Chimney corner

The corner of a fire-place; the fireside; the side at each end of the fire-grate. IMG:content-0161.jpg:[blocks in formation] genus Troglodytes ; the monkey which, after the gorilla, approximates more nearly in its general conformation to the human race. This animal is an inhabitant of Africa, and especially of the coasts of Congo and Angola, where they live in society in the woods, constructing huts of the leaves and branches of trees, walking upright, and arming themselves with clubs, to resist effectually the attacks of the largest and most powerful beasts. The C. attains a height exceeding four feet when in an erect position. Its body is covered with long black hair on the head, shoulders, and back, but much thinner on the breast and belly; the arms and legs are not so disproportionate as those of the OrangOutang, the fore-fingers not quite touching the knees when the animal stands upright. The upper part of the head is very flat, with a retiring forehead, and a prominent bony ridge over the eye-brows; the mouth is wide, the ears large, the nose flat, and the face of a blackish-brown color. The great toe of the C. is shorter than the other toes, and opposed to them as a thumb. In a state of confinement it exhibits, at least when young, considerable gentlene and docility, and readily learns to imitate human actions, as in eating with a spoon, ing rice, cotton, indigo, and sugar. This prov. is famous for its extensive manufacture of china-ware. HOO-PIH and HU-NAN are extremely fertile, being watered by the Yang-tse-kiang. They produce a superior growth of tea, and largely fabricate bamboo-paper. These provs. are both within the limits of the great plain. KWEICHOW has been called the Switzerland of C. , being occupied by the highest portion of the Nan-ling mountains. It is peopled by wild, intractable tribes, who preserve a sort of quası -independence, even though in the centre of the empire. Mar. and S. provs . SHAN-TUNG - lying partly in the great plain, and partly consisting of a promontory jutting into the Yellow Sea - is a poor, bleak country, po e ing, however, some valuable coalmines, which supply the whole empire with that article. KIANG-500 and GAN-HWAY are cro ed by the great rivers Hoang-ho and Yang-tse-kiang, and owing to their agricultural resources, great manufactures, thorough water communications, and commercial position, may be esteemed jointly the best territory of the empire. The staple products raised are grain, cotton, green teas, silk, and rice. Nankin, the S. capital of the empire, on the Yang-tse-kiang, is the chief city of this prosperous re IMG:content-0162.png:[graphic] and carries on an active trade with Japan. Fo-KIEN grows tea and the China orange to perfection; its maritime commerce is extensive, and its merchants monopolize the bulk of the Chinese shipping-trade. KWANG-TUNG extends along the whole S. coast of the empire, is formed of many wide, fertile valleys, and is the only prov. where foreigners are allowed to trade. It contains 13 commercial emporiums, of which Canton ( Kwang choo - foo ) is the greatest. KWANG-SE is divided from Hunan on the N. by the Nan-ling range, while its S. borders on the Cochin-Chinese prov. of Tonquin; this prov. is very mountainous, and is said to contain gold and other metals, while the lowlands and valleys produce rice, silk, and timber. Both the language and manners differ from those of the Chinese generally. YUNNAN, the most W. of the S. provs., is conterminous on the S. with Cochin-China and the Burmese empire; and towards the W. with Thibet. Its remarkably high and bold mountains furnish the copper which supplies the Chinese currency. A high-road, running parallel with the Yang-tse-kiang through this prov., affords a line of direct communication between the heart of this empire and that of Burmah. The W. province, SZE-CHUEN, is the largest in C. Plains, the Yun-ling mountains, and extensive deserts are its principal components. It is divided throughout its whole extent by the Yang-tsekiang and its constituents; and its inhabitants are to a certain degree independent, and keep up a chronic state of rebellion.