The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-10-02 00:00:00

THE CHINENIf ETNCILTAGE.

From the forthcoming number of the ()rienlal Herald
we extract the following seer:int of the characters by
which the Chinese express themselves. It is contained in
a notice of the labours of the Asiatic Society of Paris,
which was established in the spring of 1323, and includes
among its members nearly all the principal Orientalists of
the Continent of Europe, together with many distinguished
names of our own countrymen :
" Among the causes which have operated most r werfany to
facilitate the progress of Chinese literature, must be reckoned the
suxesstul attempts to analyse the characters, the multiplicity of
which has funned the great stumbling-black in the way of its move
general cultivation. On this subjeet al. Bemuses has presented to
the Academy a very valuable memoir, an extract front which he
has given in a subsequent number of the JournaL The ground, it
is true, was not entirely new ; it had been in some measure pre.
occupied by Barrow and mhos, to whose labours, we observe with
surmise. that il. R. has not once thought fit to refer in the course
of Os extract; hut we suppose that he has given them due credit
in the memoir hale which is yet unpublished, and which, to judge
from the specimen here given, certainly treats the subject in a more
scientific and systematic manner than hal before been attempted.
It contains an analysis and classification of all the primitive elle-
racters, in number about two hundred, consisting of representations
of the most nullifier objects, and funning the basis on which the
present system at Chinese writine is founded, and from the various
contbinauuns of which its siting innumerable characters are de-
nted, in a manner perfectly analogous to that in which the innume.
nada modifications of language, necessary to adopt it to the wants of
a civilized state of society, have been gradually formed from a few
primitive room item the knowledge of these primitive charac.
tors, M. R. deduces a singular but apparently just result: he con.
eiders that these signs must have been capable of expressing every
object, the centmultication of which was cons:erred important by
their inventors, and consequently that the whole of them taken
together must contain a faithful picture of the ideas which they en.
tertained, and of the knowledge which they loos easel. That this
is actually the case is, he units, abundantly proved by the Indi-
ums of the Chinese themselves; fur proof of which he refers to the
memoir itself. Descending into particulars, he divides these an.
dent characters into several series. From the heavens, their phe.
to mesa, Fee. only serer of them are derived; and among these
there are no tracea of religious belief, unless we consider as such the
representation of a victim taxed up as a sacrifice, and the head of
a demon or evil genius. The earth furnishes more numerens mate,
rids: seventeen characters-have reference to the configuration of
its surface, and eleven to structeres raised on h by the art of man.
all of which are of the most simple construction. n'wenty.three
characters belong to man, and leis social and kindred relations;
but among these we look in vain for symbols to represent king,
man of letters, general, or 'Metier. Of the twenty-seven signs
which represent various parts of the body, two only, the heart anti
the wretches, relate to internal earls. Their dress is represented
by six characters, all of the most simple and even savage form.
Jewels, musical instruments, coins, glass, china, not one of these
comparatively modem inventions, nor even gold itself. has any
symbol in this barbarous vocabulary. The whole of their fern:.
lure, utensils, and arms, is comprised in thirty-five characters, nine
or ten of which represent instruments of destruction, while only
three have reference to agriculture. Thor list of animals is very
limited: five dmuestie end seven wild quadruped., eleven birds.
, most of which are very imperfectly delineated, two fishes, end seven
animals of the lower classes, complete their toologicel knowledge.
One very remarkable fact deserves particular notice, namely, that
none of those fantastic :minis's, the dragon, the pheenix, the aid-
corn, in which the tables of the Chinese abound, are here repre-
sented. 'lf,' observes M. R. the species rat writing which we
are investigating is anterior to the ongin of fable, what hence proof
can we require of its remote antiquity ?"Fhe vegetable kingdom
is represented by twenty-six characters, among which the rice and
millet hold the first rank ; wheat and barley are not noted; the
mulberry, the paper-mulberry, the tee-tree, /tr. which have fur
ages held so important a station in the domestic and rural economy
of the Chinese, are all equally wanting. It is clear front this sum-
mary of the principal tracts in this interesting picture of the cmiii.
tion of the ancient Chinese, furnished by themselves, that at the
time of the invention of these characters, they could pretend to no
higher a degree of civilization than the present inhabitants of New
Zealand or the Friendly Islands. One circumstance alone raises
them above the level of these savages: it is the happy idea of coin-
tuuniceting their ideas in writing, a most important step in the pro-
gress of human intelligence, and which many nations, much more
advanced in the arts woich render life comfortable, have nut attain-
ed. fll. IL next proceeds to point out the manner in which this
small number of simple characters wag subsequently modified to
suit the purposes of a more advanced state of society. In order to
represent natural objects, and many others, which were capable of
being subjected to the same laws, the original symbols appear to
have been considered as a sort of generic type, under which all
similar objects were classed, while each individual wet distin-
guished by the addition of a sign indicative of some peculiarity in
us conformation, habits, or uses ; thus emulating, in some mea-
sure, the binary nomenclature, which naturalists of the present day
concur in attributing to Linnaeus. In the expression of abstract
ideas, their ingenuity is no less remarkable: fur this purpose they
combined together two or more of the primitive characters, forming
a multitude of compound signs., which evince no inconsiderable de-
gree of imagination, wit, and knowledge of mankind, steel furnish
a most interesting and instructive study. Thus, to express anger,
they make use of a bran, surmounted by the sign of slave : to re-
present a friend, they plated two I:eerie side by shit, ate. But, on
the other hand, as a striking proof of their barbarism, they assert-
steel with the image of woman the words expressive of vices and
imperfections: thus, twice repeated, this image signifies dispute;
t thrive, profligacy, ate. Such is the origin of the system of Chinese
writing, which I. will be seen contains within itself the most ample
, materials for the study of the manner., customs, habits, and trsdi.
• trans of this singular people, at a period antecedent to history. In
• this point of view it is deserving of the most serietts attention, and
• the study of its innumerable couibinatior.s by no means deserves to
be classed with those minute mid trifling discussions, which have
too often exposed the philologer and his studies to ridicule and
discredit."

ENGLAND MID TUE UNITED STATIGL—From the last
work of the Abbe de Pradt, we extract the following com-
parison of the commerce of the two greatest commercial
nations:—" The world is filled with erroneous calculations
respecting the spirit of commercial rivalry which subsists
between the United States and England. The official
tables published respecting the state of England in 11:42,
render all misconception on this point henceforth impos-
sible. They demonstrate txtost satisfactorily the superiority
of England over America in her commerce. In the year
preceding England exported, for European consumption,
to the amount of 26,706,333/. 6s. Bd. sterling ! and to
other parts of the world 15,204,3331. Gs. Bd. ! ! while the
American exportations into Europe amounted only to
4,166,1661. 13s. 4d. and to other parts 6,2.50,0001.! The
difference, then, between the amount of commercial trans-
actions executed by these two countries is very great ; and
as England enjoys the advantage of priority in commercial
existence, and as she is able to oppose improvement to im-
provement, it will require a very long time before America
shall be able to enter into effietive competition with her.
The superiority of the United States is recognized cnly in
the Antilles or Caribbce Islands. There the American
merchant rules supreme, and has the decided pre-emitienex:l
over all other producers, for he is able to furnish the pro.
visions which those islandets are interested in taking di-
rectly from America ; but the moment the question turns
on the objects of industry, that is, when it is considered
whence manufactures should be purchased, the superiority
of England is instantly asserted; and here, as elsewhere,
the ready and invo/untary tribute is paid to the surl•asaing
excellence of h•r looms, and the productions cf the genius
of Ler people."