tions, and to those of amusement in making a vast variety of fireworks. It was also used as a defence, by undermining the probable page of the enemy, and blowing him up. But its force had not been directed through strong metallic tubes as it was by Europeans foon after they difcovered it. Yet this invention did not prove fo decifive for those who availed themselves of it, as to mark diftinctly in hiftory, the precife period when its practice first took place. And though, in imitation of Europe, it has been introduced into the armies of the Eaft, other modes of warfare are fome times ftill preferred to it.

"In relation to the second method, or that of printing, important as are its effects in Europe, it is obvious, that as its object is only to multiply copies of the fame writing, it could be fought for only in that fociety which produces many readers. The number of fuch would no doubt be increased wherever it were introduced; but where that number is become very confiderable, from other caufes tending to increase the civilized and lettered claffes of fociety, the various attempts to fupply their tafte, would naturally lead to fo fimple an invention as the Chinese art of printing. It confifts in nothing more than in cutting, in relief, the forms of the written characters on fome compact wood, daubing afterwards thofe characters with a black glutinous fubftance, and preffing upon them different fheets of paper (itself a previous and ingenious invention), each fheet taking thus an impreffion of the characters upon which it had been laid. The art of engraving, for the gratification of the rich and powerful, had been carried to fuch perfection among many nations of

antiquity, that the invention of printing, as here defcribed, and coming fo near to mere engraving was likely foon to follow whenever the number of readers should be fo great as to infure reward to the inventor. The state of fociety in China, from the most early ages, rendered that number prodigious. Unlike to the rest of the world, where valour and military talents occafionally united with natural eloquence, were originally the foundation of all wealth and greatness, while literature was little more than an amufement; the study of the written morals, history and policy of China, was the only road, not merely to power and honour, but to every individual employment in the state. The neceffity, therefore, for fuch a multiplicity of copies for all perfons in the middling as well as upper claffes of life in the most populous of all empires, was the early and natural parent of the printing art, as it is still prac tifed among them.

"The paper ufed by the Chinese for their publications, is too thin and weak to receive distinct impreffions on both fides. The engraved board on which the paper in laid to take the impreffion on one fide, generally contains the characters for two pages. The paper, when printed off, is doubled together, the blank fides touching each other. The fold forms the outer edge, which thus is double, while all the fingle edges, contrary to the mode of European bookbinders, are ftitched together and bound into a volume. After the edition is worked off, the plates or boards are collected together, and it is. generally mentioned in the preface where they are depofited, in cafe a fecond edition should be called for.

"It has sometimes been thought in Europe, that moveable types were a preferable invention to that of the Chinele; but they feldom can be applicable to the impreffion of writings in a language con Lifting, like theirs, in a vaft variety of characters, if each character be confidered as a letter in an alphabet. The compofitor in a printingoffice easily diftributes the four and twenty letters of an alphabetic language. He at once perceives where each is to be found. He diftinguishes them at a glance. His hands even acquire the habit of reaching rapidly, without looking, for them, as the fingers learn to touch the keys of a harpfichord without turning the eyes towards them. Where there are many thoufands of fuch keys, it is obvious that no fuch habit could be acquired, nor could the keys be within reach. The practice were equally impoffible, in printing with eighty thoufand moveable types, for that number of different characters of which the Chinese tongue confifts. It has not, indeed, occurred to the arrifts of China to form moveable and feparate types, for each of the minute strokes or elements, of which fuch characters are compofed, as has been attempted fome years fince in Germany. It is poffible that fuch a practice might be found to anfwer, notwithstanding the difficulty which must arife from the minuteness of the type neceffary for each particular ftroke; a difficulty which when all the types are not neceffarily of fo fmall a fize, has been overcome by a very ingenious and learned gentleman, in printing the Perfian language in Bengal; and the further difh culty, of uniting, in the impreffion, the feveral ftrokes, marked by feparate types, of a Chinese character,

which does not exift in printed European languages, where the letters of the fame word feldon touch each other.

"The Chinese are fatisfied, whenever the fame characters very frequently occur, as in the public kalendars and gazettes, to use types for fuch, cut apart, and occafionally inferted within the frames where they are wanted.

