Volume 1
A description of the empire of China and Chinese-Tartary, together with the kingdoms of Korea, and Tibet. Containing the geography and history (natural as well as civil) of those countries ... / from the French of P.J.B. DuHalde, Jesuit, with notes geographical, historical and critical and other improvements, particularly in the maps by the translator.
- Jean-Baptiste Du Halde
- Date:
- 1738-1741
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: A description of the empire of China and Chinese-Tartary, together with the kingdoms of Korea, and Tibet. Containing the geography and history (natural as well as civil) of those countries ... / from the French of P.J.B. DuHalde, Jesuit, with notes geographical, historical and critical and other improvements, particularly in the maps by the translator. Source: Wellcome Collection.
46/794 page 2
![Z Extent of China. Government. A GENERAL VIEW of When Marco Polo, the Venetian, publhh’d hisfirft on by moft People to be entirely fabulous, and was attacked as a t orbe y y ï Times, on much the fame Conjeftures that feveral later Writers have l tain, that this Traveller, who followed the Weftern Tartars, when they conquer d C m | ferted nothing but the Truth ; this plainly appears from the Account he give , . , '] which are ftill the fame as he defcribes them, both as to Name and Condition. t, ■ , ' perceive, that his Cingiang, fituate on the(*) Kyang is the City of Chm-kyang, near that g eat Kiver ? ^ It is eafy to account for the fmall Difference found between the Names, partly foom the d.ft en? 5 Idioms of the 'Tartar Language, and partly from the Corruption of the Chinefe o } . gers, who have not had fufficient Time to learn the true Pronunciation o a anguage o . rent from all others. A A .iM; China extends more from North to South, and is narrower from Ealt to e , an a -.-; part of Tartary, which falls within our Plan j but which way foever we meafure it, its Extent, taken in a lirait Line, is not lefs than a6o great Leagues of France, 20 whereof go to a L>egree* ’Tis divided into 15 Provinces: Thofe of Shen-Ji, Shan-fi, Pe-che-li, flretch themfelvesalong the. famous Wall, which on the North divides it from Tartary ; Shan-tong, Kyang-nan, Che-kyangt and Fo-kyen, lie along the Eaftern Ocean ; thofe of ^'uang-tong, Quang~fi, Tun-nan, and Sç-chuen, lie to the South and Weft -, laftly, the Provinces Ho-nan, Hu-quang, ^uey-chew and Kiang-Ji, take up the middle Part, _ f' Every Province is divided into a certain Number of Jurifdidlions, call d by the Chinefe, Fu, on which other Diftrkfts of much lefs Extent, named Chew and Hyen depend, in the fame manner as our Bailiwicks and inferior Courts of Juftice do on the Prefidencies : The Prefidents of the Su¬ preme-Courts are call’d (f), Chi-fû, and of the others, Chi-chew and Chirhyen. Hence it is, that in every City having the appellation of Fû, there is always found a (h) Mandarin named Chi-fu> and at leaft another who is a Chi-hyen : But in the great Cities of all, there ate, befides the Cbi-fu, two other inferior (f) Mandarins, with the Title of Chi-hyen ; becaufe when the Territory is large, it is divided into two Diftridts, each of which has immediate recourfe to its Chi-hyen. Each of thefe two Tribunals has its particular Name, and depends immediately on that of the Chi-fû, which is much more numerous, more powerful, and very often differently named. For inftance, befides the fix great fupreme Courts at F e-king, there is aifo the Tribunal peculiar to that City, which is the Capital of the Empire, and named Shun-tyen ; under this Tribunal there are two-inferior Courts of the two Hyen, or Cities of the third Rank, whereof one is call’d Tay* Fng, and the other Ven-ping, When we fpeak of the Hyen, or City of the third Rank, the Reader muff not imagine it to be a Difirid of fmall Extent. Thefe are Hyens of 60, 70, and even 80 Leagues in compafs, which pay feveral Millions into the Emperor’s Treafury. What we have faid with regard to the Cities of Tay-hing and Ven-ping, is to be underflood alfo of feveral others, in proportion to the Extent of the Lands belonging to them ; fo that the Number of Cities of this Kingdom will appear to be greater than it is, if we reckon them ac¬ cording to the printed Catalogues to. be had every where of the Fu and Hyen, without diflin- guifhing between thofe comprized in the fame Diflrid, and thofe which are not. There are fome Cities with Courts, named Wey, whofe Mandarins, or Governors, have the Title of Wey-jhew-pey, and are military Officers ; their Jurifdidion feldom extends without the Walls of the Town. There are others appointed in the Villages, and all that commonly falls un¬ der their Cognizance relates to certain Perfons, who are obliged by their Station and Birth to attend the Service of the Public. Thefe Tribunals, dillinguifhed alfo by their Names, are fometinies, like thofe of the Chi-fû and Chi-hyen, included within the fame Diflridls ; fo that if one relies on the Lifts of the Mandarins, or Hiftories of the Provinces, without enquiring farther, he may reckon three Cities where there is but one. For inftance, the Town, which in the Hi- ftory of the Province of Quey-chew is called Li-ping-fu, is in reality the fame which in the Province - of Hû-quang is call’d XJ-kay-wey ; for being fituated on the Borders of two Provinces, it is the Seat of a Chi-fû, fubjedt to the Province of ^uey-chew, and of a Wey-jhew-pey, who depends on the Province of Hû-quang, as a military Officer. This Inftance may fuffice to fhew, that the Number of Cities in China, tho’ very great, is yet much fewer than almoft all the printed Rela¬ tions make it ; and that to write with certainty of the Geography of a large Country, it is not enough to travel over it barely for Information, but one mull be furnifh’d with the proper Helps* All thefe Courts depend on the Viceroy of the Province, and the four other general Officers who are his Affiftants, according to the nature of the Bufinefs. If it relates to the Revenue and civil Matters, the Affair is brought before the Pû-ching-fe, or Treafurer-General : If a criminal Caufe, it is referr’d to the Lieutenant-Criminal Ngan-cha-f : If it concerns the Polls, or Salt- branch, &c. recourfe is had to the Ten-tau : Laftly, If the Bufinefs relates to the Provifions which are collected by way of Tribute, they apply to the Lyang-tau. But befides the Affaira peculiar to their refpedtive Tribunals, thefe may be applyffi to in Cafes of a different Nature « becaufe all the inferior Courts of the Provinces depend on them, and they are by their Stations „ Coun- (tl Chi fignffies Governor, and Fu, a City of the firft Rank. befor^to deîo J their l^that PreM?*r\S‘t (F) Mandarin, or rather Mandanm, figmfies Commander ; Mailer, on account of their Oualitv • P,Vk 1 ^ L°rd Qr Under which general Appellation the Portuguese (who firft entred would be more proper than that of Mw • 0t ïu China) comprehend all the Degrees of Chinefe Magiftrates and has adopted, and which from the freoimnt ^«’ Which Cuftom Officers, military and civil. In the Language of the Country, of Ctil, 4» tee»](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b30455868_0001_0047.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
