[5] W. Winterbotham gives, in his View of the Chinese Empire (London, 1796), ii, pp. 6-8, an interesting account of the “mandarins of letters,” the chief nobility of the empire.  He says:  “There are only two ranks in China, the nobility and the people, but the former is not hereditary ...  China contains about fifteen thousand mandarins of letters, and a still greater number who aspire to that title ...  To arrive at this degree, it is necessary to pass through several others; such as that of Batchelor (sie, or tsai), of licentiate (kiu-gin), and of doctor (tsing-tssee).  The two first, however, are only absolutely necessary; bur even those on whom the third is conferred obtain for a time only the government of a city of the second or third class.  There are eight orders of [these] mandarins ...  In short, the whole administration of the Chinese empire is entrusted to the mandarins of letters.”

[6] Referring to the Manchu chief Noorhachu (see Vol.  XVIII, note 63).  His grandfather was named Huen.

[7] Gabriel de Matos was born at Vidigueira, Portugal, in 1572, and entered the Jesuit order at the age of sixteen.  He spent twenty years in the Japan missions, and later was provincial of Malabar; and he filed in January, 1633, either at Cochin or at Macao (according to differing authorities).

[8] Nicolas Trigault was born at Douai, France, in 1577, and became a Jesuit novice when seventeen years old.  As a student, he made a specialty of Oriental languages, and in 1610 entered the China mission, of which he was long in charge—­meanwhile becoming versed in Chinese history and literature, concerning which, as well as the Jesuit missions there, Trigault wrote various books and memoirs.  He died November 14, 1628, at either Nanking or Hang-tcheou.

[9] Matheo de Curos was born at Lisbon in 1568, and became a Jesuit when fifteen years old; three years later, he left Europe for Japan, where during many years he occupied high positions in his order.  He died at Fuscimo (Fushimi?), October 29, 1633.

[10] Dairi ("the great interior"), an appellation of the mikado of Japan, also of his palace in the city of Kioto (anciently called Miako), The temple referred to is the Daibutsu ("great Buddha"), located not far from the palace.  See Rein’s Japan, pp. 442-470, for account of Buddhism and other religions in Japan, and description and plan of Kioto.

[11] Cf. Jesuit Relations, (Cleveland reissue) xxvii, p. 311, and xxxv, p. 277 (and elsewhere), for mention of these helpers (Fr. dogiques) in the Jesuit missions of New France.

[12] Probably referring to St. Francis Xavier, who had been, seventy years before, so prominent a missionary in Japan and India.  The word “saint,” however, is here used by anticipation, as Xavier was not canonized at the time of this document.  That ceremony was performed, for both Xavier and Ignatius de Loyola, on March 12, 1622; they had been beautified on July 27, 1609.