Peking and the Pekingese

CHAPTER 1. i

CHAPTp,

i

2

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. I.

November of the previous year. Lieutenant-Colonel Neale, Secretary of Her Majesty’s Legation, Messrs St. Clair and Wyndham, attaches of the same, and Baron de Meritens of the French Legation, had gone on in advance, with a long line of Chinese carts laden with baggage, accompanied by some mounted men of the 31 st Regiment, and an escort of Sikh cavalry, and were to await the arrival of the Ministers at Tung-chow, twelve miles from Peking. A party of horse gendar-merie and French artillerymen escorted M. de Bour-boulon. Madame de Bourboulon, who had but partially recovered from a protra||ed and serious illness, accom-panied her husband. She was conveyed in a sedan-chair, carried by Chinese bearers, as also was her maid, Victorine Etard,-— the two destined to be the first Euro-pean females that ever resided within the Celestial capital, and, with the exception of the vivandieres attached to the French army, the first who ever visited it.

The Pei-ho was crossed by the bridge of boats oppo-site Tien-tsin; and after passing through the suburb, then occupied by the French troops, the high-road leading to Peking was reached, near a line of earth-works constituting the outer defences bf Tien-tsin, and now known under the name of " Sang-ko-lin-sin’s Folly.” The country beyond presented to view one vast alluvial flat, extending as far as the eye could reach \ its level surface here and there broken at short intervals by small villages dotted about, the whole of them raised above the level of the plain hy being buUt on embankments, which, taken in connection with the

Oh. L]

AGRICULTUEAL OPERATIONS.

3

existence of a raised causeway along the whole line of road, betokens the occurrence of occasional floods. The first day’s journey extended over twenty-three miles, and the aspect of the country continued the same throughout

Agricultural operations were at this time confined to ploughing, which was going on in all directions, and was effected in various ways that, on the whole, seemed well adapted to the character of the soil One very elementary method was by three men harnessed abreast, the traction applied by flat pieces of wood across their chests, secured by ropes to the plough, while a fourth man was harnessed between a pair of shafts, and a fifth guided the plough by a vertical handleu Another method I observed, was an ox and two ponies harnessed abreast, one man driving them, while another steered the plough. In the construction of this implement in the north of China, the coulter is about five feet ahead of the share, and seems to rip the ground open with facility. The share consists of a broad arrow-shaped piece of iron, fitted on to the end of a wooden i^aflb, having a curved plate of metal on one side. This form of plough turns over a large and regular furrow ; and certainly, whe[tlier from superiority.in the form of the pib.tigh, or tfie loose natune o£ the soil, the process of plo^^ing appeai*ed to me to be more speedily performed than is usually seen elsewhere, even in coun-t4ee where the soil is much less tenacious than on the baidm of the Pei-ha

Crowds of peasants aj^sembled as we passed through the nOages on the roadL Hiey were veiy quiet, and he*

B Z

4

PEKma AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Oh. L

trayed little excitement or astonishment, except when they caught a glimpse of the contents of the two sedan-chairs, and then they displayed considerable curiosity to get a sight of the ladies.

At five in the afternoon, exactly five hours after leaving Tien-tsin, we approached Yang-tsun, its pre-sence being indicated by a small pagoda seen in the distance. In ten minutes we entered the town, which extends for some distance along the banks of the river ; three gendarmes riding abreast headed our party, and but indifferently kept the way clear, as, from the mo-ment of our entering the town, and the fact transpiring that females were with us, the excitement amongst the villagers became great, and a vast crowd followed us, endeavouring by all sorts of means to see the “ foreign women.”

Nearly half an hour was spent passing through this long town, near the end of which we reached an empty Yamun, which had been hurriedly prepared for the reception of the Ministers by the local authorities. Im-mediately on our arrival, the magistrate of the town, a short, stout old gentleman, decorated with the crystal button, and wearing his official robe and chain, called to pay his respects, and sent in his card. Mr. Wade went out and had an interview witfi him. Shortly afterwards the first half of a cooked Cihinese dinner arrived, consistmg of fifty-six dishes. Mr. Wade begged that the remaining half should not be sent, as the first instalment would be more than sufficient. A roast pig and sever^ roast ducks were the chief i^bstan-tials; but numbers of the small dishes seemed ta

OaL]

YANG-TSUN.

5

be "^ery presentable. Amongst the choicer viands, birds’-nest soup figured prominently. The pastry seemed edible, and suited to the European palate. The fifty-six' dishes were very neatly arranged, and appeared to be cooked with great care, Having our own dinner already prepared, we did not use any of the Ohinese plats, except, some of the fruit and pastry, the bulk of them being handed over to the Chinese servants, by whom they were evidently highly appreciated, from the rapidity with which they disappeared.

March 2Srd. — ^Yang-tsun in general construction re-sembles Tien-tsin, and the sliops are of the same cha-racter as those within the walls of that city,* namely, of the kind to which the term “ huxter ” is commonly applied in England. The Pei-ho here runs nearly north and south, and the town is built on both banks ; the largest portion being on the western bank.

Ascending a mound near the Yamun where we were residing, I was enabled to get a good view of the town and the surrounding country. Looking westward, what seemed a vast desert plain met the eye ; its monotony broken by circumsmibed patches of small trees at irre-gular distances frrom each other — some near, others a good way apait. The whole plain was covered with conical mounds of earth — the funereal tumuli that are so common in this part of China. Bpising up amongst these, and arresting the eye from their dissimilarity to anything around, were three monumental-looking struc-tures, of a ipire shape, with gilded summits, and situated

* la tieiftiia tike beet ebepe are ta tbe saborlM, cntride the eitp

mU,

6

PBEHra AUTD THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. I.

near a temple, a short way from the town. This I ascertained to be a Mahomedan mosque, a good many of which exist in the north of China.

This vast plain, looking at present so like a desert, will in a short time be one mass of cereal cultivation, the plough being seen moving in every direction as the eye carefully scans it. Turning to the east, the view is much the same, with the exception that the country seems more wooded and the villages nearer to each other.

On my return to the Yamun, I found a large crowd had formed in the yard and doorway fironting the apart-ments occupied by Madame de Bourboulon and her maid, in hopes of seeing them ; and in connection there-with, we had an illustration afforded us of the China-man’s natural politeness and notions of propriety. The maid-servant happened to come out, and as she ad-vanced towards the dense crowd, in a second the Chinese, by a simultaneous movement, formed a clear passage for her to pass through, which she did without the least inconvenience or manifestation of offensive coriosityw nothing, in fact, beyond the gaze of mute and intense astonishment, which was only natural, seeing that the present occasion is the fiist that any European females, dressed as such, have been beyond Tien-tsin. The French vivandieres, being attired in a modification of male costume, were probably n^er recognised as belong-ing to the fair sex.

i%e weather continumg as fine as could be desired, we left Yang-tsun about half-past eleven in the fine-noon, and our departure excited as much curiosity as

Ch.I]

VILLAGE OF NAN-TSAI-TSUN,

7

our arrival did yesterday; especially amongst the females, several of whom I noticed running with their little cramped feet in a manner that they perhaps had never done before, in their anxiety to see their sisters from the West.

On getting clear of Yang-tsun we passed over ten miles of country similar to that described yesterday, and shortly after one entered the village of Nan-tsai-tsun, which it took about five minutes to pass through. This village, like the others that we have seen, is built on a raised embankment, and has a large Buddhist temple at its northern end, situated amongst groves of trees, which when in foliage must have a very pretty appearance. The trees now are only commencing to bud. About an hour before reaching this village Madame de Bourboulon left her chair, and got into a britzka which the Bussian mission at Peking had con-siderately sent down for her use. This carriage was originally sent out through Siberia by the Emperor of Russia, as a present to the Grand Lama, or the pope of Tliibet, but be died before it arriv^, and it was ultimately sent on to Peking; and was u^ for the first time, 1 believe, on this occasion.

After leaving Nan-tsai-tson a change in the country is perceptible. It becomes more undulating and wooded ; the undulations apparently resulting from sand-drifts which have become the seat of brushwood and other light vegetatio# About two o’clock wc came on the btmk of the Pei-ho, but soon diverged from it into the country, ^d half on hour afterwards jve halted for a short tune amidst a elump of trees.

8

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. I.

Towards half-past three we met Staff-Surgeon Dr. Galbraith and Staff- Assistant-Surgeon Moffit returning from Peking, where they had been two days ; having left Tien-tsiri five days previously with Assistant-Com-missary-General de Fonblanque and some Government stores. They resided at a Chinese inn, and appear to have been treated on the whole with civility during their slioi-t sojoum in the city* During a military career, one is frequently reminded of what Columbus said to Ferdinand and Isabella on his return from the discovery of America, ‘‘ that the world is not so large as some people think it is.” Dr. Galbraith is on the eve of returning to England, and the present is the third time I have said farewell to him with an inde-finite prospect of ever meeting again, and in three most dissimilar places, namely, Fremantle, in Western Australia; the railway station at Waterloo Bridge, London ; and the high road to Peking.

Numbers of shops were shut in the little villages we passed. On several occasions Mr. Wade asked the reason, arri in every instance was told want of money to carry on trade, the result of the disorganization brought about by the recent expedition.” In Nan-tsai-tsun, a large mass of buildings was observed, which

* Twelve men of the SlstTegiment having been detailed as a guard fr>t the Legation at Peking, Mr. de Fonblanque, then in charge of the poromissariat at Tien-tsin, considered it necessary that he should pre-cede their arrival there, with the vi^ to making aiTangcmonts with a Chinese contractor for supplying them with fresh meat and vegetables. He started on the morning of the l$th of March, taking with him Mr. Dick, the Commissariat interpreter, and some government stores. Dr. Galbraith ^d Mr. MofHt were allowed to accompany this party, as neither of them had had an opportunity previously of seeing Peking.

Ch. I.]

* ARRIVAL AT HOO-SEE-WOO.

we learned was the residence of Chung, a country gentle-man and landed proprietor — ^the seigneur, in fact, of the village.

In the course of the day^s journey we struck the river several times, and the portion of it which came in sight after leaving Nan-tsai-tsun recalled the Nile strongly to memory ; the scenery altogether about here reminding one forcibly of Egypt. The country we passed over was covered with funereal tumuli, many of them of considerable size, having smaller ones around them. Those indicate the graves of the heads of fami-lies Thu whole question^ however, of interment in this ^ XI of UiC north 3f China is much less tlefined than in thu south of the empire, owing to its being modified by Tartar and MaLomedan customs.

At half-past four in the afteraoon we reached Hoo-sce-woo, distant from Yang-tsun about twenty miles, and were put up in a large Buddhist temple, where the Int ^iidant of Cheuit of the district, and a blue-buttoned mandarin, who has been entrusted by the Chinese government with the superintendence of the^lransport of the Legations to Peking, were in waiting to receive the ministers.

bhortly after our arrival, a dinner similar to that supplied at Yang-tsun was brought in ready cooked. The temple afforded us excellent quarters; it is the one where Lord Elgin resided during the time he was in Hoo-see-woQ, awaiting the course of events as the army Wists advancing towards Tung-chow. It was here that he heard the news of the action of Ohang-kia-wan, and the capture of th^ prisoners, on the eighteenth

10 PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch.I.

of September, 1860, immediately on the receipt of which he started on horseback, and joined Sir Hope (Grant’s head quarters on the afternoon of the following day.

March 24<A. — ^Hoo-see-woo is a straggling town on tbe right bank of the Pei-ho, consisting of patches of houses and temples built over a sand plain, broken at brief intervals by sand-hills, small clumps of trees here and there being scattered about A strong wind was blowing the sand about in all directions, and was not calculated to give a favourable impression of the place. The sun was struggling to get through a somewhat murky atmosphere, and clouds of dust were everywhere rising.

I ascended one of the highest of the sand-hills, on the top of which there was a brier hedge, growing out of a little parapet wall of mud forming the boundary of a garden. I got on this, and was entering a few notes in my memorandum-book, when a peasant who hap-pened to be passing came up to look at my writing. As soon ib he saw that I was coming down, he indicated the danger to my clothes from the thorns, and insisted on aiding me in descending. I gave him a sixpence, and he went his way ; (A}serving me, however, strike across a field in the direction of the river, the proximity of which was shown by the masts of the boats peeping over an embankment, he started after me, and would hot be satisfied unt^ he had assisted me in crossing some irregular ground which intervened, -and in ascend-ing the bank of the river. He accompanied me to a boat station, where some dozen men or more were

CH.IJ GENERAL ASPECT OF HOO-SEE-WOO.

11

assembled about a shed apparently used for the recep-tion of goods. They immediately crowded round me and carefully examined my clothes. A pair of white corduroy trousers 1 had on excited much attention,' and /'.ppeared to be greatly admired. The texture seemed to Ibe altogether novel to them, and was suljected to repeated manual examination. Their whole bearing was that of’quiet, inoffensive people, prompted only by a natural curiosity, and actuated by no desire to annoy or offend.

The general aspect of the town of Hoo-see-woo is that of having suffered severely from the passage of the allied armies through it ; the absence of population and the numbers of gutted and deserted houses testi-fying to the ravages committed by the troops both on the march and during the time the town was held in occupation. A souvenir of the. latter I came across, on walking to the top of a sand-hill at the end.of one of the main streets, where I found myself opposite a detached yamun, on the front wall of which, painted in large white letters, figured the legend “ P^teln.” I walked about the place for some time, and in the main street found a little trade going on, consisting chiefly of the selling of grain %nd agricultural implements. The articles exposed for sale in the shops were for the most part confined to ibe mere necessaries of life. While I was in this street an old man came up and seixed me by the didi^ld^.fmd in |^od humour madi some remarks, as far as I c(^d understimd, pn.the diffeimice in colour between hw bea^ and minis.

On intuxoing lb 'tbe ;^^)mple I found the . district

12 PEKINO AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch. I.

magistrate of Yang-tsun there# He had come on to Hoo-see-woo to see the ministers through his district, which is that of Woo-tsing, being the one adjoining Tien-tsin, The name of this oflScial is See-ong. He is of short stature and portly proportions. One of his at-tendants observing me taking a hurried sketch of him, informed him of it, and he immediately requested that I would show it to him, which I did. He seemed much amused, and declared it to be how,” meaning good. Through Mr. Wade I was^ enabled to ascertain from See-ong, who appeared to be a very intelligent and well-informed person, the following facts about small-pox : — The inhabitants of this part of China inoculate their children with small-pox matter between the ages of three and four, which is consequently the period of life at which the mass suffer from that disease, it being thus artificially given. The natural disease, however, can be taken at any age, though it is not common amongst adults, A potion, given eighteen days after birth, composed of a portion of the umbilical cord stewed with certain herbs, is in great repute as a pre-ventive of the disease, See-ong asked me to feel his pulse. I did so, and told him it was a very good one. He then presented the wrist of tjie opposite hand, to have an opinion on the character of the pulse there# Mr. Wade explained to him that we have only one pulse ; on hearing which he remarked, that it was cer-tainly a more qf»Bvenient arrangement than theirs, which was a very complicated one, the pulses being so numerous, according to Chinese doctors, as to amount in all to four hundred and one.

Oh. I]

OHDIBSB DOOIUTT.

13

While we were talking to See-ong, one of the Chinee© carters belonging to our train was brought to me with a bruised finger, which I cleansed and bound up with some lint. As he seemed unwilling to go away, I inquired as to the reason why, and was told that the man could not bring himself to believe that his injured finger could possibly have received due attention, or be placed in affair way for recovery by local treatment only, and he was very solicitous that some healing potion ^ould be administered to him internally.

As an illustration of the docility of the northern Chinese, and their amenability to order, I may mention > that shortly before leaving Hoo-see-woo this forenoon, Mr. Wade and myself got into the Eussian carriage, which was standing in one of the outer yards of the temple, to shade ourselves from the sun. While we were sitting in it, a considerable crowd gradually formed round it, and as the attendants who were moving back-wards and forwards from the baggage carts were begin-ning to be incommoded by the crowd, Mr. Wade ordered the Chinamen to withdraw, which they fit once did, without a murmur ; the only remark they made being one, apparently, of respectful surprise, namely, “ Truly, he speaks mandarin !” meaning the Peking or Court dialect.

We left Hoo-see-woo at noon, the train of carts having been sent on about an hour before. On reach-ii^ the village of Am-ping, six miles beyond Hoo-see-WQO, we foimd that all the carts had halted. The explanation of this was, that the local authorities having pri^red a lunch the ministms, the carters

U PEEma AND THE PEEINOESE. [Oh. I.

thought they might as well wait also. After being sharply rebuked by Mr. Wade, they started oflf, and we followed without availing ourselves of the hospitality of the municipal authorities of Am-ping. After leaving this village a considerable alteration in the character of the country was perceptible, it having become undulating and more wooded.

About two o’clock we reached a small village called Chuen-ping, or the “ Establishment of Peace,” which is ten li* or three miles from the town of M^tan, at which place we arrived at half-past three. On entering « the town, to the left we saw written up in large charac-ters, “ 60 th Bides.” As we passed through the place a lamentable picture of desolation presented itself — masses of incinerated bricks and charred ruins lining each side of the long street we had to traverse. From the character of the ruins, the houses destroyed ap-peared to have been of superior construction. This unfortunate town had to pay the penalty of some people in a neighbouring village having fired on a party of soldiers, who, it is stated, were out on their own account plundering. A report was made to the Com-mander-in-Chief that a party had been fired ait from a village, and with the view of checking such occurrences for the future an order was issu^ that it was to be destroyed ; the officer entrusted with tiie carrying out of which order directed tbat llie largest and best village in the vicinity should be burned, as no one could indicate the precise place "where the alleged outrage.

* FHatMOMod hk

Ch I]

DESOLATION AT MA-TAN.

15

was committed. Had Sir Hope Grant been in posses-sion of the All! facts connected with this affair, his well-known kindness of heart would have revolted from issuing the order, which, ruthlessly carried out as it was, reduced to ashes the homes of thousands. 1 have heard the burning of this place, from not knowing the proper village to bum, laughed at, and characterised as one of th^ “jolly larks" of the campaign — also of a young officer of Sikh cavalry, who, on passing tibrough its charred ruins some months after its destruction, dilated in aninlited terms on this questionable feat of arms, m which, accordmg to his own account, he had played a bnlliant part, and the recollection of which appeared to afford him so much satisfaction as to lead him to express a wish to my informant again to have an opportunity of spearing its defenceless inhabitants — BO insatiable was the thirst for glory of the terrible little mbrmr to whom I refer.

After passing through Ma-tan, whidi is over half a mile in length, we halted immediately beyond it, in a sort of ravine formed by two sand-banks through which the road passes. A crowd of peasants ’soon formed on the%op of one of the sand-banks, and looked on in silent wonder at the barbarian females sitting in the carriage. Gose by whttre we had halted, there was a partially-burned cottage, with its flour-mill outside, the stone remaining as it had been arrested in the act of grinding some grain. Hear this cottage were the re-mains of a temple, the deities of which, in a half-con-sumed, state, were scatteited about amongst the ruina As 1 wandm^ amidst the scene of desolarioa which

16 PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. I.

everywhere was present, the thought suggested itself — Can this be the work of a Christian people, who hope to establish and propagate their faith in a land they have so needlessly devastated !

Ascending one of the sand-hills, I had a fair view of the surrounding country. The horizon was bounded by large patches of light timber ; in some places so close as to form almost contiguous masses. The soil here retains the same character as that in the neighbour-hood of Tien-tsin, and extensive fields were in course of being ploughed. The Pei-ho was clfcse to where we were, but from the level nature of the country, and also from the breadth of the river having considerably les-sened, its proximity was not apparent until we got within a few yards of the bank.

The next villages we passed through were those of Pien-chung and Woo-tien. At a quarter-past five we reached Chang-kia-wan, having previously passed over the ground where the action was fought on the 18 th of September of the previous year — the scene of it being a fine plain, here and there covered with some light brushwood. Chang-kia-wan was once a place of con-siderable importance, there being two towns, se^ferated from each other by a stream, over which there is a good stone bridge. The stream is a branch of the Pei-ho, and it forms a bend at Chang-kia-wan, the literal meaning of which is the "bay (or bend of the river) of the family of Smith” — ^the Changs occupying a position in the census of China analogous to that which the Smiths occupy in the census of England. Chang-kia-wan, like Ha-tan, presented large masses of burned

Ch. I ARRIVAL AT TTHSTG-CHOW. 17

ruiiLs^ though not on the same extensiv<& scale ; the conflagrations having been, it is stated, the result of acoidents that occurred while the town was in course of being plundered Prior to coining on to ChaBg4cia« wan, we saw in the distance a range of lofty bilk, and about eight miles in front of us the pagoda of the town of Tung-chow, where it had been arranged we were to spend the^ night.

Towards sundown we arrived under the wall of Tung-chow; two sowars (troopers) of Fane*8 Horse were waiting outside the gate to conduct us to the temple, which had been prepared for the reception of the party. It proved to be the one where Mr. Wade had the interview with the Pnnce of I and Mu-yun after Mr. Parkes’ capture on the 18th of September. Colonel Neale and the other members of the Legations, who had preceded us with the cavalry escort, were located in another temple nearer the river.

March 25tk — This morning I strolled out early, to have a look at the place ; and found that the temple we were occupying was situated in a suburib about a mile from the city wall, and at no great distance from the river. I walked doyn to the bank, where the boats* from Tien-tsin stop and discharge their cargo, prior to its being carted a shori> distance to a canal, where it is replaced in boats, and taken direct to Peking

water. I then wettt a i^ortway into a suburb in an and cimie to a sort of gram-market, where vario^is kinds of Ibntils were exposed for sale, in saeH th freiMref a beading, m each side of the door

18

PEKING AND "the PEKINGESE.

[Ch. I.

of which was suspended a yellow banner with black characters upon it indicating commerce.

After breakfast I visited the walled city of Tung-chow, to reach which I had to walk up a suburban street nearly a mile in length. As I reached one of the gates, a number of camels were passing out, laden with fire-wood. Inside the gateway, a vender of betel-nut had erected his stall, and was engaged, with a strong pair of scissors, chopping the nut into pieces of a size suitable for being chewed. The wall, which is about forty-five feet in height, is ascended by inclined planes on each side of the gateways, which are protected by circular bastions, having a gate on one side, after the stereo-typed form of Chinese mural defence. The guard at the gate by which I entered offered no objections to my going on the wall, and I thus had an excellent view of the surrounding country; it seems covered with little hamlets, shaded by groves of light timber, which in the course of a month or two, when the trees are in foliage, must present a veiy beautiful appearance.

Tung-chow appears to be a town of considerable ex-tent, but not very regular shape, the wall in some places being built in the form of a curve, so as to suit the bends of the Pei-ho, which flows immediately underneath it. The breadth of the wall at the top is twenty-four feet. It slopes gently downwards, making the thickness at the base thirty feet. It conasts, like the walls of Chinese cities generally, of an inner and an outer brick wall, each about two feet thick, the interval between them being filled up by firmly compressed earthwork ; the top paved over with squai*e brickwork, and finished

Ch. I]

CIVILITY OP THE INHABITANTS.

19

oflf with a parapet a foot and a-half thick. The wall in many places is in bad repair, and a good deal of the pa-rapet is gone. At some parts it is so much dilapidated, from the inner brick wall having given way, and the consequent wearing down of the earthwork,' that one’s progress along the ramparts is interrupted. As I ap-proached one of these chasms, some of the townspeople underneath called out to me, and showed me a pathway by which t could como down, and then indicated another by which, after passing the chasm, I could rc-ascend the wall and continue my walk round the ramparts. Wliilo I wfis thus under the wall in an out of the way part of the town, altogether unprotected, and apparently amongst the lowest class of the population, not an offensive word or gesture met me ; but, on the contrary, the greatest desire was shown to aid me in gratifying my curiosity. On some vacant ground in this part of the town, the preparation of dried manure was going on, the process consisting of reducing the manure to the consistence of paste with water, and then forming it into circular cakes, which are exposed in the sun until they become quite dry. *

Having re-ascended the wall, I proceeded along the ramparts, where ^ygrything betokened complete pa-ralysis of all military energy. Hundreds of small cannon of native manufacture were lying about in heaps, and in one magazine, over a gf\teway facing the north, I counted upwards of three hundred guns of various sizes lying aboutf in confusion, amongst them a few breech-loaders, i^ended as wall pieces Near this gate is the pagoda which we saw in the distance yesterday, as we

20

PfiKINQ AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Gh. I.

were approaching Chang-kia-wan. It consists of four-teen stories, and looks as if it was of some age. It is built on a mound immediately contiguous to the wall, and the only entrances to it are four dliors, raised thirty feet from the ground, and placed one on each of its aspects. These doors have no communication with the ground, and can only be reached by long ladders. The pagoda is built of brick, and has a good deal of painted work about it, now much defaced, but which, when new, must have had a very ornamental appearance.

As I progressed on my way round the wall, by degrees a considerable crowd formed behind me ; and on several occasions I came to gaps in the wall that required to be crossed with great care, and, in so doing, I was invariably assisted by some of the crowds who pressed their aid upon me, and, had they been so inclined, ’might easily, by pretended accident, have precipitated me some forty feet The wall^is invested by a wet ditch, thirty feet wide, on those aspects near which the river does not flow. The cause of its decay seems to be settlements of the sub-struc-ture, causing the brickwork portions of the wall to slide downwards.

Descending from the wall, about two miles from where I origii^y ascended it, I passed through the town, following the course of a canal, on the banks of which a good deal of petty trade was going on ; bakbers and keepers of gambling stidls in numbers were plying thek vocations, likewise bickers and proprietors of porinble restaurants. Tung*chow, being port Peking, is naoeis^ily a place of oonsideraUe imposii-

Ch I] FRENCH LEGATION PROCEEDS TO PEKING.

81

ance, all the supplies for the capital coming from the south, haring to pass thi'ough it Business, however, at the present time, seems not to be in an oTer^flourish-ing state, a great many of the shops being closed, owing to the disorganization of trade caused by the war; also in some measure to the fact, that the im* port trade has been at a stand-stiU while the Pei-ho was frozei^ and that it has not yet recommenced. Some of the shops in the chief streets presented ela^ borately carved fronts, which at one time most have been veiy handsome, but which now have a rather dmgy and tawdry appearance. In one of these streets I saw two men undergoing punishment, with their heads in the same caugue, accommodation for two having been provided by the introduction of an extra hole. They were exposed to public view at the door of one of the police offices. The town is traversed from east to west and north to south by main streets, inter-secting each other at the centre of the oity. These streets are paved with broad and massive flag-stones.

On my way back to die temple I met Count Eleis-kousky. Secretary of the French LegatilSn, who had just arrived from Peking, where he had been residing for the last diree weeks, maku^ the preliminary ar-rongementSL for the reception of the Einbasi^.

It having been decided that the two Ijegations should miter Peking s^wrately, it was arranged that the Frentch should go ua,i^i!Bt, as Mr. Bruce had already introdocttl ho: tbil^dnce ci Eung by Lord Elgin, bava^ readied the day b^e the allied armies

were withdmwin,mM#v^W» 1860, M. de Bourboulen

22

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. I.

not having arrived at the Pei-ho in time, his presenta-tion *could not be carried out by Baron Gros. With Mr. Bruce’s permission, I accompanied the French Legation to the capital. We left Tung-chow at two o’clock in the afternoon, and in about half an hour reached the road leading to Peking, which, at its com-mencement, takes a course between two embankments, and is in bad repair, being full of deep ruts. On ascend-ing to the top of one of these embankments, funereal tumuli were seen in every direction as far as the eye could reach. On getting clear of these embankments, the country opens out; and, with the exception that a few stones are now seen lying about on the surface, there is no change in the general character of the soil. At this point we met a train of twelve camels, going towards Tung-chow, laden with limestone.

At a quarter past four o’clock we reached the bridge of Pa-lee-chow (the eight li bridge), and, prior to crossing it, we came down on the wood where the Chinese artillery were concealed during the action of the 21st of September. The bridge is a handsome structure ; it is built of stone, and the parapet here and there shows marks of round shot.

From the bridge of Pa-lee-chow the road gradually ascends ; and a short distance from it, on the right, we passed a large temple, situated amidst a thick grove of fir trees. About five, we came to a sort of muddy ifivine, and crossed a swamp by a small stone bridge. Up ^ this point, since leaving Pa-lee<^chow, the country had been steadily rising. It now became more level, and better supplied with timber. The whole line of

Ch. ij

APPROACH TO PEKING.

23

road was thickly populated by poor people ; their habi* tations here and there clustered together, formiog small villages. In many of them there were little inns, with open-air restaurants in front, where carters and the poorer class of travellers were sitting at their meals. Our general impressions, as we approached the capital, were not favourable, further than as regards the quiet and respectful bearing of the poor population that we passed thrdUgh ; and, but for the change of aspect in the country, one would hardly think he was out of the suburbs of Tien-tsin.

At half-past five the shaft of Madame de Bourboulon s carriage broke, after ascending some heavy ground, and the sedan chairs had again to be made use of. A great crowd, as usual, assembled to look at the females, the Chinese women displaying, if anything, the largest amount of curiosity. At twenty minutes past six we got into some bad ground, which looked more like the bed of a river than a road ; and, as we were passing through it, a long line of embrasured wall came dimly into liight, and the looming mass of a gateway tower appeared, which told us that we were appoaaching the termination of our journey, and that Peking was now before us. At a quarter to seven we approached close to the north-eastern angle of the Chinese city, there being the ruins of a temple on. the left, amongst which several stone figures and a broken column of marble remained. The . military escort was now formed in ^ Metayer, the oMcer commandmg it, and we passed Under a tbwar ob the »angle of the wall, and found pmselves on a m incUnei leading to.

24

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Oh. I.

a stone bridge crossing a canal, that appeared to enter the city. On passing over the bridge, wc came on a portioil of bad road, running under the wall, and pro-ceeded along it until the gate was reached by which we were to enter. The party halted a short distance from it, and Lieutenant Metayer gave the word, “ Tambour, avance! Trorwpette^ mnueT on which the trumpeter wont in front, and blew three blasts. Some Chinese officials, along with Count Kleiskousky, were at the gate, and the procession was directed to enter, just as it was beginning to get dusk. The gate was the one known as the Eastern Convenience gate of the Chinese city, and on passing through its massive portals we found ourselves in an ordinary-looking street, lined with shops and paved with broad flags. After proceeding along this street for about one hundred and fifty yards, we turned off at right angles, and passed on to an open space, >^dth a high wall on the light hand side, and a dry canal on the left, beyond which there w'as a dense mass of low and poor-looking Chinese dwelling. The wall on the right was the outride of the southern face of the Tartar city ; the canal on riie left, the ditch surr9uiiding it. Alter proceeding along underneath the wall for about a quarts of an hour, we reached one of the gates of the Tartar city, which had been kept open by the authorities on purpose to let the iVench Legation enter, as all communication between tbe two cities doses at sunset. Zt was now quite dark, and m about ten minutes altar kmng entered the Tartar dty we reached the Trin-keiSHag-foo, or palace of the Duke of Trin, a building that has been hired

Oh. I ]

AEMVAL AT PEKINO.

25

the Chinese Government, as the permanent Legation of France at Peking, and which, for about three weeks preceding our arrival, had been undergoing extensive repairs and alterations, so as to render it suitable for the residence of Europeans.

CHAPTER 2.

CHAPTER II.

TLo Pekingese ai^tizans — Their character — ^Viow from the wall of the Tartar city— Street sights — ^Arrival of the English Legation— Complaint from the Prince of Kung respecting British subjects breaking the ninth article of the Treaty — Means adopted to pro-ven^ a recurrence of the same — The main streets of tlie Tartar city — The Ha-ta-mun — System of dietary adopted by the Peking workmen — Introductory visit of M. de Bourboulon to the Prince of Kung — Details of the interview — The Prince’s ajjpearance and dress — The old cathedral of the Jesuits — The Temple of Light— The Roman Catholic klissionary Establishment— Present state of Gliristianity in Peking— The Abbds Smoringburgh and Thieny — Poking Volunteers at midnight drill — Hang-Ki’s knowledge of Barbarian afraire — Chinese notions of juvenile intelligence— The Observatory— Stone-throwing by children— The execution-ground — An interpretorial mistake— The Chinese city — Market supplies— The Temple of Agriculture— Imperial ceremony of ploughing — Temple of Heaven— The central gate of the Tartar city — Its use.

March 26th. — On awaking this morning about seven o’clock, and looking into the court-yard fronting the building that I had slept in at the French Legation, I found it covered with carpenters’ benches and wood-■ woi'k in various stages of preparation. My first impres-sion of the Pekingese was, that there must be numbers of them with nothing to do, from the court-yard being full of apparently idle people, standing about in listless attitudes, nmoking their pipes, and looking at nothing in paaticular. In a short time, however, a< complete change came over the scene ; the listless crowd be<aime animated, and set about picking up matting-baskets

Ch. IIJ

THE PEKINGESE ’ASTIEANS.

27

containing their tools, &c., and moved ofif in different directions to resume their work. In a few minutes the place was alive with the humming of voices and the sounds of planes, hammers, and saws, in inharmonious concert. These I learned were the artizans, to the number of upwards of six hundred, employed , executing the repairs and alterations on the building, under the superintendence of Captain Bouvier and two soldiers of the French Engineers. The workmen breakfast on the premises, their meals being provided for them by a con-tractor, who has established a temporary restaurant on the spot. After breakfast they smoke a pipe, and com-mence work at half-past seven, going on until twelve o’clock, when they leave ofif work and devote an hour to eating and smoking, and then resume work until half-past five, when they take their evening meal prior to proceeding to their homes. Amongst the carpenters I noticed one with a remarkable staining of the skin, some portions of his face and neck being intensely bronzed, while other parts remained quite fair, giving^ the man a very unsightly mottled appearance. In plain terms he was enormously freckled, the stained skin, being about the average colour of the'^aces of the artizan and labouring classes in the north of China. His disfigurement consequently arose from the’ refusal of the whole of the exposed portions of his body equally to take on the bronzing process. I made him show me his skin where habitually- protected from the sun, and it' tfias as fiaar as Europetm’s. •

The l^ekitjg tradeisnien divided into guilds, and hence a difficull^ arises M.insihagmg workmen by those

28

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. II.

who employ them. The paper-hangers are stated to be a difficult class to deal with, being rather inclined to take work easily. * The masons and carpenters arc con-sidered the best tradesmen, but they are not looked upon as equal to those of the south of the empire in activity. This, however, very probably arises from the novelty of the scene around them, and the numerous inducements which at present exist to look about them. Their tools are of similar construction to those in the south. They have a very neat* and effectual mode of marking lines on wood. A box about ten inches long and tw'o inches broad contains an axle, round which the line is wound by a handle. The free end of the line passes through a compartment filled with calico clip-pings saturated with Chinese ink. The line when pulled out is consequently always moistened, and on being carried along a plank the necessary distance, it is then tightened and gently lifted from the plank and let fall on it, when the desired line is marked. Altogether, it is a quicker and easier method than our cai’penters adopt; with the black chalk and ruling rod. The saw they use, for cutting out the finer kinds of wood work, consists of an ordinary round brass wire, notched with a chisel, and kept tense like a bow;^tring. With this simple apparatus they cut out (daborate designs that have been previously marked oS with ink.

Before breakfast 1 visited the Leang-koong-foo, the building which has been aele^d for the British Lega-tion, and in charge of which Mr, Adkins has resided at Peking during the winter. The Leang-koong-foo, or palace of the Duke of Leang, was originally an im-

Oa.II] MESSAGE FBOM THE PBINCE OF EUNG. 39

perial residence, given by the Emperor Kang-hsi (who died in 1722) to one of his thirty-three sons, whose descendants are known as the Dukes of Leang. The present representative of the family, and owner of the Leang-koong-foo, holds a command in the neighbour-hood of the great wall The Duke of Leang has let his family residence in peipetuity to the British Govern-ment, at an annual rent of fifteen hundred taels (500!.), no rent to be paid for the first two years, owing to the extensive repairs and alterations required. On going out of the French Legation, I found myself in a broad street, running parallel with the south wall of the Tartar oity, the shops being of a poor description, de-voted chiefly to the sale of the minor necessaries of life. Following the directions I had received, I passed down this street to the westward about half a mile, until I came to a stone bridge over a dry canal, which I crossed, and turned up its bank ; about five hundred yards further on I came to a court-yard, with two large stone lions on each side of the front buildings, which was the guide givep me for finding the licang-koong-foo. After spending a short time with Mr. Adkiri#! returned to the French Legation, and found that Hang-Ki, Assistant Minister^ of Foreign Affairs, and Tsoon-Luen, a sqpecial Vice-President of the Board of Revenue, were the^e, conveying a congratulatory message from the Prince of Evmg to M. de Bourboulon on his safe ar^val

La 4ibe iOKX90>oa. I went to the gate riiat we entered the Tartar by, known as the Ha-ta-mun. On both rides sf it nAinriined plane or ramp leads to the

30

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. II.

top of the wall, a gate being at the bottom of each of them. I indicated by signs to a soldier, who was in charge of one of these gates, that I should like to go on the wall. He at once assented, and accompanied me to the top, and I availed myself of the opportunity thus afforded of noting my first view of Peking,* as seen from its wall.

Looking due north from the Ha-ta-mun, which is the most eastern of the three gates on the south face of the Tai-tar city, a long and very wide street is seen, crowded with people, the houses and shops without exception being single-storied, and of ordinary Chinese construc-tion. Casting the eye to the right, a field of house-roofs mixed up with trees as yet destitute of leaves meets the view j the horizon bounded in the distance by a line of embrasured Avstll, with here and there a vast gateway-tower looming in the distance. In front, the horizon consists of house-roofs and trees, the northern wall not being visible from this point of view.

In the distance, a little to the left, a lofty building is seen, which seems to be in the centre of the town ; this is known as the Drum Tower, and beyond it is another pile of building, the Bell Tower. Glancing more to the left, a wooded hill, stated to be pf artificial forma-tion, appears in the horizon, with three pagodas peeping out amidst a mass of trees. There are pleasure-grounds

* Peking literally means north royal residence, as Nanking moans royal residence.” Thongh usually spelt Pekin, it has lately become the custom to add g to it. Neither, however, is correct, inas-much 08 the Chinese themselves pronounce it Pai-ching; Peking there-fore is ah approximation only to correctness, which has been recently adopted by Sinologues, as the preferable mode of spelling it in Engtish.

Ch. IIJ view FEOM the WAEL of the tartar city. 31

and temples attached to the Imperial palace in the centre of the Imperial city, which is an inclosnre within the Tartar one. A little to the left of the hill, a mo-numental structure of a light colour, and shaped some-what like a bottle, is seen amongst a lot of trees, the in^iieryening space being occupied by house-roofs and trees, prominent amongst which are the brilliant yellow-tiled roofs of the Emperor s palace. To ther left, in the distance, a Idhg and bold outline of lofty hills is seen. Thus may be formed some idea of the vast extent of Peking, when but the limited portion of it here de-scribed can be made out from the top of its wall, a height of about fifty feet. ^

As I was jotting down these notes in my memo-randum-book, a considerable crowd formed at my back, closely watching my writing, and behaving with the utmost decorum and civility, one of them steadying the book for me as I was writing in it on the wall.

On my way back to the French Legation I observed a Punch and Judy show going on in the street. The figilres were of the usual Chinese theatrical stamp, and the whole performance closely resembled ippr own. I also met several strings of camels, conveying loads of lime out of the cit^, their destination, I am told, being an imperial burial-ground, called the Eastern Tombs, some mil^ from Peking. These tombs are now under repair, the Emperor having recently intimated his in-tention. of proceeding there for ancestral worship on his return to’ Peking*

At three o’dock in the afternoon, Mr, Bruce, Colonel Ne^e, and the other members of the English Legation,

32

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. II,

arrived in Peking, escorted by the detachment of Sikh cavalry. This morning the French flag was hoisted over the gate of the Tsin-koong-foo, and on Mr. Bruce/s -arrival the Union Jack was hoisted over the entrance to the Leang-koong-foo, Thus has been peaceably con-summated the establishment of the representatives of England and France at Peking.

March 27th . — Now is commencing perhaps the most difiicult part of a permanent English residency at Peking, namely the satisfying the Chinese that we are a tolerably harmless and well-intentioned people, in-clined to live with them on terms of amity rather than the contrary, and that the desire of our Government is that its subjects should respect, as much as is consistent with reason, their national prejudices.

The first thing put into Mr. Bruce’s hand on arriving was a communication from the Prince of Rung,* stating that Lin, magistrate of the Wan-ping district of Peking, had made a complaint to the Prince in person, that a , British officer named Thomas Dick f had insisted on his suppljring a cart and horses, alleging that it waa for the purpose of going to the Ku-yung-kwan, a pass in the Great Wall, to shoot” The Prince then goes on to r^ark, “ that by the ninth clause ^of the commercial

* The u in Kimg is pronounced by the Chinese like the double o In soon : Kooug therefore urould be the more phonetic mode of spelling tho Prince’s name in^ English — the present method conveying an eiro' heotts idea of its proniuiciatlan.

t Tlie interpreter to the Commissariat, refisrred to in the pr^NK^di^ chapter as having accompanied Asristant-CcnniiusBaiy-Gimeral de Fdn* blanqiie to Piriring, to make arrangements for iht provisioning of permanent lisgation Gnard.'

Ch H] COMPliAlSt' THE PRINCE OF KUNG. 88

treaty, British subjects are entitled to travel in China with a passport from a consul countersigned by a local ^ Chinese authority ; but,” observes Idie Prince, " has the British officer, Thomas Dick, acquainted His Excellency with his intention 1 (the Prince fears not) and therefore as he has proceeded without any passport, or accom-panied by any employ^ of the local authorities, he (the Prince) is apprehensive some harm may befall him at the hamjs of the common people along the line of road, who know no better. The Prince therefore requests that His Excellency will look into the matter and send him a reply.” A further complaint on the same subject was made, which was communicated verbally by Hang-Ki and Tsoon-Isien when they came this morning to congratulate Mr. Bruce on his arrival — ^namely, that Messieurs de Fonblanque and Dick, with guns over their shoulders, had made their way to the gate of the palace of Yuen-ming-yuen, and had endeavoured to procure admission, which, however, had been refused them.

This complaint has originated in the two gentlemen named having, through the district magistrate, procured a cart, and gone to the Great Wall, under ^e supposition that they had a right to travel in China by the terms of the new ti^ty — ^with the details of which, however, they were not huniHas", and thus inadvertently they went to the Great Wall wifhout the necessaiy consular and locdi authority. The good taste whidi dictated a Hmk tq the Yuen-miing-yaen at a date so recent to its deatittctuih is quesrienable. d'udg^ from the tone in whidh the eomi^biat wad.inade with reference to this vnUkl n

3i PEKIKG AKD THE PEKINGESE [Ch II

portion, of their proceedings, the Chinese would seem to be very sensitive.

Taking all the circumstances into consideration, Mr. Bruce has detemined to request Brigadier Staveley to refrain for the piesent from giving any further leave to officers to visit Peking, from the fear that casual visits on the part of strangers anxious to gratify curiosity may prove antagonistic to the establishment of an harmonious feeling at the opening of a now era in our intercourse with the Chinese.

This forenoon, the Archimandrite of the Greek Church, the head of the Russian ecclesiastical mission at Peking, dressed in his full canonicals, called on M. de Bourboulon, to pay him a complimentary visit on his arrival.

The early part of the day was cloudy, the thermo-meter standing at 47°. About one o’clock snow com-menced to faU, shortly after which the sun began to struggle to show itself, and the day slightly improved. Taking advantage of the 'improvement in the weather, I strolled down the street referred to yesterday as running due north from the Ha-ta-mun.* The width of the street, which is about ninety feet, admits of double lines of extemporary shops, booths, eating-houses, &c., being erected on each side of the central portion of the street, which is slightly raised, after the manner of a causeway, and is sufficiently broad to allow free traffic in carts. The booths reprsesent a sort of rag-fair, beii^ ffl&d chiefry with second-hand wearing apparel

* Mna iB the Chinese for gate.

85

Ch. U.] main streets^ the tartar city.

In some of them, however, new piece*goods aro vended. At short intervals, all along the street are shops, with elegantly-carved fronts, richly gilded, In the open street there are numbers of restaurants, both where refreshments are taken and stories narrated. Cook-s]bops also abound; at one of them I stopped, and looked at the process of baking bread and firing it on an iron girdle similar to that in common use in Scot-land. With the exception of their gi'eater width, and the superiority of many of the shops, the general ap-pearance of thesti'cetsin Peking reminds me of what my eye had been familiarised to at Tien-tsi^. In the course of my walk down the street, I met several Lama priests in their yellow robes, with yellow hats turned up witli brown fur, surmounted by a crimson silk knob. I met also numbers of charcoal-carriers, with large piles of their ware, carried in baskets suspended across their shoulders. The only inconve-nience I experienced during my walk was the for-mation of a crowd round 41 , whenever I stopped to , look at anything. On my return, I went to the south-east gate of the Tartar city, the Bii^ta-mun, and looked at its vast casemated gateway, with fotir tiers of ports, twelve in each row, having doors of .wood over them, Vrhich lift up when Necessary, and when down are painted in the centre, so as to represent the muzriea of guns. About this gate a group of beggars, whose special beat it is, were veiy annoying and perti-iwiaihg in front, kow-tcfWing, and kicking up of dustj^^^iparenUy hs.vixig the fact that

greater the amcnnit of inconvenience they

30 PEKING AND THE i^EKINGESE [Ch IL

can pnt you to, the more likely you are speedily to give them something to be rid of them.

This evening I had an opportunity of observing the Avorkmen who are now employed at the Leang-koong-foo, at their afternoon meaL They cease work at five o’clock, and, as I have already stated, take their evening meal before going home, This meal consists chiefly of boiled rice, the supply of which is unlimited. The water in wliich it has been boiled is reserved in a cask, and on replenishing their bowls with rice from a large flat basket placed in the centre of where they eat, they moisten the rice with some of this water. Their other articles of food consist of vegetables prepared like pickles, and salt fish. These, with the rice, are in three sepa-rate basins, out of which they eat alternately with their chop-sticks.

They are paid at present at the rate of one dollar for every five men, which is about ten pence per man per diem. One-third of this sum they pay to the con-tractor who has extompdifeed the restaurant on the premises, and for this they receive three meals daily. The arrangements of the Chinese in this respect cer-tainly contrast favourably with our mode of enabling the artizan to get his food, who either has to travel home fatigued by hia work, and take a hurried meal, and walk hurriedly back ; or, if his residence is too far off to admit of this being accomplished in the brief space allowed him for meals, he has a cold and comfort-less one brought by his wife or one of his chiUtren. Ihe judicious dieting of the working classes appears to me to be a subject that in these days of sanitaiy reform

Ch. n.] 1£. BOTTEBOULON VISITS PRINCE RUNG. 87

might attract more attention than it yet has done. While a vast amount of solicitude has been expended by those who are most clamorous on matters of public health, respecting the piwision of the poor with fresh air, it is doubtful whether a commensurate amount of anxiety has been displayed in reference to providing those collateral means' which are essential to their being benefited by good air.

March — This forenoon I accompanied Monsieur

de Bourboulon and the French Legation on their first visit to the Prinoe of Rung. The escort consisted of the artillerymen and mounted gendarmerie that ac-companied us from Tien-tsin. The trumpeter went in front, and every now and then gave a flourish from his trumpet Monsieur de Bourboulon went in a chair carried by eight bearers, as the representative of a Sovereign. He has done this with the view of establish-ing the precedent, as the Chinese government dispute the right of any one not a member of the Imperial family to more than four blarera Count Rleiskousky and Baron de Meritens also went in chairs, but with four bearers only. The line of roadi^lay along the ^ p^nn.1, bn the same side that the Leang-koong-foo is ; a little way beyond which we crossed the canal by a stone bridge* with balustrades, and turned round the south-eastern angle a£ the imperial city, which is sur-rounded with a wall painted red, and surmounted by ybliow tib « g We j^oceeded due north along a street ' v ^Tdttg , witb thf! fastem wall of the imperial

frit alxmt half a'^mil^ when we came, to the eastj^m .antrmiee. tb ^ t passed, and proceeded

38

]?EKING AND THE PEKINGESE

[Ch. II.

down a wide street, at the end of which we saw the crenelated wall of the Emperors palace, with the yellow-tiled roofs rising above it. This street termi-nates in the eastern entrance to the palace, about one hundred yards from which we turned up a street run-ning due north, parallel with a broad dry ditch with bricked sides, fi outing the eastern wall of the palace. On reaching the end of this street, we skirted the northern feiec of the palace wall Wo now had an opportunity of observing that at each of its angles there are very curiously-shaped pagodas, and midway, on the four faces of the wall, constituting the entrances, are handsome-looking edifices rising some height above the wall. The whole palace is surrounded by a broad canal, under grass cultivation at present. It seems to be kept in excellent order, the bricked sides being in thorough repair. Turning north from the palace, the artificial hill and its pagodas are close by this hill, though a portion of the palace domain, is separated from it, being just outside the will. No thoroughfare is per-mitted between the entrance to these grounds and the ^ palace, the door being closed the moment foreigliers are seen approaching, Chinese officials on duty only being permitted to pass. We continued our course round the red wall with yellow tiling enclosing the artificial hill, until we reached its north-eastern angle, when we again turned west, until we came to a very wide street running due north, the southern extremity of which is occupied on each side by n regularly con-structed range of buildings, divided into about sixty compartments. These are the offices of the various

Ch. n.] BECEPTION UP THE FRENCH AMBASSAPOR, 39

banner corps distributed about the imperial city. We proceeded down this street, and at the «nd of it we passed out of the imperial city by a gate with a pagoda-shaped arch over it, and took a course in a due-westerly direction along the outside of the north face of the im-perial city wall for about a mile, when we came to a temple on the right-hand side, where the Foreign Oflfice has been temporarily established.

We passed into a courtyard, where we dismounted^ and left the horses and chairs. Here Monsieur de Bourboulon was met with characteristic Chinese polite-ness by Wan-se-ang,* Hang-Ki, and Tsoon-Luen. A little way further on, the aged and venerable-locj^ing Kwei-liang,f supported by two attendants, came forward

* Wfl-n-sc-anp is one of the inembers of the Fofeign Office. He is a Manchu by birth. Early in life he took high literary honours, and has been in the public service at Peking since he was twenty-eight. He is now (Marcli, 1861) forty-four, and has gradually raised hijnself by his talents to be Vice-President of the Board of Revenue and a Commis-sioner of Foreign Affairs.

f Mr. Oliphant, in his account of Lord Elgin’s first mission to China^ thus describes Kwoi-Hang at Tien-tsin in 1868 • — “The Senior Com-missioner, Ewei-liang, was a venerable man, of placid and benevolent expression, with a countenance full of intelligense, though his eye w^as a good deal dimmed and his hand palsied from extreme ago* His manners were polished and dignified, and his whole bearing that of a perfect gentleman. He is a Tartar, and has risen to his present high position after a long course of service. He was Governor-General of the province of Pe-chi-li at the period of Sir John Bowring’s visit in 1854, He then ranked as second Manchu in the empire ; Yu-chiiig, the senior chief secretary or Prime Minister, being the first. Yu-ching died during the negotiations. His (Kwei-Uang’s) full titles under which he signed the treaty were as follows Kwei-liang, a senior chief Secretary iff State^ Styled of the East Cabinet, Captain-General of the Plain IVhite ]^ner of the Manchu Banner-force, and Superintendent-Gene-ral of the Administration eff Criminal Ijaw,’* Kwei-liang recollects the •mbflsey d Lord Macartney coming to Peking in 1796*

40 PEIONG AND THE PEONGESK [Ch. II.

to meet him. At the end of the passage communi-cating with the adjoining court, the Prince of Kung was standing. As soon as Monsieur de Bourboulon ap-proached, he came forward and welcomed him in a kind and affable manner, and conducted him to the apart-ment where the inteiwiew was to take place.

The room presented nothing admitting of special description, being an ordinai^-sized sitting-room, such as might be employed for an office. A table, covered with a gaudily-embfoidered scarlet cloth, was spread with about fifty small dishes, containing various kinds of fruit, sweetmeats, and pastiy. The Prince took his seat ^behind the table, placing M. de Bourboulon on his left hand (the seat of honour in China), and Count Kleiskousky on the right.. Kwei-liang sat on the left of M. de Bourboulon, and Tsoon-Luen again on his left. To the right of Count Kleiskousky, Wan-se-ang sat ; and between, and a little to the rear of the Prince and M. de Bourboulon, Baron de Meritens and Hang-Ki were seated. The officers of the escort and myself were provided with seats outside the official circle, in the rear of Kwei-liang and Tsoon-Luen. Mandarins, with buttons^of different grades, were standing about, and a number of servants crowded into the apartment, anxious to see and hear what was going on.

Tea was served immediately on the party being seated, after which M. de Bourboulon read an address in lYench to the Prince, which was translated, sentence by sentence, by M. de Meritens, from a r^ion of it in Cliinese which he had in his hand. The Prince lis-tened very attentively, appearing to be much interested

Oh. IL] INTBEVIEW WITH THE PBDfCE OF RUNG. 41

and pleased with what was said, eveiy now and then, in an earnest and vivacious manner, endeavouring to fdlow the sentences from the copy Baron de Meritens was reading from. On the conclusion of the address, the Prince expressed his thanks for liie friendly sen-timents which had been conveyed in it, and requested that he might be favoured with a copy of it, which, by the way, Wan-se-ang, after the interview, privately in-formed CoTint Kleiskousky was for the purpose of being transmitted to the Emperor at Jeho.

General conversation now commenced, and the re-freshments were handed round, including hot wine, made from rice, and poured out of a metal kettle into European wine-glasses. Knives, forks, and spoons were also provided for us, but the Prince and his col-leagues ate with their ivory chop-sticks. The Prince drank to M. de Bourboulon, much after our own fashion, lifting his glass, slightly advancing it, and bowing before tasting its contents. The others did the same, at differenU stages of the interview. In the course of conversation, I observed Kwei-liang whisper something to Tsoon-Luen, which, from expression of his face, I suspect was a joke. Count KleisHbusky had on several decorations, and they attracted tlie Princess attention, who remarked that he had too many of them.^ He also looked at the Count s dress sword,

* On the occaaioti of an interview which Count Kleiskousky hud with the Pmce of Kong shortly before M. de Bourboulon came to Pehiiig, hierdecoratioitHk also then attracM the rdnce’e notice, who re-marm that hit pemmaSi they, were stare of merit, and expressed sur-prise that they were hot all French ; ioneequently that they could be ooolerred othetwiae: thah by bin Wa immediate sovereign. His ite-

42

PEKING AND THE !t^EKINGESE.

LCh. n.

observing that it was very slight, and ill adapted for rough work. On having it explained to him that it was worn merely for ornament, and not for use, he expressed his surprise to hear that the Count was a civil, and not a militaiy mandarin, a civilian wearing arms seeming very singular in his eyes — the military profession in China not being considered over respect-able.

The Prince of Kung has a very agreeable expression. His features are of the true Tartar type; the right cheek is slightly blemished by two cicatrices, close together, apparently the marks of two small boils. His face and hands are small, the fingers being delicate and effeminate-looking. On the right thumb he wore a large and broad jade-stone ring, of a white colour, with an upper surface of reddish brown. He is about the niuidle height, and has a slender figure. His dress consisted of a fur robe of the sea otter skin, over a purple silk dress, trimmed with ermine cuflfs. His hat was of the ordinary Tartar kind, the turned-up portion being lined with black velvet. The hat was surmounted by a crimson silk knob, in place of the buttoi and high-class peacock^s feather, worn by the nobility, or mandarins, as we call them. The Prince had two chains round his neck, one of amber-coloured beads, the other of large beads of red coral. Each of

toaishment however was great when told that, if he (the Prince) was to , re|K)rt favourably of the services in China of any membar of the French Lection, it might be the means of his receiving a decoration from the Em^ieror of the French the idea that he could posdbly be the means of service to any one connected with a people so recently hostile seemed to puszle him muck

CH.n.] VISIT TO Ifflf^trssiAN «

the chains had an appendage, with precious stones attached, which hung down his back in the same way as his tail Black satin boots completed his costume.

Kwei-liang and the three others were dressed also in fur robes, with silk under-coats. They all wore coral buttons, and the three-eyed peacock’s feather in their hats. Kwei-liang, I may remark, is father-in-law to the Prince of Kung ; and report states that another of the Miss Kwdt-liangs is in the Emperor’s harem. .

On M. de Bourboulon taking his departure, he was accompanied to the entrance of the outer coui*t by the whole of tlie Council ; and even Kwei-liang, who is seventy-two, and very infirm on his legs, would insist on coming out, notwithstanding the. solicitations of Count Kleiskousky, expressed to him fluently in Chinese, that he would not give himself such un-necessary fatigue. The Prince shook hands very cordially with M. de Bourboulon on his leaving, and altogether the interview passed off in the most har-monious manner.

