State Offices based upon Literary Merit-Examinations.

371

The

such, unfortunately, is not the case. It and thus obtain the approbation of the bestows no honors or rewards for high officers of their native district, they are literary attainments. The poor learned eligible for the lowest literary honors of man stands no chance for office along- the state. For this, the first degree, the side of the ignorant rich one; and this ac- examinations take place twice every counts for the well-known fact, that we three years in every province. seldom find any office filled by one who scholars, having, each a theme given owes his elevation to his literary or them from the "Five Classics," in a scientific attainments. Look over our large hall, are confined in separate boxes, widely extended republic, from Maine to prevent their receiving assistance to California, and say whether those in from others, and every avenue is strictly office are the most intelligent, most guarded by soldiers. The first degree, highly educated, and the best in all res- called Tew-tsae, having been attained, pects that our population could afford. the aspirant has to acquire two other As a general rule the most learned live honors, in the metropolis of his province, and die in comparative obscurity; while and he is then placed on the books as the médiocre are the ones elevated to eligible for employment, corresponding power and honor. to his advancement. To procure the This grave fault is not peculiar to the highest state offices, an examination general government, which has so many before the National College is necessary; offices to dispose of, but it is a character- but the very pinnacle is only arrived at, istic fault of the masses, who are for the by being examined by the emperor himmost part swayed by demagogism, and self. Every literary honor confers the the money-making influences of the day. title of mandarin,* and each degree is Look into our city offices, our legislatures, distinguished by a difference of the dress, our national congress, and see if you can which is, in some instances, very splenfind there our most learned, our wisest, did. The examinations are very rigid, and our best citizens. They are not and only a small number out of a vast there; and yet they should be. Where crowd gain honors. The examination are they? Left at home, because dema- for the third degree takes place at gogism and wealth have more influence Peking, and the traveling expenses of over the voting masses than profound the candidates are sometimes paid by learning, the highest literary and scientific attainments, and the many shining but modest virtues consequent on high education.

government. The successful candidates are all presented to the emperor, who' bestows rewards upon the three highest. The fourth and highest degree is rather an office than a degree; for, those who attain it are enrolled as members of the Imperial Academy, and receive salaries. The examination is held in the emperor's palace, in the presence of the highest personages of the empire.

In China all state employments are given by competition, as school and college prizes, to the best scholars. Mr. McCulloch very truly observes, that "it is honorable to the Chinese, that for viceroys, magistrates, and other stateofficers, merit alone is the qualification; The system of education in China is the son of the poorest peasant may, by like almost everything else there, extalent and application to learning, rise ceedingly defective; but great good is to the highest employments." Schools nevertheless the result; and the regard for youth are abundant in every part of and material encouragement held out the empire; and education is so general, by the government to all scholars, is and its cost so reasonable, that reading truly praiseworthy and deserving of and writing, in China, may be almost imitation. said to be universal. The schools established all over the empire are superintended by various officers, appointed by government. In every district there is a literary chancellor; but early aspirants are examined by superintendents, who make the circuit of their district twice a year for that purpose. The pupils they approve of repair to the chief, and should they pass that ordeal, command.

Female education in China is less encouraged, but it is nevertheless favorably regarded, and not altogether neglected. Literary attainments are considered creditable to a woman, and the names of female authors, mentioned in Chinese annals, would make a long list. Yuen Yuen, the governor-general of From the Portuguese and Spanish mandar, to

