The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-06-20
TIE CIVIL WAR IN C.HINA.

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Confess Between the Chinese or Mll>g and
Tarsar Dy nastios-Chasacter OF the eoPA'
Of the Southern PrOvinces-Historical NO
ssees Of me ming, Emper ors, sc.
In our article on China, in the HERALD Of the
14th inst we called attention TO the fact that the
present civil war in that empire is contest between
the Chinese and I. Ttars, attempt on the pzrt
of the insurgents OF revoutonists to overthrow the
present Tartar Impei Ial dynasty, and to place on
| the throne member .H Chinese family. We also
gave table of the succt ssve dynastes which have
ruled the Celestial Empire for more than fo1r thou
sand years and noticed SO me Of the most interest
ing points in Chinese history II may be intere sng
to our readers to add few ,cts respecting the tWO
dynasties which now contsnding for she throlss,
and the rule Of empire which comprises within
its borders than one-thrd cf the popuiafion OF
| the globe.
The highlands of the Fokeen, Le1ng and Kwang
provinces, in the south Of China aac Inhabited by
formidable body of mountaineers, the Mesow-pe or
"Sons Of the soil, called also Yaou jim, Wohnen,"
which have long disturbed the tranquility Of the
central government. These Chinese repealers Lave
never acknowledged the Tartar dynasty, and are
said to have amongst them the scons Of royalty Of
the genuine old native stock Of the Ta-Misg-Chaw.
or descendants of the Ming dynasty, which was
overthrown by the present Tartar dynasty in 164k.
The mountaneers, or "sons Of the soil !" are o.
ganized body, divided into eight leading Tribes sub
divided intotwenty-four, and again Into fifty smaller
branches. They are in many respects peculiar. They
their hair oil the head, tied into knot sk
the top, and ornamented with pheasants' feathers
and beads. They marry and intermarry mongs
themselves and choose their wives by their pc wen
NJ tha 20
merely of taking the of each others waists.
when the couple are declared man and wife.
They are brave hardy, active, fierce and qusp-
relsome race Injured to deeds of blood; their weapons
bows and arrows, spears and swords, with which
they are quite able to make their independence res
pected by the Imperial authorities The only con-
troll that the government has been able to exer
else over them is the advantage taken when, once
every three years, they down to Canton to buy
salt necessary that they cannot otherwise prooures
and as it is government monopoly, the Mandanns
refuse to supply them with any until they have en-
tered into treaty to be of good behavior for the
space of three years; and this occasion only
they to be seen by foreigners. As the tea plant
thrves in these provinces to perfection the inhabi
tants Of the mountains have improved the most bar
ridges for the cultivation of this important shrub
Wherever the soil is too poor to admit Of the oultvn
ton of RICE they plant the sweet potato, which
stitutes the principal food Of many Of the people.
The natives of Fokeen are also engaged in
trade and fisheries, in which they excel
all their countrymen. Their trading craft is the
most numerous and the Fokeen sailors are the best
seamen in any difficult enterprise 1t is from tho
southern districts of Fokcen and adjacent provinces
that thousands of colonsts proceed to Siam AMMAN,
the Indian Archipelago, and recently to California,
where they become the very sou, of industry. They
are otherwise an imperous naughty race, proud Of
their sterile country, independent in their senti-
| ments and fond of liberty which is almost un-
known to the Chinese of other provinces Their lam
guage differs widely from the Mandarins; the dia-
| lects spoken are numerous, hut they have reduced
them to general rules, and published national die
tionary, which gives the pronunciation and explana
! tion of the characters. When the Tartars invaded
China in the seventeenth century the people of Fo
keen province resisted these tyrants to the utmost
and in order to escape the vengeance Of the naughty
conquerors they took refuge in the island of Formo.a
which is only about hundred miles from the shore
of Fokeen and its high towering hills are visible in
| clear weather, on the peaks of Annoy and Chuen-
choo. For period OF several years Formosa became
an Independent county, but Kang one the Tartar
emperors of China, wise statesman, who suppressed
the rebellion, declared amnesty in favor of all the
! Chinese who had withdrawn to Formosa This had
the desired effect, and since the year 1858 the island
Of Formosa has remained under Chinese jurisdiction.
but frequent revolts have broken out. The eastern
parts still in possession of native chiefs, who
seem to have adopted the patrarcha form Of govern
| ment.
1t is in these south eastern provinces that th, pre-
sent civil war rebellion against the Tartar dynasty
has been in progress for several years and among the
mountaineers of these regions it appears that the
remnants Of the Ming family, the Imperi dynasty
which was overthrown by the present Tartar dy-
nasty, two centuries ago, have been preserved
and protected. The member Of this family who
now aspires to the throne, and in behalf Of
whom his countrymen have taken up arms is Prince
Choo, of the Ming dynasty, but the proclamations
| issued by the commanding generals in his name,
| call it the "Thaeping, or Great Facilitating Dynas
| ty" The prince, whose success is confidently pc
dicted is alluded to in the following remarks, in the
Friend of China an English paper, printed at Hong
| Kong of March 90 received by the overland mail to
| London -
One the objects il the chief which wc have
always had in visw in furnishing the public ~ith highly
coored of the progress Of iDsurrecon has beea
that Of exciting to proper oonsidsrstioa
Of the course which it will be necessary to follow
Wneu hrrlvess frlnco CuoO OF t0o
Mig dynasty, Zone # whose adver sments" We pub
shed far back July 1861 will eventually succeed
10 his purpose, have had doubt all very
veil foT people that until latsly POST people
side ed the dstnr bances originating With band
Of narauders who had hey ond the plunder and
lcen,e OF day. Assertions ike these. would tell
ths writer OF them calculated to milsad aud 1t
not be said that the Information furnished from
.i-e to time other than authentic. In February,
1851 we wrote--
Alta distance as the crow would hy barely sixty miles
from Canton the insurgents assembled in great
force-ther avowed object the upsetpg TIE rcsees
nasty. This information have on the worry best su-
thorty To such ,tremes they have oaret their deter
that they have returned 70 the old Ch:ee pras
tics of dispensing with the queutb in reality equivA
lent sword and fingns away the scabbard
Who win Say that this WAS not ;. autasnue inio,mA-
ton ard calculated excite If attended TO- c0asidera
ton of the question g what will it be most pru-
dept for the British government to pursue should tho
Tartar dynasty succumb and the of government
fall into her bsriS Our peace cryers at home will
! say nothing Lord Aberdeen has told us that the