On our way back, M. de Bourboulon called at the Russian Mission, which is situated in the^.^me street as the French Legation, about half a mile from it/ to pay a return visit. The Archimandrite, in his robes ami high-crowneJ cap, attended by the members of the Ecclesiastical Mission, met M. de Bourboulon in the court, and, we were conducted to a sitting-room hand-wwely furnished m the European style. After tea had served to us, wo visited the chapel, which, in general airanj^ment, de^rations, dec., seemed the same as those in Baman Catholic countries; the essential

44 PEKING AND flfl}" MfclNGESE. [Ch. IL

#

(lifTerences between the Greek Church and that of Borne being the non-recognition by the former of the suprefnacy of the Pope, and the privilege of matrimony being extended to its priests. The Russian Mission at Peking at present consists of four ecclesiastical and six lay members. They have a billiard table on the premises, and altogether their arrangements appeal-neat and comfortable, which, however, is not remark-able, seeing that the Russians have been established at Peking for some two hundred years.

March 29th . — Rode with Captain Bouvier to the south-west gate of the Tartar city, and visited the old Portuguese cathedral, which is now the property of France, having been given i^p by the late treaty. In the days of the Jesuits it was known as the Nan-tang, or church of the southern portion of the city, in contra-distinction to the Pei-tang, or church of the northern part, where the Jesuits then had their chief establish-ment. These names are now resumed, and the Nan-tang is interesting as the only portion of the Jesuit .buildings that has escaped destruction since the expul-sion of that body.* It is a few hundred feet from the southern wall of the Tartar city, within, and a little to the eastwai-d of, the western gate on this aspect. It is a regularly-constructed cathedral, of the form usually seen in Catholic countries, and is now in course of being enclosed by a wall, and put under complete repair. No damage seems to have been done to the edifice, beyond what time and want of repair have effected. The inte-

For fiirther Informaticm on fius poiat, see remarks im&er date 5th October.

Ch. II.] OF LIGHT. , •«

nor originally has been very handsomely decorated, but is now much dilapidated, and in some places not weather* proof. As we entered, I observed a Chinaman on his knees in front of the altar, reading his prayers from a Chinese prayer-book. He took no notice of our en-trance, continuing his devotions as if altogether uncon-scious of our presence. The cathedral is built of stone, and over the doorway there is an inscription in Chinese, and inside the entrance, the words Via Regia CoeU, 1657. The first occasion of its being used for many yearg was when mass was said in it in October, 1860, for the French prisoners who died in the hands of the Chinese. Seivioe is now regularly carried on in it for the Cliinese Christians residing in the southern portion of the city. The royal arms of Portugal, massively carved and gilded on wood, have been removed from it, preparatory to those of France being substitutied.

We next proceeded north, up a very wide street which runs direct from the we^ gate on the south face of the Tartar city to the corresponding one on the northern wall, called the TeiH;he-mun. After going along this street exactly one mile and, ^ee-quarters, we turned down a street at right angles, to the east-ward, and entered the imperial city immediately to the north Si the palace. Near here we visited the Qua-min-rien, or Temple of Light, which is a large eedesdaBtical establishment, consisting of a number of courts imd temples in the rear of one another, but dif-ftem any of the temples I have yet seen, by haiung a handsome dicqlar pagoda in front of the en-trance. The roof of tbit pAgoda is covered with tiles of

4G

PEKING AND tai'^iftlNGESB.

[CH. II.

a brilliant light blue, and is sumounted by a gilt globe^ Two marble terraces invest the pagoda, one above the other, and are ascended by six equidistant flights of marble stops ; each terrace has twelve steps in every flight, making a total of one hundred and forty-four in the two ; the pagoda is consequently reached by six dis-tinct flights of stairs, each having twenty-four steps. In the interior there is the figure of a god sitting on an altar, having richly-carved pillars on each side, round which elaborately-cafved dragons are coiled. The chief staircase faces the north, and has a subdivision on its marble steps, the interval being an inclined plane, on which the five-clawed or imperial dragon is beautifully sculptured in relief A handsome balustrade of marble runs round each terrace. Immediately to the south of this pagoda the first courtyard of the temple is entered. We went through its various courts, which are all shaded by trees, but saw nothing differing from the ordinary arrangements of Buddhist establishments in other parts of the empire.

In this neighbourhood, at no great distance from the Qua-min-tien, is the Pei-tang, or church of the north, aa already stated, the site of the great establishment of the Jesuits in former days. Like the church of the south, the ground on which the Pei-*tang st&od has been restored to France by the Convention of Peking, and taken possession of by the French Boman Catholic During the short tame that has elapsed, every exittion has been made to convert the ordin^y Chinese builifings found on the grounds into an eKsclesiostical establishment, all that now remains of the former one

Ch.II.] EOMANtM#^^ 47

being the steps of the cathedral* A temporary chapel ^has been erected, and the missionary bishop, when at Peking, resides at this place.

Our visit to it was a veiy interesting one. At pre-sent the establishment is superintended by the Abbd Smoringburgh, assisted by the Abbd Thierry. Forty Chinese youths are now residing there, inchiding fifteen s^minaires, or student priests. In one square are the dormitories and study. In the former the bed-places are two feet wide, and separated from each other by high boardings, open at the top for ventilation, the front being screened by a blue curtain. Adjoining the dor-mitory, which is a long room partitioned off, the Abbd Smoringburgh has his room, through the wall of which a wicket opens, enabling him to observe what may be passing in the dormitory. Altogether, the aiTangements for the pupils seemed both judicious and comfortable in character.

We nei^t visited the chapel of the institution. It being Good Friday, all the pupils were assembled, along with the 8^minaire8 in their white robes, and were chanting the Chemm de la Croix, , ,

There are at present, I am informed by the Abbd Smoringburgh, nine Chinese priests in Peking, and in all seventeen^ in China. There are five thousand here-ditary Christians in Peking, few pioselytes having been for some time. Since the treaty, how-

ever^ indications of greater success are becoming ap-

v’ f' .

^ of t)ie tmih is stated to have been sarod through the

hltstyaataoa (tf Easons, wfip altegedthey had a claim against it

48

PErito AKlJ’ttt^ltoNQESE

[Ch n

parent* There are now four Boman Catholic estab-lishments in Peking, distributed in the north, south, east, and west quarters of the Tartar city. Women do not attend chui'ch, the missionaries having been com-pelled tlius far to yield to national custom and pre-judice. Six meeting-houses, however, have been estab-lished in different parts of the town, where the female Christians assemble, and have service read to them by priests detailed for the pufpose.

We also visited the refectory and the library ; in the former the table was laid out according to European custom for eleven priests, of this number nine being Chinamen. Five is the usual number of Chinese priests that reside at the chief establishment, but during Easter the whole of them assemble there that are at the time doing duty in Peking.

The Abbds Smoringburgh and Thierry have both adopted the Chinese garb, shave the front of the head, and wear tails We were most courteously received by them, and kindly furnished with refreshments, consist-ing of Chinese fruit, preserves, and confectionery ; also a liqueur resembling noyeau, prepared from a spirit dis-tilled from millet The Abbd Smoringburgh is a Dutch-man, and a person of great and apparently

practical ability. In addition to superifltending the establishment gvnerally, he is now actively employed

* Ohristianitj amongst the Pokingese seems to rtm in certain trades.

I hare s|:noe ascertamed that the watch-makers and their families ere all Chrlatia&s ; which la readily accounted for from their more ihtimate aa80ciatio& with the Jestuts^ from whom they originally learnt the art ofwatclmaking^

Ch, II.] PEKING VOLUNTEERS AT MIDNIGHT DRILL. 49

furnishing materials for its decoration. At the period of our visit he was busy painting an altar-piece, the subject being the Immaculate Conception, taken from an engraving. The appearance #th e Chinese priests was pleasing and gentlemanly.

Before leaving the spot, we walked over the former grounds of the Jesuits, now in course of recovery, and looked at the steps which are all that remain of their cathedriil. Of the glass manufactory established by them there are now no traces.

March SOtk — During the night we were disturbed by a good deal of heavy firing in the neighbourhood, which this morning we learned was caused by the Twang-lien, or Trained Bands, having been out at exercise — ^the Eifle Volunteers, in fact, of Peking. It appears they select night for their drill hours, under the supposition that the expenditure of blank ammunition in the dark produces a more deterrent effect than it does during the day on the robbers and banditti, who, it is stated, infest the vicinity of Peking. The road between the capital and Je-ho is reported at present to be stopped by them. The generic nam^ of this class is Tu-fa;^ (banditti), in contradistinction to the Nee-en-fa^, or rebels. IVith reference to the latter class, I may here mention an anecdote which I heard this morning from Mr. Wade, illustrating the acquaintance which the Chinese are beginning to have with what passes • elsewhere, .^t a conversation with Hang-Ki, two days ago^ som% remarks were made by him respecting affairs in Europe, and Mr. Wade asked him if he had heard what was going on in America, when he at once replied, von. u ® ‘

oO

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. II.

Oh yes, Jhey are breaking up there ; in fact, their con-dition is becoming one resembling our own in regard to the Nee-en-fay ; ” thus showing a knowledge of political events in the which, considering their recent

occurrence, one would hardly have supposed the Chinese had liad time to acquire.

Count Kleiskousky also mentioned to me to-day an illustration of Chinese notions respecting intelligence. He had occasion recently to call on Tsoon-Luen, whose son happening to be present at the time, tlie Count remarked that he was ah exceedingly intelligent-looking young man. ** Oh,” said his father, he is truly intel-ligent ; I will show you what he can do.” Ho then directed his son to afford the Count an illustration of his talents. The youth , left the room, and in a short time returned with a chai*acter meaning longevity, which he had just written, and which, it is presumed, must be considered a rather difficult literary exercise, from so much importance being attached to it, seeing that the lad "was about eighteen years of age.

In the afternoon I rode to the eastern angle of the Tartar city inside the wall, and thence went north, immediately under the eastern wall, until I came to a stincture built partly on the wall, wljjch, from having an armillary sphere and other apparatus on the top of it, I knew to be the observatory. This establishment was originally placed by the Emperor Kang-hsi under the supeiintendence of the Jesuits. It is now solely by the Chinese themselves on astronomical staff being still kept up.

Betuming from the observatory, 1 endeavoured to

Ch. II.] STONE-THROWINa BY CHILDBEN. 51

shorten the distance by passing through the portion of the town in this direction, in place of following the course of the walL Owing to the narrow and winding nature of the streets, I had to proceed at a slow pace, and a considerable crowd formed behind me. I made ^signs that I wanted to get under the south wall, and some of the crowd showed me the turning to take. Gradualljr a good deal of shouting and hooting began, which, as far as I could judge, seemed to be chiefly from children. As soon as I got out from amongst the houses, and had a clear way before me under the wall, I cantered off ; as I did so, about lialf-a-do:^cn stones whizzed past me. I immediately pulled up, and on turning round the crowd had disappeared. I believe the stones to have been thrown by boys. About five minutes afterwards my horse was struck by a stone, thrown from one of the lanes as I was passing the entrance to it. The animal took fright, and started off at the gallop ; fortunately it was under the wall, where there was a clear run : had it occurred in one of the crowded streets, some mischief would probably have resulted. I made a note of the place w^ere this took place, in the event of its being considered necessaiy to bring the occ^^^ence to the notice of ,the Chineses authorities. A similar event happened to Mr. St. Clair’s horse, while riding this afternoon in another portion of the city.

the course of the day, Captain Bouvier was riding in ih0 western part of the Chinese city, when, by acci-dent, he came on the execution ground, which is at the junction of two of the main streets. A body was lying

52

PEKINa AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. II.

there, apparently having just been decapitated, as a crowd was standing round it. Near this spot three heads were hanging up in wooden cages.

March Slsfc — This morning I heard an amusing illus-tration of the difficulties connected with interpreting, owing to so many of the Chinese words meaning the same thing, the only distinction between them being the intonation. For instance, the word ping means a soldier, ice, a jar, a disease, tranquillity, and pancakes. While Lord Elgin was at Peking, he was stmek with the superior quality of the Mongolian potatoes, and requested Mr. Adkins to order two hundred catties of them (about two himdred and forty pounds). Shang-yu is the word for potatoes, but it happens that, with a slight variation of tone, it also means eels, two hun-dred catties of which were brought in place of the potatoes, Mr. Adkins having unfortunately pronounced the Shang-yu with the eel accent.

A communication was sent from Mr. Bruce to-day to Wan-se-ang, drawing his attention to the hooting and stone-throwing which occurred yesterday.

This afternoon I visited, for the first time, the Chinese city, and walked up the main street, which runs due south from the central gate of the BO\ith wall of the Tartar city. It is of considerable width, and has a raised causeway in the centre, the intervals on each side between it and the pavement which fronts the shops being occupied by stalls, booths, &c., as on the main streets of the Tartar city. Those on the eastern side of the street appear to be entirely devoted to the sale of poultry, vegetables, and fish, of which there seemed

Ch. II.] THE TEMPLE OP AaRICULTUEE.

68

to be an ample supply. Amongst the vegetables I noticed carrots, turnips, cabbage, potatoes, onions, aspa-ragus, harricot beans, lentils, and a species of yam, the greater portion of which must have been preserved by some special process during the winter. The fish con-sisted chiefly of trout, henings, eels, whitings, and cockles. The shops in this street are all single-storied, and most of them are decorated in front with carving and gilding, which, when kept in repair, gives them a handsome and characteristic appearance. This street terminates about a mile from the south gate of the Tartar city by a bridge crossing a dry ditch, on the opposite side of which a stone causeway commences, and proceeds straight to the central gate of the wall of the Chinese city facing the south. On each side of this causeway are two large enclosures — that on the right having within it the Temple of Agriculture, that on the left containing the Temple of Heaven. The former is called in Chinese the Sien-nong-tan, or Eminence of Venerable Agriculturists,” and is the place where, in accordance with ancient custom, the Emperor proceeds every spring, and, with the object pf deing honour to the calling of the husbandman, directs with bis own hand the plough in a small field set apart for the purpose. This ceremony is described by Staunton, in his account of Lord Macartney's embassy, as follows : — After His Majesty has directed the plough for about m hour, a group of peasants chanting at the same time round him hymns in praise of husbandly, the princes of his court and great ^ officers of state, follow his example, and inking .the plough by turns, make several

54 PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch. 11.

furrows in his presence. They are all, as well as the Emperor, clothed in the garb befitting their new occu-pation. The produce of the ground thus ploughed is carefully collected, and solemnly announced to surpass, in quality and quantity, what any other spot of equal dimensions had yielded in the year. The celebration of this exemplary festival, as it may be termed, is made known to the remotest village in the empire. It is meant to gratify even the humblest cottager, and to be some consolation to him in the disappointments which the vicissitudes of seasons frequently occasion, when he recollects that his calling has been dignified in being adopted by his sovereign, who is therefore incorporated amongst the most numerous and useful class of his subjects, and seems to acquire a common interest with them." The Temple of Heaven, surrounded with high red walls surmounted by yellow tiling, stands exactly opposite it. It is to this temple that the Emperor comes in procession, when the summer heat is greatest, to offer thanks for its genial influences.

I returned the way I came, namely, by the central gate of the Tartar city, entering by a side gate. In the front of the bastion, immediately underneath the case-mated tower, there is a large gate, prhich is never opened except when the Emperor passes out to wordiip at the Temples of Agricultm*e and Heaven. From this gate there is a broad paved causeway, leading to. the prindpal entrance to the palace, which is about fotir hundred yards north of the gate.

CHAPTER 3.

CHAPTER III.

The Leang-koong-foo— its present state, fend arrangements for its alteration and repair— Shung-pow’s soldiers— Visit of Mr. Bruce to the Prince of Kung— Observations on the Wall— Imperial de* cree, referring to the postponement of the Emperor's return to Peking— The Prince of Kung returns Mr. Bruce’s visit— Curious illustration of respect for the foreign element— The imperial grain-bearing canal— Foot-shuttlecock played by adults— Annoyance on the streets confined to children — ^Western and northern aspects of the Tartar city— Admonitions from Messrs. Wade and Gibson to Pekingese, in reference to the use of objectionable words— Origin of the term Woi-lo— A volunteer general— Mongolian ponies— A drover in trouble— The Anting gate— Exjwsuro of human heads — Military midnight demonstrations— The eastern suburb— Scene of our intended attack on Peking— Chinese Christians— The Great Lama Temple— Rumour about the Emperor^ s hejdib— Difficulties connected with the Chinese currency— Local news— The Ya-mun —An apothecary’s' shop— Business visit to the Prince of Kung— The Imperial hunting-grounds— Shung-pow’s camp— Athletes— The Hau-lin — ^Attempt at squeezing— Mr. Parkes’ impressions of the Taepings.

April let — ^The Leang-koong-foo may be deflcribed as consigting of two sets of quadrangular„courts, running parallel to each other, north and south, with a covered passage betwe^ them. These courts contain blocks of buildings, built in the ordinary Chinese style of archi-tecture. The set of squares on the eastern side form the palatial portion, and contain the state apartments. The roofs on this side are covered with green glazed tOes, .and supported by heavy columns of wood. The walls of the buildings consist of strong brickwork at the badks and sidea fronts are only bricked atiout

5G

PEKING AND THE' PEKINGESE.

[Oh. Ill

three feet from the ground, the remainder, including the doors, being formed of light lattice-work, covered with paper. The windows have lai’ge panes of glass in the centre of the lattice-work, which, in the principal rooms is of very elegant design. The interior, though out of repair, is still very handsome ; the ceilings of the state apartments being beautifully decorated w'ith gold dragons, within circles on a blue ground, which again are in the centres of small squares of green, separated by intersecting bars in relief of green and gold.

The western division of the Foo composed of build-ings of a loss showy kind, but no i^rtheless tilted up with great elegance and ta^te. The roofs are covered with ordinary gi’ey tiling. It is in a fair state of re-pair, and is at present occupied by the Legation. ''loral sentipients, painted in gilt letters on ornamental boards, arc placed over the entrances of the various buildings in the ditforent courts. Some of them Mr. Wade trans-lated to this morning. That over the door of the apartments occupied by Colon'll Neaic and myself means, “Hall for the nourishment of virtue, and that* over the house reserved for Mra Reynolds thf. Legation housekeeper, shortly expected from Shanghai, is “ Hall for the study and development of politeijess.'' In addi-tion to those over the entrances, moral sentiments are hung up in the interior of all the principal rooms. Tlie domain is surrounded by a high well, extending 760 feet from north to south, and 378 feet from east to west. The general character of the building is that of a place, once princely, rapidly falling into decay.

Arrangements have been made with a Chinese builder.

Ch. III.] EEPAIRS OF THE LEANG-KOONG-FOO.

5T

nam *3 Choon, for putting the whole in thorough repair ; and it has been determined to convert the palatial portion into the Logulion residence, retaining as much as possible its Chinese character. Tlie otlier division of the Foo is to be fitted up partly for the Chinese secre-tary’s departments, partly as residences for the student ii terpreters, who arc in future b) h am the language at Peking under the supervision of Mr. Wade. The general superintendence oi the repairs and alterations has been undertaken by Coionel N^eale, with the aid, as inter-preter the wiu'ks, of a native of Peking, who has been some time at Shanghai, and who, partly from having b; <01 in Mr. Wade’s service there, partly from having inailc a to England with the Reverend Mr,

Eukins, ha;.' nicked up some knowledge of English. This ''individual rejoices in the name of Lew-yoong-chuen, which. rench^r-jJ into English, means, Lew — tho ever-jbubbling fountain.” The name, however, he goes by in Legation is Sec-ou-toe, which originated when he

\s at Shang.iai, ^rom a habit he had of saying, Shall \ ’"’-tee - lo thr or do that?” See-ou-tce means

“ .he little cue,’' and was usc<l by him as m expression of humility. Tho name having thuF stuck to him, by it he will iu future be mentioned in the course of the narrative.

This afternoon Mrs. Reynolds arrived from Tien-tsin, under the care of Mi; Gibson, of the interpretorial staff. Near the south-western gates of the Qiinese city hy which they entered with thefr train of carts, they had to pass the spot where General Shung-pow is at present encamped with his force, A large number 6f soldiers

rs PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch. III.

turned out to look at them, but, fortunately for Mrs. Reynolds’ comfort, she had brought up from Shanghai a couple of turkey-cocks, which, being observed by the Chinese soldiers, attracted such an amount of attention, that in their excitement and anxiety to see the foreign birds she escaped almost unnoticed. They were evi-dently the first birds of their species that have been seen on the Pci-ho, as Mr. Gibson describes the curiosity of the peasantry the whole way froiQ Tien-tsin to see them as having been remarkable. Shung-pow rcsides in a small temple near his camp, and is the Cninese general who commanded at the action of Pa-lee-chow on the 21st September, 1860. It was by his orders that Captain Brabazon and the Abbd de Luc were beheaded, on his array retreating.

April 2nd , — To day Mr. Bmce paid a complimen-tary visit to the Prince of Rung at the Foreign Office. Colonel Neale, Messrs. Wade, St. Clair, Wyndham, and myself accompanied him. The whole party went on horseback, and a few mounted jnen of the 31st Regiment, under Lieutenant Gow, formed the escort We left the Leang-koong-foo about one o’clock, and, taking the same route as that described by me on the 6ccasion of the French minister’s visits we reached the Foreign Office at two o’clock, and exactly the same mode of reception occurred as narrated by me on the 2j5th of March. The Prince came out to the yard, an.d very cordially met Mr. Bruce. Kwei-liang was there also, leaning on his attendants, and came for-ward to meet him.

. The general arrangements were the same as for the

Ch. raj MR. BRUCE VISITS THE PRINCE OF KUNG. . 69

reception of Moi^sieur de Bourboulon. After seats were taken, conversation commenced, prior to which, however, Mr. Bruce introduced us severally to the Prince of Kung, Mr. Wade interpreting our names and respective positions, altering letters so as to enable ou^' names to be intelligiwito them* I was intro-duced as Leunie Esung (R being a letter they cannot pronounce or understand). Hang-Ki immediately cor-rected Mr. \Vade, saying ''Tai-fou,” implying a higher degree of professional qualification tlnm is conveyed by the term Esung,*’ which is the word generic in China for an ordinary medical practitioner. In addition to the Prince, Kwei-liang, and Hang-Ki, Wan-se-ang, and Tsoon-Luen were also there. They all had changed their style of dress, which was now of a lighter descrip-tion, puce-coloured plush over-coats having been sub-stituted for the fur ones they wore a few days ago.

Conversation was opened by Mr. Bruce conveying, through Mr, Wade, his thanks to the Prince for the attention he had rcceiyed from the various local autho-rities on his journey to Peking. The Prince then made some inquiries respecting the progress we il^ere making in getting our residence in order, and observed that though the si2e,#and consequently accommodation, was great, still that he feared the repair was but indifferent, the place not having been occupied for two years prior to its being let to the British Government.

Mr, Bruce inquired if the temple they are at present tising is intended to be the 'permanent Foreign Office. The Prince said No, &at they were g^etting a new one built at the poition of the ^wn where the other public

60

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. m.

boards are, and which was not far from the Leang-koong-foo. Mr. Bruce expressed his satisfaction at hearing that it was to be so near the Legation. The Piince laughed, and said, Yes, but it would be further for them to go, as their residences were in the opposite direction, namely, near tSifciemple at present in use.

Conversation then turned on the difficulties attending the learning of the Chinese language. The Prince re-marked that the best way of acquiring a rudimentary colloquial acquaintance with it would be to get a teacher, and write down daily the words learned during the lesson, according to their English sound, with the trans-lation underneath ; and, with the view of further impres-sing it on the memory and facilitating reference, to annex also the Chinese characters. He then went on to say, that a vocabulary of English and Chinese would be very useful, if constructed out of the Manchu dialect, as they would thus be able to spell the English words, the Manchu being an alphabetical language.*

After tea and confectionery had been taken, hot wine was handed round, and an interchange of compliments accompanied its being drunk. The attempts of some of our party to use chop-sticks gave rise to some little menument. Towards the end of thp interview, the Prince made an observation referring to foreign wines,

* The Manchu dialect in reality has an alphabet of the same number of lettera as the English, less B and D ; thougli an impression is held that it has one hundred and forty, but this has arisen from syllables having been included. P and T are the substitutes for B and D. A defect in the language is, that two consonants Cannot be coniteoted without the intervention of a vowel.

RBTDTIN VISITS PROMISED.

61

Ch. IILJ

to the effect that he thought they were rather too strong for habitual use.

Prior to Mr. Bruce leaving, Kwei Jiang and Wan-se-ang intimated their intention of calling upon him to-morrow, if convenient, for the purpose of paying him a visit of ceremony, and that ^tiie Prince would do so the following day. This being arranged, the interview ter-minated with the same formalities as when Monsieur de Bourboulon took his leave.

Altogether the meeting passed off with great apparent cordiality on the part of the Prince and his colleaguesj and, as far as they are individually concerned, I am not aware that there are any grounds for doubting their sincerity, now that we are thrown into immediate and permanent contact with them. Neither is it desirable that we should doubt it ; on the contrary, now that the war is terminated, and they have had the fullest demon-stration of our superiority in arms, we should give them full credit for good intentions until overt indications display themselves, warranting different views being entertained ; moderation in demands, and a conciliatory bearing, being more likely to convince thoflsa of our real civilisation than periodic exhibitions of destructive powers. ^

April Zrd . — ^Up to the present time the weather has been very fine. This morning, however, was dull, with some light wind, and about one o’clock we had rather a smart sand-storm. While out this forenoon, I was acck>sted by a boy with a cat for sale. He followed me to t]^6 Legation, and 1 gave^m eighteen-pence for his ciat, and handed it over td the escort. In one of the

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Oh. III.

()2

streets I met a cart containing a lady. It was covered with green cloth, and fabricated so as to represent a sedan chair.

At two o’clock Kwei-liang and Wan-se-ang arrived at the Legation with a long train of followers. Wan-se-ang came in his carriage, which is one of the ordinary Peking carts, of superior construction, and covered with blue cloth. He got out of it at tlie gate, and mounted a pony which had been brought for him by one of his attendants, and rode up to the door of the reception room. Kwei-liang came in his chair, which was covered with green cloth, having the lower part covcre<l for the depth of a foot with scarlet calico, to protect the cloth from being splashed with mud. Mr. Bruce and Mr. Wade received them at the door of the reception room. Nothing of any interest occun*ed during the inter-view.

This afternoon I devoted to an examination of a por-tion of the Tai-tar city wall, commencing with the central gate on its south face, which I take to be the chief gate of the city, from its being called in Chinese the “ Meridian Gate ; ” also from the fact, already men-tioned, of its having a gate in front of the bastion which is never opened but for the Emperor, Over this gate is a casemated towet, with four rows of ports, thirteen in each row in front, and four rows with four ports in each, at the two ends. In the i*ear of this tower there is an enclosed qpace, formed by the bas-tion, on both sides of which a gate opens to the east and the west, and the city is entered by a third gate, which is the one belonging to the city waH.

CH. III.]

THE TARTAR CITY WALL.

68

Over this gate is a large building, about sixty feet high, gaudily painted, and of characteristic Chinese architecture. Over each of the lateral gates there are small casemated towers, with two rows of ports, six in each row.

The southern aspect of the city wall is faced by a dry ditch, about one hundred feet wide and twelve feet deep. This ditch can be filled with water when neces-sary, by lifting certain locks in a canal which leads to the lake of the Yuen-ming-yuen. Tlie wall is provided with flank defences in the shape of square bastions at regular intervals. Between the foot of the wall and the margin of the ditch there is a clear space, about one hundred and twenty feet wide. On the opposite side of the ditch the buildings of the Chinese town commence* In front of the central gate the ditch is crossed by a stone bridge, with marble balustrades. As the arrange-ment of the bastions differs a little on each face of the city, I shall describe them in detail

Proceeding west from the central gate, at a short distance from it, there is a large bastion, formed like three sides of a square. In front are twelve taiall embra-sures, and on each side nine. The face of the bastion measures one hwdred and thirty feet, and its depth is from forty-five to fifty feet. Beyond this, at regular inter\'al8, there is a series of five smaller bastions, also of angular shape, with dx embrasures on each of their three jidee^ there being seven feet between each em-brasure. Another large hastbn now intervenes, and they continue in this manner to the extent of eighteen bastions, three large and fift^n small, until the western

64

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. hi.

gate of the south wall is reached, which corresponds exactly to the one already described on the eastern side, and called the Ha-ta-mun.

Midway between the central and western gates a bricked canal or drain, twelve feet wide, and about the same in depth, enters the city, the portion of it which passes under the wall being protected by double gates, which could readily be blown to pieces by common field artillery, and an entrance effected without the trouble of breaching the wall.

At the west gate, the public entrance in the bastion faces the east, while at the east gate it faces the west ; in both instances another gate in the city wall having to be passed through. I went some way up the wide street that runs north from it. A mountebank was performing in the centre of a large crowd. Ho had a little boy with him, possessed of astonishing flexibility of limbs, admitting of their being distorted in a manner that it was painful to look at.

I returned to the Legation by the central or meridian gate, as there is no communication between the west and the east of the city, except by making a detour t6 the north or the south, no one being allowed to cross the imperial domain, which extends fr^ra a point four hundred yards from the central gate for exactly one mile and three-quarters north. In the course of my walk I frequently stopped to' make notes, and crowds always formed round me, eagerly watching me writing* No desire to annoy or insult me was perceptible.

April The public report this forenoon was that the Emperor leaves J e-ho to-day, and that he will be eight

Ch. hi.]

IMPERIAL PECREE.

m

days on his journoy to Peking. Almt one o’clock^ however, Hang-Ki and Tsoon-Luen came to the Le-gation to say that the Prince of Kung would not be able to come before three o’clock, in place of two, as previously arranged, owing to his having been detained at r the Foreign Office, consulting with- his colleagues respecting the .ans\TOr to be returned to an Imperial decree, or sjiung-u. which had been received the evening before, and of which the following is a translation by Mr. Wade, from a copy given by Hang-Ki.

"On the twenty-second of the second moon of the eleventh year of Hien-fung (1st April) the Muh-koh (Grand Secretariat** ) had the honour to receive the following imperial decree : —

" ‘ Whereas, in the course of the first moon, we issued a decree, to the effect that the Imperial carriage should move homewards on the twenty-third of the second moon ; we subsequently, in consequence of slight indis-position, changed the day for the commencement of our journey to the twenty-fifth of the moon (6th April). During the last ten days we have gained some strength, hut we are stiU obliged to keep" dur mind at ease, and sulject ourself to medical treatment. The princes and ministers about us have besought us, on the ground that* the health of our person is not yet fully restored, to stay our homeward journey for the preset^ Their representations were so earnest that we cpujd npt but yield to their prayer ; and our journey

• An depattmtot, over by four chief secretoiicH

of whom SweMiang ia th^ ienior.

00

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch. Ill;

liomewards is accordingly postponed until the autumn, when we shall issue another decree. Kespect this ! 1 T ” At three o clock the Prince of Kung came in his chair, which was earned up to the door of the room temporarily fitted up for the reception of Chinese visitors. Mr. Brace came out and received him, and conducted him into the apartment The Prince looked troubled, and by no means so easy as when we saw him two days ago. He expressed his regret at not being able to come at the hour originally appointed, adding that the cause of his detention was connected with the non-return of the Emperor to the capital, which was a source of annoyance and vexation to him. Ho took some tea, immediately after which one of his attendants, a mandarin of inferior grade, brought in a lighted pipe, from which he took a few whiffs, and then sent it away. After this some champagne was handed round. J’he Prince drank a little of it, but seemed cautious ; and probably be was right, because he had just left the French Legation, where he had also been entertained with champagne, which, as well as the coffee, he is stated to have apparently enjoyed.

The Prince looked about the room, and made some

e

remarks on several of the articles of furniture that " were not familiar to his eye. The carpet particulaiiy attracted his attention, and he casually observed that there was not the same objection to stone floors in the north of China that there was in the south, the damp . of the former being of an altogethi^ different and 1^ noxious kind.

Ch, III.] THE PRINCE OF KUNG^S VISIT TO MR. BRUCE. 07

After staying about half an hour he left, attended by a train of mounted followers, about thirty number. Hang-Ki and Tsoon-Luen accompanied him, and were both present at the interview. They came in cloth-covered carts, like that in which Wan-se-ang came yesterday.

In the aftenioon I visited the Ha-ta-mun, with the view of extending the observations on the wall that I commenced yesterday. The thickness of the wall at its base, where the inner gateway passes under it, is eighty-eight feet, while that of the circular bastion in front is sixty-two feet. The wall between this gate and the south-east angle of the Tartar city may be briefly described as consisting of a series of four large bastions, with smaller ones between them — five between the two extreme bastions, and six between the two central ones. At the south-eastern angle there is a casemated tower, similar to those over the bastions in front of the gate-ways. It is redan-shaped, however, having a front looking south and one looking east, thus presei-ving the symmetry of the most striking looking features of the wall* >

On my way back, I walked along the bank of the ditch on the syle next to the Chinese city, and was assailed with the cry of Quait-si (foreign devil) from an

* At a subsequent period I measured tbe top of the wall on the south face of the Tartar oity^. Between the outer and iuner parapets it is forty<e4(ht feet. The outer parapet U six feet high, and two and a-half , 'f^t thick ; the embraeure^ being one foot and a-lialf wide, and throo deep. The inner parap^ wall la three feet high, and one foot and a half wide ; making Ihe tdtal f^i^kness of tbe wall at the top fifty>two which gradually inortaaea Wards its baae*.

r

(J8 PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch. III.

urchin. A respectable-looking man, who happened to be passing at the time, immediately corrected him for his want of politeness, and made him desist. I may also here mention, that this afternoon, as Messrs. Wyndham and Adkins were riding near the An-ting gate, the former was struck on the head by a stone, which, however, did not hurt him, as it glanced off his hat. It was thrown by a boy, to whom they gave chase, and a caning, on coming up with him.

To-day occun*ed an amusing illustration of the re-spectful tendencies of another class of the Pekingese towards foreigners. A water-spaniel, called Charlie, a fine old dog, belonging to Mr. Bruce, has attached himself to Mr. St. Clair, and frequents his room. This morning his Chinese servant was endeavouring to ex-plain to him something connected with the movements of a gentleman that he denominated “ Cha-ta-lowya ; ” and it was some time before it occurred to Mr. St. Clair that it was the dog Charlie he meant, which it turned out to be, the literal rendering of the words being, His Honour Charlie,” who, by the way, is be-ginning to be known in the streets of Peking by the name of the foreign wool dog.”

I ascertained to-day that the canal Vjrhich runs down the centre of the street in which the Lesng-koong-foo stands, is the Yu-leang-ho, or Imperial grain-bear-ing liver, being the canal by which grain used to be brought to the Emperor. It enters the wall of the Imperial city and runs up to the palaoq. It com^ municates with the Cha-ho, or River of Locke (canal), that joins the Fei^ho at Tung-(how. It j^t^

Ca. m.] FOOT-SHUTTLBCXKJK PLATED BY ADULTS. C9

the city hy passing Under the south -wall, like a vast drain,

April 5th — I availed myself of the beautiful dear weather, and walked down a street running parallel with the south wall of the Imperial city, until it intersected the main street in the eastern division of the city. Taking a course down the latter, I came to a section of it entirely devoted to saddlers’ shops, in which large chs-plays of all kinds of saddlely and harness were exposed for sale. I passed several extensive funereal establish-ments, and some gunsmiths’ shops, where matchlocks were in process of being mad& At the time, the work-men were engaged smoothing and rounding the bore, which was effected by a laborious process of working a hand-drill down it About two miles to the north) this street is intersected by another, which runs to .the south gate on the eastern face of the city. On reaching the gate 1 found the building near the inner gateway covered with scaffolding, and in course of being re-decorated. This is supposed to be connected with the return of the Emperor — the gate in qi^ion being the one that he would probably have entered by, had he carried out his intention of coming back to Peking. In other respects this gate and its defences are the same as those described on the southern aspect

Sjitandiirg in a circle under a verandah in the main street, I noticed a party of adults amusing themselves p^s^og at a spedes of sbatdecock vidth their feet.

playthi'^ poosisted of 'apiece of metal about the dze of a hi^^nny, odydced with leather, from which tome feathen prt^ecifl, as they do ffora a shuttlecock,

70

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. III.

This moved steadily through the air, and was kicked from one to the other with remarkable skill and agility, seldom, if ever, falling on the ground.

ApHl 6th . — I rode out this afternoon towards the west side of the Tartar city, and took a course through one of the narrow streets near, and parallel to, th(‘ south wall. Considerable numbers of people turned out to look at me, the district apparently being one in which the inhabitants had not yet become familiar with the sight of foreigners. As I reached a portion of the street near the back of the old Portuguese cathedral, I had a large stone thrown at me from behind, but by whom I was unable to make out. On striking the main street, running north and south, I rode up it until I came to the corresponding intersection that I followed yesterday. This took me to the south gate on the west face of the city, called the Pin-tze-mun. Here I was a good deal annoyed by a mob that assembled round me, composed chiefly of children, who shouted “ Wei-lo quait-si,” &c. Thinking it inexpedient to leave the spot as if. scared by the noise, I pulled up and faced the crowd, at the same time appealing by signs to some respectable, passers-by to stop the noise that the children were making, which they at once did, and succeeded in re-pressing it. I then passed on through the gate un-molested.

I was now outside the city, on its western side. The gate presents nothing different from the others that I have sequi with the exception that a considerable col-lection of water exists in thp ditch outside it Proceed-ing north, under the wall, there is a large suburb o^lihe,

Ch. III.] NOETH ASPECT OF THE CITY, 71

opposite side of the ditcL A mile and a-quarter further on, I came to the north gate, on this aspect of the city, called the See-cbe-mun. Between the two gates I passed six small square bastions, of the same kind as those on the south wall. I now rode on to the . north-western angle, which I found defended by a case-mated redan, similar to that seen yesterday at the south-eastern fimgle.

Turning this angle, I took a course along the north face of the city, between the foot of the wall and the ditch, where there is a good broad road. Between the north-west angle and the west gate (the Ter-che-mun), on the north face of the city, the wall takes a slight curve outwards, which is the only irregularity in its whole construction, and which would seem to have been caused by the builders having had to accommodate it to the curve of a small river which flows behind, and constitutes, in that portion, the north ditch of the city. At this part there is no suburb. I intended returning by the Ter-che-mun, but on getting near it I found I was on the wrong side of the ditch, and could not come up to it, owing to the road being interrupted by a broad drain that passed under the wall. I consequently had to retrace my isteps, and I re-entered the city by the See-che-mun, the most northern of the two western gates* Near here I overtook Mr, Wade, and rode home with him, taking a route to the north of the artificial hiH As we going at a slow pace along one of the an old mm wijh glasses on was atanding in front of a houses |ind he call^ ^ut to his friends inside to ont and nee the foreign devils. Mr. Wade rode

72 PUKING AND THE PEKINGESE.. [Ch.III.

up to him, and corrected him for applying such a dis-respectful term to us, informing him at tlie same time that we were not devils but ordinary men. The old gentleman denied having used the word, and the people assembled about him said that the expression was no doubt an objectionable one, and now that the old man is aware that it was one calculated to give offence, tho probabilities arc that he will not again use it. In pass-ing some houses near the Foreign OfBce, we had several iron cash thrown at us. They are a small coin, about the size of a halfpenny, and not appreciated as currency. They were issued during a scarcity of copper, and the issue occasioned great discontent. The coin conse-quently never got into general circulation.

While Mr. Gibson, who is an excellent Chinese lin^ guist, was riding in the city yesterday, a little boy called out “ Wei4o ” to him, so he stopped the boy, and explained to him that “ Wei-lo ” was not^ an English word ; and that, moreover, it was not one generally ap-plied in a complimentary or respectful sense; con-sequently, that it would be better for him, even at the risk of being misunderstood, in future to confine himself to the Mandarin dialect, than to attempt to use foreign words, the meaning , of which he did not understand. The crowd, that had formed round them while this conversation was going on, completely endorsed Mr. Gibson's views, and -repeated ♦his caution to the boy, in future to confine his observations to his own lan-guage. The word Wei4o*’ is an English corruption of the Chinese JSughrlo, to and originated amongst the soldiem during the fir^ China war, ^ce which time it

Ch. m.] OEIGIN OF THE TEEM WEI-LO.

7B

has become identified in, the minds of the Chinese with English, from being the word they most frequently hear foreigners make use of. The same word, Hngh-hy in the north of China is pronounced Chu-lo. In the south Li-lo means “ to come ; ” hence, with IIugh4o, the mixed corruption “ Wei-lo/* now generic in pigeon (business) English for "go’* " He make-oe wei-16,** mean? that the person has gone. '

April jtk — Visited some of the chief cury '^y-, shops, which are situated in a cross street iu the Chinese town on the right hand side, shortly after crossing the bridge in front of tht; "meridian gate.'* The collection of China, enamels, and jades, struck me as being very good, and, on the whole, superior to any that I have seen at Tien-tsin. In one of these shops there was a curious collection of arms, consisting of old swords, pistols, and fowling-pieces, of European manu-facture, some of them being of considerable antiquity. Amongst them, however, I observed a Coitus revolver, which it is probable is a relic of the disaster at Taku, in 1859. In one of the back ‘shops there was a ma-hogany case, containing a pair of handsomely got. up telescopes, marked "Arnold, London.** The whole of these curiosity-slfops have courts, from which back shops are entered, where the more valuable articles are kept. These court-yards are all car^ully closed in overhead, either by stout wooden ^rs, or ty open wirework, qf^yeted^over with Utile bells, which give immediate ^ the presence of robbers. The display oi enaijoiels was conidderable,’ cCnsisting of vases, boxes, OAlidles^icks, ii^tjense-bumers, cups, jars, basins, jugs^

74

PEKIKa AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. Ill*

&c. Almost all these articles existed also in the form of bronzes. These shops contain a large atnount of valuable property, and very high prices are asked for ornaments in jade, rock-crystal, and agate.

A'pril Sth . — Last night, about ten o’clock, we were disturbed by sliouting, beating of gongs, drums, and bamboos, as if the town was in a state of general in-surrection. An hour afterwards, these noises were followed by heavy firing, which continued for some time. This morning^ again firing recommenced at eleven o’clock, and a succession of volleys were fired with gi'eat precision. On inquiring as to the cause, we found that it was a body of militiamen at drill in the neighbour-hood of the meridian gate, who, it appears, have been recently raised as a Peking Volunteer Corps, by a gentle-man of means of the name of Chout-soo-pay, and who, in consideration of the service thus rendered, has been invested with the rank of a Militia-General. It is to this gentleman that we are indebted in a considerable measure to many disturbed nights that we have had of late, though not altogether so, as the regular army> under Shung-pow, have been also having some mid-night drills at the south-western angle of the city* Walking this forenoon in the Chinese city, I saw a flock of about four hundred ponies driven like sheep by Mongolians, who are kndwn by their broad faces, sun-burnt countenances, and fur-trimmed caps. They ai*e distinguished at a glance from the Chinese and Tartars* One of the ponies got separated from the flock, and bolted up a wrong street, upsettingl^^a stall kept by an old man, a vendor of fruit and other edibles. He immet

Ch. m.] A MONGOLIAK DROVEE IN TROUBLE. 7^

diately seized by the bridle one of the ponies, on which a drover was mounted, and twisting the bridle round his hand, refused to allow the man to proceed until he was indemnified for the injury which had been done his propeity. The Mongolian appeared to understand the 3ause of his detention, but did not know what the man was saying, being ignorani of the Chinese language. With great coolness he pulled out his pipe, and, having lighted it, Isat (juietly on his pony smoking, having made up his mind to let events take their course. The Mongolian’s companions had all gone on in front, and he made no effort whatever to extricate himself from the grip of the old man, who held on firmly to the pony. I did not wait to see the result of. the affair. '

I rode in the afternoon to the northern end of the main street of the eastern division of the city, with the view of reaching the An-ting gate, which is the most eastern of the two northern gates, and the one before which the allied armies took up their position. On getting to the end of the street, I found that it did not communicate direct with the An^ting gate, but that it was netessary to turn westward, through sojne narrow streets, at no great distance from the north wall In one of these streets an old woman held up her finger to me, at first I thought in a reproachful manner, but I found that it was to attract my attention. She then, by signs, indicated suffering, and pointed to the neigh-bourhood of her heart; but whether her di8tr.ess was of pbysicid I cannot say. I gave her a trifle,, for which she displayed tmetjuwocal signs of gratitude^ which is. not sli^ays the cafee with the Chinese, what-

76

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. in.

ever they may feel, but rather the contraiy, as they are by no means a demonstrative people on the receipt of charity^ I was not long in reaching the An-ting gate, and passed out of it, its exit being on the eastern side of the bastion which fronts it, .Within the space en-closed by the bastion, a number of circular marks are seen on the ground; these are the remains of the trenches that were dug round the tents of the soldiers during the time we were in occupation of the gate, which, in general appearance, is the same as the other gates that have been described. There is a suburb outside of it, and the ditch in front of it is diy.

From the An-ting gate I rode on to the Ter-che-mun, the gate that I was unable to reach on the 6th instant. I found it to be the counterpart of the An-ting gate. Outside of it a good deal of second-hand saddlery was for sale, and, hanging upon a tree near it were two square wooden cages, each containing a human head, the remains of malefactors who had been executed for offences committed in the neighbourhood. Close by this gate the water which flows round the north-western angle abruptly terminates. On entering the %jity by the Ter-che-mun, on my way homewards, I found that the main street of the western divisi®n of the city does not proceed direct to this gate, as I thought, but termi-nates a short distance from it, like the cori^esponding street on the eastern side, amongst a number of narrow streets and lanes.

- April 9th — ^Last night again our rest was com-pletely destroyed by the clatter of gongs, bamboos, human voices, succeeded by prolonged flring,

THE TEMPLE OF THE SUN.

77

Oh. III.]

General Chout-soo-pay having had his volunteers out at drill. He appears to be a most active and energetic oflScer, the Lord Elcho, or Lord Ranelagh, in fact, of Peking.

Messrs. Wyndham, Adkins, and myself rode to the south gate on the eastern face of the city, our intention Deing to visit a small cainp which a few days pre-viously had been established in its vicinity, in connec-tion with t}ie anticipated return of the Emperor. On passing out of the gate, we crossed a running stream by a very good stone bridge, and found ourselves on a paved causeway in a crowded suburb, containing some handsome shops. This causeway is the paved road which proceeds the whole way to Tung-chow, up which Loid Amherst's Embassy was brought in 1817 to the gate of Peking, and then taken round the northern portion of the city to Yuen-ming-yuen, where the ‘ unsuccessful attempt at an interview with the Emperor was made.

The Temple of the Sun is situated immediately out-side this gate, to the south of the causeway. It is surrounded by spacious grounds, within hi^h enclosures, and is approached by a long avenue, ericlosed within walk ' We found the camp about two miles from the gate, but evacuated, the troops having been withdrawn yesterday in consequence of the altered determination of the Emperor.

* On our return we rode round by the north of the ; law the apertures which we formed in the

walb ;^ the Temple of the Barth for the siege-guns, ^ ' when they were placed in for the breaching pf

78

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch. HI. ^

the wall near the An-ting gate. About half way between where our siege-guns were placed and the wall, the earthworks are still standing where the French rifled field-guns were in position. At the north-east angle of the city there, there is a casemated redan, as at the other angles. As we were passing through the town, we met a train of carts, each one flying a small yellow flag, on which was inscribed, in black characters, On the business of the Emperor.” These carts were apparently conveying stores to Je-ho.

Ajyiril li)th — As I was going outside of the Legation this forenoon with Mr. Bruce, a respectably-dressed man and boy were standing near the door. They came up to us, and made the sign of the cross on their breasts, to indicate that they were Cliristians, and that con-sequently there was an aflSnity between us. This is not an unfrequent occurrence, and they often say Falancee (French), to indicate the particular congi'c-gation that they belong to. The Mahomedans, also, occasionally make demonstrations, as if they considered themselves allied to us in faith.

Ap'i'il lltL — ^Visited, with Messrs. Wyndham, Adkins, and Gow, the Lama Temple, which stands on the opposite side of a large parade ground, near the suburb fronting the An-ting gate. This temple is of gi-eat extent, and is beautifully situated within high walls, and shaded by groves of trees. It consists of a series of subdivisions, side by side, each again divided into ’ courts, running north and south. It is conducted on principles very much resembling a monastery, one hun-dred and four priests, under one head priest, residing on

Ch. in.] THE GREAT LAMA TEMPLE. 79

the premises. They are all Mongolians, and are dressed in yellow robes and hats, the latter turned up with fur, and surmounted by a crimson silk knob, exactly the same as that worn by the Prince of Rung in lieu of a button.

The first temple we entered was beautifully decorated with rich carving, gilding, and painting. There were three chief figures, each with an altar before it, on which stood an incense-bunier in the centre^ on each side of it a vase coxitaiiiing gilded flowers, and at the extremes candlesticks were placed. Each of the three figures had a white scarf hanging over the forefinger of the left hand. On the sides of the three principal altars there were two smaller ones, with figures behind them ; ?iud on both sides of the building, in porches, were four other figures, decorated with lotus leaves. Inside the apartment there were several drums, bells, and gongs. This temple is situated in the court, on each side of the entrance to which there are two small pagodas, with a grove of trees on each side, in the rear of which are lateral buildings. The temple is ascended by a flight of marble steps, and the outside of it presents some handsome wood carving, consisting chiefly of circles with dragons inside them." The cor-nice work outside is covered with netting, to keep the birds oflf it* The roof of the chief temple is painted yellow ; the others axe bright green. The wall of the enclosure is painted red, with a white cornice and green tiling. On the roof of the chief temple th^. is a large bell-shaped ornament. In the rear of ibis temple tfa^e is m extensive range of buildings, forming three sudes of a i^q^e.

80

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. m.

Leaving this court-yard, we passed through several others, containing temples similar to that just de-scribed, which it would entail endless repetition to attempt to particularise; at length we came to the western extreme of the Lamasary, where the Temple of Fecundity is situated. In the lower portion of this building the horses of the Military Train were stabled while the army was before Peking. In the upper part of it there is a long room, with the ceiling elaborately painted. Here were the remains of five altars, with three large black marble slabs behind each of them, making in all fifteen, the inscriptions upon them being Mongolian. On these altars there were indecent groups. To this chamber none had access but the priests attached to the temple. The whole of these altars were destroyed by order of a military officer, before the army withdrew fi-om Peking. That the pro-ceeding was either a warrantable or judicious one is doubtful. The more sensible course would have been to have locked the apartment up. Such a display of iconoclastic zeal and rude missionaiy labour did not form a portion of our object in being before Peking.

In front of the Temple of Fecundity there is a very fine marble monument to a Grand Lama. It is about forty feet high, and represents a cglosSal vase, having a pagoda at each comer. The vase is supported on gilded sculpture, representing the lotus leaves. It is ascended by two teiTaces, the lower one being formed of yellow and green glazed bricks, arranged alternately^ to giyo variety of colour, and also so ae to leave an (^n'ipane between each. Th^ upp^ terrace is of marble^ and is

Ch. mj RUMOtTR JlB to THE ElitPEROR’S HEALTH. 81

ascended by a flight of steps of the same material^ at the base of which is a handsome marble commemorative arch, or ''pai-low,” as such arches are called in Qiinese. At each angle of the enclosure, in front of the monu-ment, there are two large marble slabs supported on the backs of tortoises.

A report is in circulation amongst the Chinese that the Emperor is so ill that cerecloth and other vestments used for the dead have been sent for from Je-ho. It is not probable, however, that this is the case, as no mention has been made at the Foreign Office of his state being one of danger at the present time. There U no doubt that he is in feeble health, and completely in the hands of the war party, consisting of eight of the Imperial princes of the blood, as they called, two of whom are brothers, the younger one being Su-shu-en,^ the chief favourite of the Emperor.

Colonel Neale goes regularly every afternoon over the expenditure for the day connected with the works, on which, at present, upwards of five hundred artisans are employed. He systematically checks the different items which Ohoon, the builder, fumishes^^in Chinese,

♦ Su-shii-eii is one of the Presidents of the Board of Revenue ; and, vhen last in Peking, he received a present of some champagne from General Ignatleff, the !Amhaasador, prior to his return to St.

Petersburg. Su-shUn^ portion of the wine to the Emperor,

but ue^leeted tb furnish Ae necessary instmctlous with regard to omk out. ^It^en some of the wine was ordered to be placed wore Ute Emperor, the imperial bntler, being at a loss how to extract "the botUh on u ntove, snd ^ result of course was an ox-

pla ^<^yfjte h i^anaed oon^det^ble alarm in the oeleetial household, dNPw' lunaM^ net amended adth more serious oonsequenccs.

^ reached Hr. Adkins' ears the winter, whtahd vas at tlte eapHah

82

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Oh. hi.

and See-on-tee translates into Pigeon English, On reltuming this evening from the Lama temple, I found the Colonel engaged with See-on-tee and Choon, going through the day’s accounts 5 a most laborious under-taking under the circumstances, particularly as they are all calculated in Peking cash, which the Colonel has to reduce into a form of expenditure that will be intelli-gible to Her Majesty’s Government in England. The currency of Peking is peculiar, the cash there assuming a nominal form like the Teas in the currency of the empire of Brazil. At present fifteen thousand Peking cash, called ** ching-chien ” go to the dollar. The ma-terial currency of the capital consists of paper notes and large-sized copper cash, of which seven hundred and fifty are worth one dollar. ‘ The ordinary cash coin of the Empire, ffuch as are m common u, 4/t Canton and Tien-tsin, are not in use at Poking. Peking copper cash make a tee-ow, and consequently

make a dollar,

ApHl — The news thi <5 inoiilihg is, tli, . the

town of Fung-whang-chung, about a hundred and Ihirty miles from Je-ho, has been taken by the Nee-en-fay, or rebels in that neighbourhood. A report is also current that Mien-pay-lin, a native of Shan-tung, and a man of considerable ability, has joined Ibe insuiTectionists in the province of Shensee.* He formerly distinguished himself as a general officer under Shung-pow. Tsoon-Iiuen has been directed to bold himself in readiness to

* Those loeal rebels, it is as well to state, have no oonnectlan With

the Taefings, who are altogether distinct, and now confined to the neighbourhood of the Yang-tse-kiang.

Ch III] SHOPS IN THE CHINESE TOWN 83

proceed to Tien-tsin to negotiate a treaty with Count Eulenbergh, who is shortly expected to arrive there as the envoy of Prussia.

Walking in the Chinese town with Mr. Gibson, we visited several of the shops, and weie annoyed by crowds following us into them and surrounding tho door Here, as at Tientsin, the owneis are perfectly helpless as to the means of expelling them The oxpla-t nation of which is, that if any foicible mode of eject-^ ment was adopted, the party or paities against whom it was dnected might go to the Yamun (the official leaidence of the mandc'nn of tho district) and make^a comphiint to the mandjnn or his chief follower, who between them migld make use of the complaint as a ground for bqln^ ^ ig money) fiom the shop^

^'<^cpej Thib tKo ^ 3^i;c»swoll kuow , and they will /n'' » " amotfivi < ^ Kinoyancc, such as that which

> «.rs 0 toie<gners cutting then shops, rather than take any steps which night affoid an excuse for a com^ plaint King lodged against them at the Yamun, The imn -vhau, ir mandarines head-man, is generally a peiv son of great influence with his chief, and Accompanies ^ \kim whoever he goes. Not unfrequently he la the ^ person who has lent the mandarin the money which has ' enabled him to purchase his official position

Amongst the shops we went into was that of an apo^ thecary. I asked Mr, Gibson to inquire a» to whether smafl^^pox was prevalent at the present time. In place of fiDfnifiiung any iifformation on that head, the apothe-eaiy, an fiwj^ive, shasrp little tmh with a pair cf huge on, pigKiceeded to ua the xemediqis that

e %

64

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. in.’

are eiaployed in its treatment. These consist of a large hlue oleaginous-looking bolus, not unlike a lump of indigo, which has to be swallowed, and immedfiitely afterwai’ds a decoction of thyme-leaves taken. The bolus was rolled up in one piece of paper, with the directions on the back, and the thyme-leaves were similarly enclosed in another piece, the two being neatly folded up in an outer wrapper, containing a shoi-t treatise on the class of diseases for which these parti-cular remedies are found efficacious. The shop was nicely fitted up, and several assistants were busy dis-pensing the prescriptions that were coming in in con-siderable numbers. There were about two hundred bundles of wrappers arranged over the counter, each wrap^r having printed on it the class disorders that the medicine it contained is a cure for.

