minifter relief to fuffering humanity, which charaderizes the pro-
feffion in Britain, direfled them to be carried to the factory, and
was preparing to perform amputation, as the only poifible means
o f faving their lives, when one o f the Hong merchants having
heard what was going on ran with great hafte to the place,
and entreated the furgeon by no means to think o f performing
any operation upon them, but rather to fuffer them to be taken
away from the factory as fpeedily as poifible ; adding that, however
good his intentions might be, i f any one o f the patients
ihould die under his hands, he would inevitably be tried for murder,
and the moft mitigated puniihment would be that o f baniih-
ment for life into the wilds o f Tartary. The wounded Chinefe
were accordingly removed privately, and, no doubt, abandoned
to their fate.
The operation o f fuch a barbarous law (for fo it appears
to us) will ferve to explain the condufl o f the Chinefe in the
following inftance. In the courfe o f our journey down the
grand canal we had occafion to witnefs a fcene, which was
confidered as a remarkable example o f a want o f fellow-feeling.
O f the number o f perfons who had crowded down to the banks o f
the canal feveral had polled themfelves upon the high projefling
ftern o f an old veifel which, unfortunately, breaking down
with the weight, the whole groupe tumbled with the wreck into
the canal, juft at the moment when the yachts o f the embaffy were
paffing. Although numbers o f boats were failing about the place
none were perceived to go to the affiftance o f thofe that were ftrug-
gling in the water. They even feemed not to know that fuch.an
accident had happened, nor could the ihrieks o f the boys,
floatfloating
on pieces o f the wreck, attraft their attention. One
fellow was obferved very bufily employed in picking up, with
his boat-hook, the hat o f a drowning man. It was in vain we
endeavoured to prevail on the people o f our yeffel to heave to
and fend the boat to their affiftance. It is true, we were then
going at the rate o f feven miles an hour, which was the plea
they made for not flopping. I have no doubt that feveral o f
thefe unfortunate people muft inevitably have periihed.
Being thus infenfible to the fufferings o f their companions
and countrymen, little compaffion is to be expedited from them
towards ftrangers. From a manufcript journal, kept by a gentleman
in the fuite. o f the Dutch Embaffador, it appears that,
on their route to the capital, the writer felt an inclination to try
his ikaits on a fheet o f ice that they palled by the road-fide ; he
was alfo urged to it by the conducting officers. Having proceeded
to fome diftance from the ihore, the ice gave way and
he fell in up to the neck. The Chinefe, inftead o f rendering
him any affiftance, in the abfence o f his own countrymen who
had gone forwards, ran away laughing at this accident and
left him to fcramble out as well as he could, which was not
effefled without very great difficulty.
But, i f further proofs were wanting to eftablilh the infenfible
and incompaffionate charafler o f the Chinefe, the horrid practice
o f infanticide, tolerated by cuftom and encouraged by the
government, can leave no doubt on this fubjefl.— I venture to
fay en'couraged, becaufe where the legillature does not inter-'
fere to prevent crimes, it certainly may be faid to lend them its
countenance.