The Chinese : a general description of the empire of China and its inhabitants . ilauthority is generally superior to the military, andthat letters always rank above arms, in spite evenof the manner in which the Tartars obtained theempire. In this respect China may be said to havesubdued her conquerors. A military mandarin ofthe highest grade may be often seen on foot, whena civil officer of middling rank would be consideredas degraded unless in a chair with four bearers ; theothers are not allowed chairs, but may ride. Thepresent dynasty, as an encouragement to its army,established examinatio
The Chinese : a general description of the empire of China and its inhabitants . ilauthority is generally superior to the military, andthat letters always rank above arms, in spite evenof the manner in which the Tartars obtained theempire. In this respect China may be said to havesubdued her conquerors. A military mandarin ofthe highest grade may be often seen on foot, whena civil officer of middling rank would be consideredas degraded unless in a chair with four bearers ; theothers are not allowed chairs, but may ride. Thepresent dynasty, as an encouragement to its army,established examinations, or rather trials, in themilitary art (as in riding and shooting with the bow),at which the candidates are ranked for promotion inthree degrees like the civilians, though of coursethey can never come in competition with eachother. The value which they attach to personalstrength and dexterity in a commander, and the 214 THE CHINESE. rank which the bow and arrow hold hi their , seem to prove clearly that the military art isnot beyond its infancy among the Mandarin seated in a Ssdan.—From Stannton. All the military of he empire are under the man-agement of their proper tribunal or board at Peking,the power of which, however, is jealously checkedby a dependance on some of the others; as theBoard of Revenue must supply the funds, and theBoard of Public Works the materiel, of the trusty Tartar troops are ranged under the eightstandards; viz., the yellow, white, red, and blue,and each of these colours bordered by one of the INFERIORITY OF TROOPS. 2i5 otfcers. The green flag d istinguishes the Chinesetroops. Each of the Tartar standards is sail! toconsist of 10,000 men, making a standing a;my of80,000. There is, besides, the local militia spreadthrough the provinces; but this, from all that hasbeen observed of it, is such a ragged and undisci-plined rout, as to be fit for little more than the pur-poses of a police. Including this militia, the whole nu
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1800, booksubjectchinade, bookyear1800
