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the Chinese people wish to move en masse in any given direction the fragile barrier of superstition is trampled down and scattered to the winds."

Note 8.—For a minute and excellent account of these things, see Smith's "Village Life in China."

Note 9.—The taking of this oath is a favourite subject with Chinese artists.

Note 10.—Vide "Triad Society," by Mr. William Stanton.

Note 11.—One of these proclamations, in which the five principal Taiping leaders have ranks bestowed on them, says (Medhurst's translation): "Besides the great God, our heavenly Father and supreme Lord, there is no one who can be called Shang and no one who can be called Ti. Therefore from henceforth all you soldiers and officers may designate me as Your lord, and that is all; you must not call me supreme lest you should encroach upon the designation of our Heavenly Father. . . . Our Heavenly Father and Celestial Elder Brother alone are holy; therefore from henceforth you must not call me holy," etc. This seems to contradict effectually the assertion of Mr. Holmes, the Baptist missionary, that the Taiping leader claimed and received worship as a god from his followers.

Note 12.—"I could not help being struck with his appearance as he went on in this earnest strain," wrote Dr. Medhurst. "Bold and fearless as he stood, openly denouncing the views of the people, his countenance beaming with intelligence, his upright and manly form the very picture of health, while his voice thrilled through the crowd, they seemed petrified with amazement: their natural conscience assured them that his testimony was true; while the conviction seemed to be strong among them that the two great objects of his denunciation—opium and idolatry—were both bad things and must be given up. He spoke an intelligible Mandarin with an occasional touch of Canton or Kwangsi brogue. His modes of illustration were peculiar, and some of the things which he advanced were not such as Christian missionaries were accustomed to bring forward. The impression left on my mind, however, was that a considerable amount of useful instruction was delivered, and such as would serve to promote the objects we had in view