The Press.
London, England, 1855-01-20 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

and informed them that they were free,
but that they must be conducted to Can-
ton under (wart forthwith. The report
which the viceroy made to the Emperor upon
the subject is a well-written document, con-
taining little or none of that bombastic
language which we have been accustomed to
think inseparable from Chinese writings. It
is the simple, common-sense report of an
educated official. After some days' stay at
the town, they started once more on their
journey to Canton, travelling in state and
receiving the honours due to the highest
functionaries, by order of the Emperor. They
halted for rest and refreshment at the
communal palaces, which form a peculiar
feature in the hotel system of China. They
are simply hotels kept up by the State,
and provided solely for the use of the Govern-
ment functionaries on their journeys through
the country. The other hotels are for the
civilians, and are quite as plentiful as the inns
and hotels in England. The communal
palaces are kept up in great state ; servants in
rich liveries, magnificent furniture, excellent
cookery, and a beautiful situation, generally
constitute the main features of these splendid
hotels. Here is a sketch of one at Kien-
tcheou :

After traversing a vast court planted with trees, we as-
cended to the main building by thirty beautifully-cut stone
steps. The apartments were spacious, lofty, exquisitely
clean, and deliciously cool and fresh : the furniture was
richly ornamented with gikling, in an infinite variety of
patterns ; the hangings were of gorgeous red or yellow silk,
the carpets made of woven bamboo•peeling, and painted
in the liveliest colours; there were antique bronzes,
immense porcelain urns, vases of the must elegant kit ma,
in which flowers and shrubs of the moat whimsical ap•
pearance were growing : such were the ornaments that we
found in this superb abode. Behind the house was an im-
mense garden, in which Chinese industry had exhausted
its resources to imitate the freedom and even the capricious
sports of nature.
Our traveller had, of course, excellent oppor-
tunities of observing the habitudes of official
life. The ordinary existence of a Mandarin is
certainly not overburdened with labour :
The life of a Chinese Mandarin appeared to us a very
leisurely one. At sunrise Pao•ngan installed himself
on his judge's seat, and passed the first hours of the
morning in administering justice, or, more properly
speaking, in arranging and legalising the extortions of
his scribes. After this rather superfluous labour came
the great affairs of the day. namely, breakfast, dinner,
and supper. Pao ngan kept a very good table, as he
received an extra allowance on our account; but, ample
as it was, the unfortunate man could not, after the third
day, resist putting water into the excellent rice-wine, in
order to squeeze a little more profit out of us. It seems
as if a Chinese really must make use of some kind of
fbaud and trickery ; every unlawful gain has for him
such an irresistible attraction. In the intervals between
his meals, the occupations of Pao-ngan were not very
laborious ; he smoked, he drank tea, he amused himself
with munching dried fruits, or fragments of sugar cane ;
or he dozed upon a divan, or fanned himself with large
palm-leaves, or possibly played a game of cards or chess.
Then some other Mandarin, as idle as Limself, would
oome sauntering in, and they woull sit down together
and mourn over the inconveniences and toils of public life.
In his progress through the country M.
Hue frequently met with Chinese Christians ;
for it appears that there are some sincere con-
verts made here and there in the empire, in
spite of the imperial edicts which have
proscribed the religion of the " Lord of
Heaven." Christianity was originally intro-
duced into China as early as the fifth and
sixth centuries, and flourished under Court
protection in the thirteenth, but gradually fell
into disrepute, until at length it was proscribed
to a certain extent. The Mandarins of the
various provinces are perfectly well aware of
the existence of the sect, and, indeed,. one
even admitted that the environs of his
own palace were surrounded by Christians,
and that he could hear the sound of their
hymns which they sang upon festival days !
Yet, in general, little notice is taken of them,
as their seizure and trial would only entail a
considerable amount of unprofitable trouble.
Bnt it must not be supposed, as we have
remarked, that the character of the Chinese
is favourable to conversion. The fact is,
there is a radical indifference to all be
lief in the future inherent in the Chi-
nese character. They are so utterly ab-
sorbed in their temporal interests, that their
whole life, as M. Hue says, is only " mate-
rialism put in action." If you speak to a
Chinese about the importance of reflecting
upon a future, or of the certainty of a life
beyond the grave—

He admits everything, approves of all you say, does ao4
find the least difficulty, or make the smallest objection.
In his opinion, all this is " true, fine, grand," and he puts
himself into en oratorical attitude, and makes a beautiful
speech against idolatry, and in favour of Christianity. He
deplores the blindness of men, who attach themselves to
the perishable goods of UM. world ; perhapa be will eves
give utterance to some fine sentences on the happiness of
knowing the true God; of serving him, and of meriting by
this means the reward of eternal life. To listen to him,
you would thick him just ready to become a Christian, in
fact, that he was such already ; yet he has not advsuced a
single step.