A'pril 13tA.. — Mr. Bruce paid his first business visit to the Prince of Kung. The affairs discussed related (hiefly to the misconduct of the Tantm of Amoy, who is stated to have been conducting himseff a little after the old Canton fashion; amongst other things, when ordered by the Viceroy of the province to promulgate the treaty of Peking, cutting it in halt and pasting it on the wall with the hinder part ft(8t, so that it could not be easily read. The Prince ea^ressed himsetf very reasonably, and said that measujes would be ,ad(^ted to have the matter inyest^ated, . . Kweidis^, Wan-ee-kngi Tsotm-Luen and imsre ^ present at

the .interview.

I'^-rlHsiCtisting wiihll£r. Wade this mancilQig the pi^hdHhjiiM {^theO^laeae Qcyeihn^nt couidni^ti^

85

Calm THB IMPEEUL HTOTrNGMJEOTTNDS

*

to act up to their recent treaty obligations, he stated that, as the Confucian philosophy does not require those who profess it to keep engagements that have been extracted from them by force, should they believe them to be wrong, hence, that in course of time, should they continue to view the terms of the treaty in that light, a certain amount of uncertainty must exist in respect to their keeping to them, when fairly relieved from the overawing influence of a military occupation such as now exists at Tien-tsin.

Apyil — ^The weather continues to be fine, but

the sun has now become very powerful This fore* noon I was consulted professionally by three of the Chinese employed on the premises, amongst them Koung, Mr. Wade’s teacher, one of the most learned and best read men in Chinn, but who has heretofore been unable to pass for his degree, owing to peculiar views he holds in reference to the inteipretation of certain obscure points in the classice. •

In the afternoon I rode with Messieurs Wyndham and Adkins through the main street (#the Chinese city, and passed between the temples of Heaven and A^culture to the central south gate of the town. From here we went into the country in a southerly direction for a couple of miles, proceeding along a fine broad road leachng to the entrance of the Emperor’s hnnting-grounds. are enclosed witiiin forty miles of high

h)ri^ ^ innhber of deer, several

df wi^oh ^ w» l^getting pn the top of some sand-drilt tteef the ’UtiJli, whhflx enahled us to see into the 'ar(eih»;. |le«£ %r wooden cages w^

a6 PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. . [Cfl. Ill;

hanging up, each containing the head of an executed crimmal. The gate was open as we approached ; but as soon as we were observed, the people in charge of it came out and closed it, from the fear that we might ride in, and consequently get them into trouble. On returning we took a different route, and passed through a village where a fair was going on. Booths were erected along both sides of the road, containing shows and strolling theatricals. The street was very ei-owded, -and every assistance was given us by the crowd to enable us to pass. Not to incommode us, they struck a small tent that blocked up the way ; the truth being, that we were endeavouring to pass on horseback where horses were not intended to go, but which was acci-dental on our parts, as we were under the impression that there was abroad in that direction.

The gates of the Chinese city and its wall are inferior to those of the Tartar city. Each gate has a small case-mated structure over it, with two rows of seven ports in each, similar to those over the side-entrances in the bastions of the Tartar city. The bastions fronting the gateways of the Chinese city all open from the front. There are seven gates — ^three on the south fa^, a main gate on the east, and another on west, widi two supplementary gates on each side, called the eastern and western convenience gatea

I rode with Messieurs Wyndham and (3k)W into the oauntij) passing out by the Lip-pe^-mun, or western convenienoo gate of the Cldnese dty* After . roundfrig the nCrth-'Westem of the waJl we came ' upon Sh^-pow 'S cain|i| tntrenched m the neigtibour^.

Ch. IIIJ

SHTJNG-POW»S CAMP.

87

hood of a large ]^agoda, having a temple attached to it,

, where the general at present has his head-quarters* The soldiers are disposed in a series of small mud en-trenchments, within which their tents are pitched, and also some matting huts erected. The soldiers we saw were dressed in blue jackets with red borders^ the designation of the corps being marked on a circular badge worn on their chests fore and aft.

As we were returning home on the outside of the south wall of the Tartar city, a number of youths were amusing themselves amongst the sand-drifts that are common at the base of the wall, at athletic exercises, bearing however a strong resemblance to th^ feats of mountebanks ; their evolutions consisting of tumbling, jumping, throwing somersaults, &c.

April VJth — ^The wounded Tartars arrived this after-noon from Tien-tsin,* In the course of the day I walked into the Han-lin, the famous Imperial Academy of Peking, which immediately adjoins the Leang-koong-^ foo on its northern aspect. The building at present is not in use. It consists, like the moertf of the other public institutions, of a series of courts, one behind the other, each court containing offices in the form of three sides of a squard. I walked also with Mr. Adkins past the principal public boards, the only one that

* Th^se w€re fK>iad wounded men who had fallen into (m hands < tho campaign 9n Pei-ho, and who had been under medical

' •trea£^4aij|||f^ ^n-liein during the winter. On being cured of their wtmhdfl^v And imd6rodaa.]^yfd^^ the nature of their in-

juriet|fc^t$6d ui& they wero split to Peking, with the view of being : hnndM dvjeir JBrnce td. &e fhinpse Governmenti and by the

88

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE,

[Ch. in.

displayed signs of life being the “ Board of Punisb-meuts,” with its chain across the door,^nd about which there seemed to be a good deal of stir. The other Boards that we saw were those of War^of Public Works, of Revenue, of Civil Rights, the Imperial Horse Depart-ment, the Astronomical College, the Medical College, and the Imperial Clan Court.

An attempt at squeezing has occurred in the Lega-tion, under the following circumstances. Mi-. Bruce lately engaged the services of a Pekingese named Mung as a tutor ; and for the last two or three days has made him go round the works with him, with the view of acquiring the Chinese terms for the things that come particulai'ly under notice. Mr. Mung has taken advan-tage of this, and has been trying to institute the “ squeeze,” as it is technically called in China, on the plea of his being a person of influence witbin the Foo. The carpenters however determined to resist, and this morning reported Mr. Mung’s proceedings who, in con-sequence thereof, was threatened with dismissal by Mr. Bruce, which it is likely will have the effect of stopping any further attempts at extortion, the more so as the artisans, being now awaa-e that rt U not countenanced by superior authority, will not hesitate to report any similar attempts. ^

Admiral Hope, Brigadier Staveley, Oaptajn Corbett, B.N., and Consul Parkes arrived from Timlin this Admiral Hope and Mr. Parkos returned from a trip up the ^ 4^^

Ha^ii^kow^ six hundred frotu river. Ihe toip was a Vejfy iniorest^

Ch, III] MB. PABKES’ IMPBBSSIONS OF THE TAEPING8 8&

returned 'with a feeling of melancholy at the general desolation whic9^ has been caused by the rebel move-ment, and with impressions nut favourable to either of the contending paities, particularly to the Taepings, who, Hr. Parkes states, endeavour to copy the most ob-jectionable traits in the Impenalist character ; in addi-tion to which a sort of “ High Life Below Stairs ” farce is enacted, embracing the most absurd assumptions of dig^iity, with general licentiousness, blasphemy, and ob-scenity. The Reverend Isachar Roberts, an American missionaiy, is at Nanking, walking about in a yellow robe, as a retainer of the Tee-en-wang, or "Heavenly King ” (as the rebel chief, Hung-see-eu-tsoon,* styles himself), by whom he is merely tolerated as a person that he has known formerly, and for whom he has some kindly feelings remaining. Mr. Roberts possesses no in-fluence whatever with the Tce-en-wang, and on the last occasion of his being granted an interview he was made, much to his disgust, to kneel before bis heavenly majesty. This lunatic monarch (for such he would really seem to be) is 'waited on only by women, no males being allowed to approach him > bigamy, with general immorality, is said to bo the prevailing institution of the Court ot Nanking. The followmg rhapsody has lately appeared, m the form of a prodamation, from the Tbe-en-wang i —

** To the Kings and High Officers, ^ Boards of Con-

^"1^, and the Ferngners in and out of China through-out the ivotld, fltr foil informalion.

^ ^TbafOeghont heavduf and earth the SSre Ckd is every-

afl things in sia days with

00

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE

[Ch. hi.

mighty hand, Shangti and Christ are now in the world. T4ie Sire is head over all thinj^, and has made myself and son lord in his heavenly kingdom. Shangti^s heavenly kingdom extends everywhere, and is perfect They who reverence Shangti will ascend to heaven, and will concentrate in one world, one family, all united in one.

'"Fonnerly we established three regulations, now we add three more The Father Sire laboured six days, and we now give you six regulations. 1st regulation is mutually to reverence the heavenly grace and love. 2nd regulation is to pay tribute to heaven in way of duty. ‘Srd, to reverence heaven and not assist the Yans (Imperialists). 4th, while anchoring tempora-rily, do not encroach injuriously. 5th, at night do not stealthily go about in your boats. 6th, as to prohi-bited goods, do not offend against the prohibition (by smuggling).

"In addition to the true regulations (alluding to a former proclamation), we have added six more, making altogether nine.

"Now do not in the least turn away your back upon Ya-ko-chum and Yan — GoiJ, Christ, myself, and son — who illuminate all places as one body»politic, benevo-lently harmonizmg them for ten thousand times ten thousand generations. Of this proclamation publish many everywhere, even among western foreigners.

"From the Throne.

The eleventh year of the Heavenly Father, Heavenly Brother, and Heavenly King^s Great Peace, Heavenly Emgdoin, 1st Koon and 27th day (March 7th,

CHAPTER 4.

CHAPTER IV.

Hanpr.Ri rifiith Mr. Parkes — Extracts from Peking Gazettes — Disci-* pUnelii Slmng-pow’s arfny — The Russian cemetery and graves of the prisoners — Translation of a decorative painter's estimate Tor rc'ombelliahmg the Leang-koong-foo— Pekingese propriety — Ad^ mirol Hope’s visit to the Prince of Rung— Marketing under dif-ficulties — The southern entrance to the Palace— Details connected with the “ wounded Tartars’* — The pedlar of Pa-lee-chow— Chinese gratitude— Illustration of the Taoll of the lower orders — Visit Hang-Ki at his private residence — The numerical strength of the Taeplngs — Approaching evacuation of Canton — Visit to the hills called the She-shang beyond Peking— Cliinese bannermen— A private burial-ground, and appreciation of literary distinction — Details connected with the “Eight Great Temples** on the hills — View from their summit— Canton news — Peking carters* quarrel — Boggaris address — Hang-Ki’s views on diet and longevity — The Peking College of Physicians — The Censorate — Information respecting the fate of Captain Brabazon— Excursion to the Azure Cloud Monastery*’ — Remains of Yfien-ming-yuen — The “summer hat/* and circumstances under which it is worn.

A'prU 20<A. — ^Thia morning early, -Hang-Ki called and had an interview with Mr. Farkes, with whom he was intimately associated during the troubles both at Canton and Peking. In the course of the day Mr. Wade visited the Prince of Kung at the Foreign Office, far the purpose of arranging an interview with Admiral i^ppe. The first question the Prince asked was — " Is ite Stay here V He fecoaed relieved on being

told Utat he was not. The; interview is to be merely one of a oompfimentary ^araeter, and it has been fixed ^ 4a^$aa«r to-morrow;

92

PEKING AND THE PI^feINGESE [Ch.IV.

The following items of news have appeared in some of the late Peking Gazettes : —

The Literary Chancellor of the province of Keang-soo memorializes for permission to return to Peking, on the ground that militaly operations render it impracti-cable for the usual competitive examinations to take place. The Emperor is of opinion that the oflScial in question can find plenty of work to occupy him in the province to which he has been appointed, and remarks that things would come to a pretty pass if the literary chancellors were all to request leave to return to Peking on account of the proximity of warlike operations. He therefore peremptorily rejects the prayer of the memorial. In an edict, the Emperor calls upon the governors of provinces and other officials to exercise great care and discretion in their nominations for office and recommendations for promotion, on the grounds that the prevalence of maitial law and the disturbed state of the provinces in general render it necessary that none but men of unquestionable ability should be employed. The Governor-General of Pe-chee-lee com-plains of certain officials who have not provided the required funds for the pay of the militaly, and requests that rewards be bestowed on others who^have made the proper distributions. Tsing-shing, Acting-Governor of Shan-tung, recommends numerous changes, on the grounds that the men are unsuited for the duties at places to which they have been ai^inted. The Em-peror directs the^ suggestions of this official to be earned out The 3Board df Bites memorializes to inquire whether the Prince of the tributary afcate, Corei^.^

Oh. IV] I>lBCaf|p!^aft'mTOO.I'OW’8 AEMY

arriving at Peking, is to follow His Imperial Majesty to Je-ho, in conformity with the precedents set in the case of the Prince of Annam, in the 55th year of Kee-en> lung, and again in the 8th year of K^king. Lee-hung-tsew, a native of Soo-chow, is appointed tutor to the heir of flie throne, who is about seven years of age, and is now duceted to commence his studiea The soil of Woo, the Taou-tai of Shang-hai, is recom-mended for promotion, on the grounds partly of his own activity, partly as a recognition of the distinguished services rendered during the past year by his father to the Imperialist cause in supplying troops with foreign eannon and other munitions of wan and particularly for his heroic defence of Shang-hai against the Taepings in August, I860.

In the afternoon I rode with Brigadier Staveley to Shung-pow’s camp, and looked at the different en-trenchments, which are about twelve in number. They had huge giugaUs shoved through circumscribed holes in the parapet between the embrasures, so as to afford complete protection to the mou firing Ahem. We met. , a company of soldiers outside mmrching. They were wmed with long qieaxs, Two ofiSoers were riding in front, and ene'^behind. The latter came up to us and gave ns a fideudly salutation, intimating at the same time that he was a Mahomedan, and consequently to ^ in impression, as already men-

fhat sAOsaa very common in this part of the comatiy. The diacijtine of this corps seemed some-•hati loose, aa in iisareli|ng past, severe of the soldime “^.^ildh-ohined’' uki and as soon as it was noticed that

H ich. IV.

the officer was in conversation with the foreigners, the whole company halted, and several of them left the ranks and came up to hear what was passing,

April 21sfc — ^Brigadier Staveley, Captain Corbett, Mr. Wyndham, and myself, visited the Eussian ceme-teiy, which is situated a little north-w#st of the Anting gate, 4 at no gi*eat distance from the Great Lamasary that we visited on the 11th instant In an enclosure, by themselves, there are five graves, of a somewhat angular shape, covered over with cement and painted blue. These are the graves of Lieutenant Anderson, Private Phipps, Messrs, de isorman and Bowlby, and Surgeon-Major Dr. Thomson.* A memorial-stone, of white granite, is placed over the graves, bearing the following inscription : —

“ Sacred to tho memory of Captain Brabazon, Eoyal Artillery; Lieutenant R B. Anderson, Fane's Horse; Private Phipps, 1st Dragoon Guards ; W. de Norman, Esq., Attachd to H. B. Majesty's Legation; T, W* Bowlby, Esq., and eight Sikh soldiers, who were treacherously seized in violation of a flag of tru<5e, on the 18th of September, 1860, and sank under the inhuman treatment to which they were sulgected by the Chinese Government during their c^tivity***

The expediency of having worded this record In terms calculated to excite feelings ef permanent ani-mosity towards the Chinese Government, with Vrhop we are now at peace^ and deidrous of remainS^ for the

^ Dr, IStomson veil known as the author of a work on Ifsw Zealand* He died anddsinly, a few days before tba amywf&dtew fromPekini^

Sketched by Geo. Hu^h AVyndham Esq. Fa^'c iH, Vol-

CHiYi

future on terms ’ISf aAity, appeara^to me to admit of being questioned.

The cemetery is looked after by some Chinese em-ployed by the Russian Mission* While Captain Corbett and Mr. Wyndham were sketching the graves, Brigadier Staveley and myself went and sat down in the house near the gate, where the Chinese reside* We found four females outside, two elderly ones and two young ones. Tliey all smoked little metal pipes, with long wooden stems. Two pipes wore filled afresh, and offered to us. The Brigadier took one, and found the tobacdo to be of a very mild flavour. Observing a rehgious print on the wall, we crossed the room to look at it, immediately on which one of the women pulled from her bosom a i-osary, with a crucifix attached, to which she pointed with great devoutness. Our interview was abmptly terminated, owing to our horses, that had been loft at the gate, having broken loose and attacked a Tartar pony that was passing. After 5ome difficulty we succeeded in rescuing him from the excited chargers, who were making very free with his mane and tail* ^

The day was very hot and sultry. We rode over to the ^Lamasary, and took a hurried look at it. On the way back w5 passed a number of* soldiers practising with their matchlocks at targets placed against the bastions on the outside of the city wall The alterations and repairs of that portion of the Xioang^koong-foo whereat is intended the members of the Legation shaK reside are speedily progressing, and that particular part now goes by the name of Legation

^ [CH.rv.

Court. The question of the redecoration of the fronts of the buildings after the Chinese style, is at present under discussion, and estimates have been furnished by a number of painters. The following is a copy of one of them, translated by Mr. Gibson ; —

Estimate of the expense of repainting and varnish-ing the south and west faces of five rooms of the ‘ great building* — the north and east faces to remain un-touched.

"The six large pillars on the south front must be scraped down to the surface of the wood, then rubbed with * oil-wash’ ; next, * five coatings of lime-wash * must be applied, a coating of hemp-stuff, brickdust, and raw " Tung oil * one coating. Next rub on the coating of fat, then apply one coating of Kuang, i.s., prepared ‘ Tung oil* ; and lastly, finish with one coating of ver-milion oil. Four sides of the inner pillars must be scraped, greased, and repaired (if any flaws exist), then covered with one coating of Kuang oil.

"The window-sills, door-posts, door-wings, and in-terior woodwork of the five rooms (ceiling, &o., excluded), in addition to scraping, greasing, and repairing, must be lime-washed, painted, covered first with one course of Kuang oil, and next with one course of vermilion. Eaves, including upper surface of f)illars^ supports, interior supports, smaller supports, and eave cross-posts, to be decorated with gold.

" On the west face, the superior woodwork, in addition to being scraped, greased, lime^washed, painted hlue and green, as formerly, to be decorated with g^d edge and ‘large drops’ (the pillars to be gold), but the

Ch.IV] DBCOEATIVB PAINTBB*S ESTIMAtB.

97

upper xind under surfaces of the inner * eave-boards ' to remain as before. The projections to be painted blue and green, a«#A)rmerly. The outer surfaces of the white posts under the eaves, together with the tiles on the west face of the building, in addition to being scraped and greased, are to be painted green ; while the upper beams of the eaves are to be washed and painted, and then varnished with a course of Kuang oil, and lastly covered with a coating of vermilion. The ends of the small rafters to be painted blue and gold, and orna-jnented with dragon’s eyes and pearls. The upper rafter (next the tiles) to bo green and white, and to have gold edges, and to be embossed, then to receive a coating of oil The ends of the tiles to be washed and oiled with vermilion oil. On the western face the upper supports of the eaves, in addition to being scraped and washed, to be oiled with Kuang oil, and then finally to receive one coating of vermilion oil.

‘"The sum reqxiired for the whole undertaking amounts to one thousand and fifty dollars, Mexican.”

This estimate was furnished by the Government contractor, recommended by Tsoon-Luen, and no doubt it has been prepared with a fair margin to admit of squeezing; as angther estimate, sent in at the same time, by a painter named Chu, entered into similar details, and offered to do the work for seven hundred and fifty Mexican dollars.

42^ ^This morning Captain Corbett went

out, aecampanied by Ifi^arkes, to make a sketch of the ^Mendian Oatejjll^While he was so engaged, a crowd naturally him ; but in doing s0»

vdt. n H

98

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. IV.

the people were most careful in no way to incommode him. They looked on with the greatest interest. Two of the better class pressed through the crowd, and after having the picture shown to them, they declared it to be ** Che-fan-how,” an expression for the superlative degree, meaning ''ten times number one.” Captain Corbett expressed himself, on his return, as much pleased and struck with the good taste and decorum displayed by the people. He showed his sketches to the whole of them standing around ; and, while they displayed the greatest curiosity to see them, they were most careful not to touch them, for fear of soiling the paper with their hands. He showed them a sketch that he made yesterday of a Lama temple in the imperial city, not far from the palace, which they recognised at once, and seemed delighted with the accuracy of the representation.

Admiral Hope’s visit to the Prince of Kung took place to-day, as previously arranged. Brigadier Stave-ley went at the same time, and Mr. Wade accompanied them as interpreter. Captain Corbett and myself were also present, as well as Lieutenant Camac, of Fane’s Horse, who was in charge of a few sowars that accom-panied the Admiral as an escort frojn Tien-tsin. The same ceremonials were gone through as those which pcourred on the occasion of the two ministerial visits, and the same people were present. They were all in summer clothing, being now dressed in fawn-coloured silks, wdth their fans open'^in their hands. These, when not in use, are carried suspended from their girdles in elegantly-embroidered casei The snu!ff^bottle

Ch. IY ] ADMIRAL HOPE VISITS PRINCE OF KUNO. 99

and watch are suspended from one side. The chop-stick case, purse, and pouch containing their keys, hang on the other side — also the spectacle-case, when glasses ^ are worn. In this arrangement we see another instance of the contrariety of the Chinese customs to our own — we keep our portable articles in pockets inside our clothes — they wear theirs in pouches outside.

The conversation which passed at the interview; was entirely of a commonplace complimentary character, and the only observation I heard worth noticing was an expression of surprise on the part of the Prince, that the Admiral in appearance should so much resemble a soldier, the Prince evidently having some preconceived notions respecting the appearance and bearing of a British sailor, which the Admiral had failed to realise.* Admiral Hope and Brigadier Staveley return to Tien-tsin to-morrow.

April 2Srd , — At an eaidy hour this morning, Mrs. Reynolds went into the Chinese city, and made an attempt at marketing, after the Custom at home. She was accompanied by See-ou-tee; but her appearance attracted so much attention, and the crowd about her became so great, that the " little one ” veiy sagaciously hired a cab, in the shape of one of the ordinary covered carts, and brought her home in seclusion.

* A joiusal kept by one of the Ruseian Mission at Peking, during period the AUiee were in Tien-tsin in 1858, has lately been pub-lish^ 4t St Peterebm^gh. In it the author atatee, that amongst the impreseions the Chinese anthori^s at tlie time held of the English, one wes, that ware a vpry ^werfbl people afloat— a soit of maiine ' tncHusteri, in fiiot, who were weWooted, and consequently not much to be learod on i^Ort ; m they Faking Oovemment) were credibly in-fbciiMhAhat flhe sailolh like pengutna.

H 2

100

PEKma AI^D THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. IV.

Nejgr the Leang-koong-foo there is a side entrance to the palace ; walking in the neighbourhood this evening I approached the gate ; the keepers immediately came out and indicated that I could not pass through, but, on ^ perceiving that I merely wished to look into the interior, they invited me forwards, and took me to a division in the central gate through which I could see distinctly the front gate of the palace, at the end of the walled avenue leading up from neai* the Meridian Gate. It is reached by a marble bridge, on each side of which are two tall square pillars of marble, surmounted by lions. No one is allowed to cross this entrance, as I have already mentioned, and a circuit of about a mile has to be made before the corresponding part on the western side of the palace entrance can be reached. In the

WIVH A Bim-aoABiir OVAK WTIR Ain)

Ch. IV

WOUNDED TARTAB SOLDIERS.

101

course of my walk, I observed tlmt now that the sun has become strong the covered carts are provided with screens over the shafts, which protect both the horse and the driver from the sun and the rain. These screens are formed of blue calico stretched on a wooden frame, and they are supported in front by rods attached to the shafts. 1 also met a cart without wheels, with shafts behind as well as in front, and carried by two ponies ; an excellent idea it seemed to be for conveyance over ground unsuited to wheel transport.

Ayril — Mr. Bnice sent a memorandum this

forenoon to the Prince of Rung about the wounded

102

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Oh. IV.

soldiers that arrived from Tien-tsin on the 17th instant, stating that they have been until within the last few days in our military hospital, and that their wounds being now healed they are desirous to return to their homes, and have accordingly requested him to inform His Highness, so as to prevent any misapprehension as to the circumstances which have occasioned their absence.

I visited the men to-day with Mr. Gibson in the part of the Foo where they have been lodged and fed since their arrival. I ascertained the following items of information about them individually : —

ls|j||phing-sheng, a Manchu soldier of Je-ho. He was wounded in the left shoulder and right leg and foot at the action of Pa-lee-chow, on the 21st of September last. His , age is thirty-five. He has a wife and two children. His father and mother resided with him at Je-ho. The former is a bannerman, and the general rule is that, the sons of soldiers practise archeiy from an early age, until they have acquired sufficient pro-ficiency to admit of their being employed as soldiers when occasipn requires their services. He has been borne on the strength of the banner force of Je-ho since the age of nineteen, but has only been recently actively employed. His first service was under Sang-ko-lin-sin, against the rebels in Ho-nan, shortly before <mr defeat, at Ta-ku, in June, 1859. After that event, tfiere was every prospect of war, the force he belonged to was moved up to the Pei-ho, and placed: in ^ en-trenched ipamp at J’a-ku, in the rear of the forts^. With reference to this man, W^e toid me yester(ky that

Ch. IV.]

THE PEDLAR OF PA-LlJE-CHOW.

103

he talks excellent Mandarin, and has a good knowledge of writing. He therefore made proposals to him to stay here and take service with us. His reply was, that individually he would be very glad, indeed, to do so, but that in addition to having a wife and two children, he had ’ his father and mother living under the same roof with him at Je-ho, to be near whom he preferred sacrificing his more immediate interests ; in fact, that it was his duty as a son to do so, for which he took no credit.

2nd. Toor-lin, ^Mongol soldier of the Cha-har tribe. He was wounded in the right leg at the battle of Chang-kia-wan.. His age is twenty-one. By profession he is a small farmer, having some land and cattle of his own. He was called on to serve under the feudal system, which still prevails in Mongolia, and followed his chief to battle, whose name Was Shay. This man (Toor-lin) was found by Mr. Morrison five days after the action* He had been exposed during the whole of that period, and had had no sustenance, except a single apple.

3rd. Fan-tsin-tsai, a Chinese soldier, of the province of Shen-aee. He was wounded in the back and in the right leg at Pa-lee-chow* He is thirty-five years of age, and has served for seventeen years as a soldier. He was drawn by the Government for the army, and was previously an agriculturist, like the rest of his family. He has a wife and children, and, like the others, is very anxious to return home.

V Ma^yuk4o0, a Chinese, and native of the Nang-m the Tion-tsin; prefecture. He is a pedlar hj severefy wounded in the head at Pa^-

lee-ehoWy ^ hy one of the gikh

104 PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch. IV.

troopers before he could get clear of the village. He has attended the Mongol Toor-lin during the whole of his illness, which has been a severe one ; and as he is permanently lame, and has upwards of three hundred miles to go, he intends accompanpng him to his home, and then returning. He is a widower, and has no chil-dren ; consequently being without special local attach-ment, ho has been told that if he comes to the Legation on his return from Mongolia, he will be provided with employment, should it suit him to accept it. He goes by the name of t^e Old Pedlar of Pa-lee-chow, and he has proved a most kind and attentive nurse to his wounded comrades since his own convalescence.

After interrogating the wounded men, Mr. Gibson paid a visit to a Military Mandarin residing neju' the Anting Gate, to whom ho had ren/.ered some assistance during our occupation of the locality. This Mandarin's house was one of chose told off to be occupied by cur troops, but he could not persuade his mother to leave the house when the rest of iho family did, Sv hvj caihe to Mr. Gibson, who was with the army as interpreter, and begged that his mother m:g£t not be distui-bed. Mr. Gibson brought the circumstance under the notice of Sir Robert Napier, who commanded at the Anting Gate, and he humanely not only acceded to the Mandarin's request, but also directed a corporal's guard to be placed over the . house, so that the old lady might b^ taken care of, and protected from the plundering soldiery about For this act of consideration every gratitude was shown by herself and family on the army leaving, and the old lady herself insisted pn coming to Gener^

Ch. IV.]

CHINESE GEATITTJDE.

105

Napier, and in person conveying to him her thanks. Mr. Gibson, on the occasion of his present visit, was at once recognised, and received with gl^eat warmth by the family, consisting of the old lady and three married sons. The young ladies, their wives, came in with their children in their arms and sat down in the room, and repeated their previously-expressed feelings of gratitude* The fanfily would not allow Mr. Gibson to leave without some refreKshment in the shape of confectionery and Sliao shing-chin, a wine made from rice, which is usually drank warm dming th '^old weather.

April 25^A.--rFor the last few days I have observed a boy about the Legation gate in **aggcd clothing, who never solicits charity but seems anxious to earn a trifle by undertaking any little jcL, and will follow at a short ‘ distance all over the town hopes of a purchase being made, w'len he immedia^ comes and offers his Jervi^^'^s to curry it h^ This - du I noticed him Vnud^ of his ragged jacket, and lex ' Jng more than ir,i-ally cast down, Seeing me look at him, he made sigu5 that he had been ill-treated. I took him to Mr. W/xde, who kindly interrogated him as to lus grievance, which was, that his jacket, bad as it was, had been tofn from his back by a man, and that he dreaded going home lest his parents, who are vendors of fruit • near one of the city gates, should chastise him for the loss of his wearing apparel. On inquiring as to the value he on his jacket, he said three-twentieths of a tad, v^hich in d^glish money is about a shilling. I therefore eased his imnd on the score of Corporal punishment by givini^ him twice the, eeti^ted value of his jacket In

106

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[OiLlV.

the aftemoan I found him standing at the gate with a new jaoket on, and a letter from his parents, which Mr. Wade translated jfe follows : — ^''The father and mother of Lee-wan-see-ang, aged twelve years, common people of the Ta-ching-min-yen (Chinese nation), present their respects to your Excellency, and place their son at your disposal, should you wish to employ him.” This epistle gave so favourable an impression of the apparent re-spectability of the poor people, who, like their betters, have evidently their '^Taoli,”* that Mr. Bruce kindly authorised the employment of the boy on the premises, if any suitable occupation could be found for him.

At the request of Messieurs Parkes and Wade, I ac-companied them this afternoon to Hang-Ki s private residence, he having expressed to them a wish to avail himself of the surgical skill of the West. We found him occupying a very nice house in a street near the north-west angle of the imperial city wall. On our arrival he met us at the door, and conducted us^rough two courtyards to his reception-apartment, which was fitted up with great taste and neatness. The room is of oblong, shape, with two open partiticois, the upper „ pbrtions elaborately carved. These give the room a sort of division into three apartments.^ The central one, the dt)or of which opens on the courtyard, contains the official reception-seat, consisting of two cushioned seats, raised a little from the ground, and separated from^ach

Taoli, pronoimoed Tou-lee, means what in English wonld be ton-by some such expression as ** doing the correct thing/’ or tabiished ouatpm in like cases.” In Ohinfi there is a taoli for eveiy- . thing, and the unwillingness of officials to depart fcom this has consul-: tuted#ne of onr greatest ^ffioulties in dedii^ ^th

VISIT TO HANG-KI.

107

Oh. IV.]

other by a small table between them, on which tea is placed. The end divisions are fitted up exactly the same as the central one. At each end of the room there is an ebony sideboard with a clock on it, and pair of handsome vases. Between each of the windows a small ebony table is placed, with cushioned ebony stools on each side. On lateral side-tables the library is arranged, consisting of several thousand volumes. My attention was drawn to one set, consisting of four hundred and fifty volumes, which are the comments of authors during the present dynasty, on the Chinese classics. While we letter our books on the back and so airange them, the Chinese letter theirs on the end, and expose that part to view in their libraries. The walls of the room were decorated with drawings of birds, flowers and land-scapes. To some« of these Hang-Ki drew special atten-tion, stating that they were two hundred years old, and that they were all done by the tip of the finger and the nail, by ^ne of the most celebrated painters of the pre-sent dynasty. The execution is certainly bold and effec-tive, and the smalls birds neatly execu^d, the minute ♦lines apparently being done by the nail

Hang-Kx's ailment is not a very serious one, consist-ing of a superfi(Sal sore on his cheek, which he is in the habit of keeping in a constant state of inritation by ap-plyii^ Chinese unguents to it, the disuse of which I tecpininended, and prescribed for him some simple soon put him to rights. After the profesriohai business viras <^t, he made us sit down to a niceljr-|)®epar^ eiftertainment, wherein table-; forks, were introduced, so

108

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

LCh. IV.

that every facility might be afforded us of trying the variety of dishes that were introduced.

In conversation to-day with Mr. Parkes about the Taepings, he confirms a view I have held for some time, namely, that their numbers are much exaggerated; hence the difficulty attending the suppression of the movement is equally so. The fact would seem to be, that it is impossible to give even an approximate esti-mate of their real strength, inasmuch as, for instance, two thousand men start from one of their posts on an expedition against a town. On their way they are joined by all the rabble in the various villages they have to pass through, and thus, by the time they have reached the place they intend attacking, the force may have swelled to fifty thousand, the mass of whom have no feeling in common with the rebel movement, and whose only object in temporarily attaching themselves to it is the hope of plunder, on the realisation of which, or the contrary, they disband themselves, tl\p special mission on which they embarked being ended.

Mr. Bruce intimated to-day to tfie Prince of Kung, that, in consideration of the amicable spirit with which^* affairs are now being conducted by the Chinese Govern-ment, he has given instructions for the evacuation of Canton by the British forces, though the period assigned in the Convention of Peking for our retaining posses-aion of that city has not expired. Everything has gone on so satisfactorily during the allied occupation, that it is doubtful whether the Cantonese will hail our depar-ture with satisfaction, as it will be a source of consideiv able pecuniaty loss to thesm

Ch. IV.]

THE SHE-SHANG HILLS.

10 »

A'pril 26<A. — ^Messieiirs Parkes, Wyndham, Gtow, and myself, accompanied by two of the mounted orderlies, started at half-past six this morning on a trip to the lulls about twelve miles beyond Peking, called the ' She-shaug, or “ western mountains,” in search of some temple that would be adapted for a residence during the extreme heat that is believed to prevail at Peking during a portion of the summer. We rode through the Tartar city, taking a course by the foot of the “ Drum Tower,” and passed ou*t by the Ter-che-mun, or Western Gate, on the north face. Near here we -.met a number of bannermen returning from driU. They* were dressed in red jackets, with white borders, and were armed for the most part with matchlocks Some of them, apparently the field artillery section of the force, carried one largo gingall resting on each of their ahouldera Mr. Parkes put a few questions to them about their pay, which they said was nominally three taels a month (about twenty-one shillings), but that at present they were only receiving half that sum, wWch was not sufficient for their support' •

After rounding the north-west angle of the dty we took a westerlf^ course, and at once got into a beautiful country in general cultivation, and dotted at short intervals with little clumps of cottages, giving it very much the appearance of one vast detached At cmo the firat of these that we came to," a, Ih^ way from the <aty, was , a cage with a ^^head In if, frbn^ ihf branch of a tree, being

^%ejfe swg>Bp^,witb tito det^iing evil-doers

,16^ ||^ #e we ad(^ a*

110 PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch. IV.

home of erecting a figure in a garden to frighten away birds.

About this part of the country we passed several pagodas and Mahomedan monuments. To the left of the road a very neat enclosure attracted our attention, which Mr. Parkes ascertained was a family burying ground. Inside there were eleven tumuli, and over the gateway an inscription, recording the fact that one of the family whose remains repose within, named Kwang-lin, had in his time gained high literary honours. He was a doctor of laws, who forty-six years ago, at a public examination, stood one hundred and sixteen on the list ; which, from its being thus publicly recorded, we are justified in infeiiing must have been a great literary feat.

After we had got about four miles out of town in a westerly direction, a pagoda was seen, of considerable height, on an elevation near the base of the hills. This is the pagoda of Yuen-ming-yuen, situated on a small hill at the western extremity of the grounds; from its substantial construction, it completely resisted the efforts of our troops to set it on j^e, on the occasion of the burning of the palace buildings.

As we approached the foot of the hills we met a string of camels coming along the main road^ laden with coals from some mines about twenty miles distant. We observed dotted in terraces a long way up the mountain range, a series of buildings that we condi^ed were the temples we w^re in search of. We now diverged from^ the main road, and proceeded down the side of a water-course, which seemed a shorter way to the part of the >

Ch rv] THE “BIGHT GREAT TEMPLEa”

111

hills we wished to go to than following the road. In this rarvine we passed the remains of a human skeleton, consisting of the vertebrae and skull. We also met a native, with a large goitre, the first I have seen* in China.

We reached the foot of the hills at twenty minutes past nine. On the slope near whore we commenced to ascend them, or rather the winding passages running through their base, was a large biuying ground of a horse-shoe shape, formed by double lines of wall with an interval between them. At ten o’clock we come to a small Buddhist establishment a little way up the ascent. From the priest in charge of it we learned that the temples above it, extending tho whole way up this por-tion of the range, are eight in number, and that they were established in the days of the Ming dynasty, which terminated in 1643. These temples go by the name of the Par-ta-mee-ow, or “ the eight great temples.” Mr. Farkes made arrangements with the priest for the stabling of our horses, and for supplying them with food and water. After having had some'*tea with the priest, we commenced the ascent on foot by a wind-ing* pathway, under the directions of a respectable looking man from a small village in the neighbourhood, who offered bis services as gtiide, and in a short time reached the first of the eight great temples, called the ^bing-kwang-«he.

Tbis'tea^le ednsists of a soies of squares or court-yards, with two tqiecial baildiligs fitted up as places of worship wi‘& all the usttal paia|^hamalia of the Buddhist fidth; an4 as these presilG^ an efidleas yariety of design

112

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. IV.

and arrangement, I will describe some of them in detail as I proceed. In the first one we visited, in the rear of the altar, there was a large gilt Buddha, supported on eadh side by two figures in the standing posture, while sitting in a row at both ends of the room, there were nine figures, expensively dressed, representing benevo-lent-looking elderly men, one of whom was patting a dog. In a second place of worship, in a court at the back of the first one we entered, there were three female idols, each with an altar before them, on which the usual set of vases, candlesticks, and incense-bumer stood. The centre figure was holding an infant in her hands ; the two side ones were sitting on gilded lotus leaves. The figure on the left hand had sixteen arms ; the one on the right had eight. From the lower hands of both figures bundles bf artificial eyes were suspended ; the offerings, we were informed, of individuals who had been cured of ophthalmia through the aid of these goddesses.

These places of worship were handsomely decorated and in excellent order. The walls of the court-yard were covered with green creepers, trained neatly along the wall on trellis-work ; these plants, it is stated, bear neither fruit nor flowers. The non-sa<Jerdotal apart-ments of the temple were very clean and comfortably furnished ; so much so, that without inocmvenience %e could have taken up our residence in them. The windows were formed of lattice-work of ornamental ^ttern, cov^d with paper, each window having one large pane of glass about three feet lomr and two feet broad in its centra

Ch IV] PAGODA, TOMBS, AND INSCSlPTIONS.

113

In the front of the monastery there is a terrace, from which we had a fine view of the surrounding country. Attached to this establishment there is a pagoda about one hundred feet high. It is entered by a door thirty feet from the ground, reached by a flight of steps. The interior consists* of a small temple with an arched roof, the wall boing papered , the pattern consisted of a mul-tiplication of representations, in red, of a female divinity, which at a short distance gives the wall the appearance of being papered with large-sized penny postage-stamps. In this chapel there is an altar with a gilt figure sitting behind it, %ith a pair of smaller ones standing apart on each side, and again at right angles with them are two truculent-looking warriors, with spears in their hands, in attitudes of defiance. Pagodas of ^is nature are frequently attached to temples, and are supposed to keep away evil spirits, who are scared as soon as they see them, and at once retire from the neighbourhood, not daring to abroach where these pagodas are.

In an inclosed court near the foot of this pagoda there is a small grove of fir trees shading the tombs of three former priests of the temple. Each of the tombs consists of a square marble sarcophagus, raised upon a low square^ terrace, surrounded by a marble balustarada In some rocky structure to the rear of the pagoda there is a hollow, in which a divinity sits in irlatelj aolitude, n/ho is supposed to preside over water. Here and ^e(re, oa the face of ihe rock, inscriptions, coloured red» are cut CThiuese and Tibetan charac-ters. ^

Widle w rwre iuepe<rtSng4his portion of the monas-

lU AND THE PEKINGESE. [Oh. IV.

tery, a very clerical and respectable-looking Bonze (Buddhist priest), the chief of the monastery, came out and saluted us, after the manner of the priesthood, by approximating the two hands and then making a wavy curtsey. On learning that we were going to visit the other temples higher up, he oifered to have some refresh-ment prepared for us on our return, which we a^eed to accept.

This priest informed us that these eight temples are fashionable places of resort by the Pekingese during the hot season, and that the higher classes frequently come out and spend a few days at a time, combinlbg change of air, scene, and general recreation with the doing of a little joss pigeon,’* as religious worship is called in Canton English. Fashionables usually commence to come out about July, and the supplying them with fur-nished apartments constitutes one of the sources of revenue of the temples.

Immediately above this temple there is another, but this is an entirely distinct establishment. It is also situated on a terrace from which there is a fine view. It consists of a slightly undulating plain, covered with little clumps of cottages and trees ; the gateway towers of Peking, the palace, and the pagodas in its neighbour-hood being seen in the distance. This temple is much smaller than the one below, and is named the San-shang. One of the priests, to enable us better to ap-preciate the view, brcpght us an old telescope, bearing the maker’s name, "William ^hmore, London.”* The visitors apartments attached^ the temple were ako clean and comfortable. Ih one of th^ there wae a

Ch. IV]

THE TEI-SHEE TEMPLE

115

tablet over the door, whereby, by a peculiar arrange-ment of the paper, one inscription represented three, according to the side on which it was looked at. In front it was one moral sentiment, which changed to another when looked at from the right, and to a third moral sentiment when viewed from the left.

The next temple we visited is called the Tei-shee. A flight of st^ps leads up to the first court-yard, into which we passed under a painted archway From this court we ascended a second flight of steps, tern^inating in another terrace, where there is a place of worship or “joss-house,” on a somewhat extensive scale, with shrubs in glazed earthenware pots in front of it. In this joss-house there was one gilt divinity, of ordinary size, attired in a yellow silk robe, with a single figure standing on each side. At both ends of the room nine gilded figures were sitting The musical instruments consisted of a large drum, supported on the back of a wooden elephant, and a laige and handsomely-carved bell, about five feet high, suspended from a massive wooden frame, and sounded by being stmek on the outside by a wooden mallet. Behind this joss-house we found another, having an altar in front of a golA lotus tree, with little gilt figures springing out of the buds. Behind this'there was a second altar, at which gilt Buddhas were sitting on lotus leaves. On each side of these central altars there v^ere lateral ones with the cuetomaty i^plialrces for incense burnings

We now hsoended a third flight of steps, forming a portion of the same temple, and came to auother.ter-moe, cmt&Smng a court wi& a third joss-house in it

116

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. IV.

Here the presiding divinity was a goddess in gilt, with twenty-two supplementary arms arranged all round her ; making in all twenty-four with which she was provided. In each of her hands there were either weapons of offence or insigna of one form or another. This deity, we were told, was the Biiddha of a thousand eyes and a thousand hands. On each side of her were separate altars, on which several malignant-looking divi-nities wore sitting. In one of the apartments attached to this temple, I observed some Russian names, and the year 1832 scratched on the wall.

Leaving this temple, we continued the ascent up the mountain range, its steepness being materially lessened by the judicious Ynanner in which the pathway has been formed. On reaching the next temple, we found it to be Lung-tsoon-ngan, or Dragon Fountain Monastery,'' and which consists of a series of terraces similar to those we had just left. It is in exceedingly , good order, and very neatly decorated. The general arrangements were much the same as in the temples underneath. Within a court-yard there is enclosed a stone fountain, twenty |eet square, with a number of gold fish swimming in it, and the water dripping into it from the mouth of a dragon sculptured in marble. FrojU this court a flight of steps ascend to some buildings above ; the walls on each side of the steps being covered with a vine-like creeper.

The next temple we visited was a oondderable dis-tance up the hm, and it took us nearly half an hour to reach it The name it is known by is the Shang-kee^On-^ she, or. “ temple of the Fragrant Frontier," It is com-

Ch. IV.] VIEW OF THE PLAIN OF THE WEN-HO. 117

posed'of a series of terraces and joss-houses. In one of them I counted three hundred and ninety-eight small idols, in gilt metal, ranged on both sides of the wall at right angles with the chief altar, one hundred and ninety-nine of them being on each sida " These figures, Mr. Parkes ascertained, had been brought &om monas-teries beyond the Great \y^alL In the rear of the front temple there is an extensive range of buildings, the central one of which is a joss-house propitious to lecun-* dity. In the upper storey of this building there were a number of buxom female Buddhas gaudily painted. In an extreme apartment we found an altar covered with several scores of miniature tombstones or funereal tablets, formed of ebony, with gilt inscriptions on each. These were memorials of all the former priests that have belonged to this particular temple.

Adjoining the court containing the buildings just described, a little to the left, we came to another exten-sive range of buildings divided into court-yards ; one of them, overlooking the plain, and having a fine spacious verandah in front of it, being fitted up wfSi tables and seats for the accommodation of pleasure parties. From here the view was really magnificent ; the increased height we had reached having brought the Wen-ho into sight, a river that meanders through the plain between the mountains and Peking, and ultimatdy joins the Pm^o a little above Tien-tsin. In the court-yard of this iempia a nuiaber of waliuit and lilac trees were in flower. > ! , '

We n£Hv prooeeded to the temple furthest up the hill, whudx- is cfdl^ lite |!aonroho-toong, or “ the

118

MKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. IV.

Precious Pearl-spring.” It is ascended by a* steep ■winding pathway, formed into a sort of tortuous cause-way, which extends from the “ Dragon’s Fountain Temple.” From here, again, our view had increased in extent, the whole of the plain surrounding Peking Jying at our feet, as well as the mountain ascent and the temples we had previously visited.

From this temple a pathway has been formed by traveljers to the top of the “ Western Mountains,” and we completed our visit by making the ascent, and getting a view of the opposite side. On reaching the top, the first thing that attracted our attention was the backwardness of v^egetation, showing the severity of the climate at this height in winter. The view consisted of a beautiful valley, with the Wen-ho running through it, the mountains closing it in on every side. The hills in the neighbourhood are stony, and were covered with a scanty light brown grass. The greater part of the valley appeared to be under cultivation, ^^ts colour indicating soil that had recently been turned tip by the plough.

It was half-past ten o’clock when we started from the little temple at the foot of the hill, where we left our horses, and two o’clock exactly by the time we ^ reached the top of the range. A^r enjoying for half an hour the refreshing breeze and the view that, more than probably, any Anglo Saxon now saw for the first time, we commenced our descent, and in about an hour reached the temple where we had arranged with the priest to lunch. Hot water and coarse towels were immediately brought in frfr us to wash our foces and bands ; the Chinese ajqpiear to have an objection to

VIEW FROM THE PA-TA-MEE-OW, OR EIGHT GREAT TEMPLES ; PEEING IN' THE DISTAN'CF-

Ch. IV.] BTODHArfOF FIST, PRESENT, ANI)' 'PTJTERE 119

using cold water io the face when they are heated. After we had performed our ablutions, we found a repast prepared, consisting entirely of vegetables and Chinese maccaroni. About fifteen little dishes were placed on the table. Animal food is not eaten by the priests, hence they had none to offer us. The vege-* tables, hoyever, were cooked in various ways and very edible. The maccaroni was made into a sort of soup. Our host, after learning where we resided, requested permission to call and see us on the first occasion of his visiting Peking.

We now returned to the little temple below, where our horses were, and while they were getting ready I took a look at the interior of the joss-house set apart for worship. , It contained the three Buddhas — the past, the present, and the future. The images are gilt ones, the size of life. The Buddha of the present occupies the centre ; the past, the left, with its hand open, indicating that his book has been opened and read. The future sits on the right. In ,^nt of this temple a number of mountain chtuis were ranged, ready for the conveyance op the hill of pleasure parties or pilgrims. By the time we got our horses ready, it was a quarter past four, and we took our departure, much pleai^ with our^it to these secluded and hospitable monastics, who, the whole way up, provided us with tea and i^red other refireshments.

I that the find> thing which struck me,

on arriving the foot of i^ese hills, was the ready adaptatim of; . local reti^rinves . to the. purposes of bn$tdio4^80«Bri4 Vases and roofed with

120 PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch. IV.

slate, being observed In some instances the frame-work of the windows were hewn out of the solid stone ; the first of their kind that I have seen in China.

We reached the southern of the west gates of the Tartar city (the Pin-tze-mun) at six o’clock, and about ^an hour afterwards got to the Leang-koong-foo, where we had the satisfaction of finding that the English mail of the 26th of February had just arrived, having left Hong- Kong on the 13th of April.

April 27tk — In a despatch received by the mail from Consul Kobertson, at Canton, it is mentioned that when the imperial decree went forth authorising the forma-tion of a Foreign OflSce, another decree was published and sent to Canton, commanding the Governor-General of the two Kwang provinces to find but and foi’ward to Peking two natives of Canton who had studied and were versed in the languages of England, Fi*ance, and America ; the object being to form a college at Peking for the instruction of Chinese in these languages. This is an undertaking, however, that, if carried out at pre-sent, will simply resolve itself into a professorship at Peking of “ Pigeon English,” for which, very probably, See-ou-tee would be considered an eligible candidate,

Mr. Gibson was out to-day in the town in one of the covered carts, and had a collision with another vehicle of the same description. The drivers immediately com-menced abusing each other, and the following dialogue ensued : Where axe you going to, you blockhead (Tsan-thou) said the one. ^‘I a blockhead retorted tbe other, "'why you are a blockhead yourselfMimly a stu]^d fellow to attempt to drive a cart” It would be

Ch. IV.] HANG-KI ON DIET AND LONGEVITY. 121

pleasing, certainly, if a similar mild form of reproach could be introduced amongst our cabmen and omnibus conductors at home.

Mr. Gibson gave me a translation of the address which the professional beggar boys generally make as they run after you, usually grinning and performing a succession of kow-tows in the dust : “ Oh, your honour, save my life ; send me down some money ; I am hungry ; my hunger is beyond toleration ; I pray for your honour ; I perform the kow-tow to your Excellency. Oh relieve me from suffering and save my life ; truly the pangs of hunger are insupportable.*' The young gentlemen who make these addresses are generally in very good con-dition ; their appearance not being at all corroborative of their statements with reference to inanition.

A'pril 28fe, — This afternoon, in accordance with a previous anangement, I went, with Mr. Wade, to pay a second professional visit to Hang-Ki, and found that he had already derived benefit from the change of treat-ment. Ho gave us the following information about his meals. Early in the morning he takei^^ some tea and p confectionery. At noon a light lunch ; and at sunset a meal containing animal food. Nothing else is taken during the twenty-four hours, unless it should be neces-sary to sit up lite, when all that is indulged in is a little water that rice has been boiled in. He seems to hold the idea that the Chinese are longer lived than ^Hnro^ans, and he attributes it to the latter being of more anxious and excitable temperaments than the former ; not taking the world and its events as quietly the Chinese do.

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch IV.

I endeavoured to learn something from him about the Medical College, but all I could ascertain was, that the attention of the members is devoted solely to con-sultations and writing prescriptions for the preservation of the health of the Emperor, which, probably, in some measure accounts for the deplorable physical condition in which he is stated to be. If what Hang-Ki states is really the case, the Emperor is certainly to be pitied.

Hang-Ki says that the Emperor still continues the ceremony of ploughing annually at the Temple of Agri-culture ; also, that every year there is a ceremony in honour of silk, performed in the palace with the mul-berry tree

I learned also that the Censorate consists of twenty-nine members, and that no one, not even the Emperor himself, is free from its supervision ; the only notice taken of anonymous communications being endeavours to find out the authors of them, and have them punished for making them. The censors lately freely exercised their right of comment, and took the .Emperor severely to task for leaving the capital at a period of difficulty and danger. t

April 29f/i. — Mr. Parkes had an interview to-day with a soldier of Shung-pow’s army, who gave him some information regarding the death of Captain Brabazon, of the Royal Artillery, and the Abbd de Luo. This man knew a soldier who was one of the guard that assisted at the execution, which took place between eleven and twelve o’clock on the forenoon of the 21st of September, 1860, in the yard of a pagoda attached to a smidl tem|^e about two miles from the bridge of Pa-lee-ohow. This

Ch.IV] the fate op captain brabazon.

i2d

soldier afterwards saw the headless tranks lying in the temples. The heads were gone, and he supposed they had been taken to Peking. One of the bodies had a crucifix on, which, as he was a Christian, he endeavoured to buy, but did not succeed. At a subsequent date he went to Bishop Moulie, the Roman Catholic missionary bishop, and told him that he hitd seen two of their faith l 3 dng beheaded near Pa-lee-chow. This information being communicated to General de Montauban, he sent out a party of soldiers to seek for their remains, at the place where this soldier indicated as that where he had seen them lying. This party of soldiers found buried, a few feet under the ground, the mutilated remains of two corpses, and the only things that enabled them to identify them with the objects of their search were a portion of the vestment of a priest, and a piece of cloth with a red stripe upon it.*

April 30<A — At half-past six this morning, a party, consisting of M. de Bourboulon, Baron de Meritens, Messieurs Wade and Wyndham, Captain Bouvier, and myself, accompanied by half-a-dozen mounted gendarmes and a provision cart, made an excursiotf to the hills to visit a temple situated a short way up the ascent, at the back of the grounds of Yuen-ming-yuen. We pur-sued the same course that we did on the occasion of our visit to the Eight Great Temples,” until we got near the base of the hills, when we proceeded in a northerly tlirection, towards the rear of Yuen-ming-yuen, the

i-

^ ICoi^ deta£l«4 tl^s subject be fouud under

dnte Stb Maj, flAr^r inquirilii bapring been made between that date i^d tbe oia wlaoh the above note was made.

124

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. * [Oh. IV.

pagoda of which was in front of us. Several small vil-lages lay in our course; also a series of buildings arranged in regular lines, which we ascertained were the barracks of the soldiers composing the Yuen-ming-yuen Corps, or the special palace guard. On our left, a short way up the hill, an enclosure of some extent was seen, which we were told was the Emperor's shooting-ground. Near here, on the right, we passed a temple-looking building, having a second storey on it of some height, the whole surrounded by a crenulated wall, resembling that round the palace in Peking. This structure overlooks a parade-ground, and from the top of it the Emperor is in the habit of viewing the evolu-tions of his troops.

About eleven o'clock, after having passed through a steep village on the mountain-slope, we reached the temple we were in search of, called the Pee-yoon-tzu, or “ the Monastery of the Azure Clouds," an establish-ment of great extent and magnificence, having been erected and endowed by Kee-en-lung, the Emperor who received Lord Macartney. I shall not attempt to describe the various joss-houses of this temple, as it would entail uninteresting repetition ; and I will merely mention that in one of them there are arranged three thousand two hundred small gilt images ; sixteen hun-dred of them on each side of the room. Also, that in a separate temple th^e are five hundred colossal figures formed of gilded wood, and called Jo-hans. The gteat sight of the monastery, however, is a magnificent monu-mental structure erected at the back of it, and ascended by several flights of marble stairs. The summit OorK

CarV.] UpHl! “AZTTEl CLOITD MONASTERT.” 19S

sists of a species of square tower, which is reached by six successive terraces, the whole of them ascended by marble steps. On the top there is a large central sar-cophagus, with three smaller ones on each side. We had a fine view of the country surrounding Yuen-ming-yuen, with Peking in the distance.

After having met with every civility and attention from the priests in charge of it, we left “the Monastery of the Azure Clouds ” at three in the afternoon, and on our way home skirted the wall of Yuen-ming-yuen, and we were glad to observe that a considerable number of the buildings scattered about the extensive domain have escaped destruction, — ^the attractions of plunder having probably interfered with the soldiers carrying out their orders and completing the destruction of the whole of the palace buildings. There is no doubt, however, that the principal state Apartments were totally destroyed.

To-day I observed, for the first time, that the Chinese have discarded the hat with the tumed-up brim that they have worn the whole of the winter and spring, and that Urey have mow donned, one of a conical shape, made of straw, with red horse-hair hangihg down from the top of it, which ^has so materially altered their general appearance, that it seems as if a new race had suddenly become populous within the capital This <fiiange in head-dress is in consequence of its having been yesterday officially announced in the Peking %aette tlmt the “Emperor has put on the summer As soon as this notification appears, all the better hod {laxtuxilariy those in Government

fib do the same.

CHAPTER 5.

CHAPTER V.

