The gazette. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1798-1799, 1798-11-12
The ChineGe Prefs.

Inc Chlneie fTelS.
GizeItes arc frequently publilhed at Pekin,
under the authority Of Government, The va
rioas appointments through It the empire, The
fayours granted By the Emperor, all bis pub
lie ats, his remillion of taxes to dilrias fufer-
ing by dea1th or other general calamity, his
recomPeace Of extraordinary iervices, the en-
BATHS fcnt, and the tribute paid to him, form
a comfortable part Of tn public news. The
domeftic details Of bis houlhold, or Of his pri.
va;e life, are feldom. ever mentioned. Sin.
gular events, inRa1ces Of longevity, fometimes
the punilhrnents of offences, committed by
mandarnes, are there recorded. Even fome
inGances Of the adultery Of women, which is
Punlhable, though not a capital offence, are
occahonally Publllhed, perhaps BY way Of de-
tering Others from the comm lh1n Of he ike
enormities- While China was at war, its vi6t-
cries, as we'll as the lupprefion Of rebellion,
were announced. In all other cafes, the
world, in point Of intelligence, is confined to
China.
B-(des tie claGic works Of the Chinels, Of
which the multiplication, by printing, Is prodi-
gous, the lighter literature Of the country gives
no uncomfortable operation to tn prels The
Orphan Of China, however improved II an En-
gilh dreis, BY very relpe 9able dramatic poet
Arthur Murphy, EGO may be conidered as
an unfavourable Tpecimen Of Chn-fe tragedy
and the Pleaing hiHory, OF which an Engiilh
ttanflation, under tie care If learned ana in
genous prslate, was pubEihed leveral years a.
60, is an inaance Ct ChineG- nov-l wfi.n hat
i intereGing and impIe ard Tor r-Iious rea-
ders the zeal Of ChrRiani.y has in luced the
midionaries to procure the pub icaton of feve-
raj works il the Chine(e tongue, in proof of the
tenets which they preached.
The Chneft arr Of Printing conG1s AZ MOTH
ing more than in cutting, in relief, the forms
Of the written characters on iome comp e
wood, daub NC afterwards tho.e characters
with fome black alurinous fubG4nce, and p,1l?
| ing upon them diff rent fleets Of pirsr fitfelf
previous ana Ingenious invsction1 each heet
taxing thus an imprelIion Of the oh4TaScrs M.
on which il had been laid.
The paper ufed BY the Chincfe for their Dub.
LEGATION Is too thin aud weak 70 receive diaiuG
| imPreiions on both fdes. The engraved hoard
on which the paper is laid to take the imDref.
tion on one eide, generally contains the char
atters tor two pages. The paper, when print.
Cd off, IS doubled together, the blank tides
touching each other The fold forms the out
er edges, contrary to the mode Of European
bookbinders, are ETCHED together, ard bound
toto volume. After the e ilon IS worked
off, the plates or boards are collected together,
and It j. generally mentioned in the preface
where they are depoGted, in cafe iecond C.
diion ihou'd DC called for. Eag. PaP-l
The mean fPite and ihocking inhumanity Of
the French rulers, were fully e1emphfed in
| heir conduit to Mr.. Pinckney, one Of The A.
merican eommGioners. When that gentleman
| nd Mr. Marihal were ordered to quit Paris,
MIR. Pinckney's daughter lay on Gck bed, and
t was coniidered as dangerous TO emove her.
This circumaace was Represented 10 the Di-
rc6tory, bot was Of no avail. Their orders
wee @remtory. The difrsG.d parent fat off
with his daughter, and with difficulty e,ched
a provincial town on The road, where Ne was
obliged q halt frora he .ncTealiug lln,G Of the
yCung lady.
The Enoliih VI Gionaries al Otarsi,s, have
nbra ned the cation of he Dr0vir rp M Rs.ttvia