"No doubt," said a Chiuese gentlemau to
M. Hue, " that the Christiatu religion is Watt-
" tiful it n d sublime, but

Just consider—we have a body ; how many cares it
demands! It must be clothed, fed, and sheltered from the
injuries of the weather; its infirmities are great, and its
maladies numerous. It is agreed ou all hands that health
is our most precious good. This body that we see, that
we touch, must be taken care of every day, and every
moment of the day. Now, is not this enough, without
troubling ourselves about a soul that we never do sae?
The life of man is short and full of misery ; it is made up
of a succession of important concerns, that follow one
another without interruption. Our hearts and our minds
are scarcely sufficient for the solicitudes of the present
life—is it wise, then, to torment one's self about the
future oue?
In China every official situation under Go-
vernment is obtained according to literary
qualification, and State employments are
given as prizes to the best scholars, a system
that has been in practice for many thousand
years ; so that our much-talked-of refor-
mation of the civil service, both at home
and in India, is really nothing more or
less than an adaptation of the Chinese system.
As a consequence of this, education in China
is in a highly advanced state. The rich have
private tutors for their children, and both
public and private schools abound in all parts
of the empire. Books, as might be expected, are
plentiful upon every subject government,
law, political economy, commerce, agriculture,
gardening, novels, history, geography, poems,
and romances—and as there are more books
there are certainly more people to read them
than in any other country in the world. Each
person may print what he pleases; but we
suspect the reason why they enjoy such per-
feet freedom of speech is, that although when
once plunged into rebollicn they yield to
every excess, yet as a general rule the people
hardly ever interfere with politics or criticise
the acts of Government, unless contrary to
law and custom. " Listen to me, my friend,"
remarked a Chinese to M. Hue, who was
speculating upon the policy of the present
Emperor and his Government, why should
" you trouble your heart and fatigue your
" head by all these vain surmises? The
" Mandarins have to attend to the affairs of
" State ; they are paid for it. Let them
" earn their money, then. But don't let us
" torment ourselves about what does not con-
" cern us. We should be great fools to want
" to do political business fox nothing !" "You
" men of the West," said another, "are too
" hot-blooded; you cannot take things coolly ;
" but

We Chinese (they say) print whatever we like;
books, pamphlets, circulars, and placards, without any
interference from Government. We may even print for
ourselves at discretion, provided we du not find it too
troublesome, and have money enough to get the types
carved. We do not abuse this liberty; we print what may
amuse or instruct the public, without prejudice to the five
cardinal virtues and the three social relations. We do not
meddle much in public affairs, because we are persuaded
that the empire would not be well governed if SUO,OOOPOO
of individuals attempted each to make it go his own way.
It does sometimes happen, indeed, that books are printed
which might trouble the public peace and throw distespeet
on authority, and on such occasions the Mandarins leek
out the author of the crime and punish him severely. Rut
this is no reason to prevent others from expressing their
thoughts and composing books: the misdemeanour of a
bad citizen should not entail the punishment of the whole
nation. It seems that this is not the way in the countries
beyond the Western seas ; and it is not surprising, for we
know that different nations have different tastes and dis-
positions. It is the disposition of the Western people to be
excited to anger, sometimes in one direction. sometimes
in another ; it is their taste to think their Governments
good one day and bad the next : it is evident that if such
people were suffered to have as much liberty as we enjoy,
there would be no end to confusion and disturbance. It
may be good sometimes to change Governments, but such
alterations should not be rapid or frequent. One of our
wisest philosophers has said, " Unhappy the nation which
is badly governed ; but yet more unhappy the nation
which, having a tolerable Government, is not wise enough
to keep it."
But in spite of all this edµcaticiu and love far
literature the state of morals from the utter

66

absence of all religious feeling is at the lowest
ebb. Infanticide is a common crime, espe-
cially as regards female children, who are
looked upon as encumbrances. Murder also
is common, and suicide remarkably so, for,
among other anomalies in China, if a man
wishes to wreak vengeance upon his enemy he
does not kill him, but he kills himself; and
the paternal Government, ever alive to the
benefit of its children, being fully impressed
with this peculiarity of its subjects, has insti•
tuted a law to meet the case by which the
whole responsibility of the death of the
suicide is visited upon those who are sup-
posed to be the occasion of his death, and
heavy damages, torture, or ruin are frequently
decreed.