The Sn-wang-foo and the tomb of the founder of the family— Chinese family discipline— Punishment of official dishonesty— Wan-sc-ang 8 views regarding departure from li — Custom-house hints— Slmng-pow’s interview with the Emperor— Letter from the Piince of Kiiiig about the wounded soldiers— Tsoon-Luen appointed Com-missioner to meet the Prussian Envoy— Progress of the decorations of tlie Foo— Th(y watch'trado— A British mercantile grievance— Why the Chinese generally appear to be in the WTong — ^The Em-peror of China satisfied with the respectability of the Prussians — Mr. Parkes’ visit to the scene of his imprisonment — Breaching the wall not the easiest mode of forcing an entrance by artillery into Poking— Death in the streets— Hawking a Pekingese sport— State of the drains— Tribute beareis from the Corea— The Observatory — State of the instruments, and view from the top— Juvenile rioting— Details connected with the fate of the Abbd de Luc and Captain BvabaZon — Examination of relic* found on the scene of their execution— Impressment of transports — ^Why artisans do not work in the rain — The Prince of Kung’s signature— Presence of foreigners made use of as a means of evading the authority of Go-vernment-Break-up of the foreign band employed by the Tae-pings at Nanking — ^Arrival of some foreigners at Peking without permission— Measures adapted by the Chinese — One of the paiiy claims British protection — Grounds on which it was refused — Sonpft from the Foreign Office— Water communication to Peking.

»

May 1«^.— ^Ou the side of the “ imperial grain-bearing canal,” opposite to that on which the Xeang-koo^g-foo stands, there is a princely residence enclosed within an extensive park, and called the Su-wang-fbo, or ipelace of the Prince of Su. The present incumbent the title and owner of the property is uith the Em-peror at Je-ho, and ^the palace is consequently sow in charge of servants. This morning, bresk&st,

Ch.V] the STT-WANG-POO PALACK 127

Mr. Bruce rode into the country, accompanied by Mr, Parkes, and they accidentally came across the tomb of the founder of the family of Su. The^l^it is recorded the first of the Su-Wangs (Princes of Su) is buried, with one of his retainers alongside of him. It appears t;hat it was an old Tartar custom when a chief died that one of his retainers should be selected for the high honour of being buried with him. The retainer, there-fore, on whom the choice fell was in the most friendly spirit put to death, and his remains deposited in the same tomb, and at the same time^that those of his chief were. This custom, however, has long since fallen into abeyance.

Talking over this curious and barbaric rite, Mr. Bruce mentioned an illustration of the stein discipline which is sometimes enforced in Chinese families that came under the observation of Mr. Meadows. A Chinaman of respectability was much annoyed by a profligate brother. He used every endeavour to cure him of his evil ways, first by moral means, and latterly by physical ones. All his efforts, however, proved unavailing, and the following extreme measure was ultiifiately adopted by him : — On the occasion of his brother coming home late one night from a debauch, he had him tied hands and feet, and by his servants conveyed to the bank of the canal and put into the water, he himself seizing the body and pressing it with his hand under the water until life was extinct The body was then reconveyed hocne imd^ buried as if death had resulted from a natural cause. No official notice was taken of the matter, as the ekeumstanotts of the ^ase were viewed as justifying

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

128

[Ch V.

the act. Ordinary murder is usually punished very severely.

NotwithstailiHng the wholesale official corruption and malversation that prevails in China, breaches of tnist amongst the inferior grades are severely punished, an instance of which lately occurred at Shang-hai. Wu, the Taou-tai there, having detected a Government clerk in dishonest practices, had him subjected to the punishment of “ the heavier bamboo,” to such an ex-tent, that he died from the severity of the injuries he had received.

Mr. Parkes yesterday had a long and friendly conver-sation with Wan-se-ang, in the course of which he endeavoured to render apparent to him how far in many respects the Chinese were behind western nations, as well as the necessity which exists for their breaking through many of their time-honoured traditions, if they wished to secure a continuance of those friendly diplo-matic negotiations that are now going on. Wan-se-ang appeared to see the truth theoretically of what was advanced, but the carrying of it out in practice, he said, w^ by no means so easy a matter as it might seem to us with a nation so wedded to their M ^ or constituted customs as the Chinese are. The sending an ambas-sador to England was alluded to by Wan-se-^ang as an event that might ultimately take place.

Mr. Bruce sent a communication to-day to the Prince

* In this word, li^ the i is pronoiinced like the douUe e ; as it is, in fact, in aU Chinese words wherein it appears in English, such as Hang-Ki, which is pronounced Hang-kee ' hence, it seems a pity that 8yno« logties havO not adopted a more phonetic system of Anglo-Chiuese spring.

ch V] ammcKTOWS aitdibnob of'%be bmpbbob. lao

of Kungr giving him some hints in reference to carrying out customs regulations connected with the opening o€ the new treaty ports on the Yang>tBe4iS>ng, namely, Han-kow, Eu-kiang, and Cbin-kiang-foo, and pointiug out to him the necessity for having arrangements made to support the authority of their custom'-hortses, more especially at Chin-kiang-foo, by an armed steamer, which of, necessity would require to be commanded by an European.

To-day we heard, for the first time, that Shung-pow, having been ordered to Je-ho, has had an audience with the Emperor, and has been directed to proceed with a portion of his army to Shan-tung and support Sang-ko-lin-sin in suppressing the local rebellion which at present is going on there. Shhng-pow is stated to be about fifty years of age, and has been on several occasions success-ful in his operations against the rebels ; though he has once or twice suffered severe reverses at their hands. He is reported to be a man of considerable ability, good at his pen, and fond of writing poetiy; his moral character, however, is very indifferent.*

Mwy 2nd. — ^!Hiis morning the following conimunica' tion from the Prince of Eung, respecting the wounded soldiers, was received by Mr. Bruce : —

“ The Prince cS. f^ung, &c., &c., &c., makes a commu-nication in re|dy.

“ The Prince is in receipt of a communication from Bfritish Qov^emneat to the effect tiiat four Giinese, ih the operatiops of last autumn, had been

s #

* ^ Snsilw dshila «M JfKT tbs

130 PEKIN6 and the PEKINaESE. [Ch. V.

under medical treatment, and were to a certain extent recovered.

** The communication sufficiently shows the very friendly disposition of the British Government, and it has afforded the Prince sincere gratification.

There is no means of ascertaining here whether this party of wounded men has or has not had issued to them at Tien-tsin the necessary pass to enable them to return to their divisions. If they should hot have re-ceived this pass, and therefore should not have com-menced their journey, they might be desired to present themselves at the Kia-Hing-ly (Foreign Office), and the Prince will write an official letter ; and, having supplied them with money to defray the expenses of their journey, will direct them to return to their divisions, and there await further orders. This letter will pre-vent any misgivings on the part of the commanding officers. At the same time the soldiers will be duly grateful to the British Government for its kindness to them.

A necessary communication addressed to His Excel-lency Mr. Bruce, &c., &c., &c. Hien-fung 11th year, 8rd moon, 23rd day (2nd May, 1861).

Translated by Thomas Wade, Chinese Secretary.** To-day we hear that the Prince of Kung recently applied for permission to visit the Emperor at Je-ho, hut that it was refused, the ground that the Em-: was feaiful that tfaer^^iission of itjaporiani state

might be too much for his mind to undertake in present weak state \

Xhfeimstion has also been ^iyed that

Oh. V.] ']p)ON-LnEN, IHFEBIAL COMMISSIONEE

131

have been issued to Tsoou-Luen to start in four days to meet Count Eulenbei^, the Prussian Envoy at Tien-tsin, and negotiate a treaty with him. hbr. Gibsoig^had a conversation on this subject to-day with Tsoon-Luen, who seemed to be by no means enamoured with the diplomatic mission before him. He said that he would

lOKIiUIT OV TSOOa-I.Vl'H

go down to Tteii'tsin and , hear what Allen-polkie bad to and then he would fzoon (memoilBliae) the Eupeinr, who, if be chooned (per-tiKen Pefinmaiina (Prussia country) might

132 PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch, V.

come and carry on trade ; but that if he pou-chooned (refused), then they could not do so. On Mr. Gibson’s hint^g to him that a refusal might lead to their employing force and attacking Tien-tsin, he replied that the Ta-yin-qua (the great English nation) would not permit that, consequently that the possibility of such a contingency occurring would not be allowed to influence their negotiations. Tsoon-Luen’s official de-laignation at the present time is Assistant-Commissioner for Foreign Affairs and Acting-Director-General of Granaries and Salines. ^ He has only lately emerged from a cloud that he has been under for something connected with the Board of Kevepue, of which he was one of the Special Vice-Presidents.

May Srd , — For some days back the weather has been cloudy and very sultry, and to-day, at noon, the ther-mometer stood at 84° -in the shade. The repairs and alterations on the Leang-koong-foo are steadily pro-gressing under Colonel Neale’s directions. The painters are now engaged tracing out the designs for the deco-rations of the fronts of some of the buildings. These seem to be after one stereotyped pattern. The more elaborate and complicated designs are tr^ed on the woodwork by pricking paper patterns with pins, in the same way as ladies take copies of needlework.

May ^th. — ^A few days ago Colonel Neale entrusted his watch to See-ou-tee, who imdertook to get it f^mred and furnished With a new glass. To-day he bro^ht it back, going all right, and refitted with;a*tL excellent flat glass. The watches and that thef

Pekingese : dead in aie M most pa^t of G^eya \

Gh. V.] a BBITISH umOASCmjB GBIEVA170E. 138

manufacture^ imported from Bussia, where the Chinese suppose they are made. See-ou-tee showed us one which he himself carries, stating at the same time^that Boosee-man make-ee it,” which, however, was not the case, the ** little one’s ” chronometer being a large-sized Geneva.

May 5th . — A case has just been under consideration affording an illustration of the unreasonable attitude which British merchants are too frequently in the habit of assuming in China, as well as showings the care and discrimination necessary in listening to and disposing of their complaints. It appears that the Chinese custom-house regulations at Canton admit of goods being landed for the convenience of foreigners at Wampoa, some miles below Canton, on the understand-ing that they are taken direct to the custom-house at Canton, for the purpose of being examined, and the duty on them charged. Lately some goods for the house of Jardine, Matheson, and Co. wei*e landed in this manner at Wampoa, and in place of their being con-veyed, in accordance with regulation, to* the custom-house, they were taken direct to the stores, or go-downs as they are called, of the firm in question. The Chinese authorities remonstrated, and requested that the goods should be sent over to the custom-house for examina-tion* Sardine, Matheson, and Co. refused to do any-thing of the kind, and said that if they wished to see t^ come over and look at them where they were. Thhk the custmn-house ofl^cials in their turn to and Ibr redress to Mr. Pedder,

at %e time acti^ ^ This gentleman, on

134 PEKING AND THE PEKINGEBR [Oh. V.

acsqiiaintmg himself with the circumstances of the case, issued a warrant to the custom-house officers for the seizure of the goods, and for their removal to where they ought to have been originally deposited. After this was done, the Chinese did not press the matter further; being satisfied that there was no attempt at defrauding the revenue, they contented themselves by charging the ordinary duty, and did not impose any fine for breach of regulation, as they would have been fully waiaranted in doing. This leniency, however, has not been appreciated by the representatives of the firm, who, because they have been compelled to do what was right towards the Chinese contrary to their in-clination, consider their rights, as British subjects, to have been interfered with, and have made a com-plaint against Mr. Pedder for adopting the suipmary measures which he did, in place of having the matter disposed of in a routine manner before an ordinary Consular Court, at which Assessors from the mercan-tile community sit on the bench with the Consul, and act as Censors on his proceedings when the sum in dis-pute exceeds five hundred dollars. Mr. Pedder, how-ever, appears to have acted in no way otherwise than was just, and his proceedings in tlie matter have there-fore been approved of.

'Bbere are strong grounds for believing that in almost every dispute which arises between ourselves and the C!hinese, we are in the first instance in the ;*Wrong j but, imfintonately, the Chinese equally invariably adopt the wrong method of putting matters right, and by the time tbe ca^ becomes nhe ^ Consular legidati<la,;the

Ob V] PBTJSSIAKS TOUFD TO BE BESPECTABLB 138

origiiubl tmBig Qonmtitted by us is entirely lost sight of, and the accumulated exrors of the Chinese alone made the subject of consideration ; consequently, as a general rule, they get the worst of such appeals, and hence the indignation which Mr. Pedder’s promptitude of action hto occasioned.

Instructions have this day been prepared by Mr. Bmce, addressed to Consuls at the chief ports, directing thsm to exercise due caution in the issuing of permits to individuals to establish themselves at places where there are no Consuls, and to give none, except to men of a stamp likely to conduct themselves with propnety, as, Dwmg to the misconduct of foreigners at numerous plates on the coast not open by treaty, he is of opinion that it is most desirable that the setthng of Bntish subjects should be hmited as much as practicable to thq Consular stations.

This evening Mr. Bruce received a letter from the Prince of Kung, stating that the British Government having mentioned the subject of Prussia, and the PrinCe havmg learned through that source that the Prussians are a respectable nation, alhed>by mamage to the Boyal Family of Great Britain, he has, in conse-quence, procured His Imperial Majesty* s permission to oxter Mto negotiations with them, and that Tsoon-Luen has bejen appomted Commisooner, and will start for Tioa-t^ia to-morrow

this afteinoon, Messrs. Wade, Wyndham, mys^ accompanied Mr. Paikes on a visit to tile MAp-mee-on or “BBgh''T6mple;” the place wherein alsKg; Iwitii l|i!^ lie waa confined, after their

13b

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Oh. V.

removal from the “Board of Punishments ” The Kao-mee-ou is an ordinary Buddhist temple, situated in the neighbourhood of tlie north-west angle of the Tartar city, near a piece of water which extends to within a short distance of its wall. The priests connected with the temple at once recognised Mr. Parkes, and readi^ gave us admission.

The room whore Messrs. Parkes and Loch wejre confined, is a small one on the left-hand side of llie

entrance to the back range of the temple buildings. There is a small paved court in front of it, with liwo cedar and two pear trees growing from between tjie flags. In the hall which adjoins the place of confinement a guard of Tartar soldiers were kept during their im-prisonment. Mr. Parkes drew our attention to a mjtrk on one of the pillars, which measured from the groind six feet five and a half inches. This was the height^ of one of the sentries, whom they had measured during their confinement. They were allowed to take exer/iise in the court-yard, a record of which still Temmnj^ on one of the walls, in the form of a rough attempt to portray the world on Mercator^s pr^ection, the Handi-work of Mr. Loch, done to while away the tim that bung heavily upon them.

On the wall of the room which they occupied! {here is written up in Chinese ink,

“ H. S, Parkes.

H. B. Loch.

Brought here 29th September, being Tth .Oct ober — this the 8th. From 18th to 29th Septembe] with 1 Sikh and 2 French in prison of Hing-poo,*'

Ch. V.] mSON OF MR PABKES AND MR LOOH. 187

This me]norandum> Mr. Parkes informed ns, was inscribed by Mr. Loch as a memorial^ at a time when things were beginning to^look very bad; namely, the 7th of October. On the afternoon of the 8th, however, they were released.

May 7th . — ^During the night some heavy rain has fallen, which has been attended by a delightful change of temperature; the thermometer at 9 AM. having fallen to 57®; having been 71® at the corresponding hour yesterday. Owing to this cause the carpenters and masons employed within the building did not come to their work to-day. From the learned See-ou-tee, I ascertained that the Peking workmen generally have a custom of availing themselves of ttie first rains of the year to take an annual holiday, i also learned from him that they eat animal food only once in fourteen days. Pork is the form in which it is taken, and on these occasions bread is substituted for rice. Yesterday in going over the day’s expenditure 'on the works with the “ little one,” Colonel Neale was puzzled for some time as to what he meant by one item that he trans-lated as " two hundred catties of lambs.^* At last it was found that it was lime he meant. With reference to this article, See-ou-tee tells me to-day, that there is at present a difficulty in procuring it; owing to the camels that are employed in the trade of bring-ing it from the hUls, having been impressed into the servico, ** to go catchee rebbols,”* as he expresses

* general 111I0, «(S)dipletely fail in pronouncing the

letter R. bowever, who 0 giite$ ia this nsrratire ns

138

PBKINa AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Oh V.

it ; in other words, to convey the baggage and military stores of Shung-poVs army, which has just started for Shan-tung to aid Sang-ko-lin;'sin.

I walked round that portion of the south face of the Tartar city wall, between the Meridian gate and the part of the wall under which the grain-bearing canal passes ; my object being to ascertain how far it would have been practicable to have entered the city by it, in place of breaching the wall as was intended. The canal, where it passes under the wall, would admit of nine or ten men walking abreast in it, and it is there only protected by two wooden gateways, composed of bars of wood separated from each other about three inches. These bars are plated with sheet iron, but a few shots from a lane-pounder field gun would bring the whole thing down, and admit of a regiment enter-ing with a rush. All this could be done with little or no danger to the attacking party, as the parapet above could soon be cleared away, and the terreplein rendered untenable. In addition to this, the guns employed for destroying the gates of the canal could be lowered into it and secured from shot from above, by extemporising a casemate over them, by placing a few planks, covered with a coating of earth. An entrance similar to the one under description, I find, exists on the north &oe, within a short distance of where the preparations were made for the stupendous process of breaphing the wall, at that part nearly sixty fiset thick at the

See-on-tee, or the little one,*' has managed to AOqidrosaiiiiperfeot use of the letter, and seldom snbs^tes the L for it, as Ohinaim^ almost invariably da <

OH.V] DEATH IN THE 8TRKBTS 189

top, and iiu»easiug in thickness as the ground is ap-proached.

Proceedbg out of the openings in the bastion of the Meridian gate, there is a small suburb immediately imder the valL In this place, lying across a pathway, aes I passed out to-day, was a b^gar in the last stage of existence. I examined him, and found the vital spark just expiring. Betuming about a quarter of an hour afterwards he was dead. His body lying in the public streets did not seem even to attract attention. People passed to and fto, taking no more notice of it than if it was a dead cat. The sight was not one that seemed in any way to interest those that were passing — any more than was his condition, when dying, one that appealed to their sympathies. When beggars die in the streets as this man has done, their bodies^ lie where they expired until they are removed by the constable of the district. One reason why there is an objection on the part of the public to interfere with vagrants dying in the streets, is, that, should they do so, they become by law responsible f«r the expenses of their burial.

While walking under the wall, I met several Chinsr men availing jt'emselves of the change in the tem-perature to give their birds an airing. I also saw some men hawking ; the plan they adopt is the following : They have the hawk hooded and resting on the left IlIVss^ me foot ^ o£ light twine fastened

nmttd it, tibb semaipder df whieh is wound round a l^t woolap ^bUear, wluch^ stm^ up the sleeve of the left ana,u^ ean be Tei|fl% di^odged. Tb6 amount of

140

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Oh. y.

string rolled np amounts to about twenty-five yards. As soon as a bird passes near, the hood is removed, the hawk darts at it, taking the roll of string with him, which unwinds itself in his flight, and in the event of his failing to make a summary seizure of the bird, he himself is recaptured before the string has run itself out. Instead of winding the string round the roller, commencing at the opposite end to that fastened round the hawk's foot, they commence winding it from the portion close to his “foot, exactly reversing what we would do under similar circumstances. In addition to the hawking parties out to-day, I observed several sportsmen going about with cross-bows, which project clay bullets. With these they shoot birds with con-siderable dexterity.

A continuance of rain would soon render the streets very muddy ; as it is, one has to seek a clean gpot on the raised pathway, where the giound is not cut up by the wheels of carts. A few^ days ago I noted that, now that the sun has become strong, the covered carts have had added to them a calico screen which extends over the shafts, as I suppose to protect the horse and the driver (who always sits on the shaft) from sun and rain. To-day, however, I observe, that these shades are covered with oiled skin, so arranged as to secure both horse and driver from the rain. The calico screens therefore, refeired to on the 28rd ultimo, are merely sun shades. In addition to the oiled skin over the screen, a similar protection is placed over the; brdinaxy covered part of th6 caai}, rendering them quite water-proof. '

Oh V,]

STATB or THE DRAINS

141

The drains in the principal streets, which, when we first came to Peking appeared to have been recently opened, continue uncovered, and, but for the practice which universally prevails amongst the inhabitants, of going about at night with a lantern, it would be difficult tp avoid falling into them These drains are regularly constructed, and covered in by massive stone flags. It seems that the cause of their being now open is, that they get /rozen up during winter, and that it is neces-sary every spring to have them cleared out, primr to the heavy summer rains setting in.

I met several Coreans this afternoon belonging to the Embassy that has lately arrived, bearing the annual tribute to the Emperor of China. In dress and appear-ance they more resemble the J apanese than the Chinese ; in fact, they do not seem to have any points in common with the latter. They wear the tail tied up in a knot on the crown of the head, and do not shave the front portion of it as the Chinese do. They also wear oddly-shaped hats, formed of black hair-work. They wear white clothing, and seem to be a quiet, active people. •

May Sth . — Some more rain fell during the night, but the morning was fine and pleasant, I availed myself of the fine weather to visit the Observatory, which is situ-ated midway between the south^-east angle of the city and the southern gate on the east face. The neighbour-hood is one the inhabitants of which have evidently not hd6n to the presence of foreignei’s, as my

appearaatiea enated a greate?: amount of curiosity than It did oA the ^qfecasi<^ of my passing through the dis-

142

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. V.

trict on the 30 th of March. My being on foot also, on the present occasion, afforded greater facilities for gratifying this curiosity and ultimately for giving annoyance.

I reached, without much inconvenience, the Obser-vatory, which is built on the inner aspect of the wall, and, though a portion of the mural structure, it is kept separate from it, and ascended from the back by a dis-tinct entrance. No communication exists between the Observatory and the wall, the former being raised several feet higher than the latter. The flight of steps leading to the Observatory passes from the court of a range of buildings resembling a temple, which forms a portion of the institution, and is situated immediately in the rear of the tower of observation. In this court there are two very fine sets of astronomical circles, the one an astro-labe, the other an armillary sphere, on beautifully-cast bronze stands, representing four dragons, standing on one leg, with the tail coiled round it, and supporting the astronomical instruments (which are also of massive bronze) with their fore paws. A small guard-house protects the ascent to the tower, and the soldiers on duty allowed me to pass up. ■•On reaching the top of the tower I found a man walking about with a child in his arms. He resides there in a small house, and his duty is to keep the instruments in order. I was astonished to see everything in such good repair, and unag^vocal indications of coiwderable care heing' be*-, stolei^d the preservi^ion instruments, which,

of their kind, are exceedingly b^dsom^ are eight in numbar, ahd are j^Iaced on a. stone plat** ^

Ch. V.] INSTEOTBNTS m THE OBSERVATORY, 143

form, which is carried round the inner part and the two sides of the tower, and is surrounded by a heavy iron railing. One celestial globe is of great size, its diameter being seven feet It is also bronze, and has the various constellations standing out in relief on its surface, in t/he form of gilt stars. It is believed to have been fabrj^ Gated by a Dutch Jesuit of the name of Verbeest. The other instruments ai*e armillary spheres, trigonometers, an instrument for the observation of transits, and two large quadrants.

The view^from the Observatory was very fine, the atmosphere being clear and free from dust, which is un-

144

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

£Oh.T.

usual in Peking, except immediately after rain. At my feet the whole city seemed to lie; its distant limits marked by the various gateways, which were distinctly visible. The town itself presented a singular unifor-mity of appearance — one vast surface of roofs inter-ll^eiBed with trees. In the distance, the bright yellow roofs of the Emperor’s palace, those of a Lama temple near it, and the artificial hill, broke the sameness of the vista

On leaving the Observatory I found a considerable crowd had formed outside, the juvenile poj^ion of which followed at my heels, shouting and applying non-com-plimentaiy epithets to me. In a short time they began to throw stones, one of which struck me on the head and another ^ the hip nearly at the same moment. Imme-diately on turning round towards the mob, the stoning as well as the shouting ceased, but recommenced as soon as I proceeded on my way. I could not perceive that any adult either took part in, or encouraged the proceedings, but at the . same time they showed no energy in checking it, looking on as mere passive spec-tators. .There was one exception, however, a respect-able looking man of the better class of the lowor orders, . w]ro exerted himself considerably to i^eck the unruly cohduot of the juveniles. He remaiired by me, wd in-dioated the lanes to t^e which were the best getting soonest dear of this disordmly (^darter. Ms leading l him mm

to take. . On retW^tw^h^^ the

up a : eommanudiit^n> the ochdud pf thh

Ch. V.]

FATE OF rm PBISONEBS.

m

district refenred to under the notice of the Prince of Kung.

May 9th . — Her Majesty's Government having been urged by the father of the late Captain Brabazon to have the question of his son’s" fate taken up and inquired into, Mr. Bruce has had to go into the matter some-what minutely. The promise of a reward of one hun-dred dollars, which was notified privately, produced the man who originally communicated to Bishop Moulie the fate of the Abb<J de Luc and Captain Brabazon. As mentioned by me on the 29th of April, this man was sent by General de Montauban with some* French soldiei’s to find their remains. This they did, the re-mains consisting of a head so disfigured that it could not be recognised, some hones, with the' flesh adhering to them, a piece of a priest’s vestment, and a portion of the leg of a pair of blue cloth trousers with a red stripe upon it. By some singular oversight, this information would appear never to have been made official, as it would have set the question beyond all doubt. This man did not see them beheaded, but he heard the order given for it, and he has since found a man who saw the execution take place, T^iese two men caiSe last night to the Legation and had a long interview with Messieura* Parkes and Wade. The following is the substance of their combined narrative, which embraces all that is ever likely to be known of the fate of the two prisoners referred to.

.ppbe two jsoldiepra hekmgcd to Shung-pow’s army, and Wells on the l^h of September,

186Q« with the main body^pf the force, and were placed

' VOL, t, , L

146 PBKINO AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch-T,

in portion on the 20th, near Pa-lee-chow. Two days previously they saw about thirty foreign prisoners, with a white flag in front of them, proceeding towards Peking.' On the 21st of September, the fight at Pa-lee-chow took place, and early in the action, Shung-pow had his horse killed under him by a shell. He im-mediately got another, and had hardly mounted it when he was severely wounded in the face by the frag-noent of another shell When he was picked up off the ground, he ordered the army to retreat and the prisoners to be put to death. He was asked to give a written order for their execution. He replied that it was im-possible for him to do so then, but that his verbal order must be carried out, and he would give a ■written one afterwards. This embraces all that one of these two soldiers knows of the matter. The other was at a small temple about two miles from the bridge of Pa-lee-chow when the order for the execution arrived. He saw the two prisoners brought out, forced down on their knees, and their heads hacked off by the soldiers who were in charge of them. This man, being a Christian, went to the missionary bishop (Moulie) after the capture of Peking, and told him what 6e had seem The bishop sent him to Qeneral de Montauban, by wh^ orders he went with the French soldiers to the spot and re-covered the remains, which have been already mentioned. Whether the head was that of the Abbd de Luc or of ^ptaio Brabazon it is impossible to say. It was found, stuck into a hole. What has become of the other head th^ is no means of knowing. It is probatb that the remains handed over td the French ■were ccmsideced to

Ch. V.]

EBLICS OF OAPT. BRABAZON.

147

be those of the Abb^ de Luc, and buried accordingly, and hence that no official communication was sent re-specting the remains of the British prisoner, owing to one head only having been found

Under all the circumstances, Messrs. Parkes and Wade determined to ride with these two soldiers to the spot, prior to drawing up a memorandum for Mr. Bruce to transmit home. They started this morning, ana found the place to be a small temple about midway between Poking and Tung-chow, and, as the soldiers said, six li (two miles) from the bridge of Pa-lee-chow. On carefully examining the ground which the man pointed out as the scene of the execution, they found some portions of clay with hairs mixed up in it, and a piece of black braid of the same pattern as that the staff officei*s wore on their campaigning coats, that were made at Hong Kong. Some human bones were also found on the ground. On their return I was requested by Messrs. Parkes and Wade to examine the relics. The hair was human and of the same colour as Captain Brabazon’s, with whose appearance, as .Deputy-Assis-tant-Quarter-Master-General of the ArtiDoBy, I was familiar during the expedition. The bones were of some age, and could not have belonged to either. The clay emitted a mephitic odour, as if it had been saturated with, or lain for some time in contact with, putrefying organic matter. Had there been any doubt with reference to the fate of Captain Brabazon, the {dece ^ b^l£id^;1^ been confirmatory evidence.

Ono of ttBagers also,, residing near the spot, stated W thexn^ '^ed from the neighbour-

148 PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE [Ch. V.

hood on the 21&t of September, ho returned two days afterwards, and, passing the temple in question, he saw two foreigners lying headless. They were dressed in dark clothes. Tlie heads were gone, but the bodies were not mutilated. This^ man's evidence refutes a report that was circulated, to the effect, that they were ^ut to pieces by the soldiers. The after-mutilation that occuired resulted from dogs, herds of which, from being driven from their homes, were going about starving.

The reward of one hundred dollars has been paid to the two soldiers, and will be shared between them They expressed great gratitude for the gift. This amount will ultimately be repaid by Captain Brabazon’s father.

May 10th , — Some heavy rain fell in the night, and has continued in a modified form in the day. This will cheer the heart of the population in the neighbourhood, as the country is beginning to look a good deal burnt up. The prices will now fall, as confi-dence in the harvest will be, restored.

Meeting a man to-day, walking about with a caugue on, suggested to me another contrariety of the Chinese character. We used to punish our minor offenders by making them sit with their feet confined in the stocks, — the Chinese make delinquents of a similar class walk about with their heads in the stocks ; the adjustment of the caugue round the neck being precisely the same as that of the stocks round the ankles.

The contractor, who supplies forage for the Legation horses^ came this forenoon and made a statement that he could not, at the present time, deliver the customary

Ch. y ] STATE OP THE BMPEEOR^S PALACE. 149

supply ; his cart and two mules having been pressed into the Government service, to form portion of a train that is in course of dispatch with munitions of war and supplies for Sang-'ko-lin-sin. Xhe contractor s object in furnishing this information was the hope that, as the stoppage of the supply of forage might be an incon-venience to the Legation, influence would be used with^ the magistrate of the district to sanction the release of the cart Slid mules, — a hope which was realized ; because, on a representation being made to the magis-trate, he remitted on this occasion the impressment for the public service of the cart and mules.*

Sang-ko-lin-sin is stated to have retired to a position near the town Tai-chow, about thirty miles fiom Tien-tsin. Tai-chow is a place of some importance, and Sang-ko-lin-sin is endeavouring to cover it. The rebels, again, knowing that it is no use going near Tien-tsin, owing to our presence there, are endeavouring to tuin his flank to the westward, and it is with the view of checking their progress in that direction that Shung-pow has proceeded south.

Mr. Gibson had a conversation to-day^ with some respectable shop-keepers about the condition of the palace in the Imperial city. They stated that the portion which the Emperor himself inhabits is in very good order, but that the general mass of the buildings are in confusion and disrepair,” the result of the Emperoi^s having only resided there for two months in eadb yeajr^ the remaining ten months having been spent

* See iMnwrIcfi 19t]i May.

150 PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Oh. V.

at Tuen-ming-yuen. From what these men state, it would seem that a great deal of the property found by the Allies at Yuen-ming-yuen belonged to the nobility of Peking, having been sent there under the supposi-tion that it would be safer there than in the capital, in the event of the latter being assaulted. The only buildings in Peking that have yellow roofs are those connected with the Imperial household, and the Lama temples. The priests of this religion enjoy great privi-leges in this part of the north of China, one of which is stated to be that they have the right of shaking hands with the Emperor.

On inquiring at the building contractor’s to-day, as to the reason of the carpenters and masons not work-ing during the rain, he stated that several causes have combined to make it an established custom, of which one set affect the men and the other set the master. The first is that the men themselves do not like work-ing in the rain, as it destroys their clothes and gives them the rheumatism. The causes aflTecting the master are, that he gets an indifferent da/s work out of the men, and, in addition, the material is not in a fit state for working up after exposure to rain. With men em-ployed at indoor work it is different; this rule only applying to those whose work necessitates their being ' exposed outside.

May 11th . — ^This forenoon, while going through a narrow alley that leads from the Su*wang-foo to the back of the French Legation, I observed that the females in the neighbourhood had turned out> and were watchmg something unusual that was going on. A little further

Ch, V]

A CBmEBE WBDDIXG.

151

up the lane I found a number of porters laden ^ith household furniture, such as tables, chairs, side-boards, toilet glasses, vases, candlesticks, &o. ; each porter wearing a conical-shaped fell hat, with a red feather sticking up from the crown. These, I learned, were bridal presents in course of being conveyed to the house of a young lady whose nuptials were in process of celebra-tion. She had not yet left the paternal roof. The scarlet cloth chair was standing at the door, and a band of musicians were performing appropriate airs. A con-siderable crowd surrounded the house, and gaily-dressed ladies and gentlemen flitted about. A matting pavilion was erected in the court-yard fronting the house, for the wedding breakfast, it is to be presumed.

Mr. Wade had an interview to-day with the Prince of Rung and his colleagues, respecting the conduct of the mob near the Observatory on the 8th instant. They appeared to take the question up with earnestness, and said that it resulted from the people knowing no better, and that measures would be adopted to prevent a recurrence of similar rioting. During the interview a document was broujfct in for tho Prince's signature, and Mr. Wade observing that the Prince signed it with the same complicated signature that he signed the Treaty with, in October last, asked him if that was the character for his name. The Prince hesitated a little, and then, with considerable modesty, wrote it out, showing that it was a character combined of three and meaning, ** Without self-interest ” He then laughed, and 8aid> '' Is that a good character for a pleni-pcrtemtiaiy?” Bie name of the Prince is Yeh-

152

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. Y.

sin ; Kang is the principality title. It means, “ Pro-found veneration;” as the Prince of I, for instance, means the Prince of J ustice.” The name of the Emperor is Yeh-chu. Hien-fung is the character adopted to designate his reign : it means Universal plenty,” and was selected in hopes of being a propitious one, owing to the famine which occurred during the reign of his father, Tan-quang.

News has been received of the arrival at Taku of the French steam troop-ship “ Loire ” She has come up from Shanghai to remove a portion of the Fi*ench force from Tien-tsin. One battalion of infantry and one battery of artillery are all that is to be left there during the summer. The remainder of the force is to be trans-ferred to Cochin-China.

May \2th — The circumstance mentioned by me on the 1 0th instant, with respect to a man coming to the Legation and stating that he could not fulfil his engage-ments in reference to forage, because his cart and mules had been pressed into the public service, affords a practical illustration of one of the reasons which make the Chinese averse to the present of foreigners having a jurisdiction of their own, as it has a tendency materially to lessen the authority of the Empire in the eyes of its subjects. Here a man makes a representation regarding the temporary seizure of his cart for the exigencies of the service, to foreigner, who, again, because the man m Jjeriodically employed by them, bring the pressure of .tiheir influence to bea^, and the maudariq rcjijhqui^es the Ootemment claim on the cart It now'-appe£^ that no offimi communication was sent respecting

CH. V.] EXCEPTIONAL POEEION %JI7EISDICTI0N. m

matter, nor had Mr. Bruce any cognizance of it. All that passed was an interpretorial message sent to the magistrate, directing him to give the cart and mules up, — ^which seems to me to have been an exercise of authority altogether unwarrantable. This day I heard of another case, wherein the weight of alleged foreign sanction was brought to bear to cover a proceeding irregular according to law in Peking. It appears that there is a regulation prohibiting the reconstruction of houses anew, unless they have actually fallen down. Repairs, to any extent, are allowed ; but not the deli-berate destruction of an old house. A Chinaman residing within a short distance of the Roman Catholic Mission, lately pulled his house do^m, and commenced rebuilding it. When taten to task by the authorities for this breach of law, he stated that he had received the sanction of the missionaries to do so, though they had no control whatever over the property. The authorities, hearing this, did not like further to inter-fere, and allowed the work to continue. A short time afterwards, however, a Christian Chinaman happened to pass, who knew the mAn, and on questioning his friend as to how he had managed to evade the law, he told him the same tale, which he, in his turn, repeated to the missionaries, who immediately wrote to the local autho-rities to say that it was a pure fiction, as they knew nothing whatever about the man, nor would they have dreamed* even had they done so, of sanctioning any of :the kind The district magistrate came down fok^wilh on the and he is now in prison nnder; punieiment for his fraud. The presence of

154 PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [C?H. V.

foreigners in China, wherever they settle, seems to be immediately followed by the establishment of .an in imperio, of which the occurrences con-nected with the Government impressment of the^forage-purveyor’s cart are a mild illustration.

Amongst the news received by a mail which arrived from the south of China last night, was a communica-tion from Mr. Forrest of the interpretorial staff, con-veying the satisfactoiy intelligence of the break-up of the band of European ruffians who have been leagued for some time with the Taepings at Nanking, and amongst them some deserters from Her Majesty’s ships. The facts are as follows :

Under instructions received from Admiral Hope, to demand from the Taepings the surrender of all British subjects in their employment, Captain Aplin, of Her Majesty’s ship Centaur,” sent Mr. Forrest to the authorities at Nanking, in other words, to the chiefs of the Taeping movement resident there, for the pui^ose of having this at once carried out ; and it wa^ arranged that Captain Aplin should send to Loo-chow for them, where, it was stated, they then were. An escort was promised him ; also that proper orders would be sent to the officials there to parade all the foreigners before him> and hand over to him such of them as he should demand. It was, however, accidentally discovered that the very men that Captain Aplin was in search of were, at the very time the Taepings were making these anaD^fements for handing them over at Lo(^how, located outside the city of^ Nanking. This fa^ they had carefully ix^ncealed, evidently intend^ to send

Ch. V.] eubopeans witE: the taepings.

155

them away while we were searching for them at Loo-chow, having over and over again given the assurance that they were^ entirely free from such practices as foreign enlistment, and that they were ignorant of the fact that any foreigners had been hired to fight for them ; stating further, that if such was really the case, it must be at Loo-chow.

Acting on the information which had been received respecting die actual presence of these men at Nanking on the 18th of last month, Captain Aplin demanded that the whole of the foreigners in the Tapping service should be collected in one large house, and those who were supposed to be ^^ritish subjects handed over to an armed party from Her Majesty's ship Centaur." This was done, and twenty-six men, five of whom were deserters from the Boyal Navy, were delivered up to Captain Aplin, in the presence of a Taeping official of rank. These men formed a portion of a body of one hundred and four foreigners of different nations who have been serving in the ranks of the Taepings at Nanking.

The measures adopted by Captain ApHn in this matter have led to the disbanding of this local foreign ^rps ; the Taepings, being under the apprehension, that the countries to which the other men belong will take similar means for their removal, have determined to send the whole of the mercenaries at once to Shang-

hai^ and instructions have been issued to the chiefs to pt^ice of enlisting them.

' ; rujffianfii is desoibed as being in ^

jplsera]^^ get^g no pay, but plenty of ride

m FBKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Oh.V.

and spirits. They were allowed to plunder wherever they went, and they made no secret of such crimes as rape and robbery; hinting also at darker deeds not being uncommon. The most of them had been present at a fight near Soon-keong, about forty miles from Shanghai, where their leader, a man named Savage, was wounded, and an Italian killed. An American, of the name of Peacock, who is at present in Loo-chow, is captain of the whole band, and holds high rank amongst the Taepings. He is stated to have the power of life and death vested in his hands, in legislating for his own men. One of the Englishmen in the Nanking force was lately killed Ijy an Italian, and his body thrown into the city moat. This band stated that they were about to start for Han-kow, but under what Taeping commander they were not aware. The men captured by Captain Aplin were sent in the “ Bouncer ” gun-boat to Shanghai for trial before the British Consul there.

At the French Legation to-day, I met Herr Heine, the naturalist of the Prussian expedition. He is a na-turalised American, and was sent out to China in 1852 with Commodore Peny’s expedition. He has been in Peking for the last two days, endeavouring to make^ arrangements to return home vid Siberia ; that route fonning a portion of the natural history expedition that he is instructed to complete. He is accompanied at present by two Americans, also by a Dutchman^ who is in the English missionary service. They have come to Peking without proper authority, and^^ Chinese GovernmenJ; — that is to say, the section oft entrusted

Cfi.V.] FOEmCHraiBS VISITING PEKING. 157

^ith the mauagemeat of affairs relating to foreigners, — is much annoyed, and has expressed smous intentions of adopting sununary measures for their removal, but hesitate doing so, until certain that they have no con-nection with the English or the French, Unseemly c<mduct, also, on the part of some of the party is alleged to have taken place at an inn in the Chinese city, where they have been residing. Mr. Heine himself is a sensible and superior person, and one not in the least degree likely to have given occasion for complaint.

May 12th . — This morning Mi’. Heine and two of his party ai-e preparing to return to Tien-tsin; a hint having been given, that, should their stay in the capital be prolonged, the Chinese Government will take active steps to further their departure. The fourth member of the party, however, a Mr. Clucher, a native of Hol-land, in the employment of an English missionary society, accompanied Mr. Heine on the strength of a Dutch passport, which he had procured at Shanghai, and which se is of no use to him whatever. He founds, however, a claim to remain in Peking on the ground of his English missionary conne<rtion, and, in an interview which he had with Mr. Wade this fore-noon, was very uigent that he should be permitted to remain whethe’’ the Chinese Government liked it or not. It was pointed out to him, that at the present time it was most inexpedient, as well as likely to prove practically injurious to the future prospects of the £rt)<!^^t. fiiith. in this portioB of China, that any belonging to it, should settle in Peking, thn iiibidB of the CSiiaese Wi«e disabused of 'the

168 PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Oh. V.

belief, that the tenets held by the Taepings were the constituent portions of a faith identical with that which would be propagated here. The existence of this im-pression has been the natural result of some of the Protestant missionaries in the south of China having been imprudent enough to connect their names with the Taeping movement, — ^thus, in the eyes of the local Chinese authorities, as well as in the eyes of the public at home, being the means of investing the doc-trines professed by the Taepings with a Christian cha-racter — misled apparently by a sort of missionary jargon which they have adopted in proclamations and public addresses, while in reality their religious practices are those of blasphemous obscenity. Mr. Clucher readily admitted that the Taepings had sadly retrograded from what they were at an earlier period of their history, but nevertheless continued to press his point, on the ground that a Koman Catholic mission is now established in Peking. Superficially viewed, this might seem a fair ground of argument, but, on being looked at more in detail, it becomes apparent that such is not the case ; the Boman Catholic mission having been established in Peking for two hundred yeai-s, and it is not there now, professedly, for the purpose of proselytizing, but to mi-nister to the spiritual wants of a congregation of five thousand hereditary CShristians residing within the city. In addition to this reason, the respectable classes of the Chinese do not view the " French faith,*' as they cSll it, with the disfavour that they do the English ; inasmuch as, it has never been identified with that professed by the Taepings— -on the Contrary the Frendi haVe all along

Ch. V.] MB. CIiUCHEE WABNED TO DEPABT.

159

been steady opponents of the Taeping movement ; and in this opposition the Roman Catholic missionaries have taken a prominent part. Mr. Clucher has conse-quently been informed, that, having come to Peking without any legitimate authority, he must return to Tien-tsin ; his remaining in Peking in the character of a Protestant missionary being neither expedient in a religious nor a diplomatic point of view, at so early a period of direct British intercourse with the central government of the country. Notification at the same time has been sent to the Foreign Office, that none of the strangers refeiTed to have been furnished with British authority for remaining in the capital.

At noon, an official came to the Legation from the Foreign Office, for the purpose of procuring precise information from me with reference to the district of the city where the stones were thrown on the 8th instant. Having made the necessary inquiries, which were interpreted to me by Mr. Wade, he stated that he was now going to the place, after which such measures would be adopted, as would for the future prevent any similar occurrence. ^

At a later period of the day, Mr. Wade waited on the Foreign Commissions, and in the course of conversation informed them of what had been done at Nanking in regard to seizing the foreigners employed by the Tae-pings. They were all much pleased to hear it, and Uigently requested that an official notification might be seDtr.iof it. On Wade 8ay|ng[ that he thought it 'liras to Wan-se^ang^ repli^, ‘‘Ah, but

you do not wto we toit to do with it he theii

100 PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch.T.

laughed, and frankly stated that they wished to trans* mit it to Je^ho, that the Emperor might see it precisely as furnished by the British minister — ^thereby implying that His Majesty might have some mental reservation in accepting the version of it which might emanate from themselves.

While Mr. Wade was at the Foreign Office, the official employed to investigate the stone-throwing affair, returned and made his report to the Commis-sioners. He is an ensign in the city gendarmerie, and having inspected the locality, he recognised it as ojie noted for a toiideiicy to disorderly conduct. Suitabh.* steps are to be taken immediately to prevent further insults to foreigners. With reference to the For<ugn Commissioners, I may here mention that the other day, when Mr. Parkes was having a friendly conversation with them, he made a joking allusion to his former connection with the Hing-poo, or Board of Punishments. They all looked grave, however, and immediately begged that the subject should not be again menti<me(l, it being evidently contrary to Taoli to make a joke of any such serious matter.

A considerable breeze blew the whole night, which during , the day freshened into a severe gale, raising enormous clouds of dust, -which caused for the time partial darkness. The gale was so strong that it seemed to attract unusual attention amongst the workmen em-{doyed within the Legation. '

May lUh. — Mr. Gibson, who has been at Tung-chow for the last day or two, awaiting the arrival there of' some of^Mr. Bruce’s property from Shanghai, returned

Ch. V.] WATBE OOMMIOTCATION TO PEKINO. Ul

this afternoon, having come from Tung-chow by water as far as the eastern convenienco-gate of the Chinese city. He describes it on the whole as a very pleasant mode of travelling between the two cities. The scenery is rather pretty, the banks of the canal having a good deal of vegetation upon them. There is water running the whole way, but in some parts the canal is so shallow as to require those travelling to change from one boat to another. This occurred three times during his journey. The charge for the whole distance amounted to only three hundred Peking cash, not two shillings sterling. This stream appears to be in reality the origin of the Pei-ho, having been widened and formed into a sort of canal. Its source is in the moun-tains, and a part of it runs round the wall of Peking, there constituting the water defence,

CHAPTER 6.

CHAPTER VI.

' Visit from Hang-Ki—Fire in the Chinese city— The Ynen-ming-yuen coips— Shung-pow’s military opinions — Ilia “ Awe-inspiniig de* monstration An examination hall — Public gi'anary— Profes-sional jealousy— Arrival from Kiachta — Sickly season— Flags of tiuco at Taku— The Foieign Ministers accused of trading— Effects of heavy rain— Celebration of Her Majesty’s birthday— The views of the Pekingese about the Taoping rebellion and the existing dynasty— Erroneous ideas prevalent until lately, in the province of Chili, about the British— The finer feelings of our nature not foreign to the Chinese character— An English carriage— Curiosity it excites — The airing of pets — Innovation on taoli by the Canton authorities- Small-pox and state of vaccination— Mr. Bruce takes notice of the statements respecting trade being carried on at the Legation— The Prince of^Kung’s opinions of foreignere — A flower show — A Pekingese conversation about the English and their habits— Apiiointmcnt of-a Russian Minister at Peking— Romping with dogs disapproved of by the educated classes— The needless repetition of words— Vegetable supplies— Business springing up at Jedio, and fears beginning to be entertained that it may be made the seat of Government.

May 15tk. — Hang-Ki called upon me this morning, to show me the sore on his face, which has much im-proved, and would have been by this time altogether well if he had not been constantly applying his fingers to it to ascertain the progress it was making under the. change of treatment. At the period of his virit I hap-pened to have a case of “field instruments” out, which he looked at, and seemed rather horrified to hear the purposes to which some of them are intended to be appHed.

Last n^t there was what seemed to be a very

Ch. VI]

FIB® rsf THE CHINESE CITY.

163

extensive fire in the Chinese city. The atmosphere was brilliantly illuminated, and from a small pagoda summer-house in the garden we saw the parapet of the wall separating the two cities crowded with soldiers watching the conflagration, and probably on the alert in case of a revolt, such occasions being usually seized for disturbances. The noise was as if the whole city was in a state qf insurrection ; shouting, boating of gongs and drums, combined with the pumping of fire-’Cngines, created an alarming uproar. This mornings however, we hear that after all there were only three houses destroyed, the fire brigade having succeeded in getting the flames under with moderate rapidity.

May IQth — The Pehi/tifg Gazette of to-day contains a memorial addressed to the Emperor, prepared by Wan-se-ang and Shung-pow, relating to the Yuen-ming-yuen corps, and proposing a scheme for its reorgani-sation. This corps, which was the palace guard, has been completely broken up and disorganised since the destruction of the Yuen-ming-yuen, and consequently the men who composed it are now ima good deal of distress, and the time has arrived when it Is necessary to do something for them.

Shung-pow returned to his camp outside the city, toHiay. It c^ppears that after his intmwiew with the Emperor at Je-ho^ he at once recognised the obligation of obeyia^ the Imperial mandate, and marching in the direp^lon of the rebels; but having done this, he has e^ezeised his own discretion in refeienoe to the distance he should gosmd the timehe should remain absent from f He aooordix^ly marched between twenty and

164 PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch. VI.

thirty miles into the country, encamped there for a day or two, and then decided that the presence of his force was more urgently required in securing the safety of the capital, than in supporting Sang-ko-lin-sin towards the south.

A few days ago, I learned from Baron de Meritens, that when he was in Peking for a short time in the early part of the winter, he met Shung-pow with Bishop Moulie, and had a long conversation with him. He describes him as a large portly man, of superior intelligence and strong common sense. He expressed himself very candidly about the late campaign, and stated that he was now fully convinced of the folly of attempting to cope with us in the field, omng to our groat superiority in ^rtiUery. He said that at the action of !Pa-lee-chow his army was in very fair con-dition, and “ the men were of heart so good,” that at one time he thought he had a very fair chance of gaining the day, until the Allied Artillery came up, the effect of which was so tremendous and disheartening as to crush all hopes of success, and combined with the fact that he himself was disabled, left him no resource but to order an immediate retreat The wound he received was a severe one, his lower jaw being shattered. Several splinters of bone came away during the winter, and for some time he went about with his head band-aged up. He is said to be a good deal disfigured by his wound. The Chinese have a high opinion of him ^ a soldier; and, on the whole, he has been a successful general; be is said also to be so far proficient in the art of modern waffarO) as to have a great coiitmpt for a

Ch. VI.] « AWE-lNSPIRma demonstration.” 105

strict adherence to facts in the narration of his military operations. During the past winter he has been actively engaged hunting up plunder that had been taken from the Yuen-ming-yuen by villagers in the neighbourhood, during the confusion caused by the pre-* f;ence of the Allies. Even now, hardly a day passes that Chinamen do not come to the Legation with property of this kind for sale, that they axe afi*aid to show in public •

May VJIk, — Last night, Shung-pow indicated his return to camp by disturbing our rest a considerable portion of the night, first, by firing his field artillery in salute order, and then by volley and independent firing from matchlocks, constituting what in Celestial official phraseology is termed ^'an awe-inspiring demonstration;” the quantity of gunpowder almost nightly expended in these demonstrations must be veiy considerable.

This afternoon, Mr. Wade asked me to accompany him to the Observatory, for the purpose of seeing whether the ofiicial interference had produced any change on the conduct of the inhabitants in the vicinity. We found on the whole that there was still a decided inclination to be troublesome, had the move-ment been allowed to make head; but just as it was commencing, on our leaving the prec^cts of the Obser-vatory, one of the civio gendarmerie came out of a guard-hut, and immediately stopped it, accompanying us at the same time some short distance from the place,

after titew lemarka atoot £Buuig-pow were vritten, I fotttid Hr. Wed« «iiga($od trandatiag a foem oa the Taeping rebel* lUm hjr that 4i^g«ii«bed o^r^ wh^ name, I may as well state, tiw 9ywlogi|M sipOl 8Ui)g-paoi / f

166

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESB.

[Ch. VI.

sliowiiig that orders had been given to prevent a recur-rence of the conduct complained of.

CSoae to the Observatory there is an extensive range of buildings, constructed with unusual regularity, con-sisting of a series of narrow rooms, one behind the other. These lines of rooms are built on each side of a square, in the rear of which there is a large yamun. In the centre of the square there is a circular pagoda-shaped tower, rising a little higher than the roofs of the building. This establishinent is the Hall of Examina-tion for the Second Degree," and the tower in the centre is the place from which the roll, is called.

Immediately underneath the Observatory, on the out-side of the city wall, there are several ranges of public granaries. At this part of the wall, the river mentioned on the 14th as forming the water communication be-tween Peking and Tung-ohow flows past. From its being partly a canal, it is called the Cha-ho, or ** River of Locks."

As we were passing along one of the narrow streets, a well-dressed young man suddenly went down on one knee to an elderly man that he met, who, from his dress, did not seem to be in equally prosperous circum-stances, No ww'ds were interchanged; the young man merely bent the knee, and then passed on. The old man acknowledged the salutation in the usual way^ by clasping bis own hands and shaking them towards him. This is one of the customs of tiie country jmiior meeting a senior member of his family, whatever his position may be, makes a respectful obejaanoe to him as he pais^ ; hence there is no cutting " of ponr

CH.VI.]

1>ITST-4S!F0KU;.

]«7

reUtioiuk aa ecoentri^ty that does not fona an uncom-mon element in West^ odvilisation.

May IBOi. — ^To-day we had a severe dustHStoim. At noon the atmosphere became so murky aa to necessitate iJm lighting of candlea. Towards the afternoon it cleared off and some rain foil. The chief of the decorative painters immediately seized the oppor-tunity of the dust being temporarily laid to concentrate the whole of his aitists in giving the finishing cdKt of vermilion to the pillars and red portions of the prin-cipal building that has been in course of redecoration, having been afraid to do so for some days, owing to the dust. As if by magic, immediately on the rain setting in, the whole front of the building was covered with painters, their bands and arms dyed bright red, the colour at this stage being applied by the hand. The front has now really a magnificent appearance, and everyone is struck with the elegance of the design, as well as with the elaborate and careful manner in which the execution of it has been carried out, literally with a degree of painfully conscientious minuteness. A corps of these painters introduced into England for the deco-ration of theatres and places of amusement would pro-duce effects which, aided by our ^superior means of lighting, would tie very striking, I doubt if we can command the variety of brilliant pigments which they appear to have.

In the afternoon 1 went with Mr. Wyndham to the U^ere he made a sketdi'of the artificial hiU the ^mlace. , Jt is called the Chin-shan, or

CkMen Hetmtain.” A large crowd formed round him,

PEKHSTG AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. VI.

m

but were scrupulously careful not to incommode him, and watched the movements of his pencil with the utmost interest.

May 19tk — ^Yesterday evening a corporal of Royal Engineers, who has been employed for some weeks in connection with the repairs going on in the Legation, intimated that he did not like his position at Peking, and was desirous of rejoining his corps at Tien-tsin. It app^rs that he considers himself to have been slighted professionally on several occasions, owing to the taste of the Chinese carpenters having been preferred to hiwS own. The truth is, the corporal is a little jealous of the superior abilities and the extent of knowledge of the Celestials hi many matters regarding which it was sup-posed they would require tuition from him.

At dinner to-day, at the French Legation, I met M. Butzow (pronounced Bootsoff ),* diplomatic secretary to the Governor of Irkoutsk, who arrived the day before yesterday in Peking from Kiachta, the frontier town of Russia, having made the journey in fourteen days.

May 20th . — The weather has become •exceedingly sultry, and looks as if it was threatening to rain. The season is evidently not a healthy one, owing to the number of cases of sickness occurring amongst the foreign community connected with the two Legations. Sickness is also stated to be unusually prevalent amongst the native population.

^ In JUiMian, names ending in ow are pnmooneed os if they ended! iu lliiere is anoth^ gentleman at present in Peking^^-a laymember of the Ensaian Mmon^whose name Popow, and ia pvonoiUiced Popoffl

Ch. VI.]

FLAGS OP TEtJCB AT TAKp.

169

Talking over some of the events connected with the capture of the Taku forts on the 2l8t of August last with Mr. Parkes, he mentioned that his crossing the Pei-ho three times as he did that day with flags of truce, undOT the supposition that the south forts had surrendered, was not unattended with danger. On the second occasion of his going over, he was nearly as-saulted from one of the forts because he did not go away at once ; the men inside denying that thd fori had surrendered. Tlie third time he crossed, which was later in the afternoon, the fort was still full of men, and he had to make a detour before ho could reach the yamun of the Governor-General at Taku, to whom he had a mission. Betuming thence by the aid of a lantern, late at night, he, as well as those with him, narrowly escaped being fired at by a detachment of the Buffs, who, in the interval, had taken posscsbion of the fort. The Chinese, prior to evacuating it, loaded their guns and left slow-matches burning at the touch-holes. The guns went off at intervals, and two men were killed by them on board one of the gun-boats, while they were employed clearing away some of the obstacles from the mouth of the river, so as to enable its navigation to be reopened.

