The regularly organized troops of the present dynasty are the Tartar legions, which amount to 80,000 effective men, arranged under eight banners, and always at the disposal of government. Their standards are yellow, white, red, and blue; each of which are doubled by being provided with a border. These are so distributed throughout the empire as to keep four thousand times their own number in order. The naval force is numerous, but inefficient; the ships of war are generally about the size of trading junks, but better built and manned; though it would require an indefinite number of them to cope with one of the smallest frigates of the British navy. As to their forts, those only at the Bogue, on the Canton river, deserve the name; but the incapability of these to resist the entrance of the British ships, a few years ago, was most clearly manifested. The management of all these defences is confided to the military tribunal.
Next comes the tribunal of punishments, which appoints and removes judges, takes cognizance of all judicial proceedings, and sees to the carrying out and execution of the laws. It is rather singular, that the supreme court of justice, in China, should be termed the tribunal of punishments, but it shews that the government of that country is more active in chastising the people for breaches of the law, than anxious to dispense justice to the injured and innocent. Every province is provided with a criminal judge, at a salary of £2,000 a year; this officer goes the circuit of his district periodically, and holds his court in the provincial city. There is a show of some solemnity, and certainly of terror, in a Chinese court of justice; but one looks in vain for the jury box. A man is not tried by
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