fow was really little more than a -goat-track, and Margary gives an amusing account of his own sufferings and -those of two mandarins who made the journey with him, as he was jolted -along amongst the crowds of carts, mules, and donkeys which blocked the -way, all alike laden with bags of salt. The Englishmen and the literati -had many a laugh together over their misfortunes, and the way he made -friends with pretty well every one he met speaks volumes for the tact of -the explorer, who deserved a better fate than that which eventually befell -him. - -It was now December, and the cold was intense, but it was impossible to -procure winter clothing, and the travellers had to make the best of what -they happened to have with them. As Chen-nan was four days' journey from -Tali-Fow, the mandarins did all they could to dissuade Margary from going -further, assuring him that the people of the last-named town were very -hostile to foreigners; but the Englishman, anxious to ascertain the truth -about native feeling for Europeans from actual observation, was not to be -deterred. On the 16th December he boldly entered the city of inhospitable -reputation, and wrote in his journal: _Veni, vidi, vici!_ He was -unmolested, and weary though he was, he remained but one night to rest, -pushing on the next day for the Burmese frontier. He reached Manwyne, the -scene soon afterwards of his assassination, on January 11th, and there -found an escort of forty soldiers from Burma sent to him by Colonel Browne -to protect him from attack by the tribes of the frontier districts through -which he had now to pass. It is very probable that the sudden appearance -of all these armed men was really the cause of Margary's death. Alone, -the gallant young explorer would have conciliated the friendship of the -natives as he had so often done before, but surrounded by his guard he -naturally became an object of suspicion. - -[Sidenote: MARGARY REACHES BHÂMO] - -Margary did, however, succeed in reaching Bhâmo, and suspecting no danger, -he and Colonel Browne started on the return journey early in February, -reaching on the 18th of that month the last post in Burma, just beyond the -Chinese frontier. There the travellers learnt that the pass into Yunnan -was blocked by an armed band of Kakhyens, whose opposition to the re-entry -into China of the white men, if not exactly instigated was certainly -connived at by the authorities of the frontier town of Seray, and also -by those of Manwyne. Colonel Browne and Margary consulted together as to -what was best to be done, and the latter, who had just crossed Yunnan so -successfully, assured his companion that they need fear nothing; he had -only recently been kindly received at both the towns mentioned above, and -he proposed with his usual enterprising spirit that he should go on alone -to test the accuracy of the various rumours afloat, promising to send back -a messenger with news as soon as possible. - -It was indeed unfortunate that the Colonel should have agreed to this -rash suggestion, and allowed his unfortunate young colleague to go to his -death. Little dreaming of the approaching tragedy, however, the two sat -over their last meal together till far into the night, discussing the -probable results of their expedition, regardless of the noise made by the -beating of gongs and playing of cymbals to be heard from the pass, and of -the fact that they could actually see the Kakhyens spying upon them from -the lofty trees overlooking their camp. - -[Sidenote: MURDER OF MARGARY] - -At sunrise on the 19th Margary crossed the frontier, accompanied by -his faithful secretary, the servants who had been with him since he -left Shanghai, and a few Burmese muleteers. The next day Colonel Browne -received a letter from him announcing his safe arrival at Seray, adding -that he had been well received there, and was now on his way to Manwyne. -The rest of the expedition followed in his footsteps, arriving at Seray on -the 21st. No further news was received from Margary, but Colonel Browne -was alarmed by rumours that he and his people were to be attacked, and by -the fact that the chief mandarin of the place was arming his retainers. On -the morning of the 22nd the storm burst, the Colonel's camp was surrounded -by armed men, and at the same time letters were received from some Burmans -residing at Manwyne telling of the cowardly assassination of Margary in -that town. - -But for the courage and steadfastness of his Burmese escort, especially -of fifteen sepoys who formed a kind of body-guard. Colonel Browne would -have shared the fate of his young fellow-countryman, but after a fierce -struggle he succeeded in re-crossing the frontier with no worse casualties -than three men wounded. - -From Bhâmo every possible effort was made to ascertain the truth about -the murder of Margary, but full details were never obtained. The most -apparently trustworthy account was that given by a Burmese, who said he -had seen the victim at Manwyne several times on the 21st, once alone and -later walking with several Chinese. According to this witness, the young -Englishman had been invited to ride out to see a spring of warm water, and -that just as he issued from the town he was suddenly dispatched with their -spears. - -Thus apparently ended the attempt to open the land route between Burma and -China, but as a matter of fact the death of Margary eventually did more -for the interests of his country than the peaceful conclusion of Colonel -Browne's expedition could ever have accomplished. The English know how to -turn to account every incident, however tragic, however seemingly adverse -to their own interests, and the indemnity wrung from the reluctant Chinese -for the murder of the young Englishman included the opening of another 400 -miles of the great river above Hankow, an immense step in advance towards -the realization of the long-cherished British ambition; the connection -of the Upper Yang-tze with Burma, so justly called England's land-gate -to China. It is, in fact, in the provinces of Szechuan and Yunnan that -the question of which European power is to have the supremacy in Central -China will be finally fought out, and therefore every concession won -in connection with them is alike of immense commercial and political -significance. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - - -Sir Thomas Wade demands his passports--Retires to man-of-war -off Tien-tsin--Interviews with Li-Hung-Chang--Convention of -Che-Foo--Description of Ichang on the Yang-tse--The Manchester of -Western China--Pak-hoï and its harbour--A magnificent pagoda--Ceremony -of opening the port to foreign trade--New Year's _féte_ at Pak-hoï--The -game of Morra--Description of Wenchau--Temples and pagodas turned into -inns--Wahn and its native officials--Dislike of mandarins, etc., to -missionaries--Beautiful surroundings of the town--An eclipse of the moon -expected--The eclipse does not keep time--Excitement of the people--The -dragon attacks the moon at last--Threatening message from the Emperor -to the astronomers--Two astronomers beheaded in B.C. 2155--Reasons for -importance attached to eclipses in China. - -No good purpose would be served by relating in detail all the negotiations -which took place after the death of Margary, between Sir Thomas Wade -and the Government of Pekin, on the subject of the reparation to be -made for the murder. It will be enough to say that after twenty months -of shilly-shallying on the part of the Chinese and dogged perseverance -on that of the British Envoy, the latter demanded his passports, shut -up his legation with considerable _éclat_, and retired on board a -man-of-war in the port of Tien-tsin, whence he issued a dignified threat -of the imminent declaration of war between England and China if his -demands were not complied with. This brought the Chinese Government to -reason, for the Emperor and his advisers felt it would be better to yield -everything than to see a victorious English army march a second time into -Pekin. Sir Thomas Wade was therefore invited to meet the now celebrated -Li-Hung-Chang, who became later so well-known in London and in Paris, at -Che-Foo, a treaty port on the northern side of the province of Shantung, -and there was signed the famous convention, of which on account of its -great importance a _résumé_ of the principal clauses is given here: - -[Sidenote: THE CHE-FOO CONVENTION] - -A large money indemnity, £60,000, was to be paid to the English -Ambassador, to be distributed amongst the families of Europeans who -should be in want or have lost their bread-winners in Yunnan. An Imperial -edict would be sent to the Viceroy of Yunnan, who should discuss with -some English official, a commercial treaty between Burma and the Chinese -frontier province, where Margary met his fate. England was to have the -right of appointing a representative at Tali-Fow, and he was to be -seconded in his researches by the Chinese authorities; the country was -to be opened to commerce; to avoid misunderstandings it would be for the -Tsung-li-Yamen, or ministers of foreign affairs, to invite the various -European legations to draw up and submit to them a code of etiquette -by which alike the Chinese and foreign signatories to the agreement -should be bound. China should send consuls and ambassadors to foreign -countries; when a Chinese accused of a crime against a European is tried -by the Chinese authorities, the European authorities shall have a right -to be present in the court, but they must not interfere; it is to be the -same if the guilty person is a European who is tried by Englishmen. If, -however, the representative of one of the two powers is not satisfied -with the verdict given, he will have the right to protest. The penalty -inflicted on the condemned will be that prescribed by the law of the -country to which the judge belongs; the _likin_, or inland tax, imposed on -foreign goods in transit, is no longer to be exacted in the concessions -belonging to Europeans; China will permit Ichang in the province of Hupe, -Wu-hu in Anhui, Wenchow in Che-kiang, and Pak-hoï in Canton to be opened -to European trade; consuls shall also be allowed to reside in each of -these towns. Acting in a spirit of conciliation China will allow foreign -steamers to take passengers and merchandise to the following ports on -the Yang-tse: Ta-Tung, Anking, Hukow, Wusuch, Ling-hi-Kow, and Sha-Shi. -Furthermore, if foreign expeditions wish to go by way of the Kan-su and -Kokconor route or by the way of Szechuan to Thibet and thence to India, -the Tsung-li-Yamen will give the necessary passports to those expeditions, -and instructions will also be sent to the Chinese officials of Thibet in -order that the explorers may travel in all security. - -[Illustration: FIG. 36.--PORTRAIT OF HIS EXCELLENCY LI-HUNG-CHANG.] - -This convention, which if fully acted on would have completely -revolutionized the position of Europeans in China, was signed on the 13th -September, 1876, but though more than twenty-two years have passed since -then, much of it still remains a dead letter. Now, however, there are many -signs of the inauguration of a very different state of things; Chinese -procrastinations and delays can no longer avert the final opening up of -the whole country to European commerce and colonization, the only question -being which of the European powers will secure the largest share of the -undeveloped wealth of the inland provinces. - -[Sidenote: ICHANG] - -It will be interesting before going further to inquire what is the present -position of one or two of the ports mentioned in the _résumé_ just given -of the Treaty of 1876. We will begin with Ichang, recent events having -brought it into considerable prominence. Beautifully situated on the -banks of the Yang-tse, one thousand miles from its mouth, just at the -entrance to the grand ravines of its middle course, great things were -hoped of Ichang by the few Europeans who, emboldened by the delusive -promises of the Chinese Government, took up their residence there in the -early eighties. In 1883, we are told by Archibald Little, the intrepid -English explorer, who last year took a specially-constructed steamer up to -Chung-Ting, 500 miles beyond Ichang, "the foreign community in the latter -town comprised a commissioner of customs with three assistants; one Scotch -Presbyterian minister and his wife, and two Roman Catholic missionaries; -whilst in 1898 the foreigners had increased to twelve Europeans employed -in the Imperial customs, and thirty missionaries. The trade," he adds, -"is a busy retail one, but there are no large banks or wealthy wholesale -merchants such as there are at Sha-Shi, eighty miles lower down the river, -which has been called the 'Manchester of Western China.' The opening -to navigation of the Upper Yang-tse will doubtless ere long change all -that, and the English owe a debt of gratitude to the pioneers who have -broken through the long-sustained opposition of the junk-ring to the use -of steamers. Ichang will, it is hoped, ere long become what its position -marks it out to be--a centre of foreign trade for the long-closed border -districts of Western China." - -[Sidenote: PAK-HOÏ] - -Pak-hoï, another of the Treaty ports of the 1876 Convention, presents a -very marked contrast to Ichang. It is a town of some 10,000 inhabitants in -the province of Canton, on the northern shore of Tonking, and is likely, -now that the concession for the railway between it and Nanking has been -secured by the French Government, to be of great importance as a port -of export. Unfortunately, however, it has not a good harbour, and as at -Hankow, large vessels are compelled to anchor in the offing on account of -the lowness of the water further inshore. The chief imports to Pak-hoï are -cotton and woollen goods, opium and rice, whilst the exports are sugar, -ground-nut oil, aniseed, betel-vine leaves, and other spices. Lovers of -sport will find plenty of woodcock, partridges, wild-ducks, and other -water-fowl in the neighbourhood of Pak-hoï. Opposite to the town, in the -south of the bay, is a very celebrated pagoda, one of the most remarkable -in China. From its centre grows a magnificent plane-tree, in which nest -thousands of sparrows. The branches have forced their way through the -windows of the building, and the masses of dark green foliage, contrasting -as they do with the stonework, produce a most charming and picturesque -effect. The bay on which Pak-hoï is situated is dotted with islands, and -in them many French missionaries have taken up their abode, adopting the -costumes and many of the customs of the natives, including the wearing of -the pig-tail. One of these devoted soldiers of the Cross had been an exile -from his native land for nineteen years. - -[Illustration: FIG. 37.--ICHANG.] - -Pak-hoï was opened to trade with considerable ceremony in the presence of -the English Consul and several mandarins of high standing. The foreign -flags were saluted by the Chinese with a volley from two guns, and the -director of the new Custom House let off a number of crackers amongst -the assembled crowds with a view to warning off evil spirits, who, in -the opinion of the Celestials, are afraid of them. In spite of the -expenditure of gunpowder, the receipts of the Pak-hoï Customs officers -have so far remained insignificant, though there is every probability of a -considerable increase in the near future. - -It so happened that when I visited the town the _féte_ of the New Year was -being celebrated, which prevented my giving as much attention as I might -otherwise have done to the statistics of trade. The year begins in China -fifteen days after the rising of the February moon, and at this _féte_ -the Celestials, who are generally so devoted to business, throw aside -all occupation and give themselves completely up to amusement. There is -no Sabbath or weekly day of rest in this land of the yellow races, which -perhaps accounts for the intense zest with which they enjoy the annual -fortnight of repose. - -[Sidenote: NEW YEAR'S PRESENTS] - -On the eve of the holiday the Chinese merchant puts his business affairs -into scrupulous order, balancing his accounts as he sits at his desk, -bending over his numerous little ledgers, or his calculator made of tiny -balls of ivory, his big spectacles upon his nose, and a pencil or a reed -pen in his hand. His work done, he locks up his books and hastens off to -don his very best clothes; then holding fast the indispensable fan, he -runs off to the theatres and the flower-boats, treats his friends and -becomes intoxicated as they do with opium, or with champagne, to the -deafening accompaniment of the beating of gongs, or the explosion of -thousands of crackers. Or if he is fonder of play than of drinking, he -goes to some sordid gambling-den and there in a few hours dissipates the -results of a whole year of toil. As in France at the beginning of a new -year many presents are exchanged by the Celestials, and a well-brought-up -Chinaman sends to each of his friends a little square piece of red paper -on which, side by side with the name of the donor, is inscribed some wise -precept of Confucius. To the women with whom he is on visiting terms -he will present small lacquer articles, microscopic shrubs, or quaint -representations of fish with red scales and golden fins. If he is anxious -to secure the patronage of some merchant or trader, he will send him -beautiful fruit, such as Mandarin oranges, dainty hams, or sugar-candy, -according to what he knows to be the recipient's special weakness. - -[Illustration: FIG. 38.--A CHINESE DYER AT WORK.] - -[Illustration: FIG. 39.--A CHINESE VISITING CARD.] - -At the _féte_ of the New Year the wives of the mandarins and other -officials exchange visits in their ornate palanquins, dressed up in their -finest silk dresses, generally either yellow or blue, and with their -faces laden with rouge. Endless is the talk these decked-out dames have -together, as they sip their tea from tiny little cups, and nibble sweets, -or munch up immense quantities of dried and strongly-salted slices of -water-melon. At these feminine reunions, too, there is a good deal of -singing, and the voices are pitched so high that a stranger passing by a -house where a concert was going on would think a lot of amorous cats were -yelling on the roof. - -None of the lower classes will do any work on a general holiday, and the -coolies, palanquin-bearers, and boatmen, who have not much money to risk, -content themselves with playing at the popular and almost cosmopolitan -game of morra at the street-corners, shouting and laughing over it with -wonderful animation, forty Celestials making more noise than would five -hundred Europeans. Sometimes the game ends in a quarrel, but even when he -is insulted a Chinaman never fights; his mode of working off his spleen is -quite unlike that of the corresponding class in the West. - -[Sidenote: WENCHOW] - -Wenchow is an important town on the coast of the fertile and -beautifully-wooded province of Che-kiang, and is about equidistant from -Fuchau and Tsing-Ho. It is the port of embarkation for great quantities of -tea, and considerable trade is done in it in bamboo, wood, and timber. It -is a bright, clean-looking town, as well kept as any in the Flowery Land, -as Chinese authors love to call their country, and the streets are said -by travellers to be wider than those of any other city of the Celestial -Empire. There are, moreover, such an immense number of temples, that inns -being scarce, Europeans often lodge in the sacred buildings, the natives -offering no objection; but it must be added that in many parts of China, -pagodas are turned to account as caravanserais in which any one is allowed -to sleep and to cook food. In spite of all the stories told of the bigotry -of the Chinese, and of the awful penalties exacted for sacrilege, there -is really no doubt that taken as a whole the inhabitants of the Celestial -Empire are really less intolerant than those of Europe, a fact which -should not be forgotten in passing judgment upon them. The port of Wenchow -has increased rapidly in prosperity since the Convention of 1876 threw -it open to European trade, and many foreign vessels are always in the -harbour, discharging their cargoes of various stuffs, or taking Chinese -merchandise on board. - -Wu-hu, fifty miles from Nanking, is on the Yang-tse, and so far has not -profited very much by its new privileges, though it now seems likely to -become a centre of the rice-exporting trade of the surrounding districts. -The story goes that the first Englishman to settle in Wu-hu wrote to a -fellow-countryman at Shanghai soon after his arrival, to say he had drunk -so much champagne with the Chinese governor that he was quite unable to -describe his new quarters. He had arrived in a snow-storm, a happy augury -according to the natives, but far from a pleasant one to a European. -Wu-hu is the residence of a civil magistrate, and of a _tao-tai_, whose -duties are very much those of a Prefect in French towns. There are also -a colonel, who has two regiments of soldiers under him, and two naval -officers in the Imperial service. One of the latter is in command of the -fleet stationed at the mouth of the Yang-tse, the other looks after the -gun-boats which act as the river police. The town is well built, the chief -street is a league long, well paved and bordered by beautiful houses, -some two storeys high, and all decorated with red or black lacquer signs -on which stand out the names in golden letters of the merchants owning -them. When this fine street is lit up by the oblique rays of the setting -sun the effect is as dazzling as at Canton itself. The climate is healthy, -the people are friendly to foreigners, so that many causes combine to make -Wu-hu a pleasant place of residence for Europeans. It must, however, be -added that the mandarins and government officials are alike hostile to -missionaries. - -On every side of the town, except of course on that of the river, -stretch vast plantations of rice and corn-fields. A raised causeway -crosses these beautiful and well-kept districts, along which I went with -a fellow-countryman, a French naval officer, to be present at a noisy -demonstration by the natives in honour of an eclipse of the moon. On this -occasion, however, the satellite of our earth so much beloved by poets -played the astronomers of Pekin a very scurvy trick. - -[Sidenote: A FICKLE SATELLITE] - -The learned members of the Kin-Tien-Kien, or Imperial astronomers, had -with all due solemnity announced to the Emperor of China, the Son of -Heaven, as well as to all the provincial governors, that on the 7th -February at eight o'clock in the evening precisely, the dragon who wanders -to and fro in the regions of the air, _quærens quem devoret_, will -endeavour to swallow the moon. The eclipse was to be almost total, so the -astronomers had warned the people that the attack of the monster would -be terrible, and that the pale satellite of the earth would very likely -succumb if the shouts and the noise of the gongs did not put the dragon -to flight. - -Long before the appointed time on the day when the tragedy was expected -to come off, millions of Chinese issued from all the towns of the vast -Empire to flock out into the open country, there, nose in air, to watch -the wonderful phenomenon about, as they supposed, to take place. Those -amongst them who had been unable to get gongs, had provided themselves -with saucepans, rattles, pieces of the hollow stems of the bamboo, and -immense quantities of little red crackers. But, oh, what a disappointment! -Oh, what a fraud! At eight o'clock the gazing multitudes saw the moon rise -above the horizon in all the untarnished glory of her full disc, without -the slightest sign of any alteration in her usual appearance. At nine -o'clock she was shining placidly down upon the watchers, her radiance -totally unimpaired. Was the whole thing a mystification, a fabrication of -the astronomers? But just as all hope was being regretfully abandoned, a -tremendous noise began on every side, for the watchers saw a change coming -over the face of the planet, which was assuming a reddish hue like that -of blood, whilst a hideous black spot was slowly advancing across it. The -dragon was beginning his attack. - -It is absolutely impossible to describe the rage with which the Chinese -then began to beat their gongs and saucepans, whirl their rattles, and -let off their crackers. The dragon was evidently frightened away by the -row, for after an hour of looking up at the full moon, and seeing nothing -more of the black spot, the crowds, jubilant over their action, began to -disperse, whilst the planet triumphantly continued her course through -space. - -[Sidenote: HI AND HO BEHEADED] - -I learnt later that the Emperor sent a message to his astronomers telling -them that next time they made such a mistake in their calculations he -would relieve them of their appointments and send them into exile. In the -reign of Tchung Kang, 2155 years before the Christian era, his astronomers -named Hi and Ho were beheaded for not having foreseen an eclipse of the -sun. Father Gaubil, in his interesting _History of Chinese Astronomy_, -explains the reasons of this very severe punishment as follows: - -"In China an eclipse of the sun or of the moon is considered of evil -augury for the Emperor, intended to warn him to examine himself and -correct his faults.... Hence an eclipse is always looked upon as an -affair of state in the Celestial Empire, and the greatest care is taken -to calculate the time when one will take place, as well as to observe it -whilst it is going on with the ceremonies prescribed on such occasions. -Now this time Hi and Ho had failed altogether to announce the approaching -event, and when the orb of day was suddenly obscured, the mandarins, -not expecting an eclipse, hastened to the palace in alarmed dismay. The -confusion which ensued of course terrified the people, who had also been -left in ignorance of the approaching phenomenon. The whole course of the -proper proceedings on these occasions is presented in the ancient book -of rites. Directly the light of the sun begins to grow dim, the chief -musician strikes a drum, and the mandarins are all expected to hurry at -once to the palace armed with bows and arrows, as if to aid the Emperor, -who is supposed to be the image of the sun. All the officials, moreover, -have to offer their sovereign pieces of silk. Meanwhile the Emperor and -the chief dignitaries of the court don their simplest garments and fast. -As the astronomers did not give the usual notice, all these ceremonies, -generally so religiously observed, were neglected, and, although Hi and -Ho were princes as well as men of science, they had to pay the penalty -of their neglect. They were not at court at the time, but at their -country seats, where, said Rumour, they were conspiring against their -sovereign. They were arrested, and without any trial the Emperor ordered -their heads to be cut off. Thus dramatically ended an episode thoroughly -characteristic of the Celestial Empire, where the Son of Heaven has ever -been ready to order those who annoy him on earth to be decapitated, -inquiring into their conduct only when the proving of their innocence can -do them no good." - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - - -I land at Shanghai--The Celestial who had never heard of Napoleon--Total -value of exports and imports to and from Shanghai--What those exports -and imports are--The devotion of the Chinese to their native land--The -true yellow danger of the future--I am invited to a Chinese dinner at -Shanghai--My yellow guests--The ladies find me amusing--Their small feet -and difficulty in walking--A wealthy mandarin explains why the feet are -mutilated--Sale of girls in China--Position of women discussed--A mandarin -accepts a Bible--Our host takes us to a flower-boat--Description of -boat--My first attempt at opium-smoking--A Celestial in an opium dream. - -When I landed on the vast estuary from which rises up the important town -of Shanghai, I really could hardly believe I was but forty days' voyage -from Marseilles. Our world is no such big one after all, it is true, but -how many centuries it has taken to learn much about it! "Did you ever hear -of Napoleon?" I one day asked a Celestial, who had a shining glass button -on his cap. "Don't know whom you mean," he answered, with a bewildered -look, and there is not much doubt that if he had asked me about some -great Chinese Emperor, I should have been just as puzzled as he was. All -this will, however, ere long be changed, what with steam and electricity, -especially with electricity, which puts a girdle round the earth in a very -few minutes, fleet messenger that it is of peace, of war, of ruin, and of -fortune. When the various races of the earth know each other better, we -shall perhaps become more tolerant of each other, more interdependent, so -to speak, and that cannot fail to be an advantage for all concerned. When -a blow struck in the East is enough to shake the West to its foundations, -we shall think twice before we give that blow. The more frequent the -intercourse between the various races of the earth, the nearer we shall -be, in spite of many a bitter disappointment, to that era of universal -peace to which every nation has aspired in vain for so many centuries. - -[Sidenote: EXPORTS AND IMPORTS] - -Such were some of my reflections when I found myself for the first time -in the midst of the busy scenes on the quays of Shanghai, surrounded by -countless bales of silk and cases of tea waiting for embarkation for -the West from whence I came. Shanghai, as is well known, is the port of -entry of that great water highway of Western China, the Yang-tse, but it -is more than that, it is the commercial capital of the Celestial Empire, -for, as stated by Colquhoun in his _China in Transformation_, fifty-five -per cent, of the total value of the foreign imports at all the treaty -ports, and forty-eight per cent, of the exports to foreign countries pass -through the port of Shanghai. "Four years ago the value of the trade, -native and foreign, of this great emporium of the East was estimated at no -less than £35,772,006, and it has increased rather than decreased since -then. Several steamers have plied daily since 1860 between Shanghai and -Hankow, and some three thousand vessels, one-half of which are British, -enter the port every year. Silk and tea are the chief exports, after -which come cotton, rice, sugar, paper, tobacco, various drugs used as -medicines, cloth of native manufacture, wool, hemp, flower-seeds, fans, -and other fancy articles." The chief imports from abroad are cotton goods, -alcohol, opium, which is fortunately rapidly declining in amount, various -metals, and woollen stuffs. In 1896, France, whose trade with China takes -third rank amongst that of European nations, England coming first and -then Germany, exported goods to the value of one hundred and eighty-four -millions of francs, on which she paid one million five hundred thousand -francs duty. To set against this, French imports to China, including woven -materials, lace, wine, copper, and other goods, amounted to the value of -twenty-eight millions only; that is to say, one hundred and fifty-six -millions less than the exports. What an immense difference does this sum -represent between what China gave and what she received, and what a price -the Chinese paid for the privilege of dealing with the West! To this day -the Celestials, whose ports have been opened against their will by the -cannon of the British, aided by those of the French, give what they must -give to foreigners grudgingly; to use an expressive saying, there is no -love lost between them and those they trade with. They would like to take -all and give nothing in return. Those who are unfortunate enough to die -abroad will not allow their dust to aid in fructifying the soil of the -land of their exile, for their bodies are brought by steamers from San -Francisco, Peru, the Philippine Islands, Australia, and elsewhere, to -be buried in their native land, in the same last resting-place as that -of their ancestors, where their memory will be held sacred by their own -descendants. There is indeed something very pathetic and touching in the -intense devotion of the Chinese to their native land, in spite of their -ignorant readiness to leave it. They will make any sacrifice to ensure -burial at home, for they believe that there alone can the dead find true -repose. - -When I was at Shanghai, I noted with some surprise what immense quantities -of bales of cotton were landed at the port. An Englishman with whom I had -some conversation told me these bales came from the East Indies, and that -the amount imported was continually on the increase. The Chinese aspire, -he added, to manufacturing cotton goods themselves, and if they should -succeed in overcoming their aversion to European methods of production, -the trade in stuffs will receive a severe blow. It is, however, greatly -in favour of British manufacturing interests that Western China is not -suitable to the cultivation of the raw material, so that the cotton for -making much of the clothing of the natives has all to be brought from -abroad. "Every traveller in the Upper Yang-tse," says Little in his -_Through the Yang-tse Gorges_, "is struck by the endless procession of -cotton-laden junks struggling up the successive rapids." - -[Sidenote: YELLOW PERIL FOR THE FUTURE] - -A more significant sign of the times and of the emancipation of many -of the Chinese from the trammels of tradition, even than the desire to -produce their clothes at home, is the willingness of traders and merchants -to settle in foreign towns. Not so very long ago the only Chinese met with -in Europe or America were the coolies who had emigrated on the conditions -described in a previous chapter. Now in London, in Paris, and in New York -are extensive depôts of tea, silk, and other exports from the Celestial -Empire kept by Chinese men of wealth, with a staff of their own yellow -countrymen. This fact represents the true yellow peril for European and -American merchants, for these merchants sell better goods at lower prices -than their foreign rivals, and the employers of labour will presently have -to contend in their own persons with a competition as keen and as unequal -as that hampering their workmen. The fact that the Chinese will work for -very much lower wages than those on which any white man can support life, -has long been a problem for those responsible for municipal government in -the States, but it is only lately that the monied classes have been, so to -speak, threatened with a similar danger in their own strongholds of trade -and commerce. If restrictions are not soon imposed upon the entry into -Paris and other great cities of Europe of these formidable rivals, we may -yet in our own life-time see the yellow-skins driven through the streets -before the bayonet and the revolver in our capitals, in much the same -fashion as they already have been in California and Australia. But when -all is said and done, have not Asiatics just as much right to rejoice in -the sunshine, such as it is, of the West as Europeans have to bask in that -of the East? Is not the life of a Tartar, a Mongol, or a Mandarin really -as sacred as that of a native of France or of England? It all depends on -the point of view. - -[Illustration: FIG. 40.--A CHINESE RESTAURANT. AFTER THE REPAST.] - -[Sidenote: AN INVITATION TO DINNER] - -A wealthy American, who had been longer at Shanghai than any other -foreigner, invited me to dine with him at a celebrated Chinese restaurant, -and there I enjoyed the rare privilege of meeting several natives of high -rank. They came accompanied by their favourite concubines, their legal -wives being left at home; and the ladies were carried in their palanquins -right into the centre of the dining-room, where they got out. Dressed in -fresh and elegant costumes of light blue silk, and with their abundant -black hair decked with natural flowers, they really looked very pretty. -Their complexions, though far too much rouged, were delicate; and where -the natural hue had been left unchanged, almost white. Sitting at table -with them, I regretted very much that I could not say a word they would -understand, for they spoke neither French nor English, and I do not -understand Chinese. My host had, however, warned me to be very careful -not to be too polite to them even in dumb-show, for if their lords felt -the very smallest spark of jealousy I should most likely see all the -fair creatures take flight like a flock of frightened turtle-doves. -Their palanquins were waiting outside at the door of the restaurant, -ready for every contingency. The Celestials invited had only consented -to come to this dinner when they were assured that I should be leaving -Shanghai in a few days. Throughout the meal the women talked very little -amongst themselves, but I saw a smile of amusement on their lips when they -noticed my embarrassment at having to take something to which I was not -accustomed; such as pigeons' hearts with ginger, to drink spirit distilled -from rice out of little cups instead of glasses, and to pick up my food -with the ivory chop-sticks, which did duty for forks. None of the ladies -ate any meat, and they put nothing into their dainty mouths but perfumed -sweets or dried melon-seeds, which they picked up with their long, slim -fingers, disfigured by great claw-like nails, giving their hands a very -unpleasant, almost bestial appearance. The meal consisted of three -courses, during the serving of which vocal and instrumental music--oh, -such a lot of it!--was going on. When it was over, the young women rose, -and, still smiling, made their way out with difficulty on their poor -deformed feet, clutching at the table, the chairs, and the walls for -support as they limped to their luxurious palanquins. The last to leave -had feet so tiny I could hardly see them beneath her jonquil-coloured -silk breeches. I remarked on the small size of the poor girl's feet to a -corpulent Celestial with an intelligent face who was sitting beside me, -and he said with a loud laugh, "Very good thing for jealous husbands!" - -[Sidenote: A BARBAROUS CUSTOM] - -"Small feet are not merely a caprice of fashion then?" I observed. - -"No, no!" was the reply. "The fact is, when in any family, whether rich -or poor, a girl-child is born, who is well formed and has good features, -giving great promise of beauty when she is fifteen years old, her feet -are subjected to close compression a few months after birth. You will -understand that it is her liberty to walk or run, and to get out of -the house, which is taken away from her at this early stage of her -existence.... Later, when her parents, if wealthy, wish to find a good -match for her, or if poor are anxious to sell her for a high price, her -small feet are always quoted as a proof of her value, and this privation -of liberty is considered a great point in her favour ... do you see?" - -"What a barbarous custom!" I exclaimed. - -"Yes, from the European point of view, but if you had asked any of the -girls who were at dinner just now, whether Hatai, Atma, Atoi, or Atchai, -each one would have replied that she did not regret the life that she -leads. If she had not been prepared in this way to be bought by some -wealthy Celestial, she would have been working in the rice-plantations -like a beast of burden; or would have had to spend her life with the -fisher-folk on the sea-shore, or in some wretched river-boat." - -"How are these sales of women effected?" I inquired. - -"Through the agency of brokers, and by formal contract. At this moment I -have a document in my pocket making me the owner from to-day of a young -girl of Tien-tsin. Would you like to see it?" - -Of course I said yes, and he showed me the contract, of which I give a -verbatim translation: - - "On account of the poverty of my family, I consent to sell my - daughter, aged fourteen years, to Tu-won-lan-hi, that he may provide - for and take care of her. On the twenty-fourth day of the sixth - moon, I received as complete payment for her the sum of eighty-five - piastres (about six pounds). The twenty-fourth day of the sixth month - of the sixteenth year of the reign of Kwang-Su.[4] - - "_Signed:_ Thang Ting, father of the young girl; - "Madame Yap-Kang-Ko, go-between; - "Tchen-Tchen-Tchan, scribe charged - with drawing up the contract of sale." - -[4] In China, the year of the reign is used instead of that of the -century, and a century there is only sixty years. According to Chinese -chronology, we are now in the thirty-fifth year of the seventy-sixth -century of the Christian era. - -[Sidenote: POLYGAMY IN CHINA] - -Having read and copied this document, I returned it to the owner, with the -remark, "So you can have as many women as it suits you to buy. In Egypt, -where polygamy seems as natural as it does to you, there is some limit put -upon the number of favourites in a harem, as the purchaser must prove that -he is rich enough to support her before he is allowed to buy a new wife. -How is it with you?" - -"There is no similar restriction in China," was the reply. "Besides the -women we buy, more as a gratification to our pride than because we have -taken a fancy to them, there is the wife whom you in Europe would call the -legitimate partner. She is privileged above all the other women owned by a -man, and her children alone have the right of inheriting the property of -their father. We must have heirs to succeed us, and this is why we have no -scruple in repudiating a barren wife. The first of our other women to give -us a male child takes the place of the divorced wife, and the rest follow -suit, until we are sure of having quite a number of sons to honour our -memories when we are gone, just as I have honoured that of my own father. -You must not forget how very strong tradition is with us, and that which -we are now discussing dates further back than your own Biblical age. All -innovation is displeasing to us.... A few years ago the friend who gave -us a dinner this evening, put me into communication with a Protestant -clergyman, who had just arrived from England, and was consumed with a -desire to make proselytes. Out of politeness, I listened for several days -to what he had to say, and I even accepted the gift of a Bible from him. I -set to work to read it with the greatest attention. To begin with, I was -very much surprised to find how young the world was made out to be in it, -for I had learnt from our bonzes that at the time when Abraham was born, -China was already old--very, very old--so I put the Bible aside. Was I not -right, seeing that it taught me nothing new?" - -"No," I replied, "you should have read on till you came to the New -Testament, for in it you would have found that man is not meant to live -in a state of debasing immobility, and that woman has a very different -mission to fulfil than that of the mere beast of burden, or concubine you -make of her in China." - -Fortunately, perhaps, for the conversation was becoming rather -acrimonious, our host interrupted us by inviting us to go with him to a -_féte_ which was being given in the harbour by a mandarin friend of his, -a great opium-smoker, and owner of what in the Celestial Empire by a -chivalrous euphemism is called a "Flower Boat." - -[Sidenote: ON A FLOWER BOAT] - -A few vigorous strokes from the oars of our boatmen brought us alongside -a junk riding at anchor in the open roadstead of Shanghai. The interior, -draped with scarlet damask, was brilliantly illuminated by means of an -immense number of dainty little lanterns, beneath which hung cages filled -with birds, whilst other cages upheld glass globes where red fish, with -long golden tails and transparent fins, disported themselves, their size -fantastically exaggerated by the medium through which we watched their -graceful movements. Very finely-woven mats of gleaming cleanliness covered -the floors, and curtains of embroidered silk slightly raised hung at the -entrances to the cabins, half concealing, half revealing, the mysterious -recesses within. I went into one of these retreats, and there in the -centre of the room I saw seated round a table, loaded with flowers, a -number of pale-faced Chinamen, each with a fan in his hand, with several -richly-dressed women (all, as usual, too much rouged), who were sipping -tea together or nibbling sweetmeats to the accompaniment of a guitar. I -noted also a couch of satin, without mattress or palliasse, but with a -pillow consisting of a cylinder of red chequered cardboard, and not far -from the couch a fragile bamboo table, on which were placed a metal pipe, -a box of opium, and the little lamps indispensable to the smokers of the -drug. - -I was presented to the mandarin, who was giving the entertainment, and -found him to be a man of very dignified appearance. He had lived for a -long time at Hong-Kong, and spoke a little English. He was very anxious to -perform his duties of host properly with regard to me, but did not find it -very easy. - -"What will you take?" he and the gentleman who had brought me kept saying -one after the other. - -A queer fancy took possession of me all of a sudden, and I replied that I -should like to smoke some opium. - -"Well, then," was the answer, "will you go into that cabin?" He clapped -his hands, and a servant ran in to light the lamps. - -When this was done, my host said: "I will send you a little tea as well, -in case the opium should not suit you. I suppose it is the first time you -have ever smoked it." - -The tea was placed ready to my hand, and I was left alone, the curtain -falling as the servant retired. I then smoked my first pipe, and found -the flavour of it detestably nasty. I now stretched myself in the couch, -laid my head upon the hard glazed roll of cardboard, which did duty as a -pillow, and closed my eyes. After a few minutes of anything but pleasant -meditation, I suddenly felt very unwell, and looked about me distractedly. -Seeing a porthole close to me, I put my head through it, hoping that the -fresh air would cool my burning forehead, but the sight of the black water -of the harbour, and the dreary sound of its surging up and down, made me -worse, so I quickly drew back and lay down again, determined to persevere. -At the end of a quarter of an hour I had smoked two more pipes, and then I -issued from my cabin with a very vague idea about my own sensations, but -feeling like a man suddenly overtaken by giddiness, or seized with violent -sea-sickness. - -[Sidenote: A HAPPY DREAM] - -My Yankee friend hastened to my assistance, but before he saw me off the -boat, he took me to have a look at the stout Chinaman with whom I had had -a discussion about the Bible. He was alone in a smoking-den, just like the -one I had used. His face was ghastly pale, his eyes were widely distended, -and he was gazing at the waves with an expression of terror, whilst his -features were bathed in perspiration.... He was wrapt in a dream--a happy -dream, no doubt--though his looks belied it, for surely so many Asiatics -would not smoke the opium which brings the dreams if they were not happy! - -[Illustration: FIG. 41.--A CHINESE JUNK.] - - - - -CHAPTER IX - - -Great commercial value of opium--Cultivation of the poppy--Exports of -opium from India--What opium is--Preparation of the drug--Opinions -on the English monopoly of the trade in it--Ingenious mode of -smuggling opium--Efforts of Chinese Government to check its -importation--Proclamation of the Viceroy Wang--Opinion of Li-Shi-Shen on -the properties of opium--The worst form of opium smoking--Its introduction -to Formosa by the Dutch--Depopulation of the island--Punishments inflicted -on opium-smokers--Opinions of doctors on the effects of opium-eating or -smoking--Chinese prisoners deprived of their usual pipe--The real danger -to the poor of indulgence in opium--Evidence of Archibald Little--The -Chinese and European pipe contrasted. - -Opium has from the first been so important a factor in the history of -Western intercourse with China, and indulgence in it is said to have had -so much to do with the physical and mental inferiority of the modern -Celestials, that it will be well to devote a chapter to the consideration -of the nature of the drug and its effects. - -[Sidenote: CULTIVATION OF THE POPPY] - -The poppy (_papaver somniferum_), from which the narcotic is extracted, is -grown in Persia and in China, but it is in India that it is most largely -and successfully cultivated. The monopoly of producing it in her great -Eastern dependency, and of selling it to the Chinese, has always been -vigorously protected by England, and the destruction of that monopoly -when it comes will be an immense loss to the revenue. Opium is, in fact, -to the English what tobacco is to the French, and there is no doubt that -British missionary effort has been greatly hampered by the dread of the -authorities of any interference with their lucrative trade. - -In the vast and fertile valley of the Ganges, the poppy has but to be -sown to yield an extensive crop. The Patna and Benares districts are -especially prolific, and at the time of efflorescence the air is laden -with the heavy, enervating scent from the flowers. Nothing could be -much more dreary and monotonous than the appearance of an Indian poppy -plantation, when the soil is covered with the dried petals of the flower. -Some few years ago the tax on the exported drug, both from Calcutta and -from Bombay, amounted to considerably over six millions of pounds. The -cultivators take their produce to the Government factories, where it is -purchased from them, and then sent to the sea-port, so that any illicit -consumption is rendered almost impossible. The comparatively small amount -of opium consumed in India itself is taxed by the excise officers, and the -bulk of the crop finds its way to China. It is only of late years that -native opium has competed at all with Indian, but already it is rumoured -that eventually it will drive the foreign imports away altogether. -Szechuan opium is taking the place of Indian on the Yang-tse, and Little, -in his _Through the Yang-tse Gorges_, describes vast poppy plantations -in the districts watered by the great river. He bemoans the association -of the English name "with the introduction of the useful yet pernicious -drug," and points out that it was first brought to China from India by -the Portuguese, adding that, in any case, the opium-pipe is most surely a -Chinese invention, for it is unknown in any other land. - -[Sidenote: PREPARATION OF OPIUM] - -Opium in its first state is the dried juice of the capsules before they -are ripe, and is gathered in the form of little globules of milky sap, -of the colour of amber. In India the seed is sown early in November, and -the capsules are ready for piercing about the beginning of February, -when they are nearly as large as hen's eggs. The delicate operation -of opening the poppy-heads for the exudation of the precious fluid is -performed with an instrument about three inches long, consisting of -four small knives bound together, the edges looking like the teeth of a -comb. The labourers have each several of these instruments, which, when -not in use, they carry carefully in a case. The day after the capsules -have been pierced, the juice is collected by scraping it off into a kind -of scoop, or small trowel, whence it is transferred to an earthen pot, -hanging from the collector's side When full, these pots are carefully -covered over and carried to the gatherer's home. The contents of the -jar require the most careful attention for three or four weeks to ensure -proper and equal drying. The juice is poured into a shallow plate or dish -of brass, slightly tilted, to let any watery fluid, which would spoil the -drug, drain off, and when the process is complete, the opium is carefully -packed in jars of equal size, and taken to the Government factories. Here -it is carefully examined, chemically tested, and weighed, to make sure -that it has not been tampered with in any way; and, if all is well, it is -placed in pots of the regulation size: the pots are ticketed and ranged -in rows on shelves in a big room set apart for the purpose. The rest of -the preparation for export is done in the Government laboratories, and the -process is a long and delicate one. The united crops of vast districts -are thrown into large tubs, where they are kneaded up together till they -are of the right consistency. The material is then taken out, divided -into equal portions, and placed on small tables, where it is manipulated, -with the aid of copper bowls of a spherical shape, into balls of an equal -weight, of about the size of a man's head. Some workmen become so skilful -that they turn out a hundred of these balls a day. Poppy-leaves, reduced -to powder, are used to prevent the opium from sticking together, and the -balls are sprinkled with the powder, much as chemists used to sprinkle -pills. - -The opium thus prepared, is now placed in great earthenware pans, -and carried to a drying-room, where the balls are ranged in rows of -mathematical regularity. During the drying process each sphere is pierced -every now and then with a long needle, to prevent the fermentation, which, -but for the greatest vigilance, might set in. The pricking also sets free -the gas which would rapidly deteriorate the value of the drug, prevents it -from becoming musty, and drives off the swarms of insects attracted by the -smell from it. - -The cases in which the balls of opium are packed are made of wood from the -mountains of Nepaul, which is brought to its destination in the form of -huge rafts. These rafts come down the Ganges on sailing vessels, at the -approach of which all other crafts have to make way. Calcutta is the port -of export for Bengal, and the opium is shipped into steamers and taken to -Hong-Kong or Shanghai. - -As is well known, the British Government has been very severely -criticized, not only by foreigners, but by English philanthropists, for -maintaining the opium monopoly, and the entire cessation of the trade -from India is earnestly advocated. Those who wish to maintain things -as they are, urge that the control exercised by the authorities is a -beneficent one, and that but for it opium would be cultivated throughout -the whole of India, and its consumption increased a thousand-fold. Time, -the great equalizer, will no doubt in the end keep up the monopoly -without any definite action on the part of the English, for although -nominally forbidden, the culture of the poppy is encouraged in China by -the officials responsible for the enforcement of the law, and immense -quantities of opium of native production is sold in the western provinces, -for a much lower price than the imported drug. - -The opium of Bengal is still preferred by critical smokers, but that -of Smyrna is more largely used in medicine, for it contains a greater -proportion of morphine, and is sent in large quantities to England, and -to Belgium. The culture of the poppy has of late years also been tried -in Africa, Australia, and even in parts of America, but so far the opium -produced in those countries does not compete with the Asiatic to any -perceptible degree. - -[Sidenote: OPIUM SMUGGLING] - -As a very little opium represents a considerable money value, smuggling -is of course practised on a very large scale, especially in China, where -the ingenuity displayed is really extraordinary. All along the coast, and -that coast is of immense extent, the illicit trade is briskly carried -on. In the South the smuggled drug is brought in in very fleet vessels, -of light tonnage, which easily evade the boats of the revenue officers. -The steamers plying daily between the open ports of Hong-Kong and Canton -do much to help the traffic, for the Celestials, who take passage on -them, secrete the precious drug about their own persons in a manner -most difficult to detect. Quantities of opium are also often hidden -beneath sham planks, in the paddles of the wheels, in the pipes of the -fire-engines, and even in the clocks on board. The struggle between the -smugglers and the custom-house officers is never-ending, and the skill -displayed in concealment on the one side and detection on the other is so -nearly equal, that it is rare indeed for either to gain a decisive victory -over the other. - -There is something truly pathetic in the futile efforts made at various -times by the Chinese Government to prevent the importation of opium into -the country, and of the many viceroys of provinces to keep it out of the -districts under their care. Here is a typical proclamation, issued by -a certain Wang in the early days of the trade in the pernicious drug, -which gives a very fair idea of what may be called native administrative -literature: - -[Sidenote: THE EVIL E-JEN] - -"Wang, Imperial Viceroy, makes known the following: Advices have reached -us to the effect that in the capital of Kwang-Tung and the neighbouring -districts certain E-jen (barbarians from the West) are going about -distributing to the people drugs in the form of pills made by fairies and -evil genii. It is asserted that those who have absorbed these drugs sweat -terribly all over their bodies to such an extent that they die. - -"I order all civil and military authorities to seek out the distributors -of these diabolical medicines, to arrest them, and to bring them to the -Court of Justice, where I will punish them severely. Although there are -no proofs that in my own district the E-jen have ventured to sell the -pills in question, I have been assured that cakes injurious to health have -been distributed to the people. Analyzed with the aid of white of egg, -these cakes yielded a residue of maggots.... I immediately ordered the -arrest of the presumptuous merchants, but they had already fled beyond my -jurisdiction. Fifty strokes from a bamboo-rod on the soles of their feet -would have been their punishment. The fact is, I am very much afraid that -these wretches have gone to other provinces, there to carry on their trade -and do further mischief. - -"From another report I learn that every day certain E-jen throw deadly -poisonous powders upon the roads; the rain does not destroy their potency -for evil; when these powders are trodden under foot a thin, suffocating -smoke rises up from them; there are some E-jen who carry this pernicious -substance at the end of their fingers, and they have but to rub the head -of any one they meet with it for that person to die, his body becoming -covered with red spots. - -"Have a care, therefore, not to allow yourselves to be duped; I give you -notice that at the gates of the town in which I reside I have posted -policemen who examine all strangers." - -In 1578 the celebrated Chinese savant, Li-Shi-Shen, published his great -book on the materials employed in medicine, to which he had devoted -his whole life. In this book he gives the history of the poppy and its -cultivation, dividing that history into three parts, the first relating -to the early days when its properties were little known, that is to say, -from the eighth to the eleventh century; the second to the time when the -juice of the capsules was discovered to have medicinal properties and -became used to alleviate affections of the stomach; and the third when -opium was imported in solid form. Li-Shi-Shen justly remarks that it -is in the capsule or seed-pod that the opium juice is secreted, and he -recommends the use of that juice mixed with honey for certain maladies. -He makes fun of a doctor who lived before his time, and had said that -the juice of the poppy could kill as surely as a stroke from a sword, -but dwells on the immense relief which those suffering from rheumatism -and asthma had obtained from its use. This sage of the sixteenth century -adds, that in Pekin opium pills are used to arouse sexual passion. There -is nothing surprising in this assertion to those who know the Chinese and -their fondness for such queer diet as swallows' nests, ginger, the fins of -sharks, sea-urchins, etc., because they think they stimulate the senses. -It must, however, be added in justice to the Celestials, that they are far -less sensual than their neighbours, the Japanese, and this is no small -praise. - -Though Li-Shi-Shen was right in laughing at the doctor whose assertion is -quoted above, the abuse of the newly-discovered drug of opium did cause -a great many deaths, and in the seventeenth century many Imperial edicts -were issued forbidding its use, but so deeply rooted had the love of it -become, that these fulminations against it were powerless to prevent its -importation. The mortality was doubled when the Chinese learnt to mix -opium with Hashish, or the potent drug known in India as bhang, prepared -from hemp. - -[Sidenote: A PERNICIOUS MIXTURE] - -The fatal knowledge was imparted to the Celestials in 1625 by some -Batavians who had come to Formosa, then in the possession of the Dutch, -who were engaged in building Fort Zealandia, near the present Taiwan. The -pernicious compound is smoked through a pipe fixed on to a bamboo handle, -and those who indulge in it are thrown into a state of delirium, which -generally lasts for a whole night. The results in the island of Formosa -were immediate and tragic, for all who had once enjoyed the voluptuous -dreams induced by the double narcotic, conceived such a passion for the -poison that no restrictive measures had any effect. The Dutch, alarmed -at the rapid depopulation of the island, did their best to remedy the -evil, but it was all of no use, the union of opium and Hashish was more -devastating than an epidemic of cholera or small-pox would have been. If a -native were condemned to the bastinado he would beg to be allowed to smoke -his pipe whilst the punishment was being inflicted, and the blows from -the bamboo fell all unheeded on his shoulders. According to some accounts -it was this demoralization of the natives which led the Dutch to abandon -Formosa, whilst others say they were driven out in 1866 by the Chinese. -In any case it seems pretty certain that the worst form of opium smoking -began during the Dutch occupation of Formosa, and was thence introduced to -the mainland. It is consoling to know that Chinese historians attribute to -the Dutch, not the English, the introduction of the most pernicious of all -the various forms of opium smoking. - -Inspired probably more by hatred of the foreigners who became enriched by -the importation of the drug than by any feeling of humanity, the Chinese -authorities continued for two whole centuries to inflict all manner -of punishments on those who smoked opium, no matter in what form. The -offenders were fined, thrown into prison, compelled to wear the cangue, -or heavy wooden collar, fitting closely round the neck and preventing the -victim from obtaining any rest, or received a varying number of strokes -from the bamboo on the mouth or on the soles of the feet. Now, however, -all is changed, for the tax imposed on opium brings wealth to the coffers -of the Government, and although smoking is still nominally forbidden, it -is in reality encouraged throughout the length and breadth of the land. - -[Sidenote: CHINESE PRISONS] - -Opinion is very much divided as to the effect of opium on those who -indulge in it. When I was in Indo-China I was only able to consult English -doctors on the subject, and it was impossible not to feel that they were -necessarily prejudiced in favour of the drug, bearing in mind the great -revenues reaped by their Government from its importation. I was assured by -one of them that its use in moderation was perfectly harmless, and that -an old confirmed smoker if suddenly deprived of it, does not suffer any -ill effects. This, by the way, is a very important point. My informants -cited cases of ardent consumers of opium being thrown into prison, where -such a thing as a pipe was not to be had; yet instead of suffering from -the deprivation, the victims retained their usual health, and were not -nearly so much affected as sailors would be who could not have the tobacco -to which they are accustomed, or drunkards cut off from every beverage -but pure water. It will be remembered that after the suppression of the -Commune in France in 1871, many of the insurgents sent to Brest died at -once from the sudden loss of the stimulants they had become accustomed -to. More hardened or more philosophical, who shall say which? the Chinese -prisoners deprived of their best-beloved pastime resign themselves without -a murmur, though there is no doubt that they suffer frightfully from the -terrible conditions in the gaols, coming out, if they come out alive, mere -skeletons. A "Celestial" place of detention is indeed a Gehenna of horror -and misery. It is only fair to add, however, that a case occurred of a -man, who before he was sent to prison had never missed his pipe for thirty -years, yet he gained three pounds in weight during the first three weeks -of his detention. - -Amongst the poorer classes in China it is really the time and money -wasted on the drug which are of more importance to the bread-winner than -the bad effect on his health. At the best of times the wages earned by a -Chinese labourer are extremely low, and when he takes to smoking, his wife -and children suffer much, as do those of drunkards in Europe. Archibald -Little, who knows the Celestials as well perhaps as any other Englishman, -says that during his "forty years' stay in the country and extensive -intercourse with every class, he has met with few natives seriously -injured by the drug. To the well-nourished Chinaman," he adds, "his -evening pipes are more a pastime, a means of passing the time pleasantly -in a state of placid inactivity dear to the Oriental, while the merchant -conducts many of his best bargains over the pipe, much as negotiations -are often conducted over a bottle of wine at home.... It is when," adds -this keen observer, "a Chinese mandarin succumbs to the opium-pipe and -spends most of his time on the opium-couch that the mischief is serious, -for rapacity and mis-government go on unchecked,"[5] it being all but -impossible to get such a man removed from his post. He has, say the -natives, the 'Yin,' their name for the passionate craving for the drug, -corresponding with what is called dipsomania by European doctors, and -there is no hope for him; he will indulge his passion till he dies. Not -unjustly have many medical men called attention to the indulgence in wine -and brandy of the European residents in China, especially in Hong-Kong, -and suggested that the missionaries should begin their reforms at home, -and before inveighing against Chinese vices they should endeavour to win -converts to sobriety amongst their own fellow-countrymen. - -[5] _Through the Yang-tse Gorges_, p. 194. - -[Sidenote: AN OPIUM-SMOKER] - -[Illustration: FIG. 42.--AN OPIUM-SMOKER.] - -In discussing the evil effects of opium-smoking, the very great value -of the drug as a medicine is liable to be forgotten, yet the lives -of thousands have been saved by its use under proper control. It has -absolutely no rival in its power of giving needful sleep in illness and -in relieving pain, whilst in many diseases its effect is of the greatest -possible advantage to the patient. - -[Sidenote: THE 'BLACK SMOKE'] - -Dr. Ayres of Hong-Kong relates several experiments he made in his own -person to test the truth of the theory that the poisonous qualities of -opium evaporate when it is smoked, but remain active when it is eaten. -He began by absorbing a very small quantity per day till he could take -as much as half-an-ounce, and says that he experienced sensations so -intensely agreeable that he realized what the suffering of deprivation -must be when the habit of opium-eating is once confirmed. He then tried -smoking a pipe of the prepared drug every day, without feeling any ill -effects whatever; there was, he declares, absolutely no difference in -his pulse or in his temperature. It was exactly the same with several -Europeans whom he persuaded to follow his example. "I counted the throbs -of their pulse, I took their temperature, and there was absolutely nothing -abnormal about either, although I had made them smoke twelve pipes each." -This does but prove that the effects of opium are different with different -constitutions, and that there are some who can take it even in large -quantities with impunity; but for all that the horrors of the so-called -black smoke, and of the opium dens of China can hardly be exaggerated, -even the Celestials themselves admitting that the effects of the drug are -injurious to health, and warp the better nature of those who indulge in it -to excess; but, as already remarked, its price is still so high that only -the wealthy can afford it in quantities likely to be hurtful. It is as -difficult for a Chinese workman to get opium as it would be for a French -peasant to buy champagne, or an English apprentice to indulge in port-wine. - -[Illustration: FIG. 43.--OPIUM PIPES.] - -[Sidenote: SOCIABLE SMOKERS] - -Moreover, it is even now the exception for rich Celestials to yield -themselves body and soul to the temptation. One opium-smoker goes to call -on another, and the two indulge in a friendly pipe together as they chat -about the weather, or the state of trade, or perhaps arrange a marriage -for a son or a daughter; but the host does not expect to see his guest -fall asleep and roll on the ground like a pig, any more than a European -now-a-days expects his visitor to succumb to drink, and slip under the -table as was so common an occurrence at the beginning of the nineteenth -century. The ordinary opium-smoker does not light his pipe to induce -sleep, but just to enable him to forget his troubles for a time, and no -De Quincey or Sylvestre de Sacy is needed to prove that a man in rags may -indulge in happy dreams of prosperity without leaving some cheap and dingy -tavern. Still we cannot fail to contrast the ugly Chinese apparatus with -all its paraphernalia, including the horribly smelling lamp needed to -keep it alight, with the simple European pipe, so easily filled to begin -with, and so readily replenished. The lover of opium seeks to be alone; -he has no desire for the company of even his dearest friend in his den; -but the smoker of the comparatively innocent weed delights in gathering -his comrades about him, and there is nothing in the wide world more -provocative of good fellowship than the fumes of tobacco. - -[Illustration: FIG. 44.--REQUISITES FOR OPIUM-SMOKING.] - - - - -CHAPTER X - - -Missionary effort in China--First arrival of the Jesuits--Landing of -Michael Roger--Adam Schaal appointed Chief Minister of State--The -scientific work of the Jesuits--Affection of the young Emperor Kang-Hi -for them--Arrival of other monks--Disputes between them and the -Jesuits--The Pope interferes--Fatal results for the Christians--Speech -of Kang-Hi--Expulsion of the Jesuits--Concessions to Europeans in -newly opened ports--Hatred of foreigners at Tien-tsin--Arrival of -French nuns--Their mistakes in ignoring native feeling--Chinese -children bought by the Abbé Chevrier--A Chinese merchant's views on the -situation--Terrible accusations against the Sisters--Murder of the French -Consul and his assistant--The Governor of Tien-tsin responsible--Massacre -of the Abbé Chevrier and one hundred children--The Lady Superior and her -nuns cut to pieces and burnt--The guilty Governor Chung-Ho sent to Paris -as envoy--No proper vengeance exacted by the French--Other Sisters go to -Tien-tsin. - -There is no more pathetic, no more thrilling story in all the annals -of Christianity than that of missionary effort in China, and those who -remember the sad fate of the French Sisters at Tien-tsin, and of many -other devoted women, will not fail to accord their tribute of admiration -to the noble devotion which has inspired so many to lay down their lives -in the sacred cause of the propagation of the Gospel in the Celestial -Empire. That the crop of proselytes yielded by a soil fructified with the -blood of virgin martyrs is altogether out of proportion to the expenditure -of life and money involved in winning them, is indeed a melancholy fact; -but undaunted by the terrors of the past, fresh bands of eager zealots are -ever ready to take the place of those worsted in the struggle, and at the -present moment there seems hope that the religion of the Redeemer may yet -take real root in the districts newly opened to European trade. - -As is well known, it was the Jesuits who were the first to succeed in -introducing Christianity into China. Far more enlightened and worldly-wise -than the monks of the rival orders, they obtained a footing where so many -others had failed, by their tact in giving out that they were pilgrims -from the West who had heard of the wonders of the Celestial Empire, and -had come to it to see those wonders with their own eyes. - -[Sidenote: A MISSIONARY PIONEER] - -The pioneer of these astute followers of Ignatius Loyola was a certain -Michael Roger, who landed in China in 1581, and although some of his -successors were beheaded in 1615 the work they had done bore fruit in the -erection of a church at Kei-Fung-Fu, on the Yellow River, in which quite a -number of converts attended the Roman Catholic services. This church was -destroyed through the bursting of a dyke, and the Jesuit missionary then -in charge of it was drowned in trying to save his little flock. In spite -of this catastrophe, however, the Jesuits continued to gain ground, and -during the reign of the Emperor Shun-Che, who occupied the throne from -1644 to 1662, China was actually for some little time governed by Adam -Schaal, a member of that community, who had been made Chief Minister of -State on account of his wisdom. Another Jesuit, Father Ferdinand Verbiest, -held a high astronomical appointment, for then as now the heavenly -bodies were studied with intense eagerness in the Celestial Empire, and -many officers of State were specially told off to report on everything -connected with them. - -[Sidenote: PUERILE DISPUTES] - -The successor of Shun-Che, his son Kang-Hi, who was only eight years old -when he came to the throne, showed special aptitude for astronomy, and -was never tired of listening to the instructions of Father Verbiest. As -he grew older he worked with him and the other missionaries at geometry -and the kindred sciences, gaining year by year in scientific knowledge. -It was during his reign that the Jesuit missionaries, Bouvet, Regis, -Fartoux, Fridelli, Cardoso, and others, made their celebrated survey of -the whole of China on trigometrical principles, which is still looked upon -as absolutely correct by geographers, and there is little doubt that had -the gifted young Emperor been left entirely under the guidance of these -enlightened fathers, they would, through the door opened by science, -have introduced Christianity, or rather their form of Christianity, -throughout the entire Empire. During the minority of Kang-Hi, however, -the four ministers appointed to govern the country did all in their -power to counteract the influence of the foreigners, and restore all the -old-established customs. Their efforts were aided by the fact that monks -belonging to other orders had now established themselves here and there in -the country, and between them and the Jesuits a bitter feud was waged as -to the way in which Christian worship should be performed, and the meaning -of certain Chinese words. To give but one or two instances of the puerile -nature of the quarrel which jeopardized the cause that should have been -sacred to all the disputants, one side claimed that the word _Chang-ti_ -signified the material heaven, the other that it referred to the God -inhabiting heaven; one side considered the honour shown to ancestors and -the reverence in which the doctrines of Confucius are held to be religious -duties, whilst the other looked upon them as mere civil or political -customs. That it was of little consequence which was right was patent -to any but the most prejudiced observer, yet the foolish monks referred -their differences for arbitration to the Pope and the Emperor. The former -decided in favour of the Dominicans, the latter in that of the Jesuits, -and the Chinese literati not unreasonably asked how the missionaries could -expect to be listened to by the natives if they could not agree amongst -themselves. - -All might, however, even yet have been well, and the Jesuits might -have continued their education of the young Emperor had not the Pope -unfortunately sent a legate to Pekin charged with the difficult task of -making the Jesuits conform to the views of their opponents. This roused -the wrath and jealousy of the Emperor, who, of course, knew nothing about -the Pope, and did more to undermine the power of his hitherto trusted -advisers than anything else could have done. He had, he said, allowed -Christianity to be preached just as he had had other religions, but only -on condition that the moral precepts inculcated by the first philosopher -of the country, and accepted by all the most enlightened amongst his -people, were left unquestioned, yet here was an envoy sent from some -unknown land with instructions to tamper with the belief of his subjects. -An Imperial edict was therefore issued in 1706, ordering the expulsion -of all missionaries without distinction of sect; the Christian churches -were desecrated and destroyed, and all natives who had embraced the new -doctrine were persecuted with the utmost severity, fined, imprisoned, and -in some cases put to death. Then the Pope from his distant throne in Rome -sent yet another legate, bearing a letter protesting in the strongest -terms against these severe measures, but Kang-Hi, who certainly had -considerable reason on his side, called his notables together, and having -informed them of the contents of the Holy Father's missive exclaimed: -"This epistle ignores every one but these vile Europeans, yet how can -they decide anything about the great doctrine of the Chinese, whose very -language these people from Europe do not understand? From the way these -Christians behave, it strikes me that there is some resemblance between -the practices of their sect and those of certain impious bonzes of our own -land. We must now forbid Europeans from preaching their faith amongst us -if we wish to prevent the recurrence of disagreeable events." The division -of the sexes until after marriage was then, as now, one of the most -rigidly-observed customs of the Celestials, and it is probable that the -"evil practices" referred to in the speech quoted above, were the meeting -of men and women for worship in the same building. This was more shocking -to Chinese public opinion than anything else, and may have had something -to do with this final failure of missionary effort. - -[Sidenote: A CHINESE DICTIONARY] - -Kang-Hi was, there is no doubt, a very enlightened ruler, and, moreover, -himself a writer of considerable talent. He compiled a dictionary of the -Chinese and Manchu dialects, translated the five sacred books of China -into the Tartar language, and wrote many interesting essays on various -subjects. Moreover it was thanks to his initiative, that a very complete -Chinese dictionary was produced by thirty of the chief literati of his -time. - -Kang-Hi, who, in spite of the fulmination of the great edict against -the Christians, still in his heart cherished a strong affection for the -Jesuits, who had won his love through the interest they had taken in his -favourite pursuits, was succeeded by his son, Young-t-Ching who inherited -none of his father's sympathy for Europeans, and persecuted the Christians -with the utmost severity. His advisers represented to him, "that the -missionaries had deceived the late Emperor, and that the monarch had lost -a great deal of _prestige_ by his encouragement of the Jesuits." Moreover, -the viceroys of outlying provinces sent accounts of the iniquities of the -converts to the new faith in their districts, the governor of Fu-Kian -distinguishing himself especially by the bitterness of his rancour against -them. He begged the Emperor in the interests of his people to banish all -foreigners without distinction to Macao, then already occupied by the -Portuguese. - -[Sidenote: A WISE EMPEROR] - -It was, however, fortunately for the Chinese as well as for the -foreigners, one thing to issue these sweeping denunciations, and another -to have them fully carried out. Europeans were too useful at the Court of -Pekin for the Emperor to be willing to part with them all, and he naïvely -decided to keep those about him who were of any service to him, but to -banish the rest. The missionaries of the capital who were thus reprieved, -hoped to win help for their colleagues of the provinces by writing to a -brother of the Emperor, who they believed to be favourable to them, and -they received the following disinterested reply: "We have no intention -of imitating your way of going on in Europe; your disputes about our -customs have done you a great deal of harm, and China will miss nothing -when you are no longer there." Moreover the Emperor added a postscript -to this letter, which ran thus: "What would you say if I sent a troop of -Buddhist priests into your country? When your Father Ricci was here there -were only a few of you; you had not then disciples and churches in all the -provinces. It was only during the reign of my father that you increased -with such rapidity; we saw it then, but we did not dare say anything about -it. If, however, you deceived my father, do not hope that you will deceive -me too.... You want all the Chinese to become Christians; your religion -requires it, I know, but what would become of us then? In times of trouble -the people would listen to no voice but yours." This naïve and unanimous -testimony to the potency of the Christian faith must have been rather -cheering than depressing to those to whom it was addressed, and that they -did not fail to perceive that their Imperial enemy was no ordinary man -is proved by the eulogy pronounced on him by Father Du Halde, who says: -"It is impossible to help admiring his indefatigable application to work; -day and night his thoughts are occupied on the establishment of a wise -government which will secure the well-being of his subjects; to please -him, you have but to propose some project of public utility.... He has -made several very good regulations with a view to doing honour to merit, -and recompensing virtue, for promoting emulation amongst the labouring -classes, and to help the people in barren years. These qualities have won -for him in a very short time the respect and love of all his subjects." - -These quotations throw a luminous side-light upon the character of the -Emperor, and make it the more evident how short-sighted was the conduct -which led to the breach between his father and the Jesuits. Had the latter -continued the policy with which their predecessors had begun, conciliating -public opinion by the study of the arts and sciences to which Government -and people were alike devoted, instead of splitting straws about doctrine -and phraseology, the sad stories of the massacres of defenceless women -and children would never have had to be written. It was one of the Jesuit -Fathers who gave Kang-Hi his first clock, and another who won the hearts -of all the ladies of the court by making a camera-obscura, which enabled -them to see something of the outside world from which they were so -rigorously excluded. With the expulsion of the Jesuits in the eighteenth -century all the work done by them was destroyed, and the missionaries who -succeeded them had to contend with the prejudices their short-sighted -policy had aroused, as well as with the difficulties inseparable from -every attempt to introduce a new religion. - -[Sidenote: CONCESSIONS TO FOREIGNERS] - -In every port thrown open of recent years to European commerce the -Imperial Government sets aside what are called concessions to the foreign -residents, whom the authorities still look upon as unwelcome intruders, -though the citizens are not slow to appreciate the difference between -their own unsavoury and crowded quarters, and the well-built, airy streets -occupied by the English, the French, or the Germans. In these concessions -missionaries of pretty well every sect have, of course, hastened to obtain -a footing, and volumes might be filled with the record of their struggles, -their difficulties, their triumphs, and their defeats. It will be enough -for our present purpose to tell of the massacre, referred to above, of the -French Sisters at Tien-tsin, for it was alike one of the most horrible -and most typical of modern times. By the treaty signed therein 1858 the -port was thrown open to foreign trade, and in 1861 a British consulate was -established in it. The memory of the sack of Pekin by the Anglo-French -forces was still fresh, and the hatred of the foreign devils was fiercer -and if possible more bitter in Tien-tsin than elsewhere, for so far its -people had had very little intercourse with Europeans. Only amongst the -more enlightened of the Chinese was the fact recognized that the time for -opposition to the entry of foreigners was gone by, and that if the country -were not opened from within, it would be forced from without, and the -dismemberment of the Empire become inevitable. - -Situated on the right bank of the Pei-ho, Tien-tsin is the port of the -capital, from which it is eighty miles distant. It is therefore one of -the keys of China, and even before the opening of the railway from it to -Pekin in 1897, it was of immense strategic importance. All this of course -intensified the jealousy of the Chinese, when the lock was forced, so to -speak, by the white skins, and great indeed was the courage needed to face -the turbulent population, and endeavour to win proselytes from amongst -them. Even in Shanghai, comparatively inured to the presence of the -foreign element, nuns had been insulted; a native spitting in the faces of -two holy women in the streets, who had done absolutely nothing to provoke -hostility. - -Yet there were found devoted women who came to reside in Tien-tsin, -carrying their lives in their hands, knowing full well what they had to -expect, yet determined to face unflinchingly not only the hostility of -the natives, but also the rigours of the inhospitable climate, for the -river is blocked with ice from December to May, and before the opening of -the railway there could be no hope of help from without in the winter, no -matter what the emergency. - -[Illustration: FIG. 45.--A TEMPLE AT TSIN.] - -[Sidenote: THE PURCHASE OF GIRLS] - -The Sisters, however, set to work directly they arrived, aided by the -French Abbé Chevrier, M. Fontanier, the French Consul, and his assistant, -M. Simon. They quickly organized their plan of campaign; some opening a -hospital where all sufferers were received, no matter of what nationality -or religion, whilst others devoted themselves to the education of the -little girls bought by the Abbé with the fund known in France as that of -the _Sainte-Enfance_ or Holy Infancy. In the school kept by the devoted -ladies, the Chinese maidens were lodged, fed, and taught to do different -kinds of needlework, as well as educated in the Roman Catholic religion. -It was the purchase of the pupils that was really at the root of the -terrible troubles which overtook the Mission. The Celestials, as has -already been explained above, are in the habit of buying girls, but for a -very different purpose to that of the devoted priests and Sisters. They -too have hospitals for the indigent and infirm, but they could not be -brought to believe that the missionaries received the children merely to -feed, educate, and make Christians of them. The rumour quickly spread, -not only in Tien-tsin, but in Shanghai and elsewhere, that good money -was to be got by selling children to the Sisters, and certain natives -at once set to work to kidnap little ones with a view to securing what -they thought would be a lucrative trade. So many girls were stolen, and -the missionaries lent so much colour to the accusation against them of -connivance by the increasing number of their _protegées_ that public -feeling was thoroughly aroused. The cry of "Stealers of children" was -raised, and foreigners, especially the French, had stones thrown at them -in the streets. - -There is no doubt that if the missionaries had been wise, they would -have given up receiving children for a time, whether in the orphanage -or the hospital, but religious zeal was not in this case tempered with -discretion, and terrible indeed were the results of this short-sighted -policy. Of course all the girls rescued by the nuns were not bought, but -a great many of them were, for the Chinese law encourages the selling of -female children. Moreover, if calumnies were circulated about foreigners, -they in their turn did not hesitate to spread reports of the unnatural -way in which Chinese mothers treated their children, and much was written -on the subject in the reports sent home. I, however, can testify from -personal inquiry that these were quite unfounded libels. In Canton every -one I questioned on the subject repudiated the accusations with the -greatest indignation. There was, however, the question to which I never -could get a satisfactory reply, and that was, "Is it true that the Chinese -cause the death of deformed children at their birth?" Evasive answers -were always made to this downright inquiry, but with regard to healthy, -well-formed infants of either sex, I will quote verbatim what a wealthy -Chinese merchant of very influential position said to me: - -[Sidenote: A FALSE ACCUSATION] - -"It is unfortunately true," he said, "that children have sometimes been -abandoned by Chinese mothers, but only under very sad circumstances, -generally the failure of the harvest. Do you know what has led to some -of your priests accusing the Chinese of being unnatural parents, mere -brutes resembling cats and dogs? It is because now and then our teeming -population of four hundred million souls is visited by terrible and -extraordinary misfortunes, such as a sudden outbreak of the cholera or the -plague, which are, however, among the least of our troubles, for even more -frequent, more destructive to life, is the famine which occurs every year, -now in the north, now in the south, now in the east, now in the west. If -the rice-crop fail through a dry season, thirty or fifty millions of human -creatures are in danger of perishing from hunger if sufficient relief -does not reach them in time. We have not the means you in Europe have of -speedy communication between our provinces; we have no railways, no fleets -of steamers to take grain from one place to another. Well, what happens? -Just what occurs when some town or island is blockaded in war. Old men -and children perish first, and if a few of the infants do survive, what -can the mothers do but thrust them away from them when the milk in their -breasts is all dried up? Under these circumstances you may see able-bodied -men eating such things as rats, snakes, and vermin, which the Chinese are -accused of devouring with delight even in times of plenty. I know nothing -about the history of your country, but you ought to know it well. Will -you swear to me that there has never been a time when women have been -driven to let their children die for want of nourishment and warmth? You -do not answer. So it is evident that terrible things such as this have -happened in Europe. Well now, would it not be downright unfair of me, if -knowing this to be truth, I turned your silence against you by preaching -throughout China that French mothers, like those in China, fling their -children into the gutter?" - -Was not this a sensible speech?