May 21st-— While Mr. Parkes was having a conver-sation with Hang*Ki this afternoon at his residence, the latter communicated to him as one of his troubles, that 41 the movements of the foreign Ministers are veiy "W^rtched, and minute details of them transmitted to Je-ho. One statmnent in particular has been made wiitich gives much annoyanoe, and of which he is very

170 vmfm AND THE PEKINOBSE. [CH.VI.

anxious to procure a written contradiction to send to the Emperor ; the statement being, that the French and English Ministers are filling their respective residences with large stores of merchandise for the purpose of carrying on trade in Peking. This impressic^ has arisen in consequence of the anival recently at Tung-chow, en route to Peking, of a portion of the household furniture of the English and French Legations that had been left at Shanghai until the navigation of the Pei-ho reopened in summer. The arrival therefore at Tung-chow of a succession of cases and packages has entailed the hiring of a considerable number of carts, which, at the present time, are difficult to procure for casual purposes, the period of the year being one during which they are fully employed otherwise. Pressure has consequently had to be put on to procure them ; and this, coupled with the fact of the carters having been in some way or other by ‘‘squeezing” done out of their fare — a fouith only of what they ought to have had having been paid them — has led to their preferring a complaint to the Prefect of Tung-chow, to the effect, that their carts have not only been employed contrary to their wish, but that they have also not been properly paid for their use. This complaint has been forwarded in duplicate, one copy, being sent to the Foreign Of9ce, the other to the Emperor at Je-ho. In addition to which, the Prefect haa entered into a statement of his own, detailing the quantities of property which the Miuistera have been receiving, and stating that “vast storea of mer-ohandiae'* are now accumulated in tl^ Le^tioni^. re-garding which he has come to the gratuitous conetusitmi

Cb, Via FOREIGN Mmsrm accused op trading. 171

that they are for the purposes of trade at Peking, which is contrary to treaty. Eeports to this effect, it appears, have been current for some time, and the belief is pretty generally entertained, that trade is catried on at the British Legation, That such an idea should have sprung up is not to be wondered at, considering the quantities of property that have been from time to time arriving ever since the Legations have been established, and also*^ from the fact that we are always talking about trade ; for the interests of which we are ostensibly at Peking. Hang-Ki does not hesitate to avow, that if he were to write to Je-ho and contradict the report, stating that he knows as a feet that we do not trade, he would not be believed, and therefore it is that he is specially anxious that it should be done by our-selves.

May 22nd— -Very heavy rain fell during the night, continuing fox several hours uninterruptedly. This morning none of the workmen came, and, on going out during an interval of fine weather, I found the streets deserted ; and in some parts, where there are hollows, the water was so deep as to reach nearly^to the axles of the few carts that were moving about. Towards the afternoon the drains of the city seemed to have got into good working order ; as the large canal in front of the Legation (the Yu-Lee-ang-Ho), which up to the present time has been perfectly dry, at four o*clook was a run-ning streatm During the rains it seems to constitute a aoit el oloaea major’' of one half of the city, as 1 noticed several large d^ns in the neighbourhood of t$e Legation pouring tl^eir ccmteijts into it in torrents.

172 PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch. VI.

There is a corresponding canal, though of smaller size, on the western side of the city, as its main drain.

May 23rd. — ^Veiy heavy showers occurred again during the night ; the weather to-day, however, has been lovely in the extreme — a brilliant sun shining through a perfectly cloudless sky. The ground dries up very quickly, and the workmen have all resumed their occupations. Mr. Parkes left to-day for Tien-tsin, and thence proceeds to Canton, where he will be present during its evacuation by our forces.

May iUh . — This being Her Majesty’s birthday, it was celebrated for the first time in Peking, by Mr. Bruce entertaining at dinner the French Legation. After dinner Her Majesty’s health was proposed by Monsieur de Bourboulon, who expressed in very appro-priate terms the great satisfaction it afforded him to have been the first minister of the Allied Powers who had had the honour of proposing in Peking the health of Her Majesty the Queen of England. Mr. Bruce returned the compliment by proposing in similar terms the health of His Majesty the Emperor of the French.

In the course of the day Mr. Wade had an interview with Hang-Ki, who expressed a desire that I would undertake the treatment of a friend of his — a civil mandarin of note — ^who is anxious to get cured of opium-smoking, and who entertains the idea that probably the Western physicians possess drugs which, if administered internally, will reUeve the craving for the opium-pipe, which, Vhere once developed, becomes insatiable*

May 25iA.~From Mr. Gibson to-day I gather^

Ch. VI.] VIEWS OP PBKINOESB ON THE TAEPINCS. 173

some interesting information respecting the opinions which he hears expressed amongst the respectable class of the Peking shopkeepers, tradesmen, &c., with whom he is brought in contact in the course of his interpre-tonal duties, regarding the present state of the empire.

, He says that one and all of themeondemn the Taeping movement, and view it in its true light, as nothing more nor less than a vast scheme of plunder and im-morality, carried on under the mask of introducing an improved form of religion. They do not entertain the possibility of its ultimate success, as the movement is hated and despised by all the respectable people in China, not one of whom either belongs to it, or has any sympathy whatever with it, it being in no way a national rebellion, but one of a purely local character, excited by and presided over by a madman, under the influence of supposed divine inspiration, whose tenets, while they have a somewhat specious sound in words, are in reality of an obscene, blasphemous, and blood-thirsty character. While these are the views they hold respecting the rebels, they profess no love for or confidence in the stability of the present dynasty. They say that it was once a good one, that it has lasted two hundred years, but that the virtues and military energy that once characterised it have become eflfete through luxury and debauchery. Though they are neither pre-pared to assist in nor to suggest any means for its b^g replaced, they consider that its time has come, and fiat it fall, its condition being now so prostate as haadly to admit of pennanent resusfttation.

they »y, » amply the moral deterio-

174 PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ca. VI.

ration of the elements composing it, and not the desire for a new dynasty on th^ part of the respectable classes in China, their desire being merely for a good form of government, which the existing one has gradually ceased to be. Individually, I am inclined to take a more hopeful view of the prospects of the present dynasty, that hope being based solely on the utter impracticability of replacing it by any other form of government suited to the peculiarities of the Chinese nation ; bad as it is, it is vastly superior to any form that has yet been proposed as its substitute.

Chang, a very gentlemanly Chinaman, and a man of high literary attainments, who was Mr. Gibson’s teacher at Tien-tsin, has lately arrived at the Legation to resume his duties in the same capacity. He now laughs heartily at the absurd notions which the inhabi-tants of the north held respecting the English. They appear to have been kept in profound ignorance respect-ing us by the officials in the south, who, while they spared no efforts to misrepesent our moral characteris-tics, seem either to have likewise misrepresented our phy-sical, or to have taken no pains to correct certain most erroneous impressions pertaining thereto held by the people of the north. Chang states it as a fact, that, until ocular demonstration convinced them of the con-traiy, they were impressed with the belief that we could not walk properly on shore, owing to being web-footed, and having no joints in our Umbs] also that we saw best in the JMc.* These w^ the impressions which Chang, ,

* These stotetoeatB are cerroboiated tiioee contaiaed k

Ch. V1.J CHINESE NOTIONS OF THE ENGLISH, 175

a man of ability and ediifcation^ admits having himself entertained. It would seem to have been the object of the authorities at Canton to paint us in the won^ pos-sible character, to show the difficulty of their position in dealing with us, and thus, by representing us as uncontrollable savages, extenuate their failures in co-ercing us, and exaggerate their successes, where such had apparently resulted— in a word, magnifying gene-rally the importance of their position, and making it appear that a tremendous responsibility rested on the shoulders of those who undertook the difficult and dangerous task of conducting " barbarian affairs ” in the south of the empire.

This afternoon Mr. Wade asked me to look at an elderly man of the name of Tsoon, who has been on trial with him for a day or two as a Chinese clerk. It seems that he is liable, on getting at all flustered, to violent nervous agitation, which, he says, he has suffered from ever since the military events of last autumn, in speaking of which, poor man, his feelings completely overpower him, and he Weeps bitterly, having lost three children during that period — a boy aged three years, and two daughters, respectively fourteen and seventeen years of age. Their deaths he attributes to flight, stating that during the general disorganisation and excitement which prevailed while our troops were advandng <m Peking, fear took such possession of the ot his children that they pined away and died. Sm tbht th^ captwe and desolation of the capital

JoanM^ hy loeiiiiber oC ilie Hisdon during tlM laid

^4 to winch ^eroiico io ttiode undte date 22od ApriL

17 e PEKnfG AND THE PEKINGESE. [CH. VI.

were looked upon as imminent by the mass of the people, who had mo confidence whatever in Sang-ko-lin-^in and his army when brought into contact with the “ Western barbaiians” in the open field. Tsoon’s hair is now quite gray, though last year, he states, it was per-fectly black. His countenance betokens much intelli-gence and benevolence, the general expression convey-ing the idea of his being a man acutely sensitive — a moral characteristic that we have, hitherto not been much inclined to admit as entering to any extent into the Chinaman’s nature ; but this view it is possible more extended experience may lead us to modify.

Amongst the effects that lately arrived from Shang-hai was Mr. Bruce’s pony-carriage, which being now in order, this afternoon he drove Madame de Bourboulon to the Observatory, a pair of Peking mules being sub-stituted for ponies. Mr. Wade and myself aocompanied them on horseback. It was remarkable to observe the curiosity which the equipage excited amongst old and young. As it was seen approaching, those in the street who were in the vicinity of their residences rushed off to apprise their relatives of the coming of the foreign vehicle, and they in their turn came out in precipitate haste to catch a sight of it as it passed. 1 observed nothing in any way offensive, only intense curiosity.

The view from the Observatoiy tower was hardly equal to what it was- on the occasion of my first visit, there bmi^ a slight haziness in the atmo^here ; nev^-theless, it was very fine. As the season advances, how-ever, 1 am beginning to realise fixe trufh of the first descriptions of Peking, as seen from the wall, which 1

CH.VX3

la® AiEma of pets

177

got from some of th^ officers of the expedition ; namely, that it seemed one vast field of green trees, the same-ness broken by a few tall monumental-looking structures appearing above them. As we left the Observatoiy, a great crowd formed outside^ and the soldiers belonging *.0 that portion of the wall were very energetic in keeping order, evidently acting under instructions from the Government Their efforts were quite successful, and nothing disagreeable occurred.

Jfay 26th — ^Now the rain is over, and the weather has become fine, the inhabitants are seen, in consider-able numbers, taking their birds out for an airing, also their dogs When we meet them with the latter in their arms, and indicate a desire to purchase, they display some alaim, cross their arms over their little dogs, and quickly make away. The cause of this is a custom, which prevailed extensively while the army was in occupation of the city, of forcibly taking their pet dogs from them. The breed is a very peculiar one, something between the King Charles and the pug. With reference to the forcible seizure of private pro-perty from the Pekingese while the city -fras in our occupation, upwards of three hundred carts and horses were taken from the peasantry in the neighbourhood for private purposes, chiefly for the oq/^veyance of plunder to Tien-tsin, — a ruthless proceeding, that wan-tonly deprived hundreds of poor people of their only

Bketm et fivelihood. The carts thamselves wei-e sold as

^ o£ me Setboi Maie\ . 9»d Mum received bjr

178

PEKING ANb THE PEKINGESE. [OH. VI.

it was one from Consul Robertson, at Canton, forward-ing a despatch for the Chinese Government, which he had been requested by the authorities at Canton to get transmitted througli our postal arrangements. Tliis is a gi’eat cliange, and a wonderful innovation on li and taoli, that the barbarian in Peking should become the medium of communication between the two cxtremu.s of the Empire.

May 28th . — Hie Clerk Tsoon, for whom I prescribed some tonic medicine on the 25th instant, reports himself as feeling somewhat better. liis probationaiy trial having proved satisfactory, he has been taken on as a permanent clerk in the Chinese Secretary's department. Through Mr. Wade, I had a long conversation with him to-day on the subject of small-pox. He seems to be a remarkably well-infoimed man, and to know a good deal about the disease as it prevails in this part of China. From what he states, small-pox has been un-usually prevalent in Peking for the last two months, but only children are affected by it. The unhealthiness of the pi’esent season is attributed to the scarcity of snow during the winter, and to a consequent predomi-nance of the wan-chee, or material influences. An increase of sickness, which is usually observed about this period ^ the year, he also states is attributed to the annual opening of the drains before the mns com-mence. It would appear that small-pox periodically assumes an epidemic chaiicter ; and the disease is genexfdly observed to be most prevalent in the years that tl)te examinations take place, which usually bring an iid|u!s; of about forty thousand people into the tow^

ch, VI 3

SlffAXrL-POX Am VACCINATOR*

179

the candidates for competitive honours being accompa-nied by large numbers of friends and relations, who avail themselves of that opportunity for visiting the capital. Since 1820 vaccination (introduced from Canton) has been practised to a limited extent amongst the popula-tion — probably one-fifth may be vaccinated At one time it was believed to afford protection, small-pox not having l) 0 (}n so common immediately after its introduc-tion. Of recent years, however, confidence in it has considerably diminished, owing to the frequency with which those are attacked who have been vaccinated. Prior to the introduction of vaccination, which origi-nated in the translation into Chinese of Dr. Pearson’s work by Sir George Staunton,— whose name the Chinese suppressed, and published the work as one of their own, — a rude species of innoculation was much in vogue ; namely, the introduction of pulverized scabs of the true small-pox into the children’s nostrils. The operation was always performed by a medical man, and a high sum charged for its supposed protective virtues. If Tsoon’s information is correct, small-pox woyij^ld seem to be almost essentially a disease of the young in this part of China* He states that it is most prevalejit among children below ten years of age, not common among those over fourteen, and hardly ever occurs among those above twenty. When it attacks one member of a family, it generally spreads through the others. It has so prevalent as it has been lately, since the

year

The influx to the ]^b^i%tion, and the consequent av€axux>wding hsi |U0nnecti<m teith the exami-

180 PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch. VI.

nations, may account for the increase of the disease which occurred in these yeans; but in reference thereto, Tsoon made a very sensible remark, to the effect that its veiy unusual prevalence this year could hardly be attributed to that cause ; because, notwith-standing that it was an examination year, there was an unusually small number of people in the capital at the present season compared with what is usually the case under similar circumstances, owing to the ab-sence of the Court, disorganisation of trade, and a variety of other causes, the result of recent political events. This fact, combined with others that have come under ray own obseiwation, leads me to believe that there has been an epidemic constitution of the atmosphere, characterised by a remarkable tendency to light up suppurative disease in those predisposed to it. With reference to this (picstion, I may here mention an occurrence that was this day brought to my notice in connection with sonic remarks I casually made doubting the efficacy of vaccination. At Hong Kong, in 1854, while small-pox was prevailing, a lady, well known there, had herself vaccinated; but, in place of its taking in the ordinary manner, it produced an attack of the worst form of small-pox, which proved fatal. Almost coincident with this, the same consequences took place in an infant ; and these two fatal occurrences made a strong impression on the minds of the Hong Kong public against the practice of vaccination during the prevalence of small-pox. From cases such as these, which I may state are much more numerous than is supposed, it would seem as if the vaccine matter^ in

Ch. VI.] THE PEINCE OF KTOG IN LOW SPIRITS. 181

periods when the atmosphere has assumed an epidemic constitution favouring suppurative disease, acts as a true germinating influence when introduced into sys-tems at the time affected witli what may be termed the small-pox habit of body.

In the afternoon, Mr. Wade had an interview with the Prince of Kung and Wan-se-ang. The former seemed out of sorts and not inclined to talk, the latter was in good spirits and very conversational He was desirous of being furnished with information about the principle of a national debt ; wished to know if we had any recent news aliout the movements of the Taepifegs ; and put the question point blank, as to whether, in the event of their attacking Taku, we would defend it. Mr. Wade explained that the Taepings had no ships, and that there was no risk whatever of their coming near any place where we were in military occupation. He then went on to express the hope, that, in a short time, they themselves would be able to effect something decisive in regard to suppressing the move^fient, upon which the Prince brightened up and clapped his hands approvingly. When an opportunity offered, Mr. Wade asked Wan-se-ang if anything was wrong, such as bad political news, as the Prince seemed so dull. Wan-se-ang, however, said that there was nothing politically wrong, but that it was probably from a domestic cause that the Prince was out of spirits ; some one, for instance, being ill at home, that he was anxious about. Mr. Wade seems to doubt this explanarion, and is more inclined to think that the Prince is aixxious about his responsibility, and that he

182

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[CH. VI.

did not much like the nature of the despatches that he was the bearer of from Mr. Bruce, one of which related to the report, which was brought under notice in a semi-official manner by Hang-Ki, regarding trade being carried on at the Legation, and which has been alluded to under date May 21st The tone of Mr. Bruce’s despatch was rather sharp, and it expressed a hope, that once for all he sliould hear no more on the subject. The Prince said that Hang-Ki had spoken on the matter without authority.

Talking to-day with Baron de Meritens about Wan-se-atig, he speaks highly of his intelligence and gi*eat anxiety to gain infonnation. A few days ago, when he was at the Foreign Office having a conversation with the Princc and his colleagues, he said in joke, ''Well, do you really now consider us a barbarous people ? ” The Prince replied, "I never thought so, because, having no acquaintance with your true character, I had no fixed opinion ; but now, most certainly, I do not.”

May — In the forenoon I went with Colonel

Neale to purchase some flowers for a small piece of ground that he has attached to his quarters. This particular day wjis strongly recommended by See-ou-tee, owiiig to being a feast day, on, which there is always a good display of flowers at the place where they are offered for sale. The flower-show l>eing about two miles from the Leang-koong-foo, he recom-mended us to ride on horaeback, and he would accom-pany us in a cart. About noon the "little one” appeared, got up in great style, and preceded us on foot until we came to the bridge that crosses the canal

Ch. VI.]

A CHINESE FLOWER-SHOW.

183

near the Legatiou. As we came to the bridge, he walked a few paces ahead, held up two fingers, and imnie<lmtely*the leading cart turned oflf a line of them standing near the bridge — a Peking cab-stand in fact. Into this cart, the “ little one ” got, and it started off at so good a pace, as necessitated our following at a mode-rate trot, so as not to lose sight of it.

We went due north until wc came to the broad street that leads to the south gate on the east face of the Tartar city. Turning down this street, about its middle on the left-hand side, we came to a temple, the approach to it being indicated by what the Chinese call Pi-lou, or arches of commemoration. In front of the main entrance to the teifiiple an enormous quantity of brushes, fonned of cocks* feathers, were exposed for sale. We wore conducted by See-ou-tee into one of the side buildings of the temple, where wc found a regular floral exhibition, which for arrangement would hav(j done credit to any European countiy. The flowers and shrubs, in pots of various colours and qualities, W’ere neatly arranged and disposed round the court-yards of the temple, which See^u-tee states are lent for the purpose of exhibiting the specimens, brought in from nurseries outside the walks of the city.

As an illustration of the flowers and what they cost, Colonel Neale bought two red pomegranates, one white ^one about throe feet high, four geraniums, four roses and four passion flowers — all in pots, and, when necessary, nicely trained on millet-stalk frames. For the whole he paid seventy-three thousand paper cash, of which fifteen thousand at present go to the dollar ;

184

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. VI.

consequently, four dollars thirteen thousand cash, equal to about twenty shillings sterling. In an establish-ment adjoining the temple another nurseryman had a show, and from him the Colonel purchased at the following prices : —

4 Carnations ....

Paper cash. . 20,000

2 Small Pomegranates

. 5,000

2 Bachelor s Buttons

. 1,000

2 Yellow Flowers

1,000

2 Sweet-scented Flowers .

. 6,000

2 Geraniums ....

. 10,000

2 White Roses

2,000

In addition to the floVers I have mentioned, I noticed nasturtiums, China-asters, stocks, pinks and the cactus.

The street in which this temple is situated is imme-diately off the main street, and it seems half a fair half a market place. It was crowded with people, — as was also a theatre in the vicinity — the audience being disposed before refreshment tables, exactly like the arrangements in the singing cafds that are becoming so common in Europe. Amongst fhe crowd numbers of respectable men were walking about with their birds perched on the ends of sticks. For the first time also, I observed pigeons out being aired; but this airing is car-ried out in a somewhat negative maimer, as they are cod? fined in a bag, from which their heads, necks, and tails only are free. Returning home at a canter down the centre of one of the main streets my horse fell and I was pitched on my head, fortunately on a dusty part of

Oh. VI.] CONVERSATION ON HABITS OF ENGLISH. 185

tlie mud causeway, which lessened the force of the fall The passers-by immediately came forward and offered me their assistance, and I did not perceive the most remote indications of an inclination to make a joke of the accident, as is the custom generally with our-selves.

May SOth, — Mr. Gibson mentioned to-day an amus-ing incident that occurred two days ago to himself and Mr. Douglas, who has lately arrived in Peking for intcrpretorial duty. They were sitting on the bridge between the Legation and the Imperial city wall, when by degrees a crowd formed round them, in consequence of two or three respectable people stoi)ping and endea-vouring to get into conversation wdth them. Being curious to hear what fonn tlie remarks of the crowd would assume, they pretended not to understand the language. A discussion soon commenced respecting the character of the English, to which nation they were recognised as belonging. Though the general opinion was unquestionably favourable, some striking truths were given expression to in connection with it. One, for instance, said, “They are not at all bad sort of fellows, only they are very fond of wine, and have a bad habit of getting dnmk upon it.” Then another cited his experience of the soldiers when they were in possession of the Anting Gate, and described how they rushed about seeking for liquor wherever it was to be found, and how, when they got it, they placed .their mouths to the vessels and drained thb contents. “Their love for wide is truly marvellous,” said <me. ' At this period of the conversation, Mr. Gib-

LSC

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. VI.

SOU made a sign that he was thirsty. Oh ! let’s get them a little wine, poor fellows,” cried one of the crowd, and an old man was on the point of carrying this kind intention out, when several immediately said, No, no, their officers forbid it ; they become unma-nageable under its influence. Do you not recollect that when the man was detected selling it to them at the Anting Gate, he was sent to the district magistrate and received forty blows with the heavier bamboo.” At this moment a beggar who had been listening at a short distance came forward and volunteered his expe-rience of the habits of the soldiery, which appeared to have been considerable, as he had attended them during the whole period of their occupation of the Anting Gate. His tesljimony was strongly in their favour when sober, but the contrary when they were drunk, in which state he said they were violent and quan-elsome. Of the officers his opinion was unequivo-cally favourable, and in this the majority of the crowd concurred, considering them to be quite equal to, nay, they thought in several respects superior to their own officers. They remarked that the English officers paid attention to their dress, and had a respectable air about them. The soldiers, they said, were rough men, who evidently required to be closely watched by their officers. Thus they went on chatting with one another in a most friendly spirit towards us, not an unkind, impudent, or offensive observation being made. Their astonishment, and to a certain extent confusion, is described as having been great, when they found that all the remarks they had been making were undeistood.

Ch.VL] new RUSSIAN MINISTER. ' 187

The beggar in particular appeared to feel the awkward position in which he stood, and said that after the unreserved manner in which he had spoken, in igno-rance of their knowledge of what he was saying, he felt that he had quite lost face with their honoura Towards the end of the conversation, the wife of one of the crowd, who resided in a house near the bridge, came out to the door aijd called on her husband to come home, and not be talking iaoli all day with foreigners.

Intelligence reached Peking to-day, that Colonel de Baluzac, the new Russian Minister, has amved with his wife at Kiachta on his way to Peking. Colonel de Baluzac is a Hungarian by birth, and has been some time in the Russian service. He is an officer of Artilleiy, and served at the .siege of Sebastopol. He accompanied General Ignatieff on his mission to Peking last year, as military attach(5, and since his return to St. Petersburg he has received the appointment of Resident Minister at the court of Peking.

May Slst — Last night, Mr. Gow invited Mr. Gibson and his teacher, Chang, into his room, for the purpose of showing the latter some ‘‘ Illustrated London .News,” containing Chinese sketches. These Chang recognised at once, and seemed much interested with them. The dog, Charlie, however, happened to come into the room, and Mr. Gow commenced to play with him. This Chang could not understand, and looked at him with astonishment; as the pranks became more violent he began to show evident signs of disgust. At last, when Mr. Gow commenced to bark in Charlie*s ear, Chang could not stand it any longer, but jumped up, took off‘

188

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. VI.

his spectacles, put them in their case, and left the room, '^evidently considering it to be quite beneath the dignity of a See-en-Shoong (meaning the first-bom,” a complimentary term applied to teachers) to counte-nance such proceedings. This morning, he came to Mr. Gibson to inquire “ the rank and position of the young mandarin” who had been conducting himself in what to him seemed such an extraordinaiy manner, the previous evening. On learning that he belonged to the military profession, he remarked with an air as if that at once accounted for it, “ Oh, I suppose, then, your military mandarins are uneducated men like oA own, who generally are a troublesome class, and insult the civil population.” He then went on to remark that Charlie growled on Mr. Gow’s barking at his ear, and that therefore the dog displayed more reason than the man, as it indicated its displeasure at his folly, — Mr. Gow\s harmless amusement having apparently made an unfavourable impression upon him, that one night's sleep was not sufficient to modify.

The Chinese have a remarkable habit of repeating the same word over and over again, and passing it from one to the other, an illustration of which occuiTed to-day. A number of the painters and paperhangers were in one of the rooms doing some work, when Colonel Neale came in and directed one of them to place red paper on a pedicular part of the wall. “ Hoong-dee ” is the Chinese for red, and from one to another the word was passed ; one man only omitted to repeat it, which the Colonel observing, said in joke to them, “Now, why has this man not said, ‘hoong^

Ch. VI.3

VEGETABLE SUPPLIES.

180

dee!’** They immediately perceived the joke, and laughed heartily at it. As a general rule, they are very susceptible of that form of sarcasm which now-a-days goes under the name of “chaff,” and appear to enjoy it.

The supply of vegetables at this season is remark-ably good. We have green-peas, French beans, ordi-nary garden beans, asparagus, spinach, carrots, turnips, and potatoes, fresh every day. Also grapes, pears, apples, and walnuts, apparently fresh, but which have been preserved by some very effective process since last summer, the fruit season not having yet commenced. Provisions ai’e stated to be much dearer in Peking than they were a few years ago. For instance, flour is exactly double the price that it was five years ago, costing at present thirty Peking metal cash (about twopence per cattie, equal to about a poimd and a quarter avoir-dupois).

The Peking shopkeepers state that a considerable amount of business is springing up at Je-ho, and that the place is rapidly increasing in importance ; so much 80 , that very serious doubts are beginning to be enter-tained in reference to Peking being continued as the seat of Government by the present Emperor, the de-struction of the Yuen-ming-yuen having deprived him of the only real inducement he had to reside near the capital. The sack and subsequent destruction of the jStimmer palace have always seemed to me occurrences much to be regretted ; and should what is now thought not improbable actually take place, they may prove more untoward events than eould have well been foreseen,

190

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. VI.

Dwing to the political as Well as national difficulties that the indefinite absence of the Court from Peking may give rise to. While it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that the original proceedings at the Yuen-ining-yuen were adopted without due consideration, — the more so because at the period of its sack no facts what-(3ver had transpired regarding the ill treatment and death of tlie prisoners, for which its subsequent destruc-tion by fire was imposed as a penalty, — it is equally diffi-cult to avoid entertaining the belief that had the routine principles of modem warfare been departed from, and the operations shaped more in accordance with the antique military character of the enemy than they were, the Allied Forces might have moved on the Yuen-ming-yuen immediately after the dispersion of Shung-pow’s army, on the 21st of September, and have taken possession of it, making the surrender of the prisoners a portion of its ransom as easily as its pil-laging was effected a fortnight afterwards, without any material good resulting from it; but rather the contrary, the Fi'ench army, from being the chief active agents in the matter, being at one time in a state of complete disorganisation.

CHAPTER 7.

CHAPTER VII.

Taoli concerning driving — Ghineso cavulry — Organisation of the army — Tlio Pi'iisgiaii negotiations — Paradox connected with solar lieat--A Peking sun-dial — Doniiiioos — Diaguiiitid Kiissiiin—Koturn of the Pedlar of Pa-lce-chow — Musical pigeons —Arrivals from Tieu-tsiii — The word ping — Finger gymnastics —Lucky days— The Dragon Feast — High temperature and prevalence of fever— Photograx>hs — A light and its couscquencca — Vcgetahlo market— Chinese Chris-tians — Construction of the houses— Pic-nic to the Eight Great Temples— The sjjecial currency at Peking, and its origin— The Pe-king Gazette, mode in which it is edited — The ** Ked Book^’ of C’hiiia — Pi’oinotion of the Pedlar of Pa-lec-chow' — The Dragon Feast, and excitement of the people— Mr. Hart’s interview with Wan-se-ang — His remarks on tln^ luatcldock — The ]>resent dynasty and the Taepings -Amusements of the Pekingese — Mode of transplanting small trees— Mr. Hurt’s interview with the Prince of Rung- -Sym-pathy of the latter with Hang-Ki, owing to his mother’s illness— Her death — Chinese visitors at the Legation — Ice-boxes — The ob-structions at the mouth of the Pei-ho — The Prince of Rung and English poetry — The foreman of the carpenters — A CJhinese hoax — Medical information from the teacher Yang — Conversation with the clerk Tsoon — Chang’s views on the saluting of femolos — Scaf-fold constructors— The unpacking of Her Majesty’s picture — llaug-Ri acknowledges cards of condolence.

June Isf. — Mr. Bruce having occasion to-day to see the Prince of Kung, drove to the Foreign Office in his carriage, accompanied by Mr. Wade. On the latter infojming the Prince and his colleagues of the nature of . the conveyance they had come in, Wan-se-ang went out to the door, and after carefully examining the carriage, rotumed and gave the Prince a minute de-scription of it. What they could not understand, how^

192

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch. VII.

ever, was Mr. Bruce driving himself — that was an* outrage on taoli altogether beyond their comprehen-sion; in fact their minds seemed to rebel against grappling with anything so opposed to what they heretofore had thought possible.

A detachment of cavalry passed the Leang-koong-foo this morning. The men were armed with swords, stuck under the flaps of their saddles, constituting another of their contrarieties, but rather a sensible one, inasmuch as the horse carries the sword, and relieves the rider of its weight, which must be an advantage on a long inarch, as it saves the loins from a needless drag upon them. In their left hands they carried bows, and had a supply of arrows slung across their shoulders in leathem quivers. With them the bridle-hand is the right, which might have been expected, as we employ the left. When they use their swords, however, they of necessity temporarily employ the left hand as the bridle one. Their caps were decorated with the usual military emblem, in the form of two squirrels’ tails. They were accompanied by two blue-buttoned mandarins. In general appear-ance and equipment they were not equal to the men that we encountered at Sin-ho, in the first of the actions of the late campaign. They had a dirtier and more shabby appearance, probably the result of their having just arrived in Peking from a lengthy journey. They appeared to be on their way to join Shung-pow’s camp at the south-western angle of the Chinese city.

Mr. Wade, in an elaborate article in the ''Chinese Repository ” for May, 1851, states that the support of the Chinese army forms no inconsiderable item in the

Ch. VII.]

THE CHINESE AEMY.

193

general expenditure of the Empire ; however ineffective the force may be, or false the returns of its ranks, nevertheless that the Imperial Treasury pays annually for all that is borne on its books. He then goes on to state —

“ In speaking of the army of China, the chief dis-tinction to be observed is between the Bannermen, who may be said to be the force of the usurping family, and the troops of the Green Standard, who are, with occa-sional exceptions amongst oflScers of the rank of sub-altern, entirely Chinese.

“ The Bannermen are Manchus, Mongol Tartars, and Ha*n-kiun, or Chinese descended from those, who forsook the cause of the Ming when their country was invaded.* These three nations are each ranged under eight banners, as below, the first of these being styled the mperioT^ the five lower the inferior banners : —

1st Bordered Yellow. 2nd. Plain Yellow.

3rd. Plain White. 4th. Plain Bed.

5th. Bordered White. 6th. Bordered Red.

7th. Plain Blue. ^ 8th. Bordered Blue.

•

‘"The 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th form the left, the remainder the right wing. The chief superintendence of all Bannermen vests in the metropolitan office of Tu-tung, or Captain-General of the Banners, of whom there are twenty-four, — or one to each banner of each race, — of the same nation generally as the Bannermen they command, though not necessarily of the same corps

* The first defection noticed ocenrred in Sian-tung, in 1621, twenty-three years before the overthrow of the Ming dynasty.

VOL. L '

o

194

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. . [Ch. VII.

or banner. Their jurisdiction is of both a civil and a military character ; but it must be remembered that although the Bannermen in China proper, as well as almost all Manchus, and certain of the Mongols, to be noticed in due time, are more or less subject to the above an-angement, they do not all perform military service ; and that such as do not, and arc not either in the civil service of the banner establishments, receive no support from the state, unless they belong to the til roc banners superior.

'' The Chinese army not of the banner is known as the Liih-ying, or that of the Tents of the Green Standard, a designation bestowed on it to distinguish it from the banner corps. These, in 1575, were but four in all, and of a purely military organization, numbering each seven thousand five hundred men ; they were subsequently doubled, and the border added, for dis-tinction’s sake, to the original plain colours. When the Manchus established their dynasty, in 1G44, the ban-ners were originally distributed at Peking, according to a mystic system, whereby the yellow is made to repre-sent the centre, the red the ^outh, and the white the west ; the north should have been black, but for this, as of bad omen, was substituted the blue ; and to the east, thus left unprovided for, in lieu of the azure required by the system, was assigned, without any reason, the green, which the native troops were directed to assume as their standard. They took up, however, no corre-sponding position in the city, which was held entirely by the Bannermen, the two yellow banners being quartered to the north of the larger enclosure which

Ch. VII.]

SOLDIERS* PAY AND RATIONS.

195

surrounds tho forbidden precincts of the Emperor’s residence, the white to the east, the red to the west, and blue to the south ; that is to say, with the left wing camped from north to south on the east, and the right to the west side.

'' The pay and ration office of each banner of each nation is under one Tsdn-ling, or twenty-four in all ; under caeli of these are two Chang-hing, and in the Manchu and Han-kiun, five ; but in the Mongolian banners two subalterns. These are both paymasters and commissariat, and forward the estimates for the ensuing half years to the Board of Revenue on the fif-teenth of the twelfth and the fifteenth of the sixth moons, five days’ grace being allowed for corrections, &c. The issue of pay takes place monthly, in copper cash, on tho first and second ; tlie residue in silver on tho third and fourth. The grain ration is issued quarterly, but in dif-ferent months, the two yellow banners receiving them in the first ; the two, white and the plain red in the vsecond, and the two blue and the bordered red on the third of each quarter. An addition is grant|,ed whenever an intercalaiy month intervenes. • Rations being allowed to banger officers from the sixth grade down, their names are included in the return of the Tsan-ling, aufl it is to be remarked that all the military Bannermen, no matter to which of the metropolitan corps they belong, are paid by this office, and not by the officers of their corps.

The horse forage account is kept by one Ts^tn-ling and two Chang-king in every banner, Manchu and Mongol, and by five subalterns of the former and two

190

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

Ch. VII.

of the latter. The cash allowance is drawn on the sixth of every moon, by the left wing, and on the seventh by the right ; and the grain and other forage on the fourteenth and fifteenth ; the cash estimate being forwarded to the Board of Revenue on the eighteenth, and the forage estimate at the close of the moon.

The stables in which the banner horses lie are under the general superintendence of two Manchu and two Mongol Ts&n-ling in oveiy banner, assisted by a like number of Chang-king, and the Manchus by four and the Mongols by two subalterns. These take it in turn to mount guard over the stables, every Manchu banner funiishing four corporals and thirty cavalry ; the Mon-gols, two corporals and sixteen cavalry.”

Some of the foregoing information was procured by Mr. Wade from a work called the '' Chung-Ch'u-Cli'ing-K'an : or, Imiuiry into the Centre or Main Pivot,” i.e., the Army. The other portions of it were procured from a Digest of the Laws regulating the present Govem-incnt of China,” from the Code of the Board of Reve-nue,” and from the “ Red Book” of China for 1849. Tlie extracts I have given form but a portioi^ of the translations made by Mr. Wade in reference to the same subject.

June 2nd. — Mr. Heine, the naturalist of the Pru.s-sian expedition, returned to Peking to-day, under French protection — that is to say, as a guest at the French Legation — with the view of renewing his endeavoui-s to procure permission to return to Europe through Siberia, which he cannot do without the sanction of the

Ch. VIL]

PRUSSIAN NEGOTIATIONS.

107

Chinese government, as it commands the right of way as far as Kiachta, thirteen hundred miles from Peking. •

The treaty proposed by the Prussians, and the terms of which Tsoon-Lucn is now at Tien-tsin discussing with Count Eulenbergh, is not yet settled. The Chinese are willing to make a commercial treaty, but will not at present make a diplomatic one. They do not positively refuse to do so ultimately, but they say that the present time is not the right one, assigning as their reasons that tht& country has been unsettled, and the government shaken through their having been brought in contact with Western Powers ; and thejj do not deem it expedient to extend political relations in that direction, until the government is a little more reconciled to those into which it has been driven by force.

June Srd!.— Eveiy day brings to light additional illustrations of the diametrically opposite customs of the Chinese to our own. Now that the sun is very strong, and we are protecting our bpads by solar helmets, puggeries, and other Indian head-gear, the Chinese have removed the head-dress they have worn during the winter and spring, and are walking about with their cleanly-shaven heads glancing brightly under the scorching sun. The higher orders wear a very light conical-shaped straw hat (already alluded to as the

summer hat that the sun must readily penetrate. Facts such as these^ observed amongst a people not habitually exposed to the sun, like the natives of India, tend to strengthen the conviction that has been for

198

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. VIL

some time growing upon me, to the effect that the injurious influence of solar heat has been, and con-tinues to be, inucii exaggerated, and that what gives it a noxious influence, is not the sun per se, but, as a general nile, the sun operating on constitutions, the natural balance of which has been upset by habi-tual indulgence in habits which are incompatible with much solar exposure ; i,e., habits which predispose to visceral congestion, amongst which may be specially men-tioned the extreme use of alcoholic fluids, excess in ani-mal food, deficient exercise, and pfrobably also excessive tobacco-smoking. While these arc causes conferring wh^t may bo termed an artificial predisposition to be injured by the sun, there is no doubt that, apart altogether from self-created causes, there are certain individuals in whom there is a natural inability on the part of their nervous systems to bear solar ex-posure, without lieing injuriously affected by it — hence heat apoplexy, or sun-stroke as it is called, is not un-common amongst those of temperate habits. I am inclined also to think, that a good deal of the mischief which it is customary to attribute to the sun, is due to the operation on unhealthy constitutions of disturbed states of atmospheric electricity, occurring in connec-tion with extreme heat ; the more so, as the' worst forms of heat apoplexy occur on cloudy, sultry days, and during high states of the temperature at night In reference to this matter, I put the question to-day to See-ou4ee, as to how it was that, how that the sun had become so strong, ho and others had removed the caps they had worn all spring, and were now going

Cii. VII.]

A PEKING SUN-DIAL.

199

about with clean-§haven heads, exposed to the full force of the sun. The “ little one’s ” reply was, “ that Chee-neeman like-ee the sun ; Ingleez-nian no like-ee it ” — an explanation, lucid and satisfactory as it was, that V ould have been rendered more so had he added, that while the sun likes Chinamen generally, it has not a similar universal affection for the Englishman.

When the repairs were first commenced on the Leang-koong-foo, in one of the front courts there was a very handsome marble sunAlial, which has been re-moved and ]#aced in the centre of what is now known as Legation Court.” In it we have a further illus-tration of Chinese contrariety. Our dial is horizontal, theirs is inclined at an angle of forty-five. The portion which throws the shade, in ours is flat and angular, in theirs it is round and pointed ; in ours it stands on the surface of the dial, in theirs it p(‘rforate3 it equidistant on each side. Our dial has only one face for the whole year round — tlie Chinese dial has a summer face and a winter face.* During summer the portion of the iron spike perforating the dial, projecting to the north, throws the shade on the inclined northern face of the dial, and during 'v\dnter, the southern spike throws the shade on a dial which is arranged on the under surface of the circular piece of marble, on the upper portion of which the summer hours are in-scribed : — Altogether the Chinese dial is a more com-plicated, and at the same time more elegant-looking instrument than ours.

* After the 22nd of September, the winter face of the dial shows the hoar.

200

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. VII.

When at the French Legation 'this forenoon, I observed a knot of workmen sitting down amusing themselves during their meal hour, gambling with dominoes made of bamboo. They played the game by sides, and apparently on principles similar to our own. I observe that the workmen regularly take a siesta, now that the weather has become hot. This is the first occasion that I have noticed them gambling.

Wliile Mr. Gibson was dlit in the Tartar city to-day, he met a Russian walking about dressed# as a China-man. A lai’ge crowd followed him, laughing and making fun at the futility of his attempt to obscure his national character. Mr, Gibson was on the opposite side of the street at the moment he passed^ and his attention was di*awn to the circumstance by an old woman pulling the sleeve of his coat, and pointing to the Russian, with an air as much as to say, Look at that fellow over there making a Guy of himself.”

June Wi , — We seem to live in a besieged town during the night ; for hours successively discharges of musketry and artillery go on, generally commencing about midnight These “ awe-inspiring demonstrations” have been more frequent and extensive of late than formerly, owing to the capital having been at last deprived of the protecting influence of Shung-pow, who, after all, has not been able to evade going to the aid of Sang-ko-iin-sin. A small portion of Shung-pow*s force has been left encamped outside the city, and in pro-portion as their numbers have been reduced, in like

Ch. VII.] RETURN OF THE PEDLAR OF PA-LEE-CHOW. 201

proportion have they been increasing their midnight expenditure of gunpowder.

This afternoon the pedlar of Pa-lee-chow, who about a month ago started for Mongolia with the wounded soldier Toor-lin, returned to the Legation, having accompanied his friend as far as the Kalgan Pass in the Great Wall, a hundred and sixty miles from Peking. Owing to being a Chinese he was not allowed to croswS the Mongolian frontier, and therefore had to leave Toor-lin to complete the remainder of his journey by himself. The general commanding at the Kalgan Pass seems to have treated the pedlar ’with consideration, and sent him back to Peking in charge of a soldier ; at the same time giving him a letter to the English Legation. The soldier took him straight to one of the official Yamuns, where the letter was detained, for examination it is supposed. He was allowed to come on at once to the Legation, and was directed to say that the letter would be sent to-morrow. His baggage was also detained ; but, on a request from Mr. Wade, it was immediately given up to him. The old man looks much improved in appearance by his trip to the country. Mr. Bruce has directed him to be employed in the Legation as a Tinck~chy^ or orderly, wliich is what the word means as nearly as possible in English.

June 5th , — ^The weather continues to be fine, but the strong morning breezes, which are now prevailing, raise such clouds of dust, as to render it impossible to move with any degree of comfort beyond the precincts of the Legation. ♦

202

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. VII.

Every now and then we are reminded of a steam-boat whistle or that of a railway train, from the noise made by flocks of tame pigeons passing over the Legation, with a sort of lialf whistles lialf iEolian harps fitted into their tails. These instruments are formed of very light wood, and, as the bird flics through the air, tliey give out a sound not unlike that of the yEolian liarp. This appears to be peculiar to Peking, as I have not seen the same in any other pai-t of the Emi)iro.

Mr. Haii;, Acting In.spcctor-General of 'the Chinese Customs, and Lieutenant Clements of the Royal En-gineers, arrived at the Legation to-day from Tien-tsin ; — the fonner on business with the Foreign Office — the latter to prepare plans and estimates for more extended alterations on the Leang-koong-foo than were originally intended. Staff-Surgeons Bindon and M'Nab, not having previously seen Peking, received permission to accompany them, and will return to Tien-tsin in the course of two or three days with Mr. Gow, who has been relieved of the command of the military escoit by Lieut. Clements, who will remain at Peking until the proposed alterations are completed: these are chiefly in the iion-palatial part of the Foo, upon which as yet no changes have been made. ^

June 5fh , — On the 31st of March I cited an illus-tration of the mistakes which Synologues occasionally make, from giving the wrong intonation to Chinese words that have several meanings, and, as an instance

of the latter, I casually mentioned the word ping*

*

• Under the date referred to ahove, I have already given the various

Ch. VII.] THE WORD Pljfo— ICE OR PANCAKES ? m

Curious to say, the diflSculties connected with the pro-nunciation of this word w^ere practically illustrated as Mr. Hart and his friends were on their way to Poking. Three days ago, while they were resting at a village on the road, the heat w^as so oppressive that they deter-mined on refreshing themselves if practicable with some iced champagne. Mr. Hart, who speaks Chinese fluently, asked the innkeeper if he could get them some ice, giving the for it, as he thought all correct. The innkeeper undertook to do so with a readiness which quite cheered them, and after sitting for half-an-hour, thirsty and exhausted, anxiously looking fonvard to the arrival of the wished-for ice, at last a waiter appeared with a large plate of smoking pancakes: Mr. Hint had given the jAng with the pancake into-nation in place of the one for ice, in the same manner as Mr. Adkins gave the Shang-ya for eels in place of for potatoes. Their disappointment was the more keenly felt, as after all it turned out that there was no ice procurable nearer than the capital ; where extensive stores of it are kept for summer use, as there are also at Tien-tsin.

June 7th. — The wind has now moderated, and I walked this afternoon with Doctors Bindon and M‘Nab through the Imperial City, entering by the eastern gate, and showing them the eastern entrance to the Emperor's palace. Turning north, we skirted the artificial hill, and, after passing round it, turned to the

nieanuigs of the word ping. I may also here state that tho word pee-am meaus a watch, a ** social evU,” a certiheats, glue, atid a verb meaning ** to manifest,’*

204 PEKING AND THE ^PEKINGESE. [Ch. VII.

south by its western wall, until we came to a very fine Lama temple near the north-west angle of the palace. Passing this we went west, until we reached a large marble bridge, jon crossing which a picturesque lake with temples on its banks comes into view. We retuiTicd home by the western side of the city, and on our way met some elderly men walking about with brass balls in their hands, which they kept in constant motion, with the view of making their fingers supple, and thus counteracting the stiffness caused by advanc-ing years. This would also seem to be a practice peculiar to the Pekingese, as I cannot call to recollec-tion having seen digital gymnastics practised else-where.

June Sth, — Mr. Wade's clerk, Tsoon, whom 1 have lately alluded to as having had his nervous system upset by recent misfortunes, has not been to the office for a few days, having been making arrangements for removing his family to a residence more convenient to the Legation than his present one. The delay which has occurred has been connected with the selec-tion of a lucky day to carry it out. One has been at last selected as likely to prove propitious, and we expect shortly to hear that the movement has been effected to the satisfaction of all concerned.

This afternoon See-ou-tee intimated to Colonel Neale that, on the evening of the eleventh, the workmen will leave their work earlier than usual, and not come at all on the following day, that being, " All same Cheeneeman Cliristmas-day, and they no workee that day, whether workee for Ingleezman or Chee*

Ch. VII.]

THE DKAOON FEAST.

205

iieeman but supposing, — the little one ” went on to say, — that we wished them particulaiiy to do so, they can overcome their religious scruples, on the consideration of receiving double wages for that day. The eleventh,’ it seems, is the fifth day of the fifth moon, and the commencement of the Dragon Feast, one of the great festivals of China. On inter-rogating Sce-oU“toe in reference to its nature, he re-peated to mo what he had told Colonel Neale regarding its being all same as Christmas-day in England,” the analogy in the '' little one’s” mind between them being based on the following : — ‘‘ Cheeneeman that day, chin-chin-joss, go to the sing-song, and catchee plenty of chow-chow,” which, rendered into more in-telligible English, means, that the Chinese on that day attend, in the first instance, to devotional exer-cises, after that they go to the theatres and other places of public amusement, and wind up the day by having an unusually good dinner — a combination involving points of identity with our English Christmas suffi-ciently approximate as to fully justify the comparison instituted by the little one,” founded as ’it was on the results of what he himself had personally witnessed in reference to the manner in which the two days are observed in the two countries.

June dth , — The early portion of the day was very warm ; towards the afternoon, however, the sun dis-appeared, and the atmosphere became intensely close, the thermometer being 93° in the shade. At half-past six a thunder-storm, with lightning and rain, set in, and lasted for an hour and a half. This caused

20(; PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch. VII.

some reduction in the temperature for the time being, but it was of short duration, the heat again becoming oppressive.

The clerk Tsoon returned to his employment to-day, having effected tlie movement refered to yesterday ; the day having apparently been so far a lucky one as to have enabled the change to be made before the heavy rain and tliimder-storm set in. He states that lately there has been a good deal of sickness in the city of a kind that lie describes as “ pestilence,” and which it is probable is a form of eruptive fever similar to that which Dr. Biiidon tells me has been very prevalent amongst the troops at Tien-tsin.

June lOtli . — A fight took place to-day between two of the Chinese grooms in charge of Mr. Bruce s horses ; having originated in a profes.sional dispute referring to priority of right to clean some harness. The man who won the fight was somewhat unnecessarily sent by Mr. Gibson to the District Magistrate for puiii.shment, who, on going into the merits of the case, awarded him three dozen strokes with the “ lighter bamboo.” This sentence was at once carried out at the Yamun, on a part of the body rendering the sitting posture not the most comfortable to him at present. The result of it has been that he has bolted, and does not intend, after having been exposed to such an indignity, to resume duty at the Legation.

June lli/i. — Early this morning I rode with Mr. Bruce to the north of the city. On entering the eastern main street, we found a vegetable market extemporised on each side of it ; the vegetables not being on stalls,

Ch. VII.]

CHINESE CHRISTIANS.

207

but in the vendors’ baskets, as brouglit in from the country. They were clean and in the best of order, consisting chiefly of lettuce, cucumbers, green peas, beans, radishes, turnips, vegetable marrow, onions, and garlic. Apricots and small black plums are now also plentiful, and must come from the south of Feting, as the season is hardly advanced enough to admit of their having ripened here.

We left* the city by the Anting gate, and, crossing the parade ground, we turned to the left a short way up a cross roail and came to the Russian cemetery. The same people were in cliargc of it as when I visited it about six weeks ago. We went into their house, which was clean and neatly kept. Mr. Bruce pointed to a print of the Virgin hanging up on the wall, when the old woman immediately said that it was the Shang-mou (the woman of heaven). On our way back we met one of the large funereal biers going out on hire. It had forty bearers, who all wore black felt hats shaped somewhat like a barber’s basin, and having a red feather about eight inches long sticking up from the crown. . .

Riding through the streets of Peking and casually looking at its houses, it would seem as if they were chiefly built of wood. This, however, is not the case ; the impression arising from the fact of the fronts of all the shops, and of most of the houses, being formed of latticed wood-work, while the backs of the houses and the sides are invariably built of brick-work, and, gene-rally speaking, substantially so.

JuTie 12^/t.— ’rids morning a little before five o'clock,

208

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch. VII.

Monsieur and Madame de Bourboulon, Mr. Bruce, Mr. Wade, Captain Bouvier, Mr. Heine, and myself started for The Eight Great Temples,” on the hills to the west of Peking, described on the 26th of April. We left the Tartar city by the See-chee-mun at a quar-ter to six, and reached the foot of the hills near the lower temple at half-past seven. The sun was very strong and the heat considerable. A mountain chair was procured at the first of the temples for Madame de Bourbotilon, and a supply of native bearers was imme-diately forthcoming. Tlic ^'Dragon’s Fountain Tem-ple ” was established awS the head-c^uarters of the party. The place was very clean, in excellent order, and every civility and attention was met with from the priests. The heat however was greater than might have been anticipated, considering the height the building is above the level of the plain beneath ; the thermometer hav-ing been during the greater portion of the day 88° in the sTiade.

About three o'clock, as the sun got to the westward, Peking was seen with great distinctness, as also was the mountain range to the north-east of the city, distant about forty miles. In the extreme horizon to the southward the Pagoda of Tung-chow was seen. Be-tween the distant hills to the north-east and where we were, a level plain seemed to intervene, covered with green trees — ^the sameness, of the scene broken by a faint light outline of a square form — ^the walls of Pe-king, within which, to the naked eye, were distinctly visible, the roofs of the palace buildings, the artificial hill, the Drum and the Bell towers, the Lama menu-

Ch. VIIJ

SPECIAL CtJERENCT.

200

ments, the gateway towers and the old Portugxiese — now called the French — Cathedral. Between Peking again and the Eight Great Temples/' the Pagoda of Pa-lee-chang (a village three miles to the west of Peking) reared its head from amongst the trees ; and in the direction of the obscure outline of the Chinese city was seen the Pagoda near which Shung-pow was lately encamped with his army. The atmosphere was so clear, that the palace roofs, thirty in number, could be counted, and the gate on the jeasteim side of the city, recently repaired, was easily distinguished from the ^others by the fresliness of its paint. With the aid of a glass tho.se objects were only more distinctly seen, nothing new being revealed to the eye ; the dense foliage concealing the remainder of the city.

June \Zth . — A Chinese teacher, engaged by Mr. Douglas, commenced his duties to-day at the Legation. His name is Yang. He has taken his degree, and wears the lowest of the two classes of the gilt or literary button. He is the son of a repairer of watches, and at the present time he is emplopng his surplus earnings in paying for the education of his brother, who is now reaxling for his degree. Through Mr. Douglas I had some conversation with him about the Peking cur-rency,. which he states is becoming a growing evil, owing to the depreciation of the copper coinage, and that the discontent connected therewith is daily increasing. The origin of the large Peking cash and of a special currency for the capital was the follow-ing. About nine years ago, the Board of Revenue

210

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Cn. VII.

commeii^ced to call in the small tclien or ordinary cash coin of the empire, and issued one of a larger size for special circulation at Peking, assigning a value to it equal to ten of the ordinary cash, and at the same time making the latter an illegal tender within Peking. This proceeding on the part of the Board of Eevenue consequently compelled the people either to deal with the large cash, or with paper money. It seems that the large cash were originally issued in a dete-riorated form, and though nominally worth ten ordi-nary cash, they never were so in reality, while on every re-coinage they have been undergoing a still further depreciation. At present they are not actually worth more than three of the ordinary tchen, which leads to the people having to pay more than three times the true value of everything, inasmuch as they are paid these coins as if they were worth ten small cash, but when they come to purchase with them, shop-keepers will only take them at their intrinsic value — at least they shape their prices in a manner proportionate to the deteriorated coin that is in circu-lation, which is doing the same tiling in another form. At the present time the twenty paper cash go to one copper one, and seven hundred and fifty of the latter to a weight of silver equal to one Mexican dollar. It is generally believed that the Emperor is not aware of the local depreciation of the copper coinage which has taken place. Yang also states that the belief is current, that the character of the Western nations has been so misrepresented to him, with a view to its being made to appear unpracticable for him to reside in Peking

CilYIL] the PEKING GAEETTE.*' 211

while they were there, that his counsellors^e now ashamed or afraid to tell him the truth. The impres-sions of the public generally are in favour of foreigners, he states ; but at one time they were much afraid of them ; they are now, however, quite reassured.

I asked him about the health of the city, and found that he corroborated what Tsoon stated the other day about a contagious fever being prevalent, accompanied by an eruption of red spots. It is not attended with much danger, he says, if the eniption comes freely out, but in cases Avhere it is suppressed and settles on internal organs, the disease is represented as a very serious one. In reference to vaccination, ho says it has been introduced, but not very generally practised, as the people are not inclined to put much faith in its preventive powers. Ho himself, however, does, inas-much as, at the present time, his mother’s cousin’s family are affected with small-pox ; two children that were not vaccinated being ill with the disease, and two that were vaccinated not having taken it.

To-day, also, I gathered a good dea\ of informa-tion about the Peking Gazette* and corrected some erroneous ideas I had formed on the subject. It appears that it is not an oflScial sheet published by Government, but a species of ministerial organ, the publication of which is permitted by the Government, and the matter supplied by Government clerks to the publisher for their own private emolument. The con-

* Of the origin of the Pehing 'Gcmtfe there is no account that can ho depended on ; its antiquity is undoubted, tradition assigning it to the Sung dyxiasty, which became oatinct in 1366.

212 P£l:iNa AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch. VII.

nectionH^tween the Peking Gazette and the Govern-ment does not extend further than as regards state papers that it is not intended should be made public ; in which case whoever is intrusted with them receives a caution that they are not to find their way into the Gazette^ and care is taken that they do not. The infor-mation contained in the Gazette is indirectly official, inasmucli as it is strictly authentic. It is read with gi’eat interest by the public, not only in Peking, but all over the Empire, and the people look for its appear-ance with a degree of interest similar to that with which the Engbsh public regard the Times during periods of political excitement.

