Wheeling times and advertiser. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1839-1849, 1841-01-23
From As Boston Adj,
EARLY HIsroRY on CHINA.

pSars e. have been indebted 10 The Arais. Their
Wide extended conquesss brought I en- ut las, TO the
confines ofthe Celestial Empire, and many Of hat ma
ton. which Mt that period Qhe 9Th aud 9th ceaiuries)
had reached the highest point ofcivilization they ev-
or attained. were induced, both to explore this new
and unknown country, and 10 record their di-covs-
mes and adNsntures. rho his'or, and descriptions of
these Arab travellers and historians OF this period, /.
bear informal evidences OF truth ani accuracy. and
possess a very high degree of interest. They exhibit
a most remarkable identity between the Chinese Us
tney existed at that day. and tho sams people as we
Know them At the present time, although one thou and
years have passed away since they were written.
These writers speak of city they call Csnfu. by
winch they probably mean Canton. Tho frequency
OF fires. and the long detention OF ships. from various
causes a' stated by them. might be related of that 81.
ty oven nj this very day.
That city," they write, Stands on n rrest river.
some days distant from tho entrance, ns that tho wa
Ter here IL fresh" At that period il seem, 90 have
teen the portalloited to the Arahian merchants who
came by sea To trade. These writers. also, speak of
many unjust dealings with the merchants who trade
thi'her' which having G ,ihered the force OF a prsce-
dent there was M grievance. no irea msnt 81 a,
Out they exercised II upoa the foreigners aud mas
tiers OF ships" They tell us that tho port was Mt
length iorsaksn. in cnnsequ snce Of the OK lion ofIhs
hiand4rins OF those days. and "ihe merchants return
ed IN crowds 10 Sirar and Oman" The travellers de-
scribe The esiranee TO the port Of Canfu as The gates
0, lima. which my possibly DO n Translation of
ioo-mun. Tigers gate or BOoa Tigris. as is called
from the Portuguese.
These Arabian travellers mention in particular.
the relief afforded to the people from the public gra-
naries during famine. The salt tax, IA q, nor snisis.
and the use of tea arc noticed. The Emperor al.o
reserves 10 himself the revenues that arise from salt.
and from a certain herd ,rhich they drink 10Th hot ua-
ter. and of which great quantities are sid in all tho
cities. TO the amount Of vast sums.
The public impOsls ara stated To have CONSISTED ia
duties on salt 1tea, with'a poll tar. whiohI asthas since
been committed into a tar OH land; these Arabians
likewise mention the bGnbo. as the universal pana-
cen IN matters of police; and they very correctly dc.
scribe the Chinese copper money; "a well as porcelai 1;
wine made from rice; the mlintunancc Of public
teachers in the town; the ilolairy derived from India;
and the ignorance OF astronomy, in which the A abb.
ans were their first instructors. Il is. in fact, impos-
siblc 10 comprise within our limits nj! tho pertinent
remarks, or even a small proportion of the currea; in
formation which may be found in this curious and an.
iiqne relics of early Arabian enterprise. From the
lights which 1t affords. as well as from other sources
Of information relating to the froe intercourse Of the
Mahomedans with China. il has with tolerable Ger.
taiaiy been inferred that. previous to tho Mogul Tar.
tar conquest, they rssorted 10 ihst rich country by sen
chiefly, and in the character OF traders.
Chinese historians reckon thirteen dynasiies before
the Flood, which happened in tho dynasty of Shun. "a
nane famous in China; bat the accounts up TO that
period are not to be relied upon. From that date TO
the Birth of Christ FIRE dynasics existed; and towards
he close OF the last. the Han dynasty. a dreadful civ.
d war broke out. IL was called The war of the three
nations the war having terminated in the ssiab-
lishment Of three kingdomI The last Emperor OF this
race was conquered by the other Sintes and was per-
suaded 10 resign the imperial seal to the General OF
his enemies. His son and heir on his put las life To
death. and then killed himself Up to the time of
Genghis Khan. a Tartar chief fifteen dynasties e1is.
ted. Thaifamous% couqueror arose about the clSse Of
the last. and began the wars against China. by which
tho Chinese rulers were oyerthrown n. Tho gnndson
of Genghis Khan. conquered China, and called his dy-
nasty fuen, during which the grand canal and the
great wall were begun. Wieklfte the ReforEer, and
Marco Polo. who brought extraordinary account. from
China, livOd about this lime. A nan named Choo
then reused the Chinese. who expelled the Yuoa Tar.
tars, and established The Mig dynasty, which con-
hnusd till the reign of Charles the Fir.t Of England.
