The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-11-11
AN American fn ghtuN--ConfHeins q
xcnerseHtan Democrat - Imperial
MAerimDny,

ScWeFSNHtan WCHn0CEae - kEnporRaI
Matrim0ny,
! Congressman James Brookes writes from
Pekin, under date OF August q, some In
teresting notes on Chinese poIfty. he says
! Before ! leave Pekin must try to con.
rey to you my impressions OF what this
Government IL. 1t seems to be demo.
cratic despotism. and hence perhaps the
secret OF It's old age and long preservation
, tonfucius was sort CT Thomas Jefferson
or Ben. Franklin. lie laid down great
practical democratic principles. and they
have ruled cmperors and mandarinS hun.
dreds and hundreds Of years. Confrcius
created a public opinion and system
OF prcccdents that no despotism could
ever safely ignore. Then, the common
people. through their instructed mapda-
rims, guide aud oyerawc, if they do not
even sway. the Emperor. He is afraid
Of the people, and the mandarins are afraid
of the people too. There is as much %
pubic opinion here to be respected us in
Great Britan or the United States. No
hereditary aristocracy OF any kind exists.
| No mandarin can transfer even his buttons,
| to say nothing Of his post, to his children.
When these mandarinS are made governors
| Of the provinces OF China their power is
quite absolute, but the Emperor is omnipo-
, tent, Of course. over them. The provinces
| are like our states, with certain provincial
{ rights that rnandarins must respect when
seat there. Hence the government Is no.
where absolutely absolutc-that Is, with
safety t. Itself.
! THE RAILROAD AND TELEGRAPH.
| Intelligent mandarins would like to build
railroads and telcgraphS, it is thought, but
, they dare not, it is believed, Us yet. No
mandarin feels potent enough to advise the
! Emperor 10 run railroad over The graves
ana through the grareyards OF Chlncse
! rcvcred and worshpped ancestors. The
! trouble in erecting tcicGraph-p Dies Is that
~ superStiticus Ch'naman believes (aud all
ARE mere or less supersttious) that these
: ,ocs will Interfere With the Fung-Shucy
; wind and water" 4 species Of geomaDcy,
or belief in The good or lU.luck attached
} 10 particular lGcal situations that the poles
| may have struck.
An event has just occurred which viii
hasten the erection Of telegraphs. TIE
Grand rckin Council of Scholars have just
! awarded two competitive prizes to two
Cantonese scholars, the highest honors Of
toe empire. The news was sent from
shanghai by sea telegraph 10 Hong-kong
and reached Canton days before the news
could come overland. The Cantonese were
asicund.d. and tliscrc6ited The intelligence
un,iI the long lookcd.ioT Pekin Official Ga.
:c!tc came overland ana confirmed it. Then
Where was wonder and marvel over that in.
. ye.,.,ncr. and all China. from north tC
south. is a-king il it will do 10 give foreign.
crs the means Of more rapid intercourse
with the exterior OF our empire than we
ourselves have. Interest, their trade and
! commerce, | think, will soon dispose Of
F.: that Fung-Shuey, aud give China the tele.
graph.
We have opened their great river, one OF
the greatest rivers III the world, and by
; steam We Americans do nearly all the
: c0astiug trade there, with Shanghai. Man
Gtr!nS now prefer our boats to their JunkS
TO travel in. Europe and America have
taught Cinnamon how to cast cannon and
: TO make rifles. Their factories, under our
auspices, are almost equal TO ours. Their
rife is IS good as our Springfield rifle. Their
ships-of-war are now putting Oh formidable
, fronts. # England again comes into con.
/ tlicl with China it will not be SO easy a CON
| quest lis III her last two Chinese wars.
! wASTgp--AE EMPRESS.
; Great efforts are being made to find q
wife No. tor the boy Emperor. He can
havc rs maay rs he plc,Ses after No. 1. The
pretty girls from hundreds and hundreds
Ct miles have been sent up 10 the capita!
rs patterns for an Empress; but his
mot her. the Empress Dowa2er, has not
p,ckcd on, y wife for him. Boys end girls
! in China have nothing to do with the Sc
, lection Of their own wives. They seldom
| eee-thc husband his wiic-till tee day OF
his marriage. The Emperor even has got
10 take what they give him; but IT No.
does not sui: or satisfy, No. ., 3, 4, 6, and
50 on, can be hand-utids. Some OF The
. richest provinces have just been levied
upon, however, to furnish silks, satins,
=. and tlnbr0idcrics for some grand nuntlal
: cercnlony soon 10 take place In Pckin.
; The richest silk province respectful,
! protests, ! see by the Fekfn Gazette,
. sy4inst the six levy made upon that
! province. The mandarin writes the requi-
slt!0n cannot be complied with without
: trouble there, and, what is stranger, the
Pckin official Gazette publishes in full the
respectful rem0nstrance. This PektD Ga
! zette. ty the way, is the only real Chinese
, newspaper in'tie empire. It Is published
! daily here, ard the manuscript is furnished
/ t-cnty -four hours in advance to the foreign
ministers if they desire It. 1t Is an oihclal
record only, with 10 dissertation in it, no
+" editorials" only the DEGREES OF the Go
'vcrument and the reports and petitions oi
+, mandlrins from the provinces.