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HISTORY OF

Chinese. In the whole of this great empire of China it is an establishedmaxim, that when a crime of magnitude is committed, the mandarin ofthe province shall be punished, because the law commands him to takecare of the morals of the people. As God has given to every countrythe means of subsistence, it is a high offence to magistracy that menshould commit crimes through distress.

The criminals are obliged to work on the canals for a time, accordingto their several offences: they wear a disgraceful dress, and are allowedonly a bare support of very ordinary provisions.

F. Magaillane assures us that there is a passage by inland navigationfrom one end of the empire of China to the other, being a space of 600French leagues, and that a traveller may go this whole distance, entirely bycanals or rivers, except a single day’s journey by land, to cross a mountain;an advantage which this jesuit, who made the voyage himself, observes,is not to be found in any other kingdom or state in the universe.

The Abbe Grosier observes, that it is recorded in the annals of China,that their emperors gave every encouragement to agriculture, and thoughtit far superior to gold, silver, or precious stones. One particular deservesnotice. About the year 1500 a merchant had opened a mine of preciousstones. As soon as it was known, the emperor caused it to be shut, withthis observation : “ Useless labour causes sterility: a mine of preciousstones does not produce corn.”

For several of the preceding observations on the canals of China I amindebted to Du Halde : the following are extracted from the Journey ofLouis le Comte, the Jesuit, who was above ten years a missionary, andtravelled through the whole empire of China.

“ Although China were not of itself,” says he, “ so fruitful a coun-try as I have represented it, the canals which are cut through it would9 be