--and would it not be well if missionaries -were equally wise in their way of looking at things? Is it not a pity -that so many enthusiastic young men and women should be sent to meet a -terrible death in a vain effort to alter what cannot be changed? Those who -sanction the going forth of these bands of devoted martyrs do not make -sufficient allowance for the fact that the indifference of the Chinese -to Christianity is really a part of their own religion. They cultivate -stoicism, they never allow anything to upset their _sangfroid_, but -meet torture and death with equal composure. It is a hopeless task to -endeavour to rouse them to enthusiasm about anything. It would be wiser -to leave their conversion alone. All this does not, however, detract in -any way from the heroism of the Sisters at Tien-tsin, who, in spite of the -ever-increasing hostility to them, went on doing their charitable work, -unheeding the danger in which they must have known they stood. - -[Sidenote: CHUNG-HO] - -It was on June 22, 1870, that fatal year for France, just before the -breaking out of the Franco-German War, when the relations between the -French Government and that of Pekin were considerably strained, that -the long-smouldering fire broke into flame in Tien-tsin. The Governor, -Chung-Ho by name, a Tartar by birth, a kindly man enough, but far too -weak for the position he held, was really responsible for the massacre, -though he endeavoured to shelter himself from responsibility behind the -mandarins, whom he ought to have controlled. The rising against the -foreigners had evidently been preconcerted, for there was really no -apparent cause for the sudden rush of the bravos upon their victims. It -has been said that the French Consul, M. Fontanier, who was the first to -fall beneath the blows of the assassins, really gave the signal for the -massacre by presenting his revolver at the head of the Governor, but this -of course was only an excuse, and nothing could really have averted the -catastrophe. - -From nine in the morning to five in the afternoon of the terrible day the -killing went on, the French being hunted through the streets and struck -down, often on the very thresholds of their houses. After the murder of -the French consul, his interpreter, M. Thomassin, and his young wife -were attacked; and in a futile attempt to save the latter Thomassin was -terribly wounded. He managed to fling himself into the canal, which flows -near the Consulate, but the literati were determined that he should not -escape, and he was dispatched in the water. Meanwhile, as a shepherd calls -his flock together when the wolves are threatening, the Abbé Chevrier had -collected around him the orphan children to the number of one hundred then -under the care of the missionaries; but they were all massacred, the good -priest dying amongst them. A French merchant and his wife, with three -Russians who were mistaken for Frenchmen, were also murdered. - -The Sisters in the orphanage and hospital were, strange to say, the last -to hear of the awful scenes being enacted in the streets. Secure in their -belief that they had done no evil, and that, therefore, no one could wish -to harm them, they quietly went on with their work, and did not even -demand the protection of the Chinese authorities. This would, however, -probably have been powerless to save them; for it was the mandarins who -had been most active in circulating slanders against them, saying that -they used the eyes of children for making some of their medicines, and -spreading all manner of other silly reports. The simple-minded Sisters had -only laughed when told of these slanders, but they would have been wiser -to try and refute them, for they were believed by the common people as -readily as stories about witches were in Europe not so very long ago. - -[Sidenote: MURDER OF THE SISTERS] - -The sun was already setting, lighting up the streets reddened with the -blood of the innocent, when the murderers, their rage increased by the -ease with which they had killed their victims, seem suddenly to have -remembered that there were defenceless women at the orphanage still to be -destroyed, and with one accord they rushed to the doors clamouring for -admittance. Their shouts being unheeded, they lost no time in breaking -down the door, and found the Superior of the Sisterhood calmly waiting to -receive them. Alas! her fortitude availed her nothing; she was brutally -seized, dragged to a post not far off and bound to it. Then ensued a scene -too horrible for description; the fiends in human shape danced round -their helpless victim, and inflicted on her all the tortures in which -the Chinese are so terribly skilled, finally cutting her body into small -pieces. The terrified nuns kneeling on the steps of their little chapel in -agonized prayer were one and all first outraged and then murdered, their -home and church were set fire to, and their mangled bodies flung into the -flames. One poor young girl had had the sense to disguise herself as a -Chinese, and was hastening towards the English Consulate to take refuge -there, when unfortunately she was recognized and murdered by some Chinese -soldiers. Not one French man or woman escaped, and the indignation -throughout France when the terrible news arrived can be imagined. - -As usual, the Imperial Government was profuse in apologies and excuses, -for well did the Emperor and his advisers know how terrible might be the -vengeance exacted by France for the blood of her children. A few Chinese -heads were cut off--in China heads are of little account,--and it was -determined at Pekin that a very high official should be sent to Paris to -make due apology, and promise that nothing of the kind should occur again. -It was of course difficult to decide who should be entrusted with this -delicate mission, and the choice actually fell on Chung-Ho, the Governor -of Tien-tsin, the very man, as has been seen, to whose culpable neglect -the tragedy was due. But for the fact that the unfortunate country of -France was then in the throes of her most awful experience of modern -times, the probability is that the blood-stained Tartar would have met -with a reception in its capital very little to his taste. As things were, -however, no one in France suspected who he really was, public attention -was concentrated on the war. The death of the French missionaries in -remote Tien-tsin was already forgotten in the anguish of defeat, and -the necessity for organizing the defence against the ruthless invaders. -The Empire had fallen; the Emperor was a prisoner in the hands of the -Germans--safer there than he would have been amongst his own disillusioned -subjects. The interview with M. Thiers was put off again and again, -until at last a comparatively leisure time was secured. Then, alas! that -I should have to write it, the Chinese traitor was presented to the Chief -of the State with all the ceremonial due to foreign ambassadors. He was -escorted to the Elysée in a state-carriage by a guard of cuirassiers, and -received with all the usual honours. - -[Sidenote: TWO PRIESTS BURNT ALIVE] - -No good result ensued for French interests in China from this interview, -and soon after the return of the envoy to his native country, yet another -missionary, M. Hué, was assassinated in the province of Se-Tchuen; whilst -not far from the scene of the murder of Margary, related in a previous -chapter, two priests were burnt alive, and four of their proselytes cut to -pieces. - -But enough of these horrors, I must dwell on them no more, for I have no -wish to intensify race hatred, or to raise French feeling against a nation -with which we have a treaty of peace. I must, however, add just one word -to show how indomitable is the missionary spirit in the religious orders -of France. In 1876, when the country was beginning to settle down after -the awful events of the preceding years, that is to say, six years after -the massacre at Tien-tsin, another party of Sisters went to that very town -to begin again the work of charity so tragically interrupted, although -it was well known that there was no abatement in the bitterness of the -feeling against foreigners, and that the mandarins were especially averse -to female missionaries. The unselfish devotion, seeking for no earthly -reward, of the saintly nuns is well illustrated by the reply made to me -when I went to the head-quarters of the Sisterhood in the _Rue de Bac_, -Paris, and asked the Lady Superior to give me the names of the martyrs of -1870 that I might render to them the honour so justly due. Those names -were refused, "for," said the austere head of the order, "our nuns have -won the greatest of all rewards already, and that is enough." - -The new-comers to the site watered by the blood of the innocent, have -proceeded exactly on the same lines as their predecessors; they opened a -hospital and some schools, apparently in total ignorance of the dangers -surrounding them. A tri-colour flag floats once more from the buildings -under their control. The "Cyclamens," as lovers of flowers call the caps -worn by the devoted Sisters, are once more familiar objects in the streets -of Tien-tsin. May their labour of love be rewarded as it deserves, and may -God temper the wind to them as He does to the lambs shorn of their fleece, -for truly they sorely need the protection of Heaven in their defenceless -condition! Fortunately, however, they are no longer so isolated as were -the pioneers of missionary effort in 1870. In 1881 the port of Tien-tsin -became connected by telegraph with Shanghai, where there is a large -foreign population, and the Chinese have of late years had so many proofs -that foreigners are not to be massacred or in any way injured with -impunity, that there is some hope of the avoidance for the future of such -tragedies as that we have recorded here. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - - -The Great Wall--Its failure as a defence--Forced labour--Mode of -construction--Shih-Hwang-Ti orders all books to be burnt--Mandarins flung -into the flames--The _Shu-King_ is saved--How the sacred books came to be -written--The sedan-chair and its uses--Modern hotels at Pekin--Examination -of students for degrees--Cells in which they are confined--Kublai Khan -conquers China--Makes Pekin his capital--Introduces paper currency--The -Great Canal--Address to the three Philosophers--Marco Polo's visit to -Pekin--His description of the Emperor--Kublai Khan's wife--Foundation -of the Academy of Pekin--Hin-Heng and his acquirements--Death -of Kublai Khan--Inferiority of his successors--Shun-Ti the last -Mongol Emperor--Pekin in the time of the Mongols--When seen by Lord -Macartney--The city as it is now. - -It is a relief to turn from the terrible events which have given to -Tien-tsin such a sinister notoriety to visit from it the celebrated Great -Wall of China, the western termination of which is at no great distance -from the town on the north. Begun by the Emperor Shih-Hwang-Ti, in -B.C. 214, as a protection against the invasions of the Tartars, it was -completed in the marvellously short time of five years, that energetic -monarch sparing neither expense nor trouble, and ruthlessly sacrificing -the lives of thousands of his subjects in his determination to keep out -the hated barbarians. That he was not successful, but that his rampart -in due time served his enemies better than it had done himself, is one -of those ironies of fate with which the student of history is familiar. -Tartars, Mongols, and Manchus have in their turn reigned over China from -the sacred city, within the very defences supposed to be impregnable; the -mighty wall remaining a standing proof, not of the wisdom, but of the -short-sightedness of its builder. - -[Illustration: FIG. 46.--THE GREAT WALL. - -(_Univers Pittoresque._)] - -[Sidenote: THE GREAT WALL] - -To secure a sufficient number of men to work at his wall, Shih-Hwang-Ti -issued an edict ordering every third labourer throughout the whole of the -Empire to labour at it, and the unfortunate men thus selected were forced -to work like slaves, with no wages but a scanty supply of food, their -places when they fell down dead being quickly taken by other victims. -The wall, when completed at the cost of so great an expenditure of human -life, was fifteen hundred miles long; its breadth at the bottom was -nearly twenty-five feet, and at the top fifteen feet, whilst it varied in -height from fifteen to thirty feet. The materials employed would, it is -said, be enough to build a wall six feet high and two feet thick to go -twice round the world. Six horsemen could ride abreast upon it, and it -was fortified by very strong towers, placed at regular intervals of about -one hundred yards, that is to say, within two arrow-shots of each other, -so that any one attempting to scale it would be covered from one tower -or another by the guards stationed in them. The construction of the wall -was very strong, the outside being formed of stone and brickwork, whilst -the inside was filled up with earth. The wall started from the sea-shore -at the Shan-Hai Pass, in N. Lat. 40° and E. Long. 119° 50′, and ran over -mountains, through valleys, and across rivers by means of arches, which -are still marvels of engineering skill, to the most western province of -Kan-su, where it ends at the Khiya Pass. Whilst only insignificant relics -now remain of the immense Roman walls which once intersected England and -France, this vast monument of an ambitious ruler still stands, ranking as -one of the wonders of the world, an incidental proof that at the time of -its erection, two thousand years ago, China must have already been a great -and civilized Empire. There is no doubt that Shih-Hwang-Ti did succeed in -centralizing authority, and absorbing the power of the numerous military -chiefs who before his time reigned in the various small kingdoms, making -up what is now the Celestial Empire. - -[Sidenote: BURNING OF MSS.] - -Unfortunately, however, the monarch aimed rather at his own aggrandizement -than at the good of his people, and his vainglorious desire to be -looked upon as the founder of the Chinese monarchy led him to issue -that celebrated edict, ordering all books and writings referring to his -predecessors to be burnt, which inflicted an incalculable loss on future -students of history. Those who endeavoured to evade this sweeping decree -were to be punished by death, and according to some accounts, hundreds of -literati were burnt on piles of the MSS. they had tried to save. In spite -of all precautions, however, some few copies of the works of Confucius and -other great writers were successfully hidden and brought out again on the -death of the tyrant. - -On this interesting subject Father Gaubil, in his valuable work on Chinese -Chronology, says: "One thing is certain ... the books containing the -geographical surveys and the departmental records were not burnt ... -though the minister Lis-sse, like the Emperor himself, wished the people -to remain ignorant, and know nothing about how the country was governed by -the earlier kings, or to hear of the great and virtuous men of the past, -or of the precepts left behind by them." It was this same minister, the -Father tells us, who introduced the salutary reform of the use of one -character only throughout the Empire, whereas before his time several -different kinds of letters were employed in writing. This alphabet was -known as the _li-chu_, and is supposed to be identical with that of the -present day. - -[Illustration: FIG. 47.--BURNING OF MANDARINS AND HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS, BY -ORDER OF SHIH-KWANG-TI. (_Univers Pittoresque._)] - -It was indeed fortunate that so many important manuscripts were saved from -the general holocaust the sacrilegious Emperor had ordered, for had the -_Shu-King_ been destroyed, it would have been difficult to give any real -account of the China of the past. This most celebrated and authentic of -ancient books is supposed to have been begun about the year 2266 B.C., in -the reign of the great Yao, brother of that King Ti-Ko, who introduced -the polygamy still practised in China. This book, or rather collection -of books, is to the Celestials what the Bible is to the Jews, the Koran -to the Mahomedans, the Law-Book of Manu to the Hindus, and the Gospel -to Christians. It is the very fountain-head of Chinese law, and not to -be acquainted with its contents is to be unworthy of holding any place -of trust in the Empire. Its authenticity is absolutely established, for -it is well known that ever since the year 2637 B.C. there has been a -historic Tribunal in Pekin, whose members are chosen from amongst the -most distinguished literati of the whole Empire. Once appointed, these -scholars can never be removed from office, and it is their duty to -register daily everything of importance that occurs in any town, including -meteorological and other natural phenomena, as well as what may be called -purely historical events, such as the revolts, sieges, fires, and other -misfortunes to which humanity is subject. - -[Sidenote: THE SHU-KING] - -Father Amiot, a very cultivated and intelligent French missionary, says -on the subject of the sacred books of the _Shu-King_: "The Chinese annals -are superior to the historical documents of every other nation, because -there is less fabulous matter in them, and because they are more ancient -... and more full of information of every kind ... They are worthy of our -fullest confidence, because the epochs to which they refer are determined -by astronomical observations, and the accounts of the events of all kinds -which occur in those epochs can be mutually checked, and are found, when -compared, to prove the good faith of the writers who have transmitted them -to us." - -They are indeed simply invaluable to the student, forming as they do -absolutely trustworthy guides to their researches into the early history -of China, carrying it back for long centuries, or rather sexagenaries, -for, as already remarked, the Chinese chronology reckons by sixties, not -hundreds of years. One incidental proof of their veracity is the fact that -their writers, when not fully informed, have left gaps in their narratives -instead of filling them up as so many chroniclers would have done with -imaginary matter. - -They are moreover works of literature rather than mere dry historical -documents, and there is no series of books in the whole world on which so -many able men have been employed as on the sacred records of the Chinese -nation. - -What tales the literati might have told in those old days of their -adventures on their way to the capital to take up their work as -chroniclers! Even when I made the journey from Tien-tsin to Pekin, before -the opening of the railway, I had variety enough, travelling now by boat, -now in a palanquin, now in a sedan-chair, and sometimes on horseback, -and things must have been far worse in those early days of the beginning -of history. One shudders to think of what our own diplomatic agents must -have gone through when, after much difficulty, they did at last obtain -the coveted honour of representing the Western powers in the chief city -of the Celestial Empire. They must have suffered horribly, the more that -their presence was thoroughly unwelcome, and it was the delight of every -petty official to throw obstacles in their way. The old literati, on the -other hand, were treated with the greatest respect, and except when they -happened to make some mistake in their astronomical calculations, when -their heads paid the forfeit, they lived in considerable luxury. - -Pekin, though still not exactly the place Europeans would choose to live -in, is now comparatively civilized, and in the spacious rooms of the -European ambassadors the foreign residents dine, sup, and dance very -much as they would in the capitals of their own countries. Thanks to the -seclusion of the sedan-chairs, even ladies can go about without attracting -notice, or having to pick their way through the ill-smelling rubbish which -still encumbers the streets. No traveller in China with the slightest -self-respect goes on foot, and any foreigner who attempts walking lays -himself open to every insult. "A chair," says a writer who knows China -well, "is far more effective than a passport," and the ambassadors and -ambassadresses, the secretaries of legation, the consuls and their wives, -employ large numbers of coolies to carry them to and fro. There is -something truly wonderful in the way in which a mere handful of Europeans -live their own lives, following their own customs, in the midst of a -population of three hundred thousand Tartars, Mongols, and Manchus, not -to speak of the four hundred thousand Chinese citizens, and the hundred -thousand soldiers forming the garrison. - -[Sidenote: THE PEKIN MARKETS] - -Pekin now actually boasts of two bakers who make bread of fine American -flour, and are largely patronized by the foreign residents; and in the -markets, the native cooks who cater for the Embassies, find plenty of -variety for the tables of their employers at a very reasonable price, -including two kinds of pheasant, the grey and the red-legged partridge. -Wild geese and wild duck, the hare, the boar, the antelope and the roebuck -are also all plentiful, and mutton can be had as tender as that of Wales, -Normandy, or the Ardennes. - -Not so very long ago, visitors to Pekin had to go to wretched inns where -they were far from welcome, or to ask hospitality from the foreign -residents, but now there are two hotels where travellers are as well -treated as in the West. One, called the Hôtel Français, is kept by a -jovial Chinaman, who was at one time cook to an English diplomatist; the -other, called the German Hotel, is managed by a burly native of Frankfort, -who reminds me of nothing so much as of a Heidelberg tun. In these two -inns the rooms are big, with wide chimneys and good windows, so that -really it is possible to be quite comfortable in them, even in winter, if -one can avoid the streets, with their deep mud or dust, as the case may be. - -[Illustration: FIG. 48.--A STREET IN PEKIN.] - -It is to Pekin that thousands of students who have already won the second -degree of rank, as literati, flock to compete for the distinction known -as the Tsen-Sze, which corresponds to some extent with that of a doctor -of law in England. The scholar who comes out first in the examinations is -considered for the current year the most learned man in all the eighteen -provinces of China, and is privileged to choose a post in the very highest -department of the Government. - -[Sidenote: CHINESE EXAMINATIONS] - -Out of the nine or ten hundred candidates who are examined by the doctors -of the Han-Lin College, three hundred are selected, and again tested in -the presence of the Emperor. Then ten of these three hundred are picked -out to compete once more for the coveted first grade, to win which is -the ambition of every literary man in China, for it is equally open to -all, though achieved by but few. The ten who are considered worthy are -subjected to a very severe final test by a jury selected by the Emperor -himself. Their replies to the examination questions are written out, -richly bound, and placed before the so-called Son of Heaven, who reads -all the manuscripts, and points out the three he considers the best. -The authors of these three are raised to first rank, and are _féted_ -throughout the capital for three days, marching round it, accompanied by -processions bearing flags, beating drums, etc. Of the rest of the three -hundred, some become professors at the Han-Lin College, whilst others -receive appointments in various parts of the country. - -The hall in which the examinations take place has attached to it a number -of very small cells, not more than six feet long by three wide and five -high--an incidental proof of the average stature of the Chinese--in one -of which each candidate is shut up alone, so that the judges maybe quite -sure his work is all his own. The aspirant to literary honour is even -searched to see that he has no books or papers hidden in his robes. He is -then supplied with writing materials, and his replies to the questions put -to him are not signed, so there is no fear of partiality on the part of -the judges. The only furniture of the examination cell is a plank placed -across it about fifteen inches above the ground to serve as a seat, and a -little tablet fixed to the wall to be used as a desk. There is sometimes -such a run upon the cells that a student has to wait for days before he -can secure one. Amongst the cells named after the "Red Dragon," the little -room is still shown in which the fourth Emperor of the present dynasty -worked at certain of the usual examination papers with a view to shedding -lustre on the literary life. He had the courage and perseverance to remain -shut up in complete seclusion for nine days; but he evidently found the -task he had set himself very arduous, for, since his experiment, students -have been allowed to come out of their cells every three days to breathe -the outer air and stretch their limbs. - -[Illustration: FIG. 49.--NIGHT-WATCHMEN IN PEKIN.] - -[Sidenote: KUBLAI KHAN] - -The two most interesting facts connected with the history of Pekin are -that it is one of the most ancient cities of the world, occupying the site -of the capital of the old province of Yen, which is known to have been -in existence 1200 years before the Christian era, and that it was made -the seat of government by Kublai Khan, the first Mongol Emperor of China, -grandson of the mighty conqueror Genghis Khan. This Kublai Khan, though a -conqueror and of foreign race, so won the affections of the Chinese that -he was justly called the Father of his people, and during his reign the -country enjoyed a prosperity never since equalled. The native rulers who -had preceded the Mongols had been mere phantom sovereigns, the puppets of -their eunuchs and the women of their harems, altogether oblivious of the -great example set them by the early monarchs of China. - -The warlike and highly civilized Mongols had long since conquered all -the districts north and west of the great wall of China, and for years -had cast longing eyes at the fertile regions on the other side of that -artificial barrier, and when Kublai Khan came to the throne, a mere child; -the last survivor of the Soong line was Emperor of China. In this fact the -Mongol ruler saw his opportunity, and is said to have sent the following -message to the young prince: "Your family owes its rise to the minority -of the last Emperor of the preceding dynasty, it is therefore just that -you, a child, the last remnant of the line of Soong, should give place to -another family." - -Whether this Mongol expression of the time-honoured doctrine that might -makes right ever reached the ears of the infant prince or not, the -approach of the great Khan warriors so terrified the Court, that the -Emperor and the ministers took refuge with him on the vessels in the -harbour of Canton. There they were followed by the Tartar war-ships, and -the terror they inspired was such that the fugitives all flung themselves -into the sea, one of the chief grandees being the first to jump overboard -with the young Emperor in his arms. More than one hundred soldiers and -sailors are supposed to have perished on this fatal day, either from -poison, by drowning, or at the hands of the enemy. - -This terrible event took place in A.D. 1280 or 1281, when Kublai Khan -became sovereign of the whole of China, and fixed his capital at what is -now Pekin, but was then called Khan-balegh, or the capital of the Khan. He -surrounded his palace with a wall six leagues in circumference, pierced by -twelve gateways; the roofs of his residence were very lofty and spacious, -richly decorated with gold and silver, and with paintings representing -birds, horses, dragons, and other quaint symbolic animals. The roof of the -palace was gilded, and six thousand warriors could take shelter in it at -one time. - -Kublai Khan, who was as wise in statecraft as in battle, took care not to -interfere with the institutions of his new subjects; all the officials -who submitted to him were allowed to retain their posts, and the -Chinese themselves were exempted from military service. This of course -concentrated all the power in the hands of the Mongols, and did more than -anything else could have done to consolidate the new dynasty, though the -Celestials themselves do not seem to have realized its full significance. -The new Emperor was visited at his Court of Khan-balegh, or Cambalu, by -Marco Polo, that most venturesome traveller and astute observer, whose -account of his sojourn with the great Mongol conqueror gives so vivid a -picture of life in China in the thirteenth century. Hospitably received by -the Khan, the Venetian dwelt much in his book on the magnificence of his -court, and makes the sage and humorous remark: "Kublai, who was the first -to invent paper-money made from the inner bark of the mulberry-tree, had -discovered the true philosopher's stone, for he could create wealth at his -own desire." - -[Sidenote: THE GREAT CANAL] - -A far greater boon than the introduction of paper currency was the making -of the great canal, which rivals the celebrated wall in the skill of its -construction, and has been of far more lasting value to the people of -China than that monument of the energy and presumption of Shih-Hwang-Ti. -One hundred and seventy thousand men were employed in this useful -enterprise, which was not completed until after the death of its promoter. -The wonderful waterway, before it fell into disrepair, extended from the -capital to Hang-Chan in the province of Che-kiang, and was more than three -hundred miles long. Marco Polo said of it: "He (Kublai Khan) has caused -a water communication to be made in the shape of a wide and deep channel -dug between stream and stream, between lake and lake, forming as it were a -great river on which large vessels can ply." - -[Illustration: FIG. 50.--A CHINESE GENERAL IN HIS WAR-CHARIOT. - -(_Univers Pittoresque._)] - -[Sidenote: SAYINGS OF KUBLAI KHAN] - -Various sayings of the wise thinker and practical worker, at the head of -the newly conquered country, have come down to us. Amongst these may be -quoted as specially significant, the address made by the Emperor to three -great philosophers whom he had summoned to his presence to aid him in the -difficult task of government, in preventing the exodus of the inhabitants -from the towns, and the desertion of the country by the cultivators. -"You must help me," he said, "to make your fellow-countrymen listen to -reason; they look upon us now as if we were bears or tigers; they are -afraid of us when we only wish to do them good. My one desire is to make -them happy under my rule, and they will believe it if you tell them so. -You, Yao-Theu," he added, "I make general inspector of the agricultural -districts; travel about in them, and manage to get them restored to their -former owners and cultivated as before; I give you full authority to bring -this about." - -"As for you, Hin-Heng and Teo-mo, I place the people under your -protection; watch over the health and tranquillity of the artisans and -workmen, so that they labour as of yore, and that they look forward to -enjoying the fruits of their industry in peace. Moreover, I give you full -powers to re-open schools wherever they used to be, or to build new ones -if you think it desirable; in a word, do all that you think will promote -the good of the public--I approve in advance of everything you may decide -on." - -Long before the time of Richelieu, Kublai Khan formed an academy, to which -flocked scholars and men of letters of every nationality. From India, -from Persia, and from beyond the Oxus they came, as well as from the -different countries of Europe, attracted by the fame of the learning in -the Chinese capital. Marco Polo, who for three years was governor of one -of the southern provinces of China, became a member of this academy, and -Hin-Heng, one of the philosophers alluded to above, also belonged to it, -excelling all his _confrères_ in the variety of his acquirements. Speaking -of him. Father Amiot says: "There was no science he had not studied, -and he succeeded in them all ... he gave his attention to chronology, to -history, and to music. He was a geometrician and astronomer, and he was -one of the savants who worked at the reform of the Chinese almanac ... he -was well versed in the ancient history of his nation, he knew the laws -and customs of his native land, and explained them so clearly that Kublai -Khan entrusted to him the drawing up of the code for his dynasty. To all -this knowledge he added that of the Mongol language, in which he composed -several excellent works, not to speak of the translations he made of the -best Chinese books.... He also made commentaries on the _Shu-King_, or -sacred books." - -[Illustration: FIG. 51.--PORCELAIN TOWER AT NANKING.] - -Very vivid is the light thrown by these quotations on the civilization -of the capital of China under the Mongol ruler, and, thanks once more -to Marco Polo, we are able to form a very accurate idea of the personal -appearance of Kublai Khan. "The great Lord of lords," the celebrated -traveller tells us, "is of a good stature, neither little nor big, but of -medium height ... his limbs are well formed ... his face is white, with -cheeks like a rose; his nose is well shaped and prominent." The chronicler -further tells us that Kublai Khan had four wives, whom he treated exactly -alike, and that his eldest, no matter by which mother, would succeed him -when he died. According to other authorities, one wife alone enjoyed the -title of Empress, and she had three hundred female slaves to attend upon -her. - -[Sidenote: A DEGENERATE EMPEROR] - -The founder alike of the Mongol, or, as it is sometimes called, the Yuan -dynasty, and of Pekin, lived to the advanced age of eighty-three, and -was succeeded by his grandson Timur; but able as that prince was, he was -by no means equal to his predecessor. Later members of the Tartar race, -who occupied the Chinese throne, did not follow the example of the old -Manchu rulers, so that the wonderfully-organized government of Kublai -Khan gradually fell to pieces, and at the end of seventy-three years -yet another new dynasty supplanted that which had appeared so firmly -established. No one can wonder at this who reads the stories told of -Shun-Ti, the ninth and last Mongol sovereign, who, called to the supreme -power at the early age of thirteen, amused himself by watching the -dancing of sixteen young girls, called the sixteen spirits, and wasted -time and treasure in endeavouring to pry into the future, with the aid -of soothsayers, whilst he neglected every duty he owed to God and to his -subjects. - -Marco Polo left a glowing description of the Imperial Palace at Kambala, -or Pekin, where, he tells us, "twice five miles of fertile ground, with -walls and towers, were girdled round," and as late as 1793, when Lord -Macartney visited the city, he found that it was still very much what it -had been in the thirteenth century. On the change of dynasty, after the -expulsion of Shun-Ti, the capital was transferred to Nanking, but in 1421 -Pekin was restored to its old dignity, and its walls were still further -extended. In the following centuries its fortunes fluctuated greatly, -and it was not until 1860, when it was taken by the Anglo-French forces, -that it began to assume anything of its present appearance. The central -or inner city, known as the Manchu, is divided into three parts: the -Purple Forbidden Town containing the imperial residences; the Imperial or -August City, with the great temples, where the imperial family worship -their ancestors; and the general city, beyond which again is the so-called -Chinese town, consisting of a net-work of lanes and alleys, with two wide -thoroughfares intersecting each other at right angles. - -[Sidenote: A REPRESENTATIVE CAPITAL] - -The foreign legations are all grouped together in the south-eastern -corner of the August City, and consist of Chinese palaces transformed -into a semblance of European houses. The French Legation is the largest, -though perhaps not the most comfortable, and is situated in the centre -of a very fine park. After describing the imperial palaces, the temples -and pagodas of Pekin, and remarking on the great uniformity of their -style of architecture, a modern writer, who knows the city well, says: -"The chief ornaments of the streets are the fronts of the shops; large -panels of carved wood, sometimes gilded, frame the façades, the carvings -representing dragons, phœnixes, etc., the effect being very decorative -... on the other hand, the private houses, with their lofty walls and -numerous entrance courts, do nothing to contribute to the beauty of the -street." The modern Chinese are ardent lovers of their homes, and the -humblest artisan lives alone, with his family, in the strictest seclusion. -"There is nothing," adds this true observer, "to distinguish any one -house from another, and it is the same with the theatres and opium dens; -uniformity is the guiding principle in everything, and even the priests -of the various missions have adopted the Chinese customs and mode of -plaiting the hair." The town of Pekin is, in fact, unique in the power -it seems to have of making all who reside in it conform to one style. It -perfectly represents the country of which it is the capital, with its -intense hostility to innovation, holding itself aloof from every other -nation, ignoring the very existence of the West for more than twenty-five -centuries, and only waking up to its existence to despise it as the home -of outer barbarians. But of late years there has been change in the very -air even of Pekin; the opening of the railway from it to Tien-tsin, two -years ago, was indeed a significant sign of the times, and the next -decade will doubtless witness the breaking down of convention even in that -stronghold of conservatism, the Purple Forbidden City. Already Tartar -carts, Chinese chaises, blue and green sedan-chairs, strings of camels, -condemned prisoners wearing the fatal cangue, Buddhist priests chanting -litanies, and even eunuchs of the Emperor himself, in their black and -yellow uniforms, are jostled by riders on horseback or by carriages, but -little different from those in use in Paris and London. The West has -introduced the thin edge of the wedge of its civilization into the inner -citadel, the time-honoured watchword of "China for the Chinese" has lost -its conjuring power, and the attempt of the Empress Dowager to revive it -can but end in disaster for her and those she rules in such an arbitrary -and old-fashioned style. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - - -Fall of the Mongol dynasty--The son of a labourer chosen Emperor--He -founds the Ming dynasty--Choo becomes Tae-tsoo, and rules with great -wisdom--He dies and leaves his kingdom to his grandson--Young-lo attacks -and takes Nanking--The young Emperor burnt to death--Young-lo is -proclaimed Emperor, and makes Pekin his capital--First European visits -China--Tartar chief usurps supreme power--Dies soon after--Foundation of -present dynasty--Accession of Shun-Che--Chinese compelled to shave their -heads--The old style of coiffure in China--Care of the modern pig-tail. - -The fall of the Mongol dynasty and final banishment of the last Emperor -of that once famous race was brought about by a young Chinese bonze -named Choo, the son of a labourer, who joined the rebels when they rose -against the foreign ruler. A delicate boy unfit for out-door toil, he had -been placed by his father in a monastery to be educated, but he early -became tired of the inactive life, and enlisted in the Imperial army as -a common soldier. He soon distinguished himself, and rapidly rose to a -position of high rank, when he married a widow with a fortune, belonging -to a family disaffected towards the Government. Soon after the wedding -an insurrection broke out at Nanking, and thanks to the influence of his -bride the young Choo was chosen leader. So great was his popularity that -thousands flocked to his standard, and after winning several victories -he led an army against Pekin itself. The capital was taken, Shan-Ti and -his family driven into exile, and with one accord the people proclaimed -their beloved General Choo Emperor. This was in 1366, and the Ming dynasty -founded by the labourer's son continued to rule over China for three -hundred years, when it was superseded by that of the family to which the -present Emperor belongs. - -On his accession to the throne Choo took the name of Tae-tsoo, and chose -Nanking for his capital, converting Pekin into a principality, which he -gave to one of his sons, who, in his turn, when he came to the throne on -his father's death, once more made it the chief city of the Empire. The -new monarch, Young-lo by name, who had a very able adviser in his wife, -inaugurated his reign by restoring many national institutions for which -Kublai Khan had substituted those of the Mongols, and Chinese chroniclers -tell us he won all hearts by his consideration and moderation. No longer -were the chief offices of State held by military men; mandarins were -restored to their former rank, and many important privileges were granted -to the famous Han-lin College. Whereas Kublai Khan and his successors had -encouraged Buddhism, and neglected the teachings of Confucius, Tae-tsoo -revived the study of the works of the Chinese sage, forbade women to -become priestesses of the Hindu religion, and men to enter convents until -they were forty years of age, a truly salutary reform, saving many able -natives from wasting the best years of their lives in miserable inactivity. - -[Sidenote: A CHILD EMPEROR'S DEATH] - -Speaking of Tae-tsoo, a Chinese historian says: "Every man who knows how -to turn circumstances to account, to win a fortune and raise himself above -his fellows, must have some merit, but he who from a state of absolute -poverty succeeds in working his way to the summit of human greatness, -taking his seat on the grandest throne in the world, must indeed be of -most extraordinary superiority, worthy to represent Heaven itself as ruler -of the human race." - -This richly-endowed being did not, however, escape misfortune; before the -thirty-one years of his reign were over his favourite son died, and he -appointed his grandson, a child of thirteen, to succeed him. The young -prince was duly elected to the supreme power; but his uncle, Young-lo, -coveted the throne, marched an army to Pekin, and though repulsed at -first, was finally successful through the treachery of some soldiers who -opened the gates of the capital to him. The palace was set fire to, and -the child emperor perished in the flames. - -Young-lo was allowed to seat himself on the vacant throne without much -opposition; he removed the capital to Pekin, and governed so well that -the crimes which had won him power were forgotten. His reign was much -disturbed by invasions from the North, the restless Tartars coveting the -rich land from which they had been driven out, and at the time it seemed -likely that the country would be conquered by them yet again under their -great chief Timur, or Tamerlane. Most fortunately for the Celestials, -he died on the way to China at the head of his troops, and the land was -reprieved for a time at least. - -It was during the reign of the usurper Young-lo that a European vessel -flying a European flag, that of Portugal, entered a Chinese port. A -Portuguese ship had sailed up the Canton river in 1516, and in 1520 a -Portuguese Embassy had penetrated to the very gates of Pekin; but its -leader, Perez, was sent back a prisoner to Canton, and never heard -of again by his fellow-countrymen. He is said, however, to have been -beheaded. It was not until the middle of the century that the Portuguese -really obtained any footing in the country, but at that time they did -succeed in establishing themselves at Macao. - -[Sidenote: EXPULSION OF LI-KONG] - -The Ming dynasty was in its turn fated to be overthrown by the restless -and ambitious Tartars. The last Emperor of Chinese birth, Whey-tsong, -ascended the throne in 1627, but the country was so distracted by -internecine feuds that he found the task of government beyond his -strength. He committed suicide in his despair at hearing that one of -the insurgent leaders had entered Pekin at the head of a large body of -soldiers. That leader, Li-Kong by name, had himself proclaimed Emperor, -but was only acknowledged by certain provinces, whilst a Chinese general, -Woosankwei, made peace with the Manchu Tartars in the name of the -nation, calling upon them to aid in deposing the usurper.. They agreed, -all too glad to get an entry into the coveted land they had invaded so -often. Li-Kong was expelled, but the Tartar chief, instead of appointing -a Chinese monarch, kept the supreme power himself He was hailed as a -deliverer when he entered Pekin, and ordered a grand ceremonial to be -observed at his own investiture as Emperor. The Nemesis in store for all -traitors was, however, waiting for him; he was taken ill immediately -afterwards and died in great agony. Strange to say, his son, Shun-Che, -a child of six years old, was allowed to succeed him, and thus in 1644 -was founded the dynasty known as the Manchu Tartar, or Ch'ing, which has -endured to the present day. - -[Illustration: FIG. 52.--MONOLITHS AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE TOMBS OF THE -MING EMPERORS.] - -[Sidenote: ORIGIN OF THE PIG-TAIL] - -The various provinces of the vast Celestial Empire did not of course -submit peacefully to this usurpation, but Ama-van, the uncle of the young -monarch, who was appointed regent during his minority, was a man of -great ability, who quelled every revolt as it arose. China still bears -the traces of the drastic measures employed to restore peace to the -distracted land, many a ruined wall marking the site of a once populous -town, whilst other cities still standing are evidently but half their -original size. The guardian died when his charge was only fourteen; -still the young prince had already learnt how to govern, and with a -wisdom beyond his years he managed to keep the peace between his Tartar -and Chinese subjects, dividing honours and appointments equally amongst -members of the two races. It was during the reign of this astute young -sovereign that the peculiar style of coiffure which is always looked upon -as distinctively Chinese, was first introduced, and that as a sign of -subjection to the Tartars. Before the accession of Shun-Che the Celestials -had prided themselves on the luxuriance of their dark masses of hair, -and the issue of an edict ordering all without distinction of age or rank -to have their heads shaved, but for one long tress at the back to be -plaited into a pig-tail, nearly caused a fresh revolution. The penalty of -noncompliance was decapitation, and there were many who chose that rather -than the disgrace of submitting to the hands of the barber. Still time, -the all-healer, has now reconciled the descendants of the innovators to -submit to what was originally so detested a custom, and no Chinaman would -now feel happy without his pig-tail. - -[Illustration: FIG. 53.--CHINESE BRONZES. (_Univers Pittoresque._)] - -Writing of the Chinese before the hated edict was promulgated, Father -Alvarez Semedo says: "Men and women alike let their hair, generally black, -grow to a great length, which is why the name of the 'kingdom of the -people with black hair' is sometimes given to China. The natives," adds -this observer, "have little black eyes and small noses; they think our -big prominent noses very ugly; the Chinese look upon them in fact as a -regular deformity. They grow very small beards, and do not care for them -to be thick, all they are anxious about is that they should be black, -which is the most common colour; still they do not object to red hair as -the people of Thebes used to do; they wear their hair long, and let it -grow just as nature makes it, never cutting it. They give more attention -to the arrangement of their coiffure than any other nation of the world; -they would rather not have a single hair on their chins than lose one from -their polls." - -Now the care expended on their luxuriant locks by the ancestors of the -modern Chinese is generally concentrated on the once-hated pig-tail; but -in the case of old men with grand-children, on long moustaches, and what -is known as the pointed Imperial beard. It is very evident that when the -Portuguese father quoted above was in China, the Celestials had never seen -the English, whom they call the red devils, on account of the auburn hair -of so many of them. Had they done so the author would never have said, -"They do not object to red hair!" - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - - -The Founder of the Ch'ing dynasty--A broken-hearted widower--The -Louis XIV. of China--The Will of Kang-Hy--Young-t-Ching appointed his -successor--The character of the new Emperor--Mission of Lord Macartney--He -refuses to perform the Ko-too, or nine prostrations;--Interview -with Young-t-Ching--Results of the Mission to England--Accession -of Kien-Long--He resolves to abdicate when he has reigned sixty -years--Accession of Taou-Kwang--The beginning of the end--An adopted -brother--War against China declared by England--The Pekin Treaty--Prince -Hassan goes to visit Queen Victoria--The Regents and Tung-Che--Foreign -Ministers compel the young Emperor to receive them. - -We have already, in telling the story of missionary effort in China, -referred to the various Emperors of the reigning dynasty who occupied the -throne in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, but a few further -details will be interesting, throwing as they do a light upon the -present state of politics in China, where the Empire is tottering to its -fall; menaced by invaders, who, though they come preaching peace, will -eventually change the country far more completely than did the fire and -sword of the Tartar hordes. - -The founder of the Ch'ing dynasty died at the early age of twenty-four, -of grief, it is said, for the death of a favourite wife, whom he had -fallen in love with during her husband's life, and taken to his palace -in defiance of every law, human and divine. Certain historians relate, -that to pick a quarrel with the rightful spouse of the object of his -passion, he gave him a box on the ears which caused him to die of shame. -However that may be, the Empress died a few days later; and Shun Che was -so distraught with grief that he would have committed suicide but for -the restraint put upon him by the eunuchs of his court. According to the -revolting custom then still in vogue, he had thirty men strangled on the -tomb of the dead Empress to attend her in the other world. He then shaved -his head and made pilgrimages from one pagoda to another, bewailing his -many sins, especially that of having loved his lost one with too great a -love, and pleading for forgiveness. This penance over, he went back to his -palace at Pekin. But, says the chronicler, a little time afterwards he -called for his Imperial mantle, and having named his son, Kang-Hy, then -only eight years old, his successor, he wrapt himself in it and expired -with the words, "I go to join my ancestors." - -[Sidenote: A JUST RULER] - -Once more a boy-emperor was raised to the Imperial throne; but that boy -was no ordinary child, and grew up to be one of the greatest monarchs -who ever ruled the Celestial Empire. During his minority he was under -the care of four wise ministers, who, except for their cruelty to the -Christians, performed their difficult task with skill and moderation. -One of the very first acts of the young monarch, when he took the reins -of government with his own hands, was to rescind the measures against -the Christians, placing their religion on exactly the same standing as -Buddhism, and consulting the Jesuit fathers at every turn. Many are the -touching stories told of the way in which Kang-Hy won all hearts, and some -of them read as if they had been culled from the Old Testament. Take, for -instance, the tale of the old man, whom the Emperor in one of his royal -progresses found weeping by the wayside. Approaching him, Kang-Hy asked -the cause of his grief: "My lord," was the reply, "my only son, who was -the joy of my life, has been taken from me to serve the governor of the -province, and I have no one to comfort me in my old age, or to mourn over -my tomb." The Emperor went straight to the Governor's palace, accompanied -by the complainant; and when the oppressor could not deny the charge, -Kang-Hy ordered him to be beheaded. Then turning to the suppliant the -royal avenger thus addressed him: "To make amends to you for the injury -you have sustained, I appoint you Governor in the room of him who has -proved himself so unworthy of that office." - -Missionaries to China were in the habit of calling Kang-Hy the Louis XIV. -of China. The contemporary of the _grand monarque_ of France, there was -really something in his long and brilliant reign not unlike that of the -king who acquired an ascendency over his subjects resembling that of an -Asiatic autocrat. He knew, as Louis did, how to turn everything to account -for the glory of his kingdom, and before his death in 1792 he had so -consolidated his power, that but for the weakness of his successors China -might still rank as a leader of the Orient. In his will, a quotation from -which is given below, he proves alike his literary ability, his care for -the best interests of his people, and the exalted view he took of his own -duties: - -[Sidenote: PROCLAMATION OF KANG-HY] - -"I, the Emperor," he says, "who honour Heaven, and am charged with the -government of the country, I issue this edict, and I assert that amongst -the Emperors who have governed the Universe there has not been one who has -looked upon the doing reverence to Heaven and imitating his ancestors as -essential duties. The true manner to venerate Heaven is to treat those who -are far away with goodness, and to advance those who are near according -to their merit. This is to procure for the people rest and abundance; it -is to identify one's own well-being with that of the Universe; it is to -preserve the State from dangers before those dangers occur, and to foresee -with wisdom the disorders which might occur. - -"The princes who work on this plan from early morning till evening, -and are even thinking (of their subjects) during their sleep, who are -ceaselessly forming designs, the effects of which will be enduring and of -wide influence for the public good, these princes, I say, are not far from -the accomplishment of their duties. - -"I, Emperor, who am now seventy years old, and have reigned for sixty of -them, I owe all my blessings to the invisible aid of Heaven and earth, to -that of my ancestors, and to that of the God who presides over the Empire -... not to my own feeble reason. According to history, more than four -thousand three hundred and fifty years have elapsed since the reign of -Hwang-Ti, and during that great number of centuries there have been three -hundred and one Emperors, a few of whom only have reigned as long as they -might have done. - -"After my elevation to the throne, when I reached the twentieth year of -my reign, I did not dare to count on seeing the thirtieth, and arrived -at the thirtieth, I did not dare look forward to the fortieth, yet now -find myself in the sixtieth. Happiness is said to consist in five things: -long life, wealth, tranquillity, love of virtue, and a peaceful end. The -last-named takes the highest rank amongst these advantages, no doubt, -because it is so difficult to secure it. The age I now am proves that I -have lived a long time; as for my wealth, I have owned all that is in -the four seas. I am a father, and have one hundred and fifty sons and -grandsons.... I have probably even more daughters.... I leave the Empire -in peace ... so that the happiness I enjoy may well be called great.... If -no accident befalls me, I shall die content. - -"I have one more reflection to make. Although I cannot claim that -since I have been on the throne I have changed all evil customs and -reformed the manners of all my people; although I have not succeeded in -securing abundance for every family and the necessaries of life to every -individual, so that I cannot in these respects be compared to the wise -emperors of the first three dynasties, I can assert that during my long -reign I have had no other aim than to preserve peace for the whole Empire, -to make my people content, each one in his own sphere and profession; -it is to this I have! devoted assiduous care with incredible ardour and -ceaseless toil, which toil has done much to exhaust the strength alike -of my body and of my spirit. Amongst my predecessors there were some -who reigned but a short time, and historians turn this to account to -censure them, attributing their premature death to inordinate love of -wine and women.... This is quite a regular rule, and they make a merit of -raking up stories against accomplished princes who were really the least -reprehensible of men." - -Kang-Hy then goes on to make an elaborate justification of his -predecessors, claiming that their days were shortened by hard work and -devotion to duty; he singles out two or three of his own ancestors for -special praise, and wanders, as most royal and imperial authors do, into -numerous side-issues before he returns to the subject of his own life. - -[Sidenote: A NAÏVE EULOGY] - -"I, Emperor," he goes on to say, "applied myself to the study of wisdom -from infancy, and have acquired a knowledge of ancient and modern -science." He adds that when in his full vigour, he could shoot arrows some -thirteen cubits long from bows of huge span; that he knew all about the -handling of weapons, and had often appeared at the head of his armies in -person. He boasts, moreover, that throughout his whole life he had never -put any one to death without cause; he had also put down several revolts, -and every enterprise in which he had engaged had been conducted in the -most successful way by his genius alone. - -After thus as it were pronouncing his own funeral oration, he proceeds to -appoint his successor in the following terms: - -"Young-t-Ching, my fourth son, is a man of rare and valuable character. He -greatly resembles me, and I have no doubt he will be capable of bearing -the burden of his great inheritance. I ordain that after my death he -shall ascend the throne and take possession of the Imperial dignity. In -conformity with custom, mourning shall be worn for me for twenty-seven -days only. Let this edict be published at Court and in all the provinces, -that no one may be ignorant of its contents." - -The author of this naïve eulogy of his own virtues died in 1722, having -caught a chill whilst hunting a leopard beyond the Great Wall. As he would -himself have wished, his last illness was short; he would have said that -his end was peace, and that he had achieved the most difficult of the five -things which make up human happiness. - -[Illustration: FIG. 54.--PORTRAIT OF ONE OF THE CHINESE EMPERORS OF THE -CH'ING DYNASTY, PROBABLY KIEN-LONG.] - -[Sidenote: FIRST ENGLISH EMBASSY] - -The reign of Young-t-Ching, who was duly installed Emperor with all -possible pomp after his father's death, was not marked by any special -events, and but for his persecution of the Christians, the new monarch -seems to have justified the high opinion his predecessor had of him. He -died in 1735, and was succeeded by his eldest son, Kien-Long, during whose -reign the Chinese Court was visited for the first time by Englishmen, Lord -Macartney having been sent in 1792 at the head of a mission to lay the -grievances of English merchants before the Emperor and demand redress. -This mission was of so much importance to the future relations between the -English Government and the Celestial Empire, that some details are given -here. - -The Embassy was received at Tien-tsin with courtesy, but with no special -honour, for in those days none of the officials had any idea that a -messenger from a foreign court would come to their country, except to -bring tribute and do homage to the Son of Heaven. On the yachts and junks -which took the party up the Pei-ho river were displayed flags bearing -the legend, "Ambassadors bearing tribute from the country of England." -In his account of the expedition, Sir George Staunton, who edited Lord -Macartney's journals, says: "The approach of the embassy was an event of -which the report spread rapidly ... crowds of men assembled on the banks -... while the females, as shy as they were cautious, looked through gates -or peeped over walls to enjoy the sight. A few indeed of the ancient dames -almost dipped their feet into the river to get a nearer peep." - -It was at Zhehol, about fifty miles north of the Great Wall, where the -Emperor had a summer palace, that he consented to receive the ambassador, -who was lodged, whilst waiting for the final arrangements to be made, -at Yuen-min-Yuen, about seven miles from the capital. A serious hitch -occurred in the absolute refusal of Lord Macartney to perform what is -known as the ko-too, an act of homage always exacted from a vassal by -his liege lord, consisting of nine prostrations at his feet. To have -yielded would have been to recognize Kien-Long as the superior of the -King of Great Britain, and to Lord Macartney's firmness on this occasion -is due all the later success of his fellow-countrymen in the Celestial -Empire. Finding him resolute, the President of the Board of Rites and the -other great mandarins who had waited upon him, finally consented to a -compromise, and the English party, escorted by a guard of Tartars, made -their way to Zhehol, where, to quote the words of the ambassador, he saw -"King Solomon in all his glory," being received by him in the presence of -all the princes of the Imperial family, the great officers of State, the -Mongol chiefs, etc., with all courtesy. "The hall of audience," we are -told, "was a magnificent tent in the park, supported by gilded pillars, -at the upper end of which was placed a throne under a canopy raised -several steps from the ground.... The Emperor was carried in a palanquin -by sixteen bearers, his approach announced by the sound of gongs and -trumpets ... he was plainly dressed in a robe of brown silk, with no -ornaments but one large pearl in the front of his black velvet cap." - -The ambassador, who merely bent one knee in presenting his credentials, -was very graciously greeted by the venerable monarch, and when presents -had been exchanged, etc., a sumptuous meal was served to the accompaniment -of a band of music. The visitors passed a week at Zhehol, and witnessed -the festivities in honour of their host's birthday; they were then -politely informed that it was time for them to go, and that an answer -would be sent to them at Canton to the letter from their King. They -were escorted to that sea-port by land and river through the five chief -provinces of China, the journey occupying ten weeks, and were greatly -struck with the high cultivation of the country and with its teeming -population. The promised answer from the Emperor was duly received, and -though it did not accede to all the requests made in that of George III., -much was gained by the mission, for the trade with England was placed on a -far better footing than before. - -[Sidenote: A REMARKABLE VOW] - -On his accession to the throne, Kien-Long made the remarkable vow "that -should he be permitted ... to complete the sixtieth year of his reign, -he would show his gratitude to Heaven by resigning the crown to his heir -as an acknowledgment that he had been favoured to the full extent of -his wishes." The year after Lord Macartney's visit the allotted period -was reached, and the Emperor abdicated in favour of his youngest son, -who took the name of Kea-King, and was duly accepted by the Celestials. -Kien-Long retained the title of Supreme Emperor until his death at the -age of eighty-eight, but he meddled no more in affairs of State, though -he continued to aid those who were in distress, winning the name of the -Father of his people. He was especially good to the poorer literati, and -himself produced several books of high excellence. - -Kea-King was, alas! a very different ruler from his father, who had chosen -him out of all his children on account of his supposed talent. He had none -of the dignity which had characterized the other monarchs of the Manchu -dynasty, and chose his friends from amongst the lowest and most depraved -of his subjects, taking them with him, it is said, even into the sacred -precincts of the Temples when he went to offer sacrifices as the Son of -Heaven. It was during the reign of this unworthy scion of a noble house -that Lord Amherst was sent to Pekin on a mission similar to that of Lord -Macartney. He was not, however, able to see the Emperor, and he and his -companions were very rudely treated by the Tartar nobles. The English, -on their return home, gave a very far from flattering account of the -so-called Celestial court, where they said the whip was largely in use to -keep even the great dignitaries in order. The Chinese were then, as they -still are, ruled by the whip and the bamboo, for, says a writer who knew -the country well, "The viceroy bamboos the mandarins, the mandarins bamboo -their inferior officers, and these ... bamboo the common people; the -husband bamboos the wife, the father the son, even when the latter is of -mature age." - -Before his death Kea-King, who lived to the age of sixty-one, in spite of -his excesses, in his turn issued a will in the form of an edict, which -contains several interesting passages throwing considerable light on -the physical difficulties the authorities have to contend with in the -Celestial Empire, as well as on the manners and customs of the people. -In it the dying monarch mourns over the devastations caused by "China's -sorrow," the Yellow River, and enumerates the measures he had taken to -check its ravages. He pronounced, as was usual, an eulogy on his own -conduct, and appointed his second son Taou-Kwang his successor. - -[Sidenote: 'THE GLORY OF REASON'] - -The name of the new ruler signified the Glory of Reason, and he ascended -the throne in 1820. He justified his father's choice by doing all in his -power to atone for the mischief done by the weakness and vices of his -predecessor, but the chiefs of the unruly Tartar tribes had so got the -upper hand that they were beyond his control; one insurrection followed -another, and when after making concession after concession, peace was -at last restored to the distracted country, a far more formidable enemy -had to be contended with from without. The long series of petty quarrels -between the English and Celestials on questions of trade culminated in -the war already more than once referred to, which lasted for many years, -and resulted in the final breaking through of Chinese isolation, and the -throwing open of five ports to European trade. - -It was the beginning of the end; the first step towards that partition -of China which is now being so rapidly effected. Heart-broken at the -destruction of all his hopes, Taou-Kwang never held his head up again -after the signing of the Treaty of Nanking in 1842. The death of his -adopted mother soon afterwards, it is said, hastened his end, and he died -in 1851 after a reign of thirty years, during which he had known no peace -or comfort. - -His fourth son, Yih-Choo, was chosen as his successor, and he took the -name of Hien-Fung, signifying universal plenty, but the title turned -out a terrible misnomer, for the new Emperor inherited his father's -feeble sensual character, and he had not long been on the throne before -the Tai-Ping rebellion broke out. The leader, an able man who had been -converted to Christianity, all but succeeded in turning out the Manchu -dynasty and inaugurating a new one, with himself as Emperor, under the -title of Teen-Wang, or the Heavenly King. To add to the difficulties of -Hien-Fung, the English declared war against him in 1857, on account of an -outrage on British sailors. The French took part in the campaign, as the -allies of the British, and after a struggle lasting three years Pekin -itself was entered. Peace was eventually made, on terms very greatly to -the advantage of the English, and yet another blow was struck at Chinese -prestige by the Treaty of Pekin, signed in 1860. The Tai-Ping rebellion -was crushed with the aid of Major Gordon, who afterwards became so -celebrated as the Hero of Khartoum, but the Celestials lost more than they -gained, and since then the occupant of the throne of the once powerful -Empire has been a mere cipher. - -[Illustration: FIG. 55.--ONE OF THE REGENTS DURING THE MINORITY OF -TUNG-CHE.] - -[Sidenote: THE REGENTS AND TUNG-CHE] - -Hien-Fung died in 1861, leaving his enfeebled throne to his infant son, -Tung-Che, then only five years old. The government was carried on for -him by the so-called Regents, two of the late Emperor's wives, one the -legitimate Empress, the other the secondary consort, who did their best to -consolidate his power, and seem to have ruled with considerable wisdom and -moderation. Rebellion was still, however, rife in the important province -of Yunnan, a Mohammedan prince, named Suleiman, still defying the Imperial -authority. This leader even sent his son Hassan to England in 1872, to try -and obtain the recognition of his father by Queen Victoria. Needless to -add, he was not successful, the British Government having already espoused -the cause of the young Emperor. - -In 1893, the Regents resigned their delegated authority into the hands of -Tung-Che, now seventeen years old, but he only reigned two years before he -died of small-pox, leaving no children, although he is said to have had -two legitimate wives and sixty-nine concubines. His brief term of office -was marked by one special event full of significance for foreigners: the -various ministers accredited to Pekin, but hitherto not received at the -Palace, succeeded in forcing the young monarch to see them in the very -stronghold of conservatism. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - - -A child of four chosen Emperor--The power of the Empress Dowager--The -Palace feud--The Palace at Pekin--A Frenchman's interview with the -Emperor--The Emperor's person held sacred--Coming of age of the -Emperor--An enlightened proclamation--Reception of the foreign ministers -in 1889--Education of the young monarch--He goes to do homage at the tombs -of his ancestors--A wife is chosen for him--His secondary wives--China, -the battle-ground of the future--Railway concessions. - -On the death of the Emperor Tung-Che, there was for the first time for -three hundred years no direct heir to the throne of China, and it being -the law of the country that the heir must be younger than the person he -inherits from, the choice fell upon the infant son of one of Tung-Che's -brothers, the Prince of Chun, seventh son of Taou-Kwang, who still -occupies the throne, if throne it can be called, when the monarch is a -mere prisoner in the hands of the Dowager Empress, compelled to amuse -himself in his enforced seclusion as best he can, and spending much of -his time in training pets, such as goats and monkeys. The ambitious -title of Kwang-Sen, or the "Succession of Glory," was bestowed upon the -little fellow of four years old, who has, alas! found his reign rather a -succession of misfortunes of every kind than one redounding either to his -own glory or that of his people. Once more the unfortunate country has -had to suffer all the evils of a long minority, the real power being in -the hands of an unscrupulous woman, who yields the sceptre of state with -a hand of iron, keeping the "Son of Heaven" in complete subjection. "For -many years," says the astute observer, Archibald Colquhoun, in his _China -in Transformation_, "the politics of Pekin have been swayed by a bitter -Palace feud; the young Emperor and his party on one side, and the Empress -Dowager on the other. Of a passionate nature and an imperious will, -inspired by purely selfish considerations, the late Regent continues to -dominate and even to terrorize the Emperor, who is of feeble physique, and -incapable of wielding the power which belongs to him." - -He is a mere puppet in the hands of those who ought to obey him, and his -name is not associated with a single act of policy worthy of the ruler -of a great Empire. Li-Hung-Chang, the courtier, more than once already -referred to, is the chief agent of the Dowager Empress, and to these two -was due the disgraceful abandonment of the war with Japan--which the -Emperor himself wished to carry on to the bitter end--and the signing -of the ignominious treaty in 1895. It is just possible that should the -Empress Dowager die before him--and she is an old woman now--the Emperor -Kwang-Sen may yet take the reins of government into his own hands, but -with pretty well every European nation clamouring for a slice of his -dominions, he will indeed be a wonderful man if he succeeds in leaving any -semblance of power to his successor. - -[Sidenote: THE EMPEROR'S APARTMENTS] - -This unfortunate occupant of a doomed throne has spent most of his life -at Pekin in the great Palace of his ancestors, his apartments being -situated in the centre of the multitudinous buildings, not far from those -set apart for the use of the real ruler, the Dowager Empress. The space -the Palace occupies is so vast that ministers on their way to the Council -Chamber have more than half a mile to walk after entering the precincts. -Audience is only given by the Emperor at the early hours, four, five, or -six in the morning, and certain high functionaries have the privilege -accorded them of being carried to the reception-hall in sedan-chairs. Many -an important personage, rejoicing in all manner of high-sounding titles, -has however been compelled to remain waiting all night in gala costume in -some ante-room, for the early morning interview, and foreigners complain -bitterly of the discomforts they still have to endure before they are -allowed to come face to face either with the real or the nominal head of -the State. - -A friend of mine, connected with the French Embassy, told me that on one -of the very rare occasions when he and some of his colleagues succeeded -in obtaining an interview with the Son of Heaven, the time fixed for the -audience was at four o'clock a.m. He was conducted by a chamberlain to a -room in which a few candles were burning on a table covered with a yellow -cloth. On the other side of this table opposite to him was the Emperor, -with a screen of a delicate jonquil-yellow colour on either side. Behind -one of these screens knelt Prince Kung, and behind the other the Empress. - -Obeying a sign from the chamberlain, the visitors saluted the Emperor, -but without performing the ko-too, from which Lord Macartney saved all -foreigners by his firm attitude in 1793, and my friend, as he rose up -after his respectful obeisance, could not resist just raising his eyes -to have a good look at the Son of Heaven, who was at that moment yawning -enough to dislocate his jaws. For this presumption the _attaché_ was -immediately rebuked by the chamberlain, who ordered him to keep his eyes -fixed on the ground until the end of the interview. - -[Sidenote: THE EMPEROR'S BED] - -The Emperor's apartments consist of seven spacious rooms, in each of which -is a k'ang or divan, such as is in use everywhere in the north of China, -covered with red felt of native manufacture, and provided with cushions -adorned with gold embroidery, representing the symbolic dragon and -phœnix. On the floors of the royal domain are beautiful European carpets -of various kinds, and numerous tables, what-nots, etc., are crowded with -objects of art, such as porcelain and pottery, mostly produced in China, -though of late years some foreign products have figured amongst them. - -The Son of Heaven sleeps in a big bed made at Ningpo, richly decorated -with gold and ivory, the very same as that used by his illustrious -ancestor Kang-Hy. He is treated by the eight eunuchs in attendance on his -person with as much reverence as was the great founder of the now weakened -dynasty, and as are the Lamas in the convents on the lofty plateaux of -Thibet and Mongolia, where the modified form of Buddhism known as Lamaism -is practised. - -[Illustration: FIG. 56.--A CHINESE SEDAN-CHAIR AND BEARERS.] - -The person of the Emperor is held so sacred that neither iron nor steel -is ever allowed to touch him, which of course makes it impossible for him -to receive surgical aid should he be suffering from any of the diseases -requiring the use of the knife. Fortunately he was vaccinated when an -infant in the cradle, before those in charge of him had any suspicion -of the great destiny in store for him. The story goes that a doctor who -proposed to save the life of a Chinese Emperor by bleeding him, nearly -lost his own head as a punishment. The same superstition prevails in -Corea, where one of the kings died in the eighteenth century, when he -might have been saved if he, or rather those about him, could have been -induced to allow a lancet to be used on his sacred person. - -The young Emperor was declared of age in 1889, and he was at once informed -that the foreign ministers would be glad to be allowed to pay their -respects to him on this auspicious occasion. To their great surprise -consent to their reception was given not very long afterwards, that -consent being published in the _Pekin Gazette_ in the following year in -terms most flattering to all concerned. After the usual preamble the -Emperor was made to say: - -[Sidenote: AN IMPORTANT INTERVIEW] - -"The ministers of the various powers residing in Pekin have abundantly -shown their loyal desire to maintain peaceful relations and international -friendship. This I cordially recognize, and I rejoice in it.... It is -also hereby decreed that a day be fixed every year for an audience; ... -on the next day the foreign ministers are to be received at a banquet at -the Foreign Office. The same is to be done every year in the first month, -and the rule will be the same on each occasion..." The remainder of the -proclamation was couched in equally courteous terms, presenting a very -marked contrast to the grudging, indeed almost insolent, assent given by -previous Emperors to any request for an audience by the representatives -of the European powers. When the interview took place, moreover, the -various ministers were admitted to the presence of their host one by one, -instead of all together as on previous occasions, whilst the _attachés_, -etc., were received collectively later. The Emperor was seated on a -raised platform at the end of the vast reception-hall, with Prince Ching, -President of the Foreign Board, kneeling on one side. As each minister -came up to the platform making three bows on the way, he was introduced by -the Prince, who took from him the letters of credence and placed them on -a table near the Son of Heaven, who, after bowing an acknowledgment, made -a long speech to the Prince, who listened to it on his knees. The reply -completed, he rose, and with uplifted arms went down into the body of the -hall, where he repeated to the foreign interpreter the following speech: - -"We desire to convey to all the ministers, _chargés d'affaires_, and -secretaries, who have presented congratulations to us, that we truly -appreciate, and are very pleased with all their kind expressions, and we -sincerely wish that their respective sovereigns may this year have all -things according to their hearts' desire, and that their happiness and -prosperity may increase. We also hope that you ministers will stay long in -China in the full enjoyment of health, and that friendly relations between -China and foreign countries will never cease." - -Surely nothing could be more courteous and conciliatory than the behaviour -of the young Emperor on this important occasion, and but for the terrible -war with Japan, which so soon afterwards shook his throne to its -foundations, he might perhaps have won a real alliance with some Western -power, which would have saved him from the partition of his Empire, from -which there is now no hope of escape. - -On the coming of age of the Son of Heaven, his mother, the Princess of -Chun, was raised to the rank of Empress, but his father, the Prince, -received no accession of dignity. Both parents, when admitted to the -presence of their august son, kneel to him and treat him as a being -altogether superior to themselves. Still young, Kwang-Sen is fond of -riding, shooting with the bow-and-arrow, and skating. His day is rigidly -portioned out, and he has little real liberty. When he was a child his -teachers approached him on their knees, and were only allowed to sit -in his presence when he gave them permission. He had to work at the -Chinese and Manchu languages for an hour and a half every day, and is -really extremely well-educated, though, fortunately for foreigners, he is -anything but fond of the mandarins or literati, who would gladly poison -his mind against everything European. At regular intervals he goes to do -homage at the tombs of his ancestors, as do all of high or low degree in -China, and on these solemn occasions he is accompanied by the Empresses -and a suite of no less than thirty thousand persons, including princes, -nobles, mandarins, apparitors, lictors, banner-bearers, porters, etc. Long -before dawn on the day of the ceremony the main road is strewn with fine -sand, and decorated with white and blue velvet flags, whilst at regular -intervals tables are set up covered with yellow drapery, and bearing -the inscription, _Ya Tao_, signifying the Imperial road, words full of -terrible significance to the Chinese, for they mean that all on pain of -death should keep out of the way of the Son of Heaven. - -[Sidenote: STRINGENT MEASURES OF PRECAUTION] - -The most stringent measures are taken even in the capital to protect the -sovereign from the gaze of the profane. Not only are all the inhabitants -compelled to close the doors of their houses when he is about to pass, -but no one is allowed to climb on the walls of the town, lest from them -they should catch even a glimpse of the Imperial procession. Nor is it -only reverence for the sacred person which leads to all these precautions: -there is the danger that some evil-minded person might attempt to take -the life of the Emperor by firing at him from a distance with one of -those awful engines of destruction, the range of which even now seems so -extraordinary to the Celestials, in spite of their recent experiences in -the war with the Japanese. The Chinese police forbid even European women -to show themselves on the day of the procession, lest the sovereign should -see them, for the myrmidons of the law, accustomed to the strict seclusion -of the female sex in their native land, believe that those who enjoy a -liberty such as that of the wives and daughters of the diplomatists, to be -capable of any crime even against the venerated Son of Heaven. - -[Illustration: FIG. 57.--A BONZE TORTURING HIMSELF IN A TEMPLE, AFTER A -CHINESE PAINTING. - -(_Univers Pittoresque._)] - -[Sidenote: SECONDARY WIVES IN CHINA] - -A wife was of course chosen for Kwang-Sen as soon as he attained his -majority, and the lady selected for the difficult position of Empress -was the daughter of an official of the province of Che-kiang, who was, -it is said, as good and as well educated as she was beautiful. Truly it -must have been an immense change in her life to be raised from her humble -position as the child of a mere nobody, to be placed on the throne of the -most populous Empire of the world, and the way in which she has fulfilled -her high destiny is very differently judged by the few who really know -anything of Palace life in China. Her influence has not of course been as -paramount as it would have been in a country where monogamy was practised. -Very soon after she became a bride, various supplementary beauties -were chosen to fill the royal harem, and the so-called lotus flowers, -tea-blossoms, etc., were all equally irreproachable in manners and morals -from the Chinese point of view. The number of left-handed marriages -permitted in China is illimitable, and where there is money enough to -support them, a man often has as many as three hundred secondary wives. - -As a matter of course there is none of the fierce jealousy in the -Celestial Empire such as is aroused on the mere suspicion of a rival in -the virtuous bosom of a European wife. Other countries, other manners; and -in China wives and concubines live peacefully enough under one roof, with -no more friction than is seen amongst the hens in a poultry-yard. Time -alone can show what will be the eventual outcome of the life now being -lived in the Imperial Palace of Pekin, for time alone can sift the truth -from the many conflicting rumours which reach the outer world. One thing -alone is certain, China will be the battle-ground of the future, and the -yellow peril, about which so much has been prophesied, will assume many an -unexpected form before the century just about to begin in its turn nears -its close. - - - - -CONCLUSION - - -When every month brings some change in the political position in China, -and the daily press is full of more or less contradictory rumours as to -what is going on at Pekin, it is impossible to come to any real decision -on the many vexed questions under discussion. One great fact, however, -emerges distinctly from out of the chaos of conflicting data, and that is, -that it will be Russia, with her wonderful faculty for working steadily -onwards towards a definite aim, who will secure the lion's share in the -spoliation of the Celestials, whilst her Trans-Siberian railway, which -already pays its way, creating trade wherever it passes, and in another -four years will connect St. Petersburg with Port Arthur, will be one of -the most important factors in changing the course of the commerce of the -world. - -Shut in as she is on the East by the English in Burmah and the French in -Cochin-China, threatened on the West by the Germans and the Japanese, and -dominated on the north by Russia, the Celestial Empire finds herself -compelled to awake from her long stupor, and to arouse herself to action -of some kind. With no real army, no longer an efficient fleet, however, -what can she do? She can only choose what seems to her the least of -the evils hemming her in on every side, and elect from among the many -competitors for the post, the protector best able to save her not only -from her outside enemies, but from herself. - -[Sidenote: IMPORTANCE OF RUSSIA] - -As has been very aptly said, Russia is of all the Western Powers the -most imbued with Oriental ideas, and she combines, with the energy -and ambition of a first-rate power of the future, a sympathy with the -Celestials altogether wanting to France, Germany, or Great Britain. -There is, in fact, an actual affinity of race between the Chinese and -the inhabitants of the northern steppes, and there is therefore far more -hope of real amalgamation between them than there can be in any other -case. The English, the French, the Germans, the Italians, if they win -the concessions they are now in their turn clamouring for, will always -be aliens in the districts they acquire, and there will never, to use -a homely but expressive phrase, be any love lost between them and the -natives. - -Li-Hung-Chang, one of the most enlightened statesmen who have ever arisen -in China, came to Europe in 1896 with a view to ascertaining by personal -observation, which of the western nations would be likely to be the best -friend for his distracted country, in the enfeebled condition to which -the war with Japan had reduced her. He saw quickly enough that it would -not be England, nor Germany, nor France, but that it would be Russia. It -was therefore with Russia that a treaty was eventually made, and ratified -in 1897; this treaty, in addition to other privileges, giving to the -great northern power. Port Arthur, with the right of making it a coaling -station, and in case of war of concentrating troops in its harbour. "The -Russians and the Chinese," said Mitchie, writing more than thirty years -ago, "are peculiarly suited to each other ... the Russians meet the -Chinese as Greek meets Greek ... they understand each other's character -thoroughly, because they are so closely alike." Recent events have proved -how true was the insight of this astute observer, and it is evident that -whilst the other Powers will have to content themselves with their various -spheres of influence, Russia alone will obtain real political control -of the Celestial Empire as a whole. There remains now no hope that the -disintegrating forces at work in the once powerful nation will be arrested -from within, in spite of the fact that again and again China has risen -in the past from apparent dissolution into a greater nation than before, -absorbing her conquerors and converting them into patriots, ready to -dare all for their adopted country. The saving force must now come from -without, and when once more there is a strong hand directed by a strong -brain at the head of affairs, the resources of the unhappy land will be -found to be practically inexhaustible. With a prolific soil, vast mineral -wealth, and a teachable population, there is indeed no limit to what -China, which has been called the India of the future, may become. - -[Illustration: FIG. 58.