The Nevada journal., 1853-04-22
For the Nevada journal,

was secured to the enterprlslng, has resulted
in more direct communication and inter-
course with China, than has ever before been
enjoyed, either by Americans, or by any Of
the nations ofEurope. Russia, it is true, has
had more extended intercourse with China
than any other nation, and this through the
means Of her trading posts, extended along
the Eastern shore of her empire bordering
en- Manchuria, and she has met with great
success in introducing her manufactures into
all parts Of the Chinese empire. But 1t is
also true that the Chinese never cmigrated
to Russia, nor any other country, as they
have to the State Of California, thus evincing
desire for intercourse with outside barba-
rians, as they style all other nations. The
Kin Shan literally, Gold Mountain, the
name by which California is known to Chi
namen, began to attract the attention of the
people Of the Tien Chau Celestial Empire)
some two years since, and we now have
amongst US from twenty to twenty-five thou
sand of this singular and erratc people. An
interest in these strangers has sprung up
amongst our own people, and VIC feel well
assured that there is a desire in the commu.
nifty to know more of China, its government,
the manners and customs of the people, the
wealth and resources of the empire, both ag-
rlcultural and mineral, which shall place them
in possession Of such data as has heretofore
been almost unattainable. We are aware that
few of our citizens have been to China, and
have resided there for brief periods, but they
could only have become partially acquainted
with the inhabitants in certain localities, their
pursuits being exclusively commercial, and be-
ing galmost entirely ignorant of their language,
and but partially acquainted with what is call
ed in China, Canton ERgish, which is Eng
lish in Chinese idiom, and which may be
aptly illustrated by the following sentence
" Aforetime that man stop this side, just now
where can cat-che 'tother side" In idio-
matte English, where does the man live,
who formerly resided here7 This jan gon is
only understood by those who have resided
with foreigners, and is the result of the Chinese
endeavoring to accommodate themselves to
foreigners for the purpose of securing en-
ployment and making money whilst the
mass of our citizens know nothing of China
and its people, except what they have learned
from the short intercourse they have had with
those now in our midst We propose there
fore,t to com mence a series ofpapers on China,
and continue them from time to time as we
may be able to do so.
THE GOVERNMENT OF CHINA in its in
ception and structure was unquestonably
pa'riarch,.l and has always been considered
to be so; but the modus operdndi Of its machi-
merry proves it to be one of the most absolute
and unmitigatcd systems of despotism upon
the face of the earth. The people have no
voice or influence in the choice of their su-
preme rulers. Each emperor names his sue.
cessor, nor is the name of a successor known
until after the death of all emperor. Each
emperor writes the name of the person he
wishes to succeed him, upon slip of paper,
depositing the same in some safe and secret
depository, known only to himself and to
wlomsoever he pleases to make it known
On the death of an emperor, this paper is
opened by those who possessed his conf
dence and his successor thus becomes known,
ascends the throne, and is acknowledged by
the people. The emperor is the supreme
head of the nation all power, both over the
lives and property of his subjects, centres in
himself, and as natural consequence, all
power, rank, or distinction, must and does
emanate from him. His will is the supreme
law of the land. His fiat cannot be opposed
without the danger Of loss of life and the con-
6scation Of property. He is known by u num-
Der of high sounding but fulsome titles, suct,
as Tien Whang Celestial August One Shing
Whang, the Wise and August, infinite in
knowledge and perfect in Yirtue-Tien Tsze,
Son of Heaven, &c &c. He is addressed,
when approached by his highest officials, with
titles equally absurd and ridiculous, as Wan
Sui-ye, Sire Of ten thousand years, and Pi
lila, beneath the footstool accompanied with
prostrations. The present dynasty, Tartar,
is called the Ta-Tsing, the great pure dynas
ty, and the present emperor, Ham Fung, the
seventh who has reigned under this dynasty,
is young man about two and twenty years
of age who ascended the throne on the death
of his father, the late emperor Tau Kwang,
who died IN 1851. Some idea may be form
cd of his imperial establishment, from his
having attached to it an extensive harem and
some five thousand eunuchs to supcrintend
il and do the work of mcnials.
The concubines who compose the harem
are the daughters of Manchus, and additions
are made to it about every third year by the
emperor himself selecting from among the
daughters of his mobiles and officers, such of
them as may please him, who are over
children consider it an advantage, if not an
honor, to have their children in the imperial
harem The harem is composed Of seven
legal concubines, and an unlimited number
of illegal ones. The illegal ones are restored
" hSCi'J ab thO ut5O VI yChio ., uhiNoo ehSy
have borne children to his majesty, in which
case they are retained in the harem, doubt
less, for the purpose of rearing the children
they have borne.
The table Of his majesty is daily supplied
with thirty pounds Of meat, seven pounds
served up in soup, lard and butter one and
one-third pound each, two sheep, two fowls,
two ducks, the milk of eighty cows, and
seventy parcels of tea.
The table of her majesty is supplied with
thirty y-four pounds Of meat, thirteen of them
boiled with vegetables, one fowl, one duck,
twelve pitchers of water, the milk of twenty.
five cows and ten parcels of tea. Her ma
jesty's maids and the concubines have their
fare infinitely specified. If the possession of
unlimited power and superabundance of
the good things Of this world could make a
man happy, one would naturally suppose the
emperor Of China, one of the happiest NOR
tails living. The details of the imperial es.
tablishment at Pekin, with a mass of other