Canton, in 1820, while in office, pub- all that is known or that is to be known; lished a volume of his deceased daugh- that there is no room for further discoter's poetry; and the literary men are veries, their ancient sages having exusually desirous of having their daugh- hausted every subject. Hence the staters accomplished in music, poetry, tionary character of Chinese civilization. composition, and classic lore. Such an The scientific and philosophical works education is considered befitting their of the Chinese are those of Confucius station, and reflecting credit on the and the "ten philosophers," or his disfamily. One of the most celebrated fe- ciples and commentators. Chinese limale writers in China is Pan Hwuipan, terature has been, through ignorance of who flourished about A. D. 80. She it, very unjustly depreciated. Klaproth, wrote a work entitled female precepts, in his Memoires, vol. iii., p. 267, contrawhich has formed the basis of many dicts the statement that has so often succeeding works in Chinese on female been made, that the Chinese believed education. The aim of her writings China to occupy the centre of the world, was to elevate female character and and that it is surrounded with a few inmake it virtuous. Other Chinese author- significant and petty territories, all its esses treat on various subjects, but mostly tributaries. He says:-Je n'ai pas on morals and domestic economy. Chi- besoin de refuter ici l'idée absurde de nese literary ladies are held in general ceux qui prétendent que les Chinois respect, and more of the females of croient que leur pays est situé au milieu China can read and write their own lan- du monde. Un molelat, ou un couli du guage than is generally supposed. The Canton peut, à la vérité, donner une paChinese do not, as has been represented, reille explication, mais c'est à l'intellimake slaves of their wives, and Chinese gence de celui qui questionne de l'adopter females are in a far better condition ou de la rejeter.'" than those of other pagan or unevange- Some idea further than that afforded lized countries, or even than the females of the ancient Greeks and Romans.*

The literature of the Chinese is very extensive. "It would not be hazarding too much to say," says Mr. Medhurst, "that in China there are more books, and more people to read them, than in any other country in the world. Among the 360,000,000 of Chinamen, at least 2,000,000 are literati." There is not, however, much that is original in their books, the belief of the Chinese being general that their books already contain

* Williams's China, vol. i,p. 456, also the whole of the chapter.

+ China Opened, vol. i, p. 417. M. Abel Remusat,

speaking of Chinese literature. also observes: L'histoire littéraire, la critique des textes. et la biographie, sont le sujet d'une foule d'ouvrages remarquable par l'ordre et la régularité qui y sont ob

serves.

On possède beaucoup des traductions des livres Sanscrits sur la religion et la metaphysique. Les lettres cultivent la poesie, qui est assujetie chez eux au double joug de la mesure et de la rime; ils ont des poemes lyriques et narratifs, et surtout des poëmes descriptifs, des pièces de théâtre, des romans des mœurs, des romans où les merveilleux est mis en usage. On a composé en outre un très grand nombre des recueils speciaux et généraux, des bibliothèques et des encyclopédies, et dans le dernier siècle on avait commencé l'impression d'une collection des ouvrages choisies en 180,000 volumes! Les Chinois ont d'excellents dictionnaires où tous les langue sont expliqués, avec le plus grand soin, et dans un ordre tres regulier. Enfin il n'y a pas en Europe, de nation chez laquelle on

signes de leur écriture, et tous les mots de leur

meme

trouve tant des livres, ni des livres si bien fait, si commodes à consulter, et à si bas prix."

by Remusat, may be gained of the extent of Chinese literature, from the fact, as stated by Mr. Williams, that the Sz Fu Tsiuen Shu Tsung-muh, or Catalogue of all the Books in the Four Libraries, consists, of itself alone, of one hundred and twelve octavo volumes of 300 pages each, and giving the titles, and a brief synopsis of the contents of upwards of 20,000 works, and these not all, but only the best works in the language. The catalogue arranges the books into four divisions, viz., classical, historical, professional writings, and belles-lettres.

M. Remusat, Staunton, the two Morrisons, and others best acquainted with the language and literature of the Chinese, speak in the highest terms of the polite literature of the Chinese. Many of their works on history, biography, statistics, etc., are very valuable and interesting. Their biographies are both of men and women, in which latter is exhibited their high consideration for literary women. These biographies, as also many other works, are very voluminous. They have a biographical dictionary in 120 volumes. They have also a work very popular among the Chinese, entitled Memoirs of Distinguished Ladies, written by Lin Hiang, 124 B. C. They have also a very valuable work, entitled Complete Antiquarian Researches of Ma Twantin, who

Voluminous Literature-Opinions of Morrison, Remusat, &c. 373

lived A. D. 1275. It is a very extensive opinion of a nation whose literature can and profound work, containing research- boast of a work like this." es upon every matter relating to government, and extending through a series of dynasties which held the throne nearly 40 centuries. Remusat says of it: "This excellent work is a library by itself, and if Chinese literature possessed no other, the language would be worth learning for the sake of reading this alone." Mr. Williams says of it: "It elevates our future number.