--THE TOWN AND BRIDGE OF FUCHAM.] - -In the imminent partition of China into spheres of influence, should that -partition finally supersede the more generous policy of the opening of the -whole country on equal terms to the trade of all the European nations, the -Yang-tse basin, with its populous towns of Nanking, Hankow, Fuchan, and -others, will be the field of action of Great Britain; whilst Shantung, -a rich sea-bound province, will be that of Germany; and the French, who -already occupy Tonking on the south, will obtain concessions in the -neighbouring districts. On every side railways are now being projected, -and the probability is that ere the century just about to open has run -half its course, the whole of China will be intersected by them. - -In the Blue Book on Chinese affairs, issued on the 14th March of the -current year (1899), the following significant statistics of the railway -concessions granted to foreigners in the Celestial Empire are given, -showing that Great Britain is more than equal to Russia in the actual -amount of mileage secured, whilst Germany, France, Belgium, and America -have among them less than Great Britain alone: - -[Sidenote: TELEGRAPHS IN CHINA] - - British railways 2,800 miles - Russian " 1,530 " - German " 720 " - Belgian " 650 " - French " 420 " - American " 300 " - -More important still, as breaking up finally the isolation on which China -has prided herself for so many centuries, is the fact that already pretty -well all the important towns of the vast Empire are connected by telegraph -with each other, and with the outside world. The search-light of publicity -is in fact turned full upon the land once so fraught with mystery, and -before long there will be no hidden thing connected with either court or -country which will not be revealed to the inquisitive gaze of all the -world. - - - THE END - - - Richard Clay & Sons, Limited, - London & Bungay. - - -In One Volume, Small 4TO. - -_PRICE HALF-A-GUINEA._ - - -_Women Novelists of Queen Victoria's Reign_ - -A BOOK OF APPRECIATIONS. - - THE SISTERS BRONTË By Mrs. Oliphant. - - GEORGE ELIOT By Mrs. Lynn Linton. - - MRS. GASKELL By Edna Lyall. - - LADY GEORGIANA FULLERTON. } By Charlotte M. Yonge. - THE AUTHOR OF "THE VALLEY OF } - A HUNDRED FIRES" } - THE AUTHOR OF "MARY POWELL" } - - MRS. CATHERINE CROWE } By Adeline Sergeant. - MRS. ARCHER CLIVE } - MRS. HENRY WOOD } - - MRS. CRAIK (MISS MULOCK) By Mrs. Parr. - - AMELIA B. EDWARDS } By Mrs. Macquoid. - JULIA KAVANAGH } - - MRS. NORTON By Mrs. Alexander. - - "A. L. O. E." (MISS TUCKER) } By Mrs. Marshall. - "AUNT JUDY" (MRS. EWING) } - -HURST AND BLACKETT, Limited, - -13, GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET, LONDON, W. - - -New Work by H. D. Traill. - -_IN ONE VOLUME, CROWN 8vo. PRICE 6s._ - - -_The New Fiction and Other Essays on Literary Subjects_ - -By H. D. TRAILL - -Author of "The New Lucian," "The Life of Sir John Franklin," etc. - -SUBJECTS:-- - - THE NEW FICTION. - THE POLITICAL NOVEL. - THE POLITICS OF LITERATURE;--A Dialogue. - MATTHEW ARNOLD. - SAMUEL RICHARDSON. - THE NOVEL OF MANNERS. - NEWSPAPERS AND ENGLISH;--A Dialogue. - LUCIAN. - THE REVOLUTION IN GRUB STREET;--A Boswellian Fragment. - THE PROVINCIAL LETTERS. - THE FUTURE OF HUMOUR. - -HURST AND BLACKETT, Limited, - -13, GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET, LONDON, W. - - -WORKS BY - -GEORGE MAC DONALD, LL.D. - -_Each in One Volume, Frontispiece, and Uniformly Bound, Pries 5s._ - - -ALEC FORBES OF HOWGLEN. - - "No account of this story would give any idea of the profound - interest that pervades the work from the first page to the - last."--_Athenæum_. - - "A novel of uncommon merit Sir Walter Scott said he would advise - no man to try to read 'Clarissa Harlowe' out loud in company if he - wished to keep his character for manly superiority to tears. We fancy - a good many hardened old novel-readers will feel a rising in the - throat as they follow the fortunes of Alec and Annie."--_Pall Mall - Gazette_. - - "The whole story is one of surpassing excellence and beauty."--_Daily - News_. - - "This book is full of good thought and good writing. Dr. Mac - Donald looks in his stories more to the souls of men and women - than to their social outside. He reads life and Nature like a true - poet."--_Examiner_. - - -ROBERT FALCONER. - - "'Robert Falconer' is a work brimful of life and humour and of the - deepest human interest. It is a work to be returned to again and - again for the deep and searching knowledge it evinces of human - thoughts and feelings."--_Athenæum_. - - "This story abounds in exquisite specimens of the word-painting in - which Dr. Mac Donald excels, charming transcripts of Nature, full of - lights air, and colour."--_Saturday Review_. - - "This noble story displays to the best advantage all the powers of - Dr. Mac Donald's genius."--_Illustrated London News_. - - "'Robert Falconer' the noblest work of fiction that Dr. Mac Donald - has yet produced."--_British Quarterly Review_. - - "The dialogues in 'Robert Falconer' are so finely blended with humour - and pathos as to make them in themselves an intellectual treat to - which the reader returns again and again."--_Spectator_. - - -DAVID ELGINBROD. - - "A novel which is the work of a man of genius. It will attract the - highest class of readers."--_Times_. - - "There are many beautiful passages and descriptions in this book. The - characters are extremely well drawn."--_Athenæum_. - - "A clever novel The incidents are exciting and the interest is - maintained to the close It may be doubted if Sir Walter Scott - himself ever painted a Scotch fireside with more truth than Dr. Mac - Donald."--_Morning Post_. - - "David Elginbrod is the finest character we have met in fiction for - many a day. The descriptions of natural scenery are vivid, truthful, - and artistic; the general reflections are those of a refined, - thoughtful, and poetical philosopher, and the whole moral atmosphere - of the book is lofty, pure, and invigorating."--_Globe_. - - -SIR GIBBIE. - - "'Sir Gibbie' is a book of genius."--_Pall Mall Gazette_. - - "This book has power, pathos, and humour. There is not a character - which Is not life-like. There are many powerful scenes, and the - portraits will stay long in our memory."--_Athenæum_. - - "'Sir Gibbie' is unquestionably a book of genius. It abounds in - humour, pathos, insight into character, and happy touches of - description."--_Graphic_. - - "'Sir Gibbie' contains some of the most charming writing the author - has yet produced."--_Scotsman_. - - "'Sir Gibbie' is one of the most touching and beautiful stories that - has been written for many years. It is not a novel to be idly read - and laid aside; it is a grand work, to be kept near at hand, and - studied and thought over."--_Morning Post_. - -LONDON: HURST AND BLACKETT, LIMITED. - - -WORKS BY THE AUTHOR OF - -'SAM SLICK, THE CLOCKMAKER.' - -_Each in One Volume, Frontispiece, and Uniformly Bound, Price 5s._ - - -NATURE AND HUMAN NATURE. - - "We enjoy our old friend's company with unabated relish. This work is - a rattling miscellany of sharp sayings, stories, and hard hits. It is - full of fun and fancy."--_Athenæum_. - - "Since Sam's first work he has written nothing so fresh, racy, - and genuinely humorous as this. Every line of it tells in some - way or other--instructively, satirically, jocosely, or wittily. - Admiration of Sam's mature talents, and laughter at his droll - yarns, constantly alternate as with unhalting avidity we peruse - the work. The Clockmaker proves himself the fastest time-killer - a-going."--_Observer_. - - -WISE SAWS AND MODERN INSTANCES. - - "This delightful book will be the most popular, as beyond doubt it is - the best, of all the author's admirable works."--_Standard_. - - "The book before us will be read and laughed over. Its quaint and - racy dialect will please some readers--its abundance of yarns - will amuse others. There is something to suit readers of every - humour."--_Athenæum_. - - "The humour of Sam Slick is inexhaustible. He is ever and everywhere - a welcome visitor; smiles greet his approach, and wit and wisdom - hang upon his tongue. We promise our readers a great treat from the - perusal of these 'Wise Saws,' which contain a world of practical - wisdom, and a treasury of the richest fun."--_Morning Post_. - - -THE OLD JUDGE; OR, LIFE IN A COLONY. - - "By common consent this work is regarded as one of the raciest, - truest to life, most humorous, and most interesting works which have - proceeded from the prolific pen of its author. We all know what - shrewdness of observation, what power of graphic description, what - natural resources of drollery, and what a happy method of hitting off - the broader characteristics of the life he reviews, belong to Judge - Haliburton. We have all those qualities here; but they are balanced - by a serious literary purpose, and are employed in the communication - of information respecting certain phases of colonial experience which - impart to the work an element of sober utility."--_Sunday Times_. - - -TRAITS OF AMERICAN HUMOUR. - - "No man has done more than the facetious Judge Haliburton through - the mouth of the inimitable 'Sam' to make the old parent country - recognise and appreciate her queer transatlantic progeny. His present - collection of comic stories and laughable traits is a budget of fun, - full of rich specimens of American humour."--_Globe_. - - "Yankeeism, portrayed in its raciest aspect, constitutes the contents - of these superlatively entertaining sketches. The work embraces the - most varied topics--political parties, religious eccentricities, - the flights of literature, and the absurdities of pretenders to - learning all come in for their share of satire; while we have - specimens of genuine American exaggerations and graphic pictures - of social and domestic life as it is. The work will have a wide - circulation."--_John Bull_. - - -THE AMERICANS AT HOME. - - "In this highly entertaining work we are treated to another cargo of - capital stories from the inexhaustible store of our Yankee friend. - In the volume before us he dishes up, with his accustomed humour and - terseness of style, a vast number of tales, none more entertaining - than another, and all of them graphically illustrative of the ways - and manners of brother Jonathan. The anomalies of American law, the - extraordinary adventures incident to life in the backwoods, and, - above all, the peculiarities of American society, are variously, - powerfully, and for the most part amusingly exemplified."--_John - Bull_. - - "In the picturesque delineation of character, and the felicitous - portraiture of national features, no writer equals Judge Haliburton, - and the subjects embraced in the present delightful book call - forth, in new and vigorous exercise, his peculiar powers. 'The - Americans at Home' will not be less popular than any of his previous - works."--_Post_. - - -LONDON: HURST AND BLACKETT, LIMITED. - - -HURST AND BLACKETT'S - -THREE-AND-SIXPENNY SERIES. - - -_To be had at all Booksellers and Railway Book-stalls_ - - -LONDON: - -HURST AND BLACKETT, LIMITED, - -13, GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET - - -_Each in One Volume, Crown Octavo, 3s. 6d._ - - -THE AWAKENING OF MARY FENWICK. - -By Beatrice Whitby. - - "We have no hesitation in declaring that 'The Awakening of Mary - Fenwick' is the best novel of its kind that we have seen for some - years. It is apparently a first effort, and, as such, is really - remarkable. The story is extremely simple. Mary Mauser marries her - husband for external, and perhaps rather inadequate, reasons, and - then discovers that he married her because she was an heiress. She - feels the indignity acutely, and does not scruple to tell him her - opinion--her very candid opinion--of his behaviour. That is the - effect of the first few chapters, and the rest of Miss Whitby's book - is devoted to relating how this divided couple hated, quarrelled, and - finally fell in love with one another. Mary Fenwick and her husband - live and move and make us believe in them in a way which few but the - great masters of fiction have been able to compass."--_Athenæum_. - - -TWO ENGLISH GIRLS. - -By Mabel Hart. - - "This story is distinguished by its pure and elegant English, and - the refinement of its style and thought. It is a lively account, - with many touches of humour, of Art study in Florence, and the - story weaved into it exhibits a high ideal of life ... The lively, - pleasant, and refined tone of the narrative and dialogue will - recommend the story to all cultivated renders."--_Spectator_. - - "Beatrice Hamlyn is an emancipated young woman of the most pleasing - type, and her friend Evelyn is hardly less amiable. But the - cleverness of Miss Hart's story lies in the simple yet effective - portrait of the Italian character. The elder Vivaldi is presented - to us in a way that shows both knowledge and sympathy. There are - pleasing touches of humour, too, in the minor personages."--_Saturday - Review_. - - -HIS LITTLE MOTHER, AND OTHER TALES. - -By the Author of 'John Halifax, Gentleman.' - - "'His Little Mother' is the story of a sister's self-sacrifice from - her childhood until her early death, worn out in her brother's and - his children's service. It is a pathetic story as the author tells - it The beauty of the girl's devotion is described with many tender - touches, and the question of short-sighted though loving foolishness - is kept in the background. The volume is written in a pleasant - informal manner, and contains many tender generous thoughts and not a - few practical ones. It is a book that will be read with interest, and - that cannot be lightly forgotten."--_St. James's Gazette_. - - "The book is written with all Mrs. Craik's grace of style, the chief - charm of which after all, is its simplicity."--_Glasgow Herald_. - - -MISTRESS BEATRICE COPE: - -Or, PASSAGES IN THE LIFE OF A JACOBITE'S DAUGHTER. - -By M. E. Le Clerc. - - "This is a new one-volume edition of one of the prettiest stories - that has been written for a long time. It has all the charm and - glamour of the most romantic and heroic period of English history - yet it never for an instant oversteps the limit of sober fact and - probability in the way which mars, so many romantic stories. The tone - of the book is absolutely fair and just, and so good qualities of - both parties are done justice to. Not that politics as such do more - than form a background for the sweet figure of Mistress Beatrice, - one of the simplest, most charming, tender, and heroic maidens of - fiction. It is a good story well and dramatically told, which gives a - life-like picture of the end of the most stirring and heroic period - of our national history."--_Queen_. - -LONDON: HURST AND BLACKETT, LIMITED. - - -_Each in One Volume, Crown Octavo, 3s. 6d._ - - -A MARCH IN THE RANKS. - -By Jessie Fothergill. - - "Ever since Mies Jessie Fothergill wrote her admirable first novel, - 'The First Violin,' one has looked forward to her succeeding books - with interest. The present one is a pleasant book, well-written, - well-conceived. A book that is written in good sensible English, - and wherein the characters are mostly gentlefolk and 'behave as - sich,' is not to be met with every day, and consequently deserves a - considerable meed or praise."--_World_. - - "The characters are so brightly and vividly conceived, and the - complications which go to make up the story are so natural, so - inevitable, and yet so fresh, that the interest awakened by the - opening of the tale never declines until the close, but rather, as is - fitting, becomes richer and deeper."--_Academy_. - - -NINETTE. - -By the Author of 'Vera,' 'Blue Roses,' Etc. - - "A story of sustained power from beginning to end, it is put together - according to the true principles of art; moreover, we congratulate - the author upon her hero and heroine. Ninette, in her simple untaught - rectitude of conduct, her innate modesty, and child-like faith, - recalls some of the happiest touches in the Lucia of the immortal - 'Promessi Sposi.'"--_Church Quarterly Review_. - - "'Ninette' is something more than a novel; it is a careful and - elaborate study of life among the Provençal hills, and, as such, - deserves special attention. It is a pretty tale of true love, with - its usual accompaniments of difficulty and trouble, which are all - overcome in the long run."--_Library World_. - - "'Ninette' is evidently based on long and intimate acquaintance with - French rural districts, is excellently written, and cannot fail to - please."--_Scotsman_. - - -A CROOKED PATH. - -By Mrs. Alexander. - - "'A Crooked Path' is, to say the least, as good a novel as the best - of the many good novels which Mrs. Alexander has written; indeed, - most people, even those who remember 'The Wooing O't.' will consider - it the most satisfactory of them all, as a piece of literary work, - as well as the most interesting as a story. Starting from a point so - common as the suppression of a will, the reader before long finds - himself following her into the least expected yet the most natural - developments, reaching poetical justice at the end by equally natural - and equally unlooked-for means. The portraiture is invariably - adequate, and the background well-filled."--_Graphic_. - - -ONE REASON WHY. - -By Beatrice Whitby. - - "Our old friend the governess makes a re-entry into fiction under the - auspices of Beatrice Whitby in 'One Reason Why.' Readers generally, - however, will take a great deal more interest, for once, in the - children than in their instructress. 'Bay' and 'Ellie' are charmingly - natural additions to the children of novel-land; so much so, that - there is a period when one dreads a death-bed scene for one of - them--a fear which is happily unfulfilled. The name of the authoress - will be remembered by many in conjunction with 'The Awakening of Mary - Fenwick.'"--_Graphic_. - - "Every page of 'One Reason Why' shows the mark of a fresh, vigorous - mind. The style is good--in some parts excellent. It is clear, - expressive, and often rhythmic."--_Scotsman_. - -LONDON: HURST AND BLACKETT, LIMITED. - - -_Each in One Volume, Crown Octavo, 3s. 6d._ - - -MAHME NOUSIE. - -By G. Manville Fenn. - - "Mr. Manville Fenn has the gift of not only seeing truth, but of - drawing it picturesquely. His portrait of Mahme Nousie is faithful as - well as touching. Like all her race she is a being of one idea, and - that idea is her child. To keep her away from the island, to have her - brought up as a lady, it is for this that Nousie has opened a cabaret - for the negroes and has sat at the receipt of custom herself. Of - course she never once thinks of the shock that the girl must undergo - when she is plunged suddenly into such a position, she never thinks - about anything but the fact that she is to have her child again. Her - gradual awakening, and the struggles of both mother and daughter to - hide their pain, are finely told. So is the story of how they both - remained 'faithful unto death.' History has a power to charm which is - often lacking in tales of higher pretensions."--_Saturday Review_. - - -THE IDES OF MARCH. - -By G. M. Robins. - - "'The Idea of March' is a capital book. The plot does not depend for - its interest upon anything more fantastic than an old gentleman's - belief that a family curse will take effect unless his son marries - by a given date. The complications which arise from this son's being - really in love with a girl whom he believes to have treated his - friend, Captain Disney, vary badly, and getting engaged to another - girl, who transfers her affections to the same Captain Disney, are - skilfully worked out, while the dialogue is, in parts, extremely - bright, and the description of the founding of the Norchester branch - of the Women's Sanitary League really funny."--_Literary World_. - - "'The Idea of March,' in spite of its classical name, is a story of - the present time, and a very good one, full of lively conversation, - which carries us merrily on, and not without a fund of deeper feeling - and higher principal."--_Guardian_. - - -PART OF THE PROPERTY. - -By Beatrice Whitby. - - "The book is a thoroughly good one. The theme is fairly familiar--the - rebellion of a spirited girl against a match which has been arranged - for her without her knowledge or consent; her resentment at being - treated, not as a woman with, a heart and will, but as 'part of the - property'; and her final discovery, which is led up to with real - dramatic skill, that the thing against which her whole nature had - risen in revolt has become the one desire of her heart. The mutual - relations each to each of the impetuous Hedge, her self-willed, - stubborn grandfather, who has arranged the match, and her lover - Jocelyn, with his loyal, devoted, sweetly-balanced nature, are - portrayed with fine truth of insight; but perhaps the author's - greatest triumph is the portrait of Mrs. Lindsay, who, with the - knowledge of the terrible skeleton in the cupboard of her apparently - happy home, wears so bravely the mask of light gaiety as to deceive - everybody but the one man who knows her secret. It is refreshing to - read a novel in which there is not a trace of slipshod work." - - -CASPAR BROOKE'S DAUGHTER. - -By Adeline Sergeant. - - "'Caspar Brooke's Daughter' is as good as other stories from the same - hand--perhaps better, it is not of the sort that has much really - marked originality or force of style, yet there is a good deal of - clever treatment in it It was quite on the cards that Caspar himself - might prove a bore or a prig or something else equally annoying. - His daughter, too--the fair and innocent convent-bred girl--would - in some hands have been really tedious. The difficulties of the - leading situation--a daughter obliged to pass from one parent to - another on account of their 'incompatibility'--are cleverly conveyed. - The wife's as well as the husband's part is treated with feeling - and reticence--qualities which towards the end disappear to a - certain extent. It is a story in some ways--not in all--above the - average."--_Athenæum_. - -LONDON: HURST AND BLACKETT, LIMITED. - - -_Each in One Volume, Crown Octavo, 3s. 6d._ - - -JANET. - -By Mrs. Oliphant. - - "'Janet' is one of the ablest of the author's recent novels; - perhaps the ablest book of the kind that she has produced since the - Carlingford series; and its ability is all the more striking because, - while the character material is so simple, it is made to yield, - without any forced manipulation, a product of story which is rich in - strong dramatic situations."--_Manchester Examiner_. - - "Mrs. Oliphant's hand has lost none of its cunning, despite her - extraordinary--and, one would think, exhausting--industry. 'Janet' - may fairly rank among the best of her recent productions."--_St. - James's Gazette_. - - "'Janet' is really an exciting story, and contains a great deal - more plot and incident than has been the case in any of Mrs. - Oliphant's recent novels. The character sketches are worthy of their - authorship."--_Queen_. - - -A RAINBOW AT NIGHT. - -By the Author of 'Mistress Beatrice Cope.' - - "In common, we should imagine, with a large circle of novel-readers, - we have been rather impatiently looking forward to the time when - M. E. Le Clerc, the author of 'Mistress Beatrice Cope,' would - produce a successor to that singularly interesting and charming - tale. 'A Rainbow at Night,' though it certainly lacks the romantic - and dramatic character, combined with the flavour of a fascinating - period, which gave special distinction to its forerunner, has no - trace of falling off in the essential matters of construction, - portraiture, and style."--_Graphic_. - - "Thanks to an interesting plot and a graphic as well as refined - manner, 'A Rainbow at Night,' when once commenced, will not readily - be laid aside."--_Morning Post_. - - -IN THE SUNTIME OF HER YOUTH. - -By Beatrice Whitby. - - "A description of a home stripped by the cold wind of poverty of all - its comforts, but which remains home still. The careless optimism of - the head of the family would be incredible, if we did not know how - men exist full of responsibilities yet free from solicitudes, and who - tread with a jaunty step the very verge of ruin; his inconsolable - widow would be equally improbable, if we did not meet every day with - women who devote themselves to such idols or clay. The characters of - their charming children, whose penury we deplore do not deteriorate, - as often happens in that cruel ordeal. A sense of fairness pervades - the book which is rarely found in the work of a lady. There is - interest in it from first to last, and its pathos is relieved by - touches of true humour."--_Illustrated London News_. - - -MISS BOUVERIE. - -By Mrs. Molesworth. - - "Mrs. Molesworth has long established a reputation as one of the - freshest and most graceful of contemporaneous writers of light - fiction; but in 'Miss Bouverie' she has surpassed herself, and it - is no exaggeration to say that this is one of the prettiest stories - which as appeared for years."--_Morning Post_. - - "Everyone knows Mrs. Molesworth by her exquisite Christmas stories - for children, and can guess that any novel she writes is interesting, - without sensationalism. The refinement which pervades all Mrs. - Molesworth's stories comes evidently from a pure, spiritual nature, - which unconsciously raises the reader's tone of thought, without any - approach to didactic writing."--_Spectator_. - -LONDON: HURST AND BLACKETT, LIMITED. - - -_Each in One Volume, Crown Octavo, 3s. 6d._ - - -FROM HARVEST TO HAYTIME. - -By the Author of 'Two English Girls.' - - "The accomplished author of 'Two English Girls' has produced another - novel of considerable merit. The story is one of a rural district in - England, into which there introduces himself one day a foot-sore, - hungry, sick tramp, who turns out to be a young man of education and - consideration, whose career in the past is strange, and whose career - in the future the author has depicted as stranger still. The writer - is successful chiefly in the excellent life-like pictures which she - presents of Rose Purley, the young lady who manages the farm, and of - the village doctor, Gabriel Armstrong. The book is one which may be - read with pleasure."--_Scotsman_. - - -THE WINNING OF MAY. - -By the Author of 'Dr. Edith Romney.' - - "It is the writing of one who is determined, by dint of conscientious - and painstaking work; to win success from that portion of the public - that does not look for the brilliant achievements of genius, but can - recognise meritorious work. The tale is an agreeable one, and the - character of Mr. Beresford is admirably drawn, showing considerable - insight and understanding. The author has a steady mastery over the - story she wishes to tell, and she tells it clearly and eloquently, - without hesitation and without prolixity. The book has this - merit--the first merit of a novel--that the reader is interested in - the people rather than the plot, and that he watches the development - of character rather than that of event."--_Literary World_. - - -SIR ANTHONY. - -By Adeline Sergeant. - - "Sir Anthony introduces two mysterious children, Henry and Elfrida, - into his house, and compels his wife, whom he dislikes, to protect - and virtually adopt them. In due course he tells these children, - in his own vigorous Anglo-Saxon, 'You two are my eldest son and - daughter, lawfully begotten of my wife, once Mary Derrick, and known - afterwards as Mary Paston. You will be Sir Henry Kesterton when I - die, and Elfrida is heiress to her grandmother's money and jewels.' - Lady Kesterton overheard this terrible statement. He repeats it in - a still more offensive form. Thereupon she gives him an overdose of - chloral and fights desperately, and with temporary success, for what - she regards as the rights of her children, but especially of her son - Gerard. Failure overtakes her, and Elfrida, though not poor Henry, - comes by her own. The plot is good and thoroughly sustained from - first to last."--_Academy_. - - -THUNDERBOLT. - -By the Rev. J. Middleton Macdonald. - - "'Thunderbolt' is an Australian rival of Claude Duval and Mr. - Macdonald records his daring feats with unflagging verve. Never was - police officer more defied nor bewildered than the Major Devereux, - of brilliant Indian reputation, who, in the Australian bush, finds - that to catch a robber of Thunderbolt's temperament and ability - requires local knowledge as well as other gifts undreamt-of by the - Hussar officer. Thunderbolt goes to races under the Major's nose, - dances in the houses of his friends, robs Her Majesty's mails and - diverse banks, but conducts himself with (on occasion) the chivalrous - courtesy that characterised his prototype. His tragical end is told - with spirit, while the book has excellent descriptions of Australian - life, both in town and country."--_Morning Post_. - -LONDON: HURST AND BLACKETT, LIMITED. - - -_Each in One Volume, Crown Octavo, 3s. 6d._ - - -MARY FENWICK'S DAUGHTER. - -By Beatrice Whitby. - - "This is one of the most delightful novels we have read for a long - time. 'Bab' Fenwick is an 'out of doors' kind of girl, full of - spirit, wit, go, and sin, both original and acquired. Her lover, - Jack, is all that a hero should be, and great and magnanimous as he - is, finds some difficulty in forgiving the _insouciante_ mistress all - her little sins of omission and commission. When she finally shoots - him in the leg--by accident--the real tragedy of the story begins. - The whole is admirable, if a little long."--_Black and White_. - - -ROBERT CARROLL. - -By the Author of 'Mistress Beatrice Cope.' - - "M. E. Le Clerc devotes herself to historic fiction, and her success - is sufficient to justify her in the occasional production of stories - like 'Mistress Beatrice Cope' and 'Robert Carroll.' Beatrice Cope was - a Jacobite's daughter, so far as memory serves, and Robert Carroll - was the son of a Jacobite baronet, who played and lost his stake at - Preston, fighting for the Old Pretender. Of course the hero loved a - maiden whose father was a loyal servant of King George, and, almost - equally of course, one of this maiden's brothers was a Jacobite. A - second brother, by the way, appears as a lad of sixteen in the spring - of 1714, and as a wounded colonel of cavalry on the morrow of the - fight at Preston, less than two years later--rapid promotion even for - those days, though certainly not impossible. The author has taken - pains to be accurate in her references to the events of the time, and - her blend of fact and fiction is romantic enough."--_Athenæum_. - - -THE HUSBAND OF ONE WIFE. - -By the Author of 'Some Married Fellows.' - - "It is a comfort to turn from the slipshod English and the tiresome - slang of many modern novels to the easy and cultured style of 'The - Husband of One Wife,' and we have been thoroughly interested in the - story, as well as pleased with the manner in which it is told. As for - Mrs. Goldenour, afterwards Mrs. Garfoyle, afterwards Mrs. Pengelley, - she is certainly one of the most attractive as well as one of the - most provoking of heroines, and Mrs. Venn has succeeded admirably in - describing her under both aspects. The scene of the dinner-party, - and the description of the bishop's horror at its magnificence is - very clover. We are very glad to meet several old friends again, - especially Mrs. Gruter, who is severe and amusing as ever. Altogether - we feel that Mrs. Venn's novels are books to which we can confidently - look forward with pleasure."--_Guardian_. - - -BROTHER GABRIEL. - -By M. Betham-Edwards. - - "The story will be followed with unfaltering interest. Nor is - anything short of unmixed praise due to several of the episodes - and separate incidents of which it is composed. The principal - characters--Delmar, Zoe's cousin and lover--stand out in decided and - life-like relief. In the sketches of scenery, especially those of the - coast of Brittany and the aspect of its sea, both in calm and storm. - Miss Betham-Edwards need not fear comparison with the best masters of - the art."--_Spectator_. - - "The book is one that maybe read with pleasure; it is fluently, - flowingly, carefully written; and It contains very pleasant sketches - of character."--_Academy_. - -LONDON: HURST AND BLACKETT, LIMITED. - - -_Each in One Volume, Crown Octavo, 3s. 6d._ - - -A MATTER OF SKILL. - -By Beatrice Whitby. - - "Miss Whitby essays a lighter vein than usual in her collection of - stories, entitled 'A Matter of Skill.' But she writes with the same - excellence and freedom, and all these miniature love-stories will be - cordially welcomed. Lovely woman appears in these pages in a variety - of moods, humorous and pathetic, and occasionally she seems not a - little 'uncertain, coy, and hard to please.' The title story, showing - how a stately girl is captured, after a good deal of trouble, by a - short and common-place young man, is very amusing; and there are - other sketches in which it is interesting to follow the wiles of - Mother Eve ere she has come to years of discretion."--_Academy_. - - -JOHN HALIFAX, GENTLEMAN. - -By Mrs. Craik. - - "The new and cheaper edition of this interesting work will doubtless - meet with great success. John Halifax, the hero of this most - beautiful story, is no ordinary hero, and this his history is no - ordinary book. It is a full-length portrait of a true gentleman, one - of nature's own nobility. It is also the history of a home, and a - thoroughly English one. The work abounds in incident, and many of the - scenes are full of graphic power and true pathos. It is a book that - few will read without becoming wiser and better."--_Scotsman_. - - -A LIFE FOR A LIFE. - -By Mrs. Craik. - - "We are always glad to welcome this author. She writes from her own - convictions, and she has the power not only to conceive clearly what - it is that she wishes to say, but to express it in language effective - and vigorous. In 'A Life for a Life' she Is fortunate in a good - subject, and she has produced a work of strong effect The reader, - having read the book through for the story, will be apt (if he be of - our persuasion) to return and read again many pages and passages with - greater pleasure than on a first perusal. The whole book is replete - with a graceful, tender delicacy; and, in addition to its other - merits, it is written in good careful English."--_Athenæum_. - - -CHRISTIAN'S MISTAKE. - -By Mrs. Craik. - - "A more charming story, to our taste, has rarely been written. Within - the compass of a single volume the writer has hit off a circle of - varied characters, all true to nature--some true to the highest - nature--and she has entangled them in a story which keeps us in - suspense till the knot is happily and gracefully resolved; while, at - the same time, a pathetic interest is sustained by an art of which - it would be difficult to analyse the secret. It is a choice gift - to be able thus to render human nature so truly, to penetrate its - depths with such a searching sagacity, and to illuminate them with a - radiance so eminently the writer's own."--_The Times_. - -LONDON: HURST AND BLACKETT, LIMITED. - - -_Each in One Volume, Crown Octavo, 3s. 6d._ - - -A NOBLE LIFE. - -By Mrs. Craik. - - "Few men and no women will read 'A Noble Life' without feeling - themselves the better for the effort."--_Spectator_. - - "A beautifully written and touching tale. It is a noble - book."--_Morning Post_. - - "'A Noble Life' is remarkable for the high types of character it - presents, and the skill with which they are made to work out a story - of powerful and pathetic interest."--_Daily News_. - - -THE WOMAN'S KINGDOM. - -By Mrs. Craik. - - "'The Woman's Kingdom' sustains the author's reputation as a writer - of the purest and noblest kind of domestic stories."--_Athenæum_. - - "'The Woman's Kingdom' is remarkable for its romantic interest. The - characters are masterpieces. Edna is worthy of the hand that drew - John Halifax."--_Morning Post_. - - -A BRAVE LADY. - -By Mrs. Craik. - - "A very good novel, showing a tender sympathy with human nature, and - permeated: by a pure and noble spirit."--_Examiner_. - - "A most charming story."--_Standard_. - - "We earnestly recommend this novel. It is a special and worthy - specimen of the author's remarkable powers. The reader's attention - never for a moment flags."--_Post_. - - -MISTRESS AND MAID. - -By Mrs. Craik. - - "A good, wholesome book, as pleasant to read as it is - instructive."--_Athenæum_. - - "This book is written with the same true-hearted earnestness as 'John - Halifax.' The spirit of the whole work is excellent."--_Examiner_. - - "A charming tale charmingly told."--_Standard_. - -LONDON: HURST AND BLACKETT, LIMITED. - - -_Each in One Volume, Crown Octavo, 3s. 6d._ - - -YOUNG MRS. JARDINE. - -By Mrs. Craik. - - "'Young Mrs. Jardine' is a pretty story, written in pure - English."--_The Times_. - - "There is much good feeling in this book. It is pleasant and - wholesome."--_Athenæum_. - - "A book that all should read. Whilst it is quite the equal of any - of its predecessors in elevation of thought or style, it is perhaps - their superior in interest of plot and dramatic intensity. The - characters are admirably delineated, and the dialogue is natural and - clear."--_Morning Post_. - - -HANNAH. - -By Mrs. Craik. - - "A powerful novel of social and domestic life. One of the most - successful efforts of a successful novelist."--_Daily News_. - - "A very pleasant, healthy story, well and artistically told. The book - is sure of a wide circle of readers. The character of Hannah is one - of rare beauty."--_Standard_. - - -NOTHING NEW. - -By Mrs. Craik. - - "'Nothing New' displays all those superior merits which have made - 'John Halifax' one of the most popular novels of the day."--_Morning - Post_. - - "The reader will find these narratives calculated to remind him of - that truth and energy of human portraiture, that spell over human - affections and emotions, which have stamped this author as one of the - first novelists of our day."--_John Bull_. - - -IN TIME TO COME. - -By Eleanor Holmes. - - "'In Time to Come,' by Miss Eleanor Holmes, merits a good place among - one-volume novels. The theme is interesting, the characters who - work it out have been observantly studied and carefully drawn, and - the sequel justifies what at the first blush seems rather a vague - title."--_Dundee Advertiser_. - -LONDON: HURST AND BLACKETT, LIMITED. - - -_Each in One Volume, Crown Octavo, 3s. 6d._ - - -THE UNKIND WORD. - -By Mrs. Craik. - - "The author of 'John Halifax' has written many fascinating stories, - but we can call to mind nothing from her pen that has a more enduring - charm than the graceful sketches in this work. Such a character as - Jessie stands out from a crowd of heroines as the type of all that is - truly noble, pure, and womanly."--_United Service Magazine_. - - -DALEFOLK. - -By Alice Rea. - - "'Dalefolk' tells of the effect produced on a simple and impressible - people by a terrific curse, pronounced by a half-insane clergyman on - a parishioner whom he believes to have written an anonymous letter - of complaint to the Bishop of the diocese The cloud of mingled - awe and repulsion that rests on the family for two generations is - forcibly described. But this is only a background for a series - of capital sketches of life as it was among the West Cumberland - dalesmen at a period--this is the only note of time--when the - diocese was ruled from Chester instead of, as now, from Carlisle. - The author evidently writes from full acquaintance with her subject, - and brings out in vivid colours the quaint, old festivities, the - dancings, and wrestlings, and card-playings, the great gatherings - for shearings and 'salvings,' all of them excuses for genial and - unstinted hospitalities, and renewals of kind, neighbourly feeling - and good-fellowship, which were so needed among the loneliness and - isolation which were of necessity the habitual lot of the occupiers - of the great sheep farms. She is equally happy in entering into the - ways of thought and feeling which must have been characteristic of - the primitive and simple folk to whom the reader is introduced in her - pleasant pages."--_Guardian_. - - -STUDIES FROM LIFE. - -By Mrs. Craik. - - "These studies are truthful and vivid pictures of life, often - earnest, always full of right feeling, and occasionally lightened by - touches of quiet genial humour. The volume is remarkable for thought, - sound sense, shrewd observation, and kind and sympathetic feeling for - all things good and beautiful."--_Morning Post_. - - -A WOMAN'S THOUGHTS ABOUT WOMEN. - -By Mrs. Craik. - - "A book of sound counsel It is one of the most sensible works of its - kind, well written, true-hearted, and altogether practical. Whoever - wishes to give advice to a young lady may thank the author for means - of doing so."--_Examiner_. - - "These thoughts are worthy of the earnest and enlightened mind, the - all-embracing charity and well-earned reputation of the author of - 'John Halifax.'"--_Standard_. - - "This excellent book is characterised by good sense, good taste, and - feeling, and is written in an earnest, philanthropic, as well as - practical spirit."--_Morning Post_. - -LONDON: HURST AND BLACKETT, LIMITED. - - -BEATRICE WHITBY'S NOVELS. - -EACH IN ONE VOLUME CROWN 8vo--3s. 6d. - - -THE AWAKENING OF MARY FENWICK. - - "We have no hesitation in declaring that 'The Awakening of Mary - Fenwick' is the best novel of its kind that we have seen for some - years. It is apparently a first effort, and, as such, is really - remarkable. The story is extremely simple. Mary Mauser marries her - husband for external, and perhaps rather inadequate, reasons, and - then discovers that he married her because she was an heiress. She - feels the indignity acutely, and does not scruple to tell him her - opinion--her very candid opinion--of his behaviour. That is the - effect of the first few chapters, and the rest of Miss Whitby's book - is devoted to relating how this divided couple hated, quarrelled, and - finally fell in love with one another. Mary Fenwick and her husband - live and move and make us believe in them in a way which few but the - great masters of fiction have been able to compass."--_Athenæum_. - - -ONE REASON WHY. - - "The governess makes a re-entry into fiction under the auspices of - Beatrice Whitby in 'One Reason Why.' Readers generally, however, - will take a great deal more interest, for once, in the children than - in their instructress. 'Bay' and 'Ellie' are charmingly natural - additions to the children of novel-land; so much so, that there is - a period when one dreads a death-bed scene for one of them--a fear - which is happily unfulfilled."--_Graphic_. - - -PART OF THE PROPERTY. - - "The book is a thoroughly good one. The theme is fairly familiar--the - rebellion of a spirited girl against a match which has been arranged - for her without her knowledge or consent; her resentment at being - treated, not as a woman with a heart and will, but as 'part of the - property;' and her final discovery, which is led up to with real - dramatic skill, that the thing against which her whole nature had - risen in revolt has become the one desire of her heart. The author's - greatest triumph is the portrait of Mrs. Lindsay, who, with the - knowledge of the terrible skeleton in the cupboard of her apparently - happy home, wears so bravely the mask of light gaiety as to deceive - everybody but the one man who knows her secret."--_Spectator_. - - -IN THE SUNTIME OF HER YOUTH. - - "A description of a home stripped by the cold wind of poverty of all - its comforts, but which remains home still. The careless optimism of - the head of the family would be incredible, if we did not know how - men exist full of responsibilities yet free from solicitudes, and who - tread with a jaunty step the very verge of ruin; his inconsolable - widow would be equally improbable, if we did not meet every day with - women who devote themselves to such idols of clay. There is interest - in it from first to last, and its pathos is relieved by touches of - true humour."--_Illustrated London News_. - - -MARY FENWICK'S DAUGHTER. - - "This is one of the most delightful novels we have read for a long - time. 'Bab' Fenwick is an 'out of doors' kind of girl, full of - spirit, wit, go, and sin, both original and acquired. Her lover, - Jack, is all that a hero should be, and great and magnanimous as he - is, finds some difficulty in forgiving the _insouciante_ mistress all - her little sins of omission and commission. When she finally shoots - him in the leg--by accident--the real tragedy of the story begins. - The whole is admirable."--_Black and White_. - - -A MATTER OF SKILL. - - "Lovely woman appears in these pages in a variety of moods, humorous - and pathetic, and occasionally she seems not a little 'uncertain, - coy, and hard to please.' The title story showing how a stately - girl is captured, after a good deal of trouble, by a short and - common-place young man, is very amusing; and there are other sketches - in which it is interesting to follow the wiles of Mother Eve ere she - has come to years of discretion."--_Academy_. - -LONDON: HURST AND BLACKETT, LIMITED. - - -MRS. CRAIK'S NOVELS - -_Each in One Volume, Crown Octavo, 3s. 6d._ - - -JOHN HALIFAX, GENTLEMAN. - - "The new and cheaper edition of this interesting work will doubtless - meet with great success. John Halifax, the hero of this most - beautiful story, is no ordinary hero, and this his history is no - ordinary book. It is a full-length portrait of a true gentleman, one - of nature's own nobility. It is also the history of a home, and a - thoroughly English one. The work abounds in incident, and is full - of graphic power and true pathos. It is a book that few will read - without becoming wiser and better."--_Scotsman_. - - -A LIFE FOR A LIFE. - - "We are always glad to welcome this author. She writes from her own - convictions, and she has the power not only to conceive clearly what - it is that she wishes to say but to express it in language effective - and vigorous. In 'A Life for a Life' she is fortunate in a good - subject, and she has produced a work of strong effect. The reader, - having read the book through for the story, will be apt (if he be of - our persuasion) to return and read again many pages and passages with - greater pleasure than on a first perusal. The whole book is replete - with a graceful, tender delicacy; and in addition to the other - merits, it is written in good careful English."--_Athenæum_. - - -CHRISTIAN'S MISTAKE. - - "A more charming story, to our taste, has rarely been written. Within - the compass of a single volume the writer has hit off a circle of - varied characters, all true to nature--some true to the highest - nature--and she has entangled them in a story which keeps us in - suspense till the knot is happily and gracefully resolved; while, at - the same time, a pathetic interest is sustained by an art of which - it would be difficult to analyse the secret It is a choice gift - to be able thus to render human nature so truly, to penetrate its - depths with such a searching sagacity, and to illuminate them with a - radiance so eminently the writer's own."--_The Times_. - -A NOBLE LIFE. - - "This is one of those pleasant tales in which the author of 'John - Halifax' speaks out of a generous heart the purest truths of - life."--_Examiner_. - - "Few men, and no women, will read 'A Noble Life' without finding - themselves the better."--_Spectator_. - - "A story of powerful and pathetic interest."--_Daily News_. - - -THE WOMAN'S KINGDOM. - - "'The Woman's Kingdom' sustains the author's reputation as a writer - of the purest and noblest kind of domestic stories. The novelist's - lesson is given with admirable force and sweetness."--_Athenæum_. - - "'The Woman's Kingdom' is remarkable for its romantic interest. The - characters are masterpieces Edna is worthy of the hand that drew John - Halifax."--_Post_. - - -A BRAVE LADY. - - "A very good novel, showing a tender sympathy with human nature, and - permeated by a pure and noble spirit."--_Examiner_. - - "A most charming story."--_Standard_. - - "We earnestly recommend this novel It is a special and worthy - specimen of the author's remarkable powers. The reader's attention - never for a moment flags."--_Post_. - - -MISTRESS AND MAID. - - "A good, wholesome book, as pleasant to read as it is - instructive."--_Athenæum_. - - "This book is written with the same true-hearted earnestness as 'John - Halifax.' The spirit of the whole work is excellent."--_Examiner_. - - "A charming tale charmingly told."--_Standard_. - -LONDON: HURST AND BLACKETT, LIMITED. - - -MRS. CRAIK'S NOVELS - -_Each in One Volume Crown Octavo, 3s. 6d._ - - -YOUNG MRS. JARDINE. - - "'Young Mrs. Jardine' is a pretty story, written in pure - English."--_The Times_. - - "There is much good feeling in this book. It is pleasant and - wholesome."--_Athenæum_. - - "A book that all should read. Whilst it is quite the equal of any of - its predecessors in elevation of thought and style, it is perhaps - their superior in interest of plot and dramatic intensity. The - characters are admirably delineated, and the dialogue is natural and - clear."--_Morning Post_. - - -HANNAH. - - "A powerful novel of social and domestic life. One of the moat - successful efforts of a successful novelist."--_Daily News_. - - "A very pleasant, healthy story, well and artistically told. The book - is sure of a wide circle of readers. The character of Hannah is one - of rare beauty."--_Standard_. - - -NOTHING NEW. - - "'Nothing New' displays all those superior merits which have made - 'John Halifax' one of the most popular works of the day."--_Post_. - - "The reader will find these narratives calculated to remind him of - that truth and energy of human portraiture, that spell over human - affections and emotions, which have stamped this author as one of the - first novelists of our day."--_John Bull_. - - -THE UNKIND WORD. - - "The author of 'John Halifax' has written many fascinating stories, - but we can call to mind nothing from her pen that has a more enduring - charm than the graceful sketches in this work, such a character as - Jessie stands out from a crowd of heroines as the type of all that is - truly noble, pure, and womanly."--_United Service Magazine_. - - -STUDIES FROM LIFE. - - "These studies are truthful and vivid pictures of life, often - earnest, always full of right feeling and occasionally lightened by - touches of quiet genial humour. The volume is remarkable for thought, - sound sense, shrewd observation, and kind and sympathetic feeling for - all things good and beautiful."--_Post_. - - -A WOMAN'S THOUGHTS ABOUT WOMEN. - - "A book of sound counsel. It is one of the most sensible works of its - kind, well written true-hearted, and altogether practical. Whoever - wishes to give advice to a young lady may thank the author for means - of doing so."--_Examiner_. - - "These thoughts are worthy of the earnest and enlightened mind, the - all-embracing charity, and the well-earned reputation of the author - of 'John Halifax.'"--_Standard_. - - "This excellent book is characterised by good sense, good taste, and - feeling, and is written in an earnest, philanthropic, as well as - practical spirit."--_Post_. - - -HIS LITTLE MOTHER. - - "'His Little Mother' is the story of a sister's self-sacrifice from - her childhood until her early death, worn out in her brother's and - his children's service. It is a pathetic story as the author tells - it. The beauty of the girl's devotion is described with many tender - touches, and the question of short-sighted though loving foolishness - is kept in the background. The volume is written in a pleasant - informal manner, and contains many tender generous thoughts, and not - a few practical ones. It is a book that will be read with interest, - and that cannot be lightly forgotten."--_St. James's Gazette_. - -LONDON: HURST AND BLACKETT, LIMITED. - - -EDNA LYALL'S NOVELS - -EACH IN ONE VOLUME CROWN 8vo--SIX SHILLINGS. - - -DONOVAN: A MODERN ENGLISHMAN. - - "This is a very admirable work. The reader is from the first carried - away by the gallant unconventionality of its author. 'Donovan' is - a very excellent novel; but it is something more and better. It - should do as much good as the best sermon ever written or delivered - extempore. The story is told with a grand simplicity, an unconscious - poetry of eloquence which stirs the very depths of the heart. One of - the main excellencies of this novel is the delicacy of touch with - which the author shows her most delightful characters to be after all - human beings, and not angels before their time."--_Standard_. - - -WE TWO. - - "There is artistic realism both in the conception and the delineation - of the personages; the action and interest are unflaggingly sustained - from first to last, and the book is pervaded by an atmosphere of - elevated, earnest thought."--_Scotsman_. - - -IN THE GOLDEN DAYS. - - "Miss Lyall has given us a vigorous study of such life and character - as are really worth reading about. The central figure of her story is - Algernon Sydney; and this figure she invests with a singular dignity - and power. He always appears with effect, but no liberties are taken - with the facts of his life.'"--_Spectator_. - - -KNIGHT-ERRANT. - - "The plot, and, indeed, the whole story, is gracefully fresh and very - charming; there is a wide humanity in the book that cannot fail to - accomplish its author's purpose."--_Literary World_. - - -WON BY WAITING. - - "The Dean's daughters are perfectly real characters--the learned - Cornelia especially;--the little Impulsive French heroine, who - endures their cold hospitality and at last wins their affection, is - thoroughly charming; while throughout the book there runs a golden - thread of pure brotherly and sisterly love, which pleasantly reminds - us that the making and marring of marriage is not, after all, the sum - total of real life."--_Academy_. - - -A HARDY NORSEMAN. - - "All the quiet humour we praised in 'Donovan' is to be found in the - new story. And the humour, though never demonstrative, has a charm - of its own. It is not Edna Lyall's plan to give her readers much - elaborate description, but when she does describe scenery her picture - is always alive with vividness and grace."--_Athenæum_. - - -TO RIGHT THE WRONG. - - "We are glad to welcome Miss Lyall back after her long abstraction - from the fields of prosperous, popular authorship which she had - tilled so successfully. She again affronts her public with a very - serious work of fiction indeed, and succeeds very well in that thorny - path of the historical novel in which so many have failed before - her. That 'glory of warrior, glory of orator, glory of song,' John - Hampden, lives again, to a certain extent, in that dim half light of - posthumous research and loving and enthusiastic imagination which - is all the novelist can do for these great figures of the past, - resurrected to make the plot of a modern novel."--_Black and White_. - - -LONDON: HURST AND BLACKETT, LIMITED. - - - * * * * * - -Transcriber Note - -Images were moved to avoid splitting paragraphs. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this ebook. - -Title: China and the Chinese - -Author: Edmond Plauchut - -Editor: Mrs. Arthur Bell - -Translator: Mrs. Arthur Bell - -Release Date: December 05, 2020 [EBook #63733] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Tom Cosmas from files generously made available by The - Internet Archive. All resultant materials are placed in the - Public Domain. - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHINA AND THE CHINESE *** -</pre> - - - - -<div class="fig_center" style="width: 267px;"> -<img src="images/cover.png" width="267" height="422" alt="" /> -</div> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_i" id="Page_i">[i]</a></span></p> - - - - -<h1>China and the Chinese</h1> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_ii" id="Page_ii">[ii]</a></span></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_iii" id="Page_iii">[iii]</a></span></p> - - -<p class="caption1"><span class="smcap">China</span></p> - -<p class="caption2">AND THE CHINESE</p> - - -<p class="pmt4 tdc">BY</p> - -<p class="caption2nb">EDMUND PLAUCHUT</p> - - -<p class="pmt4 tdc">TRANSLATED AND EDITED</p> - -<p class="pmt4 tdc">BY</p> - -<p class="caption3nb"><span class="smcap">Mrs. ARTHUR BELL (N. D'Anvers)</span></p> - -<p class="tdc"><span class="vsmall">AUTHOR OF 'THE ELEMENTARY HISTORY OF ART,' 'LIFE OF GAINSBOROUGH,'<br /> -'THE SCIENCE LADDERS,' ETC.</span><br /> -</p> - - -<p class="pmt4 pmb4 tdc">WITH FIFTY-EIGHT ILLUSTRATIONS</p> - - - -<p class="tdc">LONDON<br /> - -HURST AND BLACKETT, LIMITED<br /> - -13 GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET<br /> - -1899<br /> - -<span class="vsmall"><i>All rights reserved.</i></span></p> - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_iv" id="Page_iv">[iv]</a></span></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_v" id="Page_v">[v]</a></span></p> - - -<h2><a name="TRANSLATORS_NOTE" id="TRANSLATORS_NOTE"></a>TRANSLATOR'S NOTE</h2> - - -<p><span class="smcap">This</span> brightly written little book by the well-known -French author, Edmund Plauchut, who has -spent many years in China, is the first of the new -series known as the "Livres d'or de la Science" -recently commenced by MM. Schleicher Frères -of Paris. It gives in a succinct form a very complete -account of the Chinese, both past and present, -their religion, their literature, and their time-honoured -customs. Touching but lightly on the -many vexed questions of modern diplomacy, it -yet presents a very true picture of the problems -European statesmen have to solve in connection -with the inevitable partition of the Celestial Empire, -and will, it is hoped, be found of real service to -those who wish to be abreast with the times, yet -who have not the leisure to read the longer and -more exhaustive books on the subject which are -continually appearing.</p> - -<p class="tdr"><span class="smcap">Nancy Bell,</span></p> - -<p class="p0"><i>Southbourne-on-Sea,<br /> - May 1899.</i><br /> -</p> - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_vi" id="Page_vi">[vi]</a></span></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_vii" id="Page_vii">[vii]</a></span></p> - - -<h2><a name="CONTENTS" id="CONTENTS"></a>CONTENTS</h2> - - -<table class="tblcnts" summary="TOC"> -<tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc" style="padding-top: 1em;">CHAPTER I</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td></td> - <td class="tdr vsmall">PAGE</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>The delight of exploring unknown lands—Saint Louis and - the Tartars of olden times—The Anglo-French force enters - Pekin—Terror of the "Red Devils"—The "Cup of Immortality"—The - "Sons of Heaven"—Hong-Kong as it was and is—The Treaty of - Tien-tsin—The game of "Morra"—First Tea-party in the Palace - of Pekin—Chinese agriculture and love of flowers—Chinese - literati—An awkward meeting between two of them—Love of poetry - in China—Voltaire's letter to the poet-king—The Chinese - army—The <i>Shu-King</i>, or sacred book of China—Yao and his - work—Chung, the lowly-born Emperor—The Hoang-Ho, or "China's - Sorrow"—Yu the engineer and his work—Chung chooses Yu to reign - after him—The foundation of the hereditary monarchy in China</td> - <td class="tdr vbot"><a href="#CHAPTER_I">1</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc" style="padding-top: 1em;">CHAPTER II</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>Trip up the Shu-Kiang river—My fellow-passengers and their - costumes—A damaged bell—Female peasants on the river-banks—I - am caught up and carried off by a laughing virago—Arrival at - Canton—Early trading between China and Ceylon and Africa, - etc.—The Empress Lui-Tseu teaching the people to rear - silk-worms—The treaties of Nanking and Tien-tsin—Bombardment - of Canton—Murder of a French sailor and terrible revenge—M. - Vaucher and I explore Canton—The <i>fétes</i> in honour of the - Divinity of the North and of the Queen of Heaven—General - appearance of Canton—An emperor's recipe for making tea—How tea - is grown in China—The Fatim garden—A dutiful son—Scene of the - murder of the Tai-Ping rebels—The Temple of the five hundred - Genii—Suicide of a young engineer—Return of his spirit in the - form of a snake</td> - <td class="tdr vbot"><a href="#CHAPTER_II">33</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc" style="padding-top: 1em;"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_viii" id="Page_viii">[viii]</a></span> - CHAPTER III</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>General Tcheng-Ki-Tong and his book on China—The - monuments of China—Those the Chinese delight to honour—A - Chinese heroine—Ingredients of the "Cup of Immortality"—Avenues - of colossal statues and monsters in cemeteries—Imperial - edict in honour of K'wo-Fan—Proclamation of the - eighteenth century—The Emperor takes his people's sins upon - himself—Reasons for Chinese indifference to matters of faith—Lao-Tsze, - or the old philosopher—His early life—His book, - the <i>Tao-Teh-King</i>—His theory of the creation—Affinity of his - doctrine with Christianity—Quotations from his book</td> - <td class="tdr vbot"><a href="#CHAPTER_III">57</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc" style="padding-top: 1em;">CHAPTER IV</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>Lao-Tsze and Confucius compared—The appearance of Kilin, - the fabulous dragon, to the father of Confucius—Early life of - the Philosopher—The death and funeral of his mother—His - views on funeral ceremonies—His visit to the King of Lu - and discourse on the nature of man—Confucius advocates - gymnasium exercises—His love of music—His summary of the - whole duty of woman—He describes the life of a widow—He - gives a list of the classes of men to be avoided in marriage—The - seven legitimate reasons for the divorce of a wife—The - three exceptions rendering divorce illegal—The missionary - Gutzlaff's opinion of Confucius' view of woman's position—The - Philosopher meets a man about to commit suicide—He - rescues him from despair—He loses thirteen of his own followers</td> - <td class="tdr vbot"><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">73</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc" style="padding-top: 1em;"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_ix" id="Page_ix">[ix]</a></span> - CHAPTER V</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>My voyage to Macao—General appearance of the port—Gambling - propensities of the Chinese—Compulsory emigration—Cruel - treatment of coolies on board ship—Disaster on the - Paracelses reefs—The <i>Baracouns</i>—The grotto of Camoens—The - <i>Lusiads</i>—Contrast between Chinese and Japanese—Origin - of the yellow races: their appearance and language—Relation - of the dwellers in the Arctic regions to the people of - China—Russian and Dutch intercourse with the Celestials—East - India Company's monopoly of trade—Disputes on the - opium question—Expiration of charter—Death of Lord - Napier of a broken heart—Lin-Tseh-Hsu as Governor of the - Kwang provinces—The result of his measures to suppress - trade in opium—Treaty of Nanking—War of 1856-1858—Treaty - of Tien-tsin and Convention of Pekin—Immense - increase in exports and imports resulting from them</td> - <td class="tdr vbot"><a href="#CHAPTER_V">97</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc" style="padding-top: 1em;">CHAPTER VI</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>French aspirations in Tonkin—Margary receives his instructions—Work - already done on the Yang-tse—Margary is - insulted at Paï-Chou—He awaits instructions in vain at Lo-Shan—The - Tung-Ting lake—A Chinese caravanserai—The - explorer leaves the river to proceed by land—He meets a - starving missionary—Kwei-Chou and the French bishop there—A - terrible road—Arrival at the capital of Yunnan—Armed - escort from Bhâmo—Meeting between Margary and Colonel - Browne—Threatening attitude of natives—Margary crosses - the frontier alone—Colonel Browne's camp surrounded—Murder - of Margary outside Manwyne—Importance of Yunnan - and Szechuan to Europeans</td> - <td class="tdr vbot"><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">118</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc" style="padding-top: 1em;">CHAPTER VII</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>Sir Thomas Wade demands his passports—Retires to man-of-war - off Tien-tsin—Interviews with Li-Hung-Chang—Convention - of Che-Foo—Description of Ichang on the Yang-tse—The - Manchester of Western China—Pak-hoï and its harbour—A - magnificent pagoda—Ceremony of opening the port to - foreign trade—New Year's <i>féte</i> at Pak-hoï—The game of - Morra—Description of Wenchow—Temples and pagodas - turned into inns—Wahn and its native officials—Dislike of - mandarins, etc., to missionaries—Beautiful surroundings of - the town—An eclipse of the moon expected—The eclipse - does not keep time—Excitement of the people—The dragon - attacks the moon at last—Threatening message from the - Emperor to the astronomers—Two astronomers beheaded in - <span class="smcap">B.C.</span> 2155—Reasons for importance attached to - eclipses in China</td> - <td class="tdr vbot"><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">135</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc" style="padding-top: 1em;"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_x" id="Page_x">[x]</a></span> - CHAPTER VIII</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>I land at Shanghai—The Celestial who had never heard of - Napoleon—Total value of exports and imports to and from - Shanghai—What those exports and imports are—The devotion - of the Chinese to their native land—The true yellow danger of - the future—I am invited to a Chinese dinner at Shanghai—My - yellow guests—The ladies find me amusing—Their small - feet and difficulty in walking—A wealthy mandarin explains - why the feet are mutilated—Sale of girls in China—Position - of women discussed—A mandarin accepts a Bible—Our host - takes us to a flower-boat—Description of boat—My first - attempt at opium-smoking—A Celestial in an opium dream</td> - <td class="tdr vbot"><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">151</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc" style="padding-top: 1em;">CHAPTER IX</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>Great commercial value of opium—Cultivation of the - poppy—Exports of opium from India—What opium is—Preparation - of the drug—Opinions on the English monopoly - of the trade in it—Ingenious mode of smuggling opium—Efforts - of Chinese Government to check its importation—Proclamation - of the Viceroy Wang—Opinion of Li-Shi-Shen - on the properties of opium—The worst form of opium smoking—Its - introduction to Formosa by the Dutch—Depopulation - of the island—Punishments inflicted on opium-smokers—Opinions - of doctors on the effects of opium-eating or smoking—Chinese - prisoners deprived of their usual pipe—The real - danger to the poor of indulgence in opium—Evidence of - Archibald Little—The Chinese and European pipe contrasted</td> - <td class="tdr vbot"><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">166</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc" style="padding-top: 1em;"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xi" id="Page_xi">[xi]</a></span> - CHAPTER X</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>Missionary effort in China—First arrival of the Jesuits—Landing - of Michael Roger—Adam Schaal appointed Chief - Minister of State—The scientific work of the Jesuits—Affection - of the young Emperor Kang-Hi for them—Arrival of other - monks—Fatal disputes between them and the Jesuits—The - Pope interferes—Fatal results for the Christians—Speech of - Kang-Hi—Expulsion of the Jesuits—Concessions to Europeans - in newly-opened ports—Hatred of foreigners at Tien-tsin—Arrival - of French nuns—Their mistakes in ignoring native - feeling—Chinese children bought by the Abbé Chevrier—A - Chinese merchant's views on the situation—Terrible accusations - against the Sisters—Murder of the French Consul and - his assistant—The Governor of Tien-tsin responsible—Massacre - of the Abbé Chevrier and one hundred children—The - Lady Superior and her nuns cut to pieces and burnt—The - guilty Governor Chung-Ho sent to Paris as envoy—No proper - vengeance exacted by the French—Other sisters go to Tien-tsin</td> - <td class="tdr vbot"><a href="#CHAPTER_X">184</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc" style="padding-top: 1em;">CHAPTER XI</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>The Great Wall—Its failure as a defence—Forced labour—Mode - of construction—Shih-Hwang-Ti orders all books to be - burnt—Mandarins flung into the flames—The <i>Shu-King</i> is - saved—How the sacred books came to be written—The sedan-chair - and its uses—Modern hotels at Pekin—Examination of - students for degrees—Cells in which they are confined—Kublai - Khan conquers China—Makes Pekin his capital—Introduces - paper currency—The Great Canal—Address to the three Philosophers—Marco - Polo's visit to Pekin—His description of the - Emperor—Kublai Khan's wife—Foundation of the Academy - of Pekin—Hin-Heng and his acquirements—Death of Kublai - Khan—Inferiority of his successors—Shun-Ti the last Mongol - Emperor—Pekin in the time of the Mongols—When seen by - Lord Macartney—The city as it is now</td> - <td class="tdr vbot"><a href="#CHAPTER_XI">205</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc" style="padding-top: 1em;">CHAPTER XII</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>Fall of the Mongol dynasty—The son of a labourer chosen - Emperor—He founds the Ming dynasty—Choo becomes Tae-tsoo, - and rules with great wisdom—He dies and leaves his - kingdom to his grandson—Young-lo attacks and takes Nanking—The - young Emperor burnt to death—Young-lo is proclaimed - Emperor, and makes Pekin his capital—First European visits - China—Tartar chief usurps supreme power—Dies soon after—Foundation - of present dynasty—Accession of Shun-Che—Chinese - compelled to shave their heads—The old style of - coiffure in China—Care of the modern pig-tail</td> - <td class="tdr vbot"><a href="#CHAPTER_XII">227</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc" style="padding-top: 1em;"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xii" id="Page_xii">[xii]</a></span> - CHAPTER XIII</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>The Founder of the Ch'ing dynasty—A broken-hearted - widower—The Louis XIV. of China—The Will of Kang-Hy—Young-t-Ching - appointed his successor—The character of the - new Emperor—Mission of Lord Macartney—He refuses to perform - the Ko-too, or nine prostrations—Interview with Young-t-Ching—Results - of the Mission to England—Accession of - Kien-Long—He resolves to abdicate when he has reigned - sixty years—Accession of Taou-Kwang—The beginning of - the end—An adopted brother—War against China declared - by England—The Pekin Treaty—Prince Hassan goes to - visit Queen Victoria—The Regents and Tung-Che—Foreign - Ministers compel the young Emperor to receive them</td> - <td class="tdr vbot"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIII">235</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdc" style="padding-top: 1em;">CHAPTER XIV</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>A child of four chosen Emperor—The power of the Empress - Dowager—The Palace feud—The Palace at Pekin—A Frenchman's - interview with the Emperor—The Emperor's person - held sacred—Coming of age of the Emperor—An enlightened - proclamation—Reception of the foreign ministers in 1889—Education - of the young monarch—He goes to do homage at - the tombs of his ancestors—A wife is chosen for him—His - secondary wives—China, the battle-ground of the future—Railway - concessions</td> - <td class="tdr vbot"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIV">251</a></td> -</tr> -</table> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xiii" id="Page_xiii">[xiii]</a></span></p> - - - -<h2><a name="LIST_OF_ILLUSTRATIONS" id="LIST_OF_ILLUSTRATIONS"></a>LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS</h2> - - -<table class="tblcnts" summary="LOI"> -<tr> - <td class="vsmall">FIG.</td> - <td></td> - <td class="vsmall">PAGE</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">1.</td> - <td class="tdl">VIEW OF HONG-KONG TAKEN FROM ABOVE THE TOWN</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_1">3</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">2.</td> - <td class="tdl">CHINESE SOLDIERS</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_2">5</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">3.</td> - <td class="tdl">CHINESE WEAPONS</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_3">6</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">4.</td> - <td class="tdl">CHINESE HELMET AND QUIVER</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_4">7</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">5.</td> - <td class="tdl">A YOUNG CHINESE WOMAN</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_5">8</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">6.</td> - <td class="tdl">A CHINESE COURTESAN</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_6">9</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">7.</td> - <td class="tdl">HWANG-TIEN-SHANG-TI, THE GOD OF HEAVEN</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_7">11</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">8.</td> - <td class="tdl">A CHINESE MANDARIN</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_8">15</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">9.</td> - <td class="tdl">ANCIENT CHINESE COSTUMES</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_9">17</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">10.</td> - <td class="tdl">ANCIENT CHINESE COSTUMES</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_10">18</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">11.</td> - <td class="tdl">A YOUNG CHINESE POET</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_11">21</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">12.</td> - <td class="tdl">A NAUGHTY PUPIL</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_12">28</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">13.</td> - <td class="tdl">A CHINESE BRIDGE SPANNING THE HOANG-HO</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_13">31</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">14.</td> - <td class="tdl">A PAGODA</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_14">34</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">15.</td> - <td class="tdl">A STREET IN CANTON</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_15">40</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">16.</td> - <td class="tdl">A WOMAN OF THE PEOPLE WITH HER BABY</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_16">41</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">17.</td> - <td class="tdl">A CHINESE MANDARIN</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_17">42</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">18.</td> - <td class="tdl">A GONG-RINGER</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_18">43</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">19.</td> - <td class="tdl">A CHINESE ACTOR</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_19">44</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">20.</td> - <td class="tdl">A CHINESE ACTOR IN A TRAGIC PART</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_20">47</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">21.</td> - <td class="tdl">A VILLA NEAR CANTON</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_21">51</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">22.</td> - <td class="tdl">GENERAL TCHENG-KI-TONG</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_22">58</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">23.</td> - <td class="tdl">LAO-TSZE</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_23">67</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">24.</td> - <td class="tdl">THE HOUSE IN WHICH CONFUCIUS WAS BORN</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_24">75</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">25.</td> - <td class="tdl">PORTRAIT OF CONFUCIUS</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_25">76</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">26.</td> - <td class="tdl">A FUNERAL PROCESSION IN CHINA</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_26">77</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">27.</td> - <td class="tdl">CHINESE TOMBS</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_27">78</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">28.</td> - <td class="tdl">A CHINESE CEMETERY<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xiv" id="Page_xiv">[xiv]</a></span></td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_28">80</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">29.</td> - <td class="tdl">A YOUNG CHINESE MARRIED LADY</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_29">88</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">30.</td> - <td class="tdl">A MARRIAGE PROCESSION</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_30">92</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">31.</td> - <td class="tdl">A DESPERATE MAN</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_31">94</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">32.</td> - <td class="tdl">THE TOMB OF CONFUCIUS</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_32">95</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">33.</td> - <td class="tdl">CHINESE PEASANT CRUSHING RICE</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_33">122</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">34.</td> - <td class="tdl">A CHINESE FERRYMAN</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_34">124</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">35.</td> - <td class="tdl">A MANDARIN'S HOUSE</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_35">127</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">36.</td> - <td class="tdl">PORTRAIT OF HIS EXCELLENCY LI-HUNG-CHANG</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_36">138</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">37.</td> - <td class="tdl">ICHANG</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_37">141</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">38.</td> - <td class="tdl">A CHINESE DYER AT WORK</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_38">143</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">39.</td> - <td class="tdl">A CHINESE VISITING CARD</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_39">144</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">40.</td> - <td class="tdl">A CHINESE RESTAURANT. AFTER THE REPAST</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_40">156</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">41.</td> - <td class="tdl">A CHINESE JUNK</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_41">165</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">42.</td> - <td class="tdl">AN OPIUM-SMOKER</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_42">179</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">43.</td> - <td class="tdl">OPIUM PIPES</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_43">181</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">44.</td> - <td class="tdl">REQUISITES FOR OPIUM-SMOKING</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_44">183</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">45.</td> - <td class="tdl">A TEMPLE AT TIEN-TSIN</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_45">195</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">46.</td> - <td class="tdl">THE GREAT WALL</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_46">206</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr vtop">47.</td> - <td class="tdl">BURNING OF MANDARINS AND HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS, BY ORDER OF SHIH-KWANG-TI</td> - <td class="tdr vbot"><a href="#Fig_47">209</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">48.</td> - <td class="tdl">A STREET IN PEKIN</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_48">214</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">49.</td> - <td class="tdl">NIGHT-WATCHMEN IN PEKIN</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_49">216</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">50.</td> - <td class="tdl">A CHINESE GENERAL IN HIS WAR-CHARIOT</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_50">220</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">51.</td> - <td class="tdl">PORCELAIN TOWER AT NANKING</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_51">222</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">52.</td> - <td class="tdl">MONOLITHS AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE TOMBS OF THE MING EMPERORS</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_52">231</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">53.</td> - <td class="tdl">CHINESE BRONZES</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_53">233</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr vtop">54.</td> - <td class="tdl">PORTRAIT OF ONE OF THE CHINESE EMPERORS OF THE CH'ING DYNASTY, PROBABLY KIEN-LONG</td> - <td class="tdr vbot"><a href="#Fig_54">242</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">55.</td> - <td class="tdl">ONE OF THE REGENTS DURING THE MINORITY OF TUNG-CHE</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_55">249</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">56.</td> - <td class="tdl">A CHINESE SEDAN-CHAIR AND BEARERS</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_56">255</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">57.</td> - <td class="tdl">A BONZE TORTURING HIMSELF IN A TEMPLE, AFTER A CHINESE PAINTING</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_57">260</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdr">58.</td> - <td class="tdl">THE TOWN AND BRIDGE OF FUCHAN</td> - <td class="tdr"><a href="#Fig_58">265</a></td> -</tr> -</table> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[1]</a></span></p> - - - -<h2><a name="CHINA_AND_THE_CHINESE" id="CHINA_AND_THE_CHINESE"></a>CHINA AND THE CHINESE</h2> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I"></a>CHAPTER I</h2> - - -<p class="smaller">The delight of exploring unknown lands—Saint Louis -and the Tartars of olden times—The Anglo-French force -enters Pekin—Terror of the "Red Devils"—The "Cup of -Immortality"—The "Sons of Heaven"—Hong-Kong as it -was and is—The Treaty of Tien-tsin—The game of "Morra"—First -Tea-party in the Palace of Pekin—Chinese agriculture -and love of flowers—Chinese literati—An awkward -meeting between two of them—Love of poetry in China—Voltaire's -letter to the poet-king—The Chinese army—The -<i>Shu-King</i>, or sacred book of China—Yao and his work—Chung, -the lowly-born Emperor—The Hoang-Ho, or "China's -Sorrow"—Yu the engineer and his work—Chung chooses -Yu to reign after him—The foundation of the hereditary -monarchy in China.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">I do</span> not deny the happiness of a life spent -beneath the shadow of the belfry of one's native -place, in all the unruffled peace of one's own home, -surrounded by one's own family; but, after all, what -are such joys as these compared to those of the -explorer who goes forth to meet the unknown -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[2]</a></span> -ready for all that may betide, making fresh discoveries -at every turn, gladly facing all dangers -and rejoicing in the ever-changing, ever-widening -horizon before him? Who would care to forego the -joys of memory, the power of living over again in -old age the adventures of youth, of seeing once -more with the mind's eye the wonders of the far-distant -lands visited when the mind was still -buoyant, the sight still undimmed, the limbs still -in all the vigour of manhood? Happy mortal -indeed is he who, thoroughly imbued with the -spirit of the discoverer, looks upon death itself not -as the end of all things, but the threshold of a new -world, the beginning of yet another journey fraught -with the deepest interest, to a bourne all the more -fascinating because of the deep mystery in which it -is shrouded.</p> - -<p>This was how I reasoned with myself when I -was a mere lad eagerly devouring the accounts of -the work of the great early explorers, Marco Polo, -the Dupleix, La Pérouse, Bougainville, Dumont -D'Urville, Christopher Columbus, Mungo Park, -the Landers, etc., not to speak of Swift's fascinating -romance <i>Gulliver's Travels</i>, and the yet more -thrilling <i>Robinson Crusoe</i> of Defoe. Like all boys -with vivid imaginations, I was fired with a longing -to emulate all these heroes, and said to my mother: -"I have made up my mind to be a sailor!"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[3]</a></span></p> - -<div class="sidenote">HONG-KONG</div> - -<div class="fig_center" style="width: 410px;"><a id="Fig_1"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig1.png" width="410" height="597" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 1.—VIEW OF HONG-KONG TAKEN FROM ABOVE THE TOWN.</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[4]</a></span></p> - -<p>My ardour was, however, quickly quenched when -I saw my mother's beautiful eyes fill with tears -at the thought of parting from me. This did not -prevent me from leaving France a few years later, -for I found myself whilst still quite a young man -free to go whither I would, and I made up my -mind to make many a long and interesting journey. -Of course I expected to meet with dangers and -misfortunes, but I felt sure that any such drawbacks -would be more than counterbalanced by -the grand sights it would be my privilege to witness. -My anticipations were in every way fully realized, -and if after wandering all over the world I refrain -from saying with Terence: "I am a man, and -nothing in the nature of man is strange to me;" -it is merely because poets alone are privileged to -speak with such egotistical assurance.</p> - -<p>I had already spent a considerable time in -Oceania and a few months in Egypt, when I -landed at Hong-Kong on the very threshold of -the ancient Chinese Empire, which, according to -well-authenticated annals, is older even than the -mighty and venerable Egypt of the Pharaohs. I -went to China as much to study her past on the -spot as to be one of the first to hail that transformation -which, when I arrived, was already on -the eve of its inauguration, and is now rapidly -becoming an accomplished fact. There was, indeed, -urgent need for haste if I wished to study that -moribund China so long closed to Europeans -before the great change came, and cared to gaze -upon her far-stretching table-lands girt about by -heights crowned with never-melting snow, ere their -solitudes were broken in upon by the desecrating -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[5]</a></span> -steam-engine, in districts whence in mediæval times -great hordes of yellow-skinned, fierce-eyed barbarians, -their long black hair floating on their -shoulders, swept westward to devastate Europe.</p> - -<div class="fig_center" style="width: 409px;"><a id="Fig_2"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig2.png" width="409" height="406" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 2.—CHINESE SOLDIERS.</div> -</div> - -<div class="sidenote">SAINT LOUIS OF FRANCE</div> - -<p>In those days five hundred thousand Tartars -invaded Russia, took possession of Moscow, burnt -Cracow, and penetrated as far as Hungary. Saint -Louis of France, who was then on the throne, stood -in the greatest dread of them, but this did not -prevent him from making a joke about them, -quoted by the Sieur de Joinville, which, considering -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[6]</a></span> -the state of affairs at the time, speaks well for his -pluck and sense of humour. "Mother," he said -to Queen Blanche of Castille, "if these Tartars -come here, we must make them go back to the -Tartarus from which they come!"</p> - -<table summary="weapons"> -<tr id="Fig_3"> - <td><img src="images/fig3.png" width="428" height="301" alt="" /> - <div class="fig_caption">FIG. 3.—CHINESE WEAPONS.</div></td> - - <td class="vbot" rowspan="2"><img src="images/fig4b.png" width="88" height="277" alt="" /></td> -</tr> -<tr id="Fig_4"> - <td class="tdr"><img src="images/fig4a.png" width="306" height="154" alt="" /><br /> - <div class="fig_caption tdr">FIG. 4.—CHINESE HELMET AND QUIVER.</div></td> -</tr> -</table> - -<div class="sidenote">WHOLESALE SUICIDE</div> - -<p>Time, however, never fails to bring about the -poetic justice of revenge. Six centuries after the -sack of Cracow a little Anglo-French force entered -Pekin with drums beating and flags flying, pillaged -the Imperial Palaces, and returned to Europe laden -with rich spoil. Chinese, Tartars, Mongols, and -Manchus had all alike allowed themselves to be -beaten by a mere handful of resolute men. What -had they to oppose to European tactics, European -weapons, and above all European discipline? Bows -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[7]</a></span> -and arrows, old-fashioned muskets, spears, and -shields adorned with fantastic; designs. There, -was nothing for them to do but to run away; not -that they were cowards, for they never have any -fear of death, but simply because resistance -was hopeless. Most of the generals -in command of the army followed the -usual custom in cases of defeat, and -voluntarily emptied the bowl of poisoned -opium to save themselves from being -triumphed over by their enemies. At Pekin, Canton, -and many other centres of population in the vast -Empire, the terrified women flung themselves into -the wells to escape the violent death they expected -the "red devils" would otherwise have inflicted on -them. Only some forty years ago what did that -immense multitude of Asiatic men and women -know about us Europeans? Just about as much -and no more than we did of them. One thing -only is certain, that in the heroic days of the -founders of the dynasty, from Hwang-Ti, the yellow -Emperor, to Khiang-Luanh, the poet sovereign -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[8]</a></span> -more than one ruler of China had drunk from the -cup of immortality, that is to say, the cup of -poison, rather than live to see the enemy enter -his palaces as a conqueror. Enervated by a long -course of self-indulgence, the Sons of Heaven, as -the Emperors of China proudly style themselves, -have degenerated terribly, and what with their own -weakness and the arrogant -encroachments -of the eunuchs who -guard the Imperial -harem, many of the -sovereigns would have -been deposed, but for -the intervention, now -of an Empress-Dowager, -now of some -favourite wife, who, -seizing the reins of -power, has wielded -the sceptre with virile -strength and skill.</p> - -<div class="fig_left" style="width: 227px;"><a id="Fig_5"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig5.png" width="227" height="277" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 5.—A YOUNG CHINESE WOMAN.