The late Emperor of the race, shut up in his palace
by a rebel Tartar subject. destroyed his family, and
ihen committed suicide, ST. year. before Charles died
on the ssalold. The founders of thus dynasty c .
Eastern or Monshnr Tarars, who effected Tho com
quest with ease, in consequence ola rebellion which
then conVulsed the Empire. No people, indeed, have
suffered more from dissentions than the Gilmore, and
have thereby imbibsd such d horror Of civil war thai
Il has become n powerful would rather be n dog
in the time Of general poaca Than a human being ia the
midst Of wars"
Subsequent TO the establishment ofihe MoguI Tar
Tar dynasty by Ghsnghis Khan. China was visited by
ne Arab. Ibu Batuts, whose travels have been trans
lated by Professor Ice. lie describes very IEuely The
paper circulation instituted by tho hiongols. a scheme
which subsequently failed. in consequence orIhs pa.
per being rendered utterly worthless by excessive 10
sues, and bad fatA of the government, VIII Gu derived
a profit from the circulation. Even at that period Ba.
iuia observes that "they did not buy or sell with tho
dirhem or dinar, for. should any one get these coin,
into his possession. he would melt ih.m down inmo.
diately.' IL We may believe him. the Chinese tanks
IN his lime sailed aIfar as Calicu'. and he himself en-.
barked in one of them on his voyage 10 China.
The Mahomsdan creed seems ~ have been essab.
lashed and protected as the religion Of a conside able
part OF the population soon after The Mongol conquest.
IN the 18th sentury: as II meets with perfect tDlers.
ton at the present day. its professors being freely aL.
mitiod 10 government offices, from which Christian.
are risidly excluded. There is a Considerable nos
que at Canton. Of great antiquity, and forming. with
its Pagoda or mInaret. a conspicuous object on The an.
proach 10 the city b. The ryer. Numbers Of that
persuasion were met with in every part Of the routo
Of the two British missions,
In the province Of IIonan, there were some fanil,o,
ola persuasion denominated by the Chinese, "the sect
that Plucks out the SHOW" those, in all prob,bili,y.
must be the Jews mentioned by GrosIer, who are said
To have reached China rs early rs 200 wears beG,rs
Christ IN the time ofthe Han dynasty.
Ia the eighteenth volume Of the Leltrss Edifan,e.
ct CurIeuses hero is contained an account of the
painsiakcn by the Josuits in China to investigate the
origin Of this remarkable colony ofJews at Kae.6,ong.
TOO. Tho most successful in his researches was Pers
OOzani, who ~ a letter dated 1904. thus wrote-sAs
regards those who are here called Tfao-kin-ki1o. 6be
sect that extract the sinsw) two years ago I was 20.
ing 10 visit them. under the expectation that they
were Jews. md with the hope of finding among them
the Old Testament; but ne | have no knowledge Of the
Hebrew Language, and met with great difficult os. 7
abandoned Ibis scheme with the fear Of not succeed.
ing. Nevertheless. as you told me that should OBJ
iige you by obtaining any information concerning this
people. / have obeyed your directions. and executed
them with all the caro- and oIsciness Of which I was
capable, ] Immediately made lhom proisstations Of
friendship. 20 which they readily replied, and had The
civIliiy TO come and see me. I returned tier visit in
The tcPorson, that u in their synagogue. whence they
themselves (ihe commonalty) are excluded. There
is a place reserved for the chiefof the synagogue who
never enters there except with profound respect
They told me that 'heir ancestors came from a king.
dom Of the west. called the kingdom Of Judah, which
Joshna conquered after having departed from Egypt
aud passed The Red Sea and The Deser; that The nun.
berOfJows who ]emigraicd from Fgypt was about 600,