the Yellow River, along which they had first entered the
country, and formed, within the limits of China proper, a few states on
either shore lying between the 33d and 38th parallels of latitude, and
the 106th and 119th of longitude. The royal state of Chow occupied part
of the modern province of Honan. To the north of this was the powerful
state of Tsin, embracing the modern province of Shanse and part of
Chili; to the south was the barbarous state of Ts'oo, which stretched as
far as the Yang-tsze-kiang; to the east, reaching to the coast, were a
number of smaller states, among which those of Ts'e, Loo, Wei, Sung, and
Ching were the chief and to the west of the Yellow River was the state
of Ts'in, which was destined eventually to gain the mastery over the
contending principalities.

On the establishment of the Chow dynasty, King Woo had apportioned these
fiefships among members of his family, his adherents, and the
descendants of some of the ancient virtuous kings. Each prince was
empowered to administer his government as he pleased so long as he
followed the general lines indicated by history; and in the event of any
act of aggression on the part of one state against another, the matter
was to be reported to the king of the sovereign state, who was bound to
punish the offender. It is plain that in such a system the elements of
disorder must lie near the surface; and no sooner was the authority of
the central state lessened by the want of ability shown by the
successors of kings Woo, Ching, and K'ang, than constant strife broke
out between the several chiefs. The hand of every man was against his
neighbor, and the smaller states suffered the usual fate, under like
circumstances, of being encroached upon and absorbed, notwithstanding
their appeals for help to their common sovereign. The House of Chow
having been thus found wanting, the device was resorted to of appointing
one of the most powerful princes as a presiding chief, who should
exercise royal functions, leaving the king only the title and
paraphernalia of sovereignity. In fact, the China of this period was
governed and administered very much as Japan was up till about twenty
years ago. For Mikado, Shogun, and ruling Daimios, read king, presiding
chief, and princes, and the parallel is as nearly as possible complete.
The result of the system, however, in the two countries was different,
for apart from the support received by the Mikado from the belief in his
hea