The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-06-14

same time, that many princes adorned their 0upitAa
and rewarded their favorite ministers, while few
were inspired with the more laudable ambition OF
initiating in their lives the great Confucius Learn
ing as far as the sage had recommended it, was cul.
tivated in many courts, but the great mass Of the
people appear to have lived in brutal ignorance.
The Tsin dynasty was Of short duration; but the
second Of that family, Ching Wang, IL knowH.
in history as the Chinese Attila Endowed with
q vigorous mind, and of restless disposition
grand in his designs, and infexible In his
purpose he knew Of no impossblities or difficulties.
He called himself Ta-che-kwangte (ths great first
emperor), and proclaimed himself . eompesr Of
Yaou and Shun Anxious to signalize himself as
the inventor OF new system Of government, and to-
model the whole nation according to his ideas, he
destroyed tho public records and the books Of the
Confucan sect. He framed religion Of his owns.
setting all ancient rules at defiance. Arts and
sciences, if of practical tendency he encouraged
but the cultivation of all others he prohibited He
did not conne his military conquestssoely to Chinas
but attacked the southern nations with great sue.
cess 30 that the renown Of Chinese valor became as
terrible in Asia % that of the Romans in the West.
It is difficult to determine how far his conquests exc
tended, vet most of the Asiatic tribes date their
knowledge of China from his reign. The INNS
and other Tartar tribes he routed and pursued into
their native deserts; and to protect the country
against their future nroads he completed the famous
Great WALL of which some parts had been previous
" erected. When he was satiated with war, he
lived luxurious life and surpassed all his predeces-
sors in the splsndor Of his court Remorse for the
blood he had shed embittered the latter days Of hs
life, and he died a miserable wretch (207 B. C.)
His son was feeble minded monarch, and tive yeara
had scarcely elapsed after his accession to the throne
when Lew-pang, the captain of a band Of robbers
in conjunction with part of the army, marched
against the young emperor, who stabbed himself to
avoid falling into the hands Of the rebels His me-
phew after an unsuccessful attempt to recover the
throne put haltar round his neck, and surrendered
himself to the generous Lew pang, who from q rob-
Der became an emperor and the founder Of the cee-
brated Han dynasty Being the grandsire of twenty
eight emperors (ncuding those who ruled over part
Of the empire while it was divided, during this dy.
nasty who, for more than 47O years ruled the
largest empire in the world, his name is highly cele
brated in the annals of China He kept the empire
in complete subsection attered the Confucian school,
recalled the prosecuted sages, and compiled by their
| aid new code of laws
The Chinese consider the reign Of the Han dynasty
as the most glorious in their history and to this day
| call themselves Hantse, i" Sons or men of Han"
During no period of Chinese history were the ener
ges Of the nation so much reused. The greatest
generals the most celebrated writer's, the ablest
statesmen, and the wisest men China ever produced,
lived during this epoch. The rapid extension Of the
empire towards the south and west carried Chinese
civilization to the very borders of the Indian arch.
pelago. and to the foot OF the Imaus. Learning
no longer confined to few schools, but was gene
rally diffused.
The frequent change Of masters in the Chinese
empire during the first five centuries of the Chris
tian era reminds us Of Rome at the same period;
yet the imperial dignity in China was hereditary,
and the generals not the soldiers overthrow dynas.
ties and dethroned emperors. The Tartars had in
the meanwhile taken possession Of whole provinces
in the north and west of China. In this they
initiated their brethren and other barbarians,
who acted the same part towards the Roman
empire. The Chinese were thus forced to fight for
their existence, ard wSr became the profession of
once peaceful az riculurists. Though ignorant Of
the doctrines Of Confucus, the Tartars far exceeded
the Chinese in practical wisdom. Their empire in
China was called the Northern dynasty, while the
Chinese obtained the designation of the Southern
dynasty. The Mongol Tartars, under Kublai-Khan,
finally subugated the whole empire, in the thirteenth
century and Kublai was proclaimed Emperor A. D.
1878. He founded the Yuen dynasty, which lasted
ss years. Kubai was equally great as general
or statesman. His prudence forbade him from
overthrowing the ancient institutions, and he flat
tered Chinese prejudice by adopting their manners
and appointing the natives to Office. Marco Polo,
the celebrated Venetian traveller, visited his court
and made China known to Europeans. No victor,
perhaps ever ruled over greater extent of terri
tory than Kublai. All the tribes of Siberia, the
deserts Of ASIA and the country between China
and the Caspian, acknowledged his sway.
The Tartars were expelled and the Mongol dynas-
ty overthrown by q Chinese chieftain named Choo.
Yuen Chang, the son of common aborer, and af-
forwards soldier in the army and captain of band
of robbers. Having raised an army, and defeated
the Tartars in several battles, he declared his in.
tcnton of driving the Mongols out Of the country.
He executed vast plans with systematic precision.
The Mongol armies were defeated and in about
1868 he became the sovereign of the Chinese empire
and founder the Ming dynasty.
The Mantchou Tartars taking advantage Of the,
anarchy which reigned in China under the last
feeble princes Of the Ming dynasty, invaded some Of
the provinces, and threatened the capital. This
tribe had emerged from obscurity, under the govern
ment of wise prince, who civilized his countrymen
and taught them a syllable alphabet. Considering
its extent, foreign conquesthas ever been achieved
in shorter time and with fewer troops than that Of
the Mantchous over China. In 1914, Shun-che.
nephew Of Tsung-tih, Tartar chief who had aspired
to the empire, but died, was proclaimed Emperor
The regency which ruled during the minority Of
Shunche did much to conciliate the Chinese, and
thus laid the foundation of permanent reign In
1861, Shun-che, the first Of the present Tartar
dynasty (Ta-Tsing) began to reign. He had been
instructed in the art Of government by German