and through a very large portion of the most
densely populated regions of the globe. Of all
the children of men, Confucius is he whose
voice has resounded from a higher antiquity,
and has been listened to over a wider extent,
and among greater multitudes of men, than any
other human teacher. The language of the
Hebrew prophets is extinct; the classical
outpourings of Homer and Virgil would be now
unintelligible in Athens or in Rome; but if
Confucius and Mencius were now to appear, they
would be understood by five hundred millions of
human beings.

And it is with their writings, and in those of
nearly contemporary teachers, that the literary
candidates are expected to be best acquainted.
A thorough mastery of the ancient annals, of
the commentaries which have explained, and the
historical facts which illustrate them, forms the
best title to honorary distinction. Beauty of
penmanship, or rather of pencilship, graces of style,
especially in the form of poetical antitheses,
are prominent recommendations. In the councils
of the early kings are found admirable lessons
of wisdom. Yu, who reigned forty centuries
ago, said: " Whatever their rank, let all wise
men be marked for distinction, and not one be
suffered to remain in oblivion. A king should
prefer the counsels of the wise to his own
opinions." Tai-kea (B.C. 1753) was thus
addressed by his minister: " Perpetually reform
yourself. Raise none to office but for their
virtues and talents." Woo (B.C. 1324) refused
to make any of his courtiers his councillors, but
sent all over his empire to discover the most
intelligent of his subjects, who thus advised his
master: " Merit alone must be rewarded. The
tranquillity or the confusion of the empire
depends on those who are placed in authority."
The books of Confucius are full of exhortations
to the selection of proper men to office: " To
secure the obedience of the people, promote
the upright and punish the vicious." He called
a minister " a public robber," who deprived the
people of the services of an eminent man.
Mencius says, that " to avoid disgrace, a prince must
patronise the learned and honour the virtuous."
The Emperor Wan-ti (B.C. 179) published a
proclamation calling upon every official to
inquire and to report upon the most deserving
person in their locality, " having knowledge of
the world, acquaintance with state affairs, and,
above all, having firmness and honesty enough
to inform me truly of what is unbecoming in
my conduct." A succession of sovereigns have
repeated and confirmed this and similar
sentiments. Imbued and encouraged with such
lessons, illustrated by hundreds of examples of
their application, by the elevation to high office
of men even of the humblest origin, the Chinese
student enters upon his competitive career.

The preliminary examinations take place in
the principal town of the different districts, of
which there are ninety-one in the province of
Kwang-tung. These examinations are open to
all comers, without distinction. They take place
once in eighteen months, under the direction of
the Chi-hien, or district magistrate, a mandarin
generally of the seventh grade. The selected
scholars then proceed to the departmental city—
there are nine of these in the province—where
the prefect (Chi-foo, a mandarin of the fourth
rank) presides, and from these the Seu-tsai are
elected, who proceed to the provincial city for
the triennial examinations.

The number of candidates on this occasion
who had in the departmental cities obtained the
grade of Seu-tsai, was eight thousand seven
hundred, from whom seventy-two are, according,
to imperial decrees, to be elected to the rank of
Keu-jin, and conveyed to Peking for presentation
to the emperor. Twenty-eight are to be chosen
from the scholars of the provincial city and its
environs. It is required—there being allowed
only eight exceptional cases—that every candidate
should prove the settlement of his family in
a particular locality for at least three generations.

The provincial governor is locked up during
the examinations in the hall with the imperial
commissioner, and is prohibited from holding
intercourse with any but the imprisoned students,
for whose accommodation no less than ten
thousand cells are provided. It is generally
understood that one in twelve is nominated by the
special favour and patronage of the commissioner,
and for the nomination of each of these a large
sum is ordinarily paid, which is deemed a fair
perquisite to the honourable and distinguished
official; but when corruption exceeds these
moderate bounds, the risk of denunciation and
punishment is extremely great. We have before
us a Peking Gazette of 1858, in which there is
a long report of the trial of a bribed examiner
who was brought before the Board of Punishment,
and, with his confederates and the bribing
candidate, ordered to be decapitated. It was
proved that a rolled essay, not written by the
student, was fraudulently and clandestinely
passed in his name to the head examiner, who
was one of the principal secretaries of state;
and the imperial decree declares that both
examiners and literary graduates must be advised
that they are to be beheaded if there be any
dishonest collusion, or if degrees are purchased
by money. Should there be a false assumption
of name, or illegal acts be employed to obtain
office, the offender shall wear the Tan-kia, or
wooden pillory, at the door of the chief magistrate's
office, and be exposed, with a description
of his crime, to the gaze of all the people. Banishment
is to follow the neglect of subordinate
duties connected with the literary examinations.
In the case in question, the nomination took
place by " secret signs." " It might have been,"
says the emperor, " ' a slight sin ' if the money
had been lent to defray the expenses before, or
had been given as a present to one of the
functionaries after the examination, but as it was,
capital punishment must be inflicted." Against
this decision an appeal was made on behalf of
the minor offenders, but after the decapitation
of the principals. The emperor summoned his
council to consider the appeal, but with respect
to one of the criminals, who had endeavoured