</div> -</div> - -<div class="sidenote">TWO POTENT POISONS</div> - -<p>In 1851, when the English took possession of -the island of Hong-Kong, it was but a rugged -conical-shaped rock, dreary and forbidding in -appearance. The Chinese then living on it were -enraged at the intrusion of the foreigners, and one -of them, the only baker on the island, resolved to -dispose of all the intruders at one blow. He -decided to poison them, and with this end in view -he put arsenic into all the bread he supplied to -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[9]</a></span> -the foreigners. He over-reached himself, for the -dose was too strong, and suspicion was at once -aroused. Those who tasted the bread escaped with -violent sickness, and the English were not going -to abandon the place for a reason so insignificant -as that.</p> - -<div class="fig_right" style="width: 163px;"><a id="Fig_6"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig6.png" width="163" height="342" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 6.—A CHINESE COURTESAN.</div> -</div> - -<p>Hong-Kong is now a maritime -port of the first rank, and -its harbour is one of the finest -and most beautiful in the whole -world. The town boasts of -hotels managed on the European -system, and the slopes of -the rocks are covered from -the sea-shore to the highest -point of the island with tasty -villas. It is to opium, that -other poison responsible for the -death of so many Celestials, -and as potent in its effects as -the arsenic with which the -patriotic baker tried to kill off -all the foreigners, that Hong-Kong owes its immense -prosperity. The French did much to aid the -English in inaugurating that prosperity in 1857 and -1858, when they joined them as allies in the brief -campaign which resulted in the taking of Canton -and the signing of the celebrated Treaty of Tien-tsin. -The various stipulations of that treaty, the -full significance of which the Chinese do not seem -to have realized at the time, included the right to -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[10]</a></span> -the allies of appointing diplomatic agents to the -Court of Pekin, and the opening of five fresh ports -to European commerce, whilst a strip of territory -on the mainland, opposite to the island of Hong-Kong, -was ceded to the British colony. The -benefits which accrued to France were small, but -the increase of British trade was enormous, and -from that time to this the grand harbour has been: -one of the chief naval stations of the East.</p> - -<p>In spite of its prosperity and importance, however, -the town is anything but a pleasant place to stop -in, and the foreign visitor soon gets tired of being -jostled about by busy coolies and tipsy sailors. -The great delight of the latter is to get drunk in -the brandy-stores of Victoria Street, and then to -dance, not, strange to say, with women, but without -partners, to the music of a violin and a big drum. -In the evening the floating and resident population -alike resort in crowds to the opium-dens and -houses of ill fame in the upper portions of the -town. No one seems to feel any shame at being -seen to enter these places, the windows of which -are wide open, so that all can look into the brightly -illuminated rooms, whence proceeds the sound of -oaths in all manner of languages, whilst the loud -clash of gongs mingles with the muffled songs of -the Chinese beauties, and every now and then a -shower of crackers is flung into the street below, -bursting into zigzags of fire on the heads of the -startled passers-by. In the eyes of the masters -of the island, the intense commercial activity -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[11]</a></span> -of the day atones for the dissipations of the -night.</p> - -<div class="fig_center" style="width: 194px;"><a id="Fig_7"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig7.png" width="194" height="296" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 7.—HWANG-TIEN-SHANG TI, THE GOD OF HEAVEN.<br /> - -(<i>In the Guinet Museum.</i>)</div> -</div> - -<div class="sidenote">THE GAME OF MORRA</div> - -<p>Contact with Europeans has, however, done little -if anything to modify the ideas and customs of the -Chinese. A few of the great native merchants, it -is true, are willing now and then to drink a glass of -champagne with the representatives of foreign -houses, and teach them -the game of Morra, which, -strange to say, is to all -intents and purposes the -same as that played all -over Italy, and is so well -described by Mrs. Eaton -in her <i>Rome in the Nineteenth -Century</i>. "Morra," -she says, "is played by -the men, and merely consists -in holding up in -rapid succession any number -of fingers they please, -calling out at the same -time the number their -antagonist shows.... -Morra seems to differ in -no respect from the <i>Micure Digitis</i> of the Ancient -Romans." If it be a fact, as some assert, that the -various races of the world are more truly themselves -in their games than in their work, this similarity -in a pastime played by people so different -as the Chinese and the Italians, would have a deep -psychological significance.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[12]</a></span></p> - -<p>However that may be, drinking champagne and -playing Morra together do not lead to any real -friendship or intimacy between the Celestials and -their hated foreign guests. There is not, and it -seems as if there never could be, any true <i>rapprochement</i>, -and this fact is at the root of the anxiety of -statesmen for the future, in spite of the apparent -progress made in the introduction of European -ideas into the very stronghold of Chinese fanaticism, -the Palace of Pekin, where a few months ago, on -the occasion of her birthday, the Dowager Empress -held that first reception of European ladies which -was hailed by the European press as the commencement -of a new era for China. An account -of this historic tea-party may well be added here, -for its being given was truly among the most -remarkable events which have taken place in the -century now so near its close. It seems that -Lady Macdonald, the wife of the British Minister, -was the prime mover in bringing about this -startling innovation in the customs of the most conservative -of all modern nations. The fact that -it was the guests themselves who compelled the -hostess to invite them, detracted not at all from -the cordiality of their reception. Received at -the entrance to the precincts of the Palace by -numerous mandarins in brilliant costumes, the -visitors were carried on State chairs to the electric -tramway, strange anomaly in such a stronghold -of retrogression as the capital of the Celestial -Empire, and thence escorted to the audience-chamber -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[13]</a></span> -by a group of ladies of the Court specially -selected to attend them.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">A STRANGE TEA-PARTY</div> - -<p>In the throne-room, the Empress and her unfortunate -son, the nominal ruler of China, were -seated side by side on a raised dais, behind a table -decorated with apples and chrysanthemums in the -simple but effective Chinese manner. Presents and -compliments were exchanged, a grand luncheon -was served, over which the Princess Ching presided, -and when tea was handed round later the Dowager -Empress again appeared and sipped a little of the -national beverage from the cup of each minister's -wife. Finally, when the time for leave-taking came, -the astute Dowager, giving way to an apparently -uncontrollable burst of emotion, embraced all her -visitors in turn. Time alone can prove whether -this kiss were indeed one of peace or of future -betrayal. In the eyes of the Court officials and -their ladies it must have appeared far more startling -than any of the political changes with which the -air is rife.</p> - -<p>The Chinese people, who know next to nothing -of what is going on, and are more ignorant of the -transformation taking place than even illiterate -Europeans, are as indifferent to the past as to the -future; they have been accustomed for centuries to -obey unchanging laws of a wisdom acknowledged -by even hostile critics; and startling innovation -touching their own lives is the one thing which -moves them out of their constitutional apathy.</p> - -<p>Agriculture is the favourite occupation of the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[14]</a></span> -Chinese, and they consider the tilling of the ground -almost a religious duty. It has been customary -for many ages for the supreme ruler to turn over -a few furrows at the beginning of the agricultural -year, that is to say the spring, and in all the -provinces of the vast empire a similar ceremony -is performed by the delegate of the Emperor. -Flowers are everywhere cultivated, though generally -in pots, with an enthusiasm amounting to -passion, and marvellous skill is shown in the growing -of dwarf trees, which produce quantities of -fruit. In a word, vegetation in China is stamped -with an originality setting it apart from that of -any other country. In irrigation and the use of -manure Chinese gardeners were long far in advance -of western nations.</p> - -<p>The chief ambition of every native of China is -to leave behind him sons who on his death will -give to his memory the homage he himself -rendered to that of his own father, for it is in the -reverence in which ancestors are held that the -Chinese concentrate all their religious feeling. -Even Shang-Ti, or the God of Heaven, Buddha, -Lao-tsze, and Confucius only take secondary rank -as compared with these ancestors.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">CHINESE LITERATI</div> - -<p>The Literati, or scholars of China, have won -their much-coveted distinction by many very -severe examinations in the so-called King, or the -five sacred books, and in the works of the great -philosophers. Armed with the diploma securing -to him the rank of a scholar, its fortunate -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[15]</a></span> -possessor may aspire to the very highest functions of -the empire. So very many win that diploma, however, -and the numbers increase so rapidly every -year, that, as in France and in England, there are -not enough appointments for those qualified to -receive them. In spite of this, the scholar even -when out of place commands the respect of all -who have not been promoted to the grade he has -won. In his interesting account of his travels in -Asia, Marcel Monnier gives -a very pregnant illustration -of the state of things -I have been describing.</p> - -<div class="fig_right" style="width: 204px;"><a id="Fig_8"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig8.png" width="204" height="216" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 8.—A CHINESE MANDARIN.</div> -</div> - -<p>"As I was leaving the -rampart," he says, "I -witnessed a curious scene -illustrative of the esteem -in which—in this land -where an hereditary aristocracy -does not exist—is -held the one ennobling -rank, that of being the owner of a paper diploma. -My bearers had just entered a very narrow causeway -between two rice-fields, when they were suddenly -brought to a halt by another chair coming -from the opposite direction. This chair was occupied -by a young man in elegant attire, wearing -spectacles, and with a general air about him of -being pleased with himself. Apparently he was -a scholar fresh from examinations. The bearers -on each side parleyed together, but neither seemed -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[16]</a></span> -disposed to yield place to the others. The discussion -seemed likely to be interminable, when the -scholar intervened, and addressing the chief of my -bearers, shouted haughtily to him:</p> - -<p>"'Why don't you get out of the way of a -licentiate of Kan-Su?'</p> - -<p>"My chief porter, a big sturdy fellow of about -forty, did not move, but without budging an inch -replied with equal haughtiness:</p> - -<p>"'A licentiate? And of what year, pray?'</p> - -<p>"Then without giving the other time to answer, -he quickly dived into the little leather-bag hanging -from his waist-band, brought out a greasy paper, -and proudly unfolded it as if it were a flag, before -the eyes of his astonished questioner.</p> - -<p>"'Look!' he said.</p> - -<p>"The young man took the paper with the very -tips of his fingers, but he had scarcely glanced at -the magic inscription on it before he handed it -back with a respectful inclination of the head, at -the same time ordering his men to withdraw. My -porter, too, had his diploma, and he had had it for -a long time. That of recent date had to give way -to the earlier one. My chair passed on in triumph, -whilst that of the newly-created scholar humbly -waited at the side of the road in the rice-field."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[17]</a></span></p> - -<div class="fig_center" style="width: 445px;"><a id="Fig_9"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig9.png" width="445" height="416" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 9.—ANCIENT CHINESE COSTUMES.<br /> - -(<i>Univers Pittoresque.</i>)</div> -</div> - -<div class="sidenote">CHINESE HONESTY</div> - -<p>The Chinese have the trading instinct as fully -developed as have the descendants of Shem. -They carry on commerce with the same wonderful -<i>finesse</i>, the same keen eye for a bargain, and -they are as fond of money as the Jews themselves. -At the same time in really important affairs they -are as much to be trusted, as thoroughly loyal to -the other side, as any great merchant of the City -of London, or the <i>Rue du Sentier</i> in the French -capital. These Chinese traders gave credit for -enormous sums to the first foreign firms which had -the audacity to found the Canton factories. On -the faith of their signatures alone guaranteeing -eventual payment, the heads of these foreign firms -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[18]</a></span> -found themselves trusted with whole cargoes of -tea and silks. After the failure of the Union Bank, -of the <i>Comptoir national d'Escompte</i>, and certain -great American houses, this giving of credit was -discontinued, but that it was ever granted remains -a most significant fact. One proof of the extreme -caution which succeeded the extraordinary confidence -is, that there are no branches of the great -Chinese firms of Shanghai and Hong-Kong in -Paris, Marseilles, or Lyons. This is really no great -loss, for the West will be invaded all too soon by -the yellow races.</p> - -<div class="fig_center" style="width: 415px;"><a id="Fig_10"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig10.png" width="415" height="416" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 10.—ANCIENT CHINESE COSTUMES.<br /> - -(<i>Univers Pittoresque.</i>)</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[19]</a></span></p> - -<div class="sidenote">BONZES AND BONZESSES</div> - -<p>In Asia there are many more mystic dreamers -and poets than is generally supposed. A Chinese -mystic is called a bonze, or talapoin, the former word -being of Japanese origin, introduced to China by -Europeans. Women who devote themselves to a -religious life are called bonzesses, but as certain -abuses crept in of a kind which can readily be -imagined, a very wise law was passed some time -ago forbidding any woman to become a priestess -till after her fortieth year, and certain censors -have long advocated a yet further higher limit -of age.</p> - -<p>Amongst young women of the higher classes in -the remote East, especially amongst those whose -beauty destines them for the harem, poetry is held -in high esteem. On the richly-lacquered screens -and on the delicately-coloured fans so popular in -China, are many representations of frail Chinese -or Japanese beauties, tracing certain letters of -the Mandarin alphabet with a fine pencil held in -their tapering fingers with the characteristic pink -nails. The words formed by these letters make -up poetic phrases imbued with all the freshness -and grace of the fair young girls who transcribe -them. In them are sung the praises of the -flowers of the hawthorn, the peach-tree, the sweet-briar, -and even of a certain savoury tea. More than -one Chinese Emperor has done homage to the -Muses, and the most celebrated of these crowned -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[20]</a></span> -poets was Khian-Lung, of the Tartar Manchu -dynasty, who died at the end of the eighteenth -century, and to whom Voltaire addressed the -celebrated letter in verse of which the royal recipient -was probably only able to understand, and that -with considerable difficulty, the last few lines of -which are quoted here:</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">Receive, Celestial King, the compliments I write<br /></span> -<span class="i0">To one whose mighty throne stands on a double height!<br /></span> -<span class="i0">The western world knows well, in spite of all my crimes,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">I have a deep regard for monarchs who make rhymes.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">O thou whose soul is lit by Art's poetic fires,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">I pray thee tell me if your prosody requires<br /></span> -<span class="i0">That you in far Pekin, like us, must e'en submit<br /></span> -<span class="i0">To bind your thoughts in rules to make the tenses fit?<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Thus, if you choose to take the Alexandrine beat.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Two equal lines must walk on six plain, equal feet,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And so, one half for rhyme, the other for the sense,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">The whole of one great work to half you may condense!<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p>The fame of two other Chinese poets, who -flourished in the eighth century of our era, has -also come down to us. These were Tchu-Fu and -Li-Tai-Pé, who, as was Malherbe in France, were -the first to reform poetry in their native land, -laying down certain rules, which are still observed -in the present day.</p> - -<p>The peace enjoyed for so long a period by the -country under consideration has led to the profession -of arms being held of small account. Until -quite recently all the "warriors" had to do was to -put down local revolts, or to win for themselves a -good drubbing from some aggrieved foreigner.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[21]</a></span></p> - -<div class="sidenote">THE CHINESE ARMY</div> - -<div class="fig_center" style="width: 294px;"><a id="Fig_11"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig11.png" width="294" height="401" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 11.—A YOUNG CHINESE POET.<br /> - -(<i>Univers Pittoresque.</i>)</div> -</div> - -<p>The weakness and defective organization of -Asiatic armies is well known, and is proved afresh -at every contact with a European force. The -thorough inefficiency of that of China was forcibly -brought out in the recent war with Japan, when the -latter country -showed itself -to be so far -in advance of -its antagonist -in every way. -Nothing but -drilling by -European officers, -for at -least half a -century, could -make Chinese -soldiers at all -formidable to -white troops. -It is just the -same with the -people of the -Corea, Annam, -Tonquin, and Siam. It will, of course, be urged: -but look at the Japanese, they too belong to the -despised yellow races, yet have they not proved -themselves able to organize a campaign? are they -not full of warlike energy and martial ability? -do they not also take high rank as imaginative -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[22]</a></span> -artists? In what do the white races excel? To -all these queries we reply, the assumption that -the Japanese belong to the same race as the -yellow natives of the continent of Asia has to be -proved. The children of the land of chrysanthemums -and of the rising sun indignantly repel this -hypothesis, and such authorities on ethnology as -Kœmpfer, Golownin, Klaproth, and Siebold also -reject it. Moreover, in this world everything is -relative, and because the Japanese troops, armed -with weapons of precision, were able to beat the -badly-equipped Chinese forces, it does not follow -that they could do the same if pitted against -European soldiers. Whether they could or not still -remains to be proved.</p> - -<p>Before penetrating into the interior of the -country, and studying the actual customs of the -inhabitants at the present day, it will be well to -glance back to the remote times when China first -became a nation. Very interesting details of those -early days have been preserved in the traditions of -the Celestials, and from them we gather that the -first dwellers in the land lived, as did so many -of the races of Europe, in the forests, or in caves, -clothing themselves in the skins of the wild beasts -slain in the chase, whose flesh supplied them with -food.</p> - -<p>The first efforts at civilization appear to have -been made in the North-west of the vast country, -amongst the tribes camped on the banks of the -Hoang-Ho, or Yellow River. The chiefs of these -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[23]</a></span> -tribes gradually contracted the habit of making -regular marriages, and living a home life with their -families. To protect their wives and children they -built huts; they discovered how to make fire, and -with its aid to fashion agricultural implements and -weapons. They knew how to distinguish plants -good for food from those dangerous to human life; -they fixed precise dates for the commencement of -each of the four seasons; invented various systems of -calligraphy, finally adopting the one still in use; and -they acquired the art of weaving silk and cotton, -which, according to the eminent sinologist, Leblois -of Strasburg, recently deceased, they learnt from -watching spiders at work.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">THSIN-CHI-HWANG-TI</div> - -<p>Until the third century <span class="smcap">B.C.</span> China was divided -into small states, the weaker tributary to the -stronger, the latter independent. The too-celebrated -Emperor Thsin-Chi-Hwang-Ti, who two -hundred years before the Christian era ordered the -destruction by fire of all books, united the various -little kingdoms into one, and it was only in his -time that the Chinese Empire properly so called -began. At this period, too, the name of Thsina, or -China, originally that of the district governed by the -incendiary, came to be given to the whole country.</p> - -<p>The most important historical documents are -those making up what is called the <i>Shu-King</i>, -dating from about <span class="smcap">B.C.</span> 500, and written by a -certain Kwang-Tsen. This valuable book has -been translated into French by P. Gaubil and L. -Biot, and its history is very romantic. It was -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[24]</a></span> -supposed that every copy had been burnt by -the agents of Thsin-Chi-Hwang-Ti, but an old -literate, Fu Chang by name, had learnt it by heart, -and later, one copy engraved on pieces of bamboo -was found hidden in the wall of an old house -which was being pulled down.</p> - -<p>This sacred book, which is indeed a literary -treasure, is now more than 2300 years old, and -it contains extracts from works yet more ancient, -so that it is the very best guide in existence to -the early history of China.</p> - -<p>It begins with a description of a chief named -Yao, who, according to official Chinese chronology, -flourished some 2350 years before the Christian -era. If the portrait is not flattered, Yao must -have been a perfect man. He lived in the province -now known as Chen-si, and, like some great -illumination, he attracted to himself all the barbaric -hordes in the neighbourhood. His first care was -to teach them to honour the Shang Ti, or Tien, -that is to say, the Supreme God. He also employed -certain men to watch the course of the -heavenly bodies, or rather to continue the study -of the stars begun before his time, not from any -curiosity as to the science of astronomy strictly -so called, but that agriculturists might learn the -right seasons for the work they had to perform. -According to the <i>Shu-King</i> the year was already -divided in China into 366 days, and these days -into four very strictly-defined periods, beginning at -the times enumerated below:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[25]</a></span></p> - -<div class="sidenote">THE WISDOM OF YAO</div> - -<p>1. The day and night of equal length, marking -the middle of the spring season, or what is now -known in Europe as the Equinox.</p> - -<p>2. The longest day, marking the middle of the -summer, now called the summer solstice.</p> - -<p>3. The day and night of equal length, marking -the middle of the autumn.</p> - -<p>4. The shortest day, marking the middle of the -winter solstice.</p> - -<p>Yao having asked for a man capable of aiding -him to govern his people well, his own son was -the first to be suggested as a suitable person, but -he was rejected, the father saying: "He is deficient -in rectitude, and fond of disputing." Another -candidate was sent away because he did a great -deal of unnecessary talking about things of no -value, and pretended to be humble although his -pride was really boundless. Then a certain Chung -was brought forward, renowned for his virtues in -spite of his obscure birth. Although he was the -son of a blind father and of a wicked mother who -treated him cruelly, whilst his brother was puffed -up with excessive pride, Chung yet loyally performed -his filial duties, and even succeeded as it -were unconsciously in correcting the errors of his -relations, and saving them from the commission -of serious crimes. He was quoted as the greatest -known example of the practice of that most -honoured of all virtues in China, filial piety, which -is looked upon by the Celestials as the source of -every good action of justice and of humanity.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[26]</a></span></p> - -<p>Chung therefore was chosen, and he did not -disappoint the hopes Yao had founded upon his -rectitude and ability. The sacred book praises -the justice of his administration, and he succeeded -Yao on that great ruler's death, proving that the -hereditary principle was considered dangerous in -China even at that remote date. He commenced -his reign by offering to the Supreme God, and -performed the customary ceremonies in honour of -the mountains, the flowers and the spirits, then -held in veneration. He took the greatest pains -to ensure that justice should be done to all. It -is evident that there were schools in his day, for -he gave orders that nothing but the bamboo should -be used for the correction of insubordinate pupils. -Chung wished faults committed without malice -prepense to be pardoned, but severe punishments -to be inflicted on the incorrigible and on those -who abused their strength or their authority. He -was anxious, however, that judges under him should -temper their justice with mercy.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">A LOWLY-BORN RULER</div> - -<p>The ministers of state had names suggesting a -pastoral origin, for they were all called Mon, a -word answering to our shepherd. When Chung -gave them their appointments, he would say to -them: "You must treat those who come from a -distance with humanity, instruct those who are -near to you, esteem and encourage men of talent, -believe in the virtuous and charitable and confide -in them, and lastly have nothing to do with those -whose manners are corrupt." He would also say -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[27]</a></span> -to them sometimes: "If I do wrong you must tell -me of it; you would be to blame if you praise me -to my face and speak differently of me when my -back is turned."</p> - -<p>The <i>Shu-King</i> tells us further that having -appointed a man skilled in music to teach that art -to the children of the great ones of his kingdom, -Chung said to him: "See that your pupils are -sincere and polite, ready to make allowances for -others, obliging and sedate; teach them to be -firm without being cruel; inculcate discernment, -but take care that they do not become conceited." -He appointed a censor to preside over public -meetings where speeches were made, saying to -him: "I have an extreme aversion for those who -use inflammatory language; their harangues sow -discord, and do much to injure the work of those -who endeavour to do good; the excitement and -the fears they arouse lead to public disorders."</p> - -<p>Would it not be well for a similar formula to be -pasted up in every place of public meeting at the -present day?</p> - -<div class="fig_left" style="width: 301px;"><a id="Fig_12"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig12.png" width="301" height="266" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 12.—A NAUGHTY PUPIL.</div> -</div> - -<p>Every three years Chung instituted an inquiry -into the conduct of the officials in his dominions, -recompensing those who had done well, and -punishing those who had done ill. Few other -sovereigns have merited the eulogy pronounced -on Chung by one of his ministers: "His virtues, -said the critic, are not tarnished by faults. In the -care he takes of his subjects, he shows great -moderation, and in his government his grandeur -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[28]</a></span> -of soul is manifest If he has to punish, <i>the punishment -does not descend from parents to children;</i> -but if he has to give a reward, the benefit extends -to the descendants of those recompensed. With -regard to involuntary errors, he pardons them -without inquiring whether they are great or small. -Voluntary faults, however apparently trivial, he -punishes. In doubtful cases the penalty inflicted -is light, but -if a service -rendered is -in question, -the reward is -great. He -would rather -run the risk -of letting a -criminal escape the legal -punishment -than of putting an innocent person to death." The same minister thus -defines a fortunate man: "He is one who knows -how to combine prudence with indulgence, determination -with integrity, reserve with frankness, -humility with great talents, consistency with complaisance, -justice and accuracy with gentleness, -moderation with discernment, a high spirit with -docility, and power with equity."</p> - -<div class="sidenote">A BOASTFUL ENGINEER</div> - -<p>The Hoang-Ho, or Yellow River, the mighty -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[29]</a></span> -stream which rises in Thibet and flings itself into -the Gulf of Pechili after a course of some 3000 -miles, had from time immemorial been the cause -of constant and terrible catastrophes in the districts -it traversed. Chung therefore sent for a talented -engineer named Yu, and ordered him to superintend -the work of making canals and embankments to -remedy the evil. There had been a specially -destructive inundation just before this appointment, -and the sacred book contains Yu's own -account of what he had accomplished, couched, it -must be owned, in anything but modest terms. -"When," he says, "the great flood reached to -heaven; when it surrounded the mountains and -covered the hills, the unfortunate inhabitants were -overwhelmed by the waters. Then I climbed on -to the four means of transport. I followed the -mountains, and I cut through the woods. I laid -up stores of grain and meat to feed the people. I -made channels for the river, compelling them to -flow towards the sea. In the country I dug canals -to connect the rivers with each other. I planted -seed in the earth, and by dint of work something -to live upon was won from the soil."</p> - -<p>The memory of these vast undertakings has -remained engraven on the minds of the Chinese, -and they still think of Yu with undying gratitude. -For all that, however, the Hoang-Ho has continued -to be a menace to the Empire, for in 1789, and again -in 1819, it overflowed its banks, causing a considerable -amount of damage to property, and killing -countless numbers of the river-side population. Only -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[30]</a></span> -twelve years ago the wayward river, justly called -by the sufferers from its ravages "China's sorrow," -burst its southern embankment near Chang-Chan -in the inland province of Shen-Hsi, and poured in one -great mass over the whole of the densely-populated -Honan, drowning millions of helpless people, and -undoing the work of centuries. In a word, what -the erratic river will do next is one of the chief -problems of the physical future of China. It has -already shifted its course no less than nine times -in its troubled career; and on account of the great -rapidity of its stream it is of little use for navigation. -Could Yu have foreseen the destruction -of all the grand works of which he boasted, he -would probably have taken a less exalted view of -what he had accomplished.</p> - -<p>However that may be, his contemporaries were -so impressed by his ability, and the great Chung so -admired his virtue and talent, that he was chosen -as heir in the life-time of that mighty sovereign. -The dialogue said to have taken place between -the Emperor and his subject on the question of -the succession to the throne is curious and -interesting:</p> - -<p>"Come," said Chung to Yu, "I have been reigning -for thirty-three years; my advanced age and -growing infirmities prevent me from giving the -necessary application to affairs of state. I wish -you to reign instead. Do your utmost to acquit -yourself worthily of the task."</p> - -<p>"I am not virtuous enough to govern well," -replied Yu; "the people will not obey me."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[31]</a></span></p> - -<p>He then recommended some one else.</p> - -<p>Chung, however, insisted in the following terms:</p> - -<p>"When we had everything to fear from the great -inundation, you worked with eagerness and rectitude; -you rendered the greatest services, and your -talents and wisdom were made manifest throughout -the whole country. Although you have led an -unassuming life with your family, although you have -served the State well, you have not considered that -a reason to dispense with work, and this is no -ordinary virtue. You have no pride; there is no -one in the country superior to you in good qualities. -None other has done such great things, and yet -you do not set a high value on your own conduct. -There is no one in the country whose merit excels -your own."</p> - -<div class="fig_center" style="width: 397px;"><a id="Fig_13"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig13.png" width="397" height="269" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 13.—A CHINESE BRIDGE SPANNING THE HUANG-HO.</div> -</div> - -<div class="sidenote">YU BECOMES EMPEROR</div> - -<p>So Yu became chief ruler, and his name was -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[32]</a></span> -associated by posterity with that of Yao and of -Chung. The sacred book has preserved many of -his sayings, and I will quote the most beautiful -here:</p> - -<p>"He who obeys reason is happy, he who resists -it is unhappy. Virtue is the foundation of good -government; the first task of government is to -provide the people governed with all that is -necessary for their subsistence and preservation. -The next thing is to make the population virtuous; -to teach them the proper use of everything; and -lastly, to protect them from all which jeopardizes -their health or their life. The prince who understands -men well will appoint none to public offices -but those who are wise; his generous heart and -liberality will win him love."</p> - -<p>When Yu died, the chiefs of the people unfortunately -failed to carry on the custom of choosing -as a successor to the throne the wisest and most -illustrious of their number. The law of hereditary -right was recognized, and dynasties henceforth -succeeded each other in China as elsewhere, each -lasting a long or short time according to whether -the people were or were not satisfied. There was, -however, one salutary exception to the usual -interpretation of the hereditary principle. The -reigning Emperor could choose as his successor -the son he considered the most intelligent of his -children; and as a Chinese ruler generally has at -least fifty children, without counting the girls, -there is no difficulty in making a selection.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[33]</a></span></p> - - - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II"></a>CHAPTER II</h2> - - -<p class="smaller">Trip up the Shu-Kiang river—My fellow-passengers and -their costumes—A damaged bell—Female peasants on the -river-banks—I am caught up and carried off by a laughing -virago—Arrival at Canton—Early trading between China and -Ceylon and Africa, etc.—The Empress Lui-Tseu teaching -the people to rear silk-worms—The treaties of Nanking -and Tien-tsin—Bombardment of Canton—Murder of a French -sailor and terrible revenge—M. Vaucher and I explore -Canton—The <i>fétes</i> in honour of the Divinity of the North -and of the Queen of Heaven—General appearance of Canton—An -emperor's recipe for making tea—How tea is grown in -China—The Fatim garden—A dutiful son—Scene of the -murder of the Tai-Ping rebels—The Temple of the five -hundred Genii—Suicide of a young engineer—Return of -his spirit in the form of a snake.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Well-built</span>, comfortable steamers leave Hong-Kong -daily for Canton. I embarked in one of -them one fine spring morning, when a fresh sea-breeze -was blowing, such as gives new life to those -enervated by too long a residence in the tropics. -I did not see a single white face amongst the -passengers, for European trade is all transferred to -Hong-Kong, now driven away from Canton by -the burning by the Celestials of the fine factories -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[34]</a></span> -built outside the gates of the city by European -contractors.</p> - -<div class="fig_left" style="width: 211px;"><a id="Fig_14"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig14.png" width="211" height="477" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 14.—A PAGODA.</div> -</div> - -<p>My fellow-passengers, all Chinese, wore loose -garments of blue cotton, -thick-soled shoes, and a -skull-cap, from which a -long pig-tail, in many -cases of false hair, hung -down the back, reaching -to the heels. The crew -of American sailors as -they navigated the vessel -kept a watchful eye upon -the passengers, for -though the latter looked -peaceable enough, there -had been more than one -instance of the sudden -transformation of inoffensive -travellers into -daring pirates, who, after -pillaging and burning -the ship, had made for -the nearest shore and -escaped the vengeance of -those they had robbed.</p> - -<p>Before entering the great Shu-Kiang river, on -the north bank of which Canton is built, we -passed the ruins of a fort dating from the time of -the Dutch supremacy. Beyond it the stream is -bordered by green rice plantations with little hills -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[35]</a></span> -rising up here and there surmounted by isolated -pagodas of several storeys high. On one of them I -noticed standing out against the sky from the fifth -storey the fragment of a bell, one-half of which had -been shot away by a ball from a French cannon. -Great indeed must have been the astonishment of -the Chinese, posted on this particular pagoda to -watch the movements of the enemies' troops, when -the projectile struck the sonorous mass of bronze -and shivered it to splinters. The catastrophe must -have been to them a warning full of sinister yet -salutary meaning.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">THE PEARL OF THE EAST</div> - -<p>The river rushes proudly along towards its final -home in the ocean, but narrows before it reaches its -actual mouth, the water becoming yellow, as does -that of the Nile at the time of its rising. Even without -glasses I could quite clearly make out several poor-looking -villages, the houses with their dull red roofs -occupied no doubt by fishermen and their families. -Oh, how different were the surroundings of these -water-highways of China to those of the Seine, the -Rhone, and of the charming Gironde! How much -I preferred even the Nile, which I had but recently -left, to this so-called Pearl of the East, for in spite -of the ugly black mud-huts of the fellaheen, there -is something beautiful about the river-side scenery. -I like the graceful date-tree far better than the -bamboo with its self-conscious uprightness, and I -considerably prefer the slim and supple Egyptian -women to the clumsy, heavy-limbed female peasants -of China, such as I saw on the banks of the Shu-Kiang, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[36]</a></span> -dragging heavy loads behind them as they -strode along in a manner which made me doubtful -as to their sex, especially as their faces were hidden -by the great hats they wore. A few more turns of -the paddle-wheels of our steamer, and it stopped -opposite Canton. In a moment a virago, such as -those I had been looking at with anything but -admiration, was on the deck, and seizing me in her -strong arms as if I were a delicate baby, she quickly -deposited me at the bottom of her own boat, -roaring with laughter over my embarrassment. I -had no longer any doubt as to her sex, as with a -few vigorous strokes of her oars she ran her boat -ashore, and with the same maternal care as she had -shown before she landed me upon the wharf of the -little island of Hainan where I was expected.</p> - -<p>There is no particular historic interest attached -to Canton except that it was the very first Chinese -town to enter into relations with foreigners. We -know that this opening of intercourse took place -in the year 618 <span class="smcap">A.D.</span>, but whence the foreigners -came is not so certain. Possibly some of them -were from Ceylon, and undoubtedly others were -from the continent of Africa, as proved by the fact -that elephants' tusks, the horns of the rhinoceros, -coral, pearls, redwood, and medicines were brought -into the city by the strangers, who received metals -in exchange—that is to say, copper, tin, and gold, -and silk—especially silk—for it was manufactured -in the Celestial Empire twenty-seven centuries -before the Christian era. It was Lui-Tseu, the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[37]</a></span> -wife of the great Emperor Kwang-Ti, or the Yellow -ruler, who taught the people the art of rearing the -silk-worm and spinning the material it produced. -The industry of silk-weaving has brought such -wealth to China that Lui-Tseu has been raised to -the rank of a beneficent genius, and is honoured -under the name of the "Spirit of the mulberry-tree -and the silk-worm."</p> - -<p>In 1127 an edict was issued forbidding the exportation -of metal, and ordering all payments to -be made from henceforth in money alone. It is -recorded in Chinese annals that at a considerably -later date a French vessel came up the river Shu-Kiang -and fired her cannons in an aggressive -manner, so that relations with foreigners were -broken off.</p> - -<p>In 1425, however, an embassy from Portugal -resulted in the re-admission of foreigners to Canton, -and a century later the Dutch also obtained a -footing in the city.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">ENGLISH MONOPOLY OF TRADE</div> - -<p>They in their turn were, however, supplanted by -the English, who practically enjoyed a monopoly -of trade from the beginning of the eighteenth -century until 1834. At that date their prosperity -began to decline, one dispute succeeding another, -and in 1839 open war broke out between England -and China. In 1841 Hong-Kong was ceded to the -former power, and in 1842 the Treaty of Nanking -was signed, opening to British traders the five ports -of Canton, Amoy, Fuchau, Ningpo, and Shanghai. -Fresh friction was caused by the arrogant assumptions -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[38]</a></span> -of the Chinese and the vacillating policy of -the English, culminating in the war of 1856, the -immediate cause of which was the capture by the -Chinese of a lorcha, or small hybrid vessel of -European build, with the rigging of a Chinese junk -flying the British flag. After a fierce struggle a -peace was again patched up, but the factories outside -Canton had all been destroyed by the mob, -and prosperity has never since fully returned to the -city. It was not until 1860, when the Convention -of Pekin was signed, ratifying the Treaty of Tien-tsin, -that anything like cordial relations were established -between England and China, and since -then these relations have been again and again -disturbed.</p> - -<p>Before the bombardment of Canton by the united -fleets of England and France every foreigner found -within the walls of that inhospitable town was -beheaded at once. Naturally, with the memory -of all that had so recently happened fresh in my -mind, I hesitated when M. Vaucher, representative -on the island of Hainan, of the Swiss house of the -same name, suggested that we should go together -through the streets of Canton in sedan chairs. I -did not like to allude to the danger I might run -myself, but I asked if I should not be exposing -him to peril. "No," was his reply, "your fellow-countrymen -have won the permanent respect of -the people for all foreigners, and you will be able -to boast on your return home of having explored -the vast city with no other protector than myself."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[39]</a></span></p> - -<div class="sidenote">A TERRIBLE REVENGE</div> - -<p>M. Vaucher then told me the following story:</p> - -<p>"After the allied fleets had taken possession of -Canton, the commanders used to send a party of -men every morning to get fresh fruit for the table -of the officers, and rarely did a day pass without -at least one Englishman being absent at calling -over. Any sailor, who to satisfy his curiosity was -foolish enough to leave his comrades for a moment, -was at once set upon by Chinese soldiers and -murdered in the open street. Vainly did the -Admiral of the English fleet threaten to make -bloody reprisals if the authorities did not punish -the offenders. The same kind of thing happened -again and again. At last one day five or six sailors -belonging to a French frigate landed and made -their way into Canton. As they turned into a -street they missed one of their party, and presently -they found his headless corpse lying on the ground. -When the crime became known to the French, the -second in command of the fleet collected fifty -volunteers, armed them with revolvers and hatchets, -and landing with them, marched them into Canton. -On arriving in the street where the murder had been -committed, some of the men were told off to guard -the entrances to it, whilst the rest made their way -into the houses and killed all the Chinese they -found in them except one, who, though he had -already been hit by six bullets, calmly walked up -the middle of the street without quickening his -pace or even turning his head to the right or the -left at the sound of the renewed firing. The leader -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[40]</a></span> -of the expedition at last ran up to him and gave -him a smart blow on the shoulder. The fearless -Celestial merely turned his pale face towards his -assailant, looking at him without a smile. He -did not even -tremble in the -grasp of his -enemy. Touched -by his courage -the officer spared -his life handing -him over to two -sailors with orders to do him -no harm.</p> - -<div class="fig_center" style="width: 523px;"><a id="Fig_15"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig15.png" width="523" height="415" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 15.—A STREET IN CANTON.</div> -</div> - -<p>"After this bloody punishment, which was very -hostilely criticized by the English press of Hong-Kong and Shanghai, -Europeans, whatever their -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[41]</a></span> -nationality, have been able to wander about unmolested either alone -or in parties in the streets of Canton."</p> - -<div class="sidenote">I EXPLORE CANTON</div> - -<div class="fig_right" style="width: 238px;"><a id="Fig_16"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig16.png" width="238" height="412" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 16.—A WOMAN OF THE PEOPLE WITH HER BABY.</div> -</div> - -<p>After listening to this tale, I had an eager desire -to explore the town, which, since the departure -of the allied fleets, had -rarely been entered -by Europeans. I -watched anxiously -for the first symptom -in the faces of the -inhabitants of the -hereditary hatred of -white men, which had -most likely been -greatly intensified by -the bombardment of -the town, and by the -punishment inflicted -for the murder of the -French sailors, a punishment by no means -excessive, terrible as -it was. I am bound -to add, however, that -as M. Vaucher and I -were carried rapidly through the crowded streets -by our coolies, in our respective chairs, we noted -no hostility in the placid faces of those we encountered. -The people stood aside to let us pass, and -showed rather benevolent curiosity than insulting -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[42]</a></span> -indifference. The Chinese children, with their -round heads and strongly-marked eyebrows, who -are so aggressive and impudent in the interior of -the country, here remained perfectly silent. Only -the old women tottering along on their deformed -feet paused in their painful -walk now and then, to lean -against the walls of the -houses, and look at us in -a mocking though not -exactly a hostile manner. -Our progress was only once -arrested for a moment, -when we met a great military -mandarin in a narrow -street, escorted by some ten -warriors bearing their halberds -on their shoulders. -The mandarin stopped, and -we passed without difficulty, -giving him a military -salute in return for -his courtesy.</p> - -<p>I confess that this unexpected complaisance -put me into a very good humour, and after this -incident I gave myself up without reserve to the -enjoyment of my first visit to a Chinese town.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[43]</a></span></p> - -<table summary="people"> -<tr> - <td><a id="Fig_17"></a><br /><img src="images/fig17.png" width="205" height="404" alt="" /></td> - <td><a id="Fig_18"></a><br /><img src="images/fig18.png" width="183" height="364" alt="" /></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="fig_caption">FIG. 17.—A CHINESE MANDARIN.</td> - <td class="fig_caption">FIG. 18.—A GONG-RINGER.</td> -</tr> -</table> - -<div class="sidenote">HOMAGE TO PAKTAI</div> - -<p>By a lucky chance I had arrived at the very -moment when the inhabitants were celebrating two -of their greatest festivals. The first, in honour of -the beautiful Paktai, the fair Divinity of the North, -was simply remarkable for the immense crowds -flocking to the pagodas, crowds made up of bonzes, -bonzesses, portly mandarins, cooks and barbers -vigorously plying their trades, æsthetes with -effeminate faces, young girls -full of delight at getting out -of their palanquins for once, -and at being able to totter -about on the flag-stones of -the temples for a few minutes -on their poor mutilated feet.</p> - -<p>When the gilded pedestal -upholding the shrine of -Paktai was completely hidden -beneath the flowers -flung upon it by the crowds, -the worshippers all repaired -<i>en masse</i> to see the theatrical -representations which take -place after the religious ceremony. -Not until midnight -did every one go home, only -to meet again the next day, -when a great procession passed through the city, in -the midst of which the venerated idol was carried -with the greatest pomp. Some on horseback, others -in sedan chairs, were many young boys and girls -wearing the costumes in vogue amongst the heroes -and heroines of the earliest days of the Celestial -Empire. Many too were the banners of beautiful -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[44]</a></span> -silk embroidered with various devices or inscriptions -in golden letters, and still more numerous -were the bearers of the large gongs, some of which -were of such -an immense circumference -that -it took two -strong coolies to -carry them.</p> - -<p>All Asiatics -love a deafening -noise, and the -delight of the -Chinese may be -imagined when -the accumulated -din of these -great bronze -disks becomes -one continuous -roar like thunder.</p> - -<div class="fig_left" style="width: 318px;"><a id="Fig_19"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig19.png" width="318" height="496" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 19.—A CHINESE ACTOR.</div> -</div> - -<p>The second -<i>féte</i> I witnessed -was celebrated -in the Honan -suburb in honour -of Tien-Ho, the -Queen of Heaven, and the protectress of sailors. -All the ship-owners of the populous city of Canton, -all the pilots, all the captains of junks and sampans, -all the fishermen, boatmen, and boatwomen,—in -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[45]</a></span> -fact, every human creature connected in -the remotest degree with anything like shipping or -boats, were collected in front of the sanctuary of -the goddess. Her statue too was covered with -flowers, and, as in the case of the <i>féte</i> of the -Divinity of the North, the theatre opened directly -the pagoda of the Queen of Heaven closed. The -stage was erected about a hundred yards from -the pagoda, so that the devout had only to turn -round to pass at once from the sacred to the -profane.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">A GRAND DRAMA</div> - -<p>A grand spectacular drama, called the Marriage -of the Ocean and the Earth, extended over twelve -consecutive evenings; the only plot was, however, -the presentation to each other by the betrothed -couple of the vast treasures at their disposal.</p> - -<p>The Earth began by a grand show of tigers, -lions, elephants, ostriches, etc.—in a word, of all the -big animals which our ancestor Noah took with -him into the ark. Then the Ocean, not to be outdone, -paraded in his turn his dolphins, his turtles, -the vessels he had engulfed, his corals, and great -bunches of all the most wonderful growths of his -submarine gardens. All these marvels were, however, -nothing but a prelude to the great final -surprise, when an enormous whale reeled into view, -and as it flopped about shot out a great volume -of water over the whole stage. It would be impossible -to describe the enthusiastic delight of the -spectators, who all shouted like madmen. <i>Has! -Hung haho!</i> (excellent! perfect!) and if M. -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[46]</a></span> -Vaucher and I had not applauded too we should -have been stoned.</p> - -<p>The beautiful river on which Canton is built -presented for many days a most picturesque appearance. -I could wish those of my readers who -love the marvellous, who enjoy looking at crowds -and do not mind noise, no better pleasure than to -gaze, if but for a moment, upon the Pearl of the -East at this <i>féte</i> of the protectress of those who -do their business on the great waters, thronged as -its surface then is with junks dressed with flags, -brilliantly illuminated flower-boats, little vessels -transformed for the nonce into miniature pagodas, -gliding mysteriously along as do the gondolas of -Venice. I was told that on these occasions more -than one lovely young Celestial maiden is worshipped -in these pagodas of a day, with a ritual -very different from that of the public ceremony we -had witnessed at the shrine of the goddess.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">CANTON INDUSTRIES</div> - -<p>Canton consists of a great number of narrow -streets, each house in which is adorned with -coloured signs, giving a very quaint and charming -appearance to the façades, especially of an evening, -when the gilt lettering on the red and black lacquer -ground is lit up by the rays of the setting sun. As -was the case in European towns in mediæval times, -and is still customary in the Orient, each district -of the city has its own special industry, and is -closed at nightfall by a bamboo barrier. The -cobblers' quarter seemed to me to be the most -densely populated; a great multitude of workers, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[47]</a></span> -naked to the waist, zealously plying their trade, -chattering like magpies the while. Close to the -cobblers live the coffin-makers, who are even -noisier than their neighbours, and quite as happy -over their work. Yet another quarter dear to the -lovers of <i>bric-à -brac</i>, is -sacred to the manufacture -of porcelain, -bronzes, cloisonné -enamels, beautifully -lacquered or delicately -carved boxes in ebony, -ivory, and other materials, -plain and figured -silks, etc., which are -sent to Hong-Kong -for trans-shipment to -Europe and America.</p> - -<div class="fig_right" style="width: 230px;"><a id="Fig_20"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig20.png" width="230" height="379" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 20.—A CHINESE ACTOR IN A TRAGIC PART.</div> -</div> - -<p>You can of course -get all these things -without going all the -way to China for them, -and they are to be seen -in Paris in the Guimet -and Cernuschi Museums, -and at various Oriental houses in London and -New York. Many Chinese are very wealthy, and -keep for themselves and their heirs the art treasures -they buy or have inherited from their ancestors.</p> - -<p>In spite of the fact that you can see Chinese -curios at home, it would be a pity to miss the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[48]</a></span> -pleasure of rummaging, in the shops. The owner -of those you enter will receive you with apparent -cordiality, but at the same time with a certain -distrustful politeness, and you will be carefully -watched as you turn over the goods for sale. If -you accept the cup of tea which every merchant -delights to offer to his visitors, and you seem to -appreciate the superior quality of the beverage, you -will win the golden opinion of the donor, for to the -Celestial tea is a divine plant. The drink made -from it as a matter of fact quenches thirst better -than any other, not only in the heat of summer, -but also in the extreme cold of the heights of the -Himalayas or of the desert of Gobi, where the traveller -is exposed to the icy blast of the north wind. -From the east to the west, from the north to the -south of the vast Empire, we meet with the hospitable -tea-house; it is perhaps not quite such a -fascinating place as it is in Japan, but beneath its -shelter the traveller is always sure of finding the -cheering beverage which will put new strength into -him for his further journey. There is not a Chinese -poet who has failed to sing the praises of the -precious shrub. Even an illustrious Emperor wrote -directions in verse (reproduced below in dull -prose) for the preparation of a cup of tea, and -described the salutary effect it has upon the -mind:</p> - -<div class="pmb2 blockquot"> - -<p>"Put a tripod pot, the colour and form of which testifies -to long service, upon a moderate fire; fill this pot with the -pure water of melted snow, and heat this water to the degree -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[49]</a></span> -needed for turning fish white or crabs red, and then pour -it at once into a cup containing the tender leaves of a choice -tea; leave it to simmer until the steam, which will at first rise -up copiously, forms thick clouds which gradually disperse, -till all that is left is a light mist upon the surface; then sip -the delicious liquor slowly; it will effectually dissipate all -the causes for anxiety which are worrying you. You can -taste, you can feel the peaceful bliss which results from -imbibing the liquid thus prepared, but it is perfectly impossible -to describe it. Already, however, I hear the ringing -of the curfew-bell; the freshness of the night is increasing; -the moonbeams penetrate through the slits in my tent, and -light up the few pieces of furniture adorning it. I am without -anxiety and without fatigue, my digestion is perfect; I -can give myself to repose without fear. These verses were -written to the best of my small ability, in the spring of the -tenth month of the year Ping-yn (1746) of my reign.</p> - -<p class="tdr2">(Signed) <span class="smcap">Khian-Lung</span>."</p></div> - -<div class="sidenote">AN IMPERIAL TEA-MAKER</div> - -<p>The tea-plant is a shrub requiring very little -care. A siliceous soil suits it best, and in it it -attains its fullest development. Great quantities -of seed are sown in September and October, and -when the plants are about nine inches high they -are transplanted and placed about twenty inches -apart. When the leaves have reached their fullest -development they are gathered, carefully washed -to remove any earth which may have clung to -them, and they are then exposed to the rays of the -sun, the day chosen for this part of the preparation -being the very hottest in the year. In the evening -the dry leaves are taken up with every precaution -against injury, placed in boxes, and protected from -the air by sheets of lead. Millions of cases of tea -thus packed are dispersed all over the world, but -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[50]</a></span> -it is needless to add that the Chinese keep the -best leaves for their own consumption. Green, or as -they themselves call it, white tea, is put into boxes -directly it is picked, without any drying or other -preparation, and black tea is produced by placing -the leaves in a brazier over a slow fire, these leaves -being constantly turned over with the hands by -the men in charge of them, to prevent them from -sticking together or drying too quickly. When -taken from the brazier they are placed in a sieve -and still further manipulated, always with the -greatest care and delicacy. Lastly, they are once -more exposed to heat in the brazier to give them -the brown colour so much esteemed by many -consumers. It is in this last stage of the preparation -that the skill of the manipulator is put to the -severest test, for if the tea is too much burnt it will -have no taste at all, and if it is not sufficiently -burnt it will be bitter and heating.</p> - -<p>I forget now in whose house it was, but I was on -one occasion stupid enough, when the guest of a -mandarin, to say I had once at the residence of -a clergyman drunk an excellent cup of tea mixed -with rum and sweetened with sugar.</p> - -<p>"Sugar and rum!" cried my host, who was -terribly shocked. "We must take care not to -offer our best teas to you, for you would certainly -not be able to appreciate them."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[51]</a></span></p> - -<div class="fig_center" style="width: 330px;"><a id="Fig_21"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig21.png" width="330" height="367" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 21.—A VILLA NEAR CANTON.</div> -</div> - -<div class="sidenote">THE FATIM GARDEN</div> - -<p>I stopped eight days at Canton; more than -enough to visit everything worth seeing in that -now uninteresting city. I saw the endless rice-fields -stretching away beyond its gates; I went to -look at the French concession, where there is not a -single French inhabitant, though the names of the -streets, such as the <i>Rue de la Fusée</i>, the <i>Rue de la -Dordogne</i>, and the <i>Rue de la Charente</i>, recall the -vessels once manned by the brave sailors who had -for a brief time sojourned in this remote Chinese -town. One curiosity which every visitor to Canton -ought to see, is the so-called Fatim garden, where -each tree represents some fantastic animal, and in -which prowl herds of pigs, more quaint in appearance -than the shrubs tended by pale-faced young -bonzes wearing yellow garments.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[52]</a></span></p> - -<p>The cemetery of Canton is of vast extent, and -every year in the month of May, the pious Celestials -all flock to it in white robes, to lay offerings of -rice, fruit, and flowers on the graves of those they -have lost. The gifts would be left unmolested for a -long time, but for the fact that they are presented -in the spring, just when countless birds are nesting -in the branches of the lofty bamboos growing in -the neighbourhood, and who consequently look upon -the rice and fruit as provided especially for them.</p> - -<p>It is not only after the death of those near -and dear to them, that the Chinese show the deep -filial love for their parents which is one of their most -striking characteristics. The <i>Pekin Gazette</i> gave -a very touching instance of this reverent affection, -communicated to the official organ of the Celestial -Empire by the Governor of Schantung, which made -such a sensation that it reached the ears of the -Emperor himself. Here is the story:</p> - -<p>A certain native of China, Li-Hsien-Ju by name, -whose father had died at Feï-Chang, immediately -sold the piece of land he inherited in order to give -a grand funeral in honour of his beloved and -lamented father. The time of mourning had not -yet expired when a terrible famine took place in -the town where the ceremonies were going on. -Provisions became so scarce and so dear, that Li-Hsien-Ju -found himself quite unable to provide -properly for his aged mother, so he decided to -carry her on his back to another province where -the ground was less sterile. This he did, begging -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[53]</a></span> -his way as he went, and supporting himself and -his sacred charge on alms alone.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">A DEVOTED SON</div> - -<p>This model son, laden as he was, actually -traversed the fabulous distance of four hundred -French leagues, finally arriving at Honan, where he -and his mother settled down. A year after this the -poor mother was taken ill, and Li-Hsien-Ju, fearing -that she might die in a strange land, of which every -Chinese has the greatest horror, resolved to take -her home to her native country in the same manner -as he had brought her from it, so he started back -again with his sacred burden, begging his way -once more. The two got back again to Feï-Chang -at last, but had scarcely reached their home before -the old mother died. It is impossible to tell how -many nights the heart-broken son spent on the -tomb of the lost one, but we know that, thanks to -his pious efforts, the bones of his father were laid -beside the body of his mother. A few days after -the death of the latter, the grief of the orphan -became so terrible that he wept tears of blood. -He is now sixty years old, but he still mourns for -his parents, and in the month of May when the <i>féte</i> -of the dead is held, he never fails to drag himself to -the cemetery and place upon the tomb, according -to custom, a bowl of smoking rice of gleaming -whiteness.</p> - -<p>There are no Monthyon prizes, such as those -given by the French Academy for acts of disinterested -goodness, or surely this unselfish son -would have received one.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[54]</a></span></p> - -<p>M. Vaucher and I went to visit the quay outside -Canton, which was the scene of the massacre of -100,000 Tai-Ping rebels, after the defeat of Hung-Hsiu-ch'wan -in 1865. The ferocious mandarin -Yeh had them all decapitated at the edge of the -river Kwan-Tung, their heads falling into the -muddy stream. A Dutchman, who had belonged -to a factory in Canton at the time, told me that he -witnessed the terrible scene from his window, and -had been greatly struck by the extraordinary -composure with which the victims met their fate. -Motionless and with bowed heads they knelt at -the edge of the quay, awaiting the fatal stroke of -the sword. "I had some idea," added the Dutchman, -"of sending the poor fellows some packets of -cigarettes to cheer their last moments, but I should -have been completely ruined, for their numbers -increased every day."</p> - -<p>The tragic story of the Tai-Ping rebellion, its -extraordinary success at first, and its final suppression -under Gordon is well known. In the two -campaigns against the Tai-Pings, the future hero -of Khartoum fought no less than thirty-three -battles, besieging and taking numerous walled -cities, and changing the whole history of the vast -Celestial Empire. Had the revolt been finally -successful, as it at one time bid fair to be, Hung, -the enlightened leader, might have founded a new -dynasty, and warded off for a long time at least -the dismemberment of the once vast Empire of -the East.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[55]</a></span></p> - -<div class="sidenote">A CHINESE PANTHEON</div> - -<p>My last visit was to the so-called Temple of -the live hundred genii, containing five hundred -grotesque gilded statues, taller than life, and of a -surprising girth. We must not, however, make fun -of them, for each one represents some Celestial -who has made his mark in art, science, or philosophy. -In France such a temple would be called -a Pantheon, and that is what it really is, a place -set apart for the commemoration of the great ones -of the past.</p> - -<p>In the Temple of the five hundred genii lived a -beautiful little water-snake, which a bonze of venerable -appearance tended with reverent care, feeding -it on green frogs and cantharides. I tried to find -out why he set such store upon it, and the following -story was told to me:</p> - -<p>The river, from the banks of which rises the -great city of Canton, often overflows, and the -inundations caused by the excess of water do a -great deal of mischief to the rice plantations. A -young engineer was ordered to construct an embankment, -but he must have done his work badly, -for only a year after its completion the river again -burst its bounds, and the engineer in despair -drowned himself in the waters he had failed to -control. Yet another inundation took place after -his death, and in the mud cast up by it upon the -shore was found a little snake. By order of the -Viceroy the reptile was taken to the Temple of the -five hundred genii, and a miracle at once took place, -for it had no sooner entered the sacred precincts -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[56]</a></span> -than the waters subsided. Every one attributed -their fall to gratitude for the kind welcome given -to the little snake, and a long memorial on the subject -was addressed by the Viceroy to the Emperor, -which was at once published by the <i>Pekin Gazette</i>. -An explanation of the phenomenon was added, to -the effect that the little snake was really none other -than the engineer who had committed suicide. -There was really nothing surprising in the matter, -for of course by his death the unfortunate young -man had become a Chen-Ching-tung-Chang-chan, -or divinity of the river, and was anxious to repair -the mistake made in his life-time on earth, by -exercising a benevolent influence over its waters -now that he had the power to do so.</p> - -<p>After the miracle which had taken place on the -entrance into the Temple of the little snake, the -people had proclaimed it to be the genius of the -water, and as such they venerated and cherished it!</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[57]</a></span></p> - - - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III"></a>CHAPTER III</h2> - - -<p class="smaller">General Tcheng-Ki-Tong and his book on China—The -monuments of China—Those the Chinese delight to honour—A -Chinese heroine—Ingredients of the "Cup of Immortality"—Avenues -of colossal statues and monsters in cemeteries—Imperial -edict in honour of K'wo-Fan—Proclamation -of the eighteenth century—The Emperor takes his people's -sins upon himself—Reasons for Chinese indifference to -matters of faith—Lao-Tsze, or the old philosopher—His -early life—His book, the Tao-Teh-King—His theory of the -creation—Affinity of his doctrine with Christianity—Quotations -from his book.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">General Tcheng-Ki-Tong</span>, who lived so long -in France and married a French lady, although -rumour says he already had a wife in China, wrote -a very interesting but far from exhaustive book, -with the title, <i>The Chinese described by themselves</i>. -He said nothing in it of the worship of great men -and of certain animals in his native land, nor did -he refer to the way in which acts of virtue and of -courage are rewarded there.</p> - -<p>I will now endeavour to supplement the information -given us by the learned general. In -addition to the statues erected in China, as in the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[58]</a></span> -chief cities of Europe, to every man who has in -any way distinguished himself, triumphal arches -are set up in memory of those who have done -heroic deeds, whether in the privacy of home life -or in public. These arches are known as <i>Pai-lans</i>, -or Honorary Portals, and as a rule they have three -arcades, sometimes made of very fine stone worked -with considerable -skill, and -surmounted by -a roof of varnished -canvas -with the corners -gracefully -turned upwards -as is the fashion -in China. There -are two kinds -of monuments -in the Celestial -Empire, one of -very ornate, the -other of simple construction.</p> - -<div class="fig_left" style="width: 285px;"><a id="Fig_22"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig22.png" width="285" height="283" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 22.—GENERAL TCHENG-KI-TONG.</div> -</div> - -<p>Widows who refuse to marry again; virgins who -have kept their vows of chastity till their death; -men who have distinguished themselves in science, -literature, or philosophy; diplomatists who by their -skill in deception have mystified their colleagues -as well as foreign ministers, and thus won a reputation -for great wisdom; soldiers who have fought -valiantly for their country; women who have -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[59]</a></span> -committed suicide after a lost battle; wealthy men -who have given much away in charity; families -who have lived for many generations in one house; -old men who can assemble in the home of their -ancestors four living and healthy representatives -of four generations, are honoured by the erection -of Honorary Portals, which are also set up in -general commemoration of any victory or series -of victories in war.</p> - -<p>In the centre of the larger and grander monuments -are inscribed three words, signifying Faith, -Submission, and Justice.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">MONUMENTS TO WIDOWS</div> - -<p>The Imperial Government of China goes out of -its way to honour certain acts of abstinence, such -as the refusal of a widow to marry again, erecting -a monument to her when she has been true to her -resolve till she is fifty years old, and has lived -alone for at least twenty years. I must add that -the Emperor himself contributes forty piastres, or -about eight English pounds, to the expense of -erecting monuments in honour of women who -have been true to the memory of their husbands; -he also gives a roll of silk to each inconsolable -widow, and what is more, he has written a poem -on widowhood. Who shall say after all this that -the Chinese are not jealous of marital faithfulness? -Monuments to widows are more imposing -than any others, and bear an inscription signifying -Chastity and Purity.</p> - -<p>An affianced couple, who, though engaged in -early childhood, have been prevented through some -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[60]</a></span> -local rebellion, or through a foreign war, from -accomplishing their union before they are fifty -years old, are honoured in a similar manner.</p> - -<p>A monument with the inscription "Chastity and -Filial Piety" may be erected to glorify a Chinese -mother, who having borne one child, takes a vow -never to have another, in order to be free to devote -herself to the needs of her poor parents. Similar -honour may be done to young boys or girls who -allow a piece of flesh to be taken from their arms -or thighs, under the belief that this flesh mixed -with certain ingredients will do their suffering -parents good. The Imperial Government both approves -and rewards the bloody sacrifice, the motive -of which is that filial love held in such high esteem -throughout the whole Celestial Empire.</p> - -<p>On certain monuments with three arcades an -inscription maybe read, signifying, "Joy and Gladness -to the Benevolent." Monuments such as these -are erected in honour of some Chinese who has -brought up orphans as if they were his own children, -or of some rich man who has given a large sum -of money towards the making of roads or bridges. -A kind-hearted employer who pays poor men for -collecting the bones scattered about the cemeteries -and giving them reverent burial, is also often -rewarded by the erection of a monument to his -memory.</p> - -<p>Those of the Celestials who distinguish themselves -by charity, but who do not spend large sums -of money, receive tablets of wood, on which are -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[61]</a></span> -inscribed pious sentences composed by the Son of -Heaven, that is to say, the Emperor. Many of these -tablets, which answer the same purpose as did the -Greek <i>stelæ</i>, are to be seen in the rooms known as -the Halls of the Ancestors in the houses of the -Chinese, especially those of the wealthy mandarins. -They constitute regular patents of nobility, and -are not won by favour or intrigue, as are so many -titles in Europe, but by real acts of charity performed -by their owners.</p> - -<p>Three brothers, who have all passed their eightieth -year and are still in good health, can have a -monument erected announcing this fact, and so -can husbands or wives who attain the age of one -hundred.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">A CHINESE HEROINE</div> - -<p>At Amoy, in the province of Pecheli, are two -monuments with arcades erected to the memory of -the Chinese women who flung themselves into the -wells of their houses when they heard the shouts of -the English soldiers and sailors entering the town.</p> - -<p>This act of despair is explained by the fact that -the Chinese themselves give no quarter when they -enter any place as victors; the men are strangled, -and the women become the slaves of those who -take them prisoners. In the very centre of Canton -is a temple remarkable alike for its size and beauty. -It was built in honour of the memory of a great -Chinese lady, who in December 1857 committed -suicide when the English and French took the -city. This heroine, the wife of Pun-Yu, one of -the chief magistrates at Canton, learning that the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[62]</a></span> -allies already occupied the northern portion of the -town, put on her most magnificent apparel, and -summoning all her servants, gave to each a parting -present. She then killed herself by drinking what -the bonzes call the "cup of immortality," a very -strong poison, containing amongst other ingredients -opium and the droppings of peacocks. This potent -poison has often been given to emperors under -pretext of making them immortal, but really with -a view to getting rid of them.</p> - -<p>There is yet another mode of honouring the illustrious -departed. The children of civil and military -officers have the right of erecting avenues of colossal -figures opposite the tombs of their parents; these -figures representing giants or monsters. The length -of the avenues and the size of the figures is regulated -by law, according to the grade of those they -are intended to honour. The state itself pays for -these quaint memorials, unless the necessary sum -has been raised by voluntary subscriptions.</p> - -<p>On the death of any illustrious soldier or politician -whose firmness has added to the stability of -the throne, the Emperor always hastens to give -publicity to his grief at the public loss, and -his gratitude for the services rendered by the -deceased. Here is a specimen of an Imperial -proclamation such as is frequently issued:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[63]</a></span></p> - -<div class="sidenote">AN IMPERIAL EDICT</div> - -<p class="tdc"><span class="smcap">Imperial Edict.</span></p> - -<p>"The deceased K'wo-Fan was a man of great knowledge, -of varied talent, of profound penetration, of stainless -morality, and of incorruptible honesty. He left the schools -with the title of doctor; his merits were discovered by -the Emperor Tao-K'an, who promoted him to the rank of -Chingerh (colonel).</p> - -<p>"In the reign of Hsien-Feng, he was commissioned to -raise an army in Hunan, and after the battles in which he -was victorious over the Tai-Ping rebels, he received the -praises of the Emperor and the thanks of the whole country. -It was then that my predecessor appointed him to the vice-royalty -of the two Kiangs, and named him Generalissimo -of the Imperial forces. During my own reign I made him -chief Secretary of State. He became to me a second self; -he was my life, my heart, and my backbone. I therefore -bestowed on him the title of hereditary count, and I authorized -him to wear the double peacock's feather. I had hoped -that he would live long for me to heap fresh favours upon -him, so that the news of his death has filled me with sorrow -and dismay. I wish that according to custom three thousand -taëls<a name="FNanchor_1" id="FNanchor_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a> should be spent on his funeral. A jarful of wine shall -also be poured out on his tomb by General Mutengah, -chief of the Manchu garrison at Nanking. Two tablets of -stone, bearing his name, shall be erected, one at Nanking in -the Temple of the Loyal and the Illustrious, the other in -Pekin in the Pantheon of the Wise and Good.</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_1" id="Footnote_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> -A taël is worth about five shillings.</p></div> - -<p>"I wish the life of K'wo-Fan to be written and given into -the care of the Imperial historiographers, that the memory -of a life so beautiful may be preserved in the national -annals. His son will inherit the title of count, and I give -him dispensation from an audience.</p> - -<p>"I appoint Ho-Ching, lieutenant-general of Kiang-Su, to -be instructor of the children and grand-children of the -deceased. A token of my munificence will be given to them, -that they may know how my throne remembers and honours -a loyal servant.</p> - -<p class="tdc"> -"Let this edict be respected!"<br /> -</p> - -<p>The homage rendered to heroes, wise men, and -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[64]</a></span> -philanthropists, has its origin in the religious principles -inculcated by Chinese philosophers. These -philosophers were very numerous in China in past -days, and it is only possible to give an account here -of the most celebrated of them.</p> - -<p>Some twenty-three centuries before the Christian -era the Chinese simply worshipped one Supreme -Being, first under the vague name of Thian, or -Heaven; later under the more personal title of Ti -Shang, or the Great One.</p> - -<p>Gradually, however, this monotheism was succeeded -by the deification of the heavenly bodies, -each with a priest of its own, whose business it was -to advise those responsible for the government of -China. These priests, who became in course of time -extremely powerful, won their influence through -the study of astronomy; but as that influence -sometimes ran counter to the wishes of the -emperors and bid fair to supersede their power, -they eventually suppressed the entire hierarchy. In -Europe this interference with the spiritual guides -of the people would have aroused a passion of -fanaticism, and have resulted in massacres and -religious wars, but nothing of the kind occurred in -China, for there the martyr's palm and crown are -never coveted, and religious zeal never produces -the terrible results with which the student of -European history is familiar. Truly, the Celestials -are to be congratulated on the calmness with which -they accept what they consider the inevitable.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[65]</a></span></p> - -<div class="sidenote">A WISE EMPEROR</div> - -<p>The following characteristic epitome of the -religious ideas in vogue amongst the Chinese in -<span class="smcap">B.C.</span> 1760, is taken from a proclamation issued -to his people by the Emperor then on the -throne:</p> - -<p>"Shang-Ti, the supreme ruler, has given reason -to man, and if he listens to its dictates his spirit -will exist for ever, but if he does not he will revert -to nothingness."</p> - -<p>"The ruler of Hia," continues this old-world -proclamation, "extinguished in his soul the light -of reason, and inflicted a thousand ills upon the -people in all the States of the Empire. Oppressed -and unable longer to endure such tyranny, the -people made known to the spirits of high and low -degree, that they were unjustly dealt with. The -eternal reason of Heaven gives happiness to the -virtuous, and misery to the vicious and depraved, -and this is why Heaven has visited Hia with all -manner of calamities to make his crimes manifest -to all.</p> - -<p>"As a result of this, all unworthy though I be, I -have felt it my duty to conform to the unmistakable -and terrible decrees of Heaven. I dared not -leave such great crimes unpunished, but I did dare -to take a black bullock to serve as the sacrifice I -felt bound to offer. I ventured to appeal to the -august Heaven and to the divine ruler of the earth.... -To each of you I have assigned the States he -is to govern. Beware of obeying unjust laws or -adopting unjust customs. Do not fall into the -mistakes which result from idleness, nor yield to -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[66]</a></span> -love of pleasure. By observing and obeying wise -and equitable laws, you will be following the commands -of Heaven.... All is sifted in the heart -of Shang-Ti. The crimes any or all of you commit -will be visited on me alone, but if I do evil you -will have no part in it."</p> - -<p>In this quaint address is shadowed forth the -beautiful idea that the Emperor is responsible to -God for his people, though they are not responsible -for him. A similar thought is apparent in the -following quotation from a kind of penitential -psalm which the same Emperor is said to have -composed on the occasion of a famine which decimated -China during his reign. Feeling that he -must have done something to arouse the wrath of -Heaven, he cut off the long hair and nails which -are the special pride of highly-born Celestials, and -laying aside his Imperial robes, wrapped himself -in the skins of beasts. Thus disguised he went -forth alone to a mountain and vented his grief and -remorse for having:</p> - -<p>1. Neglected to instruct his subjects as he ought -to have done.</p> - -<p>2. For failing to win them back to their duty -when they had departed from it.</p> - -<p>3. For having built grand palaces, and incurred -other expenses by unnecessary building.</p> - -<p>4. For having too many wives, and loving them -too much.</p> - -<p>5. For caring too much for the delicacies of the -table.</p> - -<p>6. And lastly, for having lent too ready an ear -to the flattery of his favourites, and of certain high -officials of his court.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[67]</a></span></p> - -<div class="sidenote">LAO-TSZE</div> - -<div class="fig_center" style="width: 477px;"><a id="Fig_23"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig23.png" width="477" height="662" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 23.—LAO-TSZE.<br /> - -(<i>Univers Pittoresque.</i>)</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[68]</a></span></p> - -<p>Another significant and noteworthy fact brought -out alike in the proclamation and confession of -this enlightened ruler is, that there is no idea of -any intermediary being necessary between him -and God. It is the same to this day, no priest -intervenes between the Emperor and Shang-Ti, -and the bonzes who spend their lives studying the -moral precepts of Lao-Tsze and Confucius are -merely thinkers who never interfere in affairs of -State or with the religious teaching of the people. -Hence the total indifference of the Chinese to -matters of faith; they believe in free-will, and act -in accordance with that belief.</p> - -<p>In the sixth and seventh centuries before our -era the Chinese Empire was in a condition little -short of anarchy. The wealthy were depraved, -the poor were steeped in misery, and everywhere -injustice and oppression were the rule. The -emperors frittered away their lives in their harems, -giving no thought to the welfare of their people. -It was time indeed for a reformer to arise, and the -first to appear was the great Lao-Tsze, who is -supposed to have been born about 604 <span class="smcap">B.C.</span>, fifty -years before the yet greater Kung-Fu-tze, or, as he -is called by Europeans, Confucius.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">LIFE OF LAO-TSZE</div> - -<p>The state of the Celestial Empire when Lao-Tsze -first began to inculcate his peculiar doctrines -was corrupt in the extreme, greatly resembling -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[69]</a></span> -that of the Roman Empire in the time of Nero, -when the disciples of Christ preached equality and -contempt for riches, striving to win souls from the -awful depravity and sensuality of the heathen -world, and to teach them to aspire to an ideal -and divine love and to the immaterial joys of -the Christian heaven. Lao-Tsze, who was to inaugurate -the great reform completed later by -Confucius, began his public career as curator of -the library of the King of the Tcheou, in what -was then the city of Lob, not far from that of Lob-yang -in the present province of Honan. His real -name is supposed to have been Erh-Li, but that -of Lao-Tsze, signifying the old philosopher, has -entirely superseded it. Whilst keeper of the royal -books he is said to have read many of the works -of Indian philosophers, and from them to have -imbibed the principles embodied in his own immortal -work, called the <i>Tao-Teh-King</i>, the exact -meaning of the title of which has been so much -discussed, but is generally translated the "Book of -Supreme reason and virtue." If, as may well be, -the word <i>Tao</i> is identical with the Greek Θεος and -with the Latin <i>Deos</i>, both of which mean God, -then the proper rendering of <i>Tao-Teh-King</i> is the -"Book of God and of reason." However that may -be, it is certain that its author was a true theist, -rightly considered the founder of Theism, which -is one of the three doctrines held in equal honour -by the Celestials, the other two being Confucianism -and Buddhism.