In ancient times a drum was placed at the imperial gate; by beating upon the drum, oppressed persons gained permission to appeal to the emperor in person. Now, instead of this process, the Board of general police are empowered to receive appeals, and to transmit them, if they think proper to his Majesty. In the present instance, according to a regulation established by Keaking, the late Emperor, the young man was compelled to break open his own sealed letter, and after an examination of its contents, was locked in irons, and delivered over to the criminal court, to abide the consequences of an appeal to his Majesty.
An invitation to prosecute.—We were not aware that the Chinese government ever sent forth an invitation to the people to come forward, and give evidence against an individual, who was accused of crimes by common report, till we met with an instance of it in a recent publication. Ye-mengche, of Tungkwan district, called the village tyrant in our last number, carried his atrocities to such a degree, that the people who hated him, were, at the same time, afraid to complain against him. Both the local government, and the supreme authorities in Canton, had heard much of his atrocious proceedings, but there was a defect of legal proof. A proclamation was, therefore, issued by Woo, the magistrate of Tungkwan Heen, saying, that "he had heard rumours of Ye usurping people's lands; getting possession of their houses; seducing their wives and daughters; harbouring banditti; devouring the villagers as if they were fish or flesh; and to raise money, commiting an unheard of atrocity;—opening the graves and carrying off the bones of the dead, in order to obtain a ransom for them."
A new ballad concerning Ye, ridicules him as a man of virtue; for, he put the bones into separate bags, and labelled them, to enable the living to recognise the bones which belonged to their respective ancestors.
The magistrate supposes it possible that some lies may be mxed up with the truth, but he invites all who have truth to tell, to come forward and do it.
New Sect.—There are several hints, in the Peking Gazettes, concerning one Yinlaouseu, who called himself Nan-yang Budha, and drew away several thousand disciples after him, whose ramifications extended to three provinces. His body has been cut to pieces by the slow and ignominious process, and his head paraded about in the place where he taught, as a warning to all. The old man's son, Yinmingtih, for conniving at what his father did, and "assisting his wickedness" was decapitated immediately after. Some others are named, who are to meet the same fate after the autumnal assize.
The interest of Money.—In the Peking Gazette we observe, that the Chinese government frequently puts money out at interest with the merchants, for the purpose of creating a perpetual local fund. On the northern frontier, the following case illustrates the usage, and shews the rate of interest.
His Majesty was requested by Woochunghih to lend ten thousand taels to be given to the merchants at one per cent per month, which would produce 1,200 taels a year. Of this sum one half was to go annually to replace the original ten thousand, and the other half to be applied to the public demands of the station. After fourteen years, when the loan would in this manner be repaid, the whole of the interest and capital was to belong to that station. Then in the event of intercalary years, when there were 13 months, another hundred taels would be forthcoming, and in the same way half was to go to replace the original sum, and the other half for public use. One only wonders what commerce, on the northern frontier, could afford to borrow money at 12 or 13 per cent per annum.
Unburied dead.—It is the usage among the natives, to keep the dead bodies of parents, especially, till they can obtain a lucky place to inter them. The rich being deceived by pretended geomancers, often keep their parents for years uninterred; but they are coffinned and lodged in a building appropriated to them. The poor who cannot get satisfied in regard to the place of burial,
