Journey tp de-serving deathsjbnti nd^uryois'empa'nneHtd’rt'a' -fry; the
Cant°n' ■ fttiistilhe judgesda^ilnM’e;T?fcessrbn! aralSeJfeide&eji'iEnldss
corroborated ih^-coneorhitanfe,cirCamstaa®sesp on ©written
do«mehts^j tho ondcgMemchargesf th^hpCBtsed is- suffered
; to pujGgfe' him'selS^^fdnrioath adminisferfed^m a
solemn mannerV!and• afccoiropan ted by religious Jcerenwh
nie‘si.<; -Yet ,tbrfjuTe h^;teenrsoTHetimes 'praoti^edfrfe'ctlie
purpose obextorting feonif^sion, -or rtfemar&es-iij ancbigs
plices. This practise is-the more impolitic->m thi&fsewho
MdM? it, 'as ho prudenceror innocence jCgiir tbea^ertain
of guarding thfemselves alw'ays frag.^inshfSuspidmh ahd
acchsation f and. consequently against !SU'ffermg> aMv^vil
tille r . than death, for the purpose rof^ai^erialiiSh^ ifehe
existence of a crime .which Us e xp i ated by "thelK.enc^nep}
comparatively milder, offtbeloss ofrlifiiWi
It seldom happens that a eapita-Lcsentehce^is-'inflictgd
without the .confirmation !of the ’Emperor takes
placei-sometimes by order of thesvicefroy.ofthe/provinGe
in epes-pf emergency, such as; (rebellion or sediiti’Sh. I f
the ocqasihh will permit« criminals' for executiontizfaefall
transferred to Pekin, where a revision oflthe Sentence is
had: before 'the ;great tribunal allotted I for that ijurposeij
and the usages of the; empire, wh i c h t :s uppo’sdriheiso ve-*
refgn to be endowed with every principle.hf humahityt
require that heJ should formally consult his4? ediheilf^l®i
know whether he can, without danger to the state, avoid
ordering the sentence to be executed.
l^Th^ielsgoution; of allgcapital criniinals: takes^effect at joumeyto
the^aiöe^im^;' aridAie^mber.dséldóm above,two hun- Can----
d4Wfpspe;»y small.fervsolvasl! and populous an empire.
In m^sheaa6Siiihd^cd7 fine and imprisonment, flagellation
and exile areThe hshaldnflictdons,.except in crimes against
the .state or Emperor -f ©min :caseS o f blood, which admit
of, no pardon 'px^Gommutation.'^rior-'is'itherssany distinc-"
tio^lbefeween murderf and,manslaughter.': Theft;is never
punishèd-lvith deaths-nor.is«.robbery,‘unless the Jad? be.-
aOgm®.panied ivri’th personal injury and terqqky; The
moderationutf those punishments- séëms to-imply the in-
freque-hc^iofithel offence^ „and the Tact-is really so;’ex-
ceptuwhere famine rages,, in whichfCp^ noifse verity o f
punishment will .prevent .thexommissionuofThe crime.
: -T*ho-attention of the .Chinese .government’, -ho wever
provident and laudable, and it>s>genierahr©gul-ations, how-
ever.bettevolenf and rwise,rbeing* confined tó the measure
ofq? securing supplies-from its own provinces, and those
nift cal-ways t-carried faithfully, into - execution,; are not
founds to be equal in theireffects to'MtaoSfe-of the interested
and: jildMoit^waitchfu] ness of« 'speculative« merchants
in the European world,- for ^relieving the actual or impending.
wants- of'individuakj --and famine-rages xftener
in a Chinese.province; than in anrEuropean.kingdom.
In the; variety of capital punishments, strangmlarionds
deemed less infamous frhamdeöapitation; -The^separation
of any part .ofi the body from the remaindèndjbingveonl
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