Directory_and_Chronicle_1841 — Page 659

642

A New History of China.

DEC.

The Mantchous, or 'eastern Tartars,' as our author calls them, 'who were formerly so barbarous that they had not any king, nor any word to signify the king,' became masters of China in A. D. 1643- 44, a few years after Magaillans arrived in this country. Their ori- gin is thus described by our author's translator. We quote his words only in part.

•

It was about ten generations prior to Shunche's time (so that mo- narch often said) that three nymphs,—Augela, Chaugula, and Fœ- cula,--descended from heaven to bathe in a river of Tartary; one of them, Fœcula, having found an herb called alkakengi, having red fruit, under her robes which she left on the shore, devoured it with such a greedy appetite that she became pregnant; and while her two companions returned to the heavens, she remained on the earth till she had given birth to a boy, which she nursed for a time, and then placing him on an island of the river, and telling him that a fisher- man would come and take care of his education, she followed and rejoined the other nymphs, and the fisherman accordingly came. The descendants of this child, who grew to be a man of extraordi- nary valor, ruled the country. But in the fifth generation, the people rebelled, and all of the reigning family were exterminated except one. This prince, closely pursued and despairing of his life, sat himself down upon the ground, and a magpie came and perched upon his head, so that his enemies took him for the stump of a tree. Thus far the story is altogether fabulous. But what follows is certain. The founder of the present family made himself known by the bloody wars, which he carried on to revenge the death of his father, whom the Chinese officers had caused to be murdered, and other outrages com- mitted against the nation. He was lord of the valley of Moncheu, which Martini takes to be a great city. Wanleih, whose reign com- menced 1573, gave him the government of the valley and neighbor- ing regions, on condition that he would defend them against the in- cursions of the oriental Tartars, who were divided into seven small principalities. His grandson was the father of Shunche, who, at the nge of six years, succeeded to the throne of China. Thus it

Thus it appears that these Mantchou princes have derived their origin from a petty captain of a horde, or chief leader of banditti or wandering Tartars.' See page 21-23.

1

1

Of the names which the Chinese and foreigners have given to this country, Magaillans has written learnedly, correcting Polo and all his other predecessors. Presuming that our readers are as well inform- ed as our author, on most of the points in question, we will only