Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1845-11-12


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| From the n y Courier and Enquirer Of October 30A
| Mr.. web>ier,s Lecture on China.
/ Mr.. Fletcher Webster lecturcd last evening &
q denscly crowded audience at tho tabernacle
upon the country, pcoplo and institutions of Chi
ma. Expressing at the outset tho extreme Difficult
" of rendering hours discourse upon SO vas
and lmtless theme n: all interesting, he pro
ceedcd to say, in presenting narrative of Lega
ton of the United States with which he was con
nccted. tina, thoy landed on the 22d of February
/ 1914, at Macao. Il town upon tho rocky promonto
! ry about rne in width, which stretches into
tho bay & which receives the Kcang river seventy
miles south of Canton,- in situation
! Nahant, containing %, 900 inhabitants, and bear
ing TO the empire of China about tho same proper
ton that a small town on Cape Sable. ri
tho southern extremity Of Florida, woult
bear to the United States. Ho said the
town was ancient Portuguese settlement tho
Portuguese hiring it. at settled ground rent from
the Chinese, having three fort. and army Of
400 men; each nation has custom-houso, and
each exercises municipal authority over its own
people. principal street is very pleasant;
tho others about oight feet wide, exceedingly
dirty and disagrccnblc.
Next to Russia, China is the greatest Empire in
tho world. Extending from the 18th 10 tho SD
parallel of latitude, and from tho i3rd 10 tho
Goth meridian of longitude, its boundaries arc
those of nature only, having tho north from
tior of $500 miles, on the Pacific of 2OOo,
and stretching TO tho north and west boy ond Per-
STA, and to limit yet unknown. IL seemed
not at all improbable ia Mr.. Webster ) judgment
that all the smaller States oven to tho Caspian
sea. arc in some respect, part and parcel of the
Chinese Empirc:-not tina! their laws were identi-
cal, for is in tho Of England, Ireland
md Scotland, such identity is no, essential oven
iii the empire. But Il similarity Of customs,
LAWS s ekS7 il GrPbate at lsas THAI .hsso
ernmoat of China. The enpro covers the whole
centre of Asia. 1t has superficial extent Of o.
YER five millions Of square miles,-moro territory
than would belong to the United States, should
they stretch from % TO 81 degrees Of latitudc,-
embracing Texas, Oregon, and groat portion Of
Mexico and Canada, and from tho Atlantic TO
tho Pacific in breadth. Thus is onc-tenth of tho
land surface of the globe, under tho sway Of a
single power. And yet tho Chinese not un-
ambitious of conquest. for moro than hundred
years ago, Of her generals boastcd that, but
for the rigor Of tho season, he would havo car
riod his arms 10 Rome.
And tho whole of this vast region, except in q
single spot, tho town Mamatchn, on the Russian
border, is impcnetrnbo 10 foreignors--for even
tho five open seaports on the Pacific, only
resting places for those who trado in that region,
and all entrance to foreigners beyond is strictly
prohibited. -et
At tho north end of Macao is tho cavo whoro
the Portuguese poet, Cnmoens, is said to havo COM
posed his poem called tho LIsiad. Ii is a roman
tic spot formed by down fallen rocks, and upon
it, with execrable taste. tho Portuguese have O.
rooted wooden cupoa and leodon bust At tho
south end is Chinese tomplo, situated in a spot
equally romantic, but built and adorned with q
classic and exquisite taste.-Hcro we saw tho
Moon Gate, it is called, 4 circular gateway O.
pening from one enclosure to another. Hero too,
arc granite dragons, each with largo loose ball
of stone in his mouth. which must have been
carved from tho solid mass, it could not have
been introduced from without. In this temple
wore altars idols metal pans, or which incense
was burned, flowers of gold and silver loaf, and q
great variety Of ornaments, all left open to our
| inspection. and even to plunder. had we chosen
thus to abuse the hospitality extended to All
the idols were female, tho temple was dedica-
ted to the Goddess of the Sea. En-
There arc in China three chief systems Of re.
ligion, that of Confucius, Lousa, and Bocdhn.
ncse, --beng in fact rather a moral code, and
most admira bio too, than religious crccd.
The second differs from this but littlc7 md the
Boodhis religion is for tho lowest and least cd,s
Gated classes. There is no state religion in the
Empire. Tho Emperor is Boodhiz, or follower
Of Fo; but he is also follower Of Confucius.-
China is tolerant Of all religions; and IT was only
in consequence Of the quarrels and bad conduc
| of its professors, that Christianity was ever for
| bidden Tho early Catholic priests OK
! trcmey we'll reccivcd--their learning and sci
cnce were highly cstccrcd; their teachings were
allowed: members even of tho royal family were
converted to their doctrines; and there was a good
prospect that tho empire would become converted
to Christianity. But the priests civided into two
pa rites. forbidding, and the other allowing
the Chinese to pay worship their ancestors; IN,
Pope issued his bull and decided the bitter cec
,rovcrsy; and the Emperor, indignant at This pre-
sumption, forbid TO all his subjects the profession
of Christianity under penalty Of death. His an
ger did not subside, nor were its effects removed
until the conclusion Of treaties by the American.
and the French. By tho 18th article of the trea
ty with this country, we arc allowed to build hos
pitals. cemeteries. and churches in each Of tho