"It should be never absent from our recollection that there are now two distinct nations in China--the Chinese and the Tartars--whose characters essentially differ, notwithstanding their external appearance be nearly the same. They are both subject to the most absolute authority that can be vested in a Prince(Qianlong), but with this distinction--that to the Chinese it is a foreign tyranny, to the Tartar a domestic despotism. The latter consider themselves as in some degree partakers of their Sovereign's dominions over the former, and that imagination may, perhaps, somewhat console them under the pressure of his power upon themselves--like the house servants and house negroes belonging to a great landlord in Livonia or planter in Jamaica, who, though serfs themselves, look down upon the peasantry and field negroes as much their inferiors."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
People from IrelandColonial governorsChief Secretaries for IrelandBritish Ambassadors to Russia and the Soviet UnionBritish Ambassadors to China
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Imported from EN Wikiquote
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_Macartney
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
George Macartney
George Macartney, 1st Earl Macartney, KB (14 May 1737 – 31 May 1806) was a British statesman, colonial administrator and diplomat.
6 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by George Macartney →
Related Quotes
"For it would now seem that the policy and vanity of the Court equally concurred in endeavouring to keep out of sight …"
"The Empire of China is an old, crazy, first-rate Man of War, which a fortunate succession of able and vigilant office…"
"The breaking-up of the power of China (no very improbable event) would occasion a complete subversion of the commerce…"
"The Government, as it stands, is properly the tyranny of a handful of Tatars over more than three hundred millions of…"
"Yet it cannot be concealed that the nation in general is far from being contented. The frequent insurrections in the …"
"The size of a deterrent force must be related to the value to an enemy of the prize being protected. For example, sup…"
"The Czar, who had been absolute enough to civilize savages, had no idea, could conceive none, of the privileges of a …"
"He...was highly favoured by nature, and his address exceeded even his figure. At every period of his life queens, duc…"
"The visit of the British Association for the Advancement of Science to Montreal last autumn was much more than a star…"
"It should be earnestly remembered that besides the blessings of the Gospel, Christianity is the only remedy for the r…"