There are three editions of the Peking Gazette regu-larly published ; a rod-covered one, which is the largest, and appears every other day; a white-covi|^ed one, which is published daily, and contains full details of ceil/ain subjects of interest of which only brief notices have appeared in the more strictly Gazette publication. It is a daily newspaper, in fact, which, from being a strictly ministerial organ, may be likened to Globe, The third edition is a cheap abridgment of the two others ; a low-priced summary, in fact, for the poorer classes. ^

In the last number of the red Gazette, there is a notice, degrading several officers for the loss of Cha-poo, a coast town in the province of Keang-soo, lately taken by the Taepings. There is a notice also to the effect that Shung-pow having reached Shan-tung has gained an important victoiy over the rebels in that province. Another notice refers to a remarkable case of incest and

Oh. VII.] THREE EDITIONS OF THE GAEETTB. 218

murder that has come under the notice of the Censorate. in reference to which severe measures are about to be taken. A man, it appears, who had led an incestuous life prior to marriage, recently entered into the married state, but continued his former course ; which his wife finding out, the brother and sister made away with lier, but not before she had given expression to her know-' ledge of their guilt. Through this means it has reached the Censorate, who have laid the matter before the Emperor prior to the law being put into opera-tion ; his punishment will be death, probably of a cniel nature.

The white edition contains full details of the incest case, with an edict of the Emperor in reference thereto. Also the particulars of a case of accidental fratricide, which originated in a squabble. The circumstances were the following: two brothers possessed houses on pieces of land adjoining, and the house of one of them having fallen into disrepair, he received permission from the Government to rebuild it, and his brother alleged that in so doing he had encroached on his land. This led to an altercation, which endud in high words, and ultimately in blows, when one of them, losing com-mand of himself, caught up a piece of iron and struck the other a severe blow on the head, from the effects of which he lingered for two months and died. Tlie Censorate having become acquainted with the case, has referred it to the Emperor.

Amongst the other Gazette notices, there is a copy of th6 instructions recently issued to a commission to inquire into and report on the state of the coast

214

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch. VII.

defences in the Gulf of Lian-tung, along with the in-structions to the Boards of Revenue and War, to see the recommendations of this commission given full effect to. Rewards are also notified to certain people in Shan-tung, for bravery and other services in aiding the suppression of the local rebellion.

Wliile the Gazettes are only indirectly official publi-cations, there is a '' Red Book ” again which is a strictly official one, and appears once a quarter. It consists of six volumes, two relating to the military service, and four to the civil. It contains all the past services of the officers employed under Government at the i)eriod of its publication.

The Pedlar of Pa-lee-chow has been promoted to-day to the office of Asssistant-Gatekecper at the Legation. The service which this old man rendered to his wounded friend tends practically to refute the belief to which we give too ready credence, that there is but little good in a Chinaman’s nature. The more one secs of the people in their natural state, the more apparent does the fallacy of this supposition appear; and the fact begins to disclose itself, that many of our impressions of the Chinese have been formed from data of the most limited and unfavourable kind, not dissimilar to what might be anticipated, if a foreigner proceeded to write a work on the English, after locating himself at Wap-ping, and collecting his materials from what he observed in that neighbourhood.

Yesterday was the ^'Dragon Feast and while Messrs. Hart and Douglas were riding in the neighbotirhood of the sacrificial temples in the Chinese city, they got

Ch. VIIJ MR. HART»S INTERVIEW WITH WAN-SE-ANG. 215

surrounded by a somewhat excited mob, who threw stones at them and hooted. While this was going on, a carter came forward and cautioned the mob, telling them that they had better stop, or they would be the means of having the street fine imposed, a caution that had the desired effect To-day, while breakfasting with Wan-se-ang at his ofiicial residence, Mr. Hart brought, the matter under his notice. Wan-se-ang said, that though no doubt the people had behaved very rudely and improperly, still that it was a feast-day, and as such, a bad one for foreigners to be moving about amongst the population in distant and out-of-the-way parts of the city, more especially in the particular neighbourhood to which they had gone, namely, an open space near the Temple of Agriculture, because there, during this feast, crowds of people gather together for the purpose of indulging in the sport of horse-racing, and an unusual degi'ee of excitement consequently prevails. ^

Mr. Hart remained seven hours continuously with Wan-se-ang, who is much interested in custom-house mattei-s, and very eager about information pertaining thereto. He made copious notes during the conversa-tion. He attaches great importance to promulgating, amongst the communities that are thrown in contact with foreigners, the fact that the Chinese Government has foreigners in its employment. Wan-se-ang at present holds a military command in the city consisting of three thausand gendarmerie. He approves highly of our artillery, but he is not inclined to admit that the musket is superior to the large-sized gingal carried by

2ia PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [On. VII.

two men; “for” he says, “the musket or rifle is so constructed as to admit of being fired only from the shoulder, whereas the gingal and matchlock can be fired from the cheek, and greater accuracy of aim thus ensured.” Hang-Ki was present during a portion of the interview, but received a message to say that his mother, who is eighty-one years of age, was bikeii unwell, and wished to see him. He at once relinquished the business he was engaged in, and proceeded to visit her, receiving commendation from Wan-se-ang for promptness he displayed in obeying the tamn is. While Hang-Ki was there, a piece of information as communicated to Mr. Hart by Wan-se-ang and ijim as something which they evidently considered an over-whelming honour, and thought would be very ple;»sing to him to hear ; this was, “ that the Emperor knew his name ” — a fact, after all, of some interest and im-portance, as it shows the Emperor to l>e better in-formed on State mattei’s than we Jiave been inclined to believe was the case.

^ Mr. Hart, I find, quite coincides with me in an opinion which observation has gradually led me to form, namely, that the pi'esent dynasty is by no means in so tottering a condition as we have been wont to suppose, and that it possesses ample vitality to recover itself, provided some more systematic steps were adopted to reduce the rebellion in the South, Mr. Hail thinks that if Nanking was recovered, the whole aflair would soon collapse, and the foimer importance of the city be speedily festered. Also that the reason the rebellion has lived so long is that no blows of any severity have

Ch. the PEESENT HYKASTT and the TAEPINGS. 217

been struck in the field, many of the victories having been gained by diplomacy in the following manner : — An arrangement would be entered into between the leaders respectively of an Imperialist and a Taeping force, that, in consideration of the payment by the former of v. sum of money, the latter should retire from a c<n+ain position immediately on the advance of the Jmpet-ial ui-oops. On this being done, an important ’ was imme liately reported to Peking, and honours rendv‘riiig tlie sum paid for the victory usually r Tc^aj ' pr ofitable investment.

\p.o Jior caa.'io which militates against the suppression ol T;u^ijing rebellion, in addition to their want of ..\>^heiootiy destructive weapons, is, tliat inferior as their ’ii.dV' of off nee are, they do not give them a fair c 'ce, as 1.. parlies fight their actions strictly ac-

\ * to Vi ; and consequently, when they meet in the

f At in reality ought to be a battle is little better

'-1 uitual review or sham fight. For instance, a daj\try, if opposed to cavalry, throw them-posture of defence, which consists of : « , irciv^s of nine men round a centre pivot of

j'ii'i . dv The force throw themselves into a series (t' those squares, and rotate round their centres, discharging their matchlocks as their turn comes to pass in front of the enemy. The cavaliy, in their tum, approach and go through the manceuvres for attacking inlautry, both parties carefully avoiding coming into contact with each other. After a sufficient time has been expended in these warlike exercises, in the course of which a few casualties may have occurred from stray

PETCING AND THE PEKINGESE.

218

[Ch. VII.

shots, the contending forces withdraw, each proclaiming the extermination of the other.

Jv.ne 14 ^/t, — The Pekingese are stated to be famous for their athletic exercises, and in my casual walks I have repeatedly seen gi'eat ability displayed in postur-ing, tumbling, &c. ; also in the complicated manner in which shuttlecock is played with the feet and limbs. Amongst their amusements I have lately observed that of stone throwing, in a manner peculiar to themselves. Half-a-dozen young men stand in a circle and throw from one to the other a large oblong stone, fitted with a handle like a curling stone. The weight of the stone is tijrenty-eight pounds, and they make it describe arcs in the air, invariably catching it by the handle with great adroitness. I have never seen one fall on the ground from failing to be caught by the party to whom it was thrown. The Pekingese also are very fond of birds, and prize them in proportion to their age. They teach them to imitate the various sounds heard in the streets. Colonel Neale bought one to-day, for which he paid four dollars. It is a species of thrush, known as the mocking-bird. Its song is a medley, consisting of imitations of the dog, cat, eagle, rook, kite, and a Chinese Punch-and-Judy show.

June \^th . — The various courts of the Leang-koong-foo ai*e paved, but with a view to relieving the glare and modifying the amount of radiated heat, it was de-cided, a few days ago, to remove the brickwork from Legation Court,” and convert it into a sort of garden. This has been carried out, and the square denuded of pavement, with the exception of two cross pathways.

CH.VII.] STTJDENT-INTERPRETEHS* COLLEGE. 219

Holes have been dyg in the ground at short intervals under the superintendence of a Chinese nurseryman, who to-day arrived with a full staff of gardeners and a number of little fir-trees, which he proceeded to place in the holes prepared for their reception. The branches of tho trees were carefully fastened with light straw ropes, so that they should not be injured during their transport. The roots were embedded !n earth contained in a piece of matting tightly tied round with straw rope. This matting was not taken off, nor were the ropes cut. The trees were simply removed from the hand-cart and placed in the hole, loose earth being filled in and well saturated with water. The earth within the matting, aided by tho water from without, is stated to be sufficient for tho immediate support of the tree, and the ultimate decay of the matting acts as extra nutriment at a future period.

Information having been received from the Foreign Office in England, that six student interpreters are to be sent out by the July mail for instruction at Peking, arrangements are in course of being made for their housing under the superintendence of* Lieutenant Clements, RE., and this morning twenty carpen-ters commenifel operations on the new work ; so we have now two distinct sets of alterations going on, and carried out by the same contractor : Colonel Neale continuing the superintendence of what he originally undertook. See-ou-tee has to act as interpreter to both parties ; but to facilitate his being found when wanted (not always an easy matter), Mr. Clements has had to .be instructed as to his real name of Lew-yoong-chiien,

220

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch: TII.

which I have already stated means, Lew, ''the ever-valiant water,” or in more simple English, Lew, "the ever-bubbling fountain.” By See-ou-tee, a teim of humi-lity, which in former days he applied to himself, he is only known amongst the English ; and, as he is ad-vancing in the world, he is beginning to show signs of not liking the Continued use of the appellation, and to prefer being callefl by his proper name.

This afternoon Mr. Hart had an interview with the Prince of Kung at the Foreign Office. Wan-se-ang only was present. The Prince put a long scries of questions to him on custom-house matters, and re-marked that he (Mr. Hart) must think him almost childish asking so many, and such apparently simple (questions ; but the truth was that, until lately, he was totally unacquainted, not only with these special matters, but with business matters generally, having had, until recent events compelled him to assume his present responsibilities, but little to attend to beyond amusing himself. While the interview was going on, Hang-Ki came in, and the Prince and Wan-se-ang immediately asked after his mother’s health, and, hearing that the report was unfavourable, and observing that Hang-Ki was depressed in consequence, they woilfe not hear of his entering on business, and urged him to depaart. Hang-Ki however said that as there were some matters that he had promised to-day to discuss, he would .endeavour to do so. After he had remained a short time, the Prince noticed that he was not himself and insisted on Ids going away, which he did, and proceeded at once to attend his dying mother, whose symptoms he

CrfVII.] CHINESE VISITORS AT THE LEGATION. 221

described with great minuteness and feeling to Mr. Hart Hang-Ki himself is sixty years of age.

June IQth. — Hang-Ki’s mother died last night; in consequence of which event he will have to withdraw from business for a hundred days. He will now receive cards of condolence and presents of such articles as may be employed at Khe funeral obsequies.

The heat is becoming progressively greater. At noon it was 106° in the shade, yet the Chinese seem to enjo/it, and move about with their shaven beads freely exposed to it. Captain Worthington and Dr. Ross of the 67th Regiment arrived from Tien-tsin to-day, and were astonished at the heat, which consider-ably exceeds that of Tien-tsin, where also it has been very great.

This morning Colonel Neale observed a respectable-looking portly old gentleman dressed in white walking about with See-ou-tee fanning himself. He proved to be the ** little one’s male parent, who, it seems, is in the service of the Mandarin who has charge of the Yuen-ming-yuen. The Colonel told me that it was highly amusing to see the old man standing looking with wonder and admiration at See-ou-tee talking English, and"* moving about giving directions with the air of one high in authority. The alterations and re-d$oorations of the Foo are becoming temporarily one of the sights of Peking ; and almost daily we have visits from parties of respectable Chinamen introduced by the contractor, Mr. Choon, whose clerk by the way 1 observed to-day going round and collecting small wooden tickets from the workmen. These are their

222 PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch. VII.

credentials for the day, delivered to them the previous evening and shown at the gate as they enter, and their return in the evening establishes the fact of their having duly performed a day’s work, and their names are noted accordingly in the pay list. Nothing could be more systematic or civilised than the manner in which the an'angements for the feeding and payinent of the arti-zans are conducted.

June nth . — The heat continues unabated. Dr. Boss, who has served in the West Indies and India, says, that with the exception of one day at Sfc. Thomas’s, he has no recollection of ever having suffered such an amount of direct heat as yesterday and to-day. We have had it to-day 101° in the shade. During the night, at no time was the thermometer below 86° The Chinese contmue to bear it well ; the only indications they display of feeling it being the more prolonged character of their &iestay which they now daily take.

Chinese wine-coolers are now in great request within the Legation. They are square wooden boxes lined with lead, and provided with a double hinge lid, having a small hole in the centre. They are filled with ice, generally by one large block, and used by the Pekingese for cooling their tea and wine during sum-mer. They place them also in the centre of their sitting-rooms as a means of artificially reducing the temperature.

Mr. Hart mentioned to me to-day, that when he was at Taku on his way to Peking, one of the sub-magis-trates there was anxious to remove the remaining iron

Ch. VII,] prince of rung and ENGLISH POETRY. 223

stakes from the month of the Peiho> which we did not interfere with last year. He is willing to do this in consideration* of his receiving them as his own property, but he is afraid to enter on the undertaking, for fear his own government might construe it into an act of hostility towards it. He is therefore anxious that the British Government should represent the necessity for clearing away all obstructions from the mouth of the river, and procure authority for its being done, in which case he will have them speedily removed. He also ex-plained to Mr. Hart, that the enclosures in the rear of the Taku Forts were not originally constructed with the view of resisting an attack from us in that direction, but with the view of preventing the ganisons from straying — a mild mode of expressing running away, I suspect.

On the last occasion of Mr. Wade’s being at the Foreign Office, the Prince of Kung, in the course of conversation, expressed a desire to have some idea of what English poetry is like, so Mr. Wade has under-taken a Chinese version of '' Auld Lang Syne ” and ‘‘ Ohilde Harold’s Farewell to his Page.” *

June 18i7t. — In consequence of the extreme heat, it has been determined to adopt the custom which prevails in this part of China, of covering in the court-yards during summer with matting spread over scaffolding. An arrangement was, therefore, entered into to-day with a scaffold contractor to cover Legation Court in the most approved style for five hundred dollars, ho removing and becoming repossessed of the materials at the end of the hot s^oa The purveying of scaffolding

224

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch. VU.

on loan, and covering in of courts with matting, is a special branch of trade in Peking.

The foreman of the carpenters is a man df remarkable intelligence and activity, and, from always walking about with a measuring-rod in his hand, goes by the name of ** Ariel.” He has been ten years with his present master (Choon), who, it appears, carries on two distinct branches of business in the Tartar city, one an undertaker s establishment, confined to the manufacture of coffins, the other for ordinary carpenter’s work and building. “ Ariel ” receives “ head money ” at the rate of two hundred cash per diem for every carpenter that he superintends. Talking of building, I asked the “ little one,” as his father is connected with Yuen-ming-yuen, whether he has heard if it is going to be rebuilt or not. He s«ays there is no intention of doing so at the present time, as neither the Emperor nor the Government is in a position, as he* expresses it, to catch any money.

Happening to mention to Mr. Hart that Madame de Bourboulon rode out yesterday on horseback, and that it was the first time a western female had been seen on horseback in the streets of the Celestial capital, he mentioned to me an illustration of Chinese wit that lately occurred at Shanghai. A Chinaman from the country happened to come into the foreign settlement, and there, for the fii*st time, saw an European female on horseback. He immediately asked a town friend what had become of her other leg, who, being a wag, replied that she was one of the female barbarian leaders, and that she had lost her leg at the taking of the Taku Forts.

Ch. VIL]

THE NEW TEACHER YANG.

225

June \9th , — I mentioned on the 13th instant that a new teacher, named Yang, had commenced his duties ^vith Mr. Douglas. I had some further conversation with him to-day respecting the health of Peking, in continuation of the infonnation I got from him on the above date. He states that the eruptive fever still continues to prevail in the town, and that in the street where he resides two men died of it a few days ago. On questioning him regarding its contagious character ho says that sleeping in the same room with a person labouring under the disease is looked upon as Ifertain to lead to infection; and, therefore, immediately on a person being attacked he is placed in a room by him-self, whenever it is practicable to do so^ I expressed a desire to see some cases of this disease, and asked him if he could procure me admission to any of his friends who might be affected with it, as, if they wished it, I would be glad to do what I could for them. He said that he had no doubt many would be glad to avail themselves of my assistance, but that they would be afraid it might lead to th?ir getting into trouble, if the fact was known that they were visited by.foreigners. He then said that as I had offered to give advice, he would bring a friend to see me at the Legation who had been making inquiries of him in reference to the pro-babilities of my being able to relieve him of a surgical ailment he was labouring under. Keferring to what he mentioned on the thirteenth about two of his mother’s cousin’s children being ill with small-pox, he says that they have both died, but that the two vac-cinated children have nof yet taken the disease.'

TOL. I.

Q

220

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch. VII.

He mentioned a curious fact connected with the sanitary histoiy of Peking, namely, that during .the hot weather a disease is not uncommon, which, from his description of it, must be tetanus, of the kind known in medicine as idiopathic, or occurring unconnected with any local injury. In proportion as the seasons are hottest, in like proportion does this disease most fre-quently occur. It is treated by copious bleeding ; and he indicated three places on the arm from which blood is drawn, namely, at the bend, at the middle of the foreanpi, and at the wrist. In some cases, blood is taken also from the pit of the stomach.

Counterirritation with copper cash is extensively employed as a local domestic remedy in the treatment of the excess of the yau, the* male or hot principle (fever), in contradistinction to the t/ui, the female or cold principle. As an illustration of this, on the fifteenth instant Yang felt generally out of sorts, suffering from headache, heat of skin, and other ordi-nary symptoms of fever. He immediately went home and excoriated- his chest %nd both arms by friction with copper cash, which caused local irritation, and, the hot principle being thus drawn to the surface, he soon felt himself all right again.

See-ou-tee and the painter brought an old man to me this morning nearly quite blind in both eyes. As far as I^ could make out, the disease appeared to be in the optic nerve, consequently not one admitting of relief by operation. I prescribed gome constitutional treatment for him, though I hardly anticipate that much benefit will be derived irom it.

Ch. VII.] CONVERSATION WITH THE CLERK TSOON. 227

June 2Qt}i . — This morning Mr. Wade asked me if I would give a look to his clerk Tsoon, who was com-plaining. After having some conversation with him respecting his health, he put rather an odd question to me for one of his years; and that was, whether I was in the possession of any chemical preparation wherewith his moustache could be dyed, inasmuch {is, being only fifty 3 '^ears of age, and his moustache quite grey, he was taken to bo older than he really was. I stated to him that such preparations were used by Western nations, and that it was possible that I could extemporise something of the kind for him, but recom-mended him strongly to have nothing to do with them, as they did not arrest the growth of grey hair, and that therefore, unless he could secure a constant reappli-cation of them, however jet his moustache might be made, a time would come when it would present a half black and half grey appearance. He said that after having the matter placed before him in that light, which had not occurred to him before, he would dismiss from his mind the idea of calling in th« aid of art to counteract nature’s changes.

After this he proceeded to inquire of me what pro-gress I had made in Chinese. I told him none, because I had other pursuits which occupied my time, and that 1 feared attempting so difficult an undertaking as the study of the language of China. He said that if I leamedjthree or four sentences daily, I should find that at the end of a month conversational Chinese was robbed of a >good deal of * that apparent difficulty of ac-quisition which, in the first instance invests it.

228 PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch. VII.

Conversation now turned on the health of the capital, and he stated that when small-pox pre-vails in a house, a sign is hung out over the door, as a caution to the non-protccted not to entjr. These signs have been and still are very numerous in the city. There are four characters on the board^ namcl}^ Chwang-yuen-tien-hwa ; the literal translation of which is “ First-class heaven flowers an euphemism to avoid mentioning the evil thing itself — while it is meant actually to convey that small-pox of the first class or most virulent character is prevailing within.

Chang, the teacher, continues to exercise a censorship over the actions of our military Mandarins.” Refer-ring to the recent visit of Captain Worthington and Dr. Ross of the 67th Regiment, he expressed Jhis sur-prise to Mr. Hart, that on their way to Peking they had made a practice of saluting the females they met on the road, which, he stated, is looked upon amongst the respectable classes in China as very disreputable. It appears that he has been cross-examining the carter who drove them up, with reference to their manners and customs on the road ; and that amongst other matters lie has ascertained that whenever they passed any female, they said “ Chin Chin ” to her, which I may as well mention involves no more serious familiarity than saying gGood morning ” does.

The scaflblding for the purpose of covering in the court is proceeding rapidly, the chief supports being now completed, and the upper part in process of being covered writh light bamboos placed about two feet apart ; these act as supports for the matting,

Oh. VII.]

SCAFFOLD CONSTRUCTORS.

229

wliich is all double, having lining formed of the millet stalk. Some of these sheets of matting arc fitted onr bamboo frames, which are not intended tQi be i^ved, while others are so arranged that by halliards tney can be pulled open or shut like window blinds, thus enabling the coiiii; to be covered or uncovered according ta temperature, rain, or other circumstances. The skill and ingenuity which the men display is remarkable. They move about on tl)e top of this work, some forty feet from the ground, with the agility of monkeys, and run up and down the straight polos like squiiTcls ; using only their hands and the soles of their feet. A leg of mutton on the top of a greasy pole would stand a poor chance of remaining long an object of competition amongst Peking scaffold constinctors. The frame-work is secured only by ropes and twine, and gi'eat economy is exercised in picking up and removing the portions that ard^ in excess ; several little boys going round in the evening before the men leave and picking up all the scraps that have been cut off and

t

thrown down.

The Chinese workmen display great expertness in throwing materials from one to the other to consider-able heights. I noticed this to-day amongst the scaffold men, and it recaftd to my memory having seen one of the mason's labourers take a spade full of mortar and throw it, spade and all, to a man on the roof of a house, • who caught it without dislodging a particle of the mor-tar. The paper hangers also are very expert in throw-ing up sheets of paper, with one side covered with paste, ready for being put on the wall Their paper for room

230

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. VII.

pul’poses is very good, the satin pattern ” being that most commonly used. Paper of this kind is not kept in {oils, as with us, but in squares of about twelve inches by ten. One man • stands by a table and applms the paste, and then adroitly throws the sheet up w another one, who fixes it on the Wall.

A large oil painting of Her Majesty the Queen, with a massive gilt frame, sent out byS.he Foreign Office for the Legation, was this afternoon unpacked in the centre of a crowd of Peking carpenters. The picture was removed from the packing-case under the superinten-dence of Colonel Neale and ‘'Ariel,’’ the chief of the carpenters; and the soldiers of the escort, hearing that the picture was being unpacked, with a due feeling of loyalty, came forward and volunteered to carry it to the^ room where it is to be suspended. The frame having come out in pieces had to be put together, and with gi’eat rapidity and quickness o^ apprehension this was done by the Chinamen, the crown screwed on to the top, and the picture properly fitted into the frame. The picture is by Sir George Hayter, and is the size of life ; Her Majesty being represented sitting on the Throne,’ crowned, and with the sceptre in her hand. In a few minutes the news spread amongst the workmen, of whom two hundred are still enga^lfe within the Foo, that the picture of the “ Great English Queen ” was to he seen, and they came in files to look at it ; as they l^tired they expressed signs' of approbation by holding ikp their thumbs, and saying Che-famy-hoVj, The scaf-folding contractor, See-ou-tee told me, thought it was “Joss Pigeon at first, until he (the “ little one ”), from

’‘Ch. VII.]

CAEDS OF CONDOLENCE.

231

his acquaintance with England, explained to him the true nature of the picture.

Hang-Ki’s mother is to be buried on the twepty-eighth of the Chinese fifth month, which will be about t5^e fifth of July. Mr. Bruce sent his card to him as an act of condolence, as also did Mr. Wade, which Hang-Ki acknowledged by sending each of them a mourning card, of a buff colour, bearing the inscription in black characters, “ The man in affectionate and dutiful grief.” The ordinaiy visiting card is red. We put our hats in. mourning, the Chinese put their shoes; and white is their funereal colour.

CHAPTER 8.

CHAPTER VIII.

llobl)ei*ios at tlio Leang-koong-foo — The dieting and paying of the artisans — Origin of the Artificial Plill — Arrival of a portion of the Pnissian mission in Peking, preparatory to an attempt being made to force the Government into direct communication with Count Enlenherg, negotiatioiivS at Tien-tsiii liaving come to a stand-still — Details connected thirewith, and result — See-ou-tee becomes involved in the meshes of Piaissian diplonvacy — Tsoou's sanitary advice to Mr. Wade — Stone-roughing and brick-polishing — Pciiod at which executions take place in Peking— The Prince of Rung’s remarks about the Prussian treaty — Chinese Foreign Otlicc views on Customs duties — Systematic s(iueczing of the Hoppo of Canton on his return to Peking — Chinese notions of correct accounts — Einsode in Hang- Ki’s career at Canton — His mother’s funcraH obsequies — Old porcelain and coins — Bridal procession — Iced drinks — .Killing of snakes avoided — Ride in a cab— Juvenile amusements — Present occupants of the Palace — The Prince of Kung’s views on ethnology, cannibalism, the annexation of the Am oor territory, and foreign eiiuesirianism— Haug-Ki — His salary at Canton, subsequent state services and rewards — Utility of Pigeon English — Favourable impression formed of Mr. Hart by the Prince and Wan-se-ang — Strike amongst the Legation work-

JuTie 2\8t — Last night an audacious robbery was committed in the quarters of Mr. Douglas, his , port-manteaux being removed from the caugue (raised bed-place) on which he was sleeping at the time. They were taken into a yard close by, broken open, and a hundred and twenty dollars taken out of one of them, nothing else being touched. Though there is a considerable number of Chinamen connected with the repairs, who are now sleeping about the premises, it is not thought

Ch. VIII.] ROBBERIES AT THE LEANG-KOONG-FOO. 233

likely that it was done by them, but by some one acquainted with Mr. Douglas ’s quarters, and also with the fact that in one or other of these portmanteaux money was to be found. Suspicion rests on a Chinese boy who left Mr. Douglas’s service yesterday for the purpose of returning to the south of diina. Mr. Wynd-ham also was robbed a few nights ago of his watch, under circumstances in no way implicating the work-men, whose character for honesty lias been remarkably good hitherto ; seeing that for throe months we have had some hundreds of them daily on the premises, without a single thing having been lost. Mr. Wynd-ham recently got a Chinese Christian for a servant, recommended by the Roman Catholic missionaries, and almost immediately afterwards he lost his watch under the following circumstances : — He went into his room prior to going to bed, and before going iAo his bath-room he placed his watch on his bedroom table ; on returning in a few minutes the watch was gone. This would seem to have been done,. by some one having a knowledge of his habits before retiring to rest. It is a melancholy and somewhat humiliating fact to have to state, but one nevertheless true, that in proportion as Orientals of a certain class become Christianised and associated with the white man, in like proportion they become dishonest. It is difficult to account for it other-wise than by the supposition that their cupidity is excited by the sight of articles to which they have hitherto been strangers, and of which, in the course of their employment by foreigners, opportunities are frequently afforded them of possessing themselves. So

234

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch. VIII.

strong has this impression taken root, that there are many people in the East who, on no account, will have native Christians in their employment, ^he robbery from Mr. Douglas's quarters induced me to examine some boxes of medicines and medical comforts, as they are called, that had been sent up from Tien-tsin for the use of the military detachment, and I found a case of brandy gone, which must have been taken within the last tliree days. That the Chinese, however, had any-thing to do with this robbery is not at all probable, seeing that one case, having brandy marked on the outside of it, was specially selected from eleven similar-looking boxes, several of which required to be removed before the particular case could be got at.*

I ascertained to-day some particulars connected with the payment of the workmen. The contractor is paid by Her Majiksty's Government one dollar for every five workmen, which gives him, for each of them, at the rate of three thousand paper cash daily. The contractor, however, provides thepi with three meals daily, con-sisting of rice, tea, and vegetables ad libitum, with pork and bread to dinner once in fourteen days, for which he deducts from their pay one thousand paper, or thirty-seven Peking cash, equal to threepence farthing. The same diet is furnished to all classes of workmen, who form themselves into messes, and according to their means introduce little luxuries — the contractor con-fining his supplies to what are considered the neces-saries of life. In addition to his food, a labourer

* From circumstances which transpired afterwords, there is little doubt that the case of brandy was taken by the men of the esemi;

Ch. viiij origin op the artificial hill.

236

receives daily five hundred paper cash, or nineteen Peking cash ; equal to six and a half farthings, while a carpenter or a mason gets fourteeii hundred paper or fifty-two metal cash daily. Every fifth day, all the work-men, labourers included, receive a cumshan (a present) of two hundred paper .cash (about a penny) to purchase tobacco. Fathers and sons generally work together. Ordinary -tools are provided by the workmen themselves — extraordinary ones, by the contractor. Every work-man before he leaves the premises in the evening has a ticket issued to him for the following day, which he sliows at the gate as he enters, and without which he would not be allowed to come on the works. The collection again of these tickets in the afternoon esta-blishes the fact of his having earned bis day's wages.

June 22nd , — This morning Yang brought a relative with him, who wished to see if I could cure him of a cutaneous affection on his leg, which he has been suf-fering fi:om for some time. On looking at it, it seemed to me to be the result, like Hang-Ki's ailment, chiefly of tjie initating applications that had been employed in its cure. I gave him some simple directions, and told him to come back again in three days, which he said he would do, and was profuse in his thanks for the advice he had received.

hia rdative had left ns, 1 had some conversation wit^ Hang, and learned from him that the Chin-shan, or hill the palace, is formed of masses of

cod, ori^aUy Ifud fiiel provision in the

event of a It was afterwards covered over with

earth planted with trees, and temples built upon it.

230 PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Oh. VIII.

It was formerly called the " Coal Mount/* but is now known as the Mountain of Light/* also the Golden Mount/* Some years ago, when soldiers were encamped round its base, considerable apprehension prevailed, in case it should take fire. On asking him about its antiquity, he immediately referred to a book that he had by him in forty volumes, called the Jih-hsia*chin-wan-kan, (jr History of China popularised ; the literal meaning of the words being — The sun underneath, old history interrogating book,** which may be freely translated into a ‘^Histofy of Places under the Sim.” In this book it is recorded that the hill was foimed in the time of the Ming dynasty as a coal depot in case of siege, and that the five little temples which now exist upon it were erected in the sixteenth year of Kee-en-lung,* or one hundred and three years ago. The hill forms a part of the palace grounds, and is intended for the Emperor to take exercise on.

From this book we also ascertained that the Em-peror’s hunting grounds, already mentioned as situated to the south of the Chinese city, are called the Hai-yuen,* or Southern pasture land ** — also the Hai-tsz, or “ Great sea-like plain.** There are sixteen hundred men employed taking care of these grounds, which are enclosed by forty miles of wall. Each man has twenty-four mow of land for his private use. A mow is that

* Kee-on-lung, the great-grandfather of the present Emperor, ascended the throne when he was eight years of age ; he reigned sixty years, and abdicated at the age of sixty-eight ; he was thei’efore sixty-one when he received Lord Macartney in 1795.

t This Vueu is a different character from that in the Yuen-ming-yuen, which means a garden.”

Ch. VIII.] MEMBERS OF THE PRUSSIAN MISSION. 237

division of land which comes nearest to an acre, and in this part of China contains about a thousand square yards.

This ** Old history interrogating book was composed by the Doctors of the Hanlin, and was commenced by orders of the Emperor Kang-hsi, who was himself a literary character, and the author of a dictionary. He ceased t<J reign in 1742. The work was continued during successive reigns, and was only completed during that of the present Emperor s father.

June 2Srd . — This forenoon Herr von Brandt, Attachd of the Prussian Legation, called to inform Mr. Bruce of his arrival in Peking accompanied by another member of the mission (Mr. Berg) and some attendants— also that he had taken a house next door to the British Legation, preparatory to the arrival of Count Eulen-berg in a day or two, who, having failed in negotiating his treaty at Tien-tsin, had determined on forcing him-self into communication with the government at Peking. The facts of the case are the following. Last night Messrs. Brandt and Berg, attended by a Prussian marine and two or three Southern Chinese servants, arrived in Peking, having come up without molestation, as foreigners hitherto have done since the Anglo-French treaty was signed. On their arrival they went to the Russian mission (with the memberst of which, it would seem^, they had been in communication), and having ascertained the locality of this empty house, which is a detached portion of the Leang-koong-foo, that ten years ago the Duke of Leang made a present of to bis brother, they intimated to the people in charge of it.

238

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch. VIII.

that as the house was to let they were going to take it, and that therefore they must turn out. They thus got possession bf the house, and slept there last night. This morning early, a number of Mandarins waited upon them ; but they have no idea what they said as they have no interpreter, — in fact, they seem to think the absence of one rather an advantage, their object being to protract matters until Count Eulenberg arrives. This proceeding on the part of the Prussians is viewed as an unfortunate one, which may lead to involving the foreign question in serious complications. Wan-se-ang has sent to-day intimating his intention of calling on Mr. Bruce, no doubt on this mailer, which, consider-ing our relations with Prussia, it will be very difficult to convince the Chinese Government that we have not been aiding and abetting. Mr. Bruce, without in any way identifying himself with them, has simply invited Messrs. Brandt and Berg to take their meals at his table until they have made arrangements of their own.

June 2i^ih . — I visited the* Prussian quarters this morning, and found them to consist of a dilapidated series of courts that will require a good deal of repair before the houses are habitable. Our contractor, Mr. Choon, who has been recommended by the Russians, has taken the repairs in hand, and has already thirty workmen on the « premises, and a number of paper hangers. See-ou-tee also has been introduced to the Prussians, and is now employed on a special mission purchasing twenty tables and fifty chairs for the embryo Legation, also a number one gong.” It will be neces-sary, however, for us to keep an eye on the “ little one,”

Oh. VIIL] PRUSSIANS REQUESTED TO LEAVE PEKING .*289

in case he gets himself into trouble with the local authorities, as an aider and abettor of foreign aggres-sion ; the more so, as in a matter where the disburse-ment of dollars is concerned, his zeal is not unlikely to outstrip his discretion.

In the forenoon an application Was made from the Foreign Office to the English and French Legations, requesting* that each of them would furnish an inter-preter to be present during an interview which an official would have with the Pnissians to-day. This was at once acceded to, and Mr. Douglas was detailed on the part of the English, and Monsieur Blanchtet on the part of the French Legation. In due course a white-buttoned Mandarin, a gentlemanly-looking young man, aide-de-camp to the Prince of Kung, came to the Prussians, and requested, in the name of the Prince, that they would at once return to Tien-tsin, as there was no rule to allow subjects other than those of treaty powers to come to Peking. They declined to depart, stating that they had cihie up in obedience to orders from their minister, and that they could not leave without instructions from him. The Mandarin then asked as to when he was coming. They said they did not know. He replied that he did not believe them. In the meantime, while this interview was going on, Wan-see-ang called on Mr. Bruce and expressed himself very strongly in reference to the proceeding, character-ising it as an act of brigandage, to which the Chinese Govermnent was determined not to submit, and stated that measures would be adopted to prevent Count Eulenberg entering the city.

240

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Oh. VIII.

The garrison of Peking consists of a force of ten thousand police and seventy thousand bannermen, militia, &c. These eighty thousand men are under the command of the “ Captain-General of the Nine Gates.” who is absent with the Emperor at Je-ho, and Wan-se-ang is acting in Ids stead. His name is Twan-hwa, Prince of Cheaiig, a prince of the blood, also the brother of Su-shuen, aheady referred to, and one of the men in whose hands the Emperor at present completely is, and consequently the doer of a good deal of mischief.

June 2oth . — This morning a force of fifteen hundred infantry mustered on the parade-ground in front of the Anting Gate, with their tents pitched, and a formidable display of divers- coloured banners. The general’s tent was pitched by itself on a small knoll. The troops were drawn up waiting for him. He arrived on the ground in his private cart, reading a book. On getting out of the cart he proceeded to his tent, and was met on the way by the various commanding officers, and an inter-change of compliments took plice. As soon as he had taken up his position in front of his tent, platoon firing commenced, and was wonderfully well executed, so far as precision of discharge went. This force has been called out to be in readiness to repel the Prussians in the event of their employing their seamen and marines as an escort, in their attempt to force an entrance into the capital, which however, T should think, is not at all likely to be carried out, as there are no grounds what-ever to justify such a measure. Guards have been placed at the various gates to arrest the progress of Count Eulenberg in the event of his arrival before the

YANG VISITS MR. HART.

241

Oh. VIII.]

expulsion of the portion of the mission now here has been effected, which the Chinese seem to be determined on carrying out. 4,

While all this is going on, the proprietor of the house the Prussians are in, who is stated by the Chinese authorities to have preferred a complaint regarding the forcible seizure of his property on the night of the twenty-secOnd instant, actually called to-day on Mes-sieurs Brandt, Berg, and Heine, in his yellow robe (in-dicating his Imperial descent), and wearing a red button and high-class peacock^s feather, accompanied by six mounted attendants. He walked over his property, and expressed himself as much pleased with the repairs that had been made, and the expedition with which they had been effected. He then went into one of the rooms and sat down with them, drank some sherry, smoked a cigar, and begged to be permitted to take away with him six that were lying on the table. He parted with his would-be tenants apparently on the best of terms,

Yang brought his relative back to see me, for whom I prescribed three days ago, and I found him considerably benefited by the change of treatment. Mr. Hart had some conversation with Yang. He is a military officer of the rank of Shou-pei, corresponding to that of major, and has received the decoration of the blue button. He is styled Yang-ta-low-ya, which means his honour Yang. Mr. Hmi; asked him the cause of the firing which now tak0s piacf ^yery night within the city, at no great distance the J^gatiop.. He says that there is a large im^al o£ fire-arms^ a^d that every night the men in chaise of it take about a hundred pieces and die-n E

242

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch. VIII.

charge them here and there in the streets, the effect of which is doubly good, namely, keeping the pieces in good order, and dt the same tin^ keeping up the impression in the public mind of gi*eat military vigi-lance.

June 26 th . — This morning, in consequence of infor-mation received respecting the course that the Chinese government had determined on adopting, Mr. Berg started off early, so as to meet Count Eulenberg at Martow — where, according to the period he intended leaving Tien-tsin, he is expected to be to-day — and to apprise him of the state of matters. In the mean-time Mr. Brandt went on getting the house in order, and made great progress in restoring it to a habit-able condition. In the afternoon, however, a com-munication was received from Count Eulenberg, directing the immediate return to Tien-tsin of the members of his Legation. As no cause is assigned for this change in the plans, they concluded that mat-ters connected with the Treaty have taken a more favourable turn.

While the Prussians (Messrs. Brandt, Heine, and their attendants) * were making their arrangements for departing, a mandarin came to the Legation, and had an interview with Mr. Wade, for the purpose of conveying a request from the Prince of Kung that Leu-yoong-chuen (See-ou-tee), whom, it seems, they have"

, learned has been associated with the Prussians, may

directed to accompany the mandarin to the Foreign Office, and there be interrogated in reference to the object the Prussians had in coming to Peking. Mr.

Oh. VIII.] SEE-OU-TEE AJO) THE PRUSSIANS. 243

Wade said, Yon may take him, but here is a piece of wood that you had better take at the same time, as you will get quite as much information out 'of it of tlie kind you wish as out of him ; for the extent of his connection with them has simply been that he has been buying tables and chairs for thena.” See-ou-tee was sent for, and informed that he was now required to appear on the political stage ; a piece of news that seemed by no means gratifying to him. The mandarin asked him if it was he who had got the workmen for the Prussians. He said, No ; that it was the * Roosee* man ’ who had done so.’* When 'questioned about the tables and chairs, he saddled me with the responsibi-lity, as the party who had originally introduced him to Mr. Brandt, by whom he had been employed on this, to him, no doubt, lucrative mission ; the little one ” being well known to be particulai’ly disinclined to give himself trouble about anything which does not lead to the catching ” of dollars. He was accordingly directed to get himself reaiy to proceed to the Kia-ksing-sei (Foreign OflSce), and while he was thus under orders he came to me in a state of considerable excitement, and told me that he was required to go to the “ Empolol’s blodel,* and tell what for that American man (Mr. Heine) come Peking ; and I no wantee go.” As he ap-peared to be in a great fright, I took him over to Colonel NeaJe, as his immediate superior ; being at this time in ignorance of what had passed between him and the man-

* **Tho EmpetotV brother*^ was wlutt he meant, but in his fright ho

forgot the im|»ex(bot ti^e of the le^ B whh^ he has picked up.

244 PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch. VIII.

darin in Mr. Wilde’s office, his own account not being very intelligible. On the way across, however, I met Mr. Bruce, who said that he understood what it was that was wanted with See-ou4ee, and that he was not to go. A wonderful change for the better came over the little one’s ” face when he heard this, and he pro-ceeded at once to his post on the works, and remained there for the rest of the afternoon with a degree of assiduity that wo have never before witnessed — so intent, in fact, on the progress the works were making, as to keep himself carefully out of sight amongst the buildings under repaif for at least a couple of hours, until he was assured the premises were clear of man-darins. Dread of being squeezed was no doubt one of his objections to going ; as the people about the Prince would naturally conclude that he had not been associa-ting himself with the Pinissians for nothing.

Mr. Brandt started late in the afternoon, and Mr. Heine follows early to-morrow morning with a train of twenty carts. To procure thise, however, some interpretorial assistance was required, and the aid of See-ou-tee was again invoked ; who, however, before he meddled further in Prussian affairs, came to Colonel Neale to know whether it was safe or not for him to do so. The Colonel told him that it was quite safe for him to tender his assistance to them in any form which facilitated ^heir departure from Peking, as the authori-ties were not at all likely to take him to task for that species of aid. The little one ” has had a present made him of a quantity of new matting that he had just purchased for the Prussians, and has also been

Ch. VIII.] TSOON’S ADVICE TO ME. WADE.

246

appointed agent for the disposal of the twenty tables and fifty chairs that he purchased for them, which they have had to kave behind.

The court has now been completely covered in with matting, so arranged that at sunset the side-screens are drawn up like window-blinds, while those on the top of the court are drawn to one side ; so that there is no obstruction to the free entrance of whatever cool air there may be in the evening.

A few days ago I gave Tsoon an ordinary tonic mix-ture, respecting which he made a favourable report to-day, stating that he found his strength and nerves improved since commencing to take it. He added that the bottle would soon require replenishing, as it was in demand amongst his friends, several of whom were taking it, ‘'having perceived its tonic virtues.” This morning Mr. Wade tolls me that Tsoon favoured him with a little medical advice. Observing Mr, Wade take a piece of bread to j)ut away the taste of some medicine I had prescribed for him, Tsoon begged him not to do so, saying that there was a great deal of the* hot piinciple contained in bread, which for one in his present con-dition he thought might be ixyurious.

Going over the works to-day, I noticed that the-masons have a different mode of roughing stone to that adopted by us. We use a pointed chisel, which is struck bj aniallet; the Chinese fit an edged chisel into a small iroiihQaalkt, which they tise with one hand, and which, as fiir as X cq^id judge, seemed^ to be quite as good if not better than the more complicated mode that we employ. X an instrument for hewing

24C

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch. VIII.

down and scraping bricks. It consists of a piece of iron not unlike that of a common plane, which is fitted into the centre of a piece of wood about two feet long. This, when worked by both hands, is used as a plane for smoothing the surface of bricks, by which they can be rendered as smooth as the finest Maltese stone, being afterwards rubbed with a polishing stone fitted into wood, similar to that of a common hone. When employed for cutting down bricks to the size required, the implement is used with one hand like a hatchet.

Tliis afternoon, thirty robbers were brought into town under a strong military escort, accompanied by a police officer. Niue of them, apparently the most desperate characters, were in carts, the whole of them being tied more or less hand and feet, but not in the same cruel manner that the foreign prisoners taken during the expedition were; that mode of securing criminals, namely, tying them hand and feet back-wards, being confined to those taken in the. act of rebellion.

The place of common execution in Peking is in the Chinese city, as I have previously stated. The precise spot is at the junction of the street running south from the west gate on the south face of the Tartar city, with the one that extends between the east and west gates of the Chinese city. When executions take place, tables and chairs are placed on the spot for the ofiEtcers superintending. There is on# great execution annually, generally about the tenth moon, after |he assizes have been held, and the vaiious sentences have been sub-mitted for the Emperor’s approval. Executions,^

Ch. VIII,]

PERIODICAL EXECUTIONS.

247

other periods only take place under very special circum-stances. Last year, at the general execution, only seven were decapitated, as executions during the year had been of a more summary character than usual, owing to the disturbed state of affairs. December is the month in which they generally take place, and they are of rare oc-currence in summer. When the chief of a family is exe-cuted, his head is publicly exposed, that his family may be disgraced ; the dread of this is supposed to act as a powerful deterrent against crime, owing to the great consideration which the Chinese have for their rela-^ tives, and which fonns one of the most prominent features in their character. The day for the great annual execution is fixed by the Emperor.

June 27 th. — Mr. Hart had an interview this fore^ noon with the Prince of Kung and Wan-se-ang. They seemed in high spirits, and chuckled with great glee over a despatch which came in while he was there, which, from its appearance, was from Count Eulenberg, and contained some proposition evidently so opposed to taoli, as, in their opinion, to be eminently ludicrous. They informed him that the treaty with the Prussians had not been granted, and that the chief points at issue were residence at Peking and the open-ing of the new ports to them ; neither of which could be acceded to. They then went on to say that they were going to administer a severe rebuke ^ Tsoon-luen, for not appe^rently knowing anything about Messrs. Brandt and Berg having come up. Mr. Hart, in joke, con-gratulated them on having an employ^ at Tien-tsin whovwas. evidently so wefl versed in

248

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch.VIII.

European eustoms, as, after having made up his mind to allow Count Eulenberg to come to Peking, to allow also some of his suite to precede him by a few days, to get a house in order for him. They both shouted out, ‘^No, no, that is not the way to put it; the reverse is the true way/' This conversation ensued after a mandarin came in and reported that the last of the Prussians, in the form of Mr. Heine and his photographic train, had this morning departed, and that the premises now presented no traces of them beyond the repairs they had executed.

• In the discussions which they have had on custom-house matters, Mr. Hart tells me that, strange to say, the Prince perceives the advantage which is likely to accrue to trade from low duties, while the more experienced and astute Wan-se-ang cannot see this, and stoutly holds out for high duties. The Prince, as he himself admits, knows little or nothing about busi-ness, which fact illustrates the advantage under certain circumstances of the want of preconceived notions. The Prince having no ideas whatever on the subject, his mind at once grasped that which is undoubtedly most in accordance with reason, whereas the experi-enced and intelligent statesman holds on to traditional belief— to t(wli, in fact

With reference to a message which Mr. Hart has had from Hang-Ki, requesting him to come and see him, he tells me that he%nows what it is about, namely, to ask him not to talk so much as he has been doing about officials making money, as it may tend to his (Hang-Ki’s) inconvenience, that impression having already led to his having been extensively squeezed Hang-£i

Oh. VIH-l CHINESB VIEWS OF CUSTOMS DOTIES. 849

was Hoppo, or collector of customs, at Cauton for five years, from 1855, but for nearly a year and a half of this period no trade was carried on. It appears that it is the custom, on the Hoppo of Canton returning to Peking on the expiry of his period of office, to pay down at the gate, to the officer in charge of it, ten thousand taels for every year that he has been in office, which is a perquisite of the “Captain-General of the nine gates." Hang-Ba, before he entered the city, paid down thirty-six thousand taels, no charge being insisted upon for the period when trade was in abe 3 rance, otherwise the sum would have been fifty thousand. He also presented to the Emperor, on each of the two occasions that he had an interview with him on his retuiTi, a red card (cheques, in fact) for ten thou-sand taels, which the Emperor sent tP the bank, and received the money. On the occasion also of his Majesty departing for Je-ho, Hang-Ki had to pay down a third ten thousand taels, making a total of sixty-six thousand that is known to have been squeezed of since he returned to Peking last year. ■ '

In the course of a conversation which Mr. Hart had a few days ago with Hang-Ei’s head man, some remarks were m^e about the misappropriation of custom-house funds by high Chinese officials, and Mr. Hart remarked, “ Now, do you memi to say that the sixty-six thousand taels that Hang-Ei has had^to pay since his return to Paring ^ve been properly exacted?” Hang-Ei replied, "Yes, it wtks all r^ht; thencoounts were quite correct and the money tegQlariy accounted for.” On being a^ied for «n exjdanatioD(: bow this possibly could be in

250 PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch. VIII.

the face of such facts as were before them, he pro-ceeded to detail the grounds on which his notions of the correctness of the transactions were based. He said, that smuggling at that time was very prevalent on the river, and that good grounds existed to justify a considerable expenditure in the construction and commissioning of custom-house cutters and cnaisers. This expenditure of public money, which was fully justified, was not, however, made, but it was charged in the accounts as having been made, and that consequently the Government were no sufferers, inas-much as had the funds not been appropriate^ by Hang-Ki, they would have been applied to the pur-pose referred to, which in the end would have ocen much more expensive for the government; coijse-quently, that it^was an actual gainer by this arrange-ment.

There would seem to be little doubt that the Em-peror himself must be fully cognisant of and encourage irregularities in book-keeping, such adjust mentioned, as a means of providing a sort of reserve fund for him-self to draw on in times of need, and also that the system affords him facilities for indulging in periodic extravagances vsdthout drawing on his private; funds; it being a common occurrence for him to send commis-sions to the Hoppo of Canton to execute ; and it is an understood thing that sums thus expended not to appear, in the public accounts ; and it is equally well understood that the Hoppo is .lot to expect any remit-tances to account from the Imperial purtii. Sums which the Hoppo is thus called upon to disburse in the

Ch. vni ] HA3SrG-KI IMPRISONED AT CANTON.

251

course of the year are stated to be considerable. From this it would seem thfit a systematic falsification of his accounts forms a portion of the recognised duties of a Chinese collector of customs. Just before Mr. Hart left Canton a few weeks ago, the present Hoppo there received instructions from the Emperor to purchase three thousand pounds* worth of plate-glass for im-provcmoifts fhat have been commenced at Jc-ho ; this tends to give a colouring of truth to the Pekingese impression that he is not going to return to the j^ital.

Hang-Ki, one way and another, has had a rather Troul3led time of it since 18o7. Amongst other events, ' '<uul Ax mouths after the capture of Canton, he, along h ':wei, the governor installed by the English fucii lA Yell’s place, were made prisoners and ^ I Juiance for three months. It was Mr. Parkes h(^ the affair up, and it was an odd instance of

\

judice that he should afterwards be visited * liang-Ki, and be in some measure indebted release. *The facts of the, case are the j Allied Commissioners thought the local /^^di-kwei and Hang-Ki) intended to bolt it was thought desirable to prevent t same time it was considered equally unde-

\\ V ^ if/

to make a public seizure of them, as it might leadi a disturbance. Another course, therefore, was Hang-Ki and Pih-kwei were invited to the yattvti of thp Allied Commissioners to discuss certain ayitters of business, and in the course of conversation they isrore led on to express the great admiration they

252

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch. VIII.

had for the English character, and the difficult and dangerous position they had placjed themselves in with the populace, by consenting to administer the govern-ment in ^concert with the Allies, and that they were consequently looked upon as traitors and occasionally hooted in the streets. Having got them thus fai*, the information was broken to them, that with the view of relieving them from the difficult and painful pqsition in which they appeared to be placed, and further to relieve them from the suspicion of being traitors, it had been determined by the Allied Commissioners to detain them as prisoners, which they were^ to consider them-selves. As a matter of course, they were horribly dis-gusted, and really, under the circumstances of their seizure, it is not to be wondered at ; as the trick was just such a one as they themselves would play, and consequently the more acutely felt by them. They were confined in a room in the yamun, and kept there for three months. Mi*. Hart visited them the first morning of their imprisonment, and asked them how they had slept. Pih-kwei replied that he was not accustomed to sleep with men with iron-clad feet and clanking fire-arms walking about outside his door. They both professed to be so disgraced by the indignity to which they had been subjected, that they were clamorous to be led to immediate execution, preferring death to dishonour.

The cost of the funeral obsequies of Hang-Ei*s mother, it is stated, will not be less than five thousand taels. His house is at present full of his various relatives and connections; in fact, he is supposed iio

Oh. Vni.] HR. WADE AND THE PRINCE OF KtTNG. 258

keep open house until the funeral is over. The whole affair closely resembles an Irish wake, only conducted in a much more respectable and civilized manner.

June %Sth , — ^Yesterday evening, about seven o’clock, a thunderstorm set in, with sheet lightning and heavy rain, the latter continuing the greater portion of the night. This morning, Mr. Bruce drove out, and on getting to the outside of the western convenience gate of the Chinese city, found that what has hitherto seemed a good broad road, had become a running stream, in attempting ^o pass down which the mules got up to their chests in water. A considerable tide was running, and with some difficulty Mr. Bruce suc-ceeded in turning the carriage. Either this acts as a great drain for the city, or, what is more probable, it conveys water from the hills to the half-canal half-river between Peking and Tung-chow.

Mr. Wade had an interview yesterday with the Pritkce of Kung on some business matters, and in the course of conversation Mr. Wade remarked that the Prussians wOTo now gone. The Prince simply said ye?, and turned the subject by making a remark ^bout Mr. Wade's hat — ^which happened to be a light pith helmet — ^to the effect that it was different to any that he had hitherto worn, and that it must be very light and pervious to air. Mr. Wade replied, Tes ; that as we did not shave the head as thqr did, we were more sensitive of heat than they were.

the Prince sAid. Why don't you shave your head ahd wear a tail like us V* Hr. Wade laughed, and said, But if I were to dd Aat, you would have to give ^T!he iNnoe replied that they were

254 PEKIKa Airo THE PEKINGESE. [Ch. VIII.

quite ready to do that, on Mn Wade performing his portion of the contract.

In the afternoon, Colonel Neale and myself visited the Chinese city, taking See-ou-tee with us, and in-structing him to proceed to the Curiosity Street. In a short time, however, I observed that he was going in another direction, and that his ideas of curiosity street were different to ours. He took us to a long street in the western division of the Chinese city, filled with second-hand book shops, also containing a considerable number of curiosity shops, but , of an inferior kind to those in the street near the Meridian Gate, to which the term Curiosity Street ” has been applied, though there are only five shops of the kind in it. In one of the shops to which we were taken by See-ou-tee, a most unattractive-looking white porcelain jar was shown to us, stated to be a thousand years old ; the price asked f fortit was one million paper cash, or sixty-six dollar^ Some coins were also shown us, said to be also upwards of a thousand years old. They had a time-worn ap-pearance, but in the size and design they seemed identical with the copper cash in use at the present day.

In one of the streets we met a bride, in a scarlet cloth chair, proceeding to the house of her husband, and accompanied by the usual gaudy paraphernalia carried by ragged urchins, some of them with hardly a stitch of clothing upon them beyond the “ Jim Grow " hat with the red feather in it which forms a portion of. the properties furnished by the undertaker, who com-bines, in one department^ marriage and funeral cere- . monies.

Ch. VIII.] KILLING OF SNAKES AVOIDED,

255

The keepers of street restaurants have now acidu-lated iced drinks for sale, and attract attention by keeping up a constant clinking with a pair of small brass saucers, which they play like castanets. In one of the shops, I observed a blind man singing for charity, and accompanying himself with a pair of clackers, exactly like the “ bones ” used by tlie Etliiopian sere-naders. Beggars in considerable numbers were lying about the Meridian Gate, apparently sleeping, while others were actively plying their vocation. The streets in the Chinese city were full of people, and altogether there seemed to be a good deal of shop trade going on.

