R e l ig io n .
Government.
of atheifift * nor Js It unüfual to find ingeniöüs reafonerS fij far difgOfted
with grofs fuperftitions as to fall into the oppofite extreme of abfurdity.* -
But fuch opinions are-confined to-very few; and the Chinefe are fo
far from being atheifts that they are in the oppofite extreme of poly-
theifm, believing .even in petty, demons who delight Tti minute afts of
evil, or good. There _is properly no order of priefts, except the
Bonzes of ' the feëfc of F o ; high prieft afpire' to,,/
the imperial power. The fe£t of Fo, and that of Lao Kian, which is
the lame, .with that of the Tai See,: admit of tnonafteries. The noted
feftival of lantherns is, according to Ofbek, celebrated in honour of the
god of fire, to avert the danger of conflagration. The Chinefe temples
are always open; nor: is there any fubdivifion of the mouth-knoeit in
the. country.*
The government of China is well known to be patriarchal. -TJie £mr
peror is indeed abfolute; but the examples of. tyranny-<^e fare, ^aS'heTa
taught to regard his people as his children, and not $§. hjs.fiaye^/f The
liability off hé government, in all its veflential, and ieven^.mitiqte forms
and cuftoms, juftly aftoniffies thofe who are the moft yerfecLin- hHlefy.
It arifcs .from-a ou-cutnftance unknown in. any Othef government, the'
admiffion .^nd praftice of the principle averted .by Lord fB^,con„ that
knowledge is'power. For all the officers , of government pafs through
a regular education, and a progrefs of rank, which are held Jndifpen-
fable, Of thefe • officers, who have been called-rmand£rips-,'- of;,có%-
manders, by the Portuguefe, there are nine clafles, from the judge of
the village to the prime minifter. The profeffion requiring a long and
fevere courfe of ftudy, the pradice of government remains, like that.of
medicine, unfhaken by exterior events; and. while the imperial throne
is'fubjefl; to accident and force, the remainder of the machine purfues
its.ufual circle. In fo vaft an empire, with a, computed population of.
more than 330,000,000, perhaps the {lability of the ftafe .’ ia incompatible
with much freedom ; yet the ideas o f an European are fhocked
* . I t mud However be remembered that even thefe literati admit the , exiftence-'of gods o(
various clafles, emariated from f ie foul of the wcltld. Hence they are in fa<& polytheifts, who
do not admit a Cupreme intelligent being.
- * Panw Rechefchesjpbiiofophiqiles fur les Egyptiens. et les Chi.iois. ‘TS.dftieiix ■‘zi f . 1
bythe’firequent ufe ofith'e %qd, alpaternal punilhmehfe tvhich would, in Oov*rn-
his eyes, t^p'e^i,the;\ihof^^egj%4ing £]^il|^offlavery The foldiers,
ho’wever, .'ffiewrib^^^^^d^rn^^.tHfeisriHopBg'; and-■ every fen'teflee .
,.of/death mfuffi heifiginddMEy ”thef,tempffsort It ■ is'*' ltppoffible to fix any
general- criteri« ofAufitan^flpifaidn^? which, vary according to minute,
,afidilfemetimesrii^iiibl^4l^|U!ia^&ffeJ;''and' thiikhi'fChina the prime'
mteifter may^b^rchanefl^^lwithl Mds^h^(l*|at6^|(Jwfedgg lid mark of
flavery*'in whatJie--regards1*as a niere fatfierly^admonitiofi. •i'’1
V goveMo^^.f*'the prbvi-h'el's^'a'vll gfdatT^n®&bfaIpt^p^web,'>”yet
rebellions are ntfft ,urifi:equ&nt. 1 Bribery” ||g| Gipivetfqjhyiceand
tth'eiChin:eTeif’'govemtiient^ likdIm^ny]Qthefsp:^^bV^|hiF!ifi the-ltheory
(thanUnthetprafliice. n Ketithfi'amazi^popialaBiQp, akdllS^g&ief-al eafe '
-ah’d hapipirtefs.of thepeople, evinceifhat-the practice?.qr\the geveriimeift
mlift be*fnore beneficial than any fyet?knowfi> alndtig‘mankind.
fsifThevChinefe ’laws are'1 ancient; buFmtimerOus;? infi* ecfiiSfs » of the Laws,
feigning dynafty have reftjrainecLthe mandarins within’ ftridfehr'liirfits ‘<'df
dumji>.5
The^populatiorv of Chi^has, been’ a' ».topic of atefidera'Me rdebatfei Population.
^ PauwKa-'boldland'decififreiaflfeftof;|and1 al'ldeclared' bn^erBf (Sf the-Jefilits,
vfafe- attacked all their- defcri&&®^^Gh,ina.^^6r o^feyves'/friim/ Hu.
Halde,- that when, the miffioftaries -proceeded' thrphghfttl#^ ]^ fe^--fb
prepare -thpif maps, they fioundj i$u-the greater -part ofithed^gfagpyern- - "
ments cdtmtries ofmpfe’than 2o‘‘Jgh|^es, li tb l fe e c f , .afitibfl 'uncol- '
'tivated, /andoftedfo wild'.- that ’ -Aey are quite" mnnhabitafife.f iPauw
alfo Itpe^tiofil1 the abundance ofjtigerk,',an4 thP e¥fftkAce ofiffie-Ghirtefe. -
b®£yages.m the extepfive forefts ; anq ngjrappdfes ’tKat 'tli^;q>^puStidn is
exaggerated when it is computed at • p- In fp vrim' an
empire moffi of the featutes arp^ An aTarge fcalbV/inW /can human in- ‘
Huftry overcome cer^n itnpedimpnts b|f nature,’ as lidge^,. of (rocks
barren heaths, and extenfive fwamps, in.certain pofiti'ons; and in the
north of China large forefts are indifpenfably preferved for the Take of
fuel. On a finaller fcale fuch obftacles to uniyerfal population are
found