IMPERIAL GARDENS. 145 ficial mount, the summits of which are crowned with pavilions, and the sides ornamented with walks, and shaded with trees. Game of all kinds enliven the scene, and thousands of birds please the ear, with every variety of song. Corresponding with this mount, is a lake, about a mile and a half long, and one third of a mile broad, crossed by a bridge of nine arches, built of fine white marble. Its banks are ornamented with a variety of trees, and its bosom garnished with the flowers of the water lily; so that in the estimation of Father Hyacinth, "the infinite variety of beauties which the lake presents, constitute it one of the most enchanting spots on earth." In the midst of the lake, is a marble isle, adorned with temples, and surmounted by an obelisk; affording a delightful view of the surrounding gardens. A temple, dedicated to the discoverer of the silk-worm, stands near these gardens, where the empress, and the ladies of the court, attend to the cultivation of silk; in order to encourage a branch of industry, on which China mainly depends for its wealth and elegance. In these gardens, the arrangement is such, that the whole seems the production of nature, rather than the effect of art; and affords a pleasing retreat for those who would retire from the symmetrical disposition of the imperial palace, to enjoy the mildness of natural scenery, in the midst of a dense and crowded capital. In this division of the city, and nearly fronting the imperial palace, are the courts of the six grand tribunals of the empire, which have been before described; together with the office of the astronomical board, and the royal observatory. At the south-east corner of the northern division of the capital, is the grand L 146 SOUTHERN DIVISIÓN. national college. At a short distance, is the general arena for literary controversy, where the public examinations, for the capital, are held. The cells for the candidates are numerously disposed round the arena; where many an anxious heart beats high with expectation, and many an aspiring mind is plunged into deep disappointment, when classed with those who fail. Amongst the literary institutions of this great city, may be enumerated a college for the cultivation of the Chinese and Mantchou languages, and one for the study of the Thibetan tongue. A Mahomedan mosque, with a Russian church, and a Roman Catholic temple, are all enclosed within the walls of the imperial city; but all these edifices are surpassed in splendour by the many shrines of idolatry which abound; among the rest may be specified the "white pagoda temple,” so called, on account of a white obelisk, erected in honour of the founder of Buddhism, the scab of whose forehead, produced by frequent prostrations is still preserved and venerated as a holy relic. The southern division of the city, where the Chinese principally reside, is the grand emporium of all the merchandize that finds its way to the capital, and tends to ornament and gratify the adherents of the court. Here, relieved from the strict discipline that prevails in the palace, the citizens give themselves up to business, or dissipation; encouraged and led on by voluptuous courtiers, who have nothing to do, but to display their grandeur, or to please their appetites. There is an immense deal of business done in this southern city, and the broad street which divides it from north to south, is constantly thronged by passengers and tradesmen. Chinese shopkeepers are in APPEARANCE OF THE CITY. 147 the habit of advertising their wares, by long projecting signs, hung out in front of their houses, painted in the gayest colours; while the bustling crowd, perpetually thronging the principal avenues, contributes to enliven and animate the scene. In the southern division of the city, is an enclosure about two miles in circumference, where the emperor, and his great officers, annually go through the ceremony of ploughing and sowing the seed; in order to set an example to the subjects of this vast empire, and to encourage agriculture, from which the greatest part of their support is derived. Notwithstanding these vacant spaces in the city of Peking, the population is so dense where the citizens reside, that the number of inhabitants cannot be much less than two millions. Such, then, is the seat of government, and such the palaces and buildings it contains; worthy the metropolis of a great and civilized country. CHAPTER VII. LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE. ORIGIN OF LANGUAGE-HIEROGLYPHICS-PHONETIC CHARACTERS-CHINESE MODE OF RECORDING EVENTS-SIX CLASSES OF CHARACTERSNUMBER OF SYMBOLS-REDUCIBLE TO FEW ELEMENTS-MODES OF WRITING QUESTION ABOUT EGYPTIAN ORIGIN-PORCELAIN BOTTLE -INSCRIPTION EXPLAINED-DATE ASCERTAINED-CHINESE CLASSICS -AUTHORIZED COMMENTARIES ESTEEMED WORKS HETERODOX PRODUCTIONS-ORAL LANGUAGE-MONOSYLLABIC MODE OF SPELLING COLLOCATION OF VARIETY OF TONES -INITIALS AND FINALS NECESSARY FORT IN the Chinese language, both the oral and written mediums are of the most primitive order. Their words are all monosyllabic, and their characters symbolic; while both continue as they most probably existed in the earliest ages of antiquity. The first invention of the written character was such an effort of genius, that the Chinese have hardly ventured to advance on the original discovery, and have contented themselves with imitating the ancients. Before, however, we discuss the nature of their figures, it will be necessary to trace the progress of the human mind, in the art of communicating and recording thoughts; and point out how the Chinese were led to the adoption of their present mode of writing. ORIGIN OF LANGUAGE, 149 That which constitutes the most striking superiority of the human over the brute creation, is the ability of the former to conceive and communicate ideas to their fellows, by articulate sounds. The first employment of human speech is referred to in Gen. ii. 19, 20. "And God brought every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air to Adam, to see what he would call them; and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to every fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field." Having once affixed a definite term to each object, that word continued to be the sign of the object referred to, and each called up the other to recollection, whenever presented to the mind. In communicating with their fellows, human beings soon found that the names of things were insufficient to express all they wished to say, and attributes and actions received appropriate appellations. The operations of the mind, next required designation and description; and speech at first poor, became gradually enriched, until it answered all the purposes of human society. But the ear is not the only inlet to the soul, and as men derived knowledge to themselves by the organs of sight, they soon found that it was possible to communicate information to others through the same medium. Hence, when language failed, external action was resorted to, and the eye as well as the ear, aided in the interchange of ideas. When both voice and gesture were insufficient for their purpose, delineation was employed; and objects were rudely pictured for the inspection of the bye standers. The same method was used for sending intelligence to a distance, or recording events for the benefit of posterity. Hence originated pictorial |