pddn. discredit b#; without offspring* T h e y who had. none
“* adopted t:beie?of otbpri*;iwh© became theirs exclusively.
In caseiqf marriage; ;shonld a wife prove harren,ia! &Gcind
might 'be espons.ed<iri the lifetime of the*first; The; dp u-:
lent were>aJln\yMiaS5 .iaanosit paits;of ith® Easty';toikeap
cphehhines without reproach. The ^children of such
were, considered as .being those of the legitimate wife,;
towards whom they were; bred in sentiments, ofi duty and
affection ; ,ahd1 vfeheyi partook i in all thsgi pi|^ts<' Mslegiti-
maey>di
From; the operations of all those causes,, there was a con--
stant tendency tb leyel w ealth: and few could-: succeedto
such an adcumulatidn of it ks to ;r e® der|them indepen4
dent of,any efforts of their own for. its in?c*as^3^essde^
wealth alonejconfers in China but little important era# ianil
no power: nor-is property, without' :ofiicei< alwaysper-
fectly Lsecure»: There is no hereditary . dignity , ;.wh|c4t
might accompany, and give it pre-eminence and. Weight.
The delegated authority of government often leans feore
heavily on the unprotected rich, than on the pOor:, who
are less objects o f temptation. Andiit* is a common >ree
mark .among the Chinese, that fortunes, eithpr/by being
parcelled out to many heirs, or b.y being lost in commercial
speculations, gaming, or extravagance, or extorted
by oppressive mandarines,: seldom continue to be considerable
in the individuals of the same family beyond
the third generation. To ascend again the ladder of ambition,
itd^jniepesilsar;y,,t;by[long and laboriousstudygito pekin.
ex,ceUn thejleSicdin?g;€^th^|9imtB)g, which .aloho^ualifies
for t pubM^employmerits l ^
Therqar.e pjr©pe|-l;pbatteee^lap|§sof men in China.
Men -of let.ters,.,from wh©mf,th%mfp<darines;x|!re^ taken;
culjjjyratqrsjOf thg ground; andiaagoh ne f e d i n g .
chants^ In Pekin aknietyjsffipnferr e feah& hjgb°fde
efflitpi^ture^ upon -thoset-wh^ in publi:Gi.gxa^ifiation^
.areihlpyrdym^stiaMcflin»^ to «s&jeneesyofrm.®|alk^$-n4jgdr *
.^vernm^pfei as tayght in the>ancfeht Chi&sgi^rifips; with ,
^whiGh-.lsfu<dig.SjJ the hjstofy pfeheir; country, is intimately
;bifended. Arndyg^spcfegraduates^alljth0jc4vdl#ffiG^'in
thef^t.a|%|i.r%4istfi'buted by, thg -Ejnpqijbg;; a.|idj
.po.sejail -th&>great tribunals-qf thf^empirO;i;f Thei r^ydi-
dates sfor t^qs^delpegsJ^arejfSU^jSxbaVe^u^^ded in
tS;itni>kr'rexaminatipn^§jL thd j principal-jfity;;of ©aqh province
j^TJhqsc/who,have been chose^in fejepkieajO-fithe
-sec.ond order,, o r ^ e ^ to w if qfe^eryjd'i^lM- in |ther pj@;-
vinfeei,; are the .^ndjdates in th.e proj^in^l.gapifef.;, They
wh5 fajl in the. firsthand ^eggpr4)c|g^§ed.have stilhajclji^fi
on subordinate offices j>propogtioned-te;thev Mass-in which
they-had succeeded. [ Tho^T,examination^ arp,-carried
on with great.solemnity, and?■app&en.Lfairnels»J Military
rank is likewise? given’ tiq.. tfeqse who-ajry pfejund,1» upon
competition, tojex,cj.bin,rfche militat^rM|feand'in.waHike
e,xerqisc.s>: I
piTItCiflfeat tribunals^.are situate^, ford th e ' sake; .of
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