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[70]</a></span></p> - -<p>Many legends have gathered about the memory -of Lao-Tsze, and the young Confucius is said to -have met the old philosopher more than once. -The former is reported to have said after an -interview in Pekin with his forerunner: "To-day I -have seen Lao-Tsze, and can only liken him to a -dragon who mounts aloft in the clouds, I cannot -tell how, and rises to heaven." Another story is -that the older Chinese philosopher travelled in -India and there met Pythagoras, the great mathematician -and believer in the transmigration of -souls; but if so, there is no trace of the influence -of the Greek in the <i>Tao-Teh-King</i>, which must have -been written before its author left China. As a -matter of fact, very little is really known of the life -of Lao-Tsze, but some idea of his peculiar views -can be obtained from the following quotations -from his book:</p> - -<p>"God," he says, "is spiritual and material, so -that He has two kinds of existence. We emanate -in the first instance from the former or spiritual -nature, to enter later into the second. Our aim -upon earth should be to return to the first, or -spiritual nature. To succeed in this we must -refrain from the pleasures of the world, control our -passions, and practise boundless charity."</p> - -<p>It is the advocacy of this boundless charity -which justifies us in comparing the doctrine of Lao-Tsze -with primitive Christianity. Before, however, -we give proofs of this affinity it will be interesting -to note how the old philosopher proves his -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[71]</a></span> -assertion, that all the material forms of nature are -but emanations from the divine.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">THE <i>TAO-TEH-KING</i></div> - -<p>In the twenty-fifth section of the <i>Tao-Teh-King</i> -we read:</p> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>"Beings of corporeal form were made from matter which -was at first in a chaotic condition.</p> - -<p>"Before the heaven and the earth came into being, -there was nothing but a profound silence, a boundless void, -without any perceptible form.</p> - -<p>"It<a name="FNanchor_2" id="FNanchor_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a> existed alone, infinite, immutable.</p> - -<p>"It moved about in the illimitable space without undergoing -any change.</p> - -<p>"It may be looked upon as the mother of the Universe.</p> - -<p>"I am ignorant of its name, but I call it the Tao, by -which I mean supreme and universal Reason.</p> - -<p>"Constrained to make a name for it, I designate it by its -attributes, and call it grand, lofty.</p> - -<p>"Having recognized that it is grand and lofty, I add -that it is all-embracing.</p> - -<p>"Having recognized that it is infinite, I designate it as -unlike myself....</p> - -<p>"The earth is ruled by Heaven.</p> - -<p>"Heaven is ruled by the Tao or universal Reason.</p> - -<p>"Universal Reason is a law unto itself"</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_2" id="Footnote_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_2"><span class="label">[2]</span></a> Lao-Tsze speaks of the Supreme Being as "it," not "he," and implies -that his Tao, whatever he signified by it, may have existed even before -God.—<span class="smcap">Trans.</span></p></div> - -<p>These quotations cannot fail to give an exalted -idea of the principles advocated by the Chinese -sage. They even shadow forth, to some extent, -the doctrine of the Gospel, which was not preached -until 600 years after the death of the author of -the <i>Tao-Teh-King</i>; but the extract I give now -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[72]</a></span> -from the forty-ninth section of the book on Supreme -Reason is yet more strikingly significant:</p> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>"The heart of a holy man is not inexorable.</p> - -<p>"His heart is in sympathy with the hearts of all other -men.</p> - -<p>"A virtuous man should be treated according to his -virtue.</p> - -<p>"A vicious man should be treated as if he also were -virtuous. Herein is wisdom and virtue."</p></div> - -<p>Again in the sixteenth section we read:</p> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>"To be just, and equitable to all, is to have the attributes -of God.</p> - -<p>"Having the attributes of God is to be of the divine -nature.</p> - -<p>"To be of the divine nature is to succeed in becoming -identified with the Tao or the supreme and universal -Reason.</p> - -<p>"To be identified with the supreme Reason is to win -eternal life.</p> - -<p>"Even when the body is put to death, there is no need -to have any fear of annihilation."</p></div> - -<p>So much for Lao-Tsze's belief in the immortality -of the soul; now note in what touching terms he -expresses his compassion for the unhappy and -unfortunate:</p> - -<div class="blockquot2"> - -<p>"If the people suffer from hunger, it is because they are -weighed down by taxes too heavy for them.</p> - -<p>"This is the cause of their misery. . . .</p> - -<p>"If the people are difficult to govern, it is because they -are oppressed by work too hard for them. . . .</p> - -<p>"This is the cause of their insubordination.</p> - -<p>"If the people are indifferent to the approach of death, -it is because they find it too difficult to obtain sufficient -nourishment.</p> - -<p>"That is why they die with so little regret."</p></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[73]</a></span></p> - - - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV"></a>CHAPTER IV</h2> - - -<p class="smaller">Lao-Tsze and Confucius compared—The appearance of -Kilin, the fabulous dragon, to the father of Confucius—Early -life of the Philosopher—The death and funeral of his mother—His -views on funeral ceremonies—His visit to the King of -Lu and discourse on the nature of man—Confucius advocates -gymnasium exercises—His love of music—His summary of -the whole duty of woman—He describes the life of a widow—He -gives a list of the classes of men to be avoided in -marriage—The seven legitimate reasons for the divorce of a -wife—The three exceptions rendering divorce illegal—The -missionary Gutzlaff's opinion of Confucius' view of woman's -position—The Philosopher meets a man about to commit -suicide—He rescues him from despair—He loses thirteen of -his own followers.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Under</span> the continued influence of Lao-Tsze, -China would probably have become in course of -time crowded with monasteries, in which numerous -bonzes would have devoted their lives to sterile -contemplation, which would have profited their -country not at all. Fortunately, however, the old -philosopher was succeeded by the more practical -Confucius, who made China what he meant it to -be during his life-time, enforcing respect for tradition -with the strict observance of the worship of -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[74]</a></span> -ancestors. Devoted to agriculture, he did much to -promote its scientific practice; an inexorable lover -of justice, he had no mercy on the abuses and -peculations of the mandarins. He knew how to -turn to account every incident which could redound -to his fame, and about his name gathered many -romantic legends such as serve to fix on their hero -the love and admiration of the populace. In this -he differed, as did all the other great leaders of -thought in the East, from Lao-Tsze, who owed his -celebrity to the culte of pure reason alone, a -doctrine too abstract for the apprehension of the -general public, who ever delight in the marvellous. -The earlier philosopher appeared and disappeared -with absolutely no <i>éclat</i>, and his most ardent -admirers never associated his birth or death with -anything supernatural. It was far otherwise with -Buddha, Confucius, Mahomet, and our Saviour, -who one and all were credited with the power of -working miracles, though those of Christ alone -have been authenticated.</p> - -<p>It could only detract from the real glory of -Confucius to dwell on the many extraordinary -phenomena which are said by his disciples to have -accompanied his entrance into the world. The -great Chinese dragon called <i>Kilin</i>, who never -comes down to earth from his home in heaven -except to foretell marvellous events, failed not to -appear in the garden of the house of the future -hero's father, where he vomited forth a stone of -jade bearing the following inscription:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[75]</a></span></p> - -<p>"A child as pure as the crystalline wave will be -born when the dynasty of Tcheu is in its decline; -he will be king, but without any kingdom."</p> - -<div class="fig_center" style="width: 327px;"><a id="Fig_24"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig24.png" width="327" height="452" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 24.—THE HOUSE IN WHICH CONFUCIUS WAS BORN.<br /> - -(<i>Univers Pittoresque.</i>)</div> -</div> - -<div class="sidenote">BIRTH OF CONFUCIUS</div> - -<p>According to the most trustworthy accounts -Confucius was born in the village of Ch'ieh in the -present province of Shantung in <span class="smcap">B.C.</span> 551. The -only child of his parents, he lost his father when -he was but three years old, and was brought up by -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[76]</a></span> -his mother, who was left with very little money. -To quote the philosopher's own words, he could -from the first "do whatever his heart prompted, -and his mind was set on learning from the age of -fifteen."</p> - -<div class="fig_center" style="width: 383px;"><a id="Fig_25"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig25.png" width="383" height="380" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 25.—PORTRAIT OF CONFUCIUS.<br /> - -(<i>Univers Pittoresque.</i>)</div> -</div> - -<p>Before he was twenty he had attracted the -general attention of his neighbours through the -skill with which he rendered fertile districts which -had long been considered barren. He was equally -successful in the breeding of flocks, and the land -under his care supported thousands of animals, so -that the farmers who before could scarcely eke out -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[77]</a></span> -a miserable subsistence, now found themselves rich -and well-to-do.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">QUOTATION FROM CONFUCIUS</div> - -<div class="fig_center" style="width: 501px;"><a id="Fig_26"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig26.png" width="501" height="266" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 26.—A FUNERAL PROCESSION IN CHINA.</div> -</div> - -<p>On the death of his mother he had her body -transported to the -grave of his father, -saying: "Those -who were united -in life should not -be separated after -death." The two -were therefore -buried together -with their heads -towards the north -and their feet towards -the south. -The remains were -protected from -wild beasts by -being placed in -strongly constructed -wooden -coffins, made of -planks four inches -thick and smeared -with oil and varnish. -To ensure -their preservation as long as possible mounds of earth -forming regular little hills were piled up above them.</p> - -<p>During the three years of mourning which -succeeded his sad loss, when, according to a custom -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[78]</a></span> -still observed, he could do no public work, Confucius -devoted himself to the study of ancient -usage in everything connected with the death of a -father or a mother.</p> - -<div class="sidenote" id="Fig_27">A CHINESE TOMB</div> - -<div class="fig_center_hh" style="width: 395px;"> -<img src="images/fig27.png" width="395" height="469" alt="" /> -</div> -<div class="fright_tp"><span class="fig_caption">FIG. 27.—CHINESE TOMBS.</span><br /> -<img src="images/fig27a.png" width="387" height="256" alt="" /></div> -<div class="fright_bt"><img src="images/fig27b.png" width="177" height="209" alt="" /></div> - -<p>"As man," he wrote, "is -the most perfect being -under heaven, that of -which he is made up is -worthy of the very greatest -respect; as he is by nature -the king of the earth, -every other creature upon -that earth is subject to his -laws and bound to do him homage; to be indifferent -to what becomes of his remains when the breath -of life no longer animates those remains, is to a -certain extent to degrade him from his dignity, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[79]</a></span> -and to reduce him to the level of the brutes. The -honours you render to those you replace upon the -earth will be rendered to you in your turn by those -who succeed you."</p> - -<div class="sidenote">BURIAL CUSTOMS IN CHINA</div> - -<p>During a long sojourn in the Philippine Islands, -which have recently been so very much before -the public in consequence of the results of the war -between America and Spain, I was surprised to -notice that the cemeteries were as a rule situated -in the most barren and uncultivated districts. -Once a year plates of rice were brought and -placed upon the graves by the relatives of those -interred in them. When I arrived in China, however, -I found the same peculiarity the fashion -there, and the last resting-places of the dead who -had once resided in Canton, Macao, and other -large Chinese towns were far away from the haunts -of the living. The reason was explained by the -sentence quoted below from the books of the great -philosopher which is translated from Father Amiot's -version.</p> - -<p>It appears that some agents of Confucius had -been sent by him to survey certain districts in the -kingdom of Lu, and on their return they reported -to him that wealthy inhabitants were in the habit -of erecting sepulchres on lands which might be -made very fertile.</p> - -<p>"That is a strange abuse," cried Confucius, "and -one which I mean to remedy. Burial-places should -not resemble gardens of pleasure and amusement, -they should be the scene of sobs and tears; it was -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[80]</a></span> -thus that they were regarded by the ancients. To -enjoy magnificent and sumptuous repasts where -everything is suggestive of luxury and joy, near -the tombs containing the bones of those to whom -we owe our lives, is a kind of insult to the dead. -These tombs must no longer be surrounded by -walls, they must no longer be encircled by trees -symmetrically -planted. When -deprived of all -these frivolous -ornaments, the -homage which -all will hasten to -pay to those who -have ceased to -live will be sincere -and pure. -If, then, we desire -to perform -funeral rites in -the spirit of their -first founders we must remain true to the traditions -of the sages of the remote past."</p> - -<div class="fig_left" style="width: 277px;"><a id="Fig_28"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig28.png" width="277" height="289" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 28.—A CHINESE CEMETERY.</div> -</div> - -<p>For the twenty-three centuries which have -elapsed since this protest was written, Chinese -sepulchres have always been placed on high ground -of a dreary, desolate aspect, with nothing to mark -them but a plain unsculptured slab of stone.</p> - -<p>Philosophers very seldom become real friends, -and the more they are thrown together the less -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[81]</a></span> -cordial become their relations. The story goes that -Confucius as a young man went to pay his respects -to Lao-Tsze, but that the latter gave his visitor very -haughtily to understand that he considered him -wanting in humility, by which he probably meant -that Confucius was too much occupied with the -things of this world, and not enough with those of -heaven. The fact is, that the younger reformer -was interested in everything that was going on -wherever he happened to be, and was ready to talk -to everybody. For all that, however, he studied -the most abstruse psychological problems, and I do -not suppose that even Lao-Tsze himself could have -made a better answer than Confucius did to the -King of Lu when he asked the difficult question -quoted below.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">THE KING OF LU</div> - -<p>It must be remembered that in the time of -Confucius, China was divided into little kingdoms, -all of which the sage, who was fond of travelling, -visited in turn. When he arrived at Lu, the king, -who was already an old man, received him at once, -and is reported to have thus addressed him:</p> - -<p>"I have been expecting you with impatience, for -I want you to explain certain things to me about -nature and man. Man, our sages tell us, is -distinguished from all other visible beings by the -intellectual faculty which renders him capable of -reasoning, and all our wise men agree in adding -that man derives this valuable faculty direct from -Heaven. Now is it not true that we derive our -whole nature from our parents, even as other beings -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[82]</a></span> -are reproduced by generation? I entreat you to -enlighten me on this point."</p> - -<p>"It is not easy," replied Confucius, "to explain -clearly to you a matter of which so little is really -known. To obey you, however, I will give you in -a few words a <i>résumé</i> of all I know on the subject, -and your own penetration will find out the rest.</p> - -<p>"A portion of the substance of the father and -the mother placed in the organ formed for its -reception is the cause of our existence and the -germ of our being. This germ would, however, -remain inert and dead without the help of the two -contrary principles of the Yang and the Yin.<a name="FNanchor_3" id="FNanchor_3"></a><a href="#Footnote_3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a>—These -two universal agents of nature, which are in all -things and everywhere, act reciprocally on it, developing -it, insensibly extending and continuing it, -and causing it to assume definite form.</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_3" id="Footnote_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor_3"><span class="label">[3]</span></a> "In the order of living beings," says M. G. Pauthier, in the section -on China of <i>L'Univers Pittoresque</i>, "the Yang and the Yin are the male -and female principles; in the order of the elements they are the luminous -and the dark principles; in the order of natural substances the strong and -the weak principles."</p></div> - -<p>"The germ has now become a living being, but -this living being is not yet promoted to the dignity -of a man; it does not become one until it is united -with that intellectual substance which Heaven -bestows on it to enable it to understand, to compare, -and to judge. So long as this being, thus animated -and endowed with intelligence, continues to combine -the two principles necessary to the development, -extension, the growth and the perfection of its -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[83]</a></span> -form, it will enjoy life; it ceases to live as soon as -these two principles cease to combine. It does -not attain to the fulness of life except by degrees, -and by means of expansion; in the same way -it is only finally destroyed by gradual decay. -Its destruction is not, however, destruction properly -so called, it is a decomposition into its original -elements; the intellectual substance returns to -the heaven whence it came; the animal breath, -or the <i>Khi</i>, becomes united with the aërial fluid, -whilst the earthly and liquid substances become -once more earth and water.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">THE NATURE OF MAN</div> - -<p>"Man, say our ancient sages, is a unique being, -in whom are united the attributes of all other beings. -He is endowed with intelligence, with the power of -attaining perfection, with liberty, and with social -qualities; he is able to discriminate, to compare, to -work for a definite aim, and to take the necessary -measures for the attainment of that aim. He may -become perfect or depraved according to the good -or evil use he makes of his liberty; he is -acquainted alike with virtue and vice, and feels that -he has duties to perform towards Heaven, himself, -and his fellow-men. If he acquit himself of these -various duties, he is virtuous and worthy of -recompense; he is culpable and merits punishment -if he neglects them. This is a very short <i>résumé</i> -of all I can tell you of the nature of man."</p> - -<p>The King of Lu, it is said, was delighted with -this reply, as how could he fail to be? Some years -later the monarch made his sage adviser prime -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[84]</a></span> -minister of his realm, and the philosopher remained -in power for three years, administering justice so -rigorously that, says one of his biographers, "if -gold or jewels were dropped on the highway they -would remain untouched until the rightful owner -appeared to claim them." The story goes that -under Confucius, Lu became so prosperous as to -arouse the jealousy of the neighbouring King of -Tse, who, with a wonderful insight into human -nature, sent not an army, but a troop of beautiful -dancing-girls to the court of the rival monarch. -The manœuvre was successful; the King of Lu -neglected the affairs of state to watch the posturing -of the sirens, and Confucius fell into disgrace. -When he proudly told his sovereign to choose -between him and the dancers, the old king promptly -replied that he preferred the latter; so Confucius -went forth with his followers to seek his fortunes -elsewhere.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">CONFUCIUS ON THE ARTS</div> - -<p>Many are the anecdotes told of the wanderings -of the sage after this tragic end to his work of -reformation in his native state. In some districts -he was gladly welcomed; in others he was often in -danger of his life. At the court of Yen, where -the king questioned him much as the monarch -of Lu had done, he held forth less on abstruse -doctrine than on education. "Young men," he is -reported to have said, "should travel and become -acquainted with many lands, so as to be able to -judge the customs of different nations, and the -peculiar characteristics of various races. I am so -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[85]</a></span> -penetrated by this truth," he added, "that I will -not fail to put it in practice whenever I get the -opportunity. I would recommend the exercises of -the gymnasium to all adolescents, and the study -of what are called the liberal arts: Music, civil -and religious ceremonial, arithmetic, fencing, and -the art (<i>sic</i>) of managing skilfully a carriage of -any kind drawn by horses or oxen." To his son, -who asked him if he ought to devote himself to -poetry, he replied: "You will never know how to -speak or write well unless you make verses."</p> - -<p>One day he met a party of hunters, and, to the -great surprise of his own followers, he asked to be -allowed to join them, explaining that the first inhabitants -of the earth lived by the chase alone, and -adding that the reason he wished to be a hunter -was to impress upon those about him once more -how great a respect he had for the traditions of -olden times.</p> - -<p>He learnt music when very young, and found in -it a rest and recreation after his arduous and varied -avocations. He became, it is said, so wonderfully -skilful in the art of music, that when he had once -heard the work of a composer, he could draw a -faithful portrait of him, bringing out alike his -physical and moral characteristics, which was -indeed going to the very root of the matter. As -for me, I do not think it is by any means necessary -to be able to perform on an instrument in order -to form a very good idea of the character of such -composers as Rossini, Berlioz, and Wagner, after -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[86]</a></span> -hearing <i>Il Barbiere di Siviglia</i>, <i>Les Troyens</i>, or -<i>Die Meistersinger</i>; but as for giving portraits of -their personal appearance, that would truly be -difficult!</p> - -<p>Confucius, who took to himself a wife at the -age of nineteen, was in favour of early marriages, -and placed the limit of age for a woman at twenty, -and for a man at thirty. He founded his arguments -on the fact that in China a boy is considered -to have become a man directly he enters -his twentieth year, and that as soon as a girl is -fifteen the management of the house is entrusted -to her during the winter, whilst in the spring, when -ploughing begins, she is sent to look after the mulberry -trees. At the respective ages of twenty and -fifteen, a boy and girl may become the head of a -family, "if," discreetly adds the sage, "the parents -give permission."</p> - -<div class="sidenote">MEANING OF THE PHŒNIX</div> - -<p>I take a real pleasure in recalling the kindly -sayings of this old-world sage, who, it must be -remembered, lived 600 years before the birth of -our Lord, a fact which ought to silence those who -are accustomed to speak flippantly of the barbarism -of past centuries. Moreover, the laws and -customs advocated by Confucius had really been -in force, in what was then called the "Middle State," -for no less than 2500 years before the Christian -era, but they had fallen into abeyance. The great -philosopher was not so much an innovator as a -restorer, for so lofty was the morality of the -ancient laws that the Chinese people never dreamt -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[87]</a></span> -of modifying them. Hence the extraordinary immobility -of the manners and customs of the -Orient, which contrasts so forcibly with the constant -eagerness in the West for meaningless novelties. -To give an account of the doctrines of Confucius is -really to revive the traditions of the remote past, -for which the Celestials have so deep a reverence. -To give but one case in point: noticing that all -mandarins have a phœnix with outspread wings -embroidered on their robes, I inquired what it -meant, and learnt to my astonishment that in the -year 500 <span class="smcap">B.C.</span> an Emperor had ordered this -design to be worn by his chief officers on their -breasts. The fabulous phœnix, the herald of good -fortune so often seen in China, had appeared to -this Emperor on his ascent to the throne; a sure -symbol in the eyes of the Chinese of a prosperous -reign, and the conservative Mandarins have kept -up the custom of wearing a representation of the -bird with outstretched wings ever since.</p> - -<p>For the benefit of those who do not rightly -reverence antiquity, I will quote a speech on the -subject of marriage, addressed by Confucius to -the King of Lu before the great philosopher was -exiled from the kingdom he had ruled over so -wisely.</p> - -<p>"Marriage," said the sage, "is the right state for -man, because it is only through marriage that he -can fulfil his destiny upon earth; there is therefore -nothing more honourable, nothing more worthy -of his serious consideration than his power of -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[88]</a></span> -fulfilling exactly all duties. Amongst these are -some shared in common by both sexes, others -which are to be performed by each sex in particular. -The man is the head, it is for him to command; -the woman is subject to him, it is for her to obey. -It is the function of both together to imitate those -operations of the heaven -and the earth which combine -in the production, the -support, and the preservation -of all things. Reciprocal -tenderness, mutual -confidence, truthfulness and -respect, should form the -foundation of their conduct; -instruction and direction on -the part of the husband, -docility and complaisance -on the part of the woman, -in everything which does -not interfere with the requirements -of justice, propriety, -and honour.</p> - -<div class="fig_left" style="width: 172px;"><a id="Fig_29"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig29.png" width="172" height="333" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 29.—A YOUNG CHINESE MARRIED LADY.</div> -</div> - -<div class="sidenote">CHINESE WIDOWS</div> - -<p>"As society is now constituted, the woman owes -all that she is to her husband. If death takes him -from her, it does not make her her own mistress. -As a daughter, she was under the authority of her -father and mother, or failing them of the brothers -older than herself; as a wife she was ruled by her -husband as long as he lived; as a widow she is -under the surveillance of her son, or if she has -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[89]</a></span> -several sons, of the eldest of them, and this son, -whilst ministering to her with all possible affection -and respect, will shield her from all the dangers -to which the weakness of her sex might expose -her. Custom does not permit second marriage to -a widow, but prescribes on the contrary that she -should seclude herself within the precincts of her -own house, and never leave it again all the rest of -her life. She is forbidden to attend to any business, -no matter what, outside her home. As a result -she ought not to understand any such business; -she will not even meddle in domestic matters -unless compelled to do so by necessity, that is to -say, whilst her children are still young. During the -day she should avoid showing herself, by refraining -from going from room to room, unless obliged to -do so. And during the night the room in which -she sleeps should always be lit up. Only by -leading a retired life such as this will she win -amongst her descendants the glory of having -fulfilled the duties of a virtuous woman."</p> - -<p>It would indeed be difficult for a widow to live -up to such an ideal as this, and that the Chinese -themselves realize the fact, is proved by their -raising monuments to the memory of those who -succeed.</p> - -<p>"I have already said," adds Confucius, "that -between fifteen and twenty is the age at which a -girl should change her state by marriage. As on -this change of state depends the happiness or -misery in which she will pass the rest of her days, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[90]</a></span> -nothing should be neglected to procure for her a -proper establishment, and the most advantageous -one permitted by circumstances. Special care -should be taken not to allow her to enter a family -which has taken part in any conspiracy against -the State, or in any open revolt, or into one whose -affairs are in disorder, or which is agitated by -internal dissensions. She should not have a -husband chosen for her who has been publicly -dishonoured by any crime bringing him under the -notice of the law; to a man suffering from any -chronic complaint, any mental eccentricity, any -bodily deformity, such as would make it difficult -to get on with him, or render him repulsive or -disagreeable, or to a man who is the eldest of a -family but has neither father nor mother. With -the exception of these five classes of men, a husband -may be chosen for her from any rank of society, -with whom it will depend on herself alone whether -she passes her life happily or not. She has but to -fulfil exactly all the duties of her new state to -enjoy the portion of bliss destined for her."</p> - -<p>It is the parents who decide who their children -shall marry, and a young Chinaman does not -know his <i>fiancée</i> until the day of his wedding. -This explains why Confucius thought it necessary -to go into all these details on the subject of suitable -husbands.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">REASONS FOR DIVORCE</div> - -<p>"A husband," he adds, "has the right to put -away his wife, but he must not use this right in an -arbitrary manner; he must have some legitimate -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[91]</a></span> -cause for enforcing it. The legitimate causes of -repudiation reduce themselves to seven: The first -when a woman cannot live in harmony with her -father- or mother-in-law; the second, if she is -unable to perpetuate the race because of her -recognized sterility; the third, if she be justly -suspected of having violated conjugal fidelity, or -if she gives any proof of unchastity; the fourth, if -she bring trouble into her home by calumnious -or indiscreet reports; the fifth, if she have; any -infirmity such as every man would naturally shrink -from; the sixth, if it is difficult to correct her of -the use of intemperate language; the seventh, if -unknown to her husband she steals anything -secretly in the house, no matter from what motive.</p> - -<p>"Although any one of these reasons is sufficient -to authorize a husband to put away his wife, there -are three circumstances which forbid him to use -his right: the first, when his wife has neither father -nor mother, and would have nowhere to go to; -the second, when she is in mourning for her father- -or mother-in-law, for three years after the death of -either of them; the third, when her husband, having -been poor when he married her, has subsequently -become rich."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[92]</a></span></p> - -<div class="fig_center" style="width: 677px;"><a id="Fig_30"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig30.png" width="677" height="435" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 30.—A MARRIAGE PROCESSION.</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[93]</a></span></p> - -<p>Truly there is much wisdom in the counsels of -Confucius on the vexed subject of marriage, but it -is impossible to help feeling that the very low view -he took of the position of women detracts greatly -from the merit of the discourse quoted above. We -are, in fact, inclined to endorse the opinion of the -missionary Gutzlaff, who, speaking of the revered -sage, remarks: "By not giving a proper rank in -society to females, by denying to them the privileges -which are their due as sisters, mothers, wives, and -daughters ... he has marred the harmony of social -life, and put a barrier against the improvement of -society. The regeneration of China will, in fact, -never take place, unless the females be raised from -the degraded state which Confucius assigned to -them."</p> - -<div class="sidenote">SUICIDE</div> - -<p>On yet another exciting topic, that of suicide, it -will perhaps be salutary to relate one anecdote -illustrating the view the reformer took of the -matter, now that so many despairing souls have -lost the aids and consolations of religious faith in -struggling with the difficulties of their life on earth; -when followers of the stoical and heroic Zeno are -becoming rarer and rarer, and so many young men -and women resort to the fumes of charcoal, or to -the waters of the nearest river, to put an end to -the woes they have not the courage to face. We -must premise, however, that there is really far more -excuse for an Asiatic to take his own life than -for a European, there being nothing unreasonable -about it according to the doctrine of Buddha, whose -disciples believe firmly in the transmigration of -souls. They do not, it is true, profess to know -whether, if they commit suicide they will become -animals, but they are firmly convinced that they -will continue to live, whereas the atheist has faith -in nothingness alone.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[94]</a></span></p> - -<div class="fig_left" style="width: 198px;"><a id="Fig_31"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig31.png" width="198" height="305" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 31.—A DESPERATE MAN.</div> -</div> - -<p>In one of his many journeys Confucius and his -disciples met a man who was trying to strangle -himself with a rope. When asked what his motives -were for wishing to commit suicide, he replied that -he had been a bad son, a bad father, and a bad -citizen. The remorse he felt for the terrible -character his self-examination revealed him to be -from all these three points -of view, had made his -life odious to him, and he -had come out to a lonely -place to put an end to it.</p> - -<p>Greatly shocked, Confucius -reproved him, addressing -him in the following -terms: "However -great the crimes you have -committed, the worst of -all of them is yielding to -despair. All the others -may be allowed, but that -is irremediable. You -have, no doubt, gone -astray from the very first steps you took upon -earth. You should have begun by being a man -of ordinary worth before attempting to distinguish -yourself You cannot attain to being an -eminent person until you have strictly fulfilled -the duty imposed by nature on every human -creature. You ought to have begun by being a -good son; to love and serve those to whom you -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[95]</a></span> -owed your being was the most essential of your -obligations; you neglected to do so, and from that -negligence have resulted all your misfortunes.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">SPEECH OF CONFUCIUS</div> - -<div class="fig_center" style="width: 306px;"><a id="Fig_32"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig32.png" width="306" height="435" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 32.—THE TOMB OF CONFUCIUS.<br /> - -(<i>Univers Pittoresque.</i>)</div> -</div> - -<p>"Do not, however, suppose that all is lost; take -courage again, and try to become convinced of a -truth which all past centuries have proved to be -incontestable. This is the truth I refer to; treasure -it up in your mind, and never lose hold of it: <i>As long -as a man has life, there is no reason to despair of him;</i> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[96]</a></span> -he may pass suddenly from the greatest trouble -to the greatest joy, from the greatest misfortune to -the greatest felicity. Take courage once more, -return home, and strive to turn to account every -instant, as if you began to-day for the first time to -realize the value of life."</p> - -<p>Then turning to the younger of his disciples, -Confucius said to them: "What you have heard -from the lips of this man is an excellent lesson for -you—reflect seriously upon it, every one of you."</p> - -<p>After this remonstrance it is said that thirteen -of the followers of the sage left him to return home -and perform their filial duties. The Celestials, in -fact, all agree in saying that filial piety was alike -the groundwork of the Confucian philosophy and -the foundation of Chinese society. In spite of -much that is strange to European ideas, might -we not well follow many of the precepts of the -enlightened pre-Christian teacher?</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[97]</a></span></p> - - - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V"></a>CHAPTER V</h2> - - -<p class="smaller">My voyage to Macao—General appearance of the port—Gambling -propensities of the Chinese—Compulsory emigration—Cruel -treatment of coolies on board ship—Disaster -on the Paracelses reefs—The <i>Baracouns</i>—The grotto of -Camoens—The <i>Lusiads</i>—Contrast between Chinese and -Japanese—Origin of the yellow races: their appearance and -language—Relation of the dwellers in the Arctic regions to -the people of China—Russian and Dutch intercourse with -the Celestials—East India Company's monopoly of trade—Disputes -on the opium question—Expiration of charter—Death -of Lord Napier of a broken heart—Lin-Tseh-Hsu as -Governor of the Kwang provinces—The result of his measures -to suppress trade in opium—Treaty of Nanking—War of -1856-1858—Treaty of Tien-tsin and Convention of Pekin—Immense -increase in exports and imports resulting from -them.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">I had</span> confided to M. Vaucher, that most amiable -of cicerones whom I had been fortunate enough to -meet at Canton, my great wish to go to Macao -and make a pilgrimage to the grotto where it is -said Camoens, the great Portuguese poet, wrote a -portion of his most important work, the <i>Lusiads</i>. -M. Vaucher at once made arrangements for me to -go to the celebrated Portuguese settlement by river -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[98]</a></span> -and sea, and placed one of his own decked boats -at my disposal. He even went so far as to choose -a crew for me, and to arm that crew with six rifles. -Before I started he warned me to keep in my -cabin so as not to arouse the cupidity of the -banditti, who abound on the river, by appearing -on deck.</p> - -<p>"If," he said to me, "my men point out to you -a suspicious-looking craft, be on your guard against -it. You may easily," he added, "recognize pirate -boats for yourself, for this reason, they always -prowl about in groups of three, so that each may -help the others in case of bad weather or any -difficulty; a clever arrangement greatly facilitating -their evil designs, for the crews are rapidly -transformed from harmless fishermen to fierce -pirates should occasion serve for doing a stroke of -business."</p> - -<p>In spite of these ominous warnings, however, my -voyage passed over without incident, and I arrived -safely at the port of Macao, situated on the southern -extremity of a small peninsula of the island of -Hiang-shang and separated from the Chinese -province of Canton merely by a wall, which is in -as ruinous a condition as is the more celebrated -Great Wall of Tartary. As we approached Macao -a beautiful scene was spread out before us, wooded -hills dotted with charming villas, in which the -wealthy English of Hong-Kong spend much of the -summer, and groups of picturesque rocks rising -from the curving shores of the lovely bay with its -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[99]</a></span> -stretch of gleaming white sand, to which the Portuguese, -to whom Macao was ceded by the Chinese, -have given the appropriate name of the <i>Porto de -Praya grande</i>.</p> - -<p>Here swarms the teeming amphibious fishing -population of Macao, and from this perfect bow -with its picturesque surroundings were shipped, -alas! for all too many years, thousands of coolies -for the labour market of Havana and Peru, who -were many of them embarked under terribly tragic -circumstances.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">EMIGRATION AGENTS</div> - -<p>A true Celestial is in fact a born gambler, and -indulges his instincts to such an extent that when -he has lost fortune, wife, and daughters he finally -stakes himself! This fact is well known to the -emigration agents not only of Macao, but of the -other Chinese ports, where numbers were formerly -enrolled for service in Peru, Chili, the Philippine -Islands, and various places in Oceania with very -little, if any, volition on their own part. Emigration -agents used to lie in wait for Chinese loungers, -and accost those who looked fairly robust politely, -take them to the flower-boats and other public -resorts where opium was smoked, and if their luckless -victims still had any money left, their insinuating -tempters would entice them into some low -gambling hell, where, after a few throws of the -dice, the ruin of the simple, confiding fellows was -complete. Then when the unfortunate Celestials -had emptied their purses, and their brains were -muddled with opium or from the effects of -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[100]</a></span> -debauchery, their dim eyes were dazzled by the -offer of a few piastres, and in exchange for a -trifling sum they signed away their liberty. When -they came to their senses they found they had -bound themselves to leave their country.</p> - -<p>The agents were careful when they got the poor -fellows' signatures not to let out how far from -China were the sugar-cane plantations of the -Antilles or the guano isles of Peru. Their victims -had only learnt one fact thoroughly, and that was -that their country is the centre of the universe, -the foreign nations surrounding it being looked -upon as its tributaries. If the emigrants asked -where they were going, they were told to some -place very near the port of embarkation. This -wicked deception was really the cause of the -terrible massacres of coolies to which many captains -of emigrant vessels were driven to save their ships -and crews. When after a few days' voyage a -vessel had to touch at some port for any reason, -and the poor coolies packed away below the hatchways -saw above the barriers or through the portholes, -the bright verdure of an island of Oceania, -or the distant blue mountains of the American -continent, they at once jumped to the conclusion -that their journey was at an end, and were wild to -leave the vessel, no matter at what cost. Some -even in mid-ocean, out of sight of land, became so -heart-broken from home-sickness that they quietly -packed up the few things belonging to them and -jumped into the sea with them. Now and then -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[101]</a></span> -a few of these would-be suicides were fished out -again by order of the captain, and would calmly -explain their action by some such speech as this: -"We want to go back to our own country." -Truly those who believe in metempsychosis cherish -wonderful delusions!</p> - -<p>On one occasion in the roadstead of Manila a -swarm of coolies who thought they had arrived -at Havana mutinied because the captain would -not allow them to land. The crew of the vessel -drove them back between decks at the point of the -sword, and they all perished from suffocation in a -few hours for want of air.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">A TERRIBLE CATASTROPHE</div> - -<p>Mutiny on their part was not, however, the only -reason which sometimes led to the sacrifice of a -whole cargo of Asiatics. It was all too often a -case of might makes right, and when some convulsion -of the elements rendered it imperative to -lighten a vessel, many a captain easily persuaded -himself that he had no choice but to save his crew -by the sacrifice of his human freight. This was -the cause of the awful catastrophe off the Paracelses -reefs in the China Sea, which have as sinister a -reputation as the Goodwin Sands of the English -coast, or the Baie des Trépassés of that of Brittany. -An unskilful captain had run his vessel on to the -far-famed reefs during the night, and seeing that -it was hopeless to attempt to save the five hundred -coolies he was to have taken to Peru, he called his -crew together and told them to lower all the boats -as quietly as possible. This was done, and the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[102]</a></span> -captain saved himself and his sailors, leaving the five -hundred Celestials to their fate. The unfortunate -coolies, roused from their sleep by the bumping of -the vessel against the rocks, uttered piercing screams -for help from the narrow space in which they were -confined, but we need scarcely add that the cautious -captain had most likely had the hatchways securely -nailed down by his carpenter before he left the ship.</p> - -<p>When there is not much sea on, the Paracelses -reefs can be clearly seen, certain flat portions -emerging here and there for a few inches above -the surface of the water. If there were never such -a thing as a storm, and no danger of the islets -being swept by the waves, it would be possible to -live on them and even to support life by feeding on -the turtles and shell-fish abounding there; so that -if the poor abandoned coolies had been able to -get out of their prison, who can tell but what they -might have saved themselves by clinging to the -rocks till help arrived? As it was, however, not -a single emigrant was ever seen again. On the -arrival safe and sound at Hong-Kong of the captain -and his crew, the English authorities at once sent -the fleetest steamer in the port to the scene of the -shipwreck, but those on that steamer saw nothing -of the lost vessel, which must have been quickly -dashed to pieces. The Paracelses reefs were completely -under water, masses of surging foam hiding -all trace of them, so that had any of the coolies -landed it would only have been to be swept quickly -away to the open sea by the force of the current.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[103]</a></span></p> - -<p>Perhaps the saddest part of the tragedy was that -the fate of so many human creatures who had -disappeared for ever in the depths of that blind and -reckless destroyer, the Ocean, should have raised -so little regret, either amongst the white-skinned -traders in human flesh or the yellow-faced Celestials -of Macao and Hong-Kong. Maybe the latter -themselves realize that they really are too prolific, -and are not sorry when their numbers are lessened, -no matter by what means.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">THE BARACOUNS</div> - -<p>When I was at Macao, I saw some of the so-called -<i>baracouns</i>, where the emigrants used to be -shut up whilst awaiting their embarcation. These -<i>baracouns</i> are the disused vaults of old convents, -damp cellars of vast extent, which were closed -with strong bars when in use as pens for human -cattle. I am thankful to say these barracks are -empty now, and are no longer hot-beds of disease, -for the European powers have interfered to put a -stop to the infamous traffic. It is a great gratification -to me to know, on the authority of the -Quai d'Orsay officials, that an indignant article on -the subject, which I contributed to the <i>Revue des -Deux Mondes</i>, had something to do with this most -desirable step.</p> - -<p>Emigration still goes on, on a very large scale, -but it is conducted in a less barbarous manner. -No Chinese can now be made to embark against -his will, and his signature to a contract no longer -compels him to leave his native land if he has any -means of support. As time goes on, it is to be -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[104]</a></span> -hoped that something like true liberty will really -be the heritage of the Chinese people, and already, -where European ideas are gaining ground, there are -glimmerings of the dawn of a better state of things.</p> - -<p>In China, as elsewhere, the glory of the Portuguese -colonies is departed, and the settlement at Macao -is no exception to the rule. For many years the -name of that port was synonymous with decay and -degradation. The native population was more -debased; the foreign traders were more grasping, -more greedy of gain, and more reckless of the means -employed to secure it than anywhere else, and one -tri-colour flag, floating above a hospital for invalid -sailors, was the only note of true civilization to -redeem a deplorable state of things. The Sisters -of Charity, who had come all the way from France -to soothe the sufferings of European mariners in a -strange land, taught the people of Macao that -there was another love than that of the piastre, -another intoxication than that produced by the -fumes of opium: the love of helping others, the -intoxication of zeal for humanity. The much-abused -and hated Macao is now the seat of a -bishop and the head-quarters of French missionary -effort in China, whilst the export trade has passed -from the hands of the Portuguese into that of the -British, a truly beneficent change for all concerned.</p> - -<p>My visit to the horrible <i>baracouns</i> made me -quite miserable, so vividly did they bring before me -all the horrors of the but recently-changed system -of compulsory emigration. I did my best to forget -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[105]</a></span> -them; and on the eve of my departure from Macao -I went to see the grotto associated with the name -of Camoens. It will be remembered that the poet -was banished to Macao in 1556 on account of his -quarrel with the authorities at Goa, whither he had -been sent after the fracas in the streets of Lisbon, -in which he wounded a royal equerry. He seems -on the whole to have enjoyed his exile, for he -obtained a post with a large salary, and in two -years made quite a fortune. This so-called grotto -is not really a cave now, whatever it may originally -have been, but is a picturesque little building -perched on a site commanding a beautiful view of the -bay and its shipping. Truly a fitting scene to inspire -the rhapsody in which Camoens celebrated the glory -of his fellow-countryman, Vasco da Gama, and bemoaned -the sad fate of the beautiful Iñez de -Castro, who, the story goes, after being for some ten -years the mistress of the Infante of Portugal, Dom -Pedro, was secretly married to him in 1354, and -murdered by order of her father-in-law in 1355. -When the bereaved husband came to the throne -he put two of the murderers of his bride to death -by torture; and, according to Camoens, had the -dead body of Iñez exhumed, dressed in royal robes, -and placed upon the throne she would have -occupied had she lived, to receive homage from -the court.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">THE LUSIADS</div> - -<p>In the <i>Lusiads</i>, which has been called the "Epos -of Commerce," and is to the Portuguese what -Chaucer's <i>Canterbury Tales</i> is to the English, a -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[106]</a></span> -vivid picture is given of the grandeur of the poet's -native country in the fifteenth century, when it was -the rival of Spain, and a leader in the colonization -of distant lands. Perhaps one of the finest passages -of this remarkable poem, or series of poems, is that -in which its author invokes the mighty spirit of the -storm, Adamastor, the fierce guardian of the Cape -of Good Hope, over whom Vasco da Gama and -Magellan, also of Portuguese birth, both triumphed. -Now that time has proved how fatal to the real -welfare of both Spain and Portugal was the wealth -of India and of Mexico, one cannot help feeling -that the poet may perhaps have had something -of a prophetic intuition of the future decadence -of the peninsular kingdoms, when he placed a -giant in the pathway of the Conquistadores, to -bar the way against them.</p> - -<p>It has only been for the last forty years that -either China or Japan can be said to have been open -to Europeans. The history of the latter nation is -a proof of what an active, brave, and intelligent -people may achieve in the course of a few years; -whilst that of the former illustrates all that may -remain undone where the natives of a country are -convinced that they have for forty centuries had an -ideal government, the best possible religion, and -that the products of their industries are quite incapable -of improvement.</p> - -<p>In passing judgment on the Chinese it must, -however, be borne in mind that their country is, by -its natural boundaries, so completely isolated from -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[107]</a></span> -the rest of the world as to justify to some extent -their intense reluctance to open relations with the -Red Devils of the West, as they call all Europeans, -whether fair or dark, though it was evidently the -bright auburn hair and rosy complexions of so -many of the English visitors to China which -originated the name. The giving of this title is the -only vengeance the poor yellow skins have been -able to take on those who invaded their capital, -pillaged their palaces and burnt their arsenals and -vessels, not to speak of the importation of the -pernicious drug, opium, which is responsible for the -death of thousands every year.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">THE BOUNDARIES OF CHINA</div> - -<p>Independently of the Great Wall which once, -though not very successfully, defended China from -the incursions of the Mongols and Manchus, the -Celestial Empire is bounded on the north by -the great Gobi desert and the grass steppes of -Southern Mongolia; on the east by the sea of -China, the Eastern and the Yellow Seas; whilst on -the west rise many a lofty chain of mountains, -their summits almost always crowned with snow. -These latter have not yet been all fully explored, -though the name of many a hero of discovery is -connected with them, including that of Prince -Henry of Orleans, Margary and Marcel Monnier -of quite recent fame.</p> - -<p>In the vast circle enclosed within these boundaries -of desert, mountain, and sea, nearly every -kind of vegetation can be successfully cultivated in -one district or another, whilst a considerable variety -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[108]</a></span> -of types of the great human family is met with, -including members belonging to the same groups -as the people who have poured into Corea, Japan, -Formosa, the Philippine Islands, Indo-China, Siam, -Kulja, and even a country so far away as Persia.</p> - -<p>As is well known, anthropologists are divided -into two absolutely distinct camps: the Polygenists, -who claim that differences of species -evidenced by differences in height, in features, and -in complexion, are the result of the springing of the -human race from different progenitors; and the -Monogenists, who believe in one primæval pair of -parents only, and look upon all differences between -human creatures as caused by accidental conditions -modifying the primitive type. The latter assert -that it was within the boundaries mentioned above, -on the central plateau of the present Celestial -Empire, that the first men appeared, and as they -multiplied, became diversified into yellow, black, -white, and red, remaining in their primitive home -until, like a cup filled too full, they overflowed in -every direction to people other lands.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">THE MONGOLIANS</div> - -<p>It is not for me to decide the vexed question of -whether the polygenists or monogenists are in -the right; those curious on the subject may refer -to the learned and deeply interesting works of -Quatrefages, Haeckel, Darwin, Huxley, Wallace -and others, who have brought their critical acumen -to bear on the subject of the origin and antiquity -of man. I merely wish to emphasize here the fact -that all agree in believing China to have been -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[109]</a></span> -occupied at an extremely remote date, and in -admitting that, however the changes may have -come about, the human family is now undoubtedly -divided into five distinct groups: the brown, the -black, the red, the white, and the yellow. To the -last belong the Mongolians, with whom alone we -have now to do, and which numbers, whatever its -peculiarities, more representatives than any other -at the present day.</p> - -<p>The skin of this prolific race is always yellow, -sometimes pale, and sometimes of a brownish tinge. -The stiff straight hair of the Mongol is as black -as ebony, and the skull is of the so-called bracycephalic -type, that is to say, short as compared to -its breadth, whilst that of the Chinese and Tartars -is mesaticephalic, or of medium length and breadth.</p> - -<p>The face is round, the eyes are mere narrow -slits, often decidedly oblique, the nose is large, the -cheek-bones are very prominent, and the lips are -thick.</p> - -<p>At first sight it would appear that the Mongolian -dialects all spring from one primitive speech, but -examination of evidence proves that this is not the -case, for they really belong to two very ancient -branches of human speech: the monosyllabic -language of the Indo-Chinese races, and the polysyllabic -of the other Mongolians. The Tibetans, -Burmans, Siamese, and Chinese dialects are all -monosyllabic, whilst those in use by the Coreans, -Japanese, Tartars, Kirghizes, Kalmucks, Buriats, -Samoyedes, and Finns are polysyllabic.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[110]</a></span></p> - -<p>All the inhabitants of the continent of Asia, with -the exception of a few tribes of the extreme north, -certain groups of Malays and Dravidians in India, -with some of the dwellers in the Mediterranean -districts of the south-west, belong to the so-called -<i>Homo mongolicus</i>, or Mongolian branch of the -great human family, whilst in Europe it claims the -Finns and Lapps of the north, the Osmanlis of -Turkey, and the Magyars of Hungary. <i>Homo -articus</i>, or the Polar group, is considered by the -best authorities to have originally formed part of -the Mongolian branch, including the Esquimaux, -the Greenlanders, the Kamtchatkans, etc., all of -whom, however, as pointed out by Haeckel, the -great German naturalist, have in the course of -centuries become so modified by the conditions of -life in the Arctic regions, that they may now be -looked upon as forming a separate species.</p> - -<p>The inhabitants of the extreme north are short -and squat, their skulls are of the mesaticephalic, -or even in some cases of the dolichocephalic type, -that is to say, they are long in proportion to their -breadth; their eyes are narrow and oblique, as are -those of the Mongols; they have high cheek-bones -and large mouths. Their hair is coarse and black, -and their skin of a more or less clear brown colour, -sometimes approaching to white, and sometimes to -yellow, as amongst the Mongols, whilst now and -then it is reddish, as is that of the native -Americans. The dialects spoken by these remote -tribes differ as much from those of other Mongols -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[111]</a></span> -as they do from the American forms of speech, and -the probability is that these inhabitants of the -Arctic regions are really a degenerate branch of -the Mongol race, whose progenitors passed over -into the north of America from the north-east of -Asia.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">CHINESE ISOLATION</div> - -<p>In spite of the fact that emigrants did occasionally -drift across the formidable northern and western -boundaries of the vast Celestial Empire, the one -leading idea for many centuries, alike of rulers and -ruled, was to keep their land sacred from intruders, -and discourage all intercourse with other nations, -whom the Chinese were trained from infancy to -look upon as utter barbarians. There is no more -thrilling or more interesting story in literature -than that of how this cherished isolation was in -the end broken in upon and the delusion finally -dispelled, that Europe was but a small, sparsely -populated district, whose inhabitants were eager to -trade with the yellow men because of the poverty -of their own land.</p> - -<p>The Russians and the Dutch, as well as the -Portuguese, were eager in the seventeenth and -eighteenth centuries to trade with China, and plant -permanent colonies within its boundaries, but self-interest -alone prompted their efforts, and they did -nothing to open the eyes of the natives to the true -character of western civilization. The French, -however, to their honour be it spoken, were the -pioneers of missionary effort, and as has been well -pointed out by Archibald Colquhoun in his <i>China in -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[112]</a></span> -Transformation</i>, page 43, "the earlier knowledge -of the West acquired by China, and that of China -acquired by the West, were mainly achieved by -French missionaries; no French Government ever -sent a mission to Pekin to seek merely advantages -of trade," and it was not until 1869 that a different -policy was inaugurated. Far different was it with -the English who obtained a footing in China, for -from the very first their one aim was to trade upon -the ignorance of the natives, and to make the largest -possible fortunes. British trade with China began -later than that of the other great Western powers, -but it rapidly grew to far greater importance than -that of Russia or Portugal, chiefly because it was -mainly carried on by that great and powerful commercial -body, the East India Company, on whom -rests the responsibility of the first introduction to the -Celestial Empire of opium, now consumed in such -immense quantities and cultivated in China itself, -but which was totally unknown there before the -eighteenth century. For over two centuries the -East India Company enjoyed a monopoly of trade, -and in their eagerness for gain its members swallowed -many an affront to their own and their -country's dignity, for their relations to the Chinese -Government resembled those of humble suppliants -to the "Son of Heaven."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[113]</a></span></p> - -<div class="sidenote">THE EAST INDIA COMPANY</div> - -<p>There is something deeply pathetic in the -gradual realization by that "Son of Heaven" that -the sons of earth from over the sea were really more -powerful than himself, and that he was the one to -be defeated in any real conflict with them. How -touching, for instance, was the edict issued in 1800, -the first year of the century, so fatal to China as a -nation, prohibiting the importation of opium, an -edict utterly powerless to check the evil, which was -spreading like a fatal blight throughout the length -and breadth of the doomed land. The traffic went -on unchecked, and between 1821 and 1831 the -amount landed at the various ports increased from -4628 chests to 23,670. In 1832 the monopoly of -the Company came to an end, and the heads of the -factories were succeeded by a representative of the -Sovereign of Great Britain, whom the Chinese -authorities hoped to coerce more easily than they -could the many-headed hydra the Company had -seemed to be. "On the one side," says Professor -Legge, "was a resistless force determined to prosecute -its enterprise for the enlargement of its -trade, and the conduct of it as with an equal nation; -on the other side, was the old Empire seeming to -be unconscious of its weakness, determined not to -acknowledge the claim of equality, and confident of -its power to suppress the import of opium." For -a brief space it seemed as if the latter would gain -the day, for England made the fatal mistake of -associating with her first representative, Lord -Napier, two men who had been in the hated East -India Company. The policy pursued was weak -and vacillating; Lord Napier was disowned by his -Government, and after suffering much indignity at -the hands of the Chinese, died at Macao of a broken -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[114]</a></span> -heart. He was succeeded by Sir J. F. Davis, during -whose term of office the relations between the two -countries became more and more strained, until in -1839 the Chinese Government made its last final -effort to oust out alike the foreigners and the abuses -they had introduced, which were to it as an ever-present -canker eating into the life of the nation. -The able politician, Lin-Tseh-Hsu, was appointed -Governor-General of the Kwang provinces with -orders to bring the foreign devils to reason.</p> - -<p>It so happened when the new ruler, who was "a -thoroughly orthodox Chinaman," arrived at Canton, -there were British ships in port with some twenty -thousand chests of opium on board. Lin at once -ordered these to be given up for destruction, and as -no notice was taken of his demand, he commanded -all the Chinese in the service of the foreigners to -leave them at once. They dared not disobey, and -when they were gone a cordon of troops was -posted round the British quarters, and a manifesto -was issued to the effect that unless the opium was -surrendered all the merchants would be slain. -Captain Eliot, who was Secretary to Sir J. F. Davis, -seeing no hope of rescue, gave up the opium, which -was flung with quantities of quick-lime, salt and -water into deep trenches at Chunhow, near the -mouth of the river, "where it quickly became -decomposed, and the mixture ran into the sea."</p> - -<p>This and other high-handed measures of the -energetic Governor of Kwang led to the war which -resulted in the ceding of Hong-Kong to the English -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[115]</a></span> -and the opening to British trade of Canton, Amoy, -Fuchan, Ningpo, and Shanghai. The spell was in -fact finally broken, Chinese isolation was at an -end for ever, and the first chapter was written of -the history of modern China. China is a land -doomed to partition amongst the hated "foreign -devils," who are eager to divide the spoil, and are -preparing to intersect the once sacred interior of -the flowery land with the relentless iron roads, -before the advance of which all privacy and -seclusion disappear.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">THE PEKIN CONVENTION</div> - -<p>The Treaty of Nanking, signed in 1842, was -succeeded after another war, which began in 1856 -and ended in 1858, by the Treaty of Tien-tsin, -making yet further concessions to England; but -it was not until after the Anglo-French Expedition -had crossed the Pei-Ho river, and encamped beneath -the very walls of the capital itself, that the -Chinese realized how futile was further resistance. -The Convention of Pekin, signed in 1860, ratified -the Treaty of Tien-tsin, and formed the foundation -of the present relations between China and Great -Britain. The Emperor, Hsien-Fung, died the next -year, and his last hours must indeed have been -embittered by the knowledge that the flood-gates -were opened, and that he could only leave the -semblance of power to his successor, an infant of -five years old. Nothing could now check the -introduction of European civilization, which in the -eyes of the Chinese was synonymous with all that -was most detrimental to their true interests. -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[116]</a></span> -Fortunately, however, the advantages were not -really so entirely on the side of the foreigners as -is generally supposed; for the people will in the end, -it is hoped, lead better and nobler lives than before. -Missionaries of many nationalities are doing their -best against terrible odds to introduce the religion -of the Redeemer, and even in material matters -some good has resulted to the much-oppressed -natives. Numerous steamers have long plied unmolested -to and fro between the chief European -ports and Shanghai, and a system of custom-house -control has been established in that important -town of Central China, greatly to the advantage -of native trade. The taxes imposed on foreign -goods are now one of the most important sources -of the revenues of the Empire, and the driving -away of the "foreign devils" would mean an -incalculable loss to the Chinese themselves. The -total value of the exports from Shanghai alone is -more than £22,715,000, of which some £8,746,000 -represents native produce from the immediate -neighbourhood of the port, whilst the imports, -including Chinese goods from other districts, reaches -a considerably higher figure.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">HOPE FOR THE FUTURE</div> - -<p>All this means prosperity -to the millions, who before the throwing -open of the inland provinces to foreign commerce, -lived from hand to mouth, and were ground -down by the ceaseless exactions of the native -officials. This truth is not unfortunately even -now really understood by the populace, for political -knowledge filters very slowly from the palace to -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[117]</a></span> -the hovels of China; but we may yet hope to see -the day when really cordial relations will be -established between the white and yellow races. -The defeat of China by Japan, with the huge indemnity -exacted by the latter, was of course a -terrible blow to commerce; but already there are -signs of recovery, for the wealth and numbers of -the people of the vast Empire are really alike -inexhaustible.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[118]</a></span></p> - - - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI"></a>CHAPTER VI</h2> - - -<p class="smaller">French aspirations in Tonkin—Margary receives his -instructions—Work already done on the Yang-tse—Margary -is insulted at Paï-Chou—He awaits instructions in vain -at Lo-Shan—The Tung-Ting lake—A Chinese caravanserai—The -explorer leaves the river to proceed by land—He -meets a starving missionary—Kwei-Chou and the -French bishop there—A terrible road—Arrival at the capital -of Yunnan—Armed escort from Bhâmo—Meeting between -Margary and Colonel Browne—Threatening attitude of -natives—Margary crosses the frontier alone—Colonel -Browne's camp surrounded—Murder of Margary outside -Manwyne—Importance of Yunnan and Szechuan to -Europeans.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Whether</span>, as has been asserted by more than -one French writer, it was the French operations -in Tonkin which so roused the jealousy of the -British as to determine them at all risks to render -those operations futile in the opening of a direct -route from Yunnan to Burma, or whether they -were merely pursuing their usual astute policy of -making exploration precede the flag, there is no -doubt that the tragic fate of the young explorer, -Margary, whose adventurous journey deserves relation -here, was fruitful in most important political -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[119]</a></span> -results alike to England and to France. The -French, who looked upon Tonkin as their own -special key to China, had meant to make the -Song-coi, or Red River, which is its chief artery, -the outlet of the wealth of Yunnan; the English -succeeded in making the Yang-tse that outlet by -the concessions they wrung from the Chinese as -part of the indemnity for the murder of their -explorer.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">MARGARY'S INSTRUCTIONS</div> - -<p>It was in 1874 that Augustus Raimond Margary, -an <i>attaché</i> of the British Embassy at Pekin, -received instructions from Sir Thomas Wade, then -Minister Plenipotentiary to China, to go to Bhâmo, -and there meet Colonel Browne, who was about -to start on an expedition across Western China, -with a view to open the overland route between -Burma and the Celestial Empire. Margary, who -knew the natives well, and had on many occasions -given proof of his tact in dealing with them, was -to act as interpreter and guide to the English -party.</p> - -<p>Already the Yang-tse, the great river at the mouth -of which Shanghai is situated, had been opened -to foreign trade as far as Hankow, that is to say, -for 600 miles, but the difficulties of communication -with the interior were still immense, so bad were -the roads, and so ignorant the people of the -districts those roads traversed. What was really -needed in the interests of British trade was a -continuous route partly by water and partly by -land from the port to Burma, and Margary was -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[120]</a></span> -to test the practicability of such a route, although -the brutality of the natives to foreigners was well -known, and much of the district he had to traverse -had never before been visited by a European. Even -now, as those who have read Marcel Monnier's -account of his adventures in Yunnan in the pages -of the French journal <i>Le Temps</i> know full well, -there is anything but a cordial feeling for foreigners -in Yunnan, and a quarter of a century ago the -traveller who ventured far from Hankow must -have carried his life in his hand.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">MARGARY IN DANGER</div> - -<p>Nothing daunted, however, by all he knew of -the perils before him, the gallant young explorer -left Shanghai in a little American steamer on -August 24th, accompanied only by one English -servant and a Chinese secretary. Arrived at Hankow, -which, now that it is to be connected with -Pekin, Russian Siberia, and Tonkin by rail, has a -great future before it as a commercial centre, the -little party left the steamer and hired boats from -a native banker for the further voyage. They -started again on September 4th, and on the 6th -cast anchor off Paï-Chou, a picturesque town rising -from amongst magnificent trees. This town turned -out to be extremely well built, and prosperous, and -to be surrounded by well-cultivated plantations, -yielding quantities of valuable produce. Margary -and his secretary wandered about for some time, -noting everything, and at first the natives were -very civil; but when the visitors approached the -quay, to which the junks of the inhabitants were -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[121]</a></span> -moored, the crowd became insulting, and followed -the travellers to their vessel, hooting them and -dancing round them with menacing gestures. They -escaped without injury, however, and pushed on -to Lu-Chi-Ku, where they saw a big war-junk, -with no less than twenty-one guns. On September -11th they reached Lo-Shan, where a halt -was made to await a reply to a telegram sent by -Margary to Sir Thomas Wade. No answer came, -however, and a whole week was wasted, during -which Margary nearly lost his life in a fracas with -the natives. The heat was intense, and but for the -shade of the fine mulberry trees on the banks of -the river, would have been almost insupportable. -In spite of it the Englishman spent most of his -time shooting the plentiful game, consisting chiefly -of partridges and pheasants. One day he had left -his gun behind him, to go and call on a mandarin, -who held an official post at Lo-Shan. As he was -being carried in a sedan-chair by native porters, he -suddenly met a gang of conscripts bound for -Formosa, who surrounded him, shouting, "Ha! -Ha! here is a foreign devil—let us do for the -foreign devil!" How the "foreign devil" wished -he had had his stout club in his hand, he would -quickly have dispersed the cowardly mob; but -seeing he was absolutely defenceless, the soldiers -seized the ends of the bamboo rods supporting the -chair, and began shaking its occupant about in a -most unpleasant manner. With a quiet smile on -his lips, but hatred in his heart, Margary was -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[122]</a></span> -meditating a blow with his clenched fist in the face -of the ringleader, when his servant relieved the -tension of the situation by striking one of the -assailants in the chest with all his force. The -result was magical and immediate, the brave -soldiers all ran away, and the "foreign devil" -arrived safely at the house of the mandarin. -Fortunately that official -proved friendly, and gave -his visitor the escort of -two lictors for his return -on board. Back again -in his own boat, the -explorer harangued the crowd, which still lingered -on the bank, in these words: "Why did you treat -me so roughly? Is this your politeness to strangers? -I had heard that the Chinese were distinguished -amongst other nations for their courtesy. Is this -how you show it? Shall I go and tell my fellow-countrymen -how you treat me?" This speech, in -their own language, greatly astonished the audience, -who received it in silence, and quietly withdrew, -apparently quite ashamed of themselves, the older -amongst them trying to lay the blame on the -younger.</p> - -<div class="fig_center" style="width: 441px;"><a id="Fig_33"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig33.png" width="441" height="279" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 33.—CHINESE PEASANT CRUSHING RICE.</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[123]</a></span></p> - -<div class="sidenote">THE TUNG-TING LAKE</div> - -<p>On September 20th Margary gave up all hope -of hearing from Sir Thomas Wade, and resumed -his voyage, feeling rather out of heart, no doubt, -at the silence of his chief Helped by a strong -wind from the north-east, he succeeded the same -day in leaving the muddy Yang-tse, and entering -the beautiful Tung-Ting lake, of a lovely blue -colour, from which the Great River draws its chief -volume. At the entrance to this lovely sheet of -water is the island of Chün-Shan, celebrated -throughout the Celestial Empire for its tea, considered -the best in China, a portion of which is set -apart for the use of the Son of Heaven, or the -Emperor, and for the chief dignitaries of the province -in which it is grown. The lake, lovely as it -is in appearance, is of little depth, and except for -the clouds of venomous insects which hover over it, -inflicting torture on those who venture to navigate -it, there is but little life about it. A few towns -of no particular importance rise from its banks, -but Margary did not land at any of them. The -natives of the shores of the lake say that the flies -which haunt the surface of the water are the -winged guardians, appointed by the Spirit of the -Lake, to keep away intruders.</p> - -<p>On the 22nd the explorer entered the river -Yuen, a stream of transparent waters, and halted -for a brief time opposite the town of Nih-sin-Tang, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[124]</a></span> -where, to his relief, the winged and barbed sentinels -of the lake melted away as rapidly as they had -appeared.</p> - -<div class="fig_center" style="width: 294px;"><a id="Fig_34"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig34.png" width="294" height="291" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 34.—A CHINESE FERRYMAN.</div> -</div> - -<p>The banks of the Yuen are extremely picturesque: -instead of the sewers and rugged paths which -generally disfigure the banks of the water-courses -of China, the riverine districts consist of well-cultivated -land, -cotton plantations -alternating -with beautiful -meadows bordered -by venerable -willows. The -farms, too, are -clean and well -kept; men, women -and children -seem to lead -happy, prosperous -lives, and -Margary was -everywhere kindly received. At sunrise, on the -28th, the expedition arrived opposite Tao-Yuen-Hsien, -a large, prosperous, but unwalled town. -This was the first important place without fortifications -which Margary had visited. The -inhabitants seemed very independent, and their -chief industry was the making of pottery; every -house, of whatever size, was decorated inside and -out with tasty vases, serving as pots for the dwarf -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[125]</a></span> -orange trees and other stunted plants in which the -Chinese take so great a delight.</p> - -<p>Beyond Tao-Yuen-Hsien the river narrows, and -flows between rocky gorges, beyond which low -conical hills, covered with sombre pines, rise one -above the other, none of them more than about -200 feet high, the effect of which is, nevertheless, -extremely fine. From the description given of the -scenery by Margary, it must greatly resemble that -of Civet in the Ardennes, immortalized by George -Sand in her poetical romance, <i>Malgré tout</i>.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">AN OLD FRIEND</div> - -<p>The province of Hunan, so rich in geological -interest, and in which such terrible convulsions -must have taken place in the remote past, was now -entered, and the important town of Yuping-Hsien -was soon reached, where the drooping spirits of -Margary were cheered by finding the chief magistrate -to be an old friend of his, who had formerly -been interpreter in the English legation at Pekin. -The native official received his former colleague -with a salute from three guns, and, better still, -wished him to spend a few days with him at his -own residence. Margary gladly accepted the hospitality -offered, donned his dress-uniform, and was -carried in state to the Yamin or house of the -magistrate, where a great crowd was assembled to -witness the arrival of the foreigner.</p> - -<p>Refreshed by his rest, the English explorer soon -started again, and on October 27th reached the -important town of Chen-Yuan-Fu, at the entrance -to which is a very fine bridge of six arches, which -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[126]</a></span> -would be considered a work of art even in Europe. -Round about the city rise rocky heights, which give -it a very picturesque appearance. Margary landed -near the bridge, for he would now have to travel -by land, and accompanied by his own servant and -four men who had been told off to protect him, he -made his way to a house where he hoped to be -able to spend the night. It was not exactly a -hotel, but a stopping-place where travellers could -hire sedan-chairs, coolies, and horses; in fact, all -that was needed for the further prosecution of his -journey. As there are generally several such -establishments in every important place, the -Chinese proprietors always send agents down to -the landing-stages to secure the custom of travellers -just as do their brethren in Europe.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">A RAGING MULTITUDE</div> - -<p>Now the messenger who had got Margary to promise to -patronize his master's house, had disappeared as -soon as he had transacted the business in hand, -leaving the English traveller and his men in the -lurch. It was only with the greatest difficulty that -the little party made their way to the caravanserai -chosen, through the crowds assembled to stare at -them. Arrived there, they found a clean, comfortable-looking -shelter, but no one to receive them. -The next thing to do was to get the baggage of -the expedition under shelter, but to this the crowd -outside objected so very vigorously that Margary -was obliged to give up the attempt. He determined, -however, to seek the aid and protection of -the Hsien, or first magistrate of the town, and to -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[127]</a></span> -force his way to him in spite of all opposition. He -had the door of the caravanserai opened, and faced -the raging multitude outside with head erect and -an air of such determined resolution, that the easily -daunted Chinese recoiled before him, and withdrawing -as he advanced, allowed him to reach the -Yamin unhurt. There he found the chief magistrate, -who must have heard all the noise, for the -caravanserai was only some two hundred paces off, -quietly awaiting events without moving a finger to -control them.</p> - -<div class="fig_center" style="width: 298px;"><a id="Fig_35"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig35.png" width="298" height="355" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 35.—A MANDARIN'S HOUSE.</div> -</div> - -<p>Margary could not persuade the official to let -him remain for a night's rest in the town, but he -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[128]</a></span> -did succeed in securing four sturdy coolies as -porters, by whom he was carried from. Chen-Yuan, -where he had been so grossly insulted, to Kwei-Yang, -capital of the province of Kwei-Chou, -receiving a kind welcome everywhere <i>en route</i>.</p> - -<p>Three days before his arrival at Yunnan, capital -of the province of the same name, as the English -explorer was taking his lunch <i>al fresco</i>, he was, to -his great surprise and delight, accosted by a Frenchman, -an unfortunate missionary, who was bound -for the same place, and was nearly wild with joy -at finding another European in this remote -district. An eager conversation began in Chinese, -but as Margary could speak French, the native -language was soon exchanged for it. Margary -tells how the two sat down to the same "table," and -were to share their meal, but the missionary was -so badly off for provisions that, in the end, the -Englishman gave him half his beefsteak, with all -the bread he had. Then he had an omelette made -for his guest, and gave him a glass of spirits. From -the eagerness with which the food was consumed it -was evident that the poor fellow had been almost -starving. The meal over, Margary told his new -friend of the way in which he had been insulted -at Chen-Yuan, and the Frenchman replied that -most likely the magistrate had taken the explorer -for a Jesuit father, or a Lazarist, that is to say, -a follower of Saint Vincent de Paul. However it -may be in the future, the people of Central China -had in Margary's time no toleration for Roman -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[129]</a></span> -Catholic missionaries, and there was little chance -of their doing anything to promote civilization -amongst the natives. Had the magistrate looked -at the Englishman's passport when the latter first -landed he would have been very differently treated. -It will be traders, not preachers of the gospel, who -will be the first to introduce European ideas. Even -manufacturers and engineers who elsewhere often -achieve so much success have little chance in -China, for the people are as content with their own -systems of mechanical production and their clumsy -primitive modes of working their salt and mineral -mines as they are with their religion.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">A FRENCH BISHOP</div> - -<p>At Hwei-Chow, a picturesque walled city of -great importance, Margary met an old French -bishop and two of his priests who had adopted the -costume of the Chinese, and spoke their language -even better than their own. The bishop, in fact, -had been so long expatriated that he had forgotten -his own tongue, and spoke that of his adopted -country with his visitor. In fact, instead of converting -the natives he had become almost a native -himself, a sad fate for a once ardent missionary. -He lived in a Yamin and used a green arm-chair, -a privilege accorded generally to officials of Chinese -birth only. He was even called Ta-jin, or a great -man, a title reserved, as a rule, for mandarins of the -first class. Though this assumption of native titles -cannot but have been displeasing to the literati and -officials, the fact that the bishop was left unmolested -is a singular instance of tolerance; for what would -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[130]</a></span> -be thought in Europe of a Chinaman who should -venture to adopt the uniform of a general or the -robes of a cardinal? Would not steps be taken at -once to despoil him of his borrowed plumes?</p> - -<p>It was now three months since Margary had left -Shanghai, and forty-nine days more would be -required before he could reach Bhâmo on the -Irrawadi, where he hoped to meet Colonel Browne, -with whom he was to make the return journey, if -the Chinese authorities would give the necessary -permission. There seemed no reason to suppose -that it would be refused, for nothing could have -been more cordial than the reception of the young -Englishman in the capital of Yunnan.</p> - -<p>The road from Yunnan-Fow to Tali-Fow was -really little more than a goat-track, and Margary -gives an amusing account of his own sufferings -and those of two mandarins who made the journey -with him, as he was jolted along amongst the -crowds of carts, mules, and donkeys which blocked -the way, all alike laden with bags of salt. The -Englishmen and the literati had many a laugh together -over their misfortunes, and the way he made -friends with pretty well every one he met speaks -volumes for the tact of the explorer, who deserved -a better fate than that which eventually befell him.