Page:Journal of three voyages along the coast of China in 1881, 1832, & 1833 with notices of Siam, Corea, and the Loo-Choo islands (1834).djvu/15

 promoting the domestic habits of the nation, cannot be doubted; but notwithstanding these, and other considerations scarcely less interesting and important, we are still in a great measure unacquainted with the inhabitants of China, and comparatively uninterested in their circumstances.

Some objects attract attention by the number and diversity of their several parts,—the rarities and excellences they exhibit,—the skill and power by which they are combined,—and the character and extent of their influence; others attract attention from the remoteness of their situation,—their number and magnitude,—the dignity they assume,—the power with which they are invested,—the antiquity they claim,—the changes they have undergone, or of which they may yet be susceptible,—and the subjects of strong and lasting interest which they supply. All these combine to invite our attention to China, and some of them exist in a degree far surpassing that in which they are found in any other nation of the earth.

Whatever interest may be derived from remoteness of situation, belongs to China. This is heightened, in some measure, by the repulsive policy of its government, which has peremptorily and steadily interdicted all intercourse with foreigners. This studied seclusion has a