-Climate. The climate of C. varies between the extremes of heat and cold. The former prevails in the southern provinces, which experience a higher temperature than Bengal; while the vicinity of Pekin is colder than countries under the same latitude in Europe. In the S, typhoons or hurricanes of wind are frequent, devastating the island of Hainan, but not extending far to the N. of Canton. Although they usually last only 24 hours, and seldom longer than 48, their effects are terrific. - Zool. The universal cultivation of C. proper, and the density of its pop. have long ago expelled most of the wild animals which infest the surrounding countries; there are also fewer domestic ones than inhabit most civilized regions. Beasts of burden are, in a great degree, superseded by the means of transit so copiously afforded by the canal system, and by the coolie , or porter, element of the population. Add to this the deficiency of pasture land, the comparatively little animal diet indulged in by the Chinese, together with their singular aversion to butter and milk, and the paucity of cattle is at once accounted for. The Chinese horse, a , and buffalo, are poor, spiritle animals. Wild cats are caught, and cooked as a bonne-bouche. Dromedaries are much used for the carrying on of traffic with Tartary; and pigs, sheep, and goats are largely and carefully reared. Dogs, rats, and monkeys are more numerous than is found agreeable. Of birds, C. presents the eagle in mountainous districts; the haet - sin , a kind of falcon considered imperial property; and the magpie, also esteemed sacred to "the powers that be." The cormorant is here trained to catch fish, and curlews and quails are found in great plenty; the latter bird being trained for fighting, as cocks are in other countries. Larks, gold and silver pheasants, mandarin ducks, and the white Siamese rice-bird, are also among the feathered denizens of this country. Fish of various kinds are abundantly obtained from the seas and rivers, and oysters are succe fully bred and fattened. Venomous serpents are comparatively unknown; among insects, the locust is the greatest scourge of this country, while the silk-worm, on the other hand, is its chief ble ing, affording employment and riches to an immense quota of the population. Scorpions, centipedes, musquitoes, spiders and ants, are unpleasantly common. Veget., dec. Arboraceous vegetation does not flourish in C. , and large timber is, consequently, scarce. The fir, some kinds of the palm family, the laurel, ca ia, and caper trees, form the principal woods. The tallow-tree is indigenous, exuding an unctuous substance which the natives convert into candles. The tse , or varnish-tree, supplies a valuable oil, and the camphor-laurel furnishes a large quantity of that drug. The koo - choo , again, a species of sycamore, yields a rind which is convertible into paper Mulberry trees, as food for the silk-worm, are nece arily much cared for. We now come to the shrub which has brought C. into closer contact with foreign nations than anything else; - this, the tea-plant (called by the Chinese cha ), forms the principal element of the external commercial prosperity of this country, and nearly 200 varieties are said by native writers to exist on this soil, though but two, black tea and green tea , are known to the outside world. Tobacco, the cotton-plant, and sugar-cane, are also profitably and very considerably cultivated. Vast quantities of edible vegetables (of which food the people are very fond) are raised, and there is scarcely any sort of grain but may be found in one or other part of this country; though rice, as a farinaceous product, is considered the ruling staple, and is brought to greater perfection than in, perhaps, any other land on the globe. Among the medical roots which thrive with peculiar vigor in C. are the ginseng, ti-twang, galangal, rhubarb, ginger, and poppy, the expre ed juice of which is made a substitute for opium, and is largely cultivated despite all government prohibition. Min . Respecting the mineral development of C., but little is authentically known. The gold-mines worked by the govt. have their whereabouts kept a profound secret, though they are surmised to be located among, or near, the Kedei-choo and Yun-nan mountains. Gold-dust is found in the Yang-tse-kiang during its course through Sze-chuen. Iron is produced generally, and several descriptions of copper are found in abundance, more particularly the pe - hing , or white copper obtained in Yun-nan. Mercury, arsenic, cobalt, and orpiment are common, and coal is mined in various parts of the empire. Lapis-lazuli is met with in the W. Their long black hair is plaited into a tail, reaching from the crown of the head to the waist, and sometimes to the calf of the leg, the rest of the scalp being closely shaven. The people in general are well clothed, the higher ranks in silks and satins, and the lower in cotton. Some of the boatmen, however, who ply on the shores of the Yellow Sea, are destitute even of