The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-09-01
THE CHINESE REBELLION.

The London Times contains letter, dated
eth May, 1853, written on board the English
vessel HermeS which carried Sir George Ben
ham on his visit to the Chinese insurgents at
Marking. This writer furnishes such particu-
lars as the following of the faith and character
of the rebels:
They profess Protestant Christianity. They
declare themselves, and the imperialists de-
scribe them, as worshippers of Jesus. They
circulate tracts, not drawn from missionary
tracts but directly from the Scriptures. They
destroy every vestige of idol worship which
they meet with. They adopt the Ten Com
mandments to which they have appended an
notations, and have taken the liberty of adding
prohibition of the smoking of foreign tobacco
and opium to the seventh of the decalogue.
They behead the offender for smoking opium,
and correct tobacco smokers with the bamboo.
They said they had the whole Of our Scrip
lures The letter writer saw only the book Of
Genesis. He presented them with the New
Testament in English which the interpreter
evidently understood, and accepted with great
pleasure. They hold open courts, confronting
the litigants, which is contrary to the estab-
lished Chinese rule. The cause Of the outbreak
is reported to have been--a number of them
were in the habit Of meeting in Quangai for
the worship Of Jesus; the Mandarins forbade
them, and beheaded some of them for persist.
ing in holding their unlawful assemblies
whereupon about two hundred took up arms il
their own defence They state that they hav
now a million Of adherents. They were active
ly organizing their forces, erecting batteries
and putting good 81 Founders into them The
hold the impcrialists quite cheap rs antago
nists, and the English officers believed tina
they could march to Pekin whenever the,
pleased They are somewhat fanatical, ant
very confident Of supernatural aid and direc
ton Their King they say was taken up int
Heaven, and there invested with power t.
reign in matters Of temporal concern, he FIRE
quently receives revelations from God; but tn
King disclaims the title Of Supreme, High, an,
Father, because these belong only to God
They have no priests or teachers, holding tina
NIL believers are sufficient for such purposes
and the Bible is their rule of life. They ar
very severe upon all attractions Of its morality
and have acquired the reputation, even amon
their enemies of being as good as their word
which distinguishes them as much as anything
from the rest of the Chinese. The sixth com
mandment they put thus: Thou shalt no
kill or injure men," And their commontar
upon it is " He who kills another kills himself
and he who Injuries another Injuries himself
Whoever does either of these, breaks the aboy
command
The writer adds; "If they succced-and
fancy they will, and soon-they will deliver
100000, 900 from the grosscst immoratics, the
most groyelling of idolatres, and tho most
grinding Of tyrannes."
They seem to have more knowledge of the
Old than of the New Testament; but the let.
ter.writer doubts the report that they allow
polygamy He says that the French Consul
at Shanghai charges the instruction upon the
Protestant missionaries and the servants of the
English house in Canton and the Catholic in.
terest is exerted against them, intending to
build the papal forms upon the old idolatry if
the rebellion is once suppressed and thus in
the end adding all China to the Papal Power.
This revolution really appears now to bid
lair for success and what wonders it opens in
the immediate prospect of these evcntGul times