_Opinions on which the Executive Authority is grounded.--Principle on which an Emperor of China seldom appears in public.--The Censorate.--Public Departments.--Laws.--Scale of Crimes and Punishments.--Laws regarding Homicide.--Curious Law Case.--No Appeal from Civil Suits.--Defects in the Executive Government.--Duty of Obedience and Power of personal Correction.--Russia and China compared.--Fate of the Prime Minister_ Ho-chang-tong.--_Yearly Calendar and Pekin Gazette, engines of Government.--Freedom of the Press.--Duration of the Government attempted to be explained.--Precautions of Government to prevent Insurrections.--Taxes and Revenues.--Civil and Military Establishments.--Chinese Army, its Numbers and Appointments.--Conduct of the Tartar Government at the Conquest.--Impolitic Change of late Years, and the probable Consequences of it._ 357 CHAP. VIII. Conjectures on the Origin of the Chinese.--Their Religious Sects,--Tenets,--and Ceremonies. _Embassy departs from Pekin, and is lodged in a Temple.--Colony from Egypt not necessary to be supposed, in order to account for Egyptian Mythology in China.--Opinions concerning Chinese Origin.--Observations on the Heights of Tartary.--Probably the Resting-place of the Ark of Noah.--Ancients ignorant of the Chinese.--Seres.--First known Intercourse of Foreigners with China.--Jews.--Budhists.--Nestorians.--Mahomedans.--Roman Catholics.--Quarrels of the Jesuits and Dominicans.--Religion of Confucius.--Attached to the Prediction of future Events.--Notions entertained by him of a future State.--Of the Deity.--Doctrine not unlike that of the Stoics.--Ceremonies in Honour of his Memory led to Idolatry.--Misrepresentations of the Missionaries with regard to the Religion of the Chinese.--The_ Tao-tze _or_ Sons of Immortals.--_Their Beverage of Life.--The Disciples of_ Fo _or Budhists.--Comparison of some of the Hindu, Greek, Egyptian, and Chinese Deities.--The_ Lotos _or_ Nelumbium.--_Story of_ Osiris _and_ Isis, _and the_ Isia _compared with the Imperial Ceremony of Ploughing.--Women visit the Temples.--Practical Part of Chinese Religion.--Funeral Obsequies.--Feast of Lanterns.--Obeisance to the Emperor performed in Temples leads to Idolatry.--Primitive Religion lost or corrupted.--Summary of Chinese Religion._ 418 CHAP. IX. Journey from Tong-choo-foo to the Province of Canton.--Face of the Country, and its Productions.--Buildings and other Public Works.--Condition of the People.--State of Agriculture.--Population.