such clothing as decency requires. They are extremely dirty in their persons, and seem to have a rooted aversion to cold water, either for drinking or ablution. - Manners and Customs. The national character seems to partake of a large share of that kind of watchful jealousy which might be supposed to be cherished under the eye of a constant though not a violent despotism. Every indication of energetic or vehement action is studiously discouraged; and the whole system of life seems reduced to an endle routine of parade and ceremony, legally regulated to its minutest points, by the application of the bamboo rod. To speak but seldom, and only on great occasions, is considered highly becoming; whilst a certain gravity sits upon the countenance, wholly at variance with European ideas of gayety. They are, howeter, very fond of theatrical entertainments, their plays being often of extraordinary length, lasting a whole day or being continued over several days. They are largely domestic in character, are full of incident, but marked by exaggerated sentiment and lack of psychological interest. There are no fairs, no balls, routs or concerts. The Tartars delight in hunting, but this taste has never been communicated to the Chinese. Their feasts, which are conducted in as grave and ceremonious a manner as can well be imagined. Public intoxication through strong liquors is of very rare occurrence, though they habitually indulge in the inebriating practice of smoking opium. Their greatest and best good quality is a steady and unremitting industry. Religion . Yu , the doctrine of Confucius, or KUNG-FU-TSE, q. v ., is the only religion recognized by the State. But there are two other sects: Fo , or Buddhism, and Taou , or a Chinese form of "Rationalism," (see Fo and TAOU.) Religion, however, of whatever kind, has always been reckoned a matter of secondary importance in C. Many endeavors have been made to introduce Christianity into the empire, but with scant succe . The Mohammedan, Jewish, and other religions are to be found here, but in a languishing condition. A semi-political, semi-religious movement, which broke out in this empire about 1850, and which, it is believed, threatened for a time the subversion of the actual govt., was long attributed to the teaching of Christian mi ionaries. But this belief was scarcely founded on fact. The insurgents, commonly called Tae - pings , whatever their religious faith, were certainly not Christians, for the many atrocious acts - acts inexcusable by the direst nece ities of warfare-showed them entirely unacquainted with the divine precepts of Christ's gospel. This, too, was the conviction of the civilized world at large, and by British and American help, the Tae-pings were overthrown in 1856. cation. The pursuit and cultivation of learning is more encoüraged and favored in C. than in almost any other country; and such is the estimation in which it is held, that all state employments are given by competition as rewards to the best scholars. Schools are abundant in every part of the empire; and education is so general, and its cost so reasonable, that reading and writing may be almost said to be universal. Every literary honor confers upon its recipient the title of mandarin. - Hist . The early history of C. is involved in obscurity. It is certain, however, that at an early period it attained to a great degree of civilization. The most memorable modern conquest was that of Genghis Khan, who in the 11th cent. entered C. in all the array of a barbarous conqueror. His suece ors, however, sought to improve by policy what they had acquired by arms, and diligently applied themselves to repair the ravages made by their first irruption. Their dynasty gradually lost its energy, and was supplanted by one of native Chinese princes, called the dynasty of Ming . In 1294, the first Catholic mi ionaries appeared at Pekin. In the beginning of the commodities exported from C. in 1891, consisting mostly of tea and silk, reached the value of $106,000,000. The imports were valued at $140,000,000. These comprised cotton goods, $57,000,000; opium, $29,600,000; metals, $7,400,000; woolens, $6,000,000; sundries, $40,000,000. Of articles of export, tea ranks much the highest, raw silk coming next, while the production of cotton has considerably decreased. The ve els entered and cleared at the various treaty ports numbered about 30,000, half of these being British. There were among them over 6,000 of foreign build, but owned by Chinamen and flying the Chinese flag, and 2,000 junks sailing under special licenses i ued by the