</p> - -<p>It was now December, and the cold was intense, -but it was impossible to procure winter clothing, -and the travellers had to make the best of what -they happened to have with them. As Chen-nan -was four days' journey from Tali-Fow, the mandarins -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[131]</a></span> -did all they could to dissuade Margary from -going further, assuring him that the people of the -last-named town were very hostile to foreigners; -but the Englishman, anxious to ascertain the truth -about native feeling for Europeans from actual -observation, was not to be deterred. On the 16th -December he boldly entered the city of inhospitable -reputation, and wrote in his journal: <i>Veni, vidi, -vici!</i> He was unmolested, and weary though he -was, he remained but one night to rest, pushing -on the next day for the Burmese frontier. He -reached Manwyne, the scene soon afterwards of -his assassination, on January 11th, and there found -an escort of forty soldiers from Burma sent to him -by Colonel Browne to protect him from attack by -the tribes of the frontier districts through which he -had now to pass. It is very probable that the -sudden appearance of all these armed men was -really the cause of Margary's death. Alone, the -gallant young explorer would have conciliated the -friendship of the natives as he had so often done -before, but surrounded by his guard he naturally -became an object of suspicion.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">MARGARY REACHES BHÂMO</div> - -<p>Margary did, however, succeed in reaching Bhâmo, -and suspecting no danger, he and Colonel Browne -started on the return journey early in February, -reaching on the 18th of that month the last post in -Burma, just beyond the Chinese frontier. There -the travellers learnt that the pass into Yunnan was -blocked by an armed band of Kakhyens, whose -opposition to the re-entry into China of the white -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[132]</a></span> -men, if not exactly instigated was certainly connived -at by the authorities of the frontier town of -Seray, and also by those of Manwyne. Colonel -Browne and Margary consulted together as to what -was best to be done, and the latter, who had just -crossed Yunnan so successfully, assured his companion -that they need fear nothing; he had only -recently been kindly received at both the towns -mentioned above, and he proposed with his usual -enterprising spirit that he should go on alone to -test the accuracy of the various rumours afloat, -promising to send back a messenger with news as -soon as possible.</p> - -<p>It was indeed unfortunate that the Colonel -should have agreed to this rash suggestion, and -allowed his unfortunate young colleague to go to -his death. Little dreaming of the approaching -tragedy, however, the two sat over their last meal -together till far into the night, discussing the -probable results of their expedition, regardless of -the noise made by the beating of gongs and playing -of cymbals to be heard from the pass, and of the -fact that they could actually see the Kakhyens -spying upon them from the lofty trees overlooking -their camp.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">MURDER OF MARGARY</div> - -<p>At sunrise on the 19th Margary crossed the -frontier, accompanied by his faithful secretary, the -servants who had been with him since he left -Shanghai, and a few Burmese muleteers. The next -day Colonel Browne received a letter from him -announcing his safe arrival at Seray, adding that -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[133]</a></span> -he had been well received there, and was now on -his way to Manwyne. The rest of the expedition -followed in his footsteps, arriving at Seray on the -21st. No further news was received from Margary, -but Colonel Browne was alarmed by rumours that -he and his people were to be attacked, and by the -fact that the chief mandarin of the place was arming -his retainers. On the morning of the 22nd the -storm burst, the Colonel's camp was surrounded by -armed men, and at the same time letters were -received from some Burmans residing at Manwyne -telling of the cowardly assassination of Margary -in that town.</p> - -<p>But for the courage and steadfastness of his -Burmese escort, especially of fifteen sepoys who -formed a kind of body-guard. Colonel Browne -would have shared the fate of his young fellow-countryman, -but after a fierce struggle he succeeded -in re-crossing the frontier with no worse casualties -than three men wounded.</p> - -<p>From Bhâmo every possible effort was made to -ascertain the truth about the murder of Margary, -but full details were never obtained. The most -apparently trustworthy account was that given by -a Burmese, who said he had seen the victim at -Manwyne several times on the 21st, once alone and -later walking with several Chinese. According to -this witness, the young Englishman had been -invited to ride out to see a spring of warm water, -and that just as he issued from the town he was -suddenly dispatched with their spears.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[134]</a></span></p> - -<p>Thus apparently ended the attempt to open the -land route between Burma and China, but as a -matter of fact the death of Margary eventually -did more for the interests of his country than the -peaceful conclusion of Colonel Browne's expedition -could ever have accomplished. The English know -how to turn to account every incident, however -tragic, however seemingly adverse to their own -interests, and the indemnity wrung from the -reluctant Chinese for the murder of the young -Englishman included the opening of another 400 -miles of the great river above Hankow, an immense -step in advance towards the realization of the -long-cherished British ambition; the connection of -the Upper Yang-tze with Burma, so justly called -England's land-gate to China. It is, in fact, in the -provinces of Szechuan and Yunnan that the -question of which European power is to have the -supremacy in Central China will be finally fought -out, and therefore every concession won in connection -with them is alike of immense commercial and -political significance.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[135]</a></span></p> - - - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII"></a>CHAPTER VII</h2> - - -<p class="smaller">Sir Thomas Wade demands his passports—Retires to man-of-war -off Tien-tsin—Interviews with Li-Hung-Chang—Convention -of Che-Foo—Description of Ichang on the Yang-tse—The -Manchester of Western China—Pak-hoï and its -harbour—A magnificent pagoda—Ceremony of opening the -port to foreign trade—New Year's <i>féte</i> at Pak-hoï—The -game of Morra—Description of Wenchau—Temples and -pagodas turned into inns—Wahn and its native officials—Dislike -of mandarins, etc., to missionaries—Beautiful surroundings -of the town—An eclipse of the moon expected—The -eclipse does not keep time—Excitement of the people—The -dragon attacks the moon at last—Threatening -message from the Emperor to the astronomers—Two astronomers -beheaded in <span class="smcap">B.C.</span> 2155—Reasons for importance -attached to eclipses in China.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">No</span> good purpose would be served by relating in -detail all the negotiations which took place after -the death of Margary, between Sir Thomas Wade -and the Government of Pekin, on the subject of the -reparation to be made for the murder. It will be -enough to say that after twenty months of shilly-shallying -on the part of the Chinese and dogged -perseverance on that of the British Envoy, the latter -demanded his passports, shut up his legation with -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[136]</a></span> -considerable <i>éclat</i>, and retired on board a man-of-war -in the port of Tien-tsin, whence he issued -a dignified threat of the imminent declaration of -war between England and China if his demands -were not complied with. This brought the Chinese -Government to reason, for the Emperor and his -advisers felt it would be better to yield everything -than to see a victorious English army march a -second time into Pekin. Sir Thomas Wade was -therefore invited to meet the now celebrated Li-Hung-Chang, -who became later so well-known in -London and in Paris, at Che-Foo, a treaty port -on the northern side of the province of Shantung, -and there was signed the famous convention, of -which on account of its great importance a <i>résumé</i> -of the principal clauses is given here:</p> - -<div class="sidenote">THE CHE-FOO CONVENTION</div> - -<p>A large money indemnity, £60,000, was to be -paid to the English Ambassador, to be distributed -amongst the families of Europeans who should be -in want or have lost their bread-winners in Yunnan. -An Imperial edict would be sent to the Viceroy of -Yunnan, who should discuss with some English -official, a commercial treaty between Burma and -the Chinese frontier province, where Margary met -his fate. England was to have the right of appointing -a representative at Tali-Fow, and he was to be -seconded in his researches by the Chinese authorities; -the country was to be opened to commerce; to -avoid misunderstandings it would be for the Tsung-li-Yamen, -or ministers of foreign affairs, to invite the -various European legations to draw up and submit -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[137]</a></span> -to them a code of etiquette by which alike the -Chinese and foreign signatories to the agreement -should be bound. China should send consuls and -ambassadors to foreign countries; when a Chinese -accused of a crime against a European is tried by -the Chinese authorities, the European authorities -shall have a right to be present in the court, but they -must not interfere; it is to be the same if the guilty -person is a European who is tried by Englishmen. -If, however, the representative of one of the two -powers is not satisfied with the verdict given, he -will have the right to protest. The penalty inflicted -on the condemned will be that prescribed by -the law of the country to which the judge belongs; -the <i>likin</i>, or inland tax, imposed on foreign goods -in transit, is no longer to be exacted in the -concessions belonging to Europeans; China will -permit Ichang in the province of Hupe, Wu-hu in -Anhui, Wenchow in Che-kiang, and Pak-hoï in -Canton to be opened to European trade; consuls -shall also be allowed to reside in each of these towns. -Acting in a spirit of conciliation China will allow -foreign steamers to take passengers and merchandise -to the following ports on the Yang-tse: Ta-Tung, -Anking, Hukow, Wusuch, Ling-hi-Kow, and -Sha-Shi. Furthermore, if foreign expeditions wish -to go by way of the Kan-su and Kokconor route -or by the way of Szechuan to Thibet and thence -to India, the Tsung-li-Yamen will give the necessary -passports to those expeditions, and instructions -will also be sent to the Chinese officials of Thibet -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[138]</a></span> -in order that the explorers may travel in all -security.</p> - -<div class="fig_center" style="width: 326px;"><a id="Fig_36"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig36.png" width="326" height="346" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 36.—PORTRAIT OF HIS EXCELLENCY<br />LI-HUNG-CHANG.</div> -</div> - -<p>This convention, which if fully acted on would -have completely revolutionized the position of -Europeans in China, was signed on the 13th -September, 1876, but though more than twenty-two -years have passed since then, much of it still -remains a dead letter. Now, however, there are -many signs of the inauguration of a very different -state of things; Chinese procrastinations and -delays can no longer avert the final opening up -of the whole country to European commerce and -colonization, the only question being which of the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[139]</a></span> -European powers will secure the largest share of -the undeveloped wealth of the inland provinces.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">ICHANG</div> - -<p>It will be interesting before going further to -inquire what is the present position of one or two -of the ports mentioned in the <i>résumé</i> just given -of the Treaty of 1876. We will begin with Ichang, -recent events having brought it into considerable -prominence. Beautifully situated on the banks of -the Yang-tse, one thousand miles from its mouth, -just at the entrance to the grand ravines of its -middle course, great things were hoped of Ichang -by the few Europeans who, emboldened by the -delusive promises of the Chinese Government, took -up their residence there in the early eighties. In -1883, we are told by Archibald Little, the intrepid -English explorer, who last year took a specially-constructed -steamer up to Chung-Ting, 500 miles -beyond Ichang, "the foreign community in the -latter town comprised a commissioner of customs -with three assistants; one Scotch Presbyterian -minister and his wife, and two Roman Catholic -missionaries; whilst in 1898 the foreigners had -increased to twelve Europeans employed in the -Imperial customs, and thirty missionaries. The -trade," he adds, "is a busy retail one, but there are -no large banks or wealthy wholesale merchants -such as there are at Sha-Shi, eighty miles lower -down the river, which has been called the 'Manchester -of Western China.' The opening to navigation -of the Upper Yang-tse will doubtless ere -long change all that, and the English owe a debt -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[140]</a></span> -of gratitude to the pioneers who have broken -through the long-sustained opposition of the junk-ring -to the use of steamers. Ichang will, it is -hoped, ere long become what its position marks it -out to be—a centre of foreign trade for the long-closed -border districts of Western China."</p> - -<div class="sidenote">PAK-HOÃ</div> - -<p>Pak-hoï, another of the Treaty ports of the 1876 -Convention, presents a very marked contrast to -Ichang. It is a town of some 10,000 inhabitants -in the province of Canton, on the northern shore -of Tonking, and is likely, now that the concession -for the railway between it and Nanking has been -secured by the French Government, to be of great -importance as a port of export. Unfortunately, -however, it has not a good harbour, and as at -Hankow, large vessels are compelled to anchor in -the offing on account of the lowness of the water -further inshore. The chief imports to Pak-hoï are -cotton and woollen goods, opium and rice, whilst -the exports are sugar, ground-nut oil, aniseed, -betel-vine leaves, and other spices. Lovers of -sport will find plenty of woodcock, partridges, -wild-ducks, and other water-fowl in the neighbourhood -of Pak-hoï. Opposite to the town, in the -south of the bay, is a very celebrated pagoda, one -of the most remarkable in China. From its centre -grows a magnificent plane-tree, in which nest -thousands of sparrows. The branches have forced -their way through the windows of the building, -and the masses of dark green foliage, contrasting -as they do with the stonework, produce a most -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[141]</a></span> -charming and picturesque effect. The bay on -which Pak-hoï is situated is dotted with islands, -and in them many French missionaries have taken -up their abode, adopting the costumes and many -of the customs of the natives, including the wearing -of the pig-tail. One of these devoted soldiers of -the Cross had been an exile from his native land -for nineteen years.</p> - -<div class="fig_center" style="width: 389px;"><a id="Fig_37"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig37.png" width="389" height="242" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 37.—ICHANG.</div> -</div> - -<p>Pak-hoï was opened to trade with considerable -ceremony in the presence of the English Consul -and several mandarins of high standing. The -foreign flags were saluted by the Chinese with a -volley from two guns, and the director of the new -Custom House let off a number of crackers amongst -the assembled crowds with a view to warning off -evil spirits, who, in the opinion of the Celestials, -are afraid of them. In spite of the expenditure -of gunpowder, the receipts of the Pak-hoï Customs -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[142]</a></span> -officers have so far remained insignificant, though -there is every probability of a considerable increase -in the near future.</p> - -<p>It so happened that when I visited the town the -<i>féte</i> of the New Year was being celebrated, which -prevented my giving as much attention as I might -otherwise have done to the statistics of trade. The -year begins in China fifteen days after the rising -of the February moon, and at this <i>féte</i> the Celestials, -who are generally so devoted to business, throw -aside all occupation and give themselves completely -up to amusement. There is no Sabbath -or weekly day of rest in this land of the yellow -races, which perhaps accounts for the intense zest -with which they enjoy the annual fortnight of -repose.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">NEW YEAR'S PRESENTS</div> - -<p>On the eve of the holiday the Chinese merchant -puts his business affairs into scrupulous order, -balancing his accounts as he sits at his desk, bending -over his numerous little ledgers, or his calculator -made of tiny balls of ivory, his big spectacles upon -his nose, and a pencil or a reed pen in his hand. -His work done, he locks up his books and hastens -off to don his very best clothes; then holding fast -the indispensable fan, he runs off to the theatres -and the flower-boats, treats his friends and becomes -intoxicated as they do with opium, or with champagne, -to the deafening accompaniment of the -beating of gongs, or the explosion of thousands of -crackers. Or if he is fonder of play than of drinking, -he goes to some sordid gambling-den and -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[143]</a></span> -there in a few hours dissipates the results of a whole -year of toil. As in France at the beginning of -a new year many presents are exchanged by the -Celestials, and a well-brought-up Chinaman sends -to each of his friends a little square piece of red -paper on which, side by side with the name of the -donor, is inscribed some wise precept of Confucius. -To the women with whom he is on visiting terms -he will present small lacquer articles, microscopic -shrubs, or quaint representations of fish with red -scales and golden fins. If he is anxious to secure -the patronage of some merchant or trader, he will -send him beautiful fruit, such as Mandarin oranges, -dainty hams, or sugar-candy, according to what he -knows to be the recipient's special weakness.</p> - -<div class="fig_center" style="width: 459px;"><a id="Fig_38"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig38.png" width="459" height="302" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 38.—A CHINESE DYER AT WORK.</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[144]</a></span></p> - -<div class="fig_left" style="width: 235px;"><a id="Fig_39"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig39.png" width="235" height="509" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 39.—A CHINESE VISITING CARD.</div> -</div> - -<p>At the <i>féte</i> of the New Year the wives of the -mandarins and other officials exchange visits in -their ornate palanquins, dressed up in their finest -silk dresses, generally -either yellow or blue, -and with their faces -laden with rouge. -Endless is the talk -these decked-out -dames have together, -as they sip their tea -from tiny little cups, -and nibble sweets, or -munch up immense -quantities of dried -and strongly-salted -slices of water-melon. -At these feminine reunions, -too, there is a -good deal of singing, -and the voices are -pitched so high that -a stranger passing by -a house where a concert -was going on -would think a lot of -amorous cats were -yelling on the roof.</p> - -<p>None of the lower classes will do any work -on a general holiday, and the coolies, palanquin-bearers, -and boatmen, who have not much money -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[145]</a></span> -to risk, content themselves with playing at the -popular and almost cosmopolitan game of morra -at the street-corners, shouting and laughing over it -with wonderful animation, forty Celestials making -more noise than would five hundred Europeans. -Sometimes the game ends in a quarrel, but even -when he is insulted a Chinaman never fights; his -mode of working off his spleen is quite unlike that -of the corresponding class in the West.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">WENCHOW</div> - -<p>Wenchow is an important town on the coast of -the fertile and beautifully-wooded province of -Che-kiang, and is about equidistant from Fuchau -and Tsing-Ho. It is the port of embarkation for -great quantities of tea, and considerable trade is -done in it in bamboo, wood, and timber. It is a -bright, clean-looking town, as well kept as any in -the Flowery Land, as Chinese authors love to call -their country, and the streets are said by travellers -to be wider than those of any other city of the -Celestial Empire. There are, moreover, such an -immense number of temples, that inns being scarce, -Europeans often lodge in the sacred buildings, the -natives offering no objection; but it must be -added that in many parts of China, pagodas are -turned to account as caravanserais in which any -one is allowed to sleep and to cook food. In -spite of all the stories told of the bigotry of the -Chinese, and of the awful penalties exacted for -sacrilege, there is really no doubt that taken as -a whole the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire -are really less intolerant than those of Europe, a -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[146]</a></span> -fact which should not be forgotten in passing -judgment upon them. The port of Wenchow has -increased rapidly in prosperity since the Convention -of 1876 threw it open to European trade, -and many foreign vessels are always in the harbour, -discharging their cargoes of various stuffs, or taking -Chinese merchandise on board.</p> - -<p>Wu-hu, fifty miles from Nanking, is on the Yang-tse, -and so far has not profited very much by its -new privileges, though it now seems likely to become -a centre of the rice-exporting trade of the -surrounding districts. The story goes that the -first Englishman to settle in Wu-hu wrote to a -fellow-countryman at Shanghai soon after his -arrival, to say he had drunk so much champagne -with the Chinese governor that he was quite unable -to describe his new quarters. He had arrived -in a snow-storm, a happy augury according to the -natives, but far from a pleasant one to a European. -Wu-hu is the residence of a civil magistrate, and -of a <i>tao-tai</i>, whose duties are very much those of -a Prefect in French towns. There are also a -colonel, who has two regiments of soldiers under -him, and two naval officers in the Imperial service. -One of the latter is in command of the fleet -stationed at the mouth of the Yang-tse, the other -looks after the gun-boats which act as the river -police. The town is well built, the chief street is -a league long, well paved and bordered by beautiful -houses, some two storeys high, and all decorated -with red or black lacquer signs on which stand -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[147]</a></span> -out the names in golden letters of the merchants -owning them. When this fine street is lit up by -the oblique rays of the setting sun the effect is -as dazzling as at Canton itself. The climate is -healthy, the people are friendly to foreigners, so -that many causes combine to make Wu-hu a pleasant -place of residence for Europeans. It must, -however, be added that the mandarins and government -officials are alike hostile to missionaries.</p> - -<p>On every side of the town, except of course on -that of the river, stretch vast plantations of rice -and corn-fields. A raised causeway crosses these -beautiful and well-kept districts, along which I -went with a fellow-countryman, a French naval -officer, to be present at a noisy demonstration by -the natives in honour of an eclipse of the moon. -On this occasion, however, the satellite of our -earth so much beloved by poets played the -astronomers of Pekin a very scurvy trick.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">A FICKLE SATELLITE</div> - -<p>The learned members of the Kin-Tien-Kien, or -Imperial astronomers, had with all due solemnity -announced to the Emperor of China, the Son of -Heaven, as well as to all the provincial governors, -that on the 7th February at eight o'clock in the -evening precisely, the dragon who wanders to and -fro in the regions of the air, <i>quærens quem devoret</i>, -will endeavour to swallow the moon. The eclipse -was to be almost total, so the astronomers had -warned the people that the attack of the monster -would be terrible, and that the pale satellite of the -earth would very likely succumb if the shouts and -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[148]</a></span> -the noise of the gongs did not put the dragon to -flight.</p> - -<p>Long before the appointed time on the day -when the tragedy was expected to come off, -millions of Chinese issued from all the towns of -the vast Empire to flock out into the open country, -there, nose in air, to watch the wonderful phenomenon -about, as they supposed, to take place. -Those amongst them who had been unable to -get gongs, had provided themselves with saucepans, -rattles, pieces of the hollow stems of the bamboo, -and immense quantities of little red crackers. But, -oh, what a disappointment! Oh, what a fraud! -At eight o'clock the gazing multitudes saw the -moon rise above the horizon in all the untarnished -glory of her full disc, without the slightest sign of -any alteration in her usual appearance. At nine -o'clock she was shining placidly down upon the -watchers, her radiance totally unimpaired. Was -the whole thing a mystification, a fabrication of -the astronomers? But just as all hope was being -regretfully abandoned, a tremendous noise began -on every side, for the watchers saw a change -coming over the face of the planet, which was -assuming a reddish hue like that of blood, whilst -a hideous black spot was slowly advancing across -it. The dragon was beginning his attack.</p> - -<p>It is absolutely impossible to describe the rage -with which the Chinese then began to beat their -gongs and saucepans, whirl their rattles, and let -off their crackers. The dragon was evidently -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[149]</a></span> -frightened away by the row, for after an hour of -looking up at the full moon, and seeing nothing -more of the black spot, the crowds, jubilant over -their action, began to disperse, whilst the planet -triumphantly continued her course through space.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">HI AND HO BEHEADED</div> - -<p>I learnt later that the Emperor sent a message -to his astronomers telling them that next time -they made such a mistake in their calculations he -would relieve them of their appointments and send -them into exile. In the reign of Tchung Kang, -2155 years before the Christian era, his astronomers -named Hi and Ho were beheaded for not having -foreseen an eclipse of the sun. Father Gaubil, in -his interesting <i>History of Chinese Astronomy</i>, explains -the reasons of this very severe punishment -as follows:</p> - -<p>"In China an eclipse of the sun or of the moon -is considered of evil augury for the Emperor, -intended to warn him to examine himself and -correct his faults.... Hence an eclipse is always -looked upon as an affair of state in the Celestial -Empire, and the greatest care is taken to calculate -the time when one will take place, as well as to -observe it whilst it is going on with the ceremonies -prescribed on such occasions. Now this time Hi -and Ho had failed altogether to announce the -approaching event, and when the orb of day was -suddenly obscured, the mandarins, not expecting an -eclipse, hastened to the palace in alarmed dismay. -The confusion which ensued of course terrified the -people, who had also been left in ignorance of the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[150]</a></span> -approaching phenomenon. The whole course of -the proper proceedings on these occasions is presented -in the ancient book of rites. Directly the -light of the sun begins to grow dim, the chief musician -strikes a drum, and the mandarins are all expected -to hurry at once to the palace armed with bows -and arrows, as if to aid the Emperor, who is supposed -to be the image of the sun. All the officials, -moreover, have to offer their sovereign pieces of -silk. Meanwhile the Emperor and the chief dignitaries -of the court don their simplest garments and -fast. As the astronomers did not give the usual -notice, all these ceremonies, generally so religiously -observed, were neglected, and, although Hi and -Ho were princes as well as men of science, they -had to pay the penalty of their neglect. They -were not at court at the time, but at their country -seats, where, said Rumour, they were conspiring -against their sovereign. They were arrested, and -without any trial the Emperor ordered their heads -to be cut off. Thus dramatically ended an episode -thoroughly characteristic of the Celestial Empire, -where the Son of Heaven has ever been ready to -order those who annoy him on earth to be decapitated, -inquiring into their conduct only when -the proving of their innocence can do them no -good."</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[151]</a></span></p> - - - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII"></a>CHAPTER VIII</h2> - - -<p class="smaller">I land at Shanghai—The Celestial who had never heard -of Napoleon—Total value of exports and imports to and -from Shanghai—What those exports and imports are—The -devotion of the Chinese to their native land—The true -yellow danger of the future—I am invited to a Chinese -dinner at Shanghai—My yellow guests—The ladies find me -amusing—Their small feet and difficulty in walking—A -wealthy mandarin explains why the feet are mutilated—Sale -of girls in China—Position of women discussed—A mandarin -accepts a Bible—Our host takes us to a flower-boat—Description -of boat—My first attempt at opium-smoking—A -Celestial in an opium dream.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">When</span> I landed on the vast estuary from which -rises up the important town of Shanghai, I really -could hardly believe I was but forty days' voyage -from Marseilles. Our world is no such big one -after all, it is true, but how many centuries it has -taken to learn much about it! "Did you ever hear -of Napoleon?" I one day asked a Celestial, who -had a shining glass button on his cap. "Don't -know whom you mean," he answered, with a -bewildered look, and there is not much doubt that -if he had asked me about some great Chinese -Emperor, I should have been just as puzzled as -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[152]</a></span> -he was. All this will, however, ere long be -changed, what with steam and electricity, especially -with electricity, which puts a girdle round the -earth in a very few minutes, fleet messenger that -it is of peace, of war, of ruin, and of fortune. -When the various races of the earth know each -other better, we shall perhaps become more tolerant -of each other, more interdependent, so to speak, -and that cannot fail to be an advantage for all -concerned. When a blow struck in the East is -enough to shake the West to its foundations, we -shall think twice before we give that blow. The -more frequent the intercourse between the various -races of the earth, the nearer we shall be, in spite -of many a bitter disappointment, to that era of -universal peace to which every nation has aspired -in vain for so many centuries.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">EXPORTS AND IMPORTS</div> - -<p>Such were some of my reflections when I found -myself for the first time in the midst of the busy -scenes on the quays of Shanghai, surrounded by -countless bales of silk and cases of tea waiting for -embarkation for the West from whence I came. -Shanghai, as is well known, is the port of entry -of that great water highway of Western China, -the Yang-tse, but it is more than that, it is the -commercial capital of the Celestial Empire, for, as -stated by Colquhoun in his <i>China in Transformation</i>, -fifty-five per cent, of the total value of the -foreign imports at all the treaty ports, and forty-eight -per cent, of the exports to foreign countries -pass through the port of Shanghai. "Four years -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[153]</a></span> -ago the value of the trade, native and foreign, of -this great emporium of the East was estimated at -no less than £35,772,006, and it has increased -rather than decreased since then. Several steamers -have plied daily since 1860 between Shanghai and -Hankow, and some three thousand vessels, one-half -of which are British, enter the port every year. -Silk and tea are the chief exports, after which -come cotton, rice, sugar, paper, tobacco, various -drugs used as medicines, cloth of native manufacture, -wool, hemp, flower-seeds, fans, and other -fancy articles." The chief imports from abroad are -cotton goods, alcohol, opium, which is fortunately -rapidly declining in amount, various metals, and -woollen stuffs. In 1896, France, whose trade with -China takes third rank amongst that of European -nations, England coming first and then Germany, -exported goods to the value of one hundred and -eighty-four millions of francs, on which she paid -one million five hundred thousand francs duty. To -set against this, French imports to China, including -woven materials, lace, wine, copper, and other -goods, amounted to the value of twenty-eight -millions only; that is to say, one hundred and -fifty-six millions less than the exports. What an -immense difference does this sum represent between -what China gave and what she received, and what a -price the Chinese paid for the privilege of dealing -with the West! To this day the Celestials, whose -ports have been opened against their will by the -cannon of the British, aided by those of the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[154]</a></span> -French, give what they must give to foreigners -grudgingly; to use an expressive saying, there is -no love lost between them and those they trade -with. They would like to take all and give nothing -in return. Those who are unfortunate enough to -die abroad will not allow their dust to aid in -fructifying the soil of the land of their exile, for -their bodies are brought by steamers from San -Francisco, Peru, the Philippine Islands, Australia, -and elsewhere, to be buried in their native land, -in the same last resting-place as that of their -ancestors, where their memory will be held sacred -by their own descendants. There is indeed something -very pathetic and touching in the intense -devotion of the Chinese to their native land, in -spite of their ignorant readiness to leave it. They -will make any sacrifice to ensure burial at home, -for they believe that there alone can the dead find -true repose.</p> - -<p>When I was at Shanghai, I noted with some -surprise what immense quantities of bales of -cotton were landed at the port. An Englishman -with whom I had some conversation told me these -bales came from the East Indies, and that the -amount imported was continually on the increase. -The Chinese aspire, he added, to manufacturing -cotton goods themselves, and if they should -succeed in overcoming their aversion to European -methods of production, the trade in stuffs will -receive a severe blow. It is, however, greatly in -favour of British manufacturing interests that -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[155]</a></span> -Western China is not suitable to the cultivation -of the raw material, so that the cotton for making -much of the clothing of the natives has all to be -brought from abroad. "Every traveller in the -Upper Yang-tse," says Little in his <i>Through the -Yang-tse Gorges</i>, "is struck by the endless procession -of cotton-laden junks struggling up the -successive rapids."</p> - -<div class="sidenote">YELLOW PERIL FOR THE FUTURE</div> - -<p>A more significant sign of the times and of the -emancipation of many of the Chinese from the -trammels of tradition, even than the desire to -produce their clothes at home, is the willingness -of traders and merchants to settle in foreign towns. -Not so very long ago the only Chinese met with -in Europe or America were the coolies who had -emigrated on the conditions described in a previous -chapter. Now in London, in Paris, and in New -York are extensive depôts of tea, silk, and other -exports from the Celestial Empire kept by Chinese -men of wealth, with a staff of their own yellow -countrymen. This fact represents the true yellow -peril for European and American merchants, for -these merchants sell better goods at lower prices -than their foreign rivals, and the employers of -labour will presently have to contend in their own -persons with a competition as keen and as unequal -as that hampering their workmen. The fact that -the Chinese will work for very much lower wages -than those on which any white man can support life, -has long been a problem for those responsible for -municipal government in the States, but it is only -lately that the monied classes have been, so to -speak, threatened with a similar danger in their -own strongholds of trade and commerce. If restrictions -are not soon imposed upon the entry -into Paris and other great cities of Europe of these -formidable rivals, we may yet in our own life-time -see the yellow-skins driven through the streets -before the bayonet and the revolver in our capitals, -in much the same fashion as they already have -been in California and Australia. But when all is -said and done, have not Asiatics just as much -right to rejoice in the sunshine, such as it is, of the -West as Europeans have to bask in that of the East? -Is not the life of a Tartar, a Mongol, or a Mandarin -really as sacred as that of a native of France or of -England? It all depends on the point of view.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[156]</a></span></p> - -<div class="fig_center" style="width: 642px;"><a id="Fig_40"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig40.png" width="642" height="443" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 40.—A CHINESE RESTAURANT. AFTER THE REPAST.</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[157]</a></span></p> - -<div class="sidenote">AN INVITATION TO DINNER</div> - -<p>A wealthy American, who had been longer at -Shanghai than any other foreigner, invited me to -dine with him at a celebrated Chinese restaurant, -and there I enjoyed the rare privilege of meeting -several natives of high rank. They came accompanied -by their favourite concubines, their -legal wives being left at home; and the ladies -were carried in their palanquins right into the -centre of the dining-room, where they got out. -Dressed in fresh and elegant costumes of light blue -silk, and with their abundant black hair decked -with natural flowers, they really looked very -pretty. Their complexions, though far too much -rouged, were delicate; and where the natural hue -had been left unchanged, almost white. Sitting -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[158]</a></span> -at table with them, I regretted very much that I -could not say a word they would understand, for -they spoke neither French nor English, and I do -not understand Chinese. My host had, however, -warned me to be very careful not to be too polite -to them even in dumb-show, for if their lords felt -the very smallest spark of jealousy I should most -likely see all the fair creatures take flight like a -flock of frightened turtle-doves. Their palanquins -were waiting outside at the door of the restaurant, -ready for every contingency. The Celestials invited -had only consented to come to this dinner -when they were assured that I should be leaving -Shanghai in a few days. Throughout the meal -the women talked very little amongst themselves, -but I saw a smile of amusement on their lips -when they noticed my embarrassment at having -to take something to which I was not accustomed; -such as pigeons' hearts with ginger, to drink spirit -distilled from rice out of little cups instead of -glasses, and to pick up my food with the ivory -chop-sticks, which did duty for forks. None of -the ladies ate any meat, and they put nothing into -their dainty mouths but perfumed sweets or dried -melon-seeds, which they picked up with their long, -slim fingers, disfigured by great claw-like nails, -giving their hands a very unpleasant, almost bestial -appearance. The meal consisted of three courses, -during the serving of which vocal and instrumental -music—oh, such a lot of it!—was going on. When -it was over, the young women rose, and, still -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[159]</a></span> -smiling, made their way out with difficulty on their -poor deformed feet, clutching at the table, the -chairs, and the walls for support as they limped to -their luxurious palanquins. The last to leave had -feet so tiny I could hardly see them beneath her -jonquil-coloured silk breeches. I remarked on the -small size of the poor girl's feet to a corpulent -Celestial with an intelligent face who was sitting -beside me, and he said with a loud laugh, "Very -good thing for jealous husbands!"</p> - -<div class="sidenote">A BARBAROUS CUSTOM</div> - -<p>"Small feet are not merely a caprice of fashion -then?" I observed.</p> - -<p>"No, no!" was the reply. "The fact is, when in -any family, whether rich or poor, a girl-child is -born, who is well formed and has good features, -giving great promise of beauty when she is fifteen -years old, her feet are subjected to close compression -a few months after birth. You will understand -that it is her liberty to walk or run, and to get out -of the house, which is taken away from her at this -early stage of her existence.... Later, when her -parents, if wealthy, wish to find a good match for -her, or if poor are anxious to sell her for a high -price, her small feet are always quoted as a proof -of her value, and this privation of liberty is considered -a great point in her favour ... do you see?"</p> - -<p>"What a barbarous custom!" I exclaimed.</p> - -<p>"Yes, from the European point of view, but if -you had asked any of the girls who were at dinner -just now, whether Hatai, Atma, Atoi, or Atchai, -each one would have replied that she did not regret -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[160]</a></span> -the life that she leads. If she had not been prepared -in this way to be bought by some wealthy -Celestial, she would have been working in the rice-plantations -like a beast of burden; or would have -had to spend her life with the fisher-folk on the -sea-shore, or in some wretched river-boat."</p> - -<p>"How are these sales of women effected?" I -inquired.</p> - -<p>"Through the agency of brokers, and by formal -contract. At this moment I have a document in -my pocket making me the owner from to-day of a -young girl of Tien-tsin. Would you like to see it?"</p> - -<p>Of course I said yes, and he showed me the -contract, of which I give a verbatim translation:</p> - -<p>"On account of the poverty of my family, I -consent to sell my daughter, aged fourteen years, -to Tu-won-lan-hi, that he may provide for and -take care of her. On the twenty-fourth day of the -sixth moon, I received as complete payment for her -the sum of eighty-five piastres (about six pounds). -The twenty-fourth day of the sixth month of the -sixteenth year of the reign of Kwang-Su.<a name="FNanchor_4" id="FNanchor_4"></a><a href="#Footnote_4" class="fnanchor">[4]</a></p> - -<p class="tdr2">"<i>Signed:</i> <span class="smcap">Thang Ting</span>, father of the young girl;</p> - -<p class="tdr2">"Madame <span class="smcap">Yap-Kang-Ko</span>, go-between;</p> - -<p class="tdr2">"<span class="smcap">Tchen-Tchen-Tchan</span>, scribe charged<br /> -with drawing up the contract of sale."</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_4" id="Footnote_4"></a><a href="#FNanchor_4"><span class="label">[4]</span></a> In China, the year of the reign is used instead of that of the -century, and a century there is only sixty years. According to Chinese -chronology, we are now in the thirty-fifth year of the seventy-sixth -century of the Christian era.</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[161]</a></span></p> - -<div class="sidenote">POLYGAMY IN CHINA</div> - -<p>Having read and copied this document, I returned it to the -owner, with the remark, "So you -can have as many women as it suits you to buy. -In Egypt, where polygamy seems as natural as it -does to you, there is some limit put upon the -number of favourites in a harem, as the purchaser -must prove that he is rich enough to support her -before he is allowed to buy a new wife. How is -it with you?"</p> - -<p>"There is no similar restriction in China," was -the reply. "Besides the women we buy, more as -a gratification to our pride than because we have -taken a fancy to them, there is the wife whom you -in Europe would call the legitimate partner. She -is privileged above all the other women owned by -a man, and her children alone have the right of -inheriting the property of their father. We must -have heirs to succeed us, and this is why we have -no scruple in repudiating a barren wife. The -first of our other women to give us a male child -takes the place of the divorced wife, and the rest -follow suit, until we are sure of having quite a -number of sons to honour our memories when we -are gone, just as I have honoured that of my own -father. You must not forget how very strong -tradition is with us, and that which we are now discussing -dates further back than your own Biblical -age. All innovation is displeasing to us.... A few -years ago the friend who gave us a dinner this -evening, put me into communication with a Protestant -clergyman, who had just arrived from -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[162]</a></span> -England, and was consumed with a desire to make -proselytes. Out of politeness, I listened for several -days to what he had to say, and I even accepted -the gift of a Bible from him. I set to work to read -it with the greatest attention. To begin with, I -was very much surprised to find how young the -world was made out to be in it, for I had learnt -from our bonzes that at the time when Abraham -was born, China was already old—very, very old—so -I put the Bible aside. Was I not right, seeing -that it taught me nothing new?"</p> - -<p>"No," I replied, "you should have read on till -you came to the New Testament, for in it you -would have found that man is not meant to live in -a state of debasing immobility, and that woman -has a very different mission to fulfil than that of -the mere beast of burden, or concubine you make of -her in China."</p> - -<p>Fortunately, perhaps, for the conversation was -becoming rather acrimonious, our host interrupted -us by inviting us to go with him to a <i>féte</i> which -was being given in the harbour by a mandarin -friend of his, a great opium-smoker, and owner of -what in the Celestial Empire by a chivalrous -euphemism is called a "Flower Boat."</p> - -<div class="sidenote">ON A FLOWER BOAT</div> - -<p>A few vigorous strokes from the oars of our -boatmen brought us alongside a junk riding at -anchor in the open roadstead of Shanghai. The -interior, draped with scarlet damask, was brilliantly -illuminated by means of an immense number of -dainty little lanterns, beneath which hung cages -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[163]</a></span> -filled with birds, whilst other cages upheld glass -globes where red fish, with long golden tails and -transparent fins, disported themselves, their size -fantastically exaggerated by the medium through -which we watched their graceful movements. Very -finely-woven mats of gleaming cleanliness covered -the floors, and curtains of embroidered silk slightly -raised hung at the entrances to the cabins, half -concealing, half revealing, the mysterious recesses -within. I went into one of these retreats, and there -in the centre of the room I saw seated round a -table, loaded with flowers, a number of pale-faced -Chinamen, each with a fan in his hand, with -several richly-dressed women (all, as usual, too much -rouged), who were sipping tea together or nibbling -sweetmeats to the accompaniment of a guitar. I -noted also a couch of satin, without mattress or -palliasse, but with a pillow consisting of a cylinder -of red chequered cardboard, and not far from the -couch a fragile bamboo table, on which were placed -a metal pipe, a box of opium, and the little lamps -indispensable to the smokers of the drug.</p> - -<p>I was presented to the mandarin, who was giving -the entertainment, and found him to be a man of -very dignified appearance. He had lived for a long -time at Hong-Kong, and spoke a little English. -He was very anxious to perform his duties of host -properly with regard to me, but did not find it very -easy.</p> - -<p>"What will you take?" he and the gentleman -who had brought me kept saying one after the other.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[164]</a></span></p> - -<p>A queer fancy took possession of me all of a -sudden, and I replied that I should like to smoke -some opium.</p> - -<p>"Well, then," was the answer, "will you go into -that cabin?" He clapped his hands, and a servant -ran in to light the lamps.</p> - -<p>When this was done, my host said: "I will send -you a little tea as well, in case the opium should not -suit you. I suppose it is the first time you have -ever smoked it."</p> - -<p>The tea was placed ready to my hand, and I was -left alone, the curtain falling as the servant retired. -I then smoked my first pipe, and found the flavour -of it detestably nasty. I now stretched myself in -the couch, laid my head upon the hard glazed roll -of cardboard, which did duty as a pillow, and closed -my eyes. After a few minutes of anything but -pleasant meditation, I suddenly felt very unwell, -and looked about me distractedly. Seeing a porthole -close to me, I put my head through it, hoping -that the fresh air would cool my burning forehead, -but the sight of the black water of the harbour, and -the dreary sound of its surging up and down, made -me worse, so I quickly drew back and lay down -again, determined to persevere. At the end of a -quarter of an hour I had smoked two more pipes, -and then I issued from my cabin with a very vague -idea about my own sensations, but feeling like a -man suddenly overtaken by giddiness, or seized -with violent sea-sickness.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[165]</a></span></p> - -<div class="sidenote">A HAPPY DREAM</div> - -<p>My Yankee friend hastened to my assistance, -but before he saw me off the boat, he took me to -have a look at the stout Chinaman with whom I -had had a discussion about the Bible. He was -alone in a smoking-den, just like the one I had -used. His face was ghastly pale, his eyes were -widely distended, and he was gazing at the waves -with an expression of terror, whilst his features -were bathed in perspiration.... He was wrapt -in a dream—a happy dream, no doubt—though his -looks belied it, for surely so many Asiatics would -not smoke the opium which brings the dreams if -they were not happy!</p> - -<div class="fig_center" style="width: 384px;"><a id="Fig_41"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig41.png" width="384" height="251" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 41.—A CHINESE JUNK.</div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[166]</a></span></p> - - - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX"></a>CHAPTER IX</h2> - - -<p class="smaller">Great commercial value of opium—Cultivation of the -poppy—Exports of opium from India—What opium is—Preparation -of the drug—Opinions on the English monopoly -of the trade in it—Ingenious mode of smuggling opium—Efforts -of Chinese Government to check its importation—Proclamation -of the Viceroy Wang—Opinion of Li-Shi-Shen -on the properties of opium—The worst form of opium smoking—Its -introduction to Formosa by the Dutch—Depopulation -of the island—Punishments inflicted on opium-smokers—Opinions -of doctors on the effects of opium-eating or -smoking—Chinese prisoners deprived of their usual pipe—The -real danger to the poor of indulgence in opium—Evidence -of Archibald Little—The Chinese and European -pipe contrasted.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Opium</span> has from the first been so important a -factor in the history of Western intercourse with -China, and indulgence in it is said to have had so -much to do with the physical and mental inferiority -of the modern Celestials, that it will be well to -devote a chapter to the consideration of the nature -of the drug and its effects.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">CULTIVATION OF THE POPPY</div> - -<p>The poppy (<i>papaver somniferum</i>), from which -the narcotic is extracted, is grown in Persia and in -China, but it is in India that it is most largely and -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[167]</a></span> -successfully cultivated. The monopoly of producing -it in her great Eastern dependency, and of -selling it to the Chinese, has always been vigorously -protected by England, and the destruction of that -monopoly when it comes will be an immense loss -to the revenue. Opium is, in fact, to the English -what tobacco is to the French, and there is no -doubt that British missionary effort has been -greatly hampered by the dread of the authorities -of any interference with their lucrative trade.</p> - -<p>In the vast and fertile valley of the Ganges, the -poppy has but to be sown to yield an extensive -crop. The Patna and Benares districts are especially -prolific, and at the time of efflorescence the -air is laden with the heavy, enervating scent from -the flowers. Nothing could be much more dreary -and monotonous than the appearance of an Indian -poppy plantation, when the soil is covered with -the dried petals of the flower. Some few years -ago the tax on the exported drug, both from -Calcutta and from Bombay, amounted to considerably -over six millions of pounds. The cultivators -take their produce to the Government factories, -where it is purchased from them, and then sent to -the sea-port, so that any illicit consumption is -rendered almost impossible. The comparatively -small amount of opium consumed in India itself -is taxed by the excise officers, and the bulk of the -crop finds its way to China. It is only of late -years that native opium has competed at all with -Indian, but already it is rumoured that eventually -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[168]</a></span> -it will drive the foreign imports away altogether. -Szechuan opium is taking the place of Indian on -the Yang-tse, and Little, in his <i>Through the Yang-tse -Gorges</i>, describes vast poppy plantations in -the districts watered by the great river. He -bemoans the association of the English name -"with the introduction of the useful yet pernicious -drug," and points out that it was first brought to -China from India by the Portuguese, adding that, -in any case, the opium-pipe is most surely a -Chinese invention, for it is unknown in any other -land.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">PREPARATION OF OPIUM</div> - -<p>Opium in its first state is the dried juice of the -capsules before they are ripe, and is gathered in -the form of little globules of milky sap, of the -colour of amber. In India the seed is sown early -in November, and the capsules are ready for -piercing about the beginning of February, when -they are nearly as large as hen's eggs. The delicate -operation of opening the poppy-heads for the -exudation of the precious fluid is performed with -an instrument about three inches long, consisting -of four small knives bound together, the edges -looking like the teeth of a comb. The labourers -have each several of these instruments, which, when -not in use, they carry carefully in a case. The day -after the capsules have been pierced, the juice is -collected by scraping it off into a kind of scoop, -or small trowel, whence it is transferred to an -earthen pot, hanging from the collector's side -When full, these pots are carefully covered over -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[169]</a></span> -and carried to the gatherer's home. The contents -of the jar require the most careful attention for -three or four weeks to ensure proper and equal -drying. The juice is poured into a shallow plate -or dish of brass, slightly tilted, to let any watery -fluid, which would spoil the drug, drain off, and -when the process is complete, the opium is carefully -packed in jars of equal size, and taken to -the Government factories. Here it is carefully -examined, chemically tested, and weighed, to make -sure that it has not been tampered with in any -way; and, if all is well, it is placed in pots of the -regulation size: the pots are ticketed and ranged -in rows on shelves in a big room set apart for the -purpose. The rest of the preparation for export is -done in the Government laboratories, and the process -is a long and delicate one. The united crops -of vast districts are thrown into large tubs, where -they are kneaded up together till they are of the -right consistency. The material is then taken out, -divided into equal portions, and placed on small -tables, where it is manipulated, with the aid of -copper bowls of a spherical shape, into balls of an -equal weight, of about the size of a man's head. -Some workmen become so skilful that they turn -out a hundred of these balls a day. Poppy-leaves, -reduced to powder, are used to prevent the opium -from sticking together, and the balls are sprinkled -with the powder, much as chemists used to sprinkle -pills.</p> - -<p>The opium thus prepared, is now placed in great -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[170]</a></span> -earthenware pans, and carried to a drying-room, -where the balls are ranged in rows of mathematical -regularity. During the drying process each sphere -is pierced every now and then with a long needle, -to prevent the fermentation, which, but for the -greatest vigilance, might set in. The pricking also -sets free the gas which would rapidly deteriorate -the value of the drug, prevents it from becoming -musty, and drives off the swarms of insects attracted -by the smell from it.</p> - -<p>The cases in which the balls of opium are packed -are made of wood from the mountains of Nepaul, -which is brought to its destination in the form of -huge rafts. These rafts come down the Ganges -on sailing vessels, at the approach of which all -other crafts have to make way. Calcutta is the -port of export for Bengal, and the opium is -shipped into steamers and taken to Hong-Kong or -Shanghai.</p> - -<p>As is well known, the British Government has -been very severely criticized, not only by foreigners, -but by English philanthropists, for maintaining the -opium monopoly, and the entire cessation of the -trade from India is earnestly advocated. Those -who wish to maintain things as they are, urge that -the control exercised by the authorities is a beneficent -one, and that but for it opium would be -cultivated throughout the whole of India, and its -consumption increased a thousand-fold. Time, the -great equalizer, will no doubt in the end keep up -the monopoly without any definite action on the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[171]</a></span> -part of the English, for although nominally forbidden, -the culture of the poppy is encouraged in -China by the officials responsible for the enforcement -of the law, and immense quantities of opium -of native production is sold in the western provinces, -for a much lower price than the imported -drug.</p> - -<p>The opium of Bengal is still preferred by critical -smokers, but that of Smyrna is more largely used -in medicine, for it contains a greater proportion -of morphine, and is sent in large quantities to -England, and to Belgium. The culture of the -poppy has of late years also been tried in Africa, -Australia, and even in parts of America, but so far -the opium produced in those countries does not -compete with the Asiatic to any perceptible degree.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">OPIUM SMUGGLING</div> - -<p>As a very little opium represents a considerable -money value, smuggling is of course practised on -a very large scale, especially in China, where the -ingenuity displayed is really extraordinary. All -along the coast, and that coast is of immense -extent, the illicit trade is briskly carried on. In -the South the smuggled drug is brought in in very -fleet vessels, of light tonnage, which easily evade -the boats of the revenue officers. The steamers -plying daily between the open ports of Hong-Kong -and Canton do much to help the traffic, for the -Celestials, who take passage on them, secrete the -precious drug about their own persons in a -manner most difficult to detect. Quantities of -opium are also often hidden beneath sham planks, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[172]</a></span> -in the paddles of the wheels, in the pipes of the -fire-engines, and even in the clocks on board. The -struggle between the smugglers and the custom-house -officers is never-ending, and the skill displayed -in concealment on the one side and detection -on the other is so nearly equal, that it is rare -indeed for either to gain a decisive victory over -the other.</p> - -<p>There is something truly pathetic in the futile -efforts made at various times by the Chinese -Government to prevent the importation of opium -into the country, and of the many viceroys of -provinces to keep it out of the districts under their -care. Here is a typical proclamation, issued by a -certain Wang in the early days of the trade in the -pernicious drug, which gives a very fair idea of -what may be called native administrative literature:</p> - -<div class="sidenote">THE EVIL E-JEN</div> - -<p>"Wang, Imperial Viceroy, makes known the -following: Advices have reached us to the effect -that in the capital of Kwang-Tung and the neighbouring -districts certain E-jen (barbarians from -the West) are going about distributing to the -people drugs in the form of pills made by fairies -and evil genii. It is asserted that those who have -absorbed these drugs sweat terribly all over their -bodies to such an extent that they die.</p> - -<p>"I order all civil and military authorities to seek -out the distributors of these diabolical medicines, -to arrest them, and to bring them to the Court -of Justice, where I will punish them severely. -Although there are no proofs that in my own -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[173]</a></span> -district the E-jen have ventured to sell the pills in -question, I have been assured that cakes injurious -to health have been distributed to the people. -Analyzed with the aid of white of egg, these cakes -yielded a residue of maggots.... I immediately -ordered the arrest of the presumptuous merchants, -but they had already fled beyond my jurisdiction. -Fifty strokes from a bamboo-rod on the soles of -their feet would have been their punishment. The -fact is, I am very much afraid that these wretches -have gone to other provinces, there to carry on -their trade and do further mischief.</p> - -<p>"From another report I learn that every day -certain E-jen throw deadly poisonous powders -upon the roads; the rain does not destroy their -potency for evil; when these powders are trodden -under foot a thin, suffocating smoke rises up from -them; there are some E-jen who carry this pernicious -substance at the end of their fingers, and -they have but to rub the head of any one they -meet with it for that person to die, his body -becoming covered with red spots.</p> - -<p>"Have a care, therefore, not to allow yourselves -to be duped; I give you notice that at the gates -of the town in which I reside I have posted policemen -who examine all strangers."</p> - -<p>In 1578 the celebrated Chinese savant, Li-Shi-Shen, -published his great book on the materials -employed in medicine, to which he had devoted -his whole life. In this book he gives the history -of the poppy and its cultivation, dividing that -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[174]</a></span> -history into three parts, the first relating to the -early days when its properties were little known, -that is to say, from the eighth to the eleventh -century; the second to the time when the juice -of the capsules was discovered to have medicinal -properties and became used to alleviate affections -of the stomach; and the third when opium was -imported in solid form. Li-Shi-Shen justly remarks -that it is in the capsule or seed-pod that the opium -juice is secreted, and he recommends the use of -that juice mixed with honey for certain maladies. -He makes fun of a doctor who lived before his -time, and had said that the juice of the poppy -could kill as surely as a stroke from a sword, but -dwells on the immense relief which those suffering -from rheumatism and asthma had obtained from -its use. This sage of the sixteenth century adds, -that in Pekin opium pills are used to arouse sexual -passion. There is nothing surprising in this assertion -to those who know the Chinese and their -fondness for such queer diet as swallows' nests, -ginger, the fins of sharks, sea-urchins, etc., because -they think they stimulate the senses. It must, -however, be added in justice to the Celestials, that -they are far less sensual than their neighbours, the -Japanese, and this is no small praise.</p> - -<p>Though Li-Shi-Shen was right in laughing at -the doctor whose assertion is quoted above, the -abuse of the newly-discovered drug of opium did -cause a great many deaths, and in the seventeenth -century many Imperial edicts were issued -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[175]</a></span> -forbidding its use, but so deeply rooted had the love -of it become, that these fulminations against it -were powerless to prevent its importation. The -mortality was doubled when the Chinese learnt -to mix opium with Hashish, or the potent drug -known in India as bhang, prepared from hemp.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">A PERNICIOUS MIXTURE</div> - -<p>The fatal knowledge was imparted to the -Celestials in 1625 by some Batavians who had -come to Formosa, then in the possession of the -Dutch, who were engaged in building Fort Zealandia, -near the present Taiwan. The pernicious -compound is smoked through a pipe fixed on to -a bamboo handle, and those who indulge in it are -thrown into a state of delirium, which generally -lasts for a whole night. The results in the island -of Formosa were immediate and tragic, for all who -had once enjoyed the voluptuous dreams induced -by the double narcotic, conceived such a passion -for the poison that no restrictive measures had any -effect. The Dutch, alarmed at the rapid depopulation -of the island, did their best to remedy the -evil, but it was all of no use, the union of opium -and Hashish was more devastating than an epidemic -of cholera or small-pox would have been. -If a native were condemned to the bastinado he -would beg to be allowed to smoke his pipe whilst -the punishment was being inflicted, and the blows -from the bamboo fell all unheeded on his shoulders. -According to some accounts it was this demoralization -of the natives which led the Dutch to abandon -Formosa, whilst others say they were driven out -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[176]</a></span> -in 1866 by the Chinese. In any case it seems -pretty certain that the worst form of opium smoking -began during the Dutch occupation of Formosa, -and was thence introduced to the mainland. It -is consoling to know that Chinese historians -attribute to the Dutch, not the English, the introduction -of the most pernicious of all the various -forms of opium smoking.</p> - -<p>Inspired probably more by hatred of the -foreigners who became enriched by the importation -of the drug than by any feeling of humanity, -the Chinese authorities continued for two whole -centuries to inflict all manner of punishments on -those who smoked opium, no matter in what form. -The offenders were fined, thrown into prison, compelled -to wear the cangue, or heavy wooden collar, -fitting closely round the neck and preventing the -victim from obtaining any rest, or received a varying -number of strokes from the bamboo on the -mouth or on the soles of the feet. Now, however, -all is changed, for the tax imposed on opium brings -wealth to the coffers of the Government, and -although smoking is still nominally forbidden, it -is in reality encouraged throughout the length and -breadth of the land.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">CHINESE PRISONS</div> - -<p>Opinion is very much divided as to the effect of -opium on those who indulge in it. When I was -in Indo-China I was only able to consult English -doctors on the subject, and it was impossible not -to feel that they were necessarily prejudiced in -favour of the drug, bearing in mind the great -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[177]</a></span> -revenues reaped by their Government from its -importation. I was assured by one of them that -its use in moderation was perfectly harmless, and -that an old confirmed smoker if suddenly deprived -of it, does not suffer any ill effects. This, by the -way, is a very important point. My informants -cited cases of ardent consumers of opium being -thrown into prison, where such a thing as a pipe -was not to be had; yet instead of suffering from -the deprivation, the victims retained their usual -health, and were not nearly so much affected as -sailors would be who could not have the tobacco -to which they are accustomed, or drunkards cut -off from every beverage but pure water. It will -be remembered that after the suppression of the -Commune in France in 1871, many of the insurgents -sent to Brest died at once from the sudden -loss of the stimulants they had become accustomed -to. More hardened or more philosophical, who -shall say which? the Chinese prisoners deprived -of their best-beloved pastime resign themselves -without a murmur, though there is no doubt that -they suffer frightfully from the terrible conditions -in the gaols, coming out, if they come out alive, -mere skeletons. A "Celestial" place of detention -is indeed a Gehenna of horror and misery. It is -only fair to add, however, that a case occurred of -a man, who before he was sent to prison had never -missed his pipe for thirty years, yet he gained -three pounds in weight during the first three weeks -of his detention.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[178]</a></span></p> - -<p>Amongst the poorer classes in China it is really -the time and money wasted on the drug which are -of more importance to the bread-winner than the -bad effect on his health. At the best of times the -wages earned by a Chinese labourer are extremely -low, and when he takes to smoking, his wife and -children suffer much, as do those of drunkards in -Europe. Archibald Little, who knows the Celestials -as well perhaps as any other Englishman, says -that during his "forty years' stay in the country -and extensive intercourse with every class, he has -met with few natives seriously injured by the drug. -To the well-nourished Chinaman," he adds, "his -evening pipes are more a pastime, a means of -passing the time pleasantly in a state of placid -inactivity dear to the Oriental, while the merchant -conducts many of his best bargains over the pipe, -much as negotiations are often conducted over a -bottle of wine at home.... It is when," adds this -keen observer, "a Chinese mandarin succumbs to -the opium-pipe and spends most of his time on -the opium-couch that the mischief is serious, for -rapacity and mis-government go on unchecked,"<a name="FNanchor_5" id="FNanchor_5"></a><a href="#Footnote_5" class="fnanchor">[5]</a> -it being all but impossible to get such a man -removed from his post. He has, say the natives, -the 'Yin,' their name for the passionate craving -for the drug, corresponding with what is called -dipsomania by European doctors, and there is no -hope for him; he will indulge his passion till he -dies. Not unjustly have many medical men called -attention to the indulgence in wine and brandy -of the European residents in China, especially in -Hong-Kong, and suggested that the missionaries -should begin their reforms at home, and before -inveighing against Chinese vices they should -endeavour to win converts to sobriety amongst -their own fellow-countrymen.</p> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_5" id="Footnote_5"></a><a href="#FNanchor_5"><span class="label">[5]</span></a> <i>Through the Yang-tse Gorges</i>, p. 194.</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[179]</a></span></p> - -<div class="sidenote">AN OPIUM-SMOKER</div> - -<div class="fig_center" style="width: 699px;"><a id="Fig_42"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig42.png" width="699" height="445" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 42.—AN OPIUM-SMOKER.</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[180]</a></span></p> - -<p>In discussing the evil effects of opium-smoking, -the very great value of the drug as a medicine is -liable to be forgotten, yet the lives of thousands -have been saved by its use under proper control. -It has absolutely no rival in its power of giving -needful sleep in illness and in relieving pain, whilst -in many diseases its effect is of the greatest possible -advantage to the patient.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">THE 'BLACK SMOKE'</div> - -<p>Dr. Ayres of Hong-Kong relates several experiments -he made in his own person to test the -truth of the theory that the poisonous qualities of -opium evaporate when it is smoked, but remain -active when it is eaten. He began by absorbing -a very small quantity per day till he could take -as much as half-an-ounce, and says that he experienced -sensations so intensely agreeable that -he realized what the suffering of deprivation must be -when the habit of opium-eating is once confirmed. -He then tried smoking a pipe of the prepared -drug every day, without feeling any ill effects whatever; -there was, he declares, absolutely no difference -in his pulse or in his temperature. It was exactly -the same with several Europeans whom he persuaded -to follow his example. "I counted the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[181]</a></span> -throbs of their pulse, I took their temperature, and -there was absolutely nothing abnormal about either, -although I had made them smoke twelve pipes -each." This does but prove that the effects of -opium are different with different constitutions, -and that there are some who can take it even in -large quantities with impunity; but for all that the -horrors of the so-called black smoke, and of the -opium dens of China can hardly be exaggerated, -even the Celestials themselves admitting that the -effects of the drug are injurious to health, and -warp the better nature of those who indulge in it -to excess; but, as already remarked, its price is -still so high that only the wealthy can afford it -in quantities likely to be hurtful. It is as difficult -for a Chinese workman to get opium as it would -be for a French peasant to buy champagne, or -an English apprentice to indulge in port-wine.</p> - -<div class="fig_center" style="width: 366px;"><a id="Fig_43"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig43.png" width="366" height="401" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 43.—OPIUM PIPES.</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[182]</a></span></p> - -<div class="sidenote">SOCIABLE SMOKERS</div> - -<p>Moreover, it is even now the exception for rich -Celestials to yield themselves body and soul to the -temptation. One opium-smoker goes to call on -another, and the two indulge in a friendly pipe -together as they chat about the weather, or the -state of trade, or perhaps arrange a marriage for -a son or a daughter; but the host does not expect -to see his guest fall asleep and roll on the ground -like a pig, any more than a European now-a-days -expects his visitor to succumb to drink, and slip -under the table as was so common an occurrence -at the beginning of the nineteenth century. The -ordinary opium-smoker does not light his pipe to -induce sleep, but just to enable him to forget his -troubles for a time, and no De Quincey or Sylvestre -de Sacy is needed to prove that a man in rags -may indulge in happy dreams of prosperity without -leaving some cheap and dingy tavern. Still -we cannot fail to contrast the ugly Chinese apparatus -with all its paraphernalia, including the horribly -smelling lamp needed to keep it alight, with the -simple European pipe, so easily filled to begin -with, and so readily replenished. The lover of -opium seeks to be alone; he has no desire for the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[183]</a></span> -company of even his dearest friend in his den; -but the smoker of the comparatively innocent weed -delights in gathering his comrades about him, and -there is nothing in the wide world more provocative -of good fellowship than the fumes of tobacco.</p> - -<div class="fig_center" style="width: 373px;"><a id="Fig_44"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig44.png" width="373" height="200" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 44.—REQUISITES FOR OPIUM-SMOKING.</div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[184]</a></span></p> - - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_X" id="CHAPTER_X"></a>CHAPTER X</h2> - - -<p class="smaller">Missionary effort in China—First arrival of the Jesuits—Landing -of Michael Roger—Adam Schaal appointed Chief -Minister of State—The scientific work of the Jesuits—Affection -of the young Emperor Kang-Hi for them—Arrival -of other monks—Disputes between them and the Jesuits—The -Pope interferes—Fatal results for the Christians—Speech -of Kang-Hi—Expulsion of the Jesuits—Concessions -to Europeans in newly opened ports—Hatred of -foreigners at Tien-tsin—Arrival of French nuns—Their -mistakes in ignoring native feeling—Chinese children bought -by the Abbé Chevrier—A Chinese merchant's views on the -situation—Terrible accusations against the Sisters—Murder -of the French Consul and his assistant—The Governor of -Tien-tsin responsible—Massacre of the Abbé Chevrier and -one hundred children—The Lady Superior and her nuns cut -to pieces and burnt—The guilty Governor Chung-Ho sent -to Paris as envoy—No proper vengeance exacted by the -French—Other Sisters go to Tien-tsin.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">There</span> is no more pathetic, no more thrilling -story in all the annals of Christianity than that -of missionary effort in China, and those who -remember the sad fate of the French Sisters at -Tien-tsin, and of many other devoted women, will -not fail to accord their tribute of admiration to -the noble devotion which has inspired so many to -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[185]</a></span> -lay down their lives in the sacred cause of the -propagation of the Gospel in the Celestial Empire. -That the crop of proselytes yielded by a soil -fructified with the blood of virgin martyrs is altogether -out of proportion to the expenditure of life -and money involved in winning them, is indeed -a melancholy fact; but undaunted by the terrors -of the past, fresh bands of eager zealots are ever -ready to take the place of those worsted in the -struggle, and at the present moment there seems -hope that the religion of the Redeemer may yet -take real root in the districts newly opened to -European trade.</p> - -<p>As is well known, it was the Jesuits who were -the first to succeed in introducing Christianity into -China. Far more enlightened and worldly-wise -than the monks of the rival orders, they obtained a -footing where so many others had failed, by their -tact in giving out that they were pilgrims from -the West who had heard of the wonders of the -Celestial Empire, and had come to it to see those -wonders with their own eyes.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">A MISSIONARY PIONEER</div> - -<p>The pioneer of these astute followers of Ignatius -Loyola was a certain Michael Roger, who landed -in China in 1581, and although some of his -successors were beheaded in 1615 the work they -had done bore fruit in the erection of a church -at Kei-Fung-Fu, on the Yellow River, in which -quite a number of converts attended the Roman -Catholic services. This church was destroyed -through the bursting of a dyke, and the Jesuit -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[186]</a></span> -missionary then in charge of it was drowned in -trying to save his little flock. In spite of this -catastrophe, however, the Jesuits continued to gain -ground, and during the reign of the Emperor -Shun-Che, who occupied the throne from 1644 to -1662, China was actually for some little time -governed by Adam Schaal, a member of that -community, who had been made Chief Minister -of State on account of his wisdom. Another -Jesuit, Father Ferdinand Verbiest, held a high -astronomical appointment, for then as now the -heavenly bodies were studied with intense eagerness -in the Celestial Empire, and many officers of -State were specially told off to report on everything -connected with them.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">PUERILE DISPUTES</div> - -<p>The successor of Shun-Che, his son Kang-Hi, -who was only eight years old when he came to -the throne, showed special aptitude for astronomy, -and was never tired of listening to the instructions -of Father Verbiest. As he grew older he worked -with him and the other missionaries at geometry -and the kindred sciences, gaining year by year in -scientific knowledge. It was during his reign that -the Jesuit missionaries, Bouvet, Regis, Fartoux, -Fridelli, Cardoso, and others, made their celebrated -survey of the whole of China on trigometrical -principles, which is still looked upon as -absolutely correct by geographers, and there is -little doubt that had the gifted young Emperor -been left entirely under the guidance of these -enlightened fathers, they would, through the door -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[187]</a></span> -opened by science, have introduced Christianity, -or rather their form of Christianity, throughout the -entire Empire. During the minority of Kang-Hi, -however, the four ministers appointed to govern -the country did all in their power to counteract -the influence of the foreigners, and restore all the -old-established customs. Their efforts were aided -by the fact that monks belonging to other orders -had now established themselves here and there in -the country, and between them and the Jesuits a -bitter feud was waged as to the way in which -Christian worship should be performed, and the -meaning of certain Chinese words. To give but -one or two instances of the puerile nature of the -quarrel which jeopardized the cause that should -have been sacred to all the disputants, one side -claimed that the word <i>Chang-ti</i> signified the -material heaven, the other that it referred to the -God inhabiting heaven; one side considered the -honour shown to ancestors and the reverence in -which the doctrines of Confucius are held to be -religious duties, whilst the other looked upon them -as mere civil or political customs. That it was -of little consequence which was right was patent -to any but the most prejudiced observer, yet -the foolish monks referred their differences for -arbitration to the Pope and the Emperor. The -former decided in favour of the Dominicans, -the latter in that of the Jesuits, and the Chinese -literati not unreasonably asked how the missionaries -could expect to be listened to by the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[188]</a></span> -natives if they could not agree amongst themselves.</p> - -<p>All might, however, even yet have been well, -and the Jesuits might have continued their education -of the young Emperor had not the Pope -unfortunately sent a legate to Pekin charged with -the difficult task of making the Jesuits conform to -the views of their opponents. This roused the -wrath and jealousy of the Emperor, who, of -course, knew nothing about the Pope, and did -more to undermine the power of his hitherto -trusted advisers than anything else could have -done. He had, he said, allowed Christianity to be -preached just as he had had other religions, but -only on condition that the moral precepts inculcated -by the first philosopher of the country, and -accepted by all the most enlightened amongst his -people, were left unquestioned, yet here was an -envoy sent from some unknown land with instructions -to tamper with the belief of his subjects. -An Imperial edict was therefore issued in 1706, -ordering the expulsion of all missionaries without -distinction of sect; the Christian churches were -desecrated and destroyed, and all natives who had -embraced the new doctrine were persecuted with -the utmost severity, fined, imprisoned, and in some -cases put to death. Then the Pope from his -distant throne in Rome sent yet another legate, -bearing a letter protesting in the strongest terms -against these severe measures, but Kang-Hi, who -certainly had considerable reason on his side, called -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[189]</a></span> -his notables together, and having informed them of -the contents of the Holy Father's missive exclaimed: -"This epistle ignores every one but these vile -Europeans, yet how can they decide anything -about the great doctrine of the Chinese, whose very -language these people from Europe do not understand? -From the way these Christians behave, it -strikes me that there is some resemblance between -the practices of their sect and those of certain -impious bonzes of our own land. We must now -forbid Europeans from preaching their faith -amongst us if we wish to prevent the recurrence -of disagreeable events." The division of the sexes -until after marriage was then, as now, one of the -most rigidly-observed customs of the Celestials, and -it is probable that the "evil practices" referred to -in the speech quoted above, were the meeting of -men and women for worship in the same building. -This was more shocking to Chinese public opinion -than anything else, and may have had something -to do with this final failure of missionary effort.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">A CHINESE DICTIONARY</div> - -<p>Kang-Hi was, there is no doubt, a very enlightened -ruler, and, moreover, himself a writer of considerable -talent. He compiled a dictionary of the Chinese -and Manchu dialects, translated the five sacred -books of China into the Tartar language, and -wrote many interesting essays on various subjects. -Moreover it was thanks to his initiative, that a -very complete Chinese dictionary was produced by -thirty of the chief literati of his time.</p> - -<p>Kang-Hi, who, in spite of the fulmination of the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[190]</a></span> -great edict against the Christians, still in his heart -cherished a strong affection for the Jesuits, who -had won his love through the interest they had -taken in his favourite pursuits, was succeeded by -his son, Young-t-Ching who inherited none of his -father's sympathy for Europeans, and persecuted -the Christians with the utmost severity. His -advisers represented to him, "that the missionaries -had deceived the late Emperor, and that the -monarch had lost a great deal of <i>prestige</i> by his -encouragement of the Jesuits." Moreover, the -viceroys of outlying provinces sent accounts of the -iniquities of the converts to the new faith in their -districts, the governor of Fu-Kian distinguishing -himself especially by the bitterness of his rancour -against them. He begged the Emperor in the -interests of his people to banish all foreigners -without distinction to Macao, then already occupied -by the Portuguese.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">A WISE EMPEROR</div> - -<p>It was, however, fortunately for the Chinese as -well as for the foreigners, one thing to issue these -sweeping denunciations, and another to have them -fully carried out. Europeans were too useful at -the Court of Pekin for the Emperor to be willing to -part with them all, and he naïvely decided to keep -those about him who were of any service to him, -but to banish the rest. The missionaries of the -capital who were thus reprieved, hoped to win help -for their colleagues of the provinces by writing to -a brother of the Emperor, who they believed to be -favourable to them, and they received the following -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[191]</a></span> -disinterested reply: "We have no intention of -imitating your way of going on in Europe; your -disputes about our customs have done you a great -deal of harm, and China will miss nothing when -you are no longer there." Moreover the Emperor -added a postscript to this letter, which ran thus: -"What would you say if I sent a troop of Buddhist -priests into your country? When your Father -Ricci was here there were only a few of you; you -had not then disciples and churches in all the -provinces. It was only during the reign of my -father that you increased with such rapidity; we -saw it then, but we did not dare say anything -about it. If, however, you deceived my father, -do not hope that you will deceive me too.... You -want all the Chinese to become Christians; your -religion requires it, I know, but what would become -of us then? In times of trouble the people would -listen to no voice but yours." This naïve and -unanimous testimony to the potency of the -Christian faith must have been rather cheering -than depressing to those to whom it was addressed, -and that they did not fail to perceive that their -Imperial enemy was no ordinary man is proved by -the eulogy pronounced on him by Father Du -Halde, who says: "It is impossible to help -admiring his indefatigable application to work; -day and night his thoughts are occupied on the -establishment of a wise government which will -secure the well-being of his subjects; to please him, -you have but to propose some project of public -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[192]</a></span> -utility.... He has made several very good regulations -with a view to doing honour to merit, -and recompensing virtue, for promoting emulation -amongst the labouring classes, and to help the -people in barren years. These qualities have won -for him in a very short time the respect and love -of all his subjects."