Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1847-04-08
LECTURES ON CHINA.
DELIVERED IN NEw-YoRK, by THE MISSION
AIRY WILLIAMS.
From the New England Puritan.
LECTURE II,
GOVERNMENT OF THE EMPIRE.

GOVERNMENT OF THE EMPIRE.
THE second lecture was on the Gouern-
ment of China, which is patriarchal; not,
however, as Washington is the Emperor,
the father Of his country, but in the sense of
possessing control. He is under no restraint
has no superior in the government. The
two grand features are the mutual response
bility every one has over each other, and
the espionage enforced upon the officers,
both extending to the minutest affairs and
constituting the strength of the government,
which therefore is like that of the army as
to watchfulness, and of the family as to kind
ness and equity. Their code is an honor to
the nation. 1t is divided into seven gener-
al divisions, and 1876 sections, and these fur
Their sub-dvided and methodically arranged.
The Emperor is subject to them, and no
book is more common in their libraries and
bookstores than the volume of the laws of
the Empire. The emperor is known by va
rious names -" August Rabbi" "Son of
Heaven" "Lord of Ten Thousand Years."
Celestial August One" and calling him
self "The One Man" He is supposed by
them to have been formed from heaven and
earth to rule China, and is the Vicegerent
of Heaven in precisely the same sense as
the Pope is supposed to be the Vicegerent
of Christ on earth, by the Catholics. Be-
sides him there can be no other Emperor,
any more than there can be two Suns.
AT Peking there are two temples, one on
tie tight and the other on the left of the
| city, IN which the Emperor worships, offer
ing up sacrifices for all mankind being
the Pontifex Maximus of the Empire, and
his empire is the world. His throne is called
the dragons throne" and seeing him is
called seeing "the dragons face" He is
secluded from VIEWS sixty-seven years of
age, and has been twenty-six years in power.
There is no national flag the color used in
publishing governmental edicts is yellow
The Emperor is responsible for the happi-
ness of the nation also; and should there
be drought or famine, the blame would fall
on him, and he would be obliged to review
his acts and confess his errors. The gov
eminent fears associations, and would tole-
rate any thing sooner. Society is divided
into four classes scholars, agrlculturlsts,
merchants and mechanics. No titled or
landed aristocracies. Seven degrees of no
biity, and nine ranks of officers, distinguish
ed by the color of the knobs on their caps
The people are divided into the honorable
and mean, the freemen and the slaves, and
the conquerors and the conquered.
The government at Picking consists of the
deliberatve and executive branches. The
Cabinet has six officers: three Chinese and
three Manchoase, and thirty-two assistants.
They are present on all public occasions,
and are mostly old men. The executivNde-,
partment has six Boards the first, the Board
Of CioH Offices, the most influential their
business is to examine and recommend OH
GERS the second, the Board Of Repenre, to
collect taxes, one half of which is paid IN
kind, each governor being responsible Tor
his province; and when one is displaced,
the arrearages in taxes are charged to his
successor the revenue Of China is one hun