New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-05-25

Ucabee 10 exti-pate .bs vhcse clas, as % sbie p
e,i etc the c-moes ne cent 10 execution because he
vss ebgtd to make periodical reports 10 Pek;a OF the
rregres OF the wosk OF determination. The ordinary
~ q Chi0ese law is that crmral can be put t.
costa without tie ep, oial wsrrsn. Of t9s Emperor.
but IL Was An extraordinary case. He was armd
With genera. warratt to destroy rebels, and he
rertrted is proceedings uoder it, He declares that
no ;ldiynue yss put to cssth without being previ-
outiy examined by MIN.
Wewe'e very a. xious to know whether Yek il resly
fstalist but he feLcss With my questions. He ID
doubleday coes consult his Chinese elma.ac for the
lucsy osy 10 shave his head but is not easy TO a.
certain frtsn him whether he does so attaching any
belief to suoh snper-ttons whether he merely fol;
hws popular custom. II ne believes in luck"
be certainly has the sense TO be ashamed Of it. He is
also evidently aware that it Is deIogatory to the
dignity Of bigb erste Of the Han lin Yusn to lean
or Buddhism, owning thereby that the philosophy Of
Confucius ard Mencirs is not all suffi ,ieut-
! asked why. if toe pbilo'opny Of C1nfucus wa.
sufficient for all purposes nen became followers OF
Brddha aso.
"There is one great universal truth, but it has
many truths within it. The Taoi Of Confucias il ct
one with the Tsoli of Buddhs.'
&" But Buddhism was not known in China until long
after the time If Cor fucius ~" TIE Taoli of Buddhs
was In China although men knew not the form"
"Confucius knew nothing Of the religion of
Buddhs ~" The men Of those days knew not tae
foMs."
"lfthe Taoli Of Buddhs 10 good and necessary, why
is it not included the public examinations r'-"In
ar Gent times IL was not So"
This reply is with Yek the ending Of all controversy
once tried to drive him out of il by faying tina. the
custom he spoke Of was only OF the age OF the Han
dynssty, ard that even in our eyes, was compare
lively modern He became very suIky aud would not
continue the conversation.
Tie Bishop Of Victoria, after bis visit to Yek sent
off q Chinese Bible ard some tracs wrapped in
Newspaper, begging Capt. BROKER to present them
The captain did 80. Yek said he had long ago road
Lnxl, ank zrL ~ knaff I'd
were eood-they tend to purify the heart as d. the
Buddhist and TIE Tsoust books. He begged Of Capt.
Brooker to put the parcel by for him until come con-
venient season. This time never came but on the
fifth day Of our voyage Mr.. Aabsster reproduced the
package, and beggedto have bis opinion upon some
of the tracts. Ytk opened one Of them with evi-
dent effort of politeness, but soon closed it with
by some soeeism Of style nr Alabaster proposed
to put the Bible and trscts among some Buddhist
books which Yeks father had sent on board for him
but Yek affecting to misunderstood this proposition,
replied, yes Think it will be convenient that you
replace them in the captains drawer" Mr.. Alsbas-
ter continuing to turn them over, Yek got up from his
chat, and said, " If you will not put them up in the
packet "a received them, will DO 50 myself There
was no more to be done. The books were returned
to IL cir envelope and consigned TO the oblivion Of one
Of the lockers and the Mandarin locked pleased at
being relieved from an unpleasant importantly.
This was the only time ate Dpted TO force the at
tentCn of the old dgnitary to this matter Upon one
other occasion we invited him toward the subject by
asking him why, since Buddhim was introduced into
China in the Han dynasty, Christianity should not be
Introduced in the reign of the sixth Emperor OF the
Mantctcu Tartar dynasty. "Li!ai meiyu cheko
yaIgtsu {" Hitherto this has not been 80 - 1t is
the answer as you constantly get from Cinnamon
Of Hong Kong in Canton-EDgiish-"B Before time no
ca.chee."
This is the answer with which he always terminates
discussion, when he finds it taking the form of an
argument. We then always leave him undisturbed
to his occupations. These are to smoke his pipe,
to choose out the rotten oranges from his large store
and distribute them among bis domestics, carefully
replacing the sound fruit to give directions about his
dinner TO e1posuate with the captain that if he and
bs officers will not eat come portion Of his Chinese
cakes they will only be spoiled. He never reads, and
lie very seldom inquiries He has condescended to IN
qure concerning the French, whether they are not
nation who drink good deal OF coffee and make
great deal Of wine, and he seems quite satsted with
this amount of Information concerning the most polite
people of the world. He is fond, also Of exhibiting
bis stock Of quack medicines to Mr. Cotton, the ships
surgeon Report Gays. although we have been unable
to get Yek to tell this that the Vicsreys father was
an apothecary. The son manfssts great interest IN
European eurgeIy. The most liberal admiston ever
heard him make was upon this subject MIR. Cotton
asked him whether the Chinese surgeons study snat
envy. He answered No; it would be impOhtic TO do
so IN China
Yek most usually expresses his disbelief by gruut
or grip but he has no hesitation In giving you the
lie direct Once or twice he did this in very COARSE
way after sskirg question about some matter Of fact
Occurring on deck. The Englishmen about him, with
every feeling for his position as prisoner, were not
inclined to endure this, and he was told that l! was
considered by nation the gravest dscourtesy to
use such LAM uage. lie couldn't understand this IL
" don't intend to offend you, he said, "but you say
81 IT, and say it is not; that is all 1T was evi-
dept that he himself cared more for being discov-
e,td in fasehood than for being beaten at game OF
chess.
Thus. when told him that proclamations had been
Issued levying duties upon opium, he SAD, That 10
net So" produced copies of the procamstons lie
simply remarked that this was out OF bis provinces
ana he had never heard of 1t. He believed that the
Emperor knew nothing about It, regretted to hear
that high Chinese officials put forth proclamations
and received duties without the sanction of the Empe.
ror. He said that this was impossible. asked
whether these duties ever reached the Emperors
Treasury, or whether they were embezzled lie SAID
that embezzlement by public officer was an nPos'
sibility in Chns. produced halt dozen Pe6in ga
,etfc, which recOunted such embezzements, aLd re-
ferred the crime to the proper board. He said THAI
these instances were not within has Niceroyaty. 1
asked bow it happened that public oi,ers receiving
almost nominal salaries made large fortunes. he salu
flat no man in flee did make alaIgs fortune.
/ read 10 him from Williams's M'ddIc h"gdom 'ne
Emperors rescrpt and the estimate of the wealth OF
Duke IIo lone hundred and five millions OF doiarsl.
He said this was before his time. lie was never 10
the smallest degree disconcerted by being directly
cODtradicted by public document, and ventured
upon 10 subject upon which was not well fortified
by Pekia Go-ctcs. 1t Ia true he never disputed the
authority of public document
He tells that he is So years DID, that he is the son
of public officer 80 years DID, who was Secretary
of the Board of War (of which Yek Is now PRESIDENT
for II yeaIs and who has for years retired.
He recounted the different high offices he has held.
The st s too numerous for insertion, but il includes
every kind of Judicial and political duty. He declares
that be owed his first appointment as Project entirely
TO his success in the public examinations. This gave
me an opportunity Of irqurpg into the nature of these