While Messrs. Wyndham and Douglas were riding this afternoon in the neighbourhood of the Emperor s hunting grounds, they came across a small green-and-black snake, marked with red about the head. As they were looking at it, some peasants came up, and said to them that ^'if man did not harm the snake, it would not harm him, but that if he tried to injure it, it would probably give battle to the man, and do him serious injury, as it was of a most venomous chtgjacter,*' The peasants did not attempt to touch the snaked but made a slight demonstration to induce it to retire to its hole, which it did. This reminds me of what one of the Chinese servants in the Legation — who goes by the name of the monk,” owing to a severe n\onastic air he has about him — said to Mr, St. Clair, when the former saw the latter trying to kill a centipede, namely, that the reptile^s hocih1> ,waa gOod^ and that if he did not harm it, it would not attempt to do Inm injury.

This" forenoon, I went with Colonel

256

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Cfl. VIII,

Neale into the Tartar city, accompanied by See-ou-tee, who on this occasion as well as yesterday was got up regardless of expense, in a figured white Shanghai silk robe, and half-mourning shoes of a blue and yellow colour, the design not unlike that of a bright snake's skin. Our object was to visit some curiosity shops in a street branching off at right angles from the one that proceeds direct to the Anting Gate, and at the end of which is the Drum Tower, in which every night at nine o’clock a large drum is struck. As the distance was considerable, mA the sun very strong, passing a cab-stand we provided our-selves with carts, the Colonel and I getting into one, while See-ou-tee got into another. They are not, how-ever, calculated t to accommodate comfortably more than one, while the driver sits on a httle seat constructed across the shafts. Notwithstanding the sufferings which Mr, Ward, the American minister, is represented to have undergone on his journey from Tien-tsin to Peking in one of these conveyances, they are by no means so bad, and are, in fact, capable of being made tolerably comfortable.* The mules go along with great steadiness and at a moderate trot ; their harness was very good, and the drivers skilful. We had the two carts with us for upwards of four hours, while we were going from shop to shop, and their combined charge was ten thousand cash, or alx>ut two shillings and ten-pence sterling; the distance we had gone was about seven milea

i

^ Under date I8th July, it will be seen that after-occurrences osused this favourable estimate of these vehicles to UNiomewhat modified

Ch. VIII.]

JUVENILE AMUSEMENTS.

257

At the sides of the wider streets large pools of water have collected, where crowds of children were amusing themselves with hand-nets, catching cockchafers. Others had crickets fastened to the end of lines, and were flying them like kites. This appears to be the period when insect life buds forth in greatest activity ; for, in conjunction with these amusements, which are new on thd streets, a branch of industry has appeared which we have not seen before, and which consists of street stalls, where are vended small paper figures, repre-senting men witl^wheelbarrows, small carts, horsemen, &c., all of which move about with considerable alacrity, the motive power being applied by securing to them large black beetles. In a wheelbarrow, for instance, the wheel is represented by a beetle, who is fasten6d’to the barrow by transfixion with a pin. One or two are kept in motion as specimens, and a large reserve stock of beetles are on hand ready to be harnessed whenever a pur-chaser offers. During the few minutes we were looking on, several were disposed o£

We retuihed home by the palace ; and ’on the way crossed the marble bridge near the great Lama temple in its vicinity. The bridge is supported on nine arches, and is about two hundred yards wide. It is a beautiful structure, and spans across ground originally covered with water, but which has now become dry. When the rains set in, the water will be restored. The. heat was very great, and we refreshed ourselves with one of the iced drinks at a stall, the cost of which was three cash, or less than a farthing. Passing the palace we ascer-tain^ from the little one,” who is an authority on

258 PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch. VIII.

these matters, owing to his father’s connection with the Yuen-ming-yuen, that the palace is at present inhabited by old women only, the remains of the harems of pre-vious emperors. They are State pensioners, it appears, for whom special provision is made.

Mr. Bruce had an interview with the Prince of Rung to-day, for the purpose of discussing matters connected with the new tariff. The Prince appears to be working hard, and most anxious to make himself acquainted with the subjects immediately relating to the office of which he is the head. Prior to Vr. Bruce coming, Mr. Hart had been at the Foreign Office for some time. He went there at eight o’clock in the morning and found the Prince alone, reading over various dcwspatches enclosing memorials, &c., which were in course of trana-mission to the Emperor.

After he had disposed of the business he had on hand, he made some ethnological inquiries of Mr. Hart, to fill up the time until Wan-se-ang came ; and asked him whether, in the course of his travels, he had passed through the countries in one of which the inhabitants have their bodies perforated by a hole or tunnel, run-ning through them fore and aft, while in the other their heads are attached to their bodies in a pendulous man-ner, and are carried by them under their arms. Mr. Hart explained that such statements were pure fictions, and that the organisms of all races, dark and fair, are formed on one universal design. The conversation then turned on cannibalism, in connection with the New Zealanders and the South Sea Islanders, which the Prince seemed to have heard of and not beheved.

Ch VIII]

PRINCE OF KXTNG’S VIEWS.

259

When Mr. Hart told him that cannibalism was a fact, he said that he certainly could have believed in people going about with their heads under their arms, but that such a thing as the eating of man by man could exist, lie could not for a moment have credited. When Wan-see-ang came in, and was told by the Prince that there were no people with portable heads or perforated bodies, he expressed surprise, and said “ that the author who had published *the book wherein these statements were gravely put forth, was evidently unworthy of credence,”

Before Waii-se-ang arrived, the Prince took up a European map, which they keep in the oflSce, with the names entered in Chinese characters, and pointing to Russia said, “ that is a large country, but it is not enough for them, they came last year and took that from us/* placing his finger on the territory annexed by Russia beyond the Amoor, and when so doing displayed more character and feeling than Mr. Hart has ever noticed before — evidently regarding it as a great wrong which had been done them.

The Prince then asked Mi. Hart how it was that the foreignei-a preferred going about Peking on those tall fiery horses, that held their heads up and looked about them, and cocked their tails, in place of the more quiet and steady Chinese pony, that holds its head down, and looked whei*e it was and what it was treading OIL Mr. Hart said that foreigners liked to ride spirited horses, and frequently enjoyed the difficulties of maiiaglEkg them. The Prince replied that be did not think such exciting exerense to be any enjoyment wha^^ ever, but decidedly the confraxy. Altogether, from a

2G0

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch. VIII.

variety of questions he put, he appears to be well posted-up in what the movements of foreigner are. He looked at Mr. Hart*s clothes, and approved of pockets, which he thought a great convenience.

Mr. Hart says, that, in the most unblushing manner, both the Prince and Wan-se-ang declared, that from one of their red-buttoned mandarins down to a tinckchai, or orderly, there is hardly a person in the government employment they can trust. They profess to be fully impressed with the good fortune which they now enjoy of having foreigners in their employment who speak the truth, and on whose reports they can with confidence act, from the assurance they feel of their being in accordance with facts. The Prince expressed an opinion that they should send a high official, like Wan-se-ang himself, to visit the ports where foreign trade is earned on ; and on the latter saying, " Will Hang-Ka do ? Shall we send him ? the Prince shook his head, and said, " No, no ; he has been too long at Canton. His reports would be pretty sure to be drawn up in accord-ance with the principles which he took for his guidance when ho was collector of customs there.” Hang-Ki does not seem to be a special favourite with the Prince, and he is stated to be somewhat obstructive to the extensipn of improved relations with foreigners, being much wedded to the old Canton li; at his time of life, some allowance ought to be made on this point, it being a particularly difficult matter, at any time, to get a Chinaman to form a new idea, but especidly so at sixty years of aga With the Prince and Wa^-se-^ahg it is somewhat different Their ideas respect&g a

Ch. viiij

HANG-KI’S EMOLUMENTS.

201

foreign policy are only now in course of formation* whereas Hang-Ki's have long been formed, and formed, also, under totally different and much less favourable circumstances.

Of Wan-se-ang there seems to be no second opinion. Every one capable of conversing in Chinese, who has been thrown in contact with him, has fonned the same favourable estimate of his character. Mr. Hart speaks in the highest terms of his intelligence, application, and clearness of expression. He was much struck to-day with the lucid manner in which he made a statement on a difficult subject to Mr. Bruce ; and Mr. Wade ex-pressed the same opinion, stating that his clearness of exposition was remarkable on the subject in question, namely, duties on re-imports in foreign bottoms.” He is evidently the right man in the right place, and the Mentor of the Prince of Kung,

Kespecting Hang-Ki, I got the following additional information. His salary while he was Hoppo at Canton was only two thousand four hundred taels, or eight hundred pounds sterling a year, that being the salary attached to the office, while eight thousand taels monthly is not unfrequently expended in his Yamun; it being customary that a Chinaman, when he gets a good berth, is followed by the most of his relations, who live upon him during his tenure of office. Hang-Ei is believed to have made three hundred thousand taels during the time he was at Canton, and to have been squee^iedWt of one-third of the amount since his return to Peking, . When Mr. Surt saw him at Canton, shortly be&re he lefVhe told lum that he intended investing his

2C2

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch.VIH.

money in pawnbroking associations, which are about the most profitable class of investments in China. He left Canton in December 1859, and was six months making the journey to Peking over-land. He loitered nearly three months in one of the central provinces, being desirous of not reaching Peking until the war was over. Ho got there, however, in May, and came in for the whole of it. His presence at Peking, when the army was before it, turned out to be of great importance, as all the other mandarins of note had fled with the Emperor, and there was no one having any acquaintance with business to take the direction of affairs. At this crisis Hang-Ki threw himself into the gap, and rendered his country very important service in bringing about the liberation of Messrs. Parkes and Loch, and the sur-render of the Anting Gate. In consideration of his services he was promoted to the highest class button, and made Assistant-Commissioner of Foreign Affairs. Previous to which, on his return from Canton, and pre-sentation of the red cards,” he received an appoint-ment in the Imperial household of an honorary cha-racter, namely, “ Curator of Bows and Arrows/* the said weapons being used for the amusement only of the Emperor and the Court, Hang-Ki still holds this appointment, and the only advantage he is ever likely to receive from it is the honour of being permitted to expend his own funds in keeping the bows and arrows in the best possible order. He brought with him from Canton all sorts of curiosities, as they appeared to him* such as specimens of every kind of European firearm that bad found its way to Canton* cloth, shin| studs*

Ch. VIII.] UTILITY OF PIGEON-ENGLISH. 2G3

braces, neckties, &c., with any of which he has offered, in the most liberal manner, to supply Mr. Hart, should he be short of them.

This afternoon I had an illustration of the utility of pigeon-English. A Chinaman was brought to me for whom I prescribed some medicine in the form of pow-ders, one of which was to be taken every two hours. Se-ou-tpe was sent for to interpret, but the man did not understand the Peking dialect, and the language of the Court, as spoken to him by the little one,” was unintelligible to him. He, however, had been at the south of the empire, and knew pigeon-English, to which Se-ou-tee next appealed, and was ^ once understood ; his rendering of “ One to be taken every second hour,” being, “ Every two hour tim can catchee one.” The word time ” in pigeon-English being pronounced as if there was no e at the end of it.

June ^Qth, — ^Mr. Hart took leave of the Prince and Wan-se-ang this afternoon, and returns to Tien-tsin to-morrow. In the course of the interview he learned that in and around Peking they have a militaiy force of one kind and another amounting to one hundred and ninety thousand men, who are all suf^osed to receive pay. They are specially for the protection of the capital, and must be more a militia and banner force than regular soldiers, as in our rambles we seldom come , across any indications of military display.

Bespecting Mr. Hart’s visit to Peking, Mr. Wade tells me that he has made a most favourable impression on both the Prince and- Wan-ee-ang, and that they have expressed themselves to him as being much pleased

264 PEKINa AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch. VIH.

with him. The Prince spoke of him as Wo-mun-tee Ha-ta,” meaning, our Hart, and told Mr. Wade to tell him so, that he might know that the Chinese govern-ment acknowledged him as belonging to itself. Ha-ta*’ is the nearest approximation they can make to the pro-nunciation of Hart, and “ Wo-mun-tee ” affords an in-stance of the very peculiar idiom of the Chinese lan-guage. " Wo,” is I ; mun,” the plural of I, or we ; and tee ” makes it genitive, of us : literally, therefore,

Wo-mun-tee Ha-ta>” means, " the Hart of us.”

The masons and cai'penters employed within the Legation by Mr. Contractor Choon struck work to-day, ncji for higher wages, but for payment in metal coin in place of paper cash, which is now being avoided as much as possible, owing to the loss which the holders of it experience in converting it into metal cash. The smallest sized notes are for a thousand paper cash, equal to three pence and the thkd of a penny. The highest is for a million of paper cash, or sixty-six dollars. These notes, as stated on the 13th of June, were is-sued by the Board of Kevenue at the time it called in the ordinary coin of the realm, and issued it in a dete-riorated form, as a bold stroke in finance.

CHAPTER 9.

CHAPTER IX.

Application from a citizen for medical advice for his son— Appearance of a comet — ^The opinions of the Pekingese about it — The high price of rice and its cause — ^Visit to a family mansion — The Chinese teachers’ views respecting the destruction of Yuen-ming-yuen — News of Shung-pow — Prussian negotiations — Sacrificing for rain — The Bishop of Honan — Solicitude about sick relatives— Foreign arrivals — The Prince of Kung draws attention to the defrauding of the Gate revenue of Peking by carters representing themselves as employed by the Foreign Legations — ^The Chinese tutor connected with the Legation congratulates Mr. Wade on being appointed a C.B. — Pekingese domestic life — The Russian Minister— Daily visits from curiosity dealers — Further scenes in do-mestic life — AiTivals from Tien-tsin— Self-mutilation by beggars — State of foreign trade at Tien-tsin — Mode of dealing with curiosity sellers — A storm— The city immediately afterwards — Value of green-jade stone — Teacher Yang’s domestic troubles — ^Peking cabs as means of locomotion after heavy rain.

July Isl. — ^This morning a very respectable-looking old gentleman and his son were brought to the Lega-tion by Yang, and, through Mr. Douglas, it was commu-nicated to me that the former, “ having heard of my lofty fame,” was anxious to consult me about the health of his son^ who is twenty-two years of age, and has been in a declining state for the last ten months. I examined the young man, and found him to be in an advanced stage of pulmonary consumption, beyond all remedial aid;^ a permanent kind. I did not wish this to be in-fEtiher before the young man, but said that i wotild tell Yang what I thought when they were

266

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. IX.

gone, and that he would tell the fathet The latter; how-ever, immediately remarked, that he knew, from the ex-pression of my face, that it was a case for which nothing could be done, and put the question plainly to me as to whether it was not so. I admitted that such was the case, and that anything I could do for his son would be confined to relieving his sufferings, and not with the hope of being able to cure the disease. I gave him some medicine to relieve the symptoms that are dis-tressing him most at present, and have undertaken to come to the house in a day or two, with Yang, to see him. Prior to arranging this, I inquired as to whether there were any objections to my coming to their resi-dence in the city, when the old man said, certainly not, that, on the contraiy, he was most anxious I should come: Altogether, I was much pleased with the bear-ing of both father and son — civilised and respectable in 4<he extreme.

July 2nd , — The heat to-day is very oppressive, being 94® in the perfect- shade and 112° in the sum The mosquitoes are now exceedingly troublesome, but, curious to say, they make no noise, thereby differing materially from those of the south. I observe indivi-duals going about covered with marks of their punish-ment, who are unable to say that they have yet seen a mosquitoe — so silently do they do their work.

This afternoon Yang applied to me for some advice respecting one of his children, aged three years, that has recently been attacked with small-pox, and iff now suffering a good deal from the accompanying fever. I explained to him that the most prudent course wm W

OH. IX.]

appeahance op a comet.

267

follow the dictates of nature, and encourage as much as possible the process which she had commenced, of throwing the disease out on the surface of the body, and thereby, perhaps, save mischief being done to some internal organ by a part of the poison remaining unex-pellei With this view I provided him with means of furthering the development of the small-ppx eruption on portions of the skin on which it had not appeared. In connection with this subject, he mentioned casually to me that his other child had had the small-pox, and that it took the disease immediately after being vacci-nated, exactly as might be expected to occur after a child had been exposed to a true process of inocula-tion. He, however, does not seem to suspect that it was the vaccine matter that caused this, but views it merely as a coincidence, and is inclined to suppose that, as the child recovered, the virulence of the small-pox was modified by the vaccination.

This evening, about ten o’clock, as some of us were walking about the Legation courts to avoid the extreme heat of the rooms, a brilliant comet was noticed, with a long and luminous tail. It was then well down towards the horiason, and was travelling in a north-by-westerly direction,

July Srd , — ^This morning Yang reported to me, through Mr, Douglas, that he had carried out my direc-tions with reference to the treatment of the child ; that the eruption had been considerably increased thereby, thW child seemed relieved, and the fever had abated.*

^ The treabnottt here referred to involved nothing more complicsated than the application, by friotioiip of a little croton oil to a portion of

268

PEKlifG AKD THE PEKINGESE. [Oh. IX.

In conversation to-day with the Chinese teachers about the comet, they say that last night was its third appearance, but that on the first two occasions it was very small. Its large size and brilliant tail excited great sensation in the town last night, and it is looked upon as a very bad omen, auguring troubles in the capital. Amongst the evils dreaded is an advance of the rebels, owing to reports being current at the' South that there are large sums of money in the Yamuns of Peking. No fear is entertained of intramural disturbances, because, they say, the inhabitants all know how poor Peking at present is. ^

There is a good deal of discontent, howiever, in the capital at the present time, owing not only to the state of the currency, but also to that of the grain market. Eice has risen so much since the Emperor went to Je-ho, that the poor people cannot now afibrd to buy the ordinary quality, and are obliged to content themselves with that which is musty and partially spoiled. Prior to the removal of the Court to J e-ho, good rice was a tael, or eighty pence, per cattie of one hundred and thirty-three pounds. Now it is exactly double. The cause of this is, that in addition to the Emperor having ordered large reserves to be forwarded there, the grain merchants have ascertained that they can secure a higher price for rice at Je-ho, even after the expense for carriage is in-cluded, than they can do at Peking ; and the consequence is, that an inland trade has become established from the capital, which is now operating seriously against the

the surfaco of the child's body which et the time was free isom siiMli<#v pox eraption.

Oh. IX.] HIGH PBICB OP BICE AT PEKINO. 269

Pekingese. The expenses of the war also have in-creased the cost of almost every necessary of life. This grain question is agitating the public mind a good deal at the present time, as they say they have troubles enough without it.

Che general impression seems to gain ground that the Emperor will not return, and Pey say that the appearance of the comet will confirm him more than ever in his determination, as it will be viewed by him and those about him as a caution to keep out of Peking, where the occurrence of troublep is thus foretold. I endeavoured to explain to Yang that the appearance of this comet is a natural phenomenon, which must occur at certain intervals of time, and that we have calcula-tions made whereby we know exactly the periods when phenomena of the kind appear, and, consequently, we attach no superstitious importance to them. Yang said, neither did the Cliristians in China, and, as one of them, he was quite of my opinion. The other teacher, how-ever, who was present, a gentlemanly old man, named Sue, was of a contrary opinion, and adopted the popular view with reference to the comet, the advent of which, he thought, augured very badly. Sue has lately taken up his residence in the Legation, as teacher to Mr. Wyhdham. He is fifty-one years of age, and very short-sighted. Be says that his sight was perfectly good until the last eclipse of the sun a few years ago, when, having been pe?:suaded by a friend to observe it through a glasist l^s vision hae been so defective ever since that he has had i^gularly to use spectacles.

TUm afternoon, accofjShng to promise, I went with

270 PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch. IX.

Yang to see the young man referred to the day Before yesterday as labouring under consumption. The house, a veiy respectable-looking one, is situated within a court in a street leading off the main one, running north from the Ha-ta-mun. On coming to the entrance of the inner court, we found a female servant sitting thire sewing. She golfcip and hunied to retire ; but, before doing so, endeavoured to open the central folding-doors, or “ entrance of honour,” she retiring at one of the side doors. We were ushered direct into the central hall, and there met several members of the family, including the consumptive patient and three ladies .who were sitting there sewing. The ordinaiy salutations having passed, my want of acquaintance with Chinese, and Yang’s equally complete ignorance of English, caused my visit to resolve itself into one chiefly confined to an examination of the patient. While this was going, on, his father came in, and gave me a most cordial recep-tion, introducing me at the same time to an aged gen-tleman leaning on a staff, who had been brought in to see me, and who, I managed to make out, was the maternal graudfather of the young man.

The hall where I was received seemed to be the family sitting-room, consisting of three compartments, the central one opposite the door. The compartment to the right was open, and freely communicated with the central one. That on the left was partitioned off by a wide frame-work door, over which was hanging a light-green blind, formed of split bamboo,; A number of servants, both male and female, were moving about. In the centre of the room a large ]ead4ined ice resets

CH.IX]

VIEWS OP CHINESE TEACHERS.

271

voir stood, from which some iced tea was given me, which, at the present season, constitutes a most refresh-ing and judicious beverage, drunk as it is in China, without sugar or milk, and only of very moderate strength.

Being unable to converse, — my knowledge of Chinese not extending much beyond three sStotences I had learned for the occasion, namely, Toe-she-Ueang, the same, Po*htfw-yee4eea, worse, and How-yee-teea, better, — the prolongation of the interview was unnecessary, and on departing I found a very nicely-fitted-up blue cloth covered cart at the door — ^the family carriage, in fact — which had been got ready for mo, into which they in-sisted that I should get and be driven home. This I accoidingly did, and on offering the driver a quarter of a dollar, after he had deposited me at the Legation, he would not accept it, though repeatedly pressed, evidently afraid that by so doing he would compromise the dignity of the family,

July ith , — This forenoon I sat in Mr. Douglas’s room while he was carrying on a conversation with Yang and Sue, which he interpreted to iqe as it pro-ceeded. The subject was the destruction of Yuen-ming-yuen, which both the teachers were grieving o^. In reply to a question from Mr. Douglas, as to whether, under the peculiar circumstances of the case, they did not think it a just retribution, they said that, without discussing the justness or unjustness of the proceeding, rit waeT much to be deplored, and a national loss, in respect <rf which they could not but sympathise with the Bmperor; seeing that the articles destroyed had been

272 PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch. IX.

collecting since the days of the Ming djuasty. The ruthless destruction of property seemed to be what they most regretted. They said that if the property had been quietly removed, and taken care of, it would not have been so bad, as, though not in the possession of China, it would still have existed. They seemed to talk as if but comparatively little of what was in their eyes really valuable, had been removed, but only the more meretricious articles, to which a secouj^ary impor-tance was attached, and that the property of real value was overlooked by us and destroyed. Amongst other things, they instanced a large bird of solid gold, that sang every day at twelve o'clock. Theii* statement respecting property of value being overlooked, is borne out by facts, as it was on the occasion of the burning of the palace that it occurred to an oflBcer of the 15th Punjaubees * to pick up a large metal figure that was being kicked about, under the supposition that it was brass, and which turned out to be solid gold, for which he realised eight thousand pounds at Hong Kong. Their opinion is, that in place of punishing the Emperor for what he was not individually r^ponsible for, and perhaps not cognisant of at all, we ought to have demanSed that the princes of Cheang and of I should be given up, and, if satisfied that they were the parties to blame, have put them to death. To the desti-uction of the buildings of the palace they do not appear to

* I afterwards learned from Sir John Michel that this ocenrred on the second day of the burning, and that the men of the regiment themselves pi^ed up a quantity of Defected metd lying about, , which tamed out to bo gold, and which, it was calculated, would give each of thma about.six hnniked rupees (sixty pounds). ^

Ch. IX]

NEWS OF SHUNG-POW

273

attach so much importance, seeing that the property was all gone or more or less destroyed.

I got Yang to explain the circumstances of the family that I visited with him yesterday. The father of the consumptive youth is his cousin, and a man of some wealth, being the owner of four shops, where watcheS, clocks, and snuff are sold. He is not in the trade him-self — merely the proprietor of the establishments — a merchant, in fact, in shops, adojjting that mode of in-vesting his money. These shops yield a monthly return of about five hundred taels, out of which expenses have to be paid. His household expenses are one hun-dred taels a month, or one pound sterling per diem. He has twenty retainers and servants, and eight in family, including his father-in-law, two sisters-in-law, and an aunt. He is a widower, his wife having died giving birth to the young man I am prescribing for. The family arc Christians.

The Peking Gazette of to-day announces an impor-tant victory gained by Shung-pow at Quang-sien, a town on the borders of Shantung and Chili, Several promo-tions, buttons an<f peacock’s feathers, are gazetted for this victory. Shung-pow is at present in chief com-mand, the mind of the Emperor having been poisoned against Sang-ko-lin-sin by Su-shuen, whom all agree in representing as a great scoundrel, and the source of much evil to the country. Sang-ko-lin-sin, though not actually degraded, is in disfavour. He continues to be represented as, what vre, have always board he was, an honest and highly respectable Mongolian, much liked by his troops.

VOL. I. T

274 PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch. IX.

July 5fh . — In again discussing, this morning, the question of Yuen-ming-ynen with the teachers, they declare that the Emperor was in favour of peace, and that neither he nor Sang-ko-lin-sin had anything what-ever to do with the maltreatment of the prisoners, but that the princes mentioned yesterday (Cheang and I) were the parties responsible.

Infomiation was received to-day respecting the Prus-sian negotiations which have been reopened at Tien-tsin. The Chinese continue to refuse the clause in the diplomatic treaty, allowing residence at Peking, unless the Prussian minister binds himself that it is not to be put into operation for ten years ; which looks very like merely gaining time, in hopes that, before that period expires, all foreign residence in the capital will be at an end. Count Eulenberg is willing to defer the right of residence for five years, to which it is not improbable the Chinese will consent.

July Qth . — In to-day’s Gazette a decree appears, ap-pointing the Prince of Kung as proxy for the Emperor to sacrifice at the Temple of Heaven for rain, which is now much wanted, for the crops as well as for health. On the present occasion, it is intended only to offer prayers, though, as a general rule, at these sacrifices various animals are killed, such as horses, sheep, cows, and pigs. In the Gazette also, honours are directed to be paid to Quang-ti, the god of war, owing to his having listened to the prayers of the assembled literati of a besieged town in the south, and converted into a vic-tory what seemed an inevitable defeat.*

* ♦ See July 28th.

Ch. IX.]

* EXCESSIVE HEAT.

275

This forenoon the heat within the Leang-koong-foo was of so depressing and stifling a character that, with the view of dispelling the sense of oppression, I took a brisk walk. I went up the centre street of the Chinese city, and passed out into the country between the Temples of Heaven and Agriculture. All along the line of walk I hardly met a person with a covered head, though t^e sun was shining fiercely, and the thermo-meter standing at 113° when exposed to it. Business seemed to be going on much as usual. Numbers of the lower orders, however, were going about denuded of clothes to their waists, and all were plpng the fan vigorously. The edibles for sale on the street stalls ai*e now chiefly confined to fruits, such as melons, peaches, apricots and plums; iced beverages are universal.

July — The extreme heat continues unabated, and febrile and neuralgic ailments are on the increase, the latter indicating a disturbed condition of the normal electric state of the atmosphere. For some nights the heat has been so great as to render sleep almost impossible, the little that was procurable being of a disturbed and non-refreshing character. The venom of the mosquitoes also seems to be progressively in-creasing.

At dinner at the French Legation to-day I met the missionary Bishop of Honan, a French priest, who has been eo long in China that he has actually forgotten m^b^r of years that have elapsed since his anival. He was accompanied by the Abbd Smoringburgh. Both were dressed in the Chinese garb, and sat down to

27 fi PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch. IX.

dinner with their hats on, according to the custom of the countiy, the wearing of it being a mark of compli-ment They were requested, however, not to stand on ceremony, and to take them off, which, considering the oppressive atmosphere, must have been a great relief to them. The bishop was dressed in every respect like a Chinese mandarin, with the exception of not wearing a button. His costume was very complete, though his pig-tail was rather of the kind called a “ rat tail amongst horses. He is a large, bulky man, of dark complexion, with an appearance speaking favourably for the climate of that portion of the north of China where he has chiefly resided.

July 8th . — The father of the consumptive patient called on me to day, and described certain symptoms that his son was suffering from when he left home, and hoped that I would be able to give him something that would relieve them. Facts of this nature certainly tend practically to refute the statements made by some writers respecting the indifference of the Chinese to the sufferings of their relatives. The utmost solicitude appears to prevail in this family about the young man, though they are fully convinced, from what I have said, that his complaint is mortal, and that any treatment that I may employ has merely the object of mitigating his sufferings.

The flags of three treaty Powers now fly in Peking, that of Russia having been hoisted this forenoon, immediately on the arrival from Kiachta of Colonel de Balluzec as resident minister,

July ^th. — The. Prince of Kung has brought under

Ch. IX.J DEFEAUDING TOLLGATE^KEEPERS. 277

notice a complaint he has received about carts coming up from Tien-tsin and avoiding paying the city dues leviable at the gate, by saying that they are bringing up goods for the “ great English nation.” Complaints have been made from one gate in particular, that from this cause its revenue is falling off. The Prince wishes some system to be adopted which would effectually check it, as merely^giving them a pass written in English is in-sufficient, owing to their being unable to tell one piece of foreign writing from another, and with specimens of which those who evade the duty provide themselves. In addition to this, it is stated that when carts actually going to the Legations from Tien-tsin pass into the city, other carts having no connection with them, by private arrangement however, come in with them, and thus escape the customary gate payments. Mr, Wade sug-gested to the Prince, in an interview which he had with him on the subject, that when carts professing to be for the English or French Legation anived at a gate, they should be stopped until a Way-Y'nang, or deputed

officer from the gate, was sent to communicate with

»

whichever Legation the carts and their contents might be alleged to be for. The Prince, however, in despair, said, “And do you think he would not cheat also? Why, he again would bring in cai*ts on his own account, saying they were going to the foreign Legations, and pocket the reduced rate of fees he would charge them.” I presume there is some good reason for the Legations not paying the customary gate fees, otherwise, by their agreeing so to do, the difficulty in question would be at once got over.

278

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. IX.

The English mail of the 10th of May arrived to-day, and with it came the news of the appointment of Messrs. Wade and Loch to the Companionship of the Bath, for their services during the expedition.

July 10th . — Last night, about ten o’clock, heavy rain set in, and continued at intervals during the night, caus-ing some reduction of temperature, and placing us all in a move favourable position for sleep. Towards daybreak the house adjoining where Mr. Wade is living was dis-covered to be in a state of incipient conflagi'ation, a de-liberate attempt having been made to set it on fire by piling shavings and other combustibles about the wood-work. Fortunately, however, before it had proceeded any length, one of the Tinck-chais, or Chinese orderlies, who happened to be up early, detected it, procured assistance, and had it extinguished. The only probable cause for this attempt at incendiarism is, that yesterday the superintendent of the masons employed on the building that was attempted to be burned was seized by the beard and shaken by one of the European residents in the Legation, because the building in question, in which he was individually interested, was not making sufficiently rapid progress. Such ebullitions of temper cannot be too strongly condemned.

Yang having heard from Mr. Douglas yesterday that Mr. Wade had received a decoration from his Sovereign equivalent to a peacock’s feather, came this morning in full dress, wearing his hat and gilt button, and proceeded to Mr. Wade’s quarters to congratulate him. After hav-ing done this, he commenced his tutorial duties with Mr. Douglas ; but before so doing, like a careful and

Ch. IX.] THE CHINESE TUTOE’S RESIDENCE. 279

prudent man, he took ofif his Number One garments and donned his every-day robe. In the afternoon he asked me if I would come to his house and look at his child that is suffering from the small-pox, which I did, Mr. Douglas going with us to interpret. As we were walk-ing towards the house, I observed that Yang carried his hat in his hand, as it appeared to be incorrect of him to appear on^the street with it on, while his other garment was not in keeping with a full-dress hat, We found Yang’s residence to be a court in aFang-sue, or private dwellings, which are all divided into a number of courts, one beliind the other. According to the number and means of the family are these courts occupied. Some hire a whole Fang-sue, others only a single court in one. Yang possesses a court, three sides of which belong to him, though he only occupies the northern house, which is one of an ordinary kind, having a central reception-room, with two bedrooms on one side, and a kitchen and sei-vants’ room on the other. For three sides of this court he pays thirty thousand paper cash monthly, or a trifle over threepence per diem.

Immediately on entering the court, his son, a nice little boy of five years old, ran out to meet him, and caught him by the hand. The wife also, a rather good-looking young woman dressed in white, and prominently in that way in which ladies wish to be who love their lords, appeared at the door of the house to welcome him home. As soon as we were seated, tea was brought by a servant, and Yang introduced his father to us, who does not re-side with him, but had nj^erely looked in to see how the child was getting on. After this I was taken into the

280

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

LCh. IX.

bedroom, and there, lying on a matting-covered cangue,^ was the little sufferer, covered with an eruption of par-tially confluent small-pox, its head supported by a small circular pillow. It had on what seemed to be its usual clothes, with a light calico, and not over-clean, coverlid thrown over it. The atmosphere of the room was im-pure. The case, however, looked to me one that was progressing to a favourable termination. I recommended them to remove the child at once into the adjoining room, where a better cuirent of air would be obtainable. Its ago is three years. The little fellow running about is the image of his father, and at present his hair is tied up in two little tails projecting like horns on each side of his head. The custom is to cultivate the young tail in a double form, until the hair has attained sufficient length to admit of the two being amalgamated and sus-pended down the back.

July nth . — This morning Mr. Wade applied to me for surgical aid on the part of Tsoon s wife, who has lacerated the end of one of her fingers. I asked Mr. Wade to explain to him that, before giving advice for ailments of this -nature, it was but prudent visually to ascertain their actual state, and that I would be happy either to go with him to his house, or, if he preferred it, he could bring his wife in a cart to the Legation. Neither of these propositions was acceptable to him, as he feared compromising himself with his neighbours ; so I had to take his description of the injury, and suggest what seemed the simplest and least injurious mode of treating

* This word when applied to a bed is pronounced leang^ in contra-distinction from eaugxt^j the stocks round the neck.

Ch. IX.]

THE RTTSSIAI^ MINISTER.

281

it, namely, keeping it clean and covered with wet lint, with some of which I supplied him.

Colonel de Balluzec called on Mr. Bruce to day, ac-companied by his diplomatic staff and two Russian mili-tary officers, all in full uniform. Madame de Balluzec has arrived in bad health ; and Monsieur de Balluzec being very anxious to have additional medical advice, I was requested to see her, but found nothing more serious than might have been expected after so long and so fatiguing a journey, especially in such weather. The medical officer of tho Russian mission (Dr. Kornillbfski) was in attendance upon ijer, and I saw no reason to make suggestions different to the treatment he was adopting.

In tho afternoon Sue, Mr. Wyndham*s teacher, ap-peared in his academical costume, and proceeded to congratulate Mr. Wade on his acquisition of a decoration equivalent to that of a peacock’s feather. After having had this complimentary visit paid him, Mr. Wade was kind enough to accompany me to tho merchant Yang’s, and ii^erpret for me in my interview with his consump-tive soft, whom I found to be much worse. * On exposing his chest, I observed that he had a crucifix round his neck, worn inside his clothes next his skin. The disease was advancing with rapid strides, and I could only pre-pare them for the worst occurring at no remote date. Considering the heat outside, the house was wonderfully cod. Mr, Wade was much pleased with the aspect of the house, ahd the respectable appearance of every one around.

July 12<fe. — ^The heat has again become very oppres-

282

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. IX.

sive, notwithstanding which the Legation is now daily infested with curiosity dealers, who at brief intervals during the whole day appear with their wares, having ascertained what the foreign taste is. Their persever-ance and indifference to fatigue, on the slightest chance of effecting a sale, are remarkable. They will come miles with large jars and bronzes, and are neither importunate nor do they betray much disappointment when they fail in their object, but quietly depart, and in a short time return with something else.

I went again this afternoon to see the dying lad referred to yesterday. Mr. Douglas went with me, and we were received exactly as on the two previous occa-sions I been at the house. There was a larger

nunibc"’ o le present than I had seen before, ap parcntly frit i and relatives, who had called to make inquiries after the young man’s health. It required but a very cursory examination to see that the extinction of the vital spark was rapidly approaching, and that his span of life now only admitted of being counted by hours. I again explained to his father that he must not be misled into a belief that I came and saw his son, and administered drugs to him, because I entertained the remotest hope of his recovery, but because the phy-sicians of the West considered it as much a part of their duty to relieve sufferings as to cure disease.

Happening to ask what a two-storied building in the rear of the one we were in was, we were informed that it contained the private apartments of the owner of the house, and he at once offered to show us over them. We entered them by a small room at the end, which seemed

Ch. ix.j

PEKINGESE DOMESTIC LIFE.

288

his washing and dressing room. There was a large brass basin in a stand, on each side of which a towel depended. From this room we ascended to the upper story, which is divided by open partitions into three compartments, each fitted up as a sitting and refreshment room. The walls were decorated with paintings ; and a good many books, as well as porcelain, bronze, and jade ornaments, were about.* The room opens on a verandah, so as to be adapted for the hot as well as the cold season. Going down stairs again, in a line with the dressing room there are several nicely furnished little rooms, commu-nicating one with the other. Retuniing to the front building from visiting Yang’s private apartments we heard the sound of female voices in whaL ► 'emed psalmody; and on looking into the room wo sa^v .he whole of the females of the establishme’ i, servants included, round the bed of the dyin^ yc ..h singing a hymn. On asking the teacher Yang what they were doing, he said, “Performing a religious exercise.” I noticed that the women elevate themselves at least

234 PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch. IX.

three inches off the ground, by wearing thick-soled shoes, which are so fabricated underneath as to form more a short thick stump than a true sole. This is the kind of shoe worn by the Tartar women and those of the Chinese in the north, who have not adopted the bar-barous practice of cramping the feet. The preceding sketch shows the difference between them, which is very marked. On the table of the room next where the young man was lying, there was a large and handsome crucifix on a neat-looking stand, with a candlestick and candle in it on each side. In nearly every room of the house there was a clock or timepiece of some kind. On leaving we found the family carriage again in waiting to take us home.

July 13th , — This morning Mr. John Dent arrived from Tung-chow on a visit to Mr. Bruce. He came up in a boat from Tien-tsin, and came on from Tung-chow in a chair, carried by four bearers. He was stopped at both the Chinese and the Tartar city gates, and requested to get out of the chair. He is unable to explain what was wanted, but thinks it was to wait until his cart came up, which was a little way behind. This forenoon a foot courier came up from Tien-tsin with a despatch from Count Eulenberg. A me-morandum was sent with him, to the effect that he had left Tien-tsin exactly as the gun fired at noon, and requesting that the hour at which he delivered the despatch might be noted, as he was to be paid according to the quickness with which he executed his mission. He delivered the despatch at half-past eleven, having walked eighty-six miles in twenty-three

Ch. IXi]

ARRIVALS FROM TIEN-TSIN.

285

and a half hours. He travelled the whole way on foot, and did not sleep at all' during the night. Giving him but a short time for his meals, he must have walked on an average four miles an hour.

In the afternoon, Colonel Neale, Messieurs Wade, Wyndham, and myself called on the Russian minister and the members of his Legation. A small party of Cossacks hapve accompanied him on his journey. They have a wild sun-burnt look, and are not over neat in their attire.

July lith — Last night, at half-past nine, the weather became overcast, and we had some heavy rain, with a good deal of distant thunder and sheet-lightning. The storm did not last more than half an hour, and it cleared up a line night. The atmospheric changes at this season seem very sudden, but are, for the most part of short duration. To-day we have a beautiful clear sky, with a very fierce sun shining.

Colonel Neale, Mr. John Dent, and myself, in the afternoon, went round some of the chief curiosity shops in the Chinese city. In them we recognised many articles that have been submitted to our inspection at the Legation; the dealers having determined that, as the weather prevented Mahomet coming to the moun-tain, that should not prevent the mountain going to Mahomet; hence, for some weeks, we have been re-ceiving deputjations daily from the various curiosity in bo^ the Chinese and the Tartar cities, and thus, without moving out, have been able to inspect their wares in detail In all the shops, iced drinks were brought usi as soon as we entered.

286

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. IX.

As we passed through the Meridian Gate, amongst a crowd of beggars congregated there, I observed a poor creature one half of whose leg was gone up to the knee. The surface was open and ragged, and looked as if it had been removed by violence, and left an open sore. It occurred to me at first that it was not improbable that he was a soldier, whose limb had been shot away during recent operations, as the Chinese Goveniment affords no aid. to its wounded

STHBKT BSQOARS, PEKING.

soldiers as a general rule. From what I have since ascertained, it is more probable that it is the result of self-mutilation, done to excite compassion ; ' the removal of the limb being effected by causing the

287

Ch. IX.] POBEIGfN TRADE AT TIEN-TSIN.

mortification of the lower portion, by tying a piece of string tightly round it, the bone being sawn through as soon as the soft parts have separated. This prac-tice is stated to be common amongst the bogprs from particular provinces more than others, especially those from Shantung.

Talking about the commercial prospects of Tien-tsin, Mr. Dent says that a very considerable trade in Manchester ’goods has been done there this year, with every prospect of a steady increase. Some Amencan drills have been sold, but business has been chiefly confined to white and grey cottons. There is no market as yet for woollen goods, as we cannot com-pete with Russia. Two caravans vid Sibena arrived at Tien-tsin about ten days ago. The sale of Bir-mingham goods has also been very limited. But Uttle opium has been sold, the growth of the native drug having materially interfered with that philanthropic branch of commerce. There is not much prospect of an export trade springing up from Tien-tsin, as far as Mr. Dent can see, as both tallow and wool are too dear. Payment, consequently, is made in Sycee silver and gold. The ice export will necessarily be very limited, as it is not likely to find a mart beyond Singapore, if even so far as that; the ice trade of India being so completely in the hands of the Ame-ricans that it is doubtful if ice could be supplied cheitper from the Peiho than from the Wenham Lake

in AxnerSsa. , j j

My. 15<A.— At present there are three hundred

and twenty wkmen employed in the Leang-koong-

286

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch. IX.

foo ; that is to say, carpenters, masons, and labourers. In addition to these, there arc two corps respectively of painters and paper-hangers. A new contract has been entered into with the painter to redecorate por-tions of the Foo beyond " Legation Court.” He re-established his staff’ on the premises yesterday, and took possession of one of the out-buildings as a kitchen. A quantity of stores, basins, chop-sticks, and several cooking coppers arrived, and in a very brief time the culinary arrangements were all made. These new decorations are confined to the palatial side of the Foo, and continue to be superintended by Colonel Neale, to whose architectural abilities, artistic taste, and close supervision the very handsome and imposing appearance which the British Legation now presents is in a great measure due.

As yet there is no modification of the extreme heat. Keturning from the French Legation last nighty with Mr. Dent, he said that during a long residence in China, and for the most part in what is generally considered to be its hottest portion, he had never before experienced anything like the heat of Peking. Certainly it was very close, and this morning every one gave a bad account of how he had fared for sleep, none hardly having been procured until daybreak. Even the birds seem to be suffering, and come in and I’oost under the shade of the matting of the court, and, from the motion of their bills, appear to be gasping for fresh air. The investment of Peking by twenty-five miles of stupendous masonry, which is the extent of the combined walls of the Tartar and Chinese city, must no doubt tend, under ordinary

Ch. IX.]

CtrRIOSmr-SELLERS.

239

circumstances, to increase the summer heat, and this will be of course the more severely felt during seasons like the present, of extraordinary heat and drought.

This afternoon we accompanied Mr, Dent again to the curiosity-dealers in the Chinese city, where he made some extensive purchases. As an illustration of their mode of dealing, two hundred dollars were asked for a very handsome enamelled ornament with a good deal of gilt mounting on it ; one hundred and sixty dollars for a curious piece of rock crystal about nine inches long, and formed into irregular-shaped eup-like divisions, representing a sort of double inkstand ; and thirty • dollars for a piece of malachite of a nondescript form. For the whole Mr. Dent offered two hundred dollars, or nearly fifty pounds sterling. This they at first refused with repeated exclamations of ‘‘ Poo-taw-bin,” meaning a long way too little. Mr. Dent held on steadily to his offer, and at last they held a consultation ; a ready-reckoner in the form of an abacus was produced, several calculations were gone through, and the offer ultimately accepted. When the abacus is brought into use, a sale js almost certain to foUow, as it indicates that the price offered is not so far from the actual value as to admit of summary rejection, and that, though the profit may not be great, still, if the sale follows, the inference is that a gain has been made.

JuVy 16 ^A-«-The earlier part of the forenoon was sultry in the extreme, and the heat very severely felt by >wAa indescribable sense of oppression and

paralysis of capacity for mental exertion were amongst the prominent efii^s, though in some mstances it was

VOti- 1* ' V *

2y0 PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch. IX.

accompanied by apparent arrest of the secretion of the gastric juice and absence of desire for food, unaccom-panied by other symptoms. At half-past one, however, a sensation of relief was experienced by all, A very severe storm set in, the rain falling in torrents con-tinuously for an hour, during which there was the con-stant rumble of distant thunder, with vivid flashes of lightning. About half-past two the rain gradually passed into a light drizzling shower; and with Colonel Neale I went out into the city to observe the state of the drainage. The canal in front of the Legation, f which an hour previously was perfectly dry, now pre-sented a rushing stream, the water coming over the knees of the people fording it ; and, as the width of this canal is sbety-six feet, some idea can be formed of the large volume of water that fell within the hour, and also of the attention paid to the drainage of the city, inasmuch as this canal is the common sewer of one-half of the city, — during the occurrence, however, of the rains only. We observed that several very largo stone-constructed underground drains opened into it, from which the water was pourings in torrents. We also noticed that wherever there was a drain open-ing on the east side of the canal, there was a corre-sponding one exactly opposite, conveying the water from the corresponding district on the western side. Alto-gether, we were astonished at finding so complete a system of drainage, which, in fact, seemed to be perfect, the only places where accumulations of water had formed being hollows where the streets are out of repair. We walked from the Legation to the Ha-ta-mun, and up to

Ch. IX.]

A STORM*

291

that point might have done so in the lightest hoots. On attempting, however, to pass through into the Chinese city, we were stopped by a large pool of water which had formed under the side gate of the bastion ; several beggars were earning cash by carrying people through on their backs ; and we were earnestly soli-cited to avail ourselves of this mode of transport; but having no urgent necessity for passing the barrier, we thought it as well to avoid doing so, for fear that unintentionally we might be the means of depriving our obliging friends of some of their personal property that we preferred allowing to remain with themselves. ® On returning to the Legation, we found Mr* Dent bargaining with a curiosity dealer for some green jade beads, or fate-m-ee, as the Chinese call them here. Great value is attached to this kind of jade, and three dollars apiece was the price Mr. Dent was asked, which, should they be good, is not more than their value in Cliina. Some necklaces of this material taken from Yuen-ming-yuen, and containing about one hundred and fifty beads of the size of a small marble, realised as much as three dollars and a half, or equal to sixteen shillings, a bead ; even this was considered by native connoisseurs very cheap. While a discussion was going on regarding the quality of the jade that Mr. Dfent was in treaty for, See-ou-tee came in on some pigeon (business) connected with the works, and Mr, Dent observing that ho wore on his thumb what seemed a fine green jade ring, requested ^t he might be allowed to look at it ; and on scratching it with a diamond it was found to be green glass. See-ou-tee adknowledged that it cost only

m

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. IX.

two thousand paper cash, or at the rate of a dollar for seven of them ; but at the same time the “ little one looked as if he had rather ‘^lost face” in being thus acci-dentally detected wearing mock valuables, as he is, as a general rule, rather a dandy, especially when he moves about, on which occasions he is invariably scrupulously neat and correct in his attire. The dealer ultimately abated his charge per bead by half a dollar, and Mr. Dent bought eighty dollars' worth of them ; also some cases of the Imperial vermilion ink taken from the Yuen-ming-yuen by the peasants in the neighbourhood.

•One dollar a stick was charged for it, and a gi'eat mys-tery made about showing it. Mr. Dent happened to have with him two pear-shaped pearls, about half the size of a sugar-almond, that he bought from a French soldier, who got them at the Yuen-ming-yuen. The moment the dealer saw them he took them to the window, and at a glance recognised their value, and immediately offered Mr. Dent a hundred dollars apiece for them — a sharp fellow, with a quick appreciation of their worth, Mr. Dent having already at the south been offered three times that amount for them.

Towards sundown, as Messrs. Wyndham and Douglas were strolling in front of the entrance to the Legation, looking at the canal flowing, a pair of boots that the former had on over his trousers attracted the attention of some passers-by, and one of them was so much taken wth them, that, after giving full expression to his {^mi-ration of the material and workmanship, he proposed to Mr. Wyndham to purchase the boots fi’om him, and was anxious to '' make a deal with him.” It was ex-

Ch. IX.]

A TEAOHEE^S TROUBLES.

2dd

plained to him that at present foreigners are residing at Peking for political purposes, and not to cany on trade, which is contrary to treaty, and therefore that it was impossible to comply with the request. The man appeared to* be quite satisfied with the explanation, and remarked that he liad no doubt that in the course of ‘two years or so they would be manufacturing boots of a similar kind in Peking, as the advantages which the material offered for foot clothing during wet weather were so very apparent, that it would not be long before it attracted attention. ^

July lltk, — It rained more or less all night, and a succession of heavy showers fell during the day. These two days’ heavy rain having occurred immediately after the performance of the sacrificial ceremonies at the Temple of Heaven by the Prince of Kung, his Imperial Highness will receive great credit from the public in consequence of the apparent success which has attended his appeal for rain.

Two naval officers arrived at the Legation to-day from Tien-tsin, their sole object appareutly in coming b^ing to say that they have been to Peking, as they start off again early to-morrow morning on their return. ^They came up in carts, and describe the roads as so bad in consequence of the rainsi that after passing Chang-kiorwan they had to get out and walk, so as to lighten the carts and enable them to get on.

Yang— Sien^tsun,” ♦ as he is properly called — ^men-

* Siett-tstm la tbs ie<^ioid nnne for ** tesober,” end they take the to their names in the same^way as a physician adds M.D. to his.

A Badielor of Arts again fo called a which zneans '^buddlug

29 t PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [CH.IX.

tioned to Mr. Douglas, this forenoon, that his cousin the merchant is now reconciled to the death of his son, which occurred on the morning after my last visit, namely, on the 13th instant. He looks upon it as bis fate so to be afflicted, and therefore that it is his duty to bear up against it. Yang, the teacher, him-self has had some domestic troubles within the last day or two. He is in daily expectation of his wife present-ing him with a third pledge of affection ; and his two female servants, seeing the prospect of increased work ^contingent on this auspicious event, have retired from his service, while a male servant has taken upon him-self to decamp with a small amount of foreign silver which had been given him to get changed into Peking coin. Amidst all these troubles, however, Yang is in rather good spirits, as he views the prospect of the in-crease to his family, occurring about the same time as the death of his cousin^s son, as a fortunate event, should the expected little one be of the male sex, as under these circumstances he ih^^ks it exceedingly probable that his wealthy relative will adopt it, because, having lost his only son, he must adopt some relative’s child as his male heir.

July ISiA..— The weather has again cleared up, an(? at noon Colonel Neale, Mi'. Dent, and myself, accom-panied by See-ou-tee, proceeded, each in a cart, to make a tour of some shops in the Tartar city. Whatever favourable impressions I may have felt inclined to form

talent while a Master of Arts is a Kue~gm^ or a man who has made gre^ progress.** The next liteiuiy degree is equivalent to that of Poctor of Laws.

Ch. IX.]

l»EKINa CABS.

295

of the Peking cabs on the first occasion of my being m one, the experience of to-day has certainly tended to modify. I doubt if human beings were ever subjected to a greater variety of bruises and shocks, not intended to be the result of direct violence, than we were to-day ; they seemed to be the immediate result of the bad-ness of the roads following on the rains. Though the general drainage of the city is good, in many places where the water has lain for some time, owing to their being below the general level of the street, quagmires have formed, in the fording of which the carts labour heavily ; and at other places, owing to the moistened soil, deep njts have formed, into which, without any ceremony, the carts are bumped. Nothing short of placing himself in the centre of the cart, and tightly holding on by each side, can save the occupant from a succession of painful contusions. With all this, the men drive with great skill, and I did not observe any tendency to upset. We went from one end of the town to the other, visiting shops on the way, and, as usual, a crowd formed round the door of every shop that we entered, to the in-convenience of the shopkeepers, who, however, for the reasons that have been already stated, carefully avoided "adopting any means to disperse the crowd, such is their fear of giving any one an excuse for preferring a charge of assault against them at the yamun.

CHAPTER 10.

CHAPTER X.

State of the Peking money-inarket—Petty theft — The delinquent lianded over to the Chinese authorities — Pekingese notions re-8[)C(^ting tha social position of British diplomatic agents, and the longevity of the lower aTiinml«~The Emperor’'s decision regard-ing the comet — Property from tho Yflon-ining-ynon in the posses-sion of curiosity-dealers — Street aetudents — Amenities of the curiosity-trade — Visit of Messrs. Wyndham and Douglas to the Western Mountains — A coal-mine — Hill monasteries — The Bonzes — Curious tree— A Bonze under vows— A storm in the mountains —Arrival of General Michel — Facts about the burning of Yuen-miiig-yuen — The god Kwaii-ti and his services— Mr. Davenport severely injured at lJu-che-wang, owing to interfering in a do-mestic quarrel — A sale for frieiidship’s sake— Artistic notions of the nations tributary to China— Origin of the Itiissian Mission at Peking — ^Atkinson’s Amoor” — Enssian statements regarding it — Visit from the mcrehant Yang — Eumours about the Emperor^s health.

July 19th, — ^When we first arrived here, and for some montlis afterwards, the value of the dollar remained at fifteen thousand paper cash. Lately, however, it has been rising in price, — ^that is to say, silver has gra-dually been becoming of greater value in the money-mai'ket, — and the dollar now sells for eighteen thousand paper cash. In consequence of this, a one-thousand cash note, which a few weeks ago was worth thirty-nine copper cash, is now worth only twenty-nine, and in place of five hundred and fifty-five of the latter going to the dollar, as formerly, that number has been reduced by thirty-three, showing a rise also in the value of copper

Ctt. 2.] PDKIXG MONEY-MARKET. 297

com. This depreciation of paper money was the cause of the discontent amongst the people referred to on the 13th ultimo* The rate of exchange is regulated by the money-changers or exchange shops. They form a guild, and regulate the price of silver.

The heat has again become very great, no permanent modifying effect having been produced by the heavy rains that* have fallen within the last few days. The thermometer in a perfect shade stands at 94®. The oppressive effect of the temperature on the brain is much complained of by those who are compelled to make mental exertion. Mr, Dent started for Tien-tsin at the earliest dawn of day, so as to escape as much as possible the fierce morning sun. The city gates are not opened until daybreak, consequently it is not prac-ticable to start on a journey from Peking during the night otherwise than by leaving the city before sunset, and going to a suburban ina

This morning the jedlar of Pa-lee-chow, in his official capacity of gatekeeper, detect^ a native, unconnected with the works, stealing some turnips , that formed a portion of the culinary stores of the painters* The man made his escape over a broken portion of the waU, but the old pedlar gave chase and caught him by the tail. He then took him to Mr. Wade, and preferred a charge of theft against him. The local authorities were com-municated with, and an official immediately came down and inquii^ into the matter, leaving the man in the meanlime in custody at the Legation.

July 20^.-^Late Iasi night two policemen arrived with lanterns and chains to remove the unfortunate

298

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. X.

tumip-stealer. The chains were put round his neck, and his hands were secured. He was then taken to the prison under the charge of the Prefect of Shun-tee-en-* fooi or chief magistrate of the district that this portion of Peking is in. He is a high officer, Tung Ta-jin by name, and is represented as a soft and by no means viciously-disposed old gentleman individually* It ap-pears that the man had managed to find his wa/ into the Leang-koong-foo when the workmen were entering. He does not seem to have any special employment, and, as two or three robberies have occurred of late, it has been deemed necessary to make an example of the first delinquent caught. Mr. Wade has requested that in-formation be sent to the Legation with reference to the result of the case, which in all probability will be that it has been summarily disposed of by subjecting him to the punishment of the “ heavier bamboo.” Our avail-ing ourselves of the severe penal code of China, in cases of trifling offences, is hardly consistent with the strong terms in which we frequently are in the habit of con-demning it, at the same time it is difficult to see how we are to avoid doing so.

