state. In fact, the policy of the govern ment was cynically declared sixty years ago by the Emperor Taokwang, who said : " I wish my people to dread the inside of my yamcns as much as possible, so that they may learn to settle their quarrels amongst themselves." Most mandarins pass the whole of their lives without taking a single yard of exer cise. The late Nanking viceroy (father of the Marquis Tseng) was considered a re markable character because he always walked "one thousand steps a clay" in his private garden. Under no circumstances whatever is a mandarin ever seen on foot in his own jurisdiction. Occasionally a popu lar judge will try to earn a reputation by going out incognito at night; but even then he takes a strong guard with him, and (as happened when I was at Canton ) gets his head broken if he attempts to pry too closely into abuses. As the police and the thieves are usually co-partners in one con cern, it naturally follows that caution must be used in attacking gaming-houses which have bribed themselves into quasi-legality. A mandarin's leisure, which may be said to begin at five I'.M. and continue till nine, is spent in one or other of the following ways :
Either he reads poetry by himself, or he sends for his secretaries to drink wine, crack melon-seeds, and compose poetry with him; or he may shoot off a few arrows at a target in his garden; or (and this is the common est) he may invite the rich merchants to a "feed " in his yanten, or accept invitations from them. But this is rather dangerous work; for there is a sort of unwritten law against mandarins leaving their own vaincus, except on official business bent. On the other hand, merchants of high standing steer clear of the local mandarin unless (as hap pened when I was at Kewkiang) he happens to be a compatriot of theirs. On his grand mother's, mother's, and wife's birthdays, the mandarin receives congratulations and pres ents; of course on his own, too. On these festive occasions he may give a play. In China, theatrical entertainments are com monly hired privately, though as often as not the "man in the street" is admitted gratis. But even here caution is required; for many days in the year are ncfasti, on account of emperors having died on those anniversaries; and it goes very hard with a mandarin if he is caught "having music" on a dies non. CornialI Magazine.
