reduces the whole national way of thinking to painted or air-drawn arbitrary characters.

This exhibition of the peculiarities of the chinese has not been coloured by enmity or contempt: every line is taken from their warmest advocates, and might be supported by a hundred proofs from every class of their institutions. It is nothing more, than arifes from the nature of the cafe; the representation of a people formed from remote antiquity with fuch an organization, in fuch a part of the World, after such principles, with fuch aids, and under fuch circumftances; and which, contrary to the usual course of things in other nations, has fo long retained it's way of thinking. If the ancient egyptians were still before our eyes, we should observe, without venturing to think of a reciprocal derivation, a resemblance between them in many points; the traditions received being only modified fomewhat differently by the climate. It was the fame with other nations, that once ftood on the same step of cultivation; but these have advanced farther, or have been destroyed and mingled with * others; while ancient China stands as an old ruin on the verge of the World, in it's femi-mungalian form. It would be difficult to prove, that the fundamental lineaments of it's cultivation were brought from Grecce through Bactra, or derived from Tatary through Balch: the web of it's constitution is certainly endemial, and the flight operations of foreign countries on it are easy to be diftinguished and feparated. I honour the Kings like a chinese for their excellent principles: and Confucius is to

me

me a great man, though I perceive the fetters, which he too wore, and which, with the best intentions, he rivetted eternally on the fuperftitious populace, and the general system of state, by his political morality. By means of it this nation, like many others on the Globe, has stood still in it's education, as in the age of infancy; this mechanical engine of morals for ever checking the progress of the mind, and no second Confucius arising in the despotic realm. Had either the enormous state been once divided; or had more enlightened Kien-longs taken the paternal resolution, to fend forth as colonists those whom they could not feed, lightened the yoke of custom, and introduced greater freedom of will and action, though this would undoubtedly have been attended with much danger: then-but even then the chinese would ever have remained chinese, as germans are still germans, and no ancient greeks are produced in the eastern end of Afia. It is obvioufly the purpose of Nature, that every thing capable of profpering on Earth should profper on it, and that even this variety in her productions should teem with the creator's praise. The work of legiflation and morals poffefses no where upon Earth such stability as in China, where the human understanding appears to have framed it as an infantile essay: there let it remain, and may Europe never rear a fifter realm equally full of filial fubmission to it's despots. This nation will retain to the end the fame of it's industry, of the acuteness of it's organs of sense, of it's skilful dexterity in a thousand useful things. Silk and porcelain, powder and shot, VOL. II. perhaps

C

perhaps too the mariner's compass, the art of printing, the building of bridges, navigation, and many other nice mechanical occupations and arts, were known to it, before they existed in Europe: but in almost all arts it wants the spirit of improvement. For the rest, that China should shut herfelf up from the nations of Europe, and lay great reftraints as well on the dutch as on the ruffians and jefuits, is not only confiftent with her general way of thinking, but cannot be blamed on the score of policy, so long as the observes the conduct of europeans in the islands and on the continent of the East-Indies, in the North of Afia, and in her own land. Swelling with tatarian pride, she despises the merchant who leaves his own country, and barters what she deems the most solid merchandize for things of trifling value: she takes his filver, and gives him in return millions of pounds of enervat-. ing tea, to the corruption of all Europe.

CHAPTER II.

Cochin-China, Tonquin, Laos, Corea, eastern Tatary, Japan.

Ir appears incontestibly from the history of mankind, that, whatever country has been capable of raising itself to any eminent degree of cultivation, it has influenced a certain circle of it's neighbours. Thus China, though an unwarlike nation, and with a constitution strongly concentring in itself, has notwithstanding diffused it's influence through many countries

countries round. The question is not, whether these countries have been fubdued by China, or remain subject to it; if they participate in it's institutions, language, religion, sciences, arts, and manners, as far as regards mind they are provinces of the empire.

Cochin-China has derived most from the chinese, of whom it has been in some measure a political colony: hence the resemblance between the two people in conftitution and manners, in arts and fciences, in religion, trade, and government. It's emperor is a vassal of China, and the nations are intimately united by commerce. If this bufy, fenfible, gentle people, be compared with their neighbours, the indolent siamese, the savage natives of Arracan, &c., the difference will be obvious. But as no rivulet rises higher than it's fource, it is not to be expected, that Cochin-China should exceed it's original: it's government is more defpotic; it's religion and sciences are but echoes of those of the mother country.

Tonquin, which lies still nearer to China, though separated from it by rude mountains, is in a fimilar predicament. The nation is less civilized: the degree of cultivation it poffefses, and which fupports the state; it's manufactures, trade, laws, religion, knowledge, and customs; are all chinese; only far inferiour, in consequence of a more foutherly climate, and the national character.

The impreffion made by China upon Laos is still more feeble: for this country was foon torn from it,

and adopted the manners of the siamese: yet the traces of that impression are still perceptible.

Among the fouthern islands Java is that, with which the chinese have the most particular intercourse: indeed it is probable, that colonies have been planted in it by them. Their political establishments, however, they could not introduce into this diftant and much hotter land: for the laborious skill of the chinese requires an affiduous people, and a temperate climate. They made use of the ifland, therefore, without fashioning it.

To the north the chinese system of things has gained more footing, and the people of China may boast, that they have contributed more to foften the rude nations of this vast region, than the europeans. probably in all the four quarters of the Globe. Korea has been actually subjected to the chinese by the mantchous: and let this once savage nation be compared with it's northern neighbours. The inhabitants of this partly cold country are gentle and benign: in their amusements and funeral ceremonies, in their houses and clothing, in their religion and a certain love of science, they at least imitate the chinese, by whom their government was framed, and a few manufactures established. On the mungals the influence of the chinese has had a still more extensive operation. Not only have the mantchous, who conquered China, been polished by their intercourse with it, so that tribunals resembling those of Pekin have been established at Schinyang, their capital: but the numerous mungal hordes, the greater part of which are fubject to China,

3