mon. Scene in China. behavior. Even when they accidentally come into collision with each other, the extrication is effected without any of that noise, and exchange of turbulent and abusive language, which are commonly witnessed on such occasions in European cities. Flagrant crimes and open violations of the laws are by no means comThe attachments of kindred are exchanged and cherished with peculiar force, particularly toward parents and ancestry in general. The support of the aged and infirm is inculcated as a sacred duty, which appears to be very strictly fulfilled. It is surely a phenomenon in national economy, that, in a country so eminently populous, and so straitened for food, there should be neither begging nor pauperism. The wants of the most destitute are relieved within the circle of their family and kindred. It is said to be customary that a whole family, for several generations, with all its members, married and unmarried, live under one roof, and with only two apartments, one for sleeping, and the other for eating- a fact which implies a great degree of tranquillity and harmony of temper. Among the other peculiar traits of the Chinese, their artisans are celebrated for imitation. The following anecdote is illustrative of this. Toward the close of the last century, an officer of an English ship, that lay off Canton, sent ashore, to a native, an order for a dozen pair of trousers, to be made of the nankin for which China has been so long famed. The Chinese artisan required a pattern - he could not make any thing without a pattern: so a pair of trousers was sent, at his request, the same having been mended by a patch at the knee. In due time, the twelve pairs are sent on board, of a fabric of great beauty of quality, but every pair bearing, like an heraldic badge, the obnoxious patch on one knee, exactly copied, stitch for stitch, in a style that reflected the highest credit on the mechanical skill of the workman, and for the difficult execution of which, an extra charge was made upon the purse of the exasperated owner-who, however, had no alternative but to pay the bill! That the Chinese have an inordinate self-love, and a prevalent contempt of other nations, seems to be admitted by every observer, as it is apparent, also, in their governmental acts and manifestoes. These feelings, though they take their rise from the important advantages which they certainly possess especially in comparison with the adjoining countries, more are fostered by ignorance, and artfully enhanced, in the minds of the common people, by the influence of the mandarins. A timid, miserable policy has led the latter to consider it their interest to increase the national dislike of foreigners. The most dangerous accusation against a native Chinese is, that of being subject, in any way, to foreign influence. The distribution of wealth is more equal in China than in most other countries. Where extreme destitution is felt, it arises solely from the unusual degree in which the population is made to press upon the means of subsistence. Poverty is deemed no reproach in China. Station derived from personal merit, and the claims of venerable old age, are the two things which command the most respect. An emperor once rose from his seat to pay respect to an inferior officer of more than a century in age, who came to do homage to his sovereign. The crime of infanticide has been frequently charged upon the Chinese, but probably with no just ground, at least to the extent supposed. No doubt that in occasional instances of female births, infanticide takes place; but these cases are said to occur only in the chief cities, and amid a crowded population, where the means of subsistence seem to be effectually denied. In general, the Chinese are peculiarly fond of their children i and the attachment seems to be reciprocated. This people, in their physical characteristics, as in other qualities, are generally superior to the nations which border on them. The freedom of their dress gives a development to their limbs that renders many of them models for a statuary. The healthiness 476 WOMEN-POLYGAMY-CAUSES OF DIVORCE. of the climate also produces its effect. The exist ence, at any time, of that terrible scourge, the cholera, in China Proper, seems to be doubted - at least, its effects have not been seriously noticed. In France, the idea has obtained, that the Chinese have been exempted from this disease by the consumption of tea, in which, almost of course, they indulge more than all other nations. Chinese Flower Seller. with onerous ceremonies, which have been transmitted from time immemorial. Occasionally, however, these bonds are broken, and there is a correspondent degree of convivial freedom. Notwithstanding the general disadvantages on the side of the sex in China, in common with other Oriental countries, its respectability is, in some degree, preserved by a certain extent of authority allowed to widows over their sons; and also by the homage which ¦ these are required to pay to their mothers. The ladies | of the better classes are instructed in embroidering, as well as painting on silk; and music is, of course, a favorite accomplishment. They are not often proficients in letters; but, in some instances, they have become renowned for their poetic compositions. The opinion that polygamy exists universally, in China, is incorrect. It is not strictly true that their laws sanction polygamy at all, though they permit concubinage. A Chinese can have but one tsy, or wife, properly so denominated. She is distinguished by a title, espoused with ceremonies, and chosen from a rank in life totally different from his tsie, or handmaids, of whom he may have what number he pleases. The offspring of the latter, however, possess