"Gazettes are frequently publifhed in Pekin, under the autho rity of government. The various appointments throughout the empire, the favours granted by the emperor, all his public acts, his remiffion of taxes to diftricts fuffering by dearth or other general ca lamity, his recompenfe of extraor dinary fervices, the embaffies fent, and the tribute paid to him, formi a confiderable part of the public news. The domeftic details of his household, or of his private life, are feldom, if ever mentioned. Singular events, inftances of longevity, fometimes the punishments of offences committed by mandarines, are there recorded. fome inftances of the adultery ofwomen, which is a punishable, though not a capital offence, are occafionally published, perhaps, by way of deterring others from the commillion of the like enormities. While China was at war, its victories, as well as the fuppreffion of rebellions, were announced. In all other cafes the world, in point of intelligence, is confined to China.

Even

"Befide the claffic works of the Chinefe, of which the multiplication by printing is prodigious, the lighter literature of the country gives no inconfiderable occupation to the prefs. The Orphan of China, however improved in an English drefs, by a very refpectable dra matic poet, may be confidered as

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no unfavourable fpecimen of Chinefe tragedy; and the Pleafing Hif tery, of which an English tranflation, under the care of a learned and ingenious prelate, was publish ed feveral years ago, is an inftance of Chinese novel-writing, that is interesting and fimple; and for ferious readers, the zeal of Chriftianity had induced the miffionaries to procure the publication of feveral works in the Chinefe tongue, in proof of the tenets which they preached.

"Notwithstanding the vigilant police of the Chinese magistrates, books difapproved by them are privately printed and diffeminated in China. It is not easy to prevent, or even always to detect, the operations of a trade which, befide paper and ink, requires little more than fome pieces of board, and a knife to cut out characters upon them. The books thus publifhed furtively, are chiefly thofe which are offenfive to decency, and in fame the imagination of young minds. It is not faid that any are levelled against the government. The mandarines afferted, however, that a fect had for ages fubfifted in the country, whofe chief principles were founded upon an antipathy to monarchy; and who nourished hopes of at last fubverting it. Their meetings were held in the utmoft fecrecy, and no man avowed any knowledge of them; but a fort of inquifition was faid to be established in order to find them out. They who were fufpected of fuch fentiments, were cut off, or hunted out of fociety; fomewhat like those who were accufed formerly of Judaism in fome Roman catholic kingdoms.

"The political, moral, and hiftorical works of the Chinese contain no abstract ideas of liberty,

which might lead them to the af fertion of independence. It is faid, that in the French zeal for propa gating principles of democracy, their Declaration of the Rights of Man had been tranflated into one of the languages of India, and diftributed there. It is not, indeed, likely to caufe any fermentation in the tranquil, fubmiffive, and refigned minds, with the weak and delicate conftitutions, of the Hindoce; but it might be otherwife among the Chinese people, who are more fufceptible of fuch impreffions, their disposition being more confonant to enterprife.”

"The state of phylic is extremely low in China. There are no public schools or teachers of it. A young man who wishes to become a phyfician, has no other way of acquiring medical knowledge, than by engaging himself to fome practitioner, as an apprentice. He has thus the opportunity of feeing his mafter's practice, of vifiting his patients with him, and of learning fuch parts of his knowledge and fecrets as the other chooses to communicate to him. The emoluments of the profeffion feldom exceed the fkill of the practitioner. As many copper coin as scarcely are equal to fixpence fterling, is faid to be the ufual fee among the people; and perhaps quadruple among the mandarines. The latter of high rank have phyficians in their houfehoid, who refide conftantly with them, and accompany them when they travel. The emperor's physicians as well as moft of his domeftic attendants, are chiefly eunuchs.

Medicine is not

divided in China into diftin&t branches, as in most parts of Europe. The fame perfon acts as phyfician, furgeon, and apothecary. The furgical part of the profeffion

ftill more backward than the others. Amputation in cafes of compound fracture and gangrene, is utterly unknown. Death is the fpeedy confequence of fuch accidents. Deformed perfons, no doubt, there are in China; but they must be very few in number, or live much netired; for no fuch happened to fall in the way of the embaffy, through the whole of its route, from the northern to the southern extremity of China.

The mortality of the fmall pox, when of the confluent kind, joined to the obfervation that it attacked, once only, the fame perfon, induced the Chinese to expofe young perfons to its infection, when it happened to be mild. The fuccefs of this method, led at Tength to the practice of inoculation amongst them. The annals of China first mention it, at a time answering to the beginning of the tenth century of the Chriftian era. The general method of Chinefe inoculation, is the following: when the difeafe breaks out in any district, the phyficians of the place carefully collect a quantity of ripe matter from puftules of the proper fort: which being dried, and pulverized, is clofely fhut up in a porcelain jar, fo as to exclude from it the atmospheric air; and in this manner it will retain its properties for many years. When the patient has been duly prepared by medicines, generally of an aperient kind, and ftrictly dieted for a hort time, a lucky day is chofen to fprinkle a little of the variolous powder upon a fmall piece of fine cotton wool, and to infert it into the noftrils of the patient. If blindness, or fore eyes, be more frequent in China than elsewhere, which the gentlemen of the embaffy were not able to afcertain, it

is not impoffible, that it may be owing partly to the infertion of the variolous matter fo near the feat of the optic nerve, to which the inflammation it occafions may extend.