</p> - -<p>These quotations throw a luminous side-light -upon the character of the Emperor, and make it -the more evident how short-sighted was the conduct -which led to the breach between his father and the -Jesuits. Had the latter continued the policy with -which their predecessors had begun, conciliating -public opinion by the study of the arts and sciences -to which Government and people were alike devoted, -instead of splitting straws about doctrine and -phraseology, the sad stories of the massacres of -defenceless women and children would never have -had to be written. It was one of the Jesuit Fathers -who gave Kang-Hi his first clock, and another -who won the hearts of all the ladies of the court -by making a camera-obscura, which enabled them -to see something of the outside world from which -they were so rigorously excluded. With the expulsion -of the Jesuits in the eighteenth century -all the work done by them was destroyed, and the -missionaries who succeeded them had to contend -with the prejudices their short-sighted policy had -aroused, as well as with the difficulties inseparable -from every attempt to introduce a new religion.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[193]</a></span></p> - -<div class="sidenote">CONCESSIONS TO FOREIGNERS</div> - -<p>In every port thrown open of recent years to -European commerce the Imperial Government sets -aside what are called concessions to the foreign -residents, whom the authorities still look upon as -unwelcome intruders, though the citizens are not -slow to appreciate the difference between their -own unsavoury and crowded quarters, and the -well-built, airy streets occupied by the English, -the French, or the Germans. In these concessions -missionaries of pretty well every sect have, of -course, hastened to obtain a footing, and volumes -might be filled with the record of their struggles, -their difficulties, their triumphs, and their defeats. -It will be enough for our present purpose to tell -of the massacre, referred to above, of the French -Sisters at Tien-tsin, for it was alike one of the most -horrible and most typical of modern times. By -the treaty signed therein 1858 the port was thrown -open to foreign trade, and in 1861 a British consulate -was established in it. The memory of the -sack of Pekin by the Anglo-French forces was -still fresh, and the hatred of the foreign devils was -fiercer and if possible more bitter in Tien-tsin -than elsewhere, for so far its people had had very -little intercourse with Europeans. Only amongst -the more enlightened of the Chinese was the fact -recognized that the time for opposition to the entry -of foreigners was gone by, and that if the country -were not opened from within, it would be forced -from without, and the dismemberment of the -Empire become inevitable.</p> - -<p>Situated on the right bank of the Pei-ho, Tien-tsin -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[194]</a></span> -is the port of the capital, from which it is -eighty miles distant. It is therefore one of the keys -of China, and even before the opening of the railway -from it to Pekin in 1897, it was of immense -strategic importance. All this of course intensified -the jealousy of the Chinese, when the lock was forced, -so to speak, by the white skins, and great indeed -was the courage needed to face the turbulent population, -and endeavour to win proselytes from amongst -them. Even in Shanghai, comparatively inured to -the presence of the foreign element, nuns had been -insulted; a native spitting in the faces of two holy -women in the streets, who had done absolutely -nothing to provoke hostility.</p> - -<p>Yet there were found devoted women who came -to reside in Tien-tsin, carrying their lives in their -hands, knowing full well what they had to expect, -yet determined to face unflinchingly not only the -hostility of the natives, but also the rigours of the -inhospitable climate, for the river is blocked with -ice from December to May, and before the opening -of the railway there could be no hope of help from -without in the winter, no matter what the emergency.</p> - -<div class="fig_center" style="width: 314px;"><a id="Fig_45"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig45.png" width="314" height="326" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 45.—A TEMPLE AT TSIN.</div> -</div> - -<div class="sidenote">THE PURCHASE OF GIRLS</div> - -<p>The Sisters, however, set to work directly they -arrived, aided by the French Abbé Chevrier, M. -Fontanier, the French Consul, and his assistant, -M. Simon. They quickly organized their plan of -campaign; some opening a hospital where all -sufferers were received, no matter of what nationality -or religion, whilst others devoted themselves -to the education of the little girls bought by the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[195]</a></span> -Abbé with the fund known in France as that of -the <i>Sainte-Enfance</i> or Holy Infancy. In the school -kept by the devoted ladies, the Chinese maidens -were lodged, fed, and taught to do different kinds -of needlework, as well as educated in the Roman -Catholic religion. It was the purchase of the -pupils that was really at the root of the terrible -troubles which overtook the Mission. The Celestials, -as has already been explained above, are in -the habit of buying girls, but for a very different -purpose to that of the devoted priests and Sisters. -They too have hospitals for the indigent and -infirm, but they could not be brought to believe -that the missionaries received the children merely -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[196]</a></span> -to feed, educate, and make Christians of them. -The rumour quickly spread, not only in Tien-tsin, -but in Shanghai and elsewhere, that good money -was to be got by selling children to the Sisters, and -certain natives at once set to work to kidnap little -ones with a view to securing what they thought -would be a lucrative trade. So many girls were -stolen, and the missionaries lent so much colour to -the accusation against them of connivance by the -increasing number of their <i>protegées</i> that public -feeling was thoroughly aroused. The cry of -"Stealers of children" was raised, and foreigners, -especially the French, had stones thrown at them -in the streets.</p> - -<p>There is no doubt that if the missionaries had -been wise, they would have given up receiving -children for a time, whether in the orphanage or -the hospital, but religious zeal was not in this case -tempered with discretion, and terrible indeed were -the results of this short-sighted policy. Of course -all the girls rescued by the nuns were not bought, -but a great many of them were, for the Chinese -law encourages the selling of female children. -Moreover, if calumnies were circulated about -foreigners, they in their turn did not hesitate to -spread reports of the unnatural way in which -Chinese mothers treated their children, and much -was written on the subject in the reports sent -home. I, however, can testify from personal inquiry -that these were quite unfounded libels. In Canton -every one I questioned on the subject repudiated -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[197]</a></span> -the accusations with the greatest indignation. -There was, however, the question to which I never -could get a satisfactory reply, and that was, "Is it -true that the Chinese cause the death of deformed -children at their birth?" Evasive answers were -always made to this downright inquiry, but with -regard to healthy, well-formed infants of either -sex, I will quote verbatim what a wealthy Chinese -merchant of very influential position said to me:</p> - -<div class="sidenote">A FALSE ACCUSATION</div> - -<p>"It is unfortunately true," he said, "that children -have sometimes been abandoned by Chinese -mothers, but only under very sad circumstances, -generally the failure of the harvest. Do you know -what has led to some of your priests accusing the -Chinese of being unnatural parents, mere brutes -resembling cats and dogs? It is because now and -then our teeming population of four hundred -million souls is visited by terrible and extraordinary -misfortunes, such as a sudden outbreak -of the cholera or the plague, which are, however, -among the least of our troubles, for even more -frequent, more destructive to life, is the famine -which occurs every year, now in the north, now in -the south, now in the east, now in the west. If the -rice-crop fail through a dry season, thirty or fifty -millions of human creatures are in danger of -perishing from hunger if sufficient relief does not -reach them in time. We have not the means you -in Europe have of speedy communication between -our provinces; we have no railways, no fleets of -steamers to take grain from one place to another. -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[198]</a></span> -Well, what happens? Just what occurs when -some town or island is blockaded in war. Old -men and children perish first, and if a few of the -infants do survive, what can the mothers do but -thrust them away from them when the milk in -their breasts is all dried up? Under these circumstances -you may see able-bodied men eating such -things as rats, snakes, and vermin, which the -Chinese are accused of devouring with delight -even in times of plenty. I know nothing about -the history of your country, but you ought to -know it well. Will you swear to me that there has -never been a time when women have been driven -to let their children die for want of nourishment -and warmth? You do not answer. So it is -evident that terrible things such as this have -happened in Europe. Well now, would it not be -downright unfair of me, if knowing this to be -truth, I turned your silence against you by preaching -throughout China that French mothers, like -those in China, fling their children into the gutter?"</p> - -<p>Was not this a sensible speech?—and would it -not be well if missionaries were equally wise in -their way of looking at things? Is it not a pity -that so many enthusiastic young men and women -should be sent to meet a terrible death in a vain -effort to alter what cannot be changed? Those -who sanction the going forth of these bands of -devoted martyrs do not make sufficient allowance -for the fact that the indifference of the Chinese to -Christianity is really a part of their own religion. -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[199]</a></span> -They cultivate stoicism, they never allow anything -to upset their <i>sangfroid</i>, but meet torture and -death with equal composure. It is a hopeless task -to endeavour to rouse them to enthusiasm about -anything. It would be wiser to leave their conversion -alone. All this does not, however, detract -in any way from the heroism of the Sisters at -Tien-tsin, who, in spite of the ever-increasing -hostility to them, went on doing their charitable -work, unheeding the danger in which they must -have known they stood.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">CHUNG-HO</div> - -<p>It was on June 22, 1870, that fatal year for -France, just before the breaking out of the Franco-German -War, when the relations between the -French Government and that of Pekin were considerably -strained, that the long-smouldering fire -broke into flame in Tien-tsin. The Governor, -Chung-Ho by name, a Tartar by birth, a kindly man -enough, but far too weak for the position he held, -was really responsible for the massacre, though he -endeavoured to shelter himself from responsibility -behind the mandarins, whom he ought to have -controlled. The rising against the foreigners had -evidently been preconcerted, for there was really -no apparent cause for the sudden rush of the -bravos upon their victims. It has been said that -the French Consul, M. Fontanier, who was the first -to fall beneath the blows of the assassins, really -gave the signal for the massacre by presenting his -revolver at the head of the Governor, but this of -course was only an excuse, and nothing could -really have averted the catastrophe.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[200]</a></span></p> - -<p>From nine in the morning to five in the afternoon -of the terrible day the killing went on, the French -being hunted through the streets and struck down, -often on the very thresholds of their houses. After -the murder of the French consul, his interpreter, -M. Thomassin, and his young wife were attacked; -and in a futile attempt to save the latter Thomassin -was terribly wounded. He managed to fling himself -into the canal, which flows near the Consulate, but -the literati were determined that he should not -escape, and he was dispatched in the water. Meanwhile, -as a shepherd calls his flock together when -the wolves are threatening, the Abbé Chevrier had -collected around him the orphan children to the -number of one hundred then under the care of the -missionaries; but they were all massacred, the good -priest dying amongst them. A French merchant -and his wife, with three Russians who were mistaken -for Frenchmen, were also murdered.</p> - -<p>The Sisters in the orphanage and hospital were, -strange to say, the last to hear of the awful scenes -being enacted in the streets. Secure in their belief -that they had done no evil, and that, therefore, no one -could wish to harm them, they quietly went on with -their work, and did not even demand the protection -of the Chinese authorities. This would, however, -probably have been powerless to save them; for it -was the mandarins who had been most active in -circulating slanders against them, saying that they -used the eyes of children for making some of their -medicines, and spreading all manner of other silly -reports. The simple-minded Sisters had only -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[201]</a></span> -laughed when told of these slanders, but they -would have been wiser to try and refute them, for -they were believed by the common people as -readily as stories about witches were in Europe -not so very long ago.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">MURDER OF THE SISTERS</div> - -<p>The sun was already setting, lighting up the -streets reddened with the blood of the innocent, -when the murderers, their rage increased by the -ease with which they had killed their victims, -seem suddenly to have remembered that there -were defenceless women at the orphanage still -to be destroyed, and with one accord they rushed -to the doors clamouring for admittance. Their -shouts being unheeded, they lost no time in breaking -down the door, and found the Superior of -the Sisterhood calmly waiting to receive them. -Alas! her fortitude availed her nothing; she was -brutally seized, dragged to a post not far off and -bound to it. Then ensued a scene too horrible for -description; the fiends in human shape danced -round their helpless victim, and inflicted on her -all the tortures in which the Chinese are so terribly -skilled, finally cutting her body into small pieces. -The terrified nuns kneeling on the steps of their -little chapel in agonized prayer were one and all -first outraged and then murdered, their home and -church were set fire to, and their mangled bodies -flung into the flames. One poor young girl had -had the sense to disguise herself as a Chinese, and -was hastening towards the English Consulate to -take refuge there, when unfortunately she was -recognized and murdered by some Chinese soldiers. -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[202]</a></span> -Not one French man or woman escaped, and the -indignation throughout France when the terrible -news arrived can be imagined.</p> - -<p>As usual, the Imperial Government was profuse -in apologies and excuses, for well did the Emperor -and his advisers know how terrible might be the -vengeance exacted by France for the blood of -her children. A few Chinese heads were cut off—in -China heads are of little account,—and it -was determined at Pekin that a very high official -should be sent to Paris to make due apology, and -promise that nothing of the kind should occur -again. It was of course difficult to decide who -should be entrusted with this delicate mission, and -the choice actually fell on Chung-Ho, the Governor -of Tien-tsin, the very man, as has been seen, to -whose culpable neglect the tragedy was due. But -for the fact that the unfortunate country of France -was then in the throes of her most awful experience -of modern times, the probability is that the blood-stained -Tartar would have met with a reception -in its capital very little to his taste. As things -were, however, no one in France suspected who -he really was, public attention was concentrated -on the war. The death of the French missionaries -in remote Tien-tsin was already forgotten in the -anguish of defeat, and the necessity for organizing -the defence against the ruthless invaders. The -Empire had fallen; the Emperor was a prisoner -in the hands of the Germans—safer there than he -would have been amongst his own disillusioned -subjects. The interview with M. Thiers was put -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[203]</a></span> -off again and again, until at last a comparatively -leisure time was secured. Then, alas! that I should -have to write it, the Chinese traitor was presented -to the Chief of the State with all the ceremonial -due to foreign ambassadors. He was escorted to -the Elysée in a state-carriage by a guard of -cuirassiers, and received with all the usual honours.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">TWO PRIESTS BURNT ALIVE</div> - -<p>No good result ensued for French interests in -China from this interview, and soon after the return -of the envoy to his native country, yet another -missionary, M. Hué, was assassinated in the -province of Se-Tchuen; whilst not far from the -scene of the murder of Margary, related in a -previous chapter, two priests were burnt alive, and -four of their proselytes cut to pieces.</p> - -<p>But enough of these horrors, I must dwell on -them no more, for I have no wish to intensify race -hatred, or to raise French feeling against a nation -with which we have a treaty of peace. I must, -however, add just one word to show how indomitable -is the missionary spirit in the religious orders -of France. In 1876, when the country was beginning -to settle down after the awful events of the -preceding years, that is to say, six years after the -massacre at Tien-tsin, another party of Sisters -went to that very town to begin again the work of -charity so tragically interrupted, although it was -well known that there was no abatement in the -bitterness of the feeling against foreigners, and -that the mandarins were especially averse to -female missionaries. The unselfish devotion, seeking -for no earthly reward, of the saintly nuns is -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[204]</a></span> -well illustrated by the reply made to me when I -went to the head-quarters of the Sisterhood in the -<i>Rue de Bac</i>, Paris, and asked the Lady Superior -to give me the names of the martyrs of 1870 that -I might render to them the honour so justly due. -Those names were refused, "for," said the austere -head of the order, "our nuns have won the greatest -of all rewards already, and that is enough."</p> - -<p>The new-comers to the site watered by the blood -of the innocent, have proceeded exactly on the same -lines as their predecessors; they opened a hospital -and some schools, apparently in total ignorance of -the dangers surrounding them. A tri-colour flag -floats once more from the buildings under their -control. The "Cyclamens," as lovers of flowers call -the caps worn by the devoted Sisters, are once more -familiar objects in the streets of Tien-tsin. May -their labour of love be rewarded as it deserves, and -may God temper the wind to them as He does to -the lambs shorn of their fleece, for truly they sorely -need the protection of Heaven in their defenceless -condition! Fortunately, however, they are no longer -so isolated as were the pioneers of missionary -effort in 1870. In 1881 the port of Tien-tsin became -connected by telegraph with Shanghai, where -there is a large foreign population, and the Chinese -have of late years had so many proofs that -foreigners are not to be massacred or in any way -injured with impunity, that there is some hope of -the avoidance for the future of such tragedies as that -we have recorded here.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[205]</a></span></p> - - - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XI" id="CHAPTER_XI"></a>CHAPTER XI</h2> - - -<p class="smaller">The Great Wall—Its failure as a defence—Forced labour—Mode -of construction—Shih-Hwang-Ti orders all books to -be burnt—Mandarins flung into the flames—The <i>Shu-King</i> is -saved—How the sacred books came to be written—The -sedan-chair and its uses—Modern hotels at Pekin—Examination -of students for degrees—Cells in which they are confined—Kublai -Khan conquers China—Makes Pekin his -capital—Introduces paper currency—The Great Canal—Address -to the three Philosophers—Marco Polo's visit to -Pekin—His description of the Emperor—Kublai Khan's wife—Foundation -of the Academy of Pekin—Hin-Heng and -his acquirements—Death of Kublai Khan—Inferiority of his -successors—Shun-Ti the last Mongol Emperor—Pekin in the -time of the Mongols—When seen by Lord Macartney—The -city as it is now.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">It</span> is a relief to turn from the terrible events -which have given to Tien-tsin such a sinister -notoriety to visit from it the celebrated Great -Wall of China, the western termination of which is -at no great distance from the town on the north. -Begun by the Emperor Shih-Hwang-Ti, in <span class="smcap">B.C.</span> 214, -as a protection against the invasions of the Tartars, -it was completed in the marvellously short time of -five years, that energetic monarch sparing neither -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[206]</a></span> -expense nor trouble, and ruthlessly sacrificing the -lives of thousands of his subjects in his determination -to keep out the hated barbarians. That he -was not successful, but that his rampart in due -time served his enemies better than it had done -himself, is one of those ironies of fate with which the -student of history is familiar. Tartars, Mongols, -and Manchus have in their turn reigned over -China from the sacred city, within the very defences -supposed to be impregnable; the mighty wall -remaining a standing proof, not of the wisdom, but -of the short-sightedness of its builder.</p> - -<div class="fig_center" style="width: 412px;"><a id="Fig_46"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig46.png" width="412" height="256" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 46.—THE GREAT WALL.<br /> - -(<i>Univers Pittoresque.</i>)</div> -</div> - -<div class="sidenote">THE GREAT WALL</div> - -<p>To secure a sufficient number of men to work at -his wall, Shih-Hwang-Ti issued an edict ordering -every third labourer throughout the whole of the -Empire to labour at it, and the unfortunate men -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[207]</a></span> -thus selected were forced to work like slaves, with no -wages but a scanty supply of food, their places when -they fell down dead being quickly taken by other -victims. The wall, when completed at the cost of -so great an expenditure of human life, was fifteen -hundred miles long; its breadth at the bottom was -nearly twenty-five feet, and at the top fifteen feet, -whilst it varied in height from fifteen to thirty feet. -The materials employed would, it is said, be enough -to build a wall six feet high and two feet thick to -go twice round the world. Six horsemen could ride -abreast upon it, and it was fortified by very strong -towers, placed at regular intervals of about one -hundred yards, that is to say, within two arrow-shots -of each other, so that any one attempting -to scale it would be covered from one tower or -another by the guards stationed in them. The -construction of the wall was very strong, the outside -being formed of stone and brickwork, whilst -the inside was filled up with earth. The wall -started from the sea-shore at the Shan-Hai Pass, in -N. Lat. 40° and E. Long. 119° 50′, and ran over -mountains, through valleys, and across rivers by -means of arches, which are still marvels of engineering -skill, to the most western province of Kan-su, -where it ends at the Khiya Pass. Whilst only -insignificant relics now remain of the immense -Roman walls which once intersected England and -France, this vast monument of an ambitious ruler -still stands, ranking as one of the wonders of the -world, an incidental proof that at the time of -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[208]</a></span> -its erection, two thousand years ago, China must -have already been a great and civilized Empire. -There is no doubt that Shih-Hwang-Ti did succeed -in centralizing authority, and absorbing the power -of the numerous military chiefs who before his time -reigned in the various small kingdoms, making up -what is now the Celestial Empire.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">BURNING OF MSS.</div> - -<p>Unfortunately, however, the monarch aimed rather at his own -aggrandizement than at the good of his people, and -his vainglorious desire to be looked upon as the -founder of the Chinese monarchy led him to issue -that celebrated edict, ordering all books and writings -referring to his predecessors to be burnt, -which inflicted an incalculable loss on future -students of history. Those who endeavoured to -evade this sweeping decree were to be punished by -death, and according to some accounts, hundreds of -literati were burnt on piles of the MSS. they had -tried to save. In spite of all precautions, however, -some few copies of the works of Confucius and -other great writers were successfully hidden and -brought out again on the death of the tyrant.</p> - -<p>On this interesting subject Father Gaubil, in his -valuable work on Chinese Chronology, says: "One -thing is certain ... the books containing the -geographical surveys and the departmental records -were not burnt ... though the minister Lis-sse, -like the Emperor himself, wished the people to -remain ignorant, and know nothing about how the -country was governed by the earlier kings, or to -hear of the great and virtuous men of the past, or -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[209]</a></span> -of the precepts left behind by them." It was this -same minister, the Father tells us, who introduced -the salutary reform of the use of one character only -throughout the Empire, whereas before his time -several different kinds of letters were employed in -writing. This alphabet was known as the <i>li-chu</i>, -and is supposed to be identical with that of the -present day.</p> - -<div class="fig_center" style="width: 327px;"><a id="Fig_47"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig47.png" width="327" height="481" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 47.—BURNING OF MANDARINS AND HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS, -BY ORDER OF SHIH-KWANG-TI. (<i>Univers Pittoresque.</i>)</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[210]</a></span></p> - -<p>It was indeed fortunate that so many important -manuscripts were saved from the general holocaust -the sacrilegious Emperor had ordered, for had -the <i>Shu-King</i> been destroyed, it would have been -difficult to give any real account of the China of -the past. This most celebrated and authentic of -ancient books is supposed to have been begun about -the year 2266 <span class="smcap">B.C.</span>, in the reign of the great Yao, -brother of that King Ti-Ko, who introduced the -polygamy still practised in China. This book, or -rather collection of books, is to the Celestials what -the Bible is to the Jews, the Koran to the Mahomedans, -the Law-Book of Manu to the Hindus, -and the Gospel to Christians. It is the very fountain-head -of Chinese law, and not to be acquainted -with its contents is to be unworthy of holding any -place of trust in the Empire. Its authenticity is -absolutely established, for it is well known that -ever since the year 2637 <span class="smcap">B.C.</span> there has been a -historic Tribunal in Pekin, whose members are -chosen from amongst the most distinguished literati -of the whole Empire. Once appointed, these -scholars can never be removed from office, and it is -their duty to register daily everything of importance -that occurs in any town, including meteorological -and other natural phenomena, as well as -what may be called purely historical events, such -as the revolts, sieges, fires, and other misfortunes -to which humanity is subject.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[211]</a></span></p> - -<div class="sidenote">THE SHU-KING</div> - -<p>Father Amiot, a very cultivated and intelligent -French missionary, says on the subject of the sacred -books of the <i>Shu-King</i>: "The Chinese annals are -superior to the historical documents of every other -nation, because there is less fabulous matter in -them, and because they are more ancient ... and -more full of information of every kind ... They -are worthy of our fullest confidence, because the -epochs to which they refer are determined by -astronomical observations, and the accounts of the -events of all kinds which occur in those epochs -can be mutually checked, and are found, when -compared, to prove the good faith of the writers -who have transmitted them to us."</p> - -<p>They are indeed simply invaluable to the student, -forming as they do absolutely trustworthy guides -to their researches into the early history of China, -carrying it back for long centuries, or rather -sexagenaries, for, as already remarked, the Chinese -chronology reckons by sixties, not hundreds of -years. One incidental proof of their veracity is -the fact that their writers, when not fully informed, -have left gaps in their narratives instead of filling -them up as so many chroniclers would have done -with imaginary matter.</p> - -<p>They are moreover works of literature rather -than mere dry historical documents, and there is -no series of books in the whole world on which so -many able men have been employed as on the -sacred records of the Chinese nation.</p> - -<p>What tales the literati might have told in those -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[212]</a></span> -old days of their adventures on their way to the -capital to take up their work as chroniclers! Even -when I made the journey from Tien-tsin to Pekin, -before the opening of the railway, I had variety -enough, travelling now by boat, now in a palanquin, -now in a sedan-chair, and sometimes on horseback, -and things must have been far worse in those early -days of the beginning of history. One shudders -to think of what our own diplomatic agents must -have gone through when, after much difficulty, they -did at last obtain the coveted honour of representing -the Western powers in the chief city of the -Celestial Empire. They must have suffered horribly, -the more that their presence was thoroughly -unwelcome, and it was the delight of every petty -official to throw obstacles in their way. The old -literati, on the other hand, were treated with the -greatest respect, and except when they happened -to make some mistake in their astronomical calculations, -when their heads paid the forfeit, they lived -in considerable luxury.</p> - -<p>Pekin, though still not exactly the place -Europeans would choose to live in, is now comparatively -civilized, and in the spacious rooms of -the European ambassadors the foreign residents -dine, sup, and dance very much as they would in -the capitals of their own countries. Thanks to -the seclusion of the sedan-chairs, even ladies can -go about without attracting notice, or having to -pick their way through the ill-smelling rubbish -which still encumbers the streets. No traveller -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[213]</a></span> -in China with the slightest self-respect goes on -foot, and any foreigner who attempts walking lays -himself open to every insult. "A chair," says a -writer who knows China well, "is far more effective -than a passport," and the ambassadors and ambassadresses, -the secretaries of legation, the consuls -and their wives, employ large numbers of coolies -to carry them to and fro. There is something -truly wonderful in the way in which a mere -handful of Europeans live their own lives, following -their own customs, in the midst of a population -of three hundred thousand Tartars, Mongols, and -Manchus, not to speak of the four hundred thousand -Chinese citizens, and the hundred thousand soldiers -forming the garrison.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">THE PEKIN MARKETS</div> - -<p>Pekin now actually boasts of two bakers who -make bread of fine American flour, and are largely -patronized by the foreign residents; and in the -markets, the native cooks who cater for the -Embassies, find plenty of variety for the tables of -their employers at a very reasonable price, including -two kinds of pheasant, the grey and the red-legged -partridge. Wild geese and wild duck, the -hare, the boar, the antelope and the roebuck are -also all plentiful, and mutton can be had as tender -as that of Wales, Normandy, or the Ardennes.</p> - -<p>Not so very long ago, visitors to Pekin had to -go to wretched inns where they were far from -welcome, or to ask hospitality from the foreign -residents, but now there are two hotels where -travellers are as well treated as in the West. One, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[214]</a></span> -called the Hôtel Français, is kept by a jovial -Chinaman, who was at one time cook to an English -diplomatist; the other, called the German Hotel, -is managed by a burly native of Frankfort, who -reminds me of nothing so much as of a Heidelberg -tun. In these two inns the rooms are big, with -wide chimneys and good windows, so that really it -is possible to be quite comfortable in them, even -in winter, if one can avoid the streets, with their -deep mud or dust, as the case may be.</p> - -<div class="fig_center" style="width: 401px;"><a id="Fig_48"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig48.png" width="401" height="247" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 48.—A STREET IN PEKIN.</div> -</div> - -<p>It is to Pekin that thousands of students who -have already won the second degree of rank, as -literati, flock to compete for the distinction known -as the Tsen-Sze, which corresponds to some extent -with that of a doctor of law in England. The -scholar who comes out first in the examinations is -considered for the current year the most learned -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[215]</a></span> -man in all the eighteen provinces of China, and is -privileged to choose a post in the very highest -department of the Government.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">CHINESE EXAMINATIONS</div> - -<p>Out of the nine or ten hundred candidates who -are examined by the doctors of the Han-Lin College, -three hundred are selected, and again tested in the -presence of the Emperor. Then ten of these three -hundred are picked out to compete once more for -the coveted first grade, to win which is the -ambition of every literary man in China, for it is -equally open to all, though achieved by but few. -The ten who are considered worthy are subjected -to a very severe final test by a jury selected by the -Emperor himself. Their replies to the examination -questions are written out, richly bound, and placed -before the so-called Son of Heaven, who reads all -the manuscripts, and points out the three he -considers the best. The authors of these three are -raised to first rank, and are <i>féted</i> throughout the -capital for three days, marching round it, accompanied -by processions bearing flags, beating drums, -etc. Of the rest of the three hundred, some become -professors at the Han-Lin College, whilst others -receive appointments in various parts of the -country.</p> - -<p>The hall in which the examinations take place -has attached to it a number of very small cells, not -more than six feet long by three wide and five -high—an incidental proof of the average stature -of the Chinese—in one of which each candidate is -shut up alone, so that the judges maybe quite sure -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[216]</a></span> -his work is all his own. The aspirant to literary -honour is even searched to see that he has no -books or papers hidden in his robes. He is then -supplied with writing materials, and his replies to -the questions put to him are not signed, so there -is no fear of partiality on the part of the judges. -The only furniture of the examination cell is a -plank placed across it -about fifteen inches -above the ground to -serve as a seat, and a -little tablet fixed to the -wall to be used as a -desk. There is sometimes -such a run upon -the cells that a student -has to wait for days -before he can secure -one. Amongst the cells -named after the "Red -Dragon," the little room -is still shown in which -the fourth Emperor of the present dynasty worked -at certain of the usual examination papers with a -view to shedding lustre on the literary life. He had -the courage and perseverance to remain shut up in -complete seclusion for nine days; but he evidently -found the task he had set himself very arduous, -for, since his experiment, students have been allowed -to come out of their cells every three days to -breathe the outer air and stretch their limbs.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[217]</a></span></p> - -<div class="fig_center" style="width: 212px;"><a id="Fig_49"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig49.png" width="212" height="289" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 49.—NIGHT-WATCHMEN IN PEKIN.</div> -</div> - -<div class="sidenote">KUBLAI KHAN</div> - -<p>The two most interesting facts connected with -the history of Pekin are that it is one of the most -ancient cities of the world, occupying the site of -the capital of the old province of Yen, which is -known to have been in existence 1200 years before -the Christian era, and that it was made the seat -of government by Kublai Khan, the first Mongol -Emperor of China, grandson of the mighty conqueror -Genghis Khan. This Kublai Khan, though -a conqueror and of foreign race, so won the affections -of the Chinese that he was justly called the -Father of his people, and during his reign the -country enjoyed a prosperity never since equalled. -The native rulers who had preceded the Mongols -had been mere phantom sovereigns, the puppets -of their eunuchs and the women of their harems, -altogether oblivious of the great example set them -by the early monarchs of China.</p> - -<p>The warlike and highly civilized Mongols had -long since conquered all the districts north and -west of the great wall of China, and for years had -cast longing eyes at the fertile regions on the other -side of that artificial barrier, and when Kublai -Khan came to the throne, a mere child; the last -survivor of the Soong line was Emperor of China. -In this fact the Mongol ruler saw his opportunity, -and is said to have sent the following message to -the young prince: "Your family owes its rise to -the minority of the last Emperor of the preceding -dynasty, it is therefore just that you, a child, the -last remnant of the line of Soong, should give place -to another family."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[218]</a></span></p> - -<p>Whether this Mongol expression of the time-honoured -doctrine that might makes right ever -reached the ears of the infant prince or not, the -approach of the great Khan warriors so terrified -the Court, that the Emperor and the ministers took -refuge with him on the vessels in the harbour of -Canton. There they were followed by the Tartar -war-ships, and the terror they inspired was such -that the fugitives all flung themselves into the -sea, one of the chief grandees being the first to -jump overboard with the young Emperor in his -arms. More than one hundred soldiers and sailors -are supposed to have perished on this fatal day, -either from poison, by drowning, or at the hands -of the enemy.</p> - -<p>This terrible event took place in <span class="smcap">A.D.</span> 1280 or -1281, when Kublai Khan became sovereign of the -whole of China, and fixed his capital at what is -now Pekin, but was then called Khan-balegh, -or the capital of the Khan. He surrounded his -palace with a wall six leagues in circumference, -pierced by twelve gateways; the roofs of his -residence were very lofty and spacious, richly -decorated with gold and silver, and with paintings -representing birds, horses, dragons, and other -quaint symbolic animals. The roof of the palace -was gilded, and six thousand warriors could take -shelter in it at one time.</p> - -<p>Kublai Khan, who was as wise in statecraft as -in battle, took care not to interfere with the institutions -of his new subjects; all the officials who -submitted to him were allowed to retain their -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[219]</a></span> -posts, and the Chinese themselves were exempted -from military service. This of course concentrated -all the power in the hands of the Mongols, and did -more than anything else could have done to consolidate -the new dynasty, though the Celestials -themselves do not seem to have realized its full -significance. The new Emperor was visited at his -Court of Khan-balegh, or Cambalu, by Marco Polo, -that most venturesome traveller and astute observer, -whose account of his sojourn with the great -Mongol conqueror gives so vivid a picture of life -in China in the thirteenth century. Hospitably -received by the Khan, the Venetian dwelt much -in his book on the magnificence of his court, and -makes the sage and humorous remark: "Kublai, -who was the first to invent paper-money made -from the inner bark of the mulberry-tree, had -discovered the true philosopher's stone, for he could -create wealth at his own desire."</p> - -<div class="sidenote">THE GREAT CANAL</div> - -<p>A far greater boon than the introduction of paper -currency was the making of the great canal, which -rivals the celebrated wall in the skill of its construction, -and has been of far more lasting value -to the people of China than that monument of the -energy and presumption of Shih-Hwang-Ti. One -hundred and seventy thousand men were employed -in this useful enterprise, which was not completed -until after the death of its promoter. The wonderful -waterway, before it fell into disrepair, extended -from the capital to Hang-Chan in the province -of Che-kiang, and was more than three hundred -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[220]</a></span> -miles long. Marco Polo said of it: "He (Kublai -Khan) has caused a water communication to be -made in the shape of a wide and deep channel -dug between stream and stream, between lake and -lake, forming as -it were a great -river on which -large vessels can ply."</p> - -<div class="fig_left" style="width: 275px;"><a id="Fig_50"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig50.png" width="275" height="352" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 50.—A CHINESE GENERAL IN HIS WAR-CHARIOT.<br /> - -(<i>Univers Pittoresque.</i>)</div> -</div> - -<div class="sidenote">SAYINGS OF KUBLAI KHAN</div> - -<p>Various sayings of the wise -thinker and practical -worker, at -the head of the -newly conquered -country, have -come down to -us. Amongst these may be -quoted as specially significant, -the address made -by the Emperor to three great philosophers whom -he had summoned to his presence to aid him in -the difficult task of government, in preventing the -exodus of the inhabitants from the towns, and the -desertion of the country by the cultivators. "You -must help me," he said, "to make your fellow-countrymen -listen to reason; they look upon us -now as if we were bears or tigers; they are afraid -of us when we only wish to do them good. My -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[221]</a></span> -one desire is to make them happy under my rule, -and they will believe it if you tell them so. You, -Yao-Theu," he added, "I make general inspector -of the agricultural districts; travel about in them, -and manage to get them restored to their former -owners and cultivated as before; I give you full -authority to bring this about."</p> - -<p>"As for you, Hin-Heng and Teo-mo, I place the -people under your protection; watch over the -health and tranquillity of the artisans and workmen, -so that they labour as of yore, and that they look -forward to enjoying the fruits of their industry in -peace. Moreover, I give you full powers to re-open -schools wherever they used to be, or to build new -ones if you think it desirable; in a word, do all -that you think will promote the good of the public—I -approve in advance of everything you may -decide on."</p> - -<p>Long before the time of Richelieu, Kublai Khan -formed an academy, to which flocked scholars and -men of letters of every nationality. From India, -from Persia, and from beyond the Oxus they came, -as well as from the different countries of Europe, -attracted by the fame of the learning in the -Chinese capital. Marco Polo, who for three years -was governor of one of the southern provinces of -China, became a member of this academy, and -Hin-Heng, one of the philosophers alluded to -above, also belonged to it, excelling all his <i>confrères</i> -in the variety of his acquirements. Speaking of -him. Father Amiot says: "There was no science he -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[222]</a></span> -had not studied, and he succeeded in them all ... -he gave his attention to chronology, to history, and -to music. He was a geometrician and astronomer, -and he was one of the savants who worked at the -reform of the Chinese almanac ... he was well -versed in the ancient history of his nation, he -knew the laws and -customs of his native -land, and explained -them so clearly that -Kublai Khan entrusted to him the -drawing up of the -code for his dynasty. -To all this knowledge -he added that of the -Mongol language, in -which he composed -several excellent -works, not to speak -of the translations he -made of the best -Chinese books.... -He also made commentaries on the <i>Shu-King</i>, or -sacred books."</p> - -<div class="fig_left" style="width: 248px;"><a id="Fig_51"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig51.png" width="248" height="328" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 51.—PORCELAIN TOWER AT NANKING.</div> -</div> - -<p>Very vivid is the light thrown by these quotations -on the civilization of the capital of China -under the Mongol ruler, and, thanks once more to -Marco Polo, we are able to form a very accurate -idea of the personal appearance of Kublai Khan. -"The great Lord of lords," the celebrated traveller -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[223]</a></span> -tells us, "is of a good stature, neither little nor -big, but of medium height ... his limbs are well -formed ... his face is white, with cheeks like a -rose; his nose is well shaped and prominent." The -chronicler further tells us that Kublai Khan had -four wives, whom he treated exactly alike, and -that his eldest, no matter by which mother, would -succeed him when he died. According to other -authorities, one wife alone enjoyed the title of -Empress, and she had three hundred female slaves -to attend upon her.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">A DEGENERATE EMPEROR</div> - -<p>The founder alike of the Mongol, or, as it is -sometimes called, the Yuan dynasty, and of Pekin, -lived to the advanced age of eighty-three, and was -succeeded by his grandson Timur; but able as -that prince was, he was by no means equal to his -predecessor. Later members of the Tartar race, -who occupied the Chinese throne, did not follow -the example of the old Manchu rulers, so that the -wonderfully-organized government of Kublai Khan -gradually fell to pieces, and at the end of seventy-three -years yet another new dynasty supplanted -that which had appeared so firmly established. No -one can wonder at this who reads the stories told -of Shun-Ti, the ninth and last Mongol sovereign, -who, called to the supreme power at the early age -of thirteen, amused himself by watching the dancing -of sixteen young girls, called the sixteen -spirits, and wasted time and treasure in endeavouring -to pry into the future, with the aid of -soothsayers, whilst he neglected every duty he -owed to God and to his subjects.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[224]</a></span></p> - -<p>Marco Polo left a glowing description of the -Imperial Palace at Kambala, or Pekin, where, he -tells us, "twice five miles of fertile ground, with -walls and towers, were girdled round," and as late -as 1793, when Lord Macartney visited the city, he -found that it was still very much what it had been -in the thirteenth century. On the change of -dynasty, after the expulsion of Shun-Ti, the capital -was transferred to Nanking, but in 1421 Pekin -was restored to its old dignity, and its walls were -still further extended. In the following centuries -its fortunes fluctuated greatly, and it was not until -1860, when it was taken by the Anglo-French -forces, that it began to assume anything of its -present appearance. The central or inner city, -known as the Manchu, is divided into three parts: -the Purple Forbidden Town containing the imperial -residences; the Imperial or August City, with the -great temples, where the imperial family worship -their ancestors; and the general city, beyond which -again is the so-called Chinese town, consisting of -a net-work of lanes and alleys, with two wide -thoroughfares intersecting each other at right -angles.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">A REPRESENTATIVE CAPITAL</div> - -<p>The foreign legations are all grouped together -in the south-eastern corner of the August City, -and consist of Chinese palaces transformed into a -semblance of European houses. The French Legation -is the largest, though perhaps not the most -comfortable, and is situated in the centre of a very -fine park. After describing the imperial palaces, -the temples and pagodas of Pekin, and remarking -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[225]</a></span> -on the great uniformity of their style of architecture, -a modern writer, who knows the city well, -says: "The chief ornaments of the streets are the -fronts of the shops; large panels of carved wood, -sometimes gilded, frame the façades, the carvings -representing dragons, phœnixes, etc., the effect -being very decorative ... on the other hand, the -private houses, with their lofty walls and numerous -entrance courts, do nothing to contribute to the -beauty of the street." The modern Chinese are -ardent lovers of their homes, and the humblest -artisan lives alone, with his family, in the strictest -seclusion. "There is nothing," adds this true -observer, "to distinguish any one house from -another, and it is the same with the theatres and -opium dens; uniformity is the guiding principle in -everything, and even the priests of the various -missions have adopted the Chinese customs and -mode of plaiting the hair." The town of Pekin is, -in fact, unique in the power it seems to have of -making all who reside in it conform to one style. -It perfectly represents the country of which it is -the capital, with its intense hostility to innovation, -holding itself aloof from every other nation, ignoring -the very existence of the West for more than -twenty-five centuries, and only waking up to its -existence to despise it as the home of outer barbarians. -But of late years there has been change -in the very air even of Pekin; the opening of the -railway from it to Tien-tsin, two years ago, was -indeed a significant sign of the times, and the next -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[226]</a></span> -decade will doubtless witness the breaking down -of convention even in that stronghold of conservatism, -the Purple Forbidden City. Already -Tartar carts, Chinese chaises, blue and green sedan-chairs, -strings of camels, condemned prisoners -wearing the fatal cangue, Buddhist priests chanting -litanies, and even eunuchs of the Emperor himself, -in their black and yellow uniforms, are jostled by -riders on horseback or by carriages, but little -different from those in use in Paris and London. -The West has introduced the thin edge of the -wedge of its civilization into the inner citadel, -the time-honoured watchword of "China for the -Chinese" has lost its conjuring power, and the -attempt of the Empress Dowager to revive it can -but end in disaster for her and those she rules in -such an arbitrary and old-fashioned style.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[227]</a></span></p> - - - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XII" id="CHAPTER_XII"></a>CHAPTER XII</h2> - - -<p class="smaller">Fall of the Mongol dynasty—The son of a labourer chosen -Emperor—He founds the Ming dynasty—Choo becomes -Tae-tsoo, and rules with great wisdom—He dies and leaves -his kingdom to his grandson—Young-lo attacks and takes -Nanking—The young Emperor burnt to death—Young-lo -is proclaimed Emperor, and makes Pekin his capital—First -European visits China—Tartar chief usurps supreme power—Dies -soon after—Foundation of present dynasty—Accession -of Shun-Che—Chinese compelled to shave their heads—The -old style of coiffure in China—Care of the modern -pig-tail.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> fall of the Mongol dynasty and final -banishment of the last Emperor of that once -famous race was brought about by a young Chinese -bonze named Choo, the son of a labourer, who joined -the rebels when they rose against the foreign ruler. -A delicate boy unfit for out-door toil, he had been -placed by his father in a monastery to be educated, -but he early became tired of the inactive life, and -enlisted in the Imperial army as a common soldier. -He soon distinguished himself, and rapidly rose to -a position of high rank, when he married a widow -with a fortune, belonging to a family disaffected -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[228]</a></span> -towards the Government. Soon after the wedding -an insurrection broke out at Nanking, and thanks -to the influence of his bride the young Choo was -chosen leader. So great was his popularity that -thousands flocked to his standard, and after winning -several victories he led an army against -Pekin itself. The capital was taken, Shan-Ti -and his family driven into exile, and with one -accord the people proclaimed their beloved General -Choo Emperor. This was in 1366, and the Ming -dynasty founded by the labourer's son continued -to rule over China for three hundred years, when -it was superseded by that of the family to which -the present Emperor belongs.</p> - -<p>On his accession to the throne Choo took the -name of Tae-tsoo, and chose Nanking for his -capital, converting Pekin into a principality, which -he gave to one of his sons, who, in his turn, when -he came to the throne on his father's death, once -more made it the chief city of the Empire. The -new monarch, Young-lo by name, who had a very -able adviser in his wife, inaugurated his reign by -restoring many national institutions for which -Kublai Khan had substituted those of the Mongols, -and Chinese chroniclers tell us he won all hearts -by his consideration and moderation. No longer -were the chief offices of State held by military -men; mandarins were restored to their former -rank, and many important privileges were granted -to the famous Han-lin College. Whereas Kublai -Khan and his successors had encouraged Buddhism, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[229]</a></span> -and neglected the teachings of Confucius, Tae-tsoo -revived the study of the works of the Chinese -sage, forbade women to become priestesses of the -Hindu religion, and men to enter convents until -they were forty years of age, a truly salutary -reform, saving many able natives from wasting -the best years of their lives in miserable inactivity.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">A CHILD EMPEROR'S DEATH</div> - -<p>Speaking of Tae-tsoo, a Chinese historian says: -"Every man who knows how to turn circumstances -to account, to win a fortune and raise himself above -his fellows, must have some merit, but he who -from a state of absolute poverty succeeds in working -his way to the summit of human greatness, -taking his seat on the grandest throne in the -world, must indeed be of most extraordinary -superiority, worthy to represent Heaven itself as -ruler of the human race."</p> - -<p>This richly-endowed being did not, however, -escape misfortune; before the thirty-one years of -his reign were over his favourite son died, and he -appointed his grandson, a child of thirteen, to -succeed him. The young prince was duly elected -to the supreme power; but his uncle, Young-lo, -coveted the throne, marched an army to Pekin, -and though repulsed at first, was finally successful -through the treachery of some soldiers who opened -the gates of the capital to him. The palace was -set fire to, and the child emperor perished in the -flames.</p> - -<p>Young-lo was allowed to seat himself on the vacant -throne without much opposition; he removed -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[230]</a></span> -the capital to Pekin, and governed so well -that the crimes which had won him power were -forgotten. His reign was much disturbed by -invasions from the North, the restless Tartars -coveting the rich land from which they had been -driven out, and at the time it seemed likely that -the country would be conquered by them yet -again under their great chief Timur, or Tamerlane. -Most fortunately for the Celestials, he died on the -way to China at the head of his troops, and the -land was reprieved for a time at least.</p> - -<p>It was during the reign of the usurper Young-lo -that a European vessel flying a European flag, that -of Portugal, entered a Chinese port. A Portuguese -ship had sailed up the Canton river in 1516, and -in 1520 a Portuguese Embassy had penetrated to -the very gates of Pekin; but its leader, Perez, was -sent back a prisoner to Canton, and never heard -of again by his fellow-countrymen. He is said, -however, to have been beheaded. It was not until -the middle of the century that the Portuguese -really obtained any footing in the country, but at -that time they did succeed in establishing themselves -at Macao.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">EXPULSION OF LI-KONG</div> - -<p>The Ming dynasty was in its turn fated to be -overthrown by the restless and ambitious Tartars. -The last Emperor of Chinese birth, Whey-tsong, -ascended the throne in 1627, but the country was -so distracted by internecine feuds that he found -the task of government beyond his strength. He -committed suicide in his despair at hearing that -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[231]</a></span> -one of the insurgent leaders had entered Pekin -at the head of a large body of soldiers. That -leader, Li-Kong by name, had himself proclaimed -Emperor, but was only acknowledged by certain -provinces, whilst a Chinese general, Woosankwei, -made peace with the Manchu Tartars in the name -of the nation, calling upon them to aid in deposing -the usurper.. They agreed, all too glad to get -an entry into the coveted land they had invaded -so often. Li-Kong was expelled, but the Tartar -chief, instead of appointing a Chinese monarch, -kept the supreme power himself He was hailed -as a deliverer when he entered Pekin, and ordered -a grand ceremonial to be observed at his own -investiture as Emperor. The Nemesis in store for -all traitors was, however, waiting for him; he was -taken ill immediately afterwards and died in great -agony. Strange to say, his son, Shun-Che, a child -of six years old, was allowed to succeed him, and -thus in 1644 was founded the dynasty known as -the Manchu Tartar, or Ch'ing, which has endured -to the present day.</p> - -<div class="fig_center" style="width: 390px;"><a id="Fig_52"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig52.png" width="390" height="308" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 52.—MONOLITHS AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE TOMBS OF THE -MING EMPERORS.</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[232]</a></span></p> - -<div class="sidenote">ORIGIN OF THE PIG-TAIL</div> - -<p>The various provinces of the vast Celestial -Empire did not of course submit peacefully to -this usurpation, but Ama-van, the uncle of the -young monarch, who was appointed regent during -his minority, was a man of great ability, who -quelled every revolt as it arose. China still bears -the traces of the drastic measures employed to -restore peace to the distracted land, many a ruined -wall marking the site of a once populous town, -whilst other cities still standing are evidently but -half their original size. The guardian died when -his charge was only fourteen; still the young prince -had already learnt how to govern, and with a -wisdom beyond his years he managed to keep -the peace between his Tartar and Chinese subjects, -dividing honours and appointments equally -amongst members of the two races. It was during -the reign of this astute young sovereign that the -peculiar style of coiffure which is always looked -upon as distinctively Chinese, was first introduced, -and that as a sign of subjection to the Tartars. -Before the accession of Shun-Che the Celestials -had prided themselves on the luxuriance of their -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[233]</a></span> -dark masses of hair, and the issue of an edict -ordering all without distinction of age or rank to -have their heads shaved, but for one long tress -at the back to be plaited into a pig-tail, nearly -caused a fresh revolution. The penalty of noncompliance -was decapitation, and there were many -who chose that rather than the disgrace of submitting -to the hands of the barber. Still time, -the all-healer, has now reconciled the descendants -of the innovators to submit to what was originally -so detested a custom, and no Chinaman would -now feel happy without his pig-tail.</p> - -<div class="fig_center" style="width: 352px;"><a id="Fig_53"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig53.png" width="352" height="248" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 53.—CHINESE BRONZES. (<i>Univers Pittoresque.</i>)</div> -</div> - -<p>Writing of the Chinese before the hated edict -was promulgated, Father Alvarez Semedo says: -"Men and women alike let their hair, generally -black, grow to a great length, which is why the -name of the 'kingdom of the people with black -hair' is sometimes given to China. The natives," -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[234]</a></span> -adds this observer, "have little black eyes and -small noses; they think our big prominent noses -very ugly; the Chinese look upon them in fact -as a regular deformity. They grow very small -beards, and do not care for them to be thick, all -they are anxious about is that they should be -black, which is the most common colour; still they -do not object to red hair as the people of Thebes -used to do; they wear their hair long, and let it -grow just as nature makes it, never cutting it. -They give more attention to the arrangement of -their coiffure than any other nation of the world; -they would rather not have a single hair on their -chins than lose one from their polls."</p> - -<p>Now the care expended on their luxuriant locks -by the ancestors of the modern Chinese is generally -concentrated on the once-hated pig-tail; but in -the case of old men with grand-children, on long -moustaches, and what is known as the pointed -Imperial beard. It is very evident that when the -Portuguese father quoted above was in China, the -Celestials had never seen the English, whom they -call the red devils, on account of the auburn hair -of so many of them. Had they done so the author -would never have said, "They do not object to red -hair!"</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[235]</a></span></p> - - - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIII" id="CHAPTER_XIII"></a>CHAPTER XIII</h2> - - -<p class="smaller">The Founder of the Ch'ing dynasty—A broken-hearted -widower—The Louis XIV. of China—The Will of Kang-Hy—Young-t-Ching -appointed his successor—The character of -the new Emperor—Mission of Lord Macartney—He refuses -to perform the Ko-too, or nine prostrations;—Interview with -Young-t-Ching—Results of the Mission to England—Accession -of Kien-Long—He resolves to abdicate when he has -reigned sixty years—Accession of Taou-Kwang—The -beginning of the end—An adopted brother—War against -China declared by England—The Pekin Treaty—Prince -Hassan goes to visit Queen Victoria—The Regents and -Tung-Che—Foreign Ministers compel the young Emperor -to receive them.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">We</span> have already, in telling the story of missionary -effort in China, referred to the various Emperors -of the reigning dynasty who occupied the throne -in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, but a -few further details will be interesting, throwing as -they do a light upon the present state of politics -in China, where the Empire is tottering to its fall; -menaced by invaders, who, though they come -preaching peace, will eventually change the country -far more completely than did the fire and sword -of the Tartar hordes.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[236]</a></span></p> - -<p>The founder of the Ch'ing dynasty died at the -early age of twenty-four, of grief, it is said, for the -death of a favourite wife, whom he had fallen in -love with during her husband's life, and taken to -his palace in defiance of every law, human and -divine. Certain historians relate, that to pick a -quarrel with the rightful spouse of the object of -his passion, he gave him a box on the ears which -caused him to die of shame. However that may -be, the Empress died a few days later; and Shun -Che was so distraught with grief that he would -have committed suicide but for the restraint put -upon him by the eunuchs of his court. According -to the revolting custom then still in vogue, he had -thirty men strangled on the tomb of the dead -Empress to attend her in the other world. He -then shaved his head and made pilgrimages from -one pagoda to another, bewailing his many sins, -especially that of having loved his lost one with -too great a love, and pleading for forgiveness. -This penance over, he went back to his palace at -Pekin. But, says the chronicler, a little time afterwards -he called for his Imperial mantle, and -having named his son, Kang-Hy, then only eight -years old, his successor, he wrapt himself in it -and expired with the words, "I go to join my -ancestors."</p> - -<div class="sidenote">A JUST RULER</div> - -<p>Once more a boy-emperor was raised to the -Imperial throne; but that boy was no ordinary -child, and grew up to be one of the greatest -monarchs who ever ruled the Celestial Empire. -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[237]</a></span> -During his minority he was under the care of -four wise ministers, who, except for their cruelty -to the Christians, performed their difficult task -with skill and moderation. One of the very first -acts of the young monarch, when he took the reins -of government with his own hands, was to rescind -the measures against the Christians, placing their -religion on exactly the same standing as Buddhism, -and consulting the Jesuit fathers at every turn. -Many are the touching stories told of the way in -which Kang-Hy won all hearts, and some of them -read as if they had been culled from the Old -Testament. Take, for instance, the tale of the old -man, whom the Emperor in one of his royal -progresses found weeping by the wayside. Approaching -him, Kang-Hy asked the cause of his -grief: "My lord," was the reply, "my only son, -who was the joy of my life, has been taken from -me to serve the governor of the province, and -I have no one to comfort me in my old age, or -to mourn over my tomb." The Emperor went -straight to the Governor's palace, accompanied by -the complainant; and when the oppressor could -not deny the charge, Kang-Hy ordered him to be -beheaded. Then turning to the suppliant the -royal avenger thus addressed him: "To make -amends to you for the injury you have sustained, -I appoint you Governor in the room of him who -has proved himself so unworthy of that office."</p> - -<p>Missionaries to China were in the habit of calling -Kang-Hy the Louis XIV. of China. The -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[238]</a></span> -contemporary of the <i>grand monarque</i> of France, -there was really something in his long and -brilliant reign not unlike that of the king who -acquired an ascendency over his subjects resembling -that of an Asiatic autocrat. He knew, as -Louis did, how to turn everything to account for -the glory of his kingdom, and before his death -in 1792 he had so consolidated his power, that -but for the weakness of his successors China might -still rank as a leader of the Orient. In his will, -a quotation from which is given below, he proves -alike his literary ability, his care for the best -interests of his people, and the exalted view he -took of his own duties:</p> - -<div class="sidenote">PROCLAMATION OF KANG-HY</div> - -<p>"I, the Emperor," he says, "who honour Heaven, -and am charged with the government of the country, -I issue this edict, and I assert that amongst the -Emperors who have governed the Universe there -has not been one who has looked upon the doing -reverence to Heaven and imitating his ancestors as -essential duties. The true manner to venerate -Heaven is to treat those who are far away with -goodness, and to advance those who are near -according to their merit. This is to procure for -the people rest and abundance; it is to identify -one's own well-being with that of the Universe; -it is to preserve the State from dangers before -those dangers occur, and to foresee with wisdom -the disorders which might occur.</p> - -<p>"The princes who work on this plan from early -morning till evening, and are even thinking (of -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[239]</a></span> -their subjects) during their sleep, who are ceaselessly -forming designs, the effects of which will -be enduring and of wide influence for the public -good, these princes, I say, are not far from the -accomplishment of their duties.</p> - -<p>"I, Emperor, who am now seventy years old, -and have reigned for sixty of them, I owe -all my blessings to the invisible aid of Heaven -and earth, to that of my ancestors, and to that of -the God who presides over the Empire ... not to -my own feeble reason. According to history, more -than four thousand three hundred and fifty years -have elapsed since the reign of Hwang-Ti, and -during that great number of centuries there have -been three hundred and one Emperors, a few of -whom only have reigned as long as they might -have done.</p> - -<p>"After my elevation to the throne, when I -reached the twentieth year of my reign, I did not -dare to count on seeing the thirtieth, and arrived -at the thirtieth, I did not dare look forward to -the fortieth, yet now find myself in the sixtieth. -Happiness is said to consist in five things: long life, -wealth, tranquillity, love of virtue, and a peaceful -end. The last-named takes the highest rank -amongst these advantages, no doubt, because it -is so difficult to secure it. The age I now am -proves that I have lived a long time; as for my -wealth, I have owned all that is in the four seas. -I am a father, and have one hundred and fifty -sons and grandsons.... I have probably even -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[240]</a></span> -more daughters.... I leave the Empire in peace -... so that the happiness I enjoy may well be -called great.... If no accident befalls me, I shall -die content.</p> - -<p>"I have one more reflection to make. Although -I cannot claim that since I have been on the -throne I have changed all evil customs and reformed -the manners of all my people; although -I have not succeeded in securing abundance for -every family and the necessaries of life to every -individual, so that I cannot in these respects be -compared to the wise emperors of the first three -dynasties, I can assert that during my long reign -I have had no other aim than to preserve peace -for the whole Empire, to make my people content, -each one in his own sphere and profession; it is -to this I have! devoted assiduous care with incredible -ardour and ceaseless toil, which toil has -done much to exhaust the strength alike of my -body and of my spirit. Amongst my predecessors -there were some who reigned but a short time, and -historians turn this to account to censure them, -attributing their premature death to inordinate -love of wine and women.... This is quite a -regular rule, and they make a merit of raking up -stories against accomplished princes who were -really the least reprehensible of men."</p> - -<p>Kang-Hy then goes on to make an elaborate -justification of his predecessors, claiming that their -days were shortened by hard work and devotion -to duty; he singles out two or three of his own -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[241]</a></span> -ancestors for special praise, and wanders, as most -royal and imperial authors do, into numerous side-issues -before he returns to the subject of his own -life.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">A NAÃVE EULOGY</div> - -<p>"I, Emperor," he goes on to say, "applied -myself to the study of wisdom from infancy, and -have acquired a knowledge of ancient and modern -science." He adds that when in his full vigour, -he could shoot arrows some thirteen cubits long -from bows of huge span; that he knew all about -the handling of weapons, and had often appeared -at the head of his armies in person. He boasts, -moreover, that throughout his whole life he had -never put any one to death without cause; he had -also put down several revolts, and every enterprise -in which he had engaged had been conducted in -the most successful way by his genius alone.</p> - -<p>After thus as it were pronouncing his own -funeral oration, he proceeds to appoint his successor -in the following terms:</p> - -<p>"Young-t-Ching, my fourth son, is a man of rare -and valuable character. He greatly resembles me, -and I have no doubt he will be capable of bearing -the burden of his great inheritance. I ordain that -after my death he shall ascend the throne and take -possession of the Imperial dignity. In conformity -with custom, mourning shall be worn for me for -twenty-seven days only. Let this edict be published -at Court and in all the provinces, that no -one may be ignorant of its contents."</p> - -<p>The author of this naïve eulogy of his own -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[242]</a></span> -virtues died in 1722, having caught a chill whilst -hunting a leopard beyond the Great Wall. As -he would himself have wished, his last illness was -short; he would have said that his end was peace, -and that he had achieved the most difficult of the -five things which make up human happiness.</p> - -<div class="fig_center" style="width: 308px;"><a id="Fig_54"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig54.png" width="308" height="399" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 54.—PORTRAIT OF ONE OF THE CHINESE EMPERORS OF THE -CH'ING DYNASTY, PROBABLY KIEN-LONG.</div> -</div> - -<div class="sidenote">FIRST ENGLISH EMBASSY</div> - -<p>The reign of Young-t-Ching, who was duly installed -Emperor with all possible pomp after his -father's death, was not marked by any special -events, and but for his persecution of the Christians, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[243]</a></span> -the new monarch seems to have justified the high -opinion his predecessor had of him. He died in -1735, and was succeeded by his eldest son, Kien-Long, -during whose reign the Chinese Court was -visited for the first time by Englishmen, Lord -Macartney having been sent in 1792 at the head -of a mission to lay the grievances of English -merchants before the Emperor and demand redress. -This mission was of so much importance to the -future relations between the English Government -and the Celestial Empire, that some details are -given here.</p> - -<p>The Embassy was received at Tien-tsin with -courtesy, but with no special honour, for in those -days none of the officials had any idea that a -messenger from a foreign court would come to -their country, except to bring tribute and do -homage to the Son of Heaven. On the yachts -and junks which took the party up the Pei-ho -river were displayed flags bearing the legend, -"Ambassadors bearing tribute from the country -of England." In his account of the expedition, -Sir George Staunton, who edited Lord Macartney's -journals, says: "The approach of the embassy -was an event of which the report spread rapidly -... crowds of men assembled on the banks ... -while the females, as shy as they were cautious, -looked through gates or peeped over walls to enjoy -the sight. A few indeed of the ancient dames -almost dipped their feet into the river to get a -nearer peep."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[244]</a></span></p> - -<p>It was at Zhehol, about fifty miles north of the -Great Wall, where the Emperor had a summer -palace, that he consented to receive the ambassador, -who was lodged, whilst waiting for the final arrangements -to be made, at Yuen-min-Yuen, about seven -miles from the capital. A serious hitch occurred -in the absolute refusal of Lord Macartney to perform -what is known as the ko-too, an act of -homage always exacted from a vassal by his liege -lord, consisting of nine prostrations at his feet. -To have yielded would have been to recognize -Kien-Long as the superior of the King of Great -Britain, and to Lord Macartney's firmness on this -occasion is due all the later success of his fellow-countrymen -in the Celestial Empire. Finding him -resolute, the President of the Board of Rites and -the other great mandarins who had waited upon -him, finally consented to a compromise, and the -English party, escorted by a guard of Tartars, -made their way to Zhehol, where, to quote the -words of the ambassador, he saw "King Solomon -in all his glory," being received by him in the -presence of all the princes of the Imperial family, -the great officers of State, the Mongol chiefs, etc., -with all courtesy. "The hall of audience," we are -told, "was a magnificent tent in the park, supported -by gilded pillars, at the upper end of which was -placed a throne under a canopy raised several steps -from the ground.... The Emperor was carried -in a palanquin by sixteen bearers, his approach -announced by the sound of gongs and trumpets -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[245]</a></span> -... he was plainly dressed in a robe of brown -silk, with no ornaments but one large pearl in the -front of his black velvet cap."</p> - -<p>The ambassador, who merely bent one knee in -presenting his credentials, was very graciously -greeted by the venerable monarch, and when -presents had been exchanged, etc., a sumptuous -meal was served to the accompaniment of a band -of music. The visitors passed a week at Zhehol, -and witnessed the festivities in honour of their -host's birthday; they were then politely informed -that it was time for them to go, and that an answer -would be sent to them at Canton to the letter from -their King. They were escorted to that sea-port -by land and river through the five chief provinces -of China, the journey occupying ten weeks, and -were greatly struck with the high cultivation of the -country and with its teeming population. The -promised answer from the Emperor was duly -received, and though it did not accede to all the -requests made in that of George III., much was -gained by the mission, for the trade with England -was placed on a far better footing than before.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">A REMARKABLE VOW</div> - -<p>On his accession to the throne, Kien-Long made -the remarkable vow "that should he be permitted -... to complete the sixtieth year of his reign, he -would show his gratitude to Heaven by resigning -the crown to his heir as an acknowledgment that -he had been favoured to the full extent of his -wishes." The year after Lord Macartney's visit -the allotted period was reached, and the Emperor -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[246]</a></span> -abdicated in favour of his youngest son, who took -the name of Kea-King, and was duly accepted -by the Celestials. Kien-Long retained the title of -Supreme Emperor until his death at the age of -eighty-eight, but he meddled no more in affairs -of State, though he continued to aid those who -were in distress, winning the name of the Father -of his people. He was especially good to the -poorer literati, and himself produced several books -of high excellence.</p> - -<p>Kea-King was, alas! a very different ruler from -his father, who had chosen him out of all his -children on account of his supposed talent. He -had none of the dignity which had characterized -the other monarchs of the Manchu dynasty, and -chose his friends from amongst the lowest and -most depraved of his subjects, taking them with -him, it is said, even into the sacred precincts of -the Temples when he went to offer sacrifices as the -Son of Heaven. It was during the reign of this -unworthy scion of a noble house that Lord -Amherst was sent to Pekin on a mission similar -to that of Lord Macartney. He was not, however, -able to see the Emperor, and he and his companions -were very rudely treated by the Tartar -nobles. The English, on their return home, gave -a very far from flattering account of the so-called -Celestial court, where they said the whip was -largely in use to keep even the great dignitaries in -order. The Chinese were then, as they still are, -ruled by the whip and the bamboo, for, says a -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[247]</a></span> -writer who knew the country well, "The viceroy -bamboos the mandarins, the mandarins bamboo -their inferior officers, and these ... bamboo the -common people; the husband bamboos the wife, the -father the son, even when the latter is of mature -age."</p> - -<p>Before his death Kea-King, who lived to the -age of sixty-one, in spite of his excesses, in his turn -issued a will in the form of an edict, which contains -several interesting passages throwing considerable -light on the physical difficulties the authorities have -to contend with in the Celestial Empire, as well as -on the manners and customs of the people. In it -the dying monarch mourns over the devastations -caused by "China's sorrow," the Yellow River, -and enumerates the measures he had taken to -check its ravages. He pronounced, as was usual, -an eulogy on his own conduct, and appointed his -second son Taou-Kwang his successor.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">'THE GLORY OF REASON'</div> - -<p>The name of the new ruler signified the Glory of -Reason, and he ascended the throne in 1820. He -justified his father's choice by doing all in his -power to atone for the mischief done by the -weakness and vices of his predecessor, but the -chiefs of the unruly Tartar tribes had so got the -upper hand that they were beyond his control; -one insurrection followed another, and when after -making concession after concession, peace was at -last restored to the distracted country, a far more -formidable enemy had to be contended with from -without. The long series of petty quarrels between -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[248]</a></span> -the English and Celestials on questions of trade -culminated in the war already more than once -referred to, which lasted for many years, and -resulted in the final breaking through of Chinese -isolation, and the throwing open of five ports to -European trade.</p> - -<p>It was the beginning of the end; the first -step towards that partition of China which is now -being so rapidly effected. Heart-broken at the -destruction of all his hopes, Taou-Kwang never -held his head up again after the signing of the -Treaty of Nanking in 1842. The death of his -adopted mother soon afterwards, it is said, hastened -his end, and he died in 1851 after a reign of -thirty years, during which he had known no peace -or comfort.</p> - -<div class="fig_right" style="width: 264px;"><a id="Fig_55"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig55.png" width="264" height="383" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 55.—ONE OF THE REGENTS DURING THE MINORITY -OF TUNG-CHE.</div> -</div> - -<p>His fourth son, Yih-Choo, was chosen as his -successor, and he took the name of Hien-Fung, -signifying universal plenty, but the title turned out -a terrible misnomer, for the new Emperor inherited -his father's feeble sensual character, and he had -not long been on the throne before the Tai-Ping -rebellion broke out. The leader, an able man who -had been converted to Christianity, all but succeeded -in turning out the Manchu dynasty and inaugurating -a new one, with himself as Emperor, under -the title of Teen-Wang, or the Heavenly King. -To add to the difficulties of Hien-Fung, the -English declared war against him in 1857, on -account of an outrage on British sailors. The -French took part in the campaign, as the allies of -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[249]</a></span> -the British, and after a struggle lasting three years -Pekin itself was entered. Peace was eventually -made, on terms very greatly to the advantage of -the English, and yet another blow was struck at -Chinese prestige by the Treaty of Pekin, signed -in 1860. The Tai-Ping -rebellion was -crushed with the -aid of Major Gordon, -who afterwards -became so -celebrated as the -Hero of Khartoum, -but the Celestials -lost more -than they gained, -and since then the -occupant of the -throne of the once -powerful Empire -has been a mere -cipher.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">THE REGENTS AND TUNG-CHE</div> - -<p>Hien-Fung died -in 1861, leaving his -enfeebled throne to his infant son, Tung-Che, then -only five years old. The government was carried -on for him by the so-called Regents, two of the late -Emperor's wives, one the legitimate Empress, the -other the secondary consort, who did their best to -consolidate his power, and seem to have ruled -with considerable wisdom and moderation. -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[250]</a></span> -Rebellion was still, however, rife in the important -province of Yunnan, a Mohammedan prince, named -Suleiman, still defying the Imperial authority. -This leader even sent his son Hassan to England -in 1872, to try and obtain the recognition of his -father by Queen Victoria. Needless to add, he -was not successful, the British Government having -already espoused the cause of the young Emperor.</p> - -<p>In 1893, the Regents resigned their delegated -authority into the hands of Tung-Che, now seventeen -years old, but he only reigned two years before -he died of small-pox, leaving no children, although -he is said to have had two legitimate wives and -sixty-nine concubines. His brief term of office -was marked by one special event full of significance -for foreigners: the various ministers accredited -to Pekin, but hitherto not received at the Palace, -succeeded in forcing the young monarch to see -them in the very stronghold of conservatism.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[251]</a></span></p> - - - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIV" id="CHAPTER_XIV"></a>CHAPTER XIV</h2> - - -<p class="smaller">A child of four chosen Emperor—The power of the -Empress Dowager—The Palace feud—The Palace at Pekin—A -Frenchman's interview with the Emperor—The -Emperor's person held sacred—Coming of age of the -Emperor—An enlightened proclamation—Reception of the -foreign ministers in 1889—Education of the young monarch—He -goes to do homage at the tombs of his ancestors—A -wife is chosen for him—His secondary wives—China, the -battle-ground of the future—Railway concessions.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">On</span> the death of the Emperor Tung-Che, there -was for the first time for three hundred years no -direct heir to the throne of China, and it being -the law of the country that the heir must be -younger than the person he inherits from, the -choice fell upon the infant son of one of Tung-Che's -brothers, the Prince of Chun, seventh son -of Taou-Kwang, who still occupies the throne, if -throne it can be called, when the monarch is -a mere prisoner in the hands of the Dowager -Empress, compelled to amuse himself in his enforced -seclusion as best he can, and spending much -of his time in training pets, such as goats and -monkeys. The ambitious title of Kwang-Sen, or -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[252]</a></span> -the "Succession of Glory," was bestowed upon -the little fellow of four years old, who has, alas! -found his reign rather a succession of misfortunes -of every kind than one redounding either to his -own glory or that of his people. Once more the -unfortunate country has had to suffer all the evils -of a long minority, the real power being in the -hands of an unscrupulous woman, who yields the -sceptre of state with a hand of iron, keeping the -"Son of Heaven" in complete subjection. "For -many years," says the astute observer, Archibald -Colquhoun, in his <i>China in Transformation</i>, "the -politics of Pekin have been swayed by a bitter -Palace feud; the young Emperor and his party on -one side, and the Empress Dowager on the other. -Of a passionate nature and an imperious will, -inspired by purely selfish considerations, the late -Regent continues to dominate and even to terrorize -the Emperor, who is of feeble physique, and incapable -of wielding the power which belongs to him."</p> - -<p>He is a mere puppet in the hands of those who -ought to obey him, and his name is not associated -with a single act of policy worthy of the ruler -of a great Empire. Li-Hung-Chang, the courtier, -more than once already referred to, is the chief -agent of the Dowager Empress, and to these two -was due the disgraceful abandonment of the war -with Japan—which the Emperor himself wished to -carry on to the bitter end—and the signing of the -ignominious treaty in 1895. It is just possible that -should the Empress Dowager die before him—and -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">[253]</a></span> -she is an old woman now—the Emperor Kwang-Sen -may yet take the reins of government into his -own hands, but with pretty well every European -nation clamouring for a slice of his dominions, -he will indeed be a wonderful man if he succeeds -in leaving any semblance of power to his successor.