many of the rights of legitimacy. A woman, on marriage, assumes her husband's surname. Marriage between all persons of the same surname being unlawful, this law must consequently include all descendants of the male branch forever; and, as in so immense a population there are less than two hundred surnames throughout the empire, the embarrassments that arise from such a cause must be considerable. The personal appearance of the women is affected The grounds of divorce, which are seven, are, some by a most unaccountable taste for the mutilation of of them, amusing. The first is barrenness: the their feet. The practice is said to have commenced others are adultery, disobedience to the husband's about the end of the ninth century of our era. As it parents, talkativeness, thieving, ill temper, and invetmilitates against every notion of physical beauty, the erate infirmities. Any of these, however, may be idea conveyed, doubtless, is exemption from labor; set aside by three circumstances-the wife having or, in other words, gentility. The female, thus crip- mourned for her husband's parents; the family, since pled, cannot work; and the appearance of helpless- marriage, having acquired wealth; and the wife havness, and the tottering gait induced by the mutilation, ing no parents to receive her back. It is, in all cases, are subjects of admiration with the people. The disreputable for a widow to marry again, and in some Chinese custom, so ridiculous to us, is, however, less cases- - especially with those of a particular rank - it pernicious than the fashionable practice of compressing is illegal. The marriage ceremonies are too numerous the waist, with our modern ladies. and complex to admit of description here. The possessor of hereditary rank, without merit, has little for which to congratulate himself. The descendants of the emperors are among the most unhappy, idle, vicious, and trifling of the community, although their nominal rank is maintained. Occasionally, they become involved in abject poverty. One of the British embassies had a specimen of their conduct and manners, as well as of the little ceremony with which they are occasionally treated. When they crowded, with a childish and rude curiosity, upon the English party, the principal person among the mandarins seized a whip; and, not satisfied with the application of that alone, actually kicked out the imperial mob. The impartial distribution - with few exceptions of state offices and magistracies to all who give evidence of superior learning or talent, without regard to birth or wealth, lies probably at the foundation of the greatness and prosperity of the empire. The intercourse of social life in China resembles that of most Asiatic countries. Where women are confined to their homes, or to the company of their own sex, domestic life exhibits few of its peculiar charms. It is generally cold, formal, and encumbered The birth of a son is, of course, an occasion of great rejoicing; the family, or surname, is first given, and then the milk-name,' which is generally some diminutive of endearment. A month after the event, the relations and friends, between them, send the child a silver plate, on which are engraved the three words, ' Long-life, honors, felicity.' The boy is trained in behavior and ceremonies from his earliest childhood; and, at four or five, he commences reading. The importance of general education was known so long since in China, that a work, written before the Christian era, speaks of the ancient system of instruction,' which required that every town and village, down to only a few families, should have a common school. The wealthy Chinese employ private teachers, and others send their sons to day schools, which are so well attended that the fees paid by each boy are extremely small. In large towns, there are evening schools, of which those who are obliged to labor through the day avail themselves. Of all the subjects of their care, there are none which the Chinese so religiously attend to, as the tombs of their ancestors, as they conceive that any GEOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION OF JAPAN. neglect is sure to be followed by worldly misfortune. It is here that they manifest "a religious sense,' which is hardly shown towards their gods. Their ceremonies, connected with the treatment of the dead, are of a striking character, but we have not space for details. According to the ritual, the original and strict period of mourning is three years for a parent; but this is commonly reduced, in practice, to twentyseven months. Full three years must elapse, from the death of a parent, before the children can marry. The colors of mourning are white and dull gray, or ash, with round buttons of crystal or glass, in lieu of gilt ones. 477 former residence, but did not forget his filial affection. His mother had always expressed great apprehension of thunder, and, when it was stormy, always requested her son not to leave her. Therefore, as soon as he heard a storm coming on, he hastened to his mother's grave, saying softly to her, "I am here, mother!" The disposal of paternal property, by will, is restricted to the legal heirs. The eldest son has a double portion; or, more correctly speaking, perhaps, the property may be said to descend to the eldest son, in trust, for all the younger brothers. Over these he has considerable authority. They commonly live A pleasing anecdote, in relation to filial piety, is together, and club their shares, by which means, famrelated of a youth named Ouang-Ouei-Yuen. Having ilies in this over-peopled country are more easily suplost his mother, who was all that was dear to him, he exhortations, in the book of Sacred Edicts, point to he ported than they otherwise would