"No male phyfician is allowed to attend a pregnant woman, and ftill lefs to practife midwifery; in the indelicacy of which, both fexes feem to agree in China. There are books written on that art for the ufe of female practitioners, with drawings of the state and po fition of the infant at different periods of geftation; together with a variety of directions and prefcrip. tions for every fuppofed cafe that may take place: the whole mixed with a number of fuperftitious ob fervances.

"Many practitioners of phyfic take the advantage, as elfewhere, of the obfcurity in which that art is involved, and of the ignorance and credulity of the people, to gain money by the fale of noftrums and fecrets of their own. They diftribute hand-bills, fetting forth the efficacy of their medicines, with attested cures annexed to them. But it was referved for the fect of Taotfe, or difciples of Laokoun, already mentioned, to arrogate boldly to themfelves, the poffethon of a medical fecret, not to

die. To thofe who had all the enjoyments of this life, there remained, unaccomplished, no other with than that of remaining for ever in it. And accordingly feve ral fovereigns of China have been known to cherish the idea of the poffibility of fuch a medicine. They had put themselves, in full health, under the care of thofe religious empirics, and took large draughts of the boafted beverage of immortality. The compofition did not confiát of merely harmless

ingredients; but, probably, of fuch extracts and proportions of the poppy, and of other fubftances and liquors, as occafioning a temporary exaltation of the imagination, paffed for an indication of its vivifying effects. Thus encouraged, they bad recourfe to frequent repetitions of the dofe, which brought on quickly languor and debility of fpirits; and the deluded patients often became victions to deceit and folly, in the flower of their age. "There are in China no profeffors of the sciences connected with medicine. The human body is never, unless privately, diffected there. Books, indeed, with drawings of its internal ftructure, are fometimes published; but thefe are extremely imperfect; and confulted, perhaps, oftener to find out the name of the spirit under whofe protection each particular part is placed, than for obferving its form and fituation.

"It is a matter of doubt, whether natural hiftory, natural philo. fophy, or chemistry, be, as fciences, much more improved than anatomy in China. There are feveral treatifes, indeed, on particular fub. jects in each. The Chinefe like. wife poffefs a very voluminous encyclopedia, containing many facts and obfervations relative to them; but from the few researches which the gentlemen of the embaffy had leifure or opportunity to make, during their fhort vifit to the country, they perceived no traces of any general fyftem or doctrine by which feparate facts or obfervations were connected and compared, or the common properties of bodies afcertained by experiment; or where kindred arts were conducted on fimilar views; or rules framed, or deductions drawn from analogy, or principles laid down to constitute a $797.

science.

For fome there is not even a name. The Chinese books are full of the particular proceffes and methods, by which a variety of effects are produced in chemical and mechanical arts; and much might probably be gained from the perufal of them, by perfons verfed at the fame time, in the language of the defcribers, and acquainted with the fubject of the defeription. As foon as the product of any art or manufacture has appeared to anfwer the general purpose for which it was intended, it feldom happens that the Chinese discoverer is either impelled by his curiofity, or enabled by his opulence, to endea vour to make any further progress, either towards fuperior elegance, or ornament, or even increafed utility. The ufe of metals, for the common purposes of life, has made the Chinefe fearch for them in the bowels of the earth, where they have found all thofe that are deemed perfect except platina. Perhaps they have not the knowledge, or means of using the cheapest and fhorteft method of feparating the precious metals from the fubitances amongst which they are found; nor of reducing the ore of others into their refpective metals; but they perfectly fucceed in obtaining them, without alloy, whenever their object is to do fo; and in making, fuch mixtures of them as produce the refults they defire.

The mines which are faid to be in China, containing gold, a metal esteemed there more precious from its rarity than its ufe, are feldom permitted to be worked; but fall grains of it are collected in the province of Yunnan and Se-chuen, among the fand in the beds of the rivers and torrents which carry it down along with them as they defcend from the mountains. It is