Mobile register and journal., 1845-11-10

the most meritorious appointed TO the inferior Of
fees Of government employ, destined through good
behaviour 10 rise TO the highest in the gilt of Tie
government. In china an official is punished by de-
grading him from his rank. In this country, in our
navy for instance, the case is different an officer
behaves badly, he is suspended with without pay,
Sc but an officer never degraded, Ior instance
from Captain TO midshif man. In China this
is the mode ol punishment; il is the universal ten
ure of office. And a man has 10 commence anew,
eligible again 10 the highest offices. sif he conducts
we'll
Public opinion is as much regarded in China as
in Great Britain, or The United States. Newspa-
pers abound, and ATE read as much IN this
| try The Chinese have their red honk, rs we have
our blue book. Pamphlets, ldbored arguments
published as with US, and in farther analogy, peri
odical addresses are made by The sovereign to the
| people, which, however, nculcnte morals as well AS
| politics.
The stated agricultural festivals a great leu-
ture with the Chnese-it is ut these times thar the
Emperor drives the plough before his whole Cont
an example TO his subjects.
The works o. Confucius are ready by all, and
| their influence the public mind is unbounded.-
| They publish as much, and AS cheapy, as IN the
| United States; and The people read aud write AS
generally they do in this countr, Their Ian
| guage which was at first hieroglyl hic, has become
one Of arhi rary signs, but letlers-there is no
alphabet, but each separate sign stands or parli-
culr idea there 80 600 characters in their die
tionsry, and from this il may be inferred What an
| immense labor il is to learn their language, and
what il is which converts China into one great
school. Oral language differs in dlfereni provinces,
but the written language is the same throughout China.
The written language bears the same relation To the
oral languages Of the provinces. rs The Arabic nu'
merals do 10 the various languages OF Europe
When persons from different provinces cannot COM
prehend each other they resort 10 writing or MAX
ing figures the air. This language giving only to
til" people, laws, Sc, has done every thing for the
| stability OF the government.
| The manners of the Chinese eminently cour-
te0us. Ladies' do not minge in their public assem-
blIes. The lecturer would moi pronounce their NOR
| ais Of higher or lower standard tlIan those ni
Europe. He did not believe it the province of a
| transient visitor so do The Chinese estimate
the morals of the Europeans at a low Iate,-they
have learned them from English sailors and soldiers
within the past five years. When the missIonar les
demonstrate with the Chinese upon sin, they signif-
| canty point TO the morals Of The foreigners. The
Chinese emnenty intellectual. J he country
ahounds in books, public libraries and shops Tor the
sale Of books. catalogue Of one Of heir libraries
comprises ten volumes. In every dwelling house
| books are "A necessary article OF furniture.
| Great injustice has been done 10 the Chinese and
their writings by bad uauslaiions. MIR. Gushing
had formed high estimate Of their intellectual pow
ers from hts Intercourse with them Indeed, Off
Gals could not fail to exhibit intellectually, rs
scholars take first rank in the empire. The stab-
y of the government is evidence TO certain extent
of their intellectual and moral character. The pre-
valemi religion worship 0l ancestors, though spe-
cifc religions, such as Bnodhsm, Lanaism, Ma
homedansm, Sc are tolerated. All important
by the Chinese celebrated by prostratIons,
burning ofinccmse, beating OF gongS, and burning
Of fireworks.
The slapla food of the Chinese, is rice. In the
decorations Of their tables and lurnIlure of their
housts traces AT II high civilization may be found
rhe Injuries OF the table consist Of brche de mer
aba rk ,. and obi 1le rdb
most cost, article Of food in China. The iood OF
the Tartar, is game, which is roasted and eerved up
whole, while the Chinese is served in small dsies
Their drinks tea and spirit distilled from
rice. Many Of the drinking vessels now in use in
the United States are copied from the Chinese.
