The Cambridge Library possesses several of these collections of
reprints. One of them is perhaps extra valuable because the wooden
blocks from which it was printed were destroyed during the T'ai-p'ing
Rebellion, some forty years ago.

I may mention here, though not properly belonging to this section, that
we possess a good collection of the curious pamphlets issued by the
T'ai-p'ing rebels.

Other interesting works to be found in Division B are the Statutes of
the present dynasty, which began in 1644, and even those of the previous
dynasty, the latter being an edition of 1576.

Then there is the Penal Code of this dynasty, in several editions;
various collections of precedents; handbooks for magistrates, with
recorded decisions and illustrative cases.

A magistrate or judge in China is not expected to know anything about
law.

Attached to the office of every official who may be called upon to try
criminal cases is a law expert, to whom the judge or magistrate may
refer, when he has any doubt, in private, just as our unpaid justices of
the peace in England refer for guidance to the qualified official
attached to the court.

Before passing on to the next section, one last volume, taken at
haphazard, bears the weird title, _A Record in Dark Blood_. This work
contains notices of eminent statesmen and others, who met violent