The New Hampshire Gazette And Historical Chronicle

The affecting History of ZUNCHIN, the last
Emperor of CHINA.

ZUNCHIN had all the dispositions to
incline him to govern mildly, yet we
cannot call him a wise man, who
was so injudicious in the choice of his Mi-
nisters and Officers. These creatures made
use of his authority to gratify their own
passions, and extend their ambition; the
consequence was, that the people were made
uneasy; but their grievances and complaints
never reached the ears of their Emperor:
The Ministers had filled the Court with their
tools and creatures, and stopped all passages
of complaint to the Prince. Thus they went
on to abuse his good dispositions, and may
be said to have sold both the empire and
their master.

A rebellion was begun by Ly and Chum,
who had both been Generals in his army,
and had been ill used by the Ministers, pro-
bably for no other reason but because they
would not be slaves to their power. They
knew they should not be opposed by the
common people, who would not fight to keep
scoundrels in the Administration, and make
them more insolent: As to those who had
the guard of the Emperor's person, and the
government of the state, Ly, the rebel, was
sure he could gain them over, at any time:
and accordingly, when the officers and magi-
strates, put in by these bad Ministers, saw
the rebellion look a little formidable, they
entered into the conspiracy for securing
themselves: Ly sent some of his people, dis-
guised as traders, to treat with these fellows;
and traders they were.- When the city was
delivered up, & the unhappy Emperor retired
within his palace, he first with his own hand
put to death his only daughter, then he and
the Empress hanged themselves.--Before he
dispatched himself, he writ in his own blood
what follows:

"The Mandarins are traitors. they have
perfidiously betrayed their Prince, and all of
them deserved to be hanged: It will be lau-
dable to execute this piece of justice upon
them; it is fit they should all suffer death.
that those who succeed them may be in-
structed, by their example, to acquit them-
themselves with fidelity of their trust. As for
the people; they are not criminal, and de-
serve not to be punished: and therefore to
use them ill will be injustice: - I have lost
that great empire, which descended to me
by inheritance from my ancestors, by the
treachery of the Mandarins. In me is fi-
nished the royal line, which so many Kings
my progenitors, continued down to me with
all the grandeur and fame suitable to their
dignity: I will therefore forever close my
eyes, that I may not see this empire, descended
to me from so many generations, thus
ruined and ruled by a tyrant: I will go &
deprive myself of that life, for which I can
never suffer myself to be indebted to the ba-
set and vilest of my subjects. I have not
the confidence to appear before them, who
being born my subjects, are become my ene-
mies and traitors. It is fit the Prince should
die. since his whole state is now expiring;
and how can I endure to live having seen
the loss and destruction of that which was
dearer to me than life!"

Thus died the Monarch of a kingdom
as large as all Europe: he who commanded
one hundred millions of subjects was redu-
ced to destroy himself and his family. all
brought upon him by the villainy of his Mi-
niters, at 32 years of age.