We are compelled, very unwillingly, to close here this paper on China, for the want of space. There are a great number of subjects which we are obliged to pass over without even naming them; and yet it would be an exceedingly interesting task to discuss them. We may, however, resume the subject in some

ART. V.-THE BALTIMORE SOUTHERN COMMERCIAL

CONVENTION.

Resolved, That true policy requires the United States to foster steamboat communication between the South and the Amazon, and to build up commerce with the Atlantic slope of South America.

On the part of the Board of Trade of Baltimore, Brantz Mayer, Esq., opened the convention with the following address to the people of the South and West:

section or city, North or South, we would And is not this true? It will be alpromote, as we think we reasonably lowed by every one who recalls the might, consistent with the laws of trade, history of colonial and revolutionary its great central position, the commer- times, and remembers that Baltimorecial interests and prosperity of Balti- Town, in those days, was the spot more, as being well calculated to excite whence the adventurer and the soldier set a wholesome and beneficial competition forth, wending their way westward by with more northern Atlantic cities, which Fort Cumberland, until they penetrated could not fail to be peculiarly advanta- that wilderness which has been subdued geous to the whole South, Southwest, and civilized by the courageous enterand West, and, in fact, to the nation at prise of your hardy ancestors. It was large. from Baltimore-Town, then already a place of significance at the head of the finest inland navigation in the world, that the pioneer and trader sallied forth with trains of pack-horses, to bear their luxuries and necessaries into the wilderness, in order to exchange them for the peltries which were, at that time, almost the only "circulating medium" of the region. Maryland, lying like a wedge between Pennsylvania and Virginia, and having in its centre another wedge, in its magnificent bay and river, whose affluents penetrated its northwes ternmost corner, afforded the easiest levels as a channel of trade for passing the mountains and reaching the navigable waters of the Ohio; and thus our state became the chief line of American travel, and our city the chief depot between the shores of the Atlantic and the valleys beyond the Alleghany range. Baltimore, therefore, is fairly to be regarded as the natural and earliest historical friend and commercial ally of the West. It was so in the days when Washington and Braddock pursued the line of travel I have indicated; and in periods when the common interests and common sense of men pointed out a trail for trade, independently of all extraneous influences.

We have invited you to meet us, in the city of Baltimore, in order to consider questions of interest to the sections of country whence you come, as well as to ourselves. It is our duty as well as our pleasure to seize the earliest moment to thank you for the alacrity and good-will with which you have so cordially responded to our call.

Gentlemen, we have summoned you here to-day to lay, with proper services, and to cement with hearty feeling, the corner-stone of a great National Exchange. Many circumstances have lately combined to direct public notice towards the city of Baltimore as the most suitable mart for the productions in which your parts of the Union are so deeply concerned. When the census of 1850 was first published, and it was seen that the population of Baltimore But, gentlemen, it is not to be denied had augmented in a larger proportion that although Baltimore, very soon after within the preceding ten years than the adoption of the Constitution of the that of any other Atlantic city, men United States, was acknowledged to be asked themselves the question, why this had occurred, and found no solution save in the facts that there was a zealous stir of enterprising activity among our people, fostered by the hopeful prospect of future progress,-that our internal improvements were tending to develop a region fraught with wealth, not only to our state but to other sections, and that Baltimore, in truth, was the original and natural terminus of our great internal trade, indicated by nature herself in the geography of our country.

the great flour and tobacco mart of the country, as well as, perhaps, the best market for provisions-she still, in time, found that her commerce diminished, while that of other sections, which apparently were not entitled to such advantages, became proportionably enlarged. This may be attributed to three causes-the opening of the navigation of the Mississippi, which gave its mouth as a vent for internal commerce;-the introduction of steam on that river and its tributaries as the motive power

for