The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1877-02-21
. For the Intelligeucer.l
A Glimpse into Chinese Laws and
their Mode of Procedure.

Nothing can be more beautiful than
the moral and civil code Of laws in Chi
ma. or more ingenious than the syst em
of checks IN the administration Of JUS
tice. But. unfortunately, like all hu-
man institutions and devices. they fail
most glaringly in practice; principally
owing to the non observance of those
laws and maxims by the persons who
are selected to administer aud exponnd
them. for the Mandarins, Ike many
others. sacrifice duty for the sake Of
present enjoyment aud aggrsndizement.
From the highest to the lowest there are
no tricks or articles which they do not
supply to deceive their superiors, aud
even to mislead the Emperor himself;
and they are so we'll versed 10 dissimu-
lstion. closked BY servility and an air
of disinterestsdness. that it becomes q
monstrously difficult meter for those At
the head Of affairs to sift the chatf fror
the grain and detect truth from false
hood.
Bribery and corruption are carried
on to an enormous extent throughout
the entire Empire, and are in measure
countenanced by the Emperor. it not
the immediate result Of his will. The
salaries Of officials are 80 low that they
are entirely Inadequate to n,sintain
their dignity. therefore injustice aud
cxtortion are the consequence, and these
are adopted from the Prime Minister
downwards; so contributions are levied
at the top ofthe ladders. and each Off
Ger in the descending scale is compelled
from seif.interest and protection to en-
force exactions FROM his inferior until
il reaches the people. On this account.
therefore. when man becomes rich,
and in bis folly. AZ through parsimony,
neglects to present offerings, or. ia plain
language. omits to bride the Mandarin
OF the district. he is invariably accused
OF some offence. seized and tortured to
extort from him some of bis wealth.
then when Mandarin discovers an Of
fender he is enabled 10 carry on q most
profitable trade by holding the accuse.
ton ia terrorsm over him till be has
drained him of all be can. and. verify,
he does not drop the lemon until it has
been pretty we'll squeezed
NC penat Ct1c Oi Sulna TeNalUeI
unaltered until the Ming dynasty, since
which period various notifications.
and alterations have taken
place, and it is now arranged under one
thousand FIVE hundred and fifty-seven
heads; each Emperor. since the CON-
Of the first Ming A. d.
1861 having made considerable sltera-
tons in it; great contradictions aud con-
fusion are consequently the result. The
punishmeuts IN general arc most cruel
and proportioned 10 the crimes for
which ;Ley are inflicted. and for the !
slightest offense high official may be /
deprived at property, degraded and /
banished
/, frequently happens that the Empe-
ror not only visits the sins of the father /
upon the children, bnt extends his /
wrath to the collateral branches Of the
family, INJECTING upon them the same
punishment Is that pronounced upon
he offenders When the Emperor con-
iemns an old fsvorite. as q mark Of i'm
per'al benevolsnce, he sends him o
word with ~ intimatiou that he NAV