be. The constant passed the three years of mourning in a hut ; and employed himself, in his retirement, in composing verses this usage and the necessity for it, as they relate to in honor of his parent, which are quoted by the Chinese the preservation of union and concord among kindred as models of sentiment and tenderness. The period and their families. of his mourning having elapsed, he returned to his Geographical View Early Annals View in Japan. Yori Besides these, there are a great many small islands tomo-Taiko-Gongin. JAPAN is an insular empire, occupying four large and five smaller islands, which stretch more than a thousand miles along the eastern coast of Asia-from Corea nearly to Kamtschatka. It derives its name from the Chinese, in whose language Japan means "Country of the Rising Sun." With the Corean and Manchoorian coast, the Japanese islands enclose the Sea of Japan, which is six hundred miles across in its widest part. The names of the largest islands are Niphon, Kiusiu, Sikokf, Jesso, and the Kurile Islands. Niphon is the largest of the islands, and contains both the civil and ecclesiastical capitals. The Japanese name for their empire, Akitsoo-no-sima, Isle of the Dragon-Fly, is derived from a fancied resemblance to that insect in the shape of this, the main island of their archipelago. Niphon is said to be eight hundred miles long, and fifty to two hundred broad; Kiusiu is one hundred and fifty miles by one hundred and twenty; Sikokf, ninety by fifty. We are very little acquainted with the geographical snow. This empire lies under the same parallels of latitude as Morocco, Madeira, Spain, and our own United States. It is, therefore, enriched with the plants of both the warm and the temperate climates; some tropical productions, also, flourish on its soil. The climate varies from extreme heat in summer to extreme cold in winter, and this variety stimulates the energies of the people. The high mountains of the interior, however, and the constant neighborhood of the sea, which every where sends up its bays far inland, tend to modify both extremes, producing a healthy atmosphere, generally favorable to bodily and mental activity. The surface of the country is estimated to equal in area that of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina. The soil is well cultivated, and supports a population variously reckoned at from thirty to fifty millions. This population is distributed into some sixtytwo principalities, ruled by chiefs who are vassals of the civil emperor, called the djogoon or cubo, whose authority is absolute. The Japanese are a homogeneous race, of middling stature, well formed, easy in their gestures, hardy, honorable, independent, brave, and energetic. Their complexion is yellowish brown or pale white, but fair as that of Europeans in ladies not exposed to the sun. The head is large, the neck short; the eyebrows are high, and the eyes oblong, small, and sunken; the nose is broad and "snubby," and the hair black, thick, and glossy. A true Japanese prides himself upon his politeness, courtesy, and strict conformity to the etiquette of polished life. The primitive origin of the Japanese, like that of all the ancient nations, is lost in the night of fable, or, at least, is recorded in such mythical language that we cannot comprehend it. Japanese traditions say they were ruled for more than a million of years by seven celestial spirits. After that, mortal emperors ruled for fifteen thousand years, till 660 B. C., when the true historical period begins. At this date, Sin mou, that is, the "divine warrior," a Chinese chieftain, passed over to Corea, with numerous followers, and thence to Japan. He was probably an exile, driven from China by the civil wars which we know to have distracted the empire at that time. This adventurer subdued the native Japanese, and established a government of which he was the soldierking and kingly priest; he was called the da-i-ri, that is, "foreign conqueror," and became a spiritual autocrat. This event occurred about one hundred years after the founding of Rome, in Europe. After this invasion, several other Chinese colonies came over. One of them was composed of three hundred couple of young people, sent across the sea by the Chinese emperor, to search for the "panacea which confers immortality." The colony landed in Japan, in 209 B. C., and settled there, never to return. This ancient mingling of the Chinese with the Japanese, shows itself in the similarities observed between the civilizations of these two nations, and in the multitude morning to remain seat hours, immovable, with th it was supposed, the em as this task was found made that if the crown throne, it would answer e state together quite as we the crown upon the thron for the more ancient pract The dairis laid claim, no but to a descent from the they, as "sons of heaven,' continued long to exercise and ecclesiastical sway. It that their power over the g than spiritual, and that its va civil princes in almost inde dairis, as they sunk into volupt to the hands of the djogoon, commander-in-chief- that with such difficulty be preve manent. This, in the cours complete revolution in the po A succession of brave and to reduce all the petty princes general government, and at th lize the supreme direction of veneration, however, entertain dairi, and the sacred characte posed him to be invested, ren he should be wholly supersec ample revenues to maintain his lute control over all spiritual solid and temporal power to the has ever since maintained it w the part of the dairi, and by a determined measures, has held dependent princes in a state of In the early annals of Japan, recorded in 471 B. C.; and a dr tion in 285. In A. D. 201, the f She was a woman of masculine of her that she conquered Corea in person. She also established Japan, as early as A. D. 250. Η himself by his bravery. He stand fines of true history, in the twiligh from fable. He became the Jap Fatsman, and is said to have live seventy years, of which he reigned Yoritomo, a descendant of the f elected commander-in-chief of the 1185, and afterwards cubo, in 1192Richard Cœur de Lion sat on the th The authority of the dairi was fro and more weakened, under the succe It received the last blow under cubo of the dynasty still reigning, wh in 1598.