custom superintendents of Shang-hai and Ning-poo. Govt ., . The form of govt. of the Chinese empire is strictly patriarchal. The emperor, who bears the various euphuistic titles of the "Brother of the Sun and Moon;" Teën-tsye, or the "Son of Heaven;" Ta - hwang - li , or the "Great Emperor;" and Wansuy-yay, or the "Lord of a Myriad Years," is regarded as the father of his people, and has unlimited power over all his subjects. The fundamental laws of the empire are laid down in the first of the "Four Books" of Confucius, which prescribe the govt. of the state to be based upon the govt. of the family. The emperor is spiritual as well as temporal sovereign, and, as high priest of the empire, can alone, with his immediate representatives and ministers, perform the great reli IMG:content-0163.png:[graphic] ry, and jasper, and excellent granite and quartz. Salt is an article of trade largely manipulated, and is collected from immense mounds, chiefly on the banks of the Pei-ho. Trade and Com. The Chinese are preeminent for their indefatigable industry. Of the immense territory peopled by them there is scarcely a rood of arable ground that is not a iduously cultivated; and such importance do they attach to agriculture, that once a year the sovereign of the Celestial Empire -so seldom seen in public exhibits himself holding a plough. IMG:content-0164.png:[ocr errors] Fig. 586. VISIT OF CEREMONY. Unfortunately, however, their husbandry is, to a great extent, nullified by the rude and ill adapted implements employed therefor, and also by the smallne of the farms. Hence, agriculture, as scientifically considered, is but little advanced, although the Chinese system of land-irrigation is superior to that of any other people. As a manufacturing nation, the Chinese are highly distinguished; porcelain originated entirely with them, and the art of spinning silk they also gave to the Westerns. The lacquered ware produced in China, though very beautiful, must be considered inferior to that of Japan; but in the more minute arts of carving (see fig. 49) and inlaying, this people has no superior. Their ivory and mother of-pearl artistry is too well known to need description. Gunpowder, though a Chinese invention, is little manufactured, and that little of but indifferent quality. Paper is ingeniously fabricated of various materials; it is, in general, thin, silky, and highly absorbent of ink. Chinese trade has the peculiarity of being for the most part internal, the country supplying most articles of subsistence or luxury; and it is carried on by means of canal and river navigation. The primitive expedient of barter is still resorted to in C., on account, perhaps, of the inadaptibility of the circulating medium. Salt may therefore be designated the standard of currency, it being the most extended of any article of commerce. Silver is not customarily employed as a circulating medium, but rather as an object of traffic, Gold is also seldom used as currency; but when it is, comes into the market beaten into thin leaves. Credit is little known, except at Canton; consequently paper money has a very limited circulation. There are, however, banks in some of the large commercial towns which i ue paper. The foreign trade of C. is chiefly in the hands of the English and Americans. In 1834, the exclusive trade of the English East India Company with C. terminated, and the country was thrown open to general traders. The opening thus made was followed by a commercial treaty, in 1842, between the British and Chinese govts., by the terms of which 5 ports of the empire were opened to foreign trade, viz., Canton, Amoy, Foo-choo-foo, Ningpo, and Shanghai. To these 5 ports were subsequently added 8 others, namely, Swatow, Tient-sin, Che-foo, Hankow, Kiu-kiang, Chin-kiang, Formosa, and New-chwang. - Erp . Tea, porcelain, raw and spun silk, sugar, rhubarb, embroidery, lacquered wares, and carved articles of domestic ornament. - Imp . Cotton and woollen goods, opium, raw cotton, furs, and edible birds-nests, which form an expensive article of luxury, and are held in great esteem. The total value of seers, visitors, or inspectors; and the highest cla are governors of provinces, or viceroys. Each mandarin exercises over those under him an authority equally absolute with that of the monarch. Besides ruling, he also preaches to the people; and strict instructions are transmitted from the imperial court as to the matter of his sermons. The penal code of C. is severe, and many offences are punished with death. - Revenue . The estimates of the public revenue of C. vary greatly, and widely differing figures have been given. It probably amounts to about 80,000,000 hai-kwan taels, a sum equivalent to about $85,000,000. It is mainly derived from 3 sources, viz., customs, duties, licenses, and a tax upon land. The customs duties fall more upon exports than imports; their total product at the 13 treaty-ports open to foreign commerce amounted in 1892 to $25,000,000; native duties $7,000,000, A large portion of the land-tax is paid in kind, and the amount is chiefly discharged in rice, wheat, and pulse, which is kept by the govt. in immense granaries in the suburbs of Pekin and Tung-choo.