<Q?H A P. V I .
Language.— Literature, and the fine Arts.— Sciences.— Mechan
ic s ,‘and Medicine.
Opinion o f the Chinefe Language being hieroglyphical erroneous.^DoBor Hagens mif-
takes.— Etymological Comparifons fallacious.— Examples o f— Nature o f the Chinefe
. written Character.— Difficulty and Ambiguity o f .— Curious Mi/lake o f an eminent
.Antiquarian.— Mode, of-acquiring thfi CharaBer.— Oral Language.— Mantchoo
■ Tartar Alphabet.— .Chinefe..literature..— AJlronomy,—^Chronology.— Cycle offixty
Tea rs.— Geography — A ri tl>metic.—* Chemical Arts»-—Cannon and Gunpowder»—
. Dijlillation.— Potteries.— Silk Manufactures.'—-Ivory.^—Bamboo.— Paper.— Ink.—
Printing.— Mechanics.— Mufic. — Painting.— Sculpture. — Architecture.— Hotel of
the Engli/h- JLmbajfador in Pekin.— The Great Wall.—The Grand Canal.—
Bridges.— Cemeteries.—N a tural Philoj'ophy. — Medicine.— Chinefe Pharmacopoeia.
— Quacks.— Contagious Fevers. — Small-pox. — Opthdlmial— Venereal Difeafe.—
Midwifery.— Surgery^-r-DoBor Gregor f t ' Opinion oftheir'Medical Knowledge.—
Sir William jones's Opinion of their general CharaBer. - Page 236
C H A P . V I I .
G o v e rnm e n t— Laws— Tenures o f Land and Taxes-— Revenues
— ;; — Civil and Military Ranks, and Eftabliihments.
Opinions on which the Executive Authority is grounded.— Principle on which an Emperor
o f China feldom appears± in public.—'%he Cenfprate.— Public Departments.—
Laws.— Scale o f Crimes and Punifhments.— Laws regarding Homicide.— Curious
- Law Cafe.— No Appeal from. Civil Suits, — DefeBs in the Executive Government.
\ — Duty o f Obedience and Power o f perfonal CorreBion.— Ruffia. and China compared.—
Fate of the Prime Minijler Ho-chang-tong.— Calendar and Pekin
Gazette, engines o f Government.— Freedom o f the Prejs.— Duration o f the Government
attempted to be explained.— Precautions of Government to prevent InffirreBions.
— Taxes and Revenues.— Civil and Military EJlablifhments.— Chinefe Army, its
Numbers and Appointments.— ConduB o f the Tartar Government at the Conquejl.—
• Impolitic Change o f late Tearsy andthe probable Confequenees of it.. . 3 57
C H A P .
C H A P . V II I.
Conjedures on the Origin o f the Chinefe.— T heir Religious
Seds,— Tenets,— and Ceremonies.
Embafy departs from Pelitt, and is lodged in a Temple.-Colony from Egypt not ne-
ceffary to befuppofed, in order to account fo r Egyptian Mythology in China.— Opinions
concerning Chinefe Origin.— Obfervations on the Heights ofTartary— Proba-
hly the Rejling.place o f the Ark of Noah— Ancients ignorant of the Chinefe— Seres.
— Firjl known Intercourje o f Foreigners with China— Jews— Budhifs. — Nefo-
rians— Mahomedans— Roman Catholics— Quarrels o f the Jefuits and Dominicans—
Religion of Confucius— Attached to the Prediction o f future Events— Notions
entertained by him o f a future State.— O f the Deity.— Do&rine not unlike that
o f the Stoics.— Ceremonies in Honour of his Memory led to Idolatry— Mifreprefen-
tations of the Mijfionaries with regard to the-Religion of the Chinefe. The Tao-tze
or Sons o f Immortals Their Beverage of Life— The Difciples o f Vo or Budhijls.
— Comparifon offome o f the Hindu, Greek, Egyptian, and Chinefe Deities— The
Lotos or Nelumbium.— Story of Ofiris and Ifis, and the IGa compared with the
■ Imperial C e r em o n y o f Ploughing— Women vifit the Temples— PraBical Part of
Chinefe Religion Funeral Obfequies— Feajl of Lanterns— Obeifance to the
Emperor performed in Temples leads to Idolatry— Primitive Religion lojl or corrupted.
— Summary o f Chinefe Religion. - Page 418
C H A P . IX .
Journey from Tong-choo-foo to the Province o f Canton.—
Face o f the Country, and its Produdions.— Buildings and
other Public Works.— Condition o f the People.— State o f
Agriculture.— Population.
Attentions paid to the Embafy— Obfervations on the Climate and Plains o f Pe-tche-
\ee— Plants o f— Diet and Condition o f the People— Burying-place.-Obferva-
tion on Chinefe Cities— Trackers o f the Yachts— Entrance of the Grand Canal—
J CJ~L.