Commercially speaking, China is complete IN
herself. She raises her bread stufls, except some
hue rice which she imports. She has tea, silks
materials for utensias Of iron, and wood, coal, pre-
cious metals, sc. Her commerce WAS changed by
the course of the opium trade, which is very prelu
dicial 10 China. II would soon however, have been
changed by the introduction OF cotton. large quaint
ties Of which, of the raw kind, she imports from
the United States. She also imports the manuiac'
tured article from the United States and from Great
Britain. The use of machinery Is prohibited in
China. The trade, whether il goes direct from this
country Of from Great Britain, greatly benefits us
as perhaps 6-7ths of British manufactured goods
consist Of American cotton.
We now come to consider the question of wha
will be the ultimate effects Of this change OF com
merce the Chinese themselves. Two hundred
and fifty millions Of people, mp TO this time, have
manu- lclnred their own artcles-now ours VIII lake
the places of their fabrics, and Of consequence
large numbers of them will be thrown out Of employ
In China, in the United States they have no vas
West to retire TO. nor immense fields oil agricnhura
occupations To employ them when their means o
Likelihood fail them. These Things being so, mus
produce want, misery, and perhaps political agita
ton throughout the Empire. Mr. Cushing was re
pestedl, told by the Imperial Commissioner, thai
China did not desire trade with foreigners, but tina
il was forced upon her. We must not only look tc
the benefits accrumg to the United States, througl
the supply To China oil raw cotton. and successful
4 competition in the manufactured article, but also
the supply of ginseng and lead. Mr.. Gushing knew
OF no other question connected with this subject ex
cepl the drain of specie from China, to pay ba ancet
Of trade against her. He said fears need be Ell
teraned for the present-he balance is against the
| United Staies-besides, there are stores of metai
| in the country, and the immediate effect of flow o
specie from China is 10 change The relative value
commodities in that land.
Mr.. Gushing next proceeded TO treat the topic o
the hostility OF the Chinese towards foreigners He
SAID il was originally simply disrespect, aud did no
degenerate into hate until the conduct of foreigner,
had become outrageous to forfeit the good es
| teen of the people. The Chinese saw themselves
surrounded by other Asatc nations. vastly Their in
leriors in every respectively naturally looked upor
tnem WIN upon foreigners WHO
| ed their land The early trading voyages Of the
Portuguese, were rather pratical exhibitions thar
commercial specuations. The expulsion Of the
Christians from China, is also connected with The
subject of the hostility Of the Chinese towards for
| eigners. We are naturally led to ask how monarch'
as wise and liberal as many of the Chinese monnrch'
have been, have prohibited the practice Of the Chris
tan religion in China, when all other religions
tolerated Al first foreigners were well received II
China. Marco Paulo and others had high employ
ment under governmental there was objection tc
their penetrating to the interior Of the country
Great numbers Of converts were mnde by the early
| Christian missionaries. What has effected change
in all these things! The missionaries INDUCED il
bitter contests among themselves articles Of fitl
| furious controversies we're carried on, and violent
pamphlets published. From the teachers Of religion
the contests spread among the converts, and excite
menis and agitation were the consequence.
To prevent domestic commissions, the Emperor in
terposed his authority, and il is the belief ofMr
Gushing that to prevent internal troubles, was The
only motive operating upon The Emperor 10 exclude
Christians from China. MIR. Gushing urged the
missionaries 10 take warning from the past, 10 cease
their quarres upon minor att les Of belief, aud ia
unite in the one great work of the redemption of the
| bcalien.
Mr.. Cushing said although this vast empire was
open to commerce, literature and religion, too san
| guine expectations must not be entertained. The
progress of the Chinese is slow, and vast mutudes
| are TO be affected
| If the effects Of the change Of commerce are pa
ci6c, Tie benefits to the world will be greai-f not
So and civil COMMISSIONS ensue the spirit Of agsrar-
dizemeni will again lake hold of the Chinese. and
foreign invasion will be the consequence. The Tar.
| tars have several times overrun Asia, and arried
their conquests even 10 Europe. The present En-
Ieror of China is Iineal descendant of Tartar