Wisconsin herald, and Grant County advertiser. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1844-1845, 1845-12-11

{ devoted TO cultivation. That there
are no broad highways for carriages,
nothing but narrow foot paths for men
and animals, and that thus the whole
surface Of the country can be and is
cultivated like garden--except the
grounds reserved for burials. That
the people are very abstemious, living
upon almost nothing and eating almost
every thing in the shape of food-the
very poor consuming cats, rats, mice,
dogs, and in fact every thing that has
life. As an illustration of the cheap
ness Of subsistence. may here men,
ton that hired servants for five dol
lars month, they finding themselves
and feeding on rice and fish. That
there is large and constant :mporta-
ton of breadstuffs into China. That
ARTICLES Of food in the tropics are far
more productive than with US, as for
example the yield Of the banana to
that Of wheat is as 1873 to l. and to
that of the potato Tor most productive
vegetable) as A to |. That the laws
and usages of China promote in the
very highest possible degree, the
progress Of population. And, finally,
that the Chinese Empire is greater in
extent of surface than the whole OF
Europe, comprising 5.25O,ooo square
miles, while Europe has but 3,725, 1000.
WHY not, then, should China contain
as large proportionate population as
Europe? 1t includes, to be sure, the
less populous regions of Tartary, but
still it leaves ample room, considering
the much more populous regions of the
south, for the imputed population OF
$4,000, 900. Nobody thinks it strange
that Europe should have two or three
hundred million of inhabitants-why
is it strange that an equal number
should be sustained on an equal space
called China? What has led so many
Europeans to doubt the aliedged popu-
lousness of the country, is because
they are 10th to admit and can scarce
ly realize the remarkable fact of pop
ulation equal at least to that of the
whole of Europe, being under one
government. They can hardly i'm
agine such state Of things when they
look at Europe, and behold her mill
ions distributed among sixty five in
dependent States, or, counting only the
larger ones q should rather say those
only which have the honors of royal
ty) into twenty separate Governments.
But we are at once able to compre-
bend the fact, if we suppose for mo-
lnent the empire of Alexander to ex-
list at this day, or even yet the Roman
empire to be now in being. If stabi!-
ity of Government, civilization, arts,
manners, applied to vast mass of men,
be proof Of wisdom in institutions, the
case of China exceeds anything in
Europe, or else where is Asia, com
pared to which, indeed, the Kingdoms
of Europe are but as of yesterday in
origin, and as but of provinces in pow
err and population. Yet changes of dy-
nasty have occurred in China from Pc
riod TO period, having been for long
series of centuries pure Chinese, then
Mongol: and then Chinese again, and
now Manchu. The form of govern
ment is hereditary monarchy. The
sovereign is called Ta-Howang- TIE,
commonly translated by the Roman
title of Emperor. But this translation
is erroneous. and inadequately repre-
sents the force of Ia Howang TIE,
which imports something divine, sa-
cred, celestial, in addition to the idea
of mere temporal sovereignty. The
term is Chinese, and is employed by
the Tartar and other subjects of the
empire as a proper name, without
translating it; that is, Ia Howang TIE
is the appropriate and peculiar desig-
nation of the sovereign of China, just as
Emperor is of the Romans. Gar Of the
Russians, Sultan Of the Turks, Calf of
the Arabs, Pope Of the modern Roman
State. Like Pope, it implies both tenn
poral and spiritual power and sover-
eighty. The principle OF government
is the paternal relation; the sovereign
is the father of his people. This is the
radical idea which runs through all the
laws, usages, habits and morals of the
Chinese. And though fiction, it is
quite as true as the fiction Of loyalty
in Europe, under cover of which the
aristocracy of landholders and rich
capitalists carry on the government;
while as sentiment, motive, or prin-
ciple of action, it certainly is higher,
4 ~ Al. 4