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">THE EMPEROR'S APARTMENTS</div> - -<p>This unfortunate occupant of a doomed throne -has spent most of his life at Pekin in the great -Palace of his ancestors, his apartments being -situated in the centre of the multitudinous buildings, -not far from those set apart for the use of -the real ruler, the Dowager Empress. The space -the Palace occupies is so vast that ministers on -their way to the Council Chamber have more than -half a mile to walk after entering the precincts. -Audience is only given by the Emperor at the -early hours, four, five, or six in the morning, and -certain high functionaries have the privilege accorded -them of being carried to the reception-hall -in sedan-chairs. Many an important personage, -rejoicing in all manner of high-sounding titles, has -however been compelled to remain waiting all -night in gala costume in some ante-room, for the -early morning interview, and foreigners complain -bitterly of the discomforts they still have to endure -before they are allowed to come face to face either -with the real or the nominal head of the State.</p> - -<p>A friend of mine, connected with the French -Embassy, told me that on one of the very rare -occasions when he and some of his colleagues -succeeded in obtaining an interview with the Son -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[254]</a></span> -of Heaven, the time fixed for the audience was -at four o'clock a.m. He was conducted by a -chamberlain to a room in which a few candles -were burning on a table covered with a yellow -cloth. On the other side of this table opposite to -him was the Emperor, with a screen of a delicate -jonquil-yellow colour on either side. Behind one -of these screens knelt Prince Kung, and behind the -other the Empress.</p> - -<p>Obeying a sign from the chamberlain, the -visitors saluted the Emperor, but without performing -the ko-too, from which Lord Macartney -saved all foreigners by his firm attitude in 1793, -and my friend, as he rose up after his respectful -obeisance, could not resist just raising his eyes to -have a good look at the Son of Heaven, who was -at that moment yawning enough to dislocate his -jaws. For this presumption the <i>attaché</i> was immediately -rebuked by the chamberlain, who ordered -him to keep his eyes fixed on the ground until the -end of the interview.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">THE EMPEROR'S BED</div> - -<p>The Emperor's apartments consist of seven -spacious rooms, in each of which is a k'ang or -divan, such as is in use everywhere in the north -of China, covered with red felt of native manufacture, -and provided with cushions adorned with -gold embroidery, representing the symbolic dragon -and phœnix. On the floors of the royal domain -are beautiful European carpets of various kinds, -and numerous tables, what-nots, etc., are crowded -with objects of art, such as porcelain and pottery, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[255]</a></span> -mostly produced in China, though of late years -some foreign products have figured amongst them.</p> - -<p>The Son of Heaven sleeps in a big bed made -at Ningpo, richly decorated with gold and ivory, -the very same as that used by his illustrious -ancestor Kang-Hy. He is treated by the eight -eunuchs in attendance on his person with as much -reverence as was the great founder of the now -weakened dynasty, and as are the Lamas in the -convents on the lofty plateaux of Thibet and -Mongolia, where the modified form of Buddhism -known as Lamaism is practised.</p> - -<div class="fig_center" style="width: 400px;"><a id="Fig_56"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig56.png" width="400" height="269" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 56.—A CHINESE SEDAN-CHAIR AND BEARERS.</div> -</div> - -<p>The person of the Emperor is held so sacred -that neither iron nor steel is ever allowed to touch -him, which of course makes it impossible for him -to receive surgical aid should he be suffering from -any of the diseases requiring the use of the knife. -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[256]</a></span> -Fortunately he was vaccinated when an infant in -the cradle, before those in charge of him had any -suspicion of the great destiny in store for him. -The story goes that a doctor who proposed to -save the life of a Chinese Emperor by bleeding -him, nearly lost his own head as a punishment. -The same superstition prevails in Corea, where one -of the kings died in the eighteenth century, when -he might have been saved if he, or rather those -about him, could have been induced to allow a -lancet to be used on his sacred person.</p> - -<p>The young Emperor was declared of age in 1889, -and he was at once informed that the foreign -ministers would be glad to be allowed to pay their -respects to him on this auspicious occasion. To -their great surprise consent to their reception was -given not very long afterwards, that consent being -published in the <i>Pekin Gazette</i> in the following -year in terms most flattering to all concerned. -After the usual preamble the Emperor was made -to say:</p> - -<div class="sidenote">AN IMPORTANT INTERVIEW</div> - -<p>"The ministers of the various powers residing -in Pekin have abundantly shown their loyal desire -to maintain peaceful relations and international -friendship. This I cordially recognize, and I rejoice -in it.... It is also hereby decreed that a -day be fixed every year for an audience; ... on -the next day the foreign ministers are to be -received at a banquet at the Foreign Office. The -same is to be done every year in the first month, -and the rule will be the same on each occasion..." -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[257]</a></span> -The remainder of the proclamation was couched -in equally courteous terms, presenting a very -marked contrast to the grudging, indeed almost -insolent, assent given by previous Emperors to -any request for an audience by the representatives -of the European powers. When the interview -took place, moreover, the various ministers were -admitted to the presence of their host one by one, -instead of all together as on previous occasions, -whilst the <i>attachés</i>, etc., were received collectively -later. The Emperor was seated on a raised -platform at the end of the vast reception-hall, -with Prince Ching, President of the Foreign -Board, kneeling on one side. As each minister -came up to the platform making three bows on -the way, he was introduced by the Prince, who -took from him the letters of credence and placed -them on a table near the Son of Heaven, who, -after bowing an acknowledgment, made a long -speech to the Prince, who listened to it on his -knees. The reply completed, he rose, and with -uplifted arms went down into the body of the -hall, where he repeated to the foreign interpreter -the following speech:</p> - -<p>"We desire to convey to all the ministers, <i>chargés -d'affaires</i>, and secretaries, who have presented congratulations -to us, that we truly appreciate, and -are very pleased with all their kind expressions, -and we sincerely wish that their respective sovereigns -may this year have all things according to -their hearts' desire, and that their happiness and -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[258]</a></span> -prosperity may increase. We also hope that you -ministers will stay long in China in the full enjoyment -of health, and that friendly relations between -China and foreign countries will never cease."</p> - -<p>Surely nothing could be more courteous and -conciliatory than the behaviour of the young -Emperor on this important occasion, and but for -the terrible war with Japan, which so soon afterwards -shook his throne to its foundations, he -might perhaps have won a real alliance with some -Western power, which would have saved him from -the partition of his Empire, from which there is -now no hope of escape.</p> - -<p>On the coming of age of the Son of Heaven, his -mother, the Princess of Chun, was raised to the -rank of Empress, but his father, the Prince, received -no accession of dignity. Both parents, when admitted -to the presence of their august son, kneel -to him and treat him as a being altogether superior -to themselves. Still young, Kwang-Sen is fond of -riding, shooting with the bow-and-arrow, and skating. -His day is rigidly portioned out, and he has -little real liberty. When he was a child his teachers -approached him on their knees, and were only -allowed to sit in his presence when he gave them -permission. He had to work at the Chinese and -Manchu languages for an hour and a half every -day, and is really extremely well-educated, though, -fortunately for foreigners, he is anything but fond -of the mandarins or literati, who would gladly -poison his mind against everything European. At -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">[259]</a></span> -regular intervals he goes to do homage at the -tombs of his ancestors, as do all of high or low -degree in China, and on these solemn occasions -he is accompanied by the Empresses and a suite -of no less than thirty thousand persons, including -princes, nobles, mandarins, apparitors, lictors, -banner-bearers, porters, etc. Long before dawn -on the day of the ceremony the main road is -strewn with fine sand, and decorated with white -and blue velvet flags, whilst at regular intervals -tables are set up covered with yellow drapery, and -bearing the inscription, <i>Ya Tao</i>, signifying the -Imperial road, words full of terrible significance to -the Chinese, for they mean that all on pain of death -should keep out of the way of the Son of Heaven.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">STRINGENT MEASURES OF PRECAUTION</div> - -<p>The most stringent measures are taken even in -the capital to protect the sovereign from the gaze -of the profane. Not only are all the inhabitants -compelled to close the doors of their houses when -he is about to pass, but no one is allowed to climb -on the walls of the town, lest from them they -should catch even a glimpse of the Imperial procession. -Nor is it only reverence for the sacred -person which leads to all these precautions: there -is the danger that some evil-minded person might -attempt to take the life of the Emperor by firing -at him from a distance with one of those awful -engines of destruction, the range of which even -now seems so extraordinary to the Celestials, in -spite of their recent experiences in the war with -the Japanese. The Chinese police forbid even -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">[260]</a></span> -European women to show themselves on the day of -the procession, lest the sovereign should see them, -for the myrmidons of the law, accustomed to the -strict seclusion of the female sex in their native land, -believe that those who enjoy a liberty such as that -of the wives and daughters of the diplomatists, to -be capable of any -crime even against -the venerated Son -of Heaven.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">SECONDARY WIVES IN CHINA</div> - -<div class="fig_left" style="width: 255px;"><a id="Fig_57"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig57.png" width="255" height="339" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 57.—A BONZE TORTURING HIMSELF IN A TEMPLE, AFTER A -CHINESE PAINTING.<br /> - -(<i>Univers Pittoresque.</i>)</div> -</div> - -<p>A wife was of -course chosen for -Kwang-Sen as soon -as he attained his -majority, and the -lady selected for the -difficult position of -Empress was the -daughter of an official -of the province -of Che-kiang, who -was, it is said, as -good and as well -educated as she was beautiful. Truly it must have -been an immense change in her life to be raised -from her humble position as the child of a mere -nobody, to be placed on the throne of the most -populous Empire of the world, and the way in -which she has fulfilled her high destiny is very -differently judged by the few who really know -anything of Palace life in China. Her influence -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">[261]</a></span> -has not of course been as paramount as it would -have been in a country where monogamy was -practised. Very soon after she became a bride, -various supplementary beauties were chosen to -fill the royal harem, and the so-called lotus flowers, -tea-blossoms, etc., were all equally irreproachable -in manners and morals from the Chinese point of -view. The number of left-handed marriages permitted -in China is illimitable, and where there is -money enough to support them, a man often has -as many as three hundred secondary wives.</p> - -<p>As a matter of course there is none of the fierce -jealousy in the Celestial Empire such as is aroused -on the mere suspicion of a rival in the virtuous -bosom of a European wife. Other countries, other -manners; and in China wives and concubines live -peacefully enough under one roof, with no more -friction than is seen amongst the hens in a poultry-yard. -Time alone can show what will be the -eventual outcome of the life now being lived in -the Imperial Palace of Pekin, for time alone can -sift the truth from the many conflicting rumours -which reach the outer world. One thing alone is -certain, China will be the battle-ground of the -future, and the yellow peril, about which so much has -been prophesied, will assume many an unexpected -form before the century just about to begin in its -turn nears its close.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">[262]</a></span></p> - - - - -<h2><a name="CONCLUSION" id="CONCLUSION"></a>CONCLUSION</h2> - - -<p><span class="smcap">When</span> every month brings some change in the -political position in China, and the daily press is -full of more or less contradictory rumours as to -what is going on at Pekin, it is impossible to -come to any real decision on the many vexed -questions under discussion. One great fact, however, -emerges distinctly from out of the chaos of -conflicting data, and that is, that it will be Russia, -with her wonderful faculty for working steadily -onwards towards a definite aim, who will secure -the lion's share in the spoliation of the Celestials, -whilst her Trans-Siberian railway, which already -pays its way, creating trade wherever it passes, and -in another four years will connect St. Petersburg -with Port Arthur, will be one of the most important -factors in changing the course of the commerce of -the world.</p> - -<p>Shut in as she is on the East by the English -in Burmah and the French in Cochin-China, -threatened on the West by the Germans and the -Japanese, and dominated on the north by Russia, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">[263]</a></span> -the Celestial Empire finds herself compelled to -awake from her long stupor, and to arouse herself to -action of some kind. With no real army, no longer -an efficient fleet, however, what can she do? She -can only choose what seems to her the least of -the evils hemming her in on every side, and elect -from among the many competitors for the post, -the protector best able to save her not only from -her outside enemies, but from herself.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">IMPORTANCE OF RUSSIA</div> - -<p>As has been very aptly said, Russia is of all the -Western Powers the most imbued with Oriental -ideas, and she combines, with the energy and -ambition of a first-rate power of the future, a -sympathy with the Celestials altogether wanting -to France, Germany, or Great Britain. There -is, in fact, an actual affinity of race between the -Chinese and the inhabitants of the northern steppes, -and there is therefore far more hope of real -amalgamation between them than there can be -in any other case. The English, the French, the -Germans, the Italians, if they win the concessions -they are now in their turn clamouring for, will -always be aliens in the districts they acquire, and -there will never, to use a homely but expressive -phrase, be any love lost between them and the -natives.</p> - -<p>Li-Hung-Chang, one of the most enlightened -statesmen who have ever arisen in China, came -to Europe in 1896 with a view to ascertaining by -personal observation, which of the western nations -would be likely to be the best friend for his -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">[264]</a></span> -distracted country, in the enfeebled condition to -which the war with Japan had reduced her. He -saw quickly enough that it would not be England, -nor Germany, nor France, but that it would be -Russia. It was therefore with Russia that a treaty -was eventually made, and ratified in 1897; this -treaty, in addition to other privileges, giving to the -great northern power. Port Arthur, with the right -of making it a coaling station, and in case of -war of concentrating troops in its harbour. "The -Russians and the Chinese," said Mitchie, writing -more than thirty years ago, "are peculiarly suited -to each other ... the Russians meet the Chinese -as Greek meets Greek ... they understand each -other's character thoroughly, because they are so -closely alike." Recent events have proved how -true was the insight of this astute observer, and it -is evident that whilst the other Powers will have -to content themselves with their various spheres -of influence, Russia alone will obtain real political -control of the Celestial Empire as a whole. There -remains now no hope that the disintegrating forces -at work in the once powerful nation will be -arrested from within, in spite of the fact that again -and again China has risen in the past from -apparent dissolution into a greater nation than -before, absorbing her conquerors and converting -them into patriots, ready to dare all for their -adopted country. The saving force must now come -from without, and when once more there is a strong -hand directed by a strong brain at the head of -affairs, the resources of the unhappy land will be -found to be practically inexhaustible. With a prolific -soil, vast mineral wealth, and a teachable -population, there is indeed no limit to what China, -which has been called the India of the future, may -become.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">[265]</a></span></p> - -<div class="fig_center" style="width: 703px;"><a id="Fig_58"></a><br /> -<img src="images/fig58.png" width="703" height="448" alt="" /> -<div class="fig_caption">FIG. 58.—THE TOWN AND BRIDGE OF FUCHAM.</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">[266]</a></span></p> - -<p>In the imminent partition of China into spheres -of influence, should that partition finally supersede -the more generous policy of the opening of the -whole country on equal terms to the trade of all -the European nations, the Yang-tse basin, with -its populous towns of Nanking, Hankow, Fuchan, -and others, will be the field of action of Great -Britain; whilst Shantung, a rich sea-bound province, -will be that of Germany; and the French, who -already occupy Tonking on the south, will obtain -concessions in the neighbouring districts. On -every side railways are now being projected, and -the probability is that ere the century just about -to open has run half its course, the whole of -China will be intersected by them.</p> - -<p>In the Blue Book on Chinese affairs, issued on -the 14th March of the current year (1899), the -following significant statistics of the railway concessions -granted to foreigners in the Celestial -Empire are given, showing that Great Britain is -more than equal to Russia in the actual amount -of mileage secured, whilst Germany, France, Belgium, -and America have among them less than -Great Britain alone:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">[267]</a></span></p> - -<div class="sidenote">TELEGRAPHS IN CHINA</div> - -<table summary="telegraphs"> -<tr> - <td>British</td> - <td>railways</td> - <td class="tdr">2,800</td> - <td>miles</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>Russian</td> - <td class="tdc">"</td> - <td class="tdr">1,530</td> - <td class="tdc">"</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>German</td> - <td class="tdc">"</td> - <td class="tdr">720</td> - <td class="tdc">"</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>Belgian</td> - <td class="tdc">"</td> - <td class="tdr">650</td> - <td class="tdc">"</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>French</td> - <td class="tdc">"</td> - <td class="tdr">420</td> - <td class="tdc">"</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td>American</td> - <td class="tdc">"</td> - <td class="tdr">300</td> - <td class="tdc">"</td> -</tr> -</table> - -<p>More important still, as breaking up finally the -isolation on which China has prided herself for -so many centuries, is the fact that already pretty -well all the important towns of the vast Empire -are connected by telegraph with each other, and -with the outside world. The search-light of publicity -is in fact turned full upon the land once so -fraught with mystery, and before long there will -be no hidden thing connected with either court -or country which will not be revealed to the -inquisitive gaze of all the world.</p> - - -<p class="pmt2 pmb4 tdc">THE END</p> - - -<p class="tdc">Richard Clay & Sons, Limited,</p> - -<p class="tdc">London & Bungay.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_ia" id="Page_ia">[ia]</a></span></p> - -<p class="caption3nb"><span class="smcap">In One Volume, Small 4TO.</span></p> - -<p class="tdc"><i>PRICE HALF-A-GUINEA.</i></p> - - -<p class="caption2nb"><i>Women Novelists of -Queen Victoria's Reign</i></p> - -<p class="tdc">A BOOK OF APPRECIATIONS.</p> - -<table summary="list"> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">THE SISTERS BRONTË</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">By Mrs. Oliphant.</span></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">GEORGE ELIOT</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">By Mrs. Lynn Linton.</span></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">MRS. 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EDWARDS</td> - <td rowspan="2"><img src="images/bracer_36.png" width="11" height="36" alt="}" /></td> - <td class="tdl" rowspan="2"><span class="smcap">By Mrs. Macquoid.</span></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">JULIA KAVANAGH</td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">MRS. NORTON</td> - <td></td> - <td class="tdl"><span class="smcap">By Mrs. Alexander.</span></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">"A. L. O. E." (MISS TUCKER)</td> - <td rowspan="2"><img src="images/bracer_36.png" width="11" height="36" alt="}" /></td> - <td class="tdl" rowspan="2"><span class="smcap">By Mrs. Marshall.</span></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="tdl">"AUNT JUDY" (MRS. EWING)</td> -</tr> -</table> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="pmt2 tdc">HURST AND BLACKETT, Limited,</p> - -<p class="pmb2 tdc">13, GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET, LONDON, W.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_iia" id="Page_iia">[iia]</a></span></p> - -<p class="caption3nb"><span class="smcap">New Work by H. D. Traill.</span><br /> - -<span class="smaller"><i>IN ONE VOLUME, CROWN 8vo. PRICE 6s.</i></span></p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption2nb"><i>The New Fiction<br /> -<span class="smaller">and Other Essays on Literary Subjects</span></i></p> - -<p class="caption3nb"><span class="smcap">By</span> H. D. TRAILL</p> - -<p class="tdc"><span class="vsmall smcap">Author of "The New Lucian," "The Life of Sir John Franklin," etc.</span></p> - -<p class="pmt2 tdc">SUBJECTS:—</p> - -<p class="p0 ind2em"> -THE NEW FICTION.<br /> -THE POLITICAL NOVEL.<br /> -THE POLITICS OF LITERATURE;—<span class="smcap">A Dialogue</span>.<br /> -MATTHEW ARNOLD.<br /> -SAMUEL RICHARDSON.<br /> -THE NOVEL OF MANNERS.<br /> -NEWSPAPERS AND ENGLISH;—<span class="smcap">A Dialogue</span>.<br /> -LUCIAN.<br /> -THE REVOLUTION IN GRUB STREET;—<span class="smcap">A Boswellian Fragment</span>.<br /> -THE PROVINCIAL LETTERS.<br /> -THE FUTURE OF HUMOUR.<br /> -</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="pmt2 tdc">HURST AND BLACKETT, Limited,</p> - -<p class="pmb2 tdc">13, GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET, LONDON, W.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_iiia" id="Page_iiia">[iiia]</a></span></p> - -<p class="tdc">WORKS BY</p> - -<p class="caption2nb">GEORGE MAC DONALD, LL.D.</p> - -<p class="tdc"><i>Each in One Volume, Frontispiece, and Uniformly Bound, Pries 5s.</i></p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">ALEC FORBES OF HOWGLEN.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"No account of this story would give any idea of the profound interest that pervades -the work from the first page to the last."—<i>Athenæum</i>.</p> - -<p>"A novel of uncommon merit Sir Walter Scott said he would advise no man to try -to read 'Clarissa Harlowe' out loud in company if he wished to keep his character for -manly superiority to tears. We fancy a good many hardened old novel-readers will feel -a rising in the throat as they follow the fortunes of Alec and Annie."—<i>Pall Mall Gazette</i>.</p> - -<p>"The whole story is one of surpassing excellence and beauty."—<i>Daily News</i>.</p> - -<p>"This book is full of good thought and good writing. Dr. Mac Donald looks in his stories -more to the souls of men and women than to their social outside. He reads life and -Nature like a true poet."—<i>Examiner</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">ROBERT FALCONER.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"'Robert Falconer' is a work brimful of life and humour and of the deepest human -interest. It is a work to be returned to again and again for the deep and searching -knowledge it evinces of human thoughts and feelings."—<i>Athenæum</i>.</p> - -<p>"This story abounds in exquisite specimens of the word-painting in which Dr. Mac -Donald excels, charming transcripts of Nature, full of lights air, and colour."—<i>Saturday -Review</i>.</p> - -<p>"This noble story displays to the best advantage all the powers of Dr. Mac Donald's -genius."—<i>Illustrated London News</i>.</p> - -<p>"'Robert Falconer' the noblest work of fiction that Dr. Mac Donald has yet -produced."—<i>British Quarterly Review</i>.</p> - -<p>"The dialogues in 'Robert Falconer' are so finely blended with humour and pathos as -to make them in themselves an intellectual treat to which the reader returns again and -again."—<i>Spectator</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">DAVID ELGINBROD.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"A novel which is the work of a man of genius. It will attract the highest class of -readers."—<i>Times</i>.</p> - -<p>"There are many beautiful passages and descriptions in this book. The characters are -extremely well drawn."—<i>Athenæum</i>.</p> - -<p>"A clever novel The incidents are exciting and the interest is maintained to the -close It may be doubted if Sir Walter Scott himself ever painted a Scotch fireside with -more truth than Dr. Mac Donald."—<i>Morning Post</i>.</p> - -<p>"David Elginbrod is the finest character we have met in fiction for many a day. The -descriptions of natural scenery are vivid, truthful, and artistic; the general reflections are -those of a refined, thoughtful, and poetical philosopher, and the whole moral atmosphere -of the book is lofty, pure, and invigorating."—<i>Globe</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">SIR GIBBIE.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"'Sir Gibbie' is a book of genius."—<i>Pall Mall Gazette</i>.</p> - -<p>"This book has power, pathos, and humour. There is not a character which Is not -life-like. There are many powerful scenes, and the portraits will stay long in our -memory."—<i>Athenæum</i>.</p> - -<p>"'Sir Gibbie' is unquestionably a book of genius. It abounds in humour, pathos, -insight into character, and happy touches of description."—<i>Graphic</i>.</p> - -<p>"'Sir Gibbie' contains some of the most charming writing the author has yet produced."—<i>Scotsman</i>.</p> - -<p>"'Sir Gibbie' is one of the most touching and beautiful stories that has been written -for many years. It is not a novel to be idly read and laid aside; it is a grand work, to be -kept near at hand, and studied and thought over."—<i>Morning Post</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="pmt2 tdc">HURST AND BLACKETT, Limited,</p> - -<p class="pmb2 tdc">13, GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET, LONDON, W.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_iva" id="Page_iva">[iva]</a></span></p> - -<p class="tdc">WORKS BY THE AUTHOR OF</p> - -<p class="caption2nb">'SAM SLICK, THE CLOCKMAKER.'</p> - -<p class="tdc"><i>Each in One Volume, Frontispiece, and Uniformly Bound, Price 5s.</i></p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">NATURE AND HUMAN NATURE.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"We enjoy our old friend's company with unabated relish. This work is a rattling -miscellany of sharp sayings, stories, and hard hits. It is full of fun and fancy."—<i>Athenæum</i>.</p> - -<p>"Since Sam's first work he has written nothing so fresh, racy, and genuinely humorous -as this. Every line of it tells in some way or other—instructively, satirically, jocosely, or -wittily. Admiration of Sam's mature talents, and laughter at his droll yarns, constantly -alternate as with unhalting avidity we peruse the work. The Clockmaker proves himself -the fastest time-killer a-going."—<i>Observer</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">WISE SAWS AND MODERN INSTANCES.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"This delightful book will be the most popular, as beyond doubt it is the best, of all the -author's admirable works."—<i>Standard</i>.</p> - -<p>"The book before us will be read and laughed over. Its quaint and racy dialect will -please some readers—its abundance of yarns will amuse others. There is something to -suit readers of every humour."—<i>Athenæum</i>.</p> - -<p>"The humour of Sam Slick is inexhaustible. He is ever and everywhere a welcome -visitor; smiles greet his approach, and wit and wisdom hang upon his tongue. We promise -our readers a great treat from the perusal of these 'Wise Saws,' which contain a -world of practical wisdom, and a treasury of the richest fun."—<i>Morning Post</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">THE OLD JUDGE; OR, LIFE IN A COLONY.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"By common consent this work is regarded as one of the raciest, truest to life, most -humorous, and most interesting works which have proceeded from the prolific pen of its -author. We all know what shrewdness of observation, what power of graphic description, -what natural resources of drollery, and what a happy method of hitting off the -broader characteristics of the life he reviews, belong to Judge Haliburton. We have all -those qualities here; but they are balanced by a serious literary purpose, and are employed -in the communication of information respecting certain phases of colonial experience -which impart to the work an element of sober utility."—<i>Sunday Times</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">TRAITS OF AMERICAN HUMOUR.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"No man has done more than the facetious Judge Haliburton through the mouth of the -inimitable 'Sam' to make the old parent country recognise and appreciate her queer -transatlantic progeny. His present collection of comic stories and laughable traits is a -budget of fun, full of rich specimens of American humour."—<i>Globe</i>.</p> - -<p>"Yankeeism, portrayed in its raciest aspect, constitutes the contents of these superlatively -entertaining sketches. The work embraces the most varied topics—political parties, -religious eccentricities, the flights of literature, and the absurdities of pretenders to learning -all come in for their share of satire; while we have specimens of genuine American -exaggerations and graphic pictures of social and domestic life as it is. The work will -have a wide circulation."—<i>John Bull</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">THE AMERICANS AT HOME.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"In this highly entertaining work we are treated to another cargo of capital stories -from the inexhaustible store of our Yankee friend. In the volume before us he dishes up, -with his accustomed humour and terseness of style, a vast number of tales, none more -entertaining than another, and all of them graphically illustrative of the ways and manners -of brother Jonathan. The anomalies of American law, the extraordinary adventures -incident to life in the backwoods, and, above all, the peculiarities of American society, are -variously, powerfully, and for the most part amusingly exemplified."—<i>John Bull</i>.</p> - -<p>"In the picturesque delineation of character, and the felicitous portraiture of national -features, no writer equals Judge Haliburton, and the subjects embraced in the present -delightful book call forth, in new and vigorous exercise, his peculiar powers. 'The -Americans at Home' will not be less popular than any of his previous works."—<i>Post</i>.</p></div> - - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="pmt2 tdc">HURST AND BLACKETT, Limited,</p> - -<p class="pmb2 tdc">13, GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET, LONDON, W.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_va" id="Page_va">[va]</a></span></p> - -<table summary="advert"> -<tr> - <td><img src="images/box_ul.png" width="45" height="44" alt="" /></td> - <td><hr style="width: 100%" /></td> - <td><img src="images/box_ur.png" width="45" height="44" alt="" /></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="bdl"> </td> - <td><p class="pmt4 pmb2 caption2nb">HURST AND BLACKETT'S</p> - <p class="tdc pmb4">THREE-AND-SIXPENNY SERIES.</p> - <hr class="chap" /> - <p class="tdc"><i>To be had at all Booksellers and Railway Book-stalls</i></p> - <hr class="chap pmb4" /> - <p class="pmb2 tdc"><span class="smaller">LONDON:</span><br /> - HURST AND BLACKETT, LIMITED,<br /> - <span class="smaller">13, GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET</span></p></td> - <td class="bdr2"> </td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td><img src="images/box_ll.png" width="45" height="44" alt="" /></td> - <td><hr style="width: 100%" /></td> - <td><img src="images/box_lr.png" width="45" height="44" alt="" /></td> -</tr> - -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_via" id="Page_via">[via]</a></span></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_viia" id="Page_viia">[viia]</a></span></p> - -<p class="tdc"><i>Each in One Volume, Crown Octavo, 3s. 6d.</i></p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">THE AWAKENING OF MARY FENWICK.</p> - -<p class="caption4nb">By <span class="smcap">Beatrice Whitby</span>.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"We have no hesitation in declaring that 'The Awakening of Mary Fenwick' is the -best novel of its kind that we have seen for some years. It is apparently a first effort, -and, as such, is really remarkable. The story is extremely simple. Mary Mauser marries -her husband for external, and perhaps rather inadequate, reasons, and then discovers -that he married her because she was an heiress. She feels the indignity acutely, and -does not scruple to tell him her opinion—her very candid opinion—of his behaviour. That -is the effect of the first few chapters, and the rest of Miss Whitby's book is devoted to -relating how this divided couple hated, quarrelled, and finally fell in love with one another. -Mary Fenwick and her husband live and move and make us believe in them in a way -which few but the great masters of fiction have been able to compass."—<i>Athenæum</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">TWO ENGLISH GIRLS.</p> - -<p class="caption4nb">By <span class="smcap">Mabel Hart</span>.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"This story is distinguished by its pure and elegant English, and the refinement of its -style and thought. It is a lively account, with many touches of humour, of Art study in -Florence, and the story weaved into it exhibits a high ideal of life ... The lively, pleasant, -and refined tone of the narrative and dialogue will recommend the story to all -cultivated renders."—<i>Spectator</i>.</p> - -<p>"Beatrice Hamlyn is an emancipated young woman of the most pleasing type, and her -friend Evelyn is hardly less amiable. But the cleverness of Miss Hart's story lies in the -simple yet effective portrait of the Italian character. The elder Vivaldi is presented to us -in a way that shows both knowledge and sympathy. There are pleasing touches of -humour, too, in the minor personages."—<i>Saturday Review</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">HIS LITTLE MOTHER, AND OTHER TALES.</p> - -<p class="caption4nb">By the Author of '<span class="smcap">John Halifax, Gentleman</span>.'</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"'His Little Mother' is the story of a sister's self-sacrifice from her childhood until her -early death, worn out in her brother's and his children's service. It is a pathetic story -as the author tells it The beauty of the girl's devotion is described with many tender -touches, and the question of short-sighted though loving foolishness is kept in the background. -The volume is written in a pleasant informal manner, and contains many tender -generous thoughts and not a few practical ones. It is a book that will be read with interest, -and that cannot be lightly forgotten."—<i>St. James's Gazette</i>.</p> - -<p>"The book is written with all Mrs. Craik's grace of style, the chief charm of which -after all, is its simplicity."—<i>Glasgow Herald</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">MISTRESS BEATRICE COPE:</p> - -<p class="caption4nb"><span class="smcap">Or</span>, PASSAGES IN THE LIFE OF A JACOBITE'S DAUGHTER.</p> - -<p class="caption4nb">By <span class="smcap">M. E. Le Clerc</span>.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"This is a new one-volume edition of one of the prettiest stories that has been written -for a long time. It has all the charm and glamour of the most romantic and heroic period -of English history yet it never for an instant oversteps the limit of sober fact and probability -in the way which mars, so many romantic stories. The tone of the book is absolutely -fair and just, and so good qualities of both parties are done justice to. Not that -politics as such do more than form a background for the sweet figure of Mistress Beatrice, -one of the simplest, most charming, tender, and heroic maidens of fiction. It is a good -story well and dramatically told, which gives a life-like picture of the end of the most -stirring and heroic period of our national history."—<i>Queen</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="pmt2 tdc">HURST AND BLACKETT, Limited,</p> - -<p class="pmb2 tdc">13, GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET, LONDON, W.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_viiia" id="Page_viiia">[viiia]</a></span></p> - -<p class="tdc"><i>Each in One Volume, Crown Octavo, 3s. 6d.</i></p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">A MARCH IN THE RANKS.</p> - -<p class="caption4nb">By <span class="smcap">Jessie Fothergill</span>.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"Ever since Mies Jessie Fothergill wrote her admirable first novel, 'The First Violin,' -one has looked forward to her succeeding books with interest. The present one is a -pleasant book, well-written, well-conceived. A book that is written in good sensible -English, and wherein the characters are mostly gentlefolk and 'behave as sich,' is not to -be met with every day, and consequently deserves a considerable meed or praise."—<i>World</i>.</p> - -<p>"The characters are so brightly and vividly conceived, and the complications which go -to make up the story are so natural, so inevitable, and yet so fresh, that the interest -awakened by the opening of the tale never declines until the close, but rather, as is fitting, -becomes richer and deeper."—<i>Academy</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">NINETTE.</p> - -<p class="caption4nb">By the Author of '<span class="smcap">Vera</span>,' '<span class="smcap">Blue Roses</span>,' Etc.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"A story of sustained power from beginning to end, it is put together according to the -true principles of art; moreover, we congratulate the author upon her hero and heroine. -Ninette, in her simple untaught rectitude of conduct, her innate modesty, and child-like -faith, recalls some of the happiest touches in the Lucia of the immortal 'Promessi Sposi.'"—<i>Church -Quarterly Review</i>.</p> - -<p>"'Ninette' is something more than a novel; it is a careful and elaborate study of life -among the Provençal hills, and, as such, deserves special attention. It is a pretty tale of -true love, with its usual accompaniments of difficulty and trouble, which are all overcome -in the long run."—<i>Library World</i>.</p> - -<p>"'Ninette' is evidently based on long and intimate acquaintance with French rural -districts, is excellently written, and cannot fail to please."—<i>Scotsman</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">A CROOKED PATH.</p> - -<p class="caption4nb">By <span class="smcap">Mrs. Alexander</span>.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"'A Crooked Path' is, to say the least, as good a novel as the best of the many good -novels which Mrs. Alexander has written; indeed, most people, even those who remember -'The Wooing O't.' will consider it the most satisfactory of them all, as a piece of literary -work, as well as the most interesting as a story. Starting from a point so common as the -suppression of a will, the reader before long finds himself following her into the least -expected yet the most natural developments, reaching poetical justice at the end by equally -natural and equally unlooked-for means. The portraiture is invariably adequate, and the -background well-filled."—<i>Graphic</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">ONE REASON WHY.</p> - -<p class="caption4nb">By <span class="smcap">Beatrice Whitby</span>.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"Our old friend the governess makes a re-entry into fiction under the auspices of Beatrice -Whitby in 'One Reason Why.' Readers generally, however, will take a great deal -more interest, for once, in the children than in their instructress. 'Bay' and 'Ellie' are -charmingly natural additions to the children of novel-land; so much so, that there is a -period when one dreads a death-bed scene for one of them—a fear which is happily unfulfilled. -The name of the authoress will be remembered by many in conjunction with -'The Awakening of Mary Fenwick.'"—<i>Graphic</i>.</p> - -<p>"Every page of 'One Reason Why' shows the mark of a fresh, vigorous mind. The -style is good—in some parts excellent. It is clear, expressive, and often rhythmic."—<i>Scotsman</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="pmt2 tdc">HURST AND BLACKETT, Limited,</p> - -<p class="pmb2 tdc">13, GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET, LONDON, W.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_ixa" id="Page_ixa">[ixa]</a></span></p> - -<p class="tdc"><i>Each in One Volume, Crown Octavo, 3s. 6d.</i></p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">MAHME NOUSIE.</p> - -<p class="caption4nb">By <span class="smcap">G. Manville Fenn</span>.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"Mr. Manville Fenn has the gift of not only seeing truth, but of drawing it picturesquely. -His portrait of Mahme Nousie is faithful as well as touching. Like all her race -she is a being of one idea, and that idea is her child. To keep her away from the island, -to have her brought up as a lady, it is for this that Nousie has opened a cabaret for the -negroes and has sat at the receipt of custom herself. Of course she never once thinks of -the shock that the girl must undergo when she is plunged suddenly into such a position, -she never thinks about anything but the fact that she is to have her child again. Her -gradual awakening, and the struggles of both mother and daughter to hide their pain, are -finely told. So is the story of how they both remained 'faithful unto death.' History has -a power to charm which is often lacking in tales of higher pretensions."—<i>Saturday Review</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">THE IDES OF MARCH.</p> - -<p class="caption4nb">By <span class="smcap">G. M. Robins</span>.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"'The Idea of March' is a capital book. The plot does not depend for its interest upon -anything more fantastic than an old gentleman's belief that a family curse will take effect -unless his son marries by a given date. The complications which arise from this son's -being really in love with a girl whom he believes to have treated his friend, Captain Disney, -vary badly, and getting engaged to another girl, who transfers her affections to the -same Captain Disney, are skilfully worked out, while the dialogue is, in parts, extremely -bright, and the description of the founding of the Norchester branch of the Women's -Sanitary League really funny."—<i>Literary World</i>.</p> - -<p>"'The Idea of March,' in spite of its classical name, is a story of the present time, and -a very good one, full of lively conversation, which carries us merrily on, and not without -a fund of deeper feeling and higher principal."—<i>Guardian</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">PART OF THE PROPERTY.</p> - -<p class="caption4nb">By <span class="smcap">Beatrice Whitby</span>.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"The book is a thoroughly good one. The theme is fairly familiar—the rebellion of a -spirited girl against a match which has been arranged for her without her knowledge or -consent; her resentment at being treated, not as a woman with, a heart and will, but as -'part of the property'; and her final discovery, which is led up to with real dramatic skill, -that the thing against which her whole nature had risen in revolt has become the one -desire of her heart. The mutual relations each to each of the impetuous Hedge, her self-willed, -stubborn grandfather, who has arranged the match, and her lover Jocelyn, with -his loyal, devoted, sweetly-balanced nature, are portrayed with fine truth of insight; but -perhaps the author's greatest triumph is the portrait of Mrs. Lindsay, who, with the -knowledge of the terrible skeleton in the cupboard of her apparently happy home, wears -so bravely the mask of light gaiety as to deceive everybody but the one man who knows -her secret. It is refreshing to read a novel in which there is not a trace of slipshod work."</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">CASPAR BROOKE'S DAUGHTER.</p> - -<p class="caption4nb">By <span class="smcap">Adeline Sergeant</span>.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"'Caspar Brooke's Daughter' is as good as other stories from the same hand—perhaps -better, it is not of the sort that has much really marked originality or force of style, yet -there is a good deal of clever treatment in it It was quite on the cards that Caspar himself -might prove a bore or a prig or something else equally annoying. His daughter, too—the -fair and innocent convent-bred girl—would in some hands have been really tedious. -The difficulties of the leading situation—a daughter obliged to pass from one parent to -another on account of their 'incompatibility'—are cleverly conveyed. The wife's as well -as the husband's part is treated with feeling and reticence—qualities which towards the -end disappear to a certain extent. It is a story in some ways—not in all—above the -average."—<i>Athenæum</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="pmt2 tdc">HURST AND BLACKETT, Limited,</p> - -<p class="pmb2 tdc">13, GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET, LONDON, W.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xa" id="Page_xa">[xa]</a></span></p> - -<p class="tdc"><i>Each in One Volume, Crown Octavo, 3s. 6d.</i></p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">JANET.</p> - -<p class="caption4nb">By <span class="smcap">Mrs. Oliphant</span>.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"'Janet' is one of the ablest of the author's recent novels; perhaps the ablest book of -the kind that she has produced since the Carlingford series; and its ability is all the more -striking because, while the character material is so simple, it is made to yield, without -any forced manipulation, a product of story which is rich in strong dramatic -situations."—<i>Manchester Examiner</i>.</p> - -<p>"Mrs. Oliphant's hand has lost none of its cunning, despite her extraordinary—and, one -would think, exhausting—industry. 'Janet' may fairly rank among the best of her recent -productions."—<i>St. James's Gazette</i>.</p> - -<p>"'Janet' is really an exciting story, and contains a great deal more plot and incident -than has been the case in any of Mrs. Oliphant's recent novels. The character sketches -are worthy of their authorship."—<i>Queen</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">A RAINBOW AT NIGHT.</p> - -<p class="caption4nb">By the Author of '<span class="smcap">Mistress Beatrice Cope</span>.'</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"In common, we should imagine, with a large circle of novel-readers, we have been -rather impatiently looking forward to the time when M. E. Le Clerc, the author of 'Mistress -Beatrice Cope,' would produce a successor to that singularly interesting and charming -tale. 'A Rainbow at Night,' though it certainly lacks the romantic and dramatic -character, combined with the flavour of a fascinating period, which gave special distinction -to its forerunner, has no trace of falling off in the essential matters of construction, -portraiture, and style."—<i>Graphic</i>.</p> - -<p>"Thanks to an interesting plot and a graphic as well as refined manner, 'A Rainbow at -Night,' when once commenced, will not readily be laid aside."—<i>Morning Post</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">IN THE SUNTIME OF HER YOUTH.</p> - -<p class="caption4nb">By <span class="smcap">Beatrice Whitby</span>.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"A description of a home stripped by the cold wind of poverty of all its comforts, but -which remains home still. The careless optimism of the head of the family would be incredible, -if we did not know how men exist full of responsibilities yet free from solicitudes, -and who tread with a jaunty step the very verge of ruin; his inconsolable widow -would be equally improbable, if we did not meet every day with women who devote themselves -to such idols or clay. The characters of their charming children, whose penury we -deplore do not deteriorate, as often happens in that cruel ordeal. A sense of fairness -pervades the book which is rarely found in the work of a lady. There is interest in it -from first to last, and its pathos is relieved by touches of true humour."—<i>Illustrated -London News</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">MISS BOUVERIE.</p> - -<p class="caption4nb">By <span class="smcap">Mrs. Molesworth</span>.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"Mrs. Molesworth has long established a reputation as one of the freshest and most -graceful of contemporaneous writers of light fiction; but in 'Miss Bouverie' she has surpassed -herself, and it is no exaggeration to say that this is one of the prettiest stories which -as appeared for years."—<i>Morning Post</i>.</p> - -<p>"Everyone knows Mrs. Molesworth by her exquisite Christmas stories for children, and -can guess that any novel she writes is interesting, without sensationalism. The refinement -which pervades all Mrs. Molesworth's stories comes evidently from a pure, spiritual -nature, which unconsciously raises the reader's tone of thought, without any approach to -didactic writing."—<i>Spectator</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="pmt2 tdc">HURST AND BLACKETT, Limited,</p> - -<p class="pmb2 tdc">13, GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET, LONDON, W.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xia" id="Page_xia">[xia]</a></span></p> - -<p class="tdc"><i>Each in One Volume, Crown Octavo, 3s. 6d.</i></p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">FROM HARVEST TO HAYTIME.</p> - -<p class="caption4nb">By the Author of '<span class="smcap">Two English Girls</span>.'</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"The accomplished author of 'Two English Girls' has produced another novel of considerable -merit. The story is one of a rural district in England, into which there introduces -himself one day a foot-sore, hungry, sick tramp, who turns out to be a young man -of education and consideration, whose career in the past is strange, and whose career in -the future the author has depicted as stranger still. The writer is successful chiefly in the -excellent life-like pictures which she presents of Rose Purley, the young lady who manages -the farm, and of the village doctor, Gabriel Armstrong. The book is one which may -be read with pleasure."—<i>Scotsman</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">THE WINNING OF MAY.</p> - -<p class="caption4nb">By the Author of '<span class="smcap">Dr. Edith Romney</span>.'</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"It is the writing of one who is determined, by dint of conscientious and painstaking -work; to win success from that portion of the public that does not look for the brilliant -achievements of genius, but can recognise meritorious work. The tale is an agreeable -one, and the character of Mr. Beresford is admirably drawn, showing considerable insight -and understanding. The author has a steady mastery over the story she wishes -to tell, and she tells it clearly and eloquently, without hesitation and without prolixity. -The book has this merit—the first merit of a novel—that the reader is interested in the -people rather than the plot, and that he watches the development of character rather -than that of event."—<i>Literary World</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">SIR ANTHONY.</p> - -<p class="caption4nb">By <span class="smcap">Adeline Sergeant</span>.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"Sir Anthony introduces two mysterious children, Henry and Elfrida, into his house, and -compels his wife, whom he dislikes, to protect and virtually adopt them. In due course -he tells these children, in his own vigorous Anglo-Saxon, 'You two are my eldest son -and daughter, lawfully begotten of my wife, once Mary Derrick, and known afterwards -as Mary Paston. You will be Sir Henry Kesterton when I die, and Elfrida is heiress -to her grandmother's money and jewels.' Lady Kesterton overheard this terrible -statement. He repeats it in a still more offensive form. Thereupon she gives him an -overdose of chloral and fights desperately, and with temporary success, for what she -regards as the rights of her children, but especially of her son Gerard. Failure overtakes -her, and Elfrida, though not poor Henry, comes by her own. The plot is good and -thoroughly sustained from first to last."—<i>Academy</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">THUNDERBOLT.</p> - -<p class="caption4nb">By the Rev. J. Middleton Macdonald.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"'Thunderbolt' is an Australian rival of Claude Duval and Mr. Macdonald records his -daring feats with unflagging verve. Never was police officer more defied nor bewildered -than the Major Devereux, of brilliant Indian reputation, who, in the Australian bush, -finds that to catch a robber of Thunderbolt's temperament and ability requires local -knowledge as well as other gifts undreamt-of by the Hussar officer. Thunderbolt goes -to races under the Major's nose, dances in the houses of his friends, robs Her Majesty's -mails and diverse banks, but conducts himself with (on occasion) the chivalrous courtesy -that characterised his prototype. His tragical end is told with spirit, while the book -has excellent descriptions of Australian life, both in town and country."—<i>Morning Post</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="pmt2 tdc">HURST AND BLACKETT, Limited,</p> - -<p class="pmb2 tdc">13, GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET, LONDON, W.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xiia" id="Page_xiia">[xiia]</a></span></p> - -<p class="tdc"><i>Each in One Volume, Crown Octavo, 3s. 6d.</i></p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">MARY FENWICK'S DAUGHTER.</p> - -<p class="caption4nb">By <span class="smcap">Beatrice Whitby</span>.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"This is one of the most delightful novels we have read for a long time. 'Bab' Fenwick -is an 'out of doors' kind of girl, full of spirit, wit, go, and sin, both original and -acquired. Her lover, Jack, is all that a hero should be, and great and magnanimous as -he is, finds some difficulty in forgiving the <i>insouciante</i> mistress all her little sins of omission -and commission. When she finally shoots him in the leg—by accident—the real -tragedy of the story begins. The whole is admirable, if a little long."—<i>Black and White</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">ROBERT CARROLL.</p> - -<p class="caption4nb">By the Author of '<span class="smcap">Mistress Beatrice Cope</span>.'</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"M. E. Le Clerc devotes herself to historic fiction, and her success is sufficient to justify -her in the occasional production of stories like 'Mistress Beatrice Cope' and 'Robert Carroll.' -Beatrice Cope was a Jacobite's daughter, so far as memory serves, and Robert Carroll -was the son of a Jacobite baronet, who played and lost his stake at Preston, fighting for the -Old Pretender. Of course the hero loved a maiden whose father was a loyal servant of -King George, and, almost equally of course, one of this maiden's brothers was a Jacobite. -A second brother, by the way, appears as a lad of sixteen in the spring of 1714, and as a -wounded colonel of cavalry on the morrow of the fight at Preston, less than two years -later—rapid promotion even for those days, though certainly not impossible. The author -has taken pains to be accurate in her references to the events of the time, and her blend -of fact and fiction is romantic enough."—<i>Athenæum</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">THE HUSBAND OF ONE WIFE.</p> - -<p class="caption4nb">By the Author of '<span class="smcap">Some Married Fellows</span>.'</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"It is a comfort to turn from the slipshod English and the tiresome slang of many -modern novels to the easy and cultured style of 'The Husband of One Wife,' and we have -been thoroughly interested in the story, as well as pleased with the manner in which it is -told. As for Mrs. Goldenour, afterwards Mrs. Garfoyle, afterwards Mrs. Pengelley, she is -certainly one of the most attractive as well as one of the most provoking of heroines, and -Mrs. Venn has succeeded admirably in describing her under both aspects. The scene of -the dinner-party, and the description of the bishop's horror at its magnificence is very -clover. We are very glad to meet several old friends again, especially Mrs. Gruter, who -is severe and amusing as ever. Altogether we feel that Mrs. Venn's novels are books to -which we can confidently look forward with pleasure."—<i>Guardian</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">BROTHER GABRIEL.</p> - -<p class="caption4nb">By <span class="smcap">M. Betham-Edwards</span>.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"The story will be followed with unfaltering interest. Nor is anything short of unmixed -praise due to several of the episodes and separate incidents of which it is composed. -The principal characters—Delmar, Zoe's cousin and lover—stand out in decided and life-like -relief. In the sketches of scenery, especially those of the coast of Brittany and the -aspect of its sea, both in calm and storm. Miss Betham-Edwards need not fear comparison -with the best masters of the art."—<i>Spectator</i>.</p> - -<p>"The book is one that maybe read with pleasure; it is fluently, flowingly, carefully -written; and It contains very pleasant sketches of character."—<i>Academy</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="pmt2 tdc">HURST AND BLACKETT, Limited,</p> - -<p class="pmb2 tdc">13, GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET, LONDON, W.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xiiia" id="Page_xiiia">[xiiia]</a></span></p> - -<p class="tdc"><i>Each in One Volume, Crown Octavo, 3s. 6d.</i></p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">A MATTER OF SKILL.</p> - -<p class="caption4nb">By <span class="smcap">Beatrice Whitby</span>.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"Miss Whitby essays a lighter vein than usual in her collection of stories, entitled 'A -Matter of Skill.' But she writes with the same excellence and freedom, and all these -miniature love-stories will be cordially welcomed. Lovely woman appears in these pages -in a variety of moods, humorous and pathetic, and occasionally she seems not a little -'uncertain, coy, and hard to please.' The title story, showing how a stately girl is captured, -after a good deal of trouble, by a short and common-place young man, is very amusing; -and there are other sketches in which it is interesting to follow the wiles of Mother Eve -ere she has come to years of discretion."—<i>Academy</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">JOHN HALIFAX, GENTLEMAN.</p> - -<p class="caption4nb">By <span class="smcap">Mrs. Craik</span>.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"The new and cheaper edition of this interesting work will doubtless meet with great -success. John Halifax, the hero of this most beautiful story, is no ordinary hero, and -this his history is no ordinary book. It is a full-length portrait of a true gentleman, one -of nature's own nobility. It is also the history of a home, and a thoroughly English one. -The work abounds in incident, and many of the scenes are full of graphic power and true -pathos. It is a book that few will read without becoming wiser and better."—<i>Scotsman</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">A LIFE FOR A LIFE.</p> - -<p class="caption4nb">By <span class="smcap">Mrs. Craik</span>.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"We are always glad to welcome this author. She writes from her own convictions, -and she has the power not only to conceive clearly what it is that she wishes to say, but -to express it in language effective and vigorous. In 'A Life for a Life' she Is fortunate -in a good subject, and she has produced a work of strong effect The reader, having read -the book through for the story, will be apt (if he be of our persuasion) to return and read -again many pages and passages with greater pleasure than on a first perusal. The whole -book is replete with a graceful, tender delicacy; and, in addition to its other merits, it is -written in good careful English."—<i>Athenæum</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">CHRISTIAN'S MISTAKE.</p> - -<p class="caption4nb">By <span class="smcap">Mrs. Craik</span>.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"A more charming story, to our taste, has rarely been written. Within the compass -of a single volume the writer has hit off a circle of varied characters, all true to nature—some -true to the highest nature—and she has entangled them in a story which keeps us -in suspense till the knot is happily and gracefully resolved; while, at the same time, a -pathetic interest is sustained by an art of which it would be difficult to analyse the secret. -It is a choice gift to be able thus to render human nature so truly, to penetrate its depths -with such a searching sagacity, and to illuminate them with a radiance so eminently the -writer's own."—<i>The Times</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="pmt2 tdc">HURST AND BLACKETT, Limited,</p> - -<p class="pmb2 tdc">13, GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET, LONDON, W.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xiva" id="Page_xiva">[xiva]</a></span></p> - -<p class="tdc"><i>Each in One Volume, Crown Octavo, 3s. 6d.</i></p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">A NOBLE LIFE.</p> - -<p class="caption4nb">By <span class="smcap">Mrs. Craik</span>.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"Few men and no women will read 'A Noble Life' without feeling themselves the -better for the effort."—<i>Spectator</i>.</p> - -<p>"A beautifully written and touching tale. It is a noble book."—<i>Morning Post</i>.</p> - -<p>"'A Noble Life' is remarkable for the high types of character it presents, and the -skill with which they are made to work out a story of powerful and pathetic interest."—<i>Daily -News</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">THE WOMAN'S KINGDOM.</p> - -<p class="caption4nb">By <span class="smcap">Mrs. Craik</span>.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"'The Woman's Kingdom' sustains the author's reputation as a writer of the purest -and noblest kind of domestic stories."—<i>Athenæum</i>.</p> - -<p>"'The Woman's Kingdom' is remarkable for its romantic interest. The characters are -masterpieces. Edna is worthy of the hand that drew John Halifax."—<i>Morning Post</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">A BRAVE LADY.</p> - -<p class="caption4nb">By <span class="smcap">Mrs. Craik</span>.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"A very good novel, showing a tender sympathy with human nature, and permeated: -by a pure and noble spirit."—<i>Examiner</i>.</p> - -<p>"A most charming story."—<i>Standard</i>.</p> - -<p>"We earnestly recommend this novel. It is a special and worthy specimen of the -author's remarkable powers. The reader's attention never for a moment flags."—<i>Post</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">MISTRESS AND MAID.</p> - -<p class="caption4nb">By <span class="smcap">Mrs. Craik</span>.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"A good, wholesome book, as pleasant to read as it is instructive."—<i>Athenæum</i>.</p> - -<p>"This book is written with the same true-hearted earnestness as 'John Halifax.' The -spirit of the whole work is excellent."—<i>Examiner</i>.</p> - -<p>"A charming tale charmingly told."—<i>Standard</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="pmt2 tdc">HURST AND BLACKETT, Limited,</p> - -<p class="pmb2 tdc">13, GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET, LONDON, W.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xva" id="Page_xva">[xva]</a></span></p> - -<p class="tdc"><i>Each in One Volume, Crown Octavo, 3s. 6d.</i></p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">YOUNG MRS. JARDINE.</p> - -<p class="caption4nb">By <span class="smcap">Mrs. Craik</span>.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"'Young Mrs. Jardine' is a pretty story, written in pure English."—<i>The Times</i>.</p> - -<p>"There is much good feeling in this book. It is pleasant and wholesome."—<i>Athenæum</i>.</p> - -<p>"A book that all should read. Whilst it is quite the equal of any of its predecessors -in elevation of thought or style, it is perhaps their superior in interest of plot and -dramatic intensity. The characters are admirably delineated, and the dialogue is natural -and clear."—<i>Morning Post</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">HANNAH.</p> - -<p class="caption4nb">By <span class="smcap">Mrs. Craik</span>.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"A powerful novel of social and domestic life. One of the most successful efforts of a -successful novelist."—<i>Daily News</i>.</p> - -<p>"A very pleasant, healthy story, well and artistically told. The book is sure of a wide -circle of readers. The character of Hannah is one of rare beauty."—<i>Standard</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">NOTHING NEW.</p> - -<p class="caption4nb">By <span class="smcap">Mrs. Craik</span>.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"'Nothing New' displays all those superior merits which have made 'John Halifax' -one of the most popular novels of the day."—<i>Morning Post</i>.</p> - -<p>"The reader will find these narratives calculated to remind him of that truth and -energy of human portraiture, that spell over human affections and emotions, which have -stamped this author as one of the first novelists of our day."—<i>John Bull</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">IN TIME TO COME.</p> - -<p class="caption4nb">By <span class="smcap">Eleanor Holmes</span>.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"'In Time to Come,' by Miss Eleanor Holmes, merits a good place among one-volume -novels. The theme is interesting, the characters who work it out have been observantly -studied and carefully drawn, and the sequel justifies what at the first blush seems rather -a vague title."—<i>Dundee Advertiser</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="pmt2 tdc">HURST AND BLACKETT, Limited,</p> - -<p class="pmb2 tdc">13, GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET, LONDON, W.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xvia" id="Page_xvia">[xvia]</a></span></p> - -<p class="tdc"><i>Each in One Volume, Crown Octavo, 3s. 6d.</i></p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">THE UNKIND WORD.</p> - -<p class="caption4nb">By <span class="smcap">Mrs. Craik</span>.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"The author of 'John Halifax' has written many fascinating stories, but we can call to -mind nothing from her pen that has a more enduring charm than the graceful sketches -in this work. Such a character as Jessie stands out from a crowd of heroines as the type -of all that is truly noble, pure, and womanly."—<i>United Service Magazine</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">DALEFOLK.</p> - -<p class="caption4nb">By <span class="smcap">Alice Rea</span>.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"'Dalefolk' tells of the effect produced on a simple and impressible people by a terrific -curse, pronounced by a half-insane clergyman on a parishioner whom he believes to have -written an anonymous letter of complaint to the Bishop of the diocese The cloud of -mingled awe and repulsion that rests on the family for two generations is forcibly described. -But this is only a background for a series of capital sketches of life as it was -among the West Cumberland dalesmen at a period—this is the only note of time—when -the diocese was ruled from Chester instead of, as now, from Carlisle. The author evidently -writes from full acquaintance with her subject, and brings out in vivid colours the quaint, -old festivities, the dancings, and wrestlings, and card-playings, the great gatherings for -shearings and 'salvings,' all of them excuses for genial and unstinted hospitalities, and -renewals of kind, neighbourly feeling and good-fellowship, which were so needed among -the loneliness and isolation which were of necessity the habitual lot of the occupiers of -the great sheep farms. She is equally happy in entering into the ways of thought and -feeling which must have been characteristic of the primitive and simple folk to whom -the reader is introduced in her pleasant pages."—<i>Guardian</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">STUDIES FROM LIFE.</p> - -<p class="caption4nb">By <span class="smcap">Mrs. Craik</span>.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"These studies are truthful and vivid pictures of life, often earnest, always full of -right feeling, and occasionally lightened by touches of quiet genial humour. The volume -is remarkable for thought, sound sense, shrewd observation, and kind and sympathetic -feeling for all things good and beautiful."—<i>Morning Post</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">A WOMAN'S THOUGHTS ABOUT WOMEN.</p> - -<p class="caption4nb">By <span class="smcap">Mrs. Craik</span>.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"A book of sound counsel It is one of the most sensible works of its kind, well -written, true-hearted, and altogether practical. Whoever wishes to give advice to a -young lady may thank the author for means of doing so."—<i>Examiner</i>.</p> - -<p>"These thoughts are worthy of the earnest and enlightened mind, the all-embracing -charity and well-earned reputation of the author of 'John Halifax.'"—<i>Standard</i>.</p> - -<p>"This excellent book is characterised by good sense, good taste, and feeling, and is -written in an earnest, philanthropic, as well as practical spirit."—<i>Morning Post</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="pmt2 tdc">HURST AND BLACKETT, Limited,</p> - -<p class="pmb2 tdc">13, GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET, LONDON, W.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xviia" id="Page_xviia">[xviia]</a></span></p> - -<p class="caption2nb">BEATRICE WHITBY'S NOVELS.</p> - -<p class="tdc">EACH IN ONE VOLUME CROWN 8vo—3s. 6d.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">THE AWAKENING OF MARY FENWICK.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"We have no hesitation in declaring that 'The Awakening of Mary Fenwick' is the -best novel of its kind that we have seen for some years. It is apparently a first effort, -and, as such, is really remarkable. The story is extremely simple. Mary Mauser marries -her husband for external, and perhaps rather inadequate, reasons, and then discovers -that he married her because she was an heiress. She feels the indignity acutely, and -does not scruple to tell him her opinion—her very candid opinion—of his behaviour. That -is the effect of the first few chapters, and the rest of Miss Whitby's book is devoted to -relating how this divided couple hated, quarrelled, and finally fell in love with one another. -Mary Fenwick and her husband live and move and make us believe in them in a way -which few but the great masters of fiction have been able to compass."—<i>Athenæum</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">ONE REASON WHY.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"The governess makes a re-entry into fiction under the auspices of Beatrice Whitby in -'One Reason Why.' Readers generally, however, will take a great deal more interest, for -once, in the children than in their instructress. 'Bay' and 'Ellie' are charmingly natural -additions to the children of novel-land; so much so, that there is a period when one dreads -a death-bed scene for one of them—a fear which is happily unfulfilled."—<i>Graphic</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">PART OF THE PROPERTY.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"The book is a thoroughly good one. The theme is fairly familiar—the rebellion of a -spirited girl against a match which has been arranged for her without her knowledge or -consent; her resentment at being treated, not as a woman with a heart and will, but as -'part of the property;' and her final discovery, which is led up to with real dramatic skill, -that the thing against which her whole nature had risen in revolt has become the one -desire of her heart. The author's greatest triumph is the portrait of Mrs. Lindsay, who, -with the knowledge of the terrible skeleton in the cupboard of her apparently happy -home, wears so bravely the mask of light gaiety as to deceive everybody but the one man -who knows her secret."—<i>Spectator</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">IN THE SUNTIME OF HER YOUTH.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"A description of a home stripped by the cold wind of poverty of all its comforts, but -which remains home still. The careless optimism of the head of the family would be incredible, -if we did not know how men exist full of responsibilities yet free from solicitudes, -and who tread with a jaunty step the very verge of ruin; his inconsolable widow -would be equally improbable, if we did not meet every day with women who devote themselves -to such idols of clay. There is interest in it from first to last, and its pathos is relieved -by touches of true humour."—<i>Illustrated London News</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">MARY FENWICK'S DAUGHTER.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"This is one of the most delightful novels we have read for a long time. 'Bab' Fenwick -is an 'out of doors' kind of girl, full of spirit, wit, go, and sin, both original and -acquired. Her lover, Jack, is all that a hero should be, and great and magnanimous as -he is, finds some difficulty in forgiving the <i>insouciante</i> mistress all her little sins of omission -and commission. When she finally shoots him in the leg—by accident—the real -tragedy of the story begins. The whole is admirable."—<i>Black and White</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">A MATTER OF SKILL.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"Lovely woman appears in these pages in a variety of moods, humorous and pathetic, -and occasionally she seems not a little 'uncertain, coy, and hard to please.' The title -story showing how a stately girl is captured, after a good deal of trouble, by a short and -common-place young man, is very amusing; and there are other sketches in which it is -interesting to follow the wiles of Mother Eve ere she has come to years of discretion."—<i>Academy</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="pmt2 tdc">HURST AND BLACKETT, Limited,</p> - -<p class="pmb2 tdc">13, GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET, LONDON, W.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xviiia" id="Page_xviiia">[xviiia]</a></span></p> - -<p class="caption2nb">MRS. CRAIK'S NOVELS</p> - -<p class="tdc"><i>Each in One Volume, Crown Octavo, 3s. 6d.</i></p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">JOHN HALIFAX, GENTLEMAN.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"The new and cheaper edition of this interesting work will doubtless meet with great -success. John Halifax, the hero of this most beautiful story, is no ordinary hero, and this -his history is no ordinary book. It is a full-length portrait of a true gentleman, one of -nature's own nobility. It is also the history of a home, and a thoroughly English one. -The work abounds in incident, and is full of graphic power and true pathos. It is a book -that few will read without becoming wiser and better."—<i>Scotsman</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">A LIFE FOR A LIFE.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"We are always glad to welcome this author. She writes from her own convictions, -and she has the power not only to conceive clearly what it is that she wishes to say but -to express it in language effective and vigorous. In 'A Life for a Life' she is fortunate -in a good subject, and she has produced a work of strong effect. The reader, having read -the book through for the story, will be apt (if he be of our persuasion) to return and read -again many pages and passages with greater pleasure than on a first perusal. The whole -book is replete with a graceful, tender delicacy; and in addition to the other merits, it is -written in good careful English."—<i>Athenæum</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">CHRISTIAN'S MISTAKE.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"A more charming story, to our taste, has rarely been written. Within the compass -of a single volume the writer has hit off a circle of varied characters, all true to nature—some -true to the highest nature—and she has entangled them in a story which keeps us -in suspense till the knot is happily and gracefully resolved; while, at the same time, a -pathetic interest is sustained by an art of which it would be difficult to analyse the secret -It is a choice gift to be able thus to render human nature so truly, to penetrate its depths -with such a searching sagacity, and to illuminate them with a radiance so eminently the -writer's own."—<i>The Times</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">A NOBLE LIFE.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"This is one of those pleasant tales in which the author of 'John Halifax' speaks out -of a generous heart the purest truths of life."—<i>Examiner</i>.</p> - -<p>"Few men, and no women, will read 'A Noble Life' without finding themselves the -better."—<i>Spectator</i>.</p> - -<p>"A story of powerful and pathetic interest."—<i>Daily News</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">THE WOMAN'S KINGDOM.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"'The Woman's Kingdom' sustains the author's reputation as a writer of the purest -and noblest kind of domestic stories. The novelist's lesson is given with admirable force -and sweetness."—<i>Athenæum</i>.</p> - -<p>"'The Woman's Kingdom' is remarkable for its romantic interest. The characters -are masterpieces Edna is worthy of the hand that drew John Halifax."—<i>Post</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">A BRAVE LADY.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"A very good novel, showing a tender sympathy with human nature, and permeated -by a pure and noble spirit."—<i>Examiner</i>.</p> - -<p>"A most charming story."—<i>Standard</i>.</p> - -<p>"We earnestly recommend this novel It is a special and worthy specimen of the -author's remarkable powers. The reader's attention never for a moment flags."—<i>Post</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">MISTRESS AND MAID.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"A good, wholesome book, as pleasant to read as it is instructive."—<i>Athenæum</i>.</p> - -<p>"This book is written with the same true-hearted earnestness as 'John Halifax.' The -spirit of the whole work is excellent."—<i>Examiner</i>.</p> - -<p>"A charming tale charmingly told."—<i>Standard</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="pmt2 tdc">HURST AND BLACKETT, Limited,</p> - -<p class="pmb2 tdc">13, GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET, LONDON, W.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xixa" id="Page_xixa">[xixa]</a></span></p> - -<p class="caption2nb">MRS. CRAIK'S NOVELS</p> - -<p class="tdc"><i>Each in One Volume Crown Octavo, 3s. 6d.</i></p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">YOUNG MRS. JARDINE.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"'Young Mrs. Jardine' is a pretty story, written in pure English."—<i>The Times</i>.</p> - -<p>"There is much good feeling in this book. It is pleasant and wholesome."—<i>Athenæum</i>.</p> - -<p>"A book that all should read. Whilst it is quite the equal of any of its predecessors -in elevation of thought and style, it is perhaps their superior in interest of plot and -dramatic intensity. The characters are admirably delineated, and the dialogue is natural -and clear."—<i>Morning Post</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">HANNAH.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"A powerful novel of social and domestic life. One of the moat successful efforts of a -successful novelist."—<i>Daily News</i>.</p> - -<p>"A very pleasant, healthy story, well and artistically told. The book is sure of a wide -circle of readers. The character of Hannah is one of rare beauty."—<i>Standard</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">NOTHING NEW.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"'Nothing New' displays all those superior merits which have made 'John Halifax' -one of the most popular works of the day."—<i>Post</i>.</p> - -<p>"The reader will find these narratives calculated to remind him of that truth and -energy of human portraiture, that spell over human affections and emotions, which have -stamped this author as one of the first novelists of our day."—<i>John Bull</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">THE UNKIND WORD.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"The author of 'John Halifax' has written many fascinating stories, but we can call to -mind nothing from her pen that has a more enduring charm than the graceful sketches in -this work, such a character as Jessie stands out from a crowd of heroines as the type of -all that is truly noble, pure, and womanly."—<i>United Service Magazine</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">STUDIES FROM LIFE.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"These studies are truthful and vivid pictures of life, often earnest, always full of right -feeling and occasionally lightened by touches of quiet genial humour. The volume is remarkable -for thought, sound sense, shrewd observation, and kind and sympathetic feeling -for all things good and beautiful."—<i>Post</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">A WOMAN'S THOUGHTS ABOUT WOMEN.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"A book of sound counsel. It is one of the most sensible works of its kind, well written -true-hearted, and altogether practical. Whoever wishes to give advice to a young lady -may thank the author for means of doing so."—<i>Examiner</i>.</p> - -<p>"These thoughts are worthy of the earnest and enlightened mind, the all-embracing -charity, and the well-earned reputation of the author of 'John Halifax.'"—<i>Standard</i>.</p> - -<p>"This excellent book is characterised by good sense, good taste, and feeling, and is -written in an earnest, philanthropic, as well as practical spirit."—<i>Post</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">HIS LITTLE MOTHER.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"'His Little Mother' is the story of a sister's self-sacrifice from her childhood until her -early death, worn out in her brother's and his children's service. It is a pathetic story -as the author tells it. The beauty of the girl's devotion is described with many tender -touches, and the question of short-sighted though loving foolishness is kept in the background. -The volume is written in a pleasant informal manner, and contains many tender -generous thoughts, and not a few practical ones. It is a book that will be read with interest, -and that cannot be lightly forgotten."—<i>St. James's Gazette</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="pmt2 tdc">HURST AND BLACKETT, Limited,</p> - -<p class="pmb2 tdc">13, GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET, LONDON, W.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xxa" id="Page_xxa">[xxa]</a></span></p> - -<p class="caption2nb">EDNA LYALL'S NOVELS</p> - -<p class="tdc">EACH IN ONE VOLUME CROWN 8vo—SIX SHILLINGS.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">DONOVAN: A MODERN ENGLISHMAN.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"This is a very admirable work. The reader is from the first carried away by the -gallant unconventionality of its author. 'Donovan' is a very excellent novel; but it is -something more and better. It should do as much good as the best sermon ever written -or delivered extempore. The story is told with a grand simplicity, an unconscious poetry -of eloquence which stirs the very depths of the heart. One of the main excellencies of -this novel is the delicacy of touch with which the author shows her most delightful characters -to be after all human beings, and not angels before their time."—<i>Standard</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">WE TWO.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"There is artistic realism both in the conception and the delineation of the personages; -the action and interest are unflaggingly sustained from first to last, and the book is pervaded -by an atmosphere of elevated, earnest thought."—<i>Scotsman</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">IN THE GOLDEN DAYS.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"Miss Lyall has given us a vigorous study of such life and character as are really worth -reading about. The central figure of her story is Algernon Sydney; and this figure she -invests with a singular dignity and power. He always appears with effect, but no liberties -are taken with the facts of his life.'"—<i>Spectator</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">KNIGHT-ERRANT.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"The plot, and, indeed, the whole story, is gracefully fresh and very charming; there -is a wide humanity in the book that cannot fail to accomplish its author's purpose."—<i>Literary World</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">WON BY WAITING.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"The Dean's daughters are perfectly real characters—the learned Cornelia especially;—the -little Impulsive French heroine, who endures their cold hospitality and at last wins -their affection, is thoroughly charming; while throughout the book there runs a golden -thread of pure brotherly and sisterly love, which pleasantly reminds us that the making -and marring of marriage is not, after all, the sum total of real life."—<i>Academy</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">A HARDY NORSEMAN.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"All the quiet humour we praised in 'Donovan' is to be found in the new story. And -the humour, though never demonstrative, has a charm of its own. It is not Edna Lyall's -plan to give her readers much elaborate description, but when she does describe scenery -her picture is always alive with vividness and grace."—<i>Athenæum</i>.</p></div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="caption3nb">TO RIGHT THE WRONG.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"We are glad to welcome Miss Lyall back after her long abstraction from the fields of -prosperous, popular authorship which she had tilled so successfully. She again affronts -her public with a very serious work of fiction indeed, and succeeds very well in that -thorny path of the historical novel in which so many have failed before her. That 'glory -of warrior, glory of orator, glory of song,' John Hampden, lives again, to a certain extent, -in that dim half light of posthumous research and loving and enthusiastic imagination -which is all the novelist can do for these great figures of the past, resurrected to make the -plot of a modern novel."—<i>Black and White</i>.</p></div> - - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p class="pmt2 tdc">HURST AND BLACKETT, Limited,</p> - -<p class="pmb2 tdc">13, GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET, LONDON, W.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="transnotes"> - -<p class="caption3nb">Transcriber Note</p> - -<p>Images were moved to avoid splitting paragraphs. Some paragraphs were split -to insert the Sidenotes.</p> -</div> - - - - -<pre style='margin-top:6em'> -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHINA AND THE CHINESE *** - -This file should be named 63733-h.htm or 63733-h.zip - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/6/3/7/3/63733/ - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. 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