- Mil . & c . The standing military force of C. consists nominally of 4 divisions the Mantchoos, in 678 companies of 100 men each, the Mongols, in 210 companies, and 106,000 Chinese (all cavalry), and 500,000 native infantry; besides 125,000 irregular troops or militia; in all, 829,900 men. Very recent reports state the Chinese army to be composed of about 800,000 men, besides 200,000 Tartars. A standing army in the European or American sense of the word, is not in existence. The soldiers do not live in barracks, but in their own domicils, pursuing as their chief busine some civil occupation, frequently that of day-laborers, and are summoned to muster only on certain special occasions. The navy comprises several modern ironclads, but most of these were lost in the war with Japan. -Public Works . For these C. is remarkable. No nation Edu insurgents. In the following year they took Nankin | and Amoy, which, however, were soon retaken by the imperial troops. In 1853, Shanghai, the next commercial city in importance to Canton, was captured, and succe after succe seemed to follow their arms in their progre towards Pekin. Here, however, their triumphs for the time ended. In 1856 a misunderstanding between C. and Great Britain arose on account of the Chinese boarding a ve el lying in the Canton River, with a British colonial register. This led to a new war, in which France took sides immediately with her British ally. Canton was bombarded, and a strong demonstration of the English and French against Pekin compelled the Chinese govt. to sign the treaty of June 26, 1858, by which many new advantages were obtained, the greatest being: 1. The opening of new ports to commerce; 2. The toleration of Christianity and protection of civil converts; and 3. The residence at Pekin of foreign official representatives. The same month (June 18), a treaty of commerce and friendship was concluded between the Chinese plenipotentiaries and Mr. Reed, acting for the U. States, which obtained the signature of the Emperor on July 3d. This treaty contained the provision that all favors accorded to other nations shall, ipso fucto , extend to the U. States, and by Art. 1, China claims the good offices of the U. States in any future case of collision with foreign nations. In 1859 an attempt was made to nullify the treaty of June 26; and the British envoy was stopped in the Pei-ho on his way to Pekin. This led to the occupation of that city by the allied British and French forces in 1860; and in Oct. of the same year the treaty was ratified. In 1861, a fresh Tae-ping rebellion broke out against the imperial govt., which was suppre ed in 1864, only to burst out anew in the year following, and continue with fluctuating succe until 1868, when the insurgents were comparatively put down. In 1866, Mr. Anson Burling a me was accredited by the U. S. govt. as its minister. He did much to promote friendly relations. In 1867, after resigning as Am. Minister, Mr. Burling a me was appointed by C. their envoy-extraordinary, and chief of a special mi ion to the U. S. and the courts of Europe -the first amba ador ever sent by C. to any W. govt. July 4, 1868, a treaty was signed at Washington, by Mr. Burling a me and Mr. Seward, representing China and the U. S. respectively, by the terms of which Am. citizens were permitted to enjoy in C. the same rights conceded to natives of C. in the U. S. This treaty was approved by the American senate; but Mr. Burling a me Chin'cha Islands, a group of 3 small islands, off the coast of, and belonging to, Peru, in the S. Pacific Ocean, about 14 m. from the main-land; Lat. 13° 38′ S., Lon. 76° 28′ W. These islands are famous for their vast de posits of guano , or ordure of the countle flocks of seabirds that haunt them. They are leased to an English company, which has a large establishment here; the operation of loading the many ve els that resort hither for this article of commerce, is almost exclusively carried on by Chinese laborers.