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renders them homage twice a year, at the vernal & autumnal Equanox, His place of worship being two large mounds in the vicinity of Peking. He is held responsible for good weather, good crops, & the general prosperity of the Empire. He is supposed to delegate his power over the elements to his officers & [[strikethrough]] it [[/strikethrough]] not infrequently the latter petition for a suspension of their salaries after a heavy drought -- as a proof of penitence for their maladministration. Woe to the unfortunate who has incurred the hatred of the populace, the first unfavorable rain may deprive him of his office if not of his head. Any person may rise from the lowest grade of society to the highest office in China. Every year, in each province an examination is held of competitors for a degree, conferred upon 70 or more persons, according to the size of the province. The successful candidate finds his social position much altered for the better. He may now try for the second degree. Should he again succeed he is eligible to an office under government. A third & fourth degree offer further inducements to energy & good conduct. The examinations for these four degrees are conducted with great care [[end page]] [[start page]] the dress of the competitor is searched so that no book or paper may be concealed about them They are then placed in separate stalls & questions in writing given them. There are 4 classes of society in China 1st the literary aristocracy, 2nd farmers, 3rd mechanics, 4th merchants. Mr. Williams then proceeded to give us a brief account of the insurrection. He said [[blank]] is the name of the most powerful God of the Chinese. The Emperor alone worships him, to address prayers to him is to raise the standard of revolt. This name is used by the missionaries to represent the true God. The leader of the rebellion was an enthusiastic young man, a disappointed competitor for one of the degrees. As he was leaving from the examination, a translation of a portion of the scriptures was handed to him by one of the emissarys of Christianity. Attracted by the name [[blank]] he read it with avidity. He soon formed a party of adherents. The number of his followers increased daily, & finally obtained possession of a fort in the province of Hwangsi where they were ineffectually beseigded. This I think was in 1851. They afterwards proceeded up the country [[strikethrough]] & [[/strikethrough]] as far as Peking but were driven [[end page]]
