design: while the enactments, requiring these to be kept in constant repair, shew that the rulers of China are not altogether indifferent to the welfare of the people. Considering the nature of the present work, it would be impossible to enter more into detail respecting the laws of this singular people, but the slight sketch we have given is sufficient to shew, that the Chinese are not devoid of sagacity, and that they deserve to be classed among civilized nations. A people possessed of written laws, of whatever character, must be considered as a grade above barbarians; but those who descend to the minutiae of legislation, and provide for every possible exigency in the administration of an extensive empire, must have advanced to a stage of improvement, not far inferior to what is witnessed in this western world.
As another proof of their civilization, we may mention the state maintained by the emperor, who dwells in the interior of his splendid palace, secluded from the gaze of the populace, and surrounded by extensive parks and gardens; with the solemn parade of ministers, and the pompous pageantry of processions; which bespeak indeed a sort of barbaric grandeur, but a grandeur delighted in by some of the most powerful European monarchs of the nineteenth century. In order to form some idea of the degree of civilization attained by the Chinese, it may not be unsuitable here to allude to the extent and magnificence of the imperial city, where the lord of one third of the human race holds his court. The capital is divided into two parts, the northern section of which covers an area of twelve, and the southern of fifteen square miles. Within the northern enclosure is the palace, which is