Passing by many passages relative to the
domestic manners and customs of this singular
people, we cannot omit a sketch of the
only charitable institution in Pekin. The
Chinese are not a benevolent people, and
never yet have formed any societies for the
relief of the sick and indigent, with the single
exception of one society, which provides
coffins gratis for the unclaimed dead, and
another which surpasses in eccentricity, says
M. Huc, all that the fertile imaginatiou of
Fourier could have conceived :
It is called Ki-mao-fan, that is, " House of the Hens'
Feathers." By dint of carrying out the laws of progress,
the Chinese have found means to furnish to the poorest of
the community a warm feather-bed, for the small consider-
tion of one-fifth of a farthing per night. This marvellous
establishment is composed of one great hall, and the floor
of this great hall is covered over its whole extent by one
vast thick layer of feathers. Mendicants and vagabonds
who have no other domicile come to pass the night in this
immense dormitory. Men, women, and children, old and
young, all without exception, are admitted. Communism
prevails in the full force and rigour of the expression.
Every one settles himself and makes his nest as well as he
can for the night in this ocean of feathers ; when day
dawns he must quit the premises, and an officer of the
company stands at the door to receive the rent of one
sapeck each for the night's lodging. In deference, no
doubt, to the principle of equality half-places are not
allowed, and a child must pay the same as a grown
person.
On the first establishment of this eminently philan-
thropic and moral institution, the managers of it used to
furnish each of the guests with a covering, but it was
found necessary to modify this regulation, for the com-
munist company got into the habit of carrying off their
coverlets to sell them, or to supply an additional garment
during the rigorous cold of winter. The shareholders saw
that this would never do, and they should be ruined, yet
to give no covering at all would have been too cruel, and
scarcely decent. It was necessary, therefore, to find some
method of reconciling the interests of the establishment
with the comfort of the guests, and the way in which the
problem was solved was this.
An immense felt coverlet, of such gigantic dimensions
as to cover the whole dormitory, was made, and in the day
time suspended to the ceiling like a great canopy. When
everybody had gone to bed, that is to say, had laid down
upon the feathers, the counterpane was let down by
pulleys, the precaution having been previously taken to
make a number of holes in it for the sleepers to put their
heads through, in order to escape the danger of suffoca-
tion. As soon as it is daylight the phalansterian coverlet
is hoisted up again, after a signal has been made on the
tam-tam to awaken those who are asleep, and invite them
to draw their heads back into the feathers in order not to
be caught by the neck and hoisted into the air with the
coverlet. This immense swarm of beggars is then seen
crawling about in the sea of dirty feathers and inserting
themselves again into their miserable rags, preparatory to
gathering into groups and dispersing about the various
quarters of the town to seek by lawful or unlawful means
their scanty subsistence.
We may observe that in both these instances
the society is found to realise a handsome
profit. We conclude with one more extract
upon the remarkable stationary nature of
the institutions, habits, and intelligence of the
nation :

Chinese civilisation (remarks M. Huc upon this point).
originates in an antiquity so remote that we vainly endea-
vour to discover its commencement. There are no traces

of the state of infancy among this people. This is a
very peculiar fact respecting China. We are accus
toured iu the history of nat►ons to find some well defined
point of departure, and the historic documents, traditions,
and monuments that remain to us generally permit us to
follow, almost step by step, the progress of civilisation, to
be present at its birth, to watch its development, its
onward march, and, in many cases, its subsequent decay
and fall. But it is not thus with the Chinese. They seem
to have been always living in the same stage of advance-
ment as in the present day ; and the data of antiquity are
snob as to confirm that opinion.
It would not be, then, very rash to conjecture that some
mysterious event of tFe highest importance must have
brought the Chinese suddenly to the point at which we find
them, and this fact must have left a profound impression
on the imagination of the people. Thence may proceed
the respect, the veneration, the gratitude felt for the first
founders of their ancient monarchy, who conducted them
in so rapid a manna to a certain state of enlightenment,