CHINA PROPER, an immense country in Asia, extends about 18 degr6es from north to south, and nearly an equal distance from east to west. It is bounded on the east by the sea ; on the west by lofty mountains and ex tensive desarts ; on the south by the ocean, and the king doms of Tunkin, Laos, and Cochinchina ; and on the north by the regions of Tartary, from which it is divided by a stupendous wall 1500 miles in length.
By the Chinese, their country is called Tchong-Koue, or the middle kingdom, because they formerly imagined that it was situated in the centre of the earth, and that all other countries lay scattered around their empire in the form of small islands. In later times they have, indeed, acquired a more correct geography ; but so inveterately do. they adhere to ancient opinions, and especially to whatever flatters their national vanity, that they still continue to express themselves in this errone ous manner, and to preserve unaltered every sentiment and expression of their great philosopher Confucius. By the western Tartars, it is called Catay ; by the Abut chew Tartars, ?icancourou ; by the Japanese, Thau ; and by the natives of Siam and Cochinchina, Cin. It is supposed, that the word China is derived either from this last appellation, or from Tsin, or Tai-tsin, the name of the first imperial family, who carried their arms towards the west.
China is divided into fifteen provinces ; Pe-tchelec, Shansee and Shensee, situated towards the noi to and north west ; Setchuen and Yunnan, on the west ; Quan see and Quanton, on the south ; Fokien, Tchekian, Kiannan, and Shantung, on the and Ilonan, lIou quang, Koetchou, and Kiangsee, in the middle region. Of these provinces a very laborious and accurate sur vey was made by order of the Chinese government, under the direction of the Jesuit missionaries, in which they are said to have employed a period of ten years, and of which a beautiful manuscript map, by a Chinese, is deposited in his majesty's library at Buckingham house.
I. PE-TeRELEE, Tchelee, or Li-jiafoo, is the princi pal province of the empire ; and its capital, Pekin, is the ordinary residence of the court. This city is situat
ed in a fruitful piain, about 20 leagues distant from the great wall of Tartary. Its name signifies the northern court, which distinguishes it from Nankin, the southern court, where the emperor formerly resided ; but found it necessary to remove nearer to the northern boundaries of the empire, to repel more effectually the frequent incursions of his Tartar neighbours in that quarter.
The city of Pekin forms an oblong square, inclosing an area of 12 miles, exclusive of the suburbs, and is divided into two towns, the one inhabited by Tartars, and the other by Chinese. This division, or rather ad dition, took place at the Tartar conquest, when the new sovereign crowded the capital with such numbers of his own nation, that the Chinese were under the necessity of building a new city without the walls of the old one. The walls of Pekin, especially of the Tartar city, are of considerable height and breadth, and are formed of two lines of brick or stone, the middle space being filled up by the earth, which is dug out of the surrounding ditch. They are generally 30 feet high, 25 feet thick at the base, and 12 feet across the top within the parapets. There are nine lofty and arched gates, (whence Pekin is sometimes called " the city with nine gates,") of which three are placed in the south wall, and two in each of the other sides. Over each gate is a large pavilion-roofed tower, divided into nine stories, with port-holes, or apertures, in the wall ; and, before each of the gates, is a large open space, Inclosed by a semi circular wall, equal in height and thickness to that which surrounds the city. At each angle of the city wall, also, is a similar large square building, rising above the para pet to the height of four stories ; and, in each of the sides, there are, on each floor, fourteen windows or port holes. These structures arc now used only as public granaries, or rice magazines. Along the whole course of the wall, at the distance of a bow-shot, or 70 yards from each other, arc spacious towers, projecting about 40 feet from the line of the wall, with a small guard house on the summit of each.