* The consent of the dair tween his two sons, giving each of them thirty-three rovinces. In the constant wars of his empire, he ped that they would thus be able to protect each her; but, instead of this, they quarrelled, and so eakened each other by their contests, that both govInments were finally destroyed, and Taiko, the son * There have been four dynasties o an exiled officer, was able to place himself upon e throne of the whole empire. This man, at the age of twenty, was slipper-bearer an officer of the cubo. He then passed into the rvice of a prince, and gave so many proofs of devoon to the interests of his master, of wisdom and of avery, that the prince, become cubo, raised him to e highest military dignities. After the death of his aster and many victories in the wars which desolated e empire, Taiko took the cuboship, in 1585. He as of very small stature, being but four feet six ches and a half high. His personal appearance was eculiar: his eyes were round like those of a monkey, hich gave him the nickname of "Monkey-face." Taiko wished to secure the succession to his son, deyori, and during his last sickness had him affianced the granddaughter of Gongin, then but an infant of o years. He also named Gongin tutor to his son, ter having made him swear solemnly, and sign the ath with his blood, that when the prince, Fideyori, ould attain the age of fifteen, he would himself cognize him, and cause the country to acknowledge mas cubo. Tranquillized by these precautions, he en put the government into the hands of Gongin and ve others of his favorites. After the death of Taiko, the persons to whom the mpire had been confided quarrelled, and Gongin, who ad long aimed at supreme power, took care to foment ese troubles; till, finding himself strong enough, he rew off the mask, and under plausible pretexts, beeged Fideyori in his castle of Osaka. And though, r this time, peace was made between them through e good offices of the dairi, Gongin soon managed to urp the cuboship, by the defeat of Fideyori and his artisans. As there were many persons in the court the dairi who favored the defeated party, and as it as the best policy of the cubo to keep this court in a absolute dependence, the dairi was persuaded to point two of Gongin's sons high priests. Thus, if e present incumbent of the dairiship proved refracry, or attempted any enterprise against the cuboship, e could be superseded at once by one of the Gongins. The usurper, at ease on this matter, now turned his tention to the internal administration of his dominms. He made such wise regulations, that, after being - long torn by civil wars, the empire at last enjoyed profound peace, and the foundations were laid of at prosperity which this flourishing country exhibits the present day. With him terminate the official anals of the nation; for since the accession of Gongin, e printing of any thing concerning the government pritomo, commencing in 1185; of Fakaoosi; of Fideyosi, Taiko, 1585; and of Yeyeyasoo, or Gongin, beginning 1598. CHAPTER CCXXXIX A. D. 1616 to 1849. Tsouna - Conspiracy - Tsounayo nated - Yosimoone - Intercourse eigners - General Views. Or the twelve children of Gongin, th daughter. The second, a youth of many on a false accusation, was ordered by his up his own abdomen the usual barbare capital punishment. His innocence was too late, and the stern father was inconsc death. Another son, perverse and cruel for putting several of his servants to dea faults. His fourth child, Fidefada, succe 1616, and resigned the empire to his ow mitsoo, in 1623; whose eldest son, Tsou the empire from his father, in 1651. Of the reign of Tsouna, the most rema is the conspiracy of the prince of Tosa friend of the deposed Fideyori, who was such treachery by Gongin, his tutor. Tosa, after the defeat of Fideyori, his m into the power of the usurper, was oblige cut off his own hands- a thing regarded as infamy. On Tosa's reproaching the vic cruelty, perfidy, and the violation of his ordered his head to be cut off. Tchouya being appointed commander of the pike noboo, eighth son of Gongin, thought favorable position for avenging the death With this view, in 1651, he connected the son of a famous cloth dyer, Jositz, a esteemed for his extensive knowledge, a been preceptor to Yorinoboo, who himse have joined the conspiracy; but this was n as Tchouya took care not to compromis object of the two conspirators was to family of Gongin, and share the empire be selves. Tchouya was very much of a sper lavished, in follies, the resources supp enterprise, so that he found himself often his partner predicted the ruin of their sch sequence, as it actually happened. Tch borrowed on all hands, and being pressed itors, offered them the double of their den would wait a fortnight. Knowing his sources, one of them, an armorer, would his promises. To assure him, Tchou imprudence to reveal to him the consp armorer immediately disclosed it to the Jeddo, who communicated it to the court. To secure Tchouya, the governor had stratagem. He caused a cry of fire to front of the conspirator's house, when Tch ened, ran into the street, armed only sabre. Four men immediately rushed u prostrated two, but others coming to the |