Page:Brinkley - China - Volume 2.djvu/80

The twenty-four Banners are divided into two groups of eight and sixteen respectively, the former consisting of pure Manchus, the latter of Mongols and Chinese descended from the men that aided the Manchu dynasty to conquer China. They are supposed to number about a quarter of a million men, and they furnish guards for the Palace as well as garrisons for important cities and fortresses. Their nominal pay is four taels (about twelve shillings) per month. The Tartar garrisons in great cities, like Canton, Fuchou, Hangchou, etc., are under a general of their own nationality and form a special caste, said to be in many cases little better than honourable prisoners confined within the limits of the city walls. They are supported out of the local revenues, but a special contribution is exacted from all the provinces for the maintenance of Banner-men in Peking. The Tartar general in a city nominally outranks even the viceroy within whose jurisdiction his command lies.

The provincial troops, or Green Banners, as they are called, are an uncertain quantity. Chinese returns put them at 650,000 in round numbers, but by some authorities they are supposed not to exceed 400,000. The discrepancy is mainly due to the fact that official figures cannot be trusted in such matters. A commanding officer may draw pay and allowances for a thousand men, but not more than five or six hundred may be actually enrolled. A soldier of the provincial forces gets