Jul^ 22nd. — ^Mr. Wade, in conversation with Sue, the teacher, to-day, was astonished to find bow all at once he had got postcd-op in European afiairs ; being acquainted with the struggle going on in Italy, and with the disruption in the United States, He observed that " until the establishment of the legations at Peking, it was remai'kable the ignorance which pre-vailed in reference to Europe and its inhabitants. Several of your names, however, we knew, but Pa

Ch. X.] IDEAS RESPECTING DIPLOMATISTS.

299

Ta-jin* (Mr. Parkes) we always thought was a prince of the blood. Your name also we knew, and understood you to be a prince of the second degree.*^ Conversation afterwards turned on a subject wherein the age of animals was touched on, when Sue remarked, “ You also have a dog of great antiquity, called Cha^lee, born,

I was informed by Nee Ta-jin (Colonel Neale), in the Ming dynasty.*' <tfr. Wade laughed, as well he miglit, • and said that in telling him that the Colonel must have been joking. Truly, now you mention it,** said Sue,

“ his manner was that of a person laughing. Now that I think of it, he was laughing, and the statement is, doubtless, a jest.** The explanation of this is, that a few nights ago Sue came into the billiard-room, and looked at a game that was going on. While he was sitting there, he noticed the dog Charlie lying asleep, and inquired his age ; when Colonel Neale jokingly said, Ta Ming,** f implying Charlie*s nativity to have been prior to the year 1643. Sue started up in asto-nishment, caught hold of Charlie, turned him over, and ei^amined him exactly as if he had been a piece of ancient porcelain, the statement not appearing to him

* Ta-jin literally means great man.^* It is the affix given to the nained of all officials «4.bove a certain rank ; for instance, Mr. Bruce is known in Peking as Boo Ta-jin ; M, de Bourboulon, os Poo Ta-jin ; Colonel Neale, as Nee Ta-jin. The English equivalent of tliis is as nearly as possible “ His Excellency.” The next designation is Ta-low-ya, meaning |Iis Honour,” Mr. St. Clair, for instance, is called Sin Ta-low-ya, and Mr. Wyndham, Win Ta-low-ya j Mr. Wade is Way Ta-jin.

t Great value is attached by the Chinese to property which had its ori^ during the Ming dynasty, and the words *‘Ta Ming” (the Great Ming) are stamped ind^bly on most of the porcelain made during that period.

800

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[CH.X.

too incredulous ; and, as shown by his observation to Mr. Wade, he does not seem to have entertained a doubt on the subject until enlightened with reference to its being, as he himself styled it, “ a jest.”

July 23rd — An Imperial decree has appeared in the Gazette in relation to the comet. It seems that some parties, with the view of propitiating the Emperor, •have, contrary to public opinion, endtavoured to show that the comet is a good omen. Tine Emperor, how-ever, does not respond to this bit of celestial flunkey-ism, and declines to receive their congratulations, viewing them as inconsistent with a period characterised by so much rebellion and trouble.

Many of the articles that are now being brought by the curiosity-dealers evidently come out of private houses, the property of people in reduced circumstances. Some of the things undoubtedly are from the Yuen-ming-yuen, owing to the stealthy way they are brought into the Legation, and the comparatively low prices that are taken for them. For instance, yesterday a massive white jade oinament was sold for twenty-fiive dollars, for which, under ordinary circumstances, not less than from eighty to a hundred dollars would have been taken. To-day also Colonel Neale had brought into his quarters what at first sight looked like a pair of very handsome door panels, but turned oyt to be the style of pictures with which the rich in China decorate their walls, all the objects depicted being in relief, within a plain ebony frame. These pictures came from Yuen-ming-yuen, and have inscribed on them some vers^ which Mn Wade translated, and found to he by

Cp. X.]

STREET ACCIDENTS.

801

Emperor Keen-Lving, in honour of agriculture. The picture is a landscape, into which houses, trees, bridges, rocks, and a variety of figures, are introduced in relief. The trees are represented by beautifully-carved brown, red, white, and green ivory ; the clouds and the figures by light-coloured jade, and the rocks by jasper and agaite ; the house and bridges are fonned of ebony. The whole consti^ted a remarkably striking and varied grouping erf colours. Colonel Neale became the pur-chaser of these rare and valuable specimens of Chinese pictorial art

July 24t/i. — Two trifling accidents occurred to-day. Mr. Bruce, while out driving, got foul of a Chinese cart, which he upset The owner of it was indemnified with twenty dollars, in consideration of the inconvenience he had been put to, while an individual inside received ten dollars as an indemnity for the bouleversermnt to which he had been accidentally subjected. Mr. Glinker also, the new Russian Secretoiy of Legation, while out^riding with Mr. St. Clair, mounted on a spirited and some-what vicious horse belonging to the latter, known as “ the Demon,” was thrown, and while on^ the ground somewhat roughly treated by the horse. Mr. St. Clair describes the conduct of the Chinese as excellent ; there was not the slightest indication of merriment ; the utmost solicitude and alarm were shown for the fate of Mr. Glinka*, and aid was readily afforded in holding his horse, while he secured " the Demon,” who at the time waa making very free with Mr. Glinker. The Pekingese themselves did uot attempt to interfere ^ith ‘Mth© IN^n,” evidently being imbued with tl^e

802

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Oh. X.

same objection to tall fiery horses as that which the Prince of Rung expressed to Mr. Hart some days since.

J uly 2ht1i , — The curiosity fair continues. A succes-sion of dealers have been coming the whole day, bring-ing every variety of curiosity likely to suit the Euro-pean taste. Some very good specimens of thq porcelain of the Ming dynasty have been purchased to-day. A very curious and cleverly-executed series of paintings on silk, twelve in number, were brought to Mr. Bruce, and purchased by him. Tliey roll up like maps, each being two feet and a half wide and twelve feet long. I observe that the dealers are beginning to ask much nearer the sum that they intend to take than they have been heretofore in the habit of doing. At first we never thought of giving more than a third or fourth of the price asked ; but now, as a general rule, the articles can be bought for one-half of the sum originally demanded. Chinamen, it would seem, rarely ever ask the price that they intend to take, and those who understand their character say that they prefer, on the whole, having a bargain diiven, because, if you close with them at once, they feel to a certain extent dissatisfied, and are under the impression that they have asked too little. I can in some measure verify this statement. A short time ago, at a shop in the Chinese city, I offered fifty dollars for a pair of candlesticks, enamelled on copper, and my offer was re-fused. Having made up my mind to give no more, I did not go back again ; but fourteen days afterwards Monsieur de Meritens bought them for five dollars dess than 1 had

Oh. X.1

THE WESTEEK MOUNTAINS.

d03

offered, he having gone for a succession of days and bargained with the owners, which his knowledge of the language enabled him to do. He says that they much prefer this to selling outright ; in fact, they like to have a long talk over every sale they make.

This afternoon Messrs. Wyndham and Douglas re-turned from a trip they made yesterday to a part of the Shi-shan, or Western Mountains, about twenty miles from Peking. From Mr. Wyndham I received the fol-lowing interesting details of their excursion. They left the Chinese city by the See-pien-mun, and went in a south-w^esterly direction until they came on a stone causeway which leads from the central west gate of the Chinese city to within a short distance of Loo-ko-chow, a walled village about ten miles from Peking, and situated on the Wen -ho. Here the river is cro8se<l by a large stone bridge on seven round arches. Passing over the bridge, they got upon a sort of embankment or dyke, with millet fields on either side; the labourers in the fields were quite naked. Some little way from the natural bank of the river, near this dyke, there is a farmhouse* They proceeded along the dyke for about three miles, and then by a road for two miles more, until they reached a small village, where they got a guide, who offered hi| services. At this place some tea was given them, after which they continued their journey. The road for a short way lay through fields, and then began to get narrow and bad. In about half-an-lmur they got into a series of rocky passes, which compelled them to dismount and lead their horses. The guide explained to them that it was neces-

804

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. X.

sary to take these by-paths, owing to the ordinaiy road round a spur of the mountain being impassable from mud. Two miles of bad road brought them to the vil-lage of Woo-loong-gan, consisting of one naiTOW street of a poor kind, situated on a ridge of one of the spurs, from which there is a very fine view in the direction of Yuen-ming-yuen and Peking, the latter being seen in the distance. Just before reaching Woo-loong-gan, in the neighbourhood of a narrow pass, a fissure in the rock was pointed out by the guide, with a rocky projec-tion on either side of it. This, he informed them, was a portion of a dragon, whose head was in one hill and his tail in the other, and who is held in great respect and worshipped by the neighbouring population. By this time it was five o’clock in the afternoon, and, as Woo-loong-gan afforded no suitable accommodation for either man or beast, they descended, and returned by a rocky road into the valley of the Wen-ho, ^nd reached the small village of Lee-yuan-chuang, where they put up at the temple of Feng-fu-tze, and were provided with good accommodation for themselves, and excellent stabling and food for the horses. The priest in charge of it seemed well-to-do, combining with his religious duties the pursuit of agriculture, and cultivating some land attached to the temple. They remained here for the night, and met with every attention from the priest and his establishment, consisting of four or five clean-looking servants, who supplied them liberally with eggs, vege-tables, and rice. No meat of any kind was procurable, the diet of the Bonzes, as already mentioned, being con-fined to vegetables.

Ch. X.]

A COAL MINE.

30 .>

At five o’clock next morning they started on foot with their guide, and went towards a ridge, on the way to which they passed several villages inhabited by a mining population, and when about half-w^ up the hill came to a coal mine, where a number of camels, mules, and donkeys were standing in course of being loaded. The entrance ^to the coal-pit seemed to be small. In the immediate vicinity of the mine tliere are a few buildings, and a respectable-looking house occupied by the managc'r. The mode of mining adopted appears to be laborious in the extreme. While they were there, a miner emerged from the shaft with a common lamp, without ajiy shade, fastened in front of his skull-cap. He was dragging a basket of coal after him up an in-cline, which is wooded over like a ladder, and up which the miners work their way by their hands and their feet. No mechanical contrivances whatever seemed to be used in raising the coal. Air is pumped down the shaft by means of a circular fan, worked by one man with his foot, like a knife-grinder’s wheel.

Passing the coal mine, they came to a temple called the Lan-ye-mee-ou, a small establishment, situate'd on the top of the ridge. Two priests were in charge of it, their occu-pation consisting chiefly of providing food for the carriers passing with coals from the mines, a considerable quan-tity of which appeared to be conveyed in baskets on men's backs. At this temple they were very civilly treated ; tea was given them, and hot water and towels brought in for them to wash their faces, which is the Chinaman's custom when he is warm, never, under these circumstances, applying cold water to his face, if

m\ PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Cii. X,

hot can possibly be procured. From this temple they liad a good view of the valleys and hills beyond. Some are cultivated in terraces, and a good deal of millet and wheat is grown. Tlicy now turned efist, and after walk-ing about three miles, reached the Chiek-tai-zu-mee-ou, a large temple on the hill side, surrounded by oak trees, which, though it is a considerable way up the mountain, can be reached by carts. Four hundred mow of land are attached to this temple, but the priests derive no profit in money from its produce, which goes to the district magistrate. Several smaller branch temples are scat-tered about the hill near it, one called Gi-lo-tung, almost at the summit of a lofty peak at its back. The trees in the temple grounds are very fine. One cedar, said to be a thousand years old, was shown to them, which shook from the trunk upwards in a remarkable manner when one particular branch u^as shaken. A tablet is erected near it, containing a sonnet “ On the Moving Tree ’’ by the Emperor Keen-Lung. After this they were taken to the refectory, where a breakfast of tea, rice, and vegetables was supplied them, and done as ample justice to as was possible with chop-sticks in un-practised hands. At eleven o’clock a bell in the room was stiuck, and the priests, twelve in number, entered. They stood in row, and performed the kow-tow to a small image of ** Kwan-yin-poussa,” the Goddess of Mercy, before which an incense-stick was burning. This image was on the table of the head priest, who had a soi*t of throne reserved for liim, with a yellow cushion in the chair. After this ceremony the Bonzes sat down at tables, four at each ; and, while their rice was being

Ch. X.]

THE BONZES.

307

served out to tliein, chaunted, with folded hands, a grace to Buddha for their food, one of them keeping time with a small bell. As soon as each man’s basin was filled, the man with the bell handed three or four grains of rice to his neighbour, who got up, bowed to the god-dess, and then threw it out of doors. This is intended to propitiate two evil spirits, — one a large bird, which is thought tQ be inimical to the human species, and in a secret and mysterious way to devour men; the other, the Quae-mow, or Mother of Devils. As soon as the priest had returned from throwing out the rice, and taken his seat at the table, the chaunt ceased, and their meal was proceeded with, the strictest silence being preserved throughout, the meal being looked upon as a sacred rite or ceremony.

They asked the head priest when he took his mid-day meal ? He said at the same time as the others ; but, having to attend to visitors, he could not think of doing so until they were provided for. Under these ciicumstances, they got up and asked him to give them a guide to take them to the other tefnples in the neighbourhood, which he did, and then proceeded to his breakfast. At the uppermost temple they saw a priest who had neither ST)oken nor had his hair cut for thirty years, having made a vow against both. He eats also only once a day, namely, at noon. He was dirty in his person, and his hair hung down beyond his heels in a tangled mass, that looked like a quantity of matted black tow. When he walked, he rolled it round his neck in two large coils. ^ He appeared to be in the full possesjsion of his faculties, and alive to all that was being

308

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE,

[Ch. X.

said, which waa proved by his every now and then WTit-ing replies to queries. He put, no written questions himself, but carefully examined their clothing, spurs, riding whips, &c. He was asked if he would allow his portrait to be taken. He immediately went and got a mat, on which ho sat down cross-legged. He kept his

TIIK BONZR, WHO HAS NOT SPOKEN NOR HAD HIS HAIR CUP FOR THIRTT TEARS.

eyes closed while the sketch was being made, but his earn were sharply open, because on the question being asked if there were any mosquitoes there, he jumped up and wrote the character for mosquito (one-za) on the table with his finger, implying that there were. These singular vows he had taken when he was quite a youth. He was attentive to the wants of others, and did the

Ch. X.] a STORM IN THE MOUNTAINS. «0i)

honours of the temple admirably, bringing the visitors chairs and tea.

From the pagoda of this temple, they had a splendid view and a channing cool breeze, such as is foreign at the present time to the plain surrounding Peking. They remained at this temple until ^bout one o'clock, when they descended to the temple occupied by the superior, aaid found him busy receiving some guests who had just aiTived with carts and baggage from the city, for the purpose of enjoying a few days' change froin*the oppressive atmosphere there prevailing. At this temple they were provided with mountain chairs, covered with awnings, and carried by four stalwart bearers, who quickly conveyed them back to the Feng-fu-tze temple, where tlioy had spent the night.

At three o'clock they mounted tlicir horses and started for Peking. About a quarter of an hour after-wards, while they were in the passes leading their horses, a violent storm came on, and in a very short time, less than half-an-hour, all the passes were rushing torrents knee deep, the current being so ^itrong as to render it difficult for them sometimes to keep their footing. After some difficulty they at last got clear of the hills, and reached the main road leading to Loo-ko-chow. which is about twenty feet wide. This they found impassable, it having become a running stream, and they were compelled to make their way to the raised causeway by which, they had come out. At Loo-ko-chow, the main street was fl(X)ded; and the greater portion of the road between it and Peking was in a simil^ state. They, got back to Peking

aio PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch. X.

about seven o’clock this afternoon, and as they were passing through the city met Sir John Michel, accom-panied by Major Faussett and Captain Mansergh, of the Forty-fourth Kcgiment, and Lieutenant Oliver, of the Royal Artillery, who had just arrived from Tien-tsin, and were in search of the Leang-koong-foo. They were, however, going in the direction of the Bfeard of Punish-ments, liaving a Chinaman with them as a guide, who was but indifferently acquainted with Peking.

July — Walked through the curiosity shops in

the Chinese city with Sir John Michel and Major Faussett. The former was surprised at the compara-tively naked aspect they now present to what was the case when he visited them during the time we were in occupation of the Anting Gate. This is easily ex-plained, there having been a steady drain upon them for the supply of Tien-tsin, ever since the army went into occupation there; and whatever really good articles Ijave found their way into them of late have been pur-chased by the foreign residents in Peking, and tlie strangers who have visited it during the summer.

From Sir John Michel I gathered some information about the destiuction of Yuen-ming-yuen. He marched the troops out, consisting of the 60th Rifles and the 15th Punjaub Infantry, and pointed out the buildings to be destroyed, authorising at the same time the men taking anything that they could carry away. On this occasion a considerable number of officers and others from the force came out 'with carts, and removed as much as they conveniently could ; but Sir John Michel says that the actusfl quantity taken away was liko a drop

Ch. XJ destruction of YUEN-MINa*YUEN. 311

in the bucket to what remained and was destroyed. Though two regiments were engaged two days at the work, a considerable number of the buildings escaped destruction, the terms of peace having been come to before it had been thoroughly carried out. General Michel mentions one large room in particular that escajied. It nA fitted with shelves, on which were packed, as <11086 as articles in a tinsmith's, a splendid collection of bronzes. From what Sir John Michel states, it appears that the British cavalry was the first force tliat reached the Yuen-ming-yuen, but did not enter it. The French came up next, and at once went in,, and the scene of plunder commenced. The day afterwards he rode out, and saw the French sol-diers passing out ingots of silver, and loading their carts with tljem. Inside they were walking about, smashing with the butt-ends of their muskets btjau-tiful mirrors, clocks, and articles of vertu too bulky for removal. The floors were strew^ed knee-deep with silks and satins, which they appeared neither to have the means nor the inclination to remove, their at tention being absorbed in seeking for property of more value.

July 3 &th, — In to-day's Gazette, Kang-ming-lin, Director-General of Grain Transport and Treasurer of the Western Division of the Province of Keang-soo, prays the Emperor to reward the god Kwan-ti, for his interposi-tion in Hwai-ngan-fu, by which the cities of Tan-quan and Leing-ho were saved on, the 11 th of March last. The people, he 8 tate.s, saw perspiration on the face of the imqge of Kwan-ti, so great was his anxiety about

m PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Cii. X.

the fate of the places. Tfhe impoi*tant services ren-dered by Kwan-ti on the occasions referred to have been already acknowledged by the Emperor, who has directed a tablet to be erected in his honour.

July 29^A. — News was received to-day from Nu-che-wang, the new treaty port in Manchuria, of Mr. Da-venport, the interpreter to the Cons Ate, having been severely injured by some Chinese peasants. Tlic facts of the case are these : — a gunboat, the “ Woodcock,’" is at present lying at Nu-che-wang, the commander of which. Lieutenant Bosanquet, was riding on the evening of the sixth instant with Mr. Davenport in the neighbourhood of the town. In the coursp of their ride they came upon a couple of men who were beat-ing a woman, their attention being attracted by her cries. They immediately rode at the^ men, endea-vouring to drive them off, and Mr. Bosanquet struck one of them with his stick. Mr. Davenport then jumped off his horse, leaving it in Mr. Bosanquet s charge, and ^commenced belabouring the men with his stick. They immediately turned upon him, and the woman jumped up and joined them, and so severely injured Mr. Davenport with hoes avS, in the opinion of Mr. Consul Meadows, to place his life in danger. Mr. Bosanquet was unable to assist him, the horses having become restive, which kept him out of sight of what was going on for a minute or two. On turning the angle of the house, he perceived Mr. Daven-port engaged in a stniggle with the people, and he saw the woman aim a violent blow with a hoe at his head, which missed his head, but took effect on his 1|pck. Mr.

Ch. XJ

A SALE FOR FRIENDSHIP’S SAKE.

313

Meadows, immediately on hearing of the occiin ence, pro-ceeded with a Chinese official and seventeen men from the “ Woodcock/' and had the house burned down. He has written to Mr. Bruce, urging him to insist on having, under any circumstances, one of the party executed on the spot, and, in the event of Mr. Davenport's death, the whole of them. ♦Mr. Bruce, however, I am glad to say, takes a sound common sense view of the case; and, under the circumstances which led to the assault, namely, a primary assault from Mr. Davenport, does not see gi’ounds for demanding any such redress as Mr. Meadows recommends. The motives which actuated these gentlemen in their interference were, no doubt, creditable ; but that they were cawied out in an injudi-cious manner the facts of the case sufficiently show. A few words from Mr. Davenport would, in all probability, have satisfactorily effected wjiat his appeal to his stick completely failed to obtain.

July 30ih. — ^1-^his morning, as we were looking at the wares of the curiosity dealers spread out un the steps of the court, a Japan box was produced, which, being of a kind useful for keeping papers in, Mr. Wade made an offer of five dollars for. The man wanted seven, saying at the sam^ time that if he was to sell it at Mr. Wade's price he should lose capital. Mr. Wade replied, “ Then pray do not do so, but with me there are no two prices." After a moment's hesitation he said he might have it for the price he had offered. Mr. Wade then said, But why sell it to me for that ? You said just now that you would lose capital." 'f^e man laughed, and said that for friendship's sake he did not mind

314

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. X.

making a slight sacrifice, and accordingly handed the box over for five dollars.

While at the Russian Legation this afternoon with Mr. Wyndham, we visited the studio of the artist attached to the mission, and were shown some remark-ably good sketches of Yuen-ming-yuen and Peking hy a Chinaman, wlio has received instructi6n from the Rus-sian artist. One of the sketches, a coloured one, amused us a good deal. It represented the Emperor sitting in state at Yuen-ming-yuen, viewing the feats of a number of juvenile acrobats. He was sitting in front of a raised pavilion, looking on a court where the gymnastic feats were going on. Standing on one side, at the base of thivS pavilion, and screened off, so that they could not sec the Emperor, though they could witness the perform-ances, were a number of people belonging to nations stated to be tributary to China. Foremost in the crowd were placed the Coreans, then the English, distinguished by being dressed in red, and last the Russians.

There was «Iso hanging up in the studio a portrait of the chief of the Emperors Body Guard, which, it appears, is composed of Russian Christians, who were originally natives of Albazin, taken prisoners during its siege. They have the hereditary right of keeping one of the northern gates of the Tartar city. Their capture was the origin of the Russian mission in Peking. On returning to the Leang-koong-foo, I consulted Atkin-' son’s book on the Amoor, and ascertained the following. Albazin is the first Russian post on the Amoor, and is described as a ,jsittlement and fortress. In the year 1650, Khaharoff was despatched from Yakoutsk with a

Ch. X.] ORIGIN OF RUSSIAN MISSION. »I5

body of Cossacks, to select a position on the Amoor and to fortify it. After a difficult march he reached the riv(3r ; and, having carefully examined the various localities, he selected Albazin, as affording the most essential requisites for such an establishment, namely, water and pasturage. In 1651 the fort was completed. A nume-rous body of hunters followed the Cossacks, and a town rapidly sprang up. This additional force rendered the town so secure, that no body of Chinese troops could dislodge them. During the hunting season the men dispersed themselves in search of game, which was found in abundance. The neighbouring tribes, who lived by the productions of their forests^ looked upon this as an intrusion, but the Cossacks and the hunters considered the territoiy as their own, and hunted whcrc-ever furs could be. procured, and gradually drove the natives from their hunting grounds, besides committing other depredations. This state of matters continued for several years, until at last the Cliinese Government was roused, and in 1657 an army appeared before Albazin, and summoned it to surrender. The garrison resisted, and the siege was continued for nearly two ye^irs. Late in 1658, want of provisions compelled them to surrender, and they were permitted to return to Siberia. *^A11 the prisoners taken during the siege were sent to Peking, and hence, in after years, Kussia •stipulated to send a mission to give spiritual instniction to the Cossacks of Albazin.” ♦ Rather, it should have been said, to their descendants, *}• as it was not until

* Atkinson’s Amoor,” page 424.

t WiUiEtnB's Middle lUngdom,” Vol. XL, page 445.

310

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. X.

1727 that Vladislavitch, who conducted the third mis-sion sent by Russia to Peking, succeeded in arran^ng for the permanent residence there of a mission consisting of six ecclesiastical and four lay members, for the purpose of studying the Chinese and Manchurian languages, the mission to be changed every ten years.

Having referred to Atkinson’s work on the Amoor, I may state that the members of the Russian mission de-clare that it is a more compilation, and that the author was never near the Amoor in his life. They state this, not as an impression, but as a positive fact; and show the original Russian lithographs (of dates long anterior to the publication of tlie book) from which the woodcuts and sketches with which the work is illustrated were taken. Being stnick with this statement, so contrary to the generally received opinion, I perused the book carefully, and certainly was not able to find any passage wherein it could be distinctly brought home to the author that the descriptions he was giving were the result of pereonal observation, though no doubt the inference was that they were. In fact, it is only in the latter half of the book that any reference in detail is made to the Amoor. If the Russian statement is cor-rect, it would seem that, in order to write an amusing and instructive book of travels, it is not essentially necessary to be personally acquainted with the country under description ; and it is just possible that, in pro-portion as this form of knowledge is wanting, may the descriptions prove attractive to readers at a distance.

July 31«^.-r-The merchant Tang called on me to-day, to thank me for my exertions in ameliorating his son’s

Ch. XJ

RUMOURED DEATH OF EMPEROR.

317

sufferings during the latter portion of his illness. JHe called also on Mr. Wade, to thank him for the intcrprc-torial aid which he had rendered on the occasion of my second visit. He states that the great sickness which I’as prevailed in the capital of late, as well as in the country generally, is attrilmtod to the unusual heat and the absence of rain. This sickness has extended to Ticn-tsin, where, by the last accounts, three hundred and twenty-nine soldiers were in hospital, exclusive of a considerable number of sick that had to be treated in barracks, owing to the want of sufficient hospital accom-modation.

This morning there was a report current in the market that the Emperor was dead. Another report, winch has been in circulation during the day, is that his physicians have stated that, if he abstains from those pernicious practices which have exercised such a detrimental influ-ence on his constitution, he may survive as long as the Ninth Moon (October), but that there is not much pro-bability of his doing so longer. Whether these are mere popular rumours, or whether thgy owe tlieir origin to those about the Emperor, it is difficult at present to say. It is curious, however, that the question of his health is always most talked about, as the time approaches when he has promised to return to Peking. A story is at pre-sent in circulation characteristic of what the feelings of the people are in respect to the continued absence of the Emperor from the capital. The story is that the Emperor has lately had constructed in the palace at Je-ho a beautiful room for his son, the heir apparent, a lad of about seven years of age; and that on taking him

818

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

fCH. X.

into it he was surprised to find that the child showed no signs of satisfaction, contraiy to what was anticipated ; and that on his father asking him how it was that he did not seem pleased with the room, the heir apparent replied that it was because it was not in the capital. Mr. Wade saw Wan-se-ang to-day, who said that there was no particular news from Je-lio, and made no allu-sion to the reports about the Emperor’s health.

CHAPTER 11.

CHAPTER XL

The currency difficulties and their cause — Extracts from the Peking (iHz^tc — Valuable property belonging to an Imperial noble of-fered for sale at tho Legation — Chinese emigration to British Guiana — The Emperor’s opinion of tho •English — Low-yoong-chuen’s nuptials — Befrauding the Gate revenue — Financial crisis — Union Jack made by a Poking tailor— CI m nose patients — Picture of Yuon-miiig-yuen— The Legation servants speculating in paper casli — Porcelain from Sii-wung-too — Wan-sc-aug makes inquiries about loans — The Peking police— Government Memorial with reference to tho currency <piostion.— Kumours of the Emperor’s death — Loss sustained on i)apcr money — Potty thefts by work-men — Hem arks relative to our availing ourselves of the (’hiiicso pmial code— Proceedings in connection therewith at Canton — Bul-letin about tho Emperor’s health — Matrimonial activity prevailing —Lord John Hay’s visit to Nu-cho-waiig andMoukden — Population of Peking — Soir6e at the Russian Legation — Rumoured abseuco of the Prince of Kung — The Chinese Government proposes a new way to pay off its old debts — Pnissiaii treaty concluded— Sue’s observations about the Christians — Celebration of the birthday of the Emperor of the French.

»

Aiigitst — Want of confidence in paper money is increasing to such an extent, that even the labourers employed on the works going on in the Legation will not receive it in payment of their wages from the con-tractor, but prefer waiting until he can procure copper. Yesterday a thousand paper cash were only worth twenty copper ones, consequently twenty thousand paper cash to- the dollar. To-day, however, there is a slight improvement in the money market, the value of the <}ollar having fallen to eighteen thousand two hun-

320

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. XI.

drcd paper cash. Soe-ou-tee*s explanation of the pre-sent financial crisis is, that the Emperor s shop, no can catchee money,” which is his rendering of the Board of Revenue being short of copper, wherewith to meet the demands for metallic currency. It appears that tliere are several private banks in Peking wliose notes are good enough, and that it is certain public banking establishments, under the supervision^ of the Board of Revenue, who arc making a speculation of the cash question, and hence the difficulties connected with it. The people, 4inder any circumstanetjs, are by no means favourably disposed towards a paper currency, and much prefer the more bulky and inconvenient sys-tem of 'metallic payments. The present is stated to be only the second occasion in the history of the Empire tliat the Government has resorted to paper issues. The first time was on the oveithrow of the Mongols in 1363.

The mint is in charge conjointly of the Board of Revenue and of Public Works. No coin has been issued from it for some time, owing to a want of the usual supplies of copper from the mines in the south-west of the Empire, none having been received for nearly eight years. There would seem to be no doubt that the chief cause of the present embarrassed state of the currency is the scarcity of metal, because one of the first questions asked by the Chinese Commissioners, when the Treaty was originally proposed at Tien-tsin, was witli reference to the practicability of procuring copper from Japan. *

The copper and lead mines in the south of China are situtted between (he provinces of Hu-peh and Hu.-nan;

CfH. XI.]

CHINESE CUBRENCY.

they are now in the hands of the Taepings, and have been so for some years ; hence the stoppage of supplies from them. In addition to the copper which \ised to be sent annually from these mines, a fixed amount of four million /bur hundred and thirty thousand catties was imported every year from Japan, for the use spe-cially of the provincial mints of Ngan-liwui, Kiang-si, Keaiig-soo, ,and Cheh-kiang. In a note by Mr. Wade, on some rcmaiks wiitten by him on this subject in the Chinese Repository, it is stated, ‘‘ In a supplementary edition of the Statutes of the Tartar Dynasty, published in 1826, it is directed that there shall be sent annually to Peking 5,836,220 catties of copper from Yun-nan, 4,391,914 catties of white and 473,238 catties of black lead from Kwei-chan, and 250,000 Wack lead from Hu-nan, for the coinage of cash. The Yun-nan copper is to cost, independent of carnage, nine taels one mace, the Kwei-chan lead, one tael five mace, and that of Hu-nan three taels six mace per hundred catties. It is further laid down that the model cash made at Peking shall consist of three-fifths copper and two-fifths lead, and shall weigh one-hundredth of a cattie, fiut that the current cash coined in Peking and the provinces shall weigh three-fourths of the model cash, or about seventy grains troy. There are’ two metropolitan mints, one under the Board of Revenue, the other under the Board of Works. . For the Province of Peh-chili^there is a separate mint at Pan-ting-fii.” These rules, of course, are now obsolete as regards the Peking currency, owing to the local peculiarity that bare been, within the last; few years, introduced into it

vox*. I, , ' V

m PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch. XI.

The ordinary currency of the Empire consists of the following sub-divisions : —

A tael or lee-ang is equal to Eighty pence.

A mace or E-tscen ... Eight pence.

A candarine or E-fan . . Three farthings.

Cash, or E-lee, or Tchen, as they are also called, are equal to about one-third of a farthing.

Each of those coins, it will be seen, is equal in value to ten of the coins next below it in the scale. At Tien-tsin at the present time, where the ordinary currency is in full operation, the tael,* or dollar, instead of being worth one thousand copper cash, is wortli fifteen hun-dred, of which, at that rate, one hundred and fifty go to a mace and fifteen to a candarine.

As regards Chinese weights, the cattie or E-kin is equal to one pound and a third avoirdupois. Each cattie is divided into sixteen liang or tues, similar, in fact, to our division of the pound into ounces.

An illustration occurred to-day of the want of ready money which at present exists amongst the nobility, or those dependent upon them. One of the curiosity dealers brought to the Legation, smd sold to Mr. Bruce, a beautifully enamelled pagoda^ which had been placed in his hands for sale from the Su-wang-foo, which stands on the side of the canal opposite to where the Leang-koong-foo is, and is the palace of the Prince of Su, who IS now with the Emperor at Je-ho. His son, however, is at present residing at the Su-wang-foo, and it is not improbable that he is disposing of the familj property,

AuffuM — ^The slight improvement in the money

Ch. XI.] EXTBACTS PROM THE PEKING GAZETTE. 823

* ^

market quoted yesterday continues, the dollar to-day having fallen to sixteen thousand paper cash.

Yesterday’s Gazette, being that for the twenty-fifth day of the sixth moon, contains five decrees and three memorials. The first decree is one " Directing the Board of Civil Office to punish Wang Yu-ling, Governor of Clieh-kiang, for having made upwards of twenty changes in. the District Magistrates of' his Province in less than one month, the same being capricious coitduct and undignified. Wang Yu-ling is at the same time acquitted of many grave charges brought against him for his mal-administration, of the sale of rank, &c.” Decree number two is one acknowledging the reports detailing certain victories gained over the rebels in Shantung. Number three is ‘‘ Directing the Board of War to prosecute Chun-ho, commanding the Nomad district about Tse-hol (Je-ho),for not sending the Board of Revenue a copy of the Emperor’s reply to his memo-rial (which latter he did submit) upon the silver mines at some point beyond the frontier of China proper in his jurisdiction.”

The memorials commence with — -

'' No. 1. The Chiefs of the Household move the Emperor to the course he signified a few days ago he would adopt regarding Yuh-tsing, Superintendent of Customs at Canton, whose grandmother died at Peking on the twenty-second of June last. They cite a pre-cedent of 1843 , for his return to Canton, when he dhaU have mourned a hundred days at the capital”

No, 2. Lo-pin^ Governor-General of Sheusi and Ean-sub, reports the death of Pei^hing, m route from

824

PEKINO AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. XI.

♦

the Mahomedan colony of Kboten * where he had been resident. He had no one with him but a handmaid, or concubine, and a young son, for whose journey to Peking by the post line the judge of Kan-suh has made the provision required by law.” •(“

No. 3. Mien-sing, of the Imperial house (late Emperor’s generation), now resident at the Mahomedan colony of Aksin,J denounces various high officers for collusion with each other and opposition to him, such conduct being in disregard of the gi*eat interest, and calculated to unsettle the Mahobiedaii public. He went down to his post in the spring of 1859, and found things in such a state as made his blood boil (scorched his whole interior). He denounced abuses and pro-posed some financial changes in the taxation of tea, cloth, and jade-stone. This appears to be the founda-tion of chai’ges brought against him, which he indig-nantly repels, praying for a special commission to do him justice.”

August Srd . — ^Another incident took place to-day, indicative of the poverty which is beginning to display itself amongst the first-class nobility. This morning, in charge of a sort of agent for the sale of curiosities, was brought by several bearers a magnificent set of enamels

* Khoten is one of the seven Mahomedan colonies, under the juris-diction of China, situated to the north-west of Thibet, at no great distance from Cashmere. They revolted in 1826, and gave a good deid of trouble, Pei-ching was a Government oflScer returning to Peking after having completed his tour of duty at Khoten.

t Goveminent defray aU expenses incidentid to the death d an ^ .official, while travelling to or from the scat of his employment t One of the seven Mahomedan co!lonies, of which Khoten is one.

Ch. XI.] VAtUABLB PROPEBTT OFFERED FOR SALE. 825

on copper, and a massive throne, or chair of state, formed of dense dark wood, resembling ebony, inlaid with enamel ; the back and aides being fitted with tablets of the same material, containing, in Imperial “ seal character,” verses written by the Emperor, beau-tifully engraved in gold. This is a chair of state, which, from the characters on it, the Chinese literati on the premises say, is an Imperial seat, on which no one but the Empeit)r dare seat himself. Mr. Wade is of opinion that it is a chair which has been prepared for presenta-tion to the Emperor, by his pennission, and not actually presented ; or it may be one that he himself has given away. Its history,, so far as the agent employed knows, is that it has been placed in his hands for disposal by a prince of the first degree, a relative of the ^Imperor’s, residing at the Chin-wang-foo, near the How-^mun, or northern gate of the Imperial city ; that he is seriously embarrassed for want of money; and that owing to the Emperor's absence, and other causes, his usual allow* ances as a prince of the blood not having been forth-coming, he is necessitated to dispose of personal effects. The enamels are very fine, consisting pf two large heraldic dogs standing on elaborately carved stands, inlaid with enamel ; also a^pair of pagodas about three feet high, round which, in gilt devices, dragons are entwined. In the back of the chair a large plate of enamel is let in, through which the Imperial dragon, in gold lines, is exquisitely worked. The price asked is two thousand five hundred dollars. The agent has left them with us on sight for a few days, so as to give time for otiisideration and examination, should any one feel

320 ^ PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch.XI.

inclined to purchase such expensive curiosities. The agent has no instructions to sell portions of the set — either the whole or none. Though upwards of six hun-dred pounds are now asked for them, there is no doubt that a much smaller sum than that will be taken,

Mr. Austin, Emigration Agent in China for the trans-port of coolies to British Guiana, arrived to-day at the Legation on a visit of business to Mr. Bruce. During the three years that he has been in the south of China, he has shipped to the Colony refeiTed to five thousand Chinese labourer. Their passage is found them, but no provision is made for their return. Arrangements^ however, are made for them to correspond regularly with their relations, and for them to transmit money to their homes, which is paid through the agency at Can-ton. The general tone of their letters is satisfectory. Occasionally they complain of the amount of rain which falls, but invariably they speak well of their masters, and of the kind treatment they receive. Once a month a stipendiary magistrate holds a court, where these Chinese are invited to attend, and all complaints on either side are legislated for. When a labourer, or coolie as he is called, wishes for any reason to change his master, he can procur^ a transfer by applying to the stipendiary magistrate. They are employed in the culture of the sugar-cane. The first year two hundred and fifty women were sent nut ; the second year five hundred, and only women of good character. Hus system, as carri^ on under Mr. Au8tin'^ superintend^ ence, is certainly a vast improvement upon that widdi has bithe^ been in existence, and it appears to be con*

Ch. XL] THE BMPBBOB’S OPINION OP THE ENGLISH. 82T

ducted on principles of equily and consideration, leaving nothing to iJe desired.

AugvM ith. — Mr, Wade had an interview yesterday afternoon with Wan-se-ang; and in the course of conver-sation the latter mentioned that the Emperor had read everything that was to be found in Chinese about Eng-land and the English ; and that he had risen from the pe-rusal impressed with the belief that we were peipfetually either at "war, or preparing to go to war with one nation or another. In reply to a direct query from Mr. Wade, as to why the Emperor would not receive the foreign ministers, Wan-se-ang replied that that was not diffi-cult of explanation ; that it was owing to recent events being so fresh on his mind, and also on account of the difficulties attending the ceremonials on such an occa-sion.

A Peking shopkeeper brought a quantity of old bank notes to the Legation this morning, which he said were worth two hundred dollars in cash, but that he would sell them for much below that sum, assigning as his reason that, while natives had great difficulty in getting them changed at the Government banks, foreigners would have none, inasmuch as they feared them too much at the present time to, as See-ou-fee expressed it, ‘'makee a hobbery about catchee sycee for the notes,” No one, however, felt inclined to dabble in the Celestial Funds, so the owner of the Government paper had to go and try hit ludt elsewhere ' !]%is afternoon a. sumptuous banquet of meats of various kinds, with all the eT ceteraa, was seen coming into the Legation, whkhi on^ inquiry, we learned was a

m

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. XI.

present to the Chinese servants from Lew-yoong-chuen (Sec-ou-tee) on the occasion of his nuptials, now under solemnisation— at) announcement that occasioned us some surprise, seeing that it is just four months since the ''little one ” requested leave to absent himself from his duties for the purpose of consigning his first wife to the tomb.

Angufit 5th . — On questioning See-ou-tee this morning about his marriage, he admitted that he had " catchee one wifee ” excusing the indecent haste with which he had re-entered the hymeneal state by referring it partly to his mother^s wish, parents being particularly anxious to have grandchildren, to ensure ancestral worship being kept up ; partly, and more especially, to the precarious state of the Emperor’s health, t*or it seems that no Chinaman, under penalty of decapitation, dare for twenty-seven months after an Emperor dies. The Imperial decease also interferes with the occupation of the barbei-s, as no one is allowed to shave the head for a hundred days aftcrwai'ds — a custom somewhat a »a-logous to that which prevails amongst the Jew-s, who do not shave the face for a c^^rtain period after a parent's death. The "sing sengs” are also among-'t iihe iinem-plbyed, theatres being shut for th^ ^same period, it is stated, that mamage is prohibited, ^^ed is a colour proscribed for a certain time, green being substitute d for it in the case of sedan-chairs, and white in the case of the hat tassel of red sUk, which is worn in the full-dress hat by all the better classes. See-ou-tee’s infor-mation regarding the precarious state of the Emperor’s health was pocured by hm from his cousin, who is in

Ch. XI ]

FINANCIAL CniSIS.

329

the service of the Prince of Kung, and who, ho says, has it from undoubted autliority, that the Emperor is at the present time very ill, and not expected to recover.

Mr. Austin returned to Tien-tsin this afternoon, and, amongst some things which he had brought with him, he observed, before starting from the Legation, that there were a number of l)oxes that did not belong to him, but which, on inquiry, proved to be the property of a Poking agent of Dent & Co. at Tien-tsin, who had accompanied Mr. Austin to Tung-chow, and then tacked the carts containing his merchandise on to those with Mr. Austin’s private baggage, thus evading the city dues, and coolly depositing them at the Legation until he could conveniently remo/e them. Information was gi i cn to the au Jiorii’os, who sent custom-house officers the goods for duty. This case affords a prac-tical illustrcd' o) the justice of the complaint made by the of Knog some short time since, with

. to the gate revenues falling off from frauds of

i.f.'is kind. ,,

, Iff ^)th . — The cash estion continues to agitate

the roi n' vS 'idAl /^Vy^morning the r^xchange shops N, A<piy .ouring to convert paper "uoney ^ was inten*ogated to-day

04, the by Neales In the opinion of the

Uttle one,” the mint must soon commence to coin, or things will become very serious. The mandarins, he says, •uanage one way or another to get their paper cashed, but the poor people cannot* In reply to the question as to how they would manage to exist if they had only money that w^ worthless, ho solved the difficulty by

830

PEKINa AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. XT.

explaining that they would go on as long as they could raise money on their property, and by the time that was gone, should matters not have become better, then they would probably hang themselves.

To-day a new union-jack was hoisted over the en-trance to the Legation. It is the first ever made in Peking, and the handiwork of a Chinese tailor, who, having the old ensign given him as a pattern, procured materials of the noeessary colours and of a fabric similar to bunting, charging for it, making included, nine dol-lars — equal at present to fifty shillings — ^being about the same price that a flag of similar dimensions would cost in England. The Peking tailors have already mastered the making of European clothing, and several members of the Legation have had things made by them.

August 7th . — Every morning now there are several Chinese ^waiting to consult me professionally, and amongst others the curiosity dealers are frequently solicitous to be drugged. One of the difficulties I find, in treating the Pekingese, is their aversion to believe that anything which is simple is likely to be beneficial However, by force of explanation, a good many of them have been induced to follow plain directions, and, having seen the benefit of them, others are beginning to put more faith in treatment which is simple and non-mys-terious. This morning a respectable Chinaman came to me, and explained that he did not*want ^ be phy** sicked, but merely to be furnished with an opinion on the condition of his chest, and the probable effect which any disease there existing woidd have on his longevity,

Ch. XL] PICTUEB OP TTJEJr-MING-TUBN. 881

as he had suj^ered from pulmonary symptoms for some time. 1 examined his chest, and, finding the affection to be of an asthmatic nature, I was able to tell him that, though it was not likely that he would ever be alto-gether free from the annoyance complained of, I did not think he had cause to apprehend premature death. Tliis opinion seemed to be veiy satisfactory to him, and after making numerous obeisances, he took his depar-ture, evidently much relieved in his mind.

A Chinese artist, who has been employed i)reparing a picture of Yuen-ming-yuen for Mr. Bruce, brought it to the Legation to-day completed. It consists of forty sketches, each a foot square, which the artist made fifteen years ago, every house, tree, lake, rivu-let, and bridge being carefully pourtrayed. Mr. Cle-ments, who was present at the burning, says that it is strikingly correct. This artist states that the grounds of the palace proper are five lee long and two and a half lee wid^. The grounds where the pagoda is are exterior to the first and principal enclosure.

The more I see of the Chinese character, the more convinced 1 feel that it is only by means of a con-ciliatoiy policy that we shall ever attain any perma-nent influence over the national mind, and by the substitution of a gentle process of reasoning for those energetic appeals to force which have hitherto too much characterised Consular legislation in China.

Auguat 8(h . — ^This morning, as Mr.*Bruce was going otfit.td d^ve, he observed the ma-foo, or Chinese groom,* who stands behind the carriage, deposit a small parcel in ili, m lookii^ at it, he found was paper

332 PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch. XI.

notes. Nothing occurred to him at thq moment con-nected with them, until he was passing one of the exchange shops, when the ma-foo came round and wanted the parcel, to give it to the tink-chai, or orderly, who was riding behind, and thus make it appear that the notes which required to be changed were for Mr. Bruce. On inquiry, it turns out that the Chinese servants, and it is suspected the Euro-pean ones also, are speculating in the funds, buying up paper at a reduced cost, and getting its full value for it at the Government tanks, by representing that it is for the Legation. From facts which have trans-pired, there is reason to believe that the Government feel this source of pressure a good deal, and it is in-tended to intimate to the Foreign Office that we have no dealings whatever in paper cash, and that any use of the English name at the exchange shops is unauthorised, and sliould be disregarded. A notice has also been stuck up inside the Legation, cautioning the servants against a continuance of the practice.

The poverty of the higher classes is every day becoming more apparent. A large and veiy handsome jar was brought to the Legation to-day by an agent, who said that it had been placed in his hands from the Su-wang-foo. IJie porcelain is of a character which the Chinese teachers who have been consulted state cannot be procured in the shops, and has been made only for the first-class nebility ; more than that, it cannot now « be procured at all, the manufactories and the potter population where it was made having been destroyed by the Taepings. The teachers refer the daily iiicreas-

Ch. XL]

THE PEKING POLICE,

838

ing poverty of the nobility in question to the stoppage of their allowances, as offshoots of the Imperial family, owing to the state necessities not admitting of their pa3m[ient.

Mr. Wade had another interview to-day with Wan-se-ang, and found him remarkably well up in recent political events in Europe, amongst others, the occupa-tion of Sj^ria by the French. In the coume of conver-sation, he touched upon a subject of considerable inte-rest and importance — that of loans. His astonishment was great on hearing that the English Governmeiit had no difficulty in raising money from its people, who rea-dily lent it on receiving a fixed rate of interest. But then,” asked Wan-se-ang, “ what Would the conse-quences be, if the interest was not regularly paid ? ” That a serious difficulty would arise, Mr. Wade, of course, had to admit. It is a matter of some moment, however, to find the minds of the higher officials tend-ing in any direction novel to that of tdoli,

August — The last time Mr. Bruce drove out by the Anting gate, there was a portion of the road near it in bad repair, which had tried the Springs of the carriage a good deal, and, through the ma-foo, he asked the policemen on duty at the gate if they Would endea-vour to fill up the gaps a little, With so much good will did they enter on the task that by the time he re-entered the city they hod completely repaired the part

question, and he gave them a couple of dollars for their trouble. Thie .morning, as he approached the same gate, he noticed one of the policemen spreading out a white cloth on the pavement near the gate, and

334

PEKINa AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. XI.

by the time he had reached the spot, tea had been pre-pared, and was offered to him as he passed, showing good feeling, and appreciation of the small pecuniary present they had received, — otherwise gratitude, a prin-ciple that, it is constantly alleged, does not enter into the Chinese character. These policemen belong to a corps called the Kang Che-ete-ping, which, literally translated, means, ** the keep or look the street sol-diers,” in other words, the civic gendarmerie.

This morning numerous ciwds were in the streets, and a good deal of excitement prevailed in the neigh-bourhood of the exchange shops. From what we now hear, it vrould seem that the amount of paper issued by the Government banks far exceeds what there is a pro-bability of their being able to redeem for many years to come. As far as I have been able to gather, the con-nection between the Government and this depreciated paper currency is, that it has, to a certain extent, au-thorised these banks to make the issue, and that con-sequently they have been able, in return, to make large advances to the Government, and have been acting as paymasters to the troops, or more properly, as army agents. A very long Memorial appeared on the sul^ect in yesterday’s Gazette ; Mr. Wade is now in course of translating it, but this he finds a matter of considerable difficulty, owing to the numerous peculi-arities of the terms employed.

A beautifully-chased bronze beU was brought to-day to the Foo, and sold as a curiosity. It came from one of the temples in the ¥uen-ming-yuen, and was taken away by some of the villagers during the oonfoaion

Ch. XI ] RUMOURS OF THE EMPEROR’S DEATH. 8S5

attending the destruction of the palace, A mother-of> pearl snuff-bottle, of a light rose tint, said to be the pro-perty of tho principal lady of the Su-wang-foo, was also sold to-day^ its price being thirty-five dollars. The Su-wang's son continues in town, and it is he who, as already stated, is supposed to be malting free with the family property.

To-day^a rumour was current that the Emperor died ten days ago, and a good deal of faith appeared to be attached to it by some. The general impression, how-ever, is that it is unfounded, as the officials have not put on mourning, which they would have to do at once on tho event being announced. One of the Peking stories at present in circulation is that the little Emperor has declared that tho first thing ho will do when he succeeds to the throne will be to cut off Su-shu-en's head * This imperial favourite appears to be universaUy exe-crated. He is the reputed author of the present distressed financial condition of the capital, and is so disliked, that last year tho populace went the length of pelting him in the streets with the iron cash which, as bead of the Board of Revenue, he endeavoured to subtoute for the copper ones which were not forthcoming. At the Now Year of 1860 , also, the Board of Revenue establishment was burned down, and all the documents thereto per-taining were destroyed prior to the period arriving for auditing the annual account. That this was deliberately done hy SuHshu-en there seems to be no doubt

* Carioiig it is, events bro&i^t sbout this, no doubt idle mmoar, being verified witidn thm inni^

386 PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE, [Ch. XI.

August 10th , — The financial excitement continues unabated. The opinion, however, of the teacher class is that it will tide over, and nothing serious in the shape of disturbances result How th^ poorer classes get on is to me a marvel, seeing that the paper money which they are more or less compelled to receive, when exchanged into copper, undergoes a depreciation, which is stated to be equal to ninety per cent. Supposing a workman receives a note to the amount of a thousand paper cash, and takes it to an exchange shop, they are obliged to exchange it for seven-tenths of its value, which, according to the original value of the Peking copper cash, ought to be seventy, each one, properly speaking, representing ten paper cash; but at present a fictitious value of twenty is attached to them, and the man accordingly receives only thii*ty-five of what, in reality, ought to be equal to three hundred and fifty paper cash, which has already reduced his original thou-sand cash note one-third; and it would be well if the depreciation stopped here ; but it does not, because that which he receives as twenty, and which ought to be worth ten, is in reality, owing to the reduc-tion in size and successive adulterations in the course of re-coinings for further debasement, only worth two, Thus his thousand paper cash, when converted into coin, is reduced to thirty-five cash pieces, which, when reduced to a true metallic payment, axe equivalent only to three and a half of the coins, of which he ought to have r^eived seventy. In addition to the actual scarcity of copper which exists, an artificial one is now constantly going on, owing to the ah*eady seriously deteriorated coin

Ch. XI.] EMBAEEASSED STATE OF THE CURRENCY. 337

being called in with the utmost activity by the Govern-ment, and re-coined as stated above in a reduced and otherwise deteriorated form. It appears that it is only since 1852 that the banks have been acting as pay-masters for the troops, which was brought about by the necessities arising out of the Taeping rebellion. A large debt to these banks is acknowledged by the Board of Revenue,

Provisions are said to be rapidly approaching famine prices, au<l indications of distress continue amongst the higher classes, judging from the character of the pro-peity which continues to be offered for sale at the Lega-tion. The agent came yesterday and offered the Imperial seat and enamels for exactly one-half of the sum ho originally asked, which ho then stated was positively the lowest that could be taken for then). No one being inclined to give that sum for them, he has taken them away. A beautiful set of bronzes, five in number, constituting an altar-piece set, wore brought to-day from the Su-w^ang-foo, and offered for sixty-five dollars.

t

Colonel Neale concluded a third contract this after-noon with the painter to complete the decorations of the two courts fronting the Legation Cotirt for eighteen hundi*ed dollars- The estimate was most carefully drawn up, each building being on a separate sheet of paper, and the requisite quantities and prices of the various paints and other decorative materials minutely detailed ; also the number and cost of the men requfred for each portion of the work. Amongst the items which Se-ou-tee translated^ was five hundred catties of what

VOL. u z

33S

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch. XI.

he denominated “ all same as soda-water in England/’ which it is presumed is some alkaline solution*

Yesterday one of the superintending masons was de-tected by the Chinese gatekeeper (the pedlar of Pa-lee-chow) taking out with him some iron nails and hinges. As Mr. Clements was of opinion that such robberies were frequent, he was anxious that the man should be sent to the magistrates, and subjected to the extreme penalty of the law for such an offence. This morning, however, the contractor, his foreman Ariel, and Seo-ou-tee, came as a deputation to Mr. Clements to intercede for the man, but were unsuccessful. As it seemed to me, if a little leniency might check such occurrences for the future, that it would be a pity that this man should be subjected probably to some severe physical sufferings, more especially as it was from carelessness on the part of the soldiers of the Engineers that facilities were offered for stealing the articles in question, I brought the fact of the intercession under Mr. Bruce’s notice, who kindly determined to entertain it, on the under-standing that the interceders held themselves respon-sible that similar occurrences did not take place again ; so the man was punished merely by dismissal from em-ployment on the works. This afternoon, however, again the pedlar of Pa-lee-chow detected another workman removing five pounds of nails; and as soon as Ariel beard of this, he went to Mr. Wade and begged that on no account should any intercession for this man be lis-tened to, as, should be not be sent to the Yamun by the Legation, he should send him there himself, having this morning passed his word that eveiy precaution should

Ch. XI.]

PETTY THEFTS BY WORKMEN.

38 $)

be taken to check the practice for the future. The man was accordingly handed over to the Cliinese authorities in the same way as the turnip-stealer was on the 20th ultimo. I then questioned the consistency of our avail-ing ourselves of the severe penal code of the country for trifling offences. However, without either practically setting the example of establishing an in

hnperio, and legislating on such cases ourselves, or allowing offences against property to go unpunished, it is not easy to suggest a remedy. That the adoption of the former is open to the strongest objections there can be no doubt, a tendency to its establishment already too much pervading English residence on Imperial soil in China. That there is an inconsistency, however, is more than ever apparent to me, from the following letter from an officer at Hong Kong, dated 23rd July, and received by me on the 5th instant. It states : — “ Mr. Parkes has succeeded within the last few days in practically convincing the inhabitants in the Quan-tung provinces of the high-handed policy England pur-poses adopting in this country. The ,Ping-yu, or mandarin in Canton next in rank to the Governor-General of the province, has been arraigned before and tried by the Allied Commissioners for practising torture on certain native prisoners at Canton, The said Ping-yu, much to his astonishment and the consternation of a small portion of the Cairtoneae community, has been sentenced to forty’ days’ imprisonment by the Allied Commissioners. The scene at his trial, I am credibly iixformed, was very laughable. The Ping-yn, as a true son of the * iloweiy Land,’ considered it beneath his

340

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch.XI,

dignity to appear as a prisoner before the Allied Cona-missioners, and refused to stand up. He was ofiFored a chair to sit upon, which, in the excess of his wrath, he took up and threw across the room. He then took his cap off his head, and threw it in the direction of the AJlied Commissioners.* As he would voluntarily neither sit nor stand, the Commissioners directed a party of the military police to hold him up by main force whilst they passed sentence upon him.” Of the judgment and good taste, especially on the eve of the allied occupation ceasing, which characterised the carrying out of this remonstrance against torture (for we cannot alter the laws of China) in the manner which it appears to have been done, I shall leave those to foim their own opinions who may read the facts as given in the letter quoted.

Walking round the Legation this evening with Mr. Bruce and Colonel Neale, we observed at the door of one of the Chinese servants’ rooms a cricket in a little bamboo cage. On inquiring of the man what he kept it for, he said, “ To sing ” — ^adding another to the nume-rous list of contrarieties. We rather banish the screech-ing of crickets from our neighbourhood, while the Chinese enjoy its proximity, and artificially encourage it.

August l\th — In consequence, it is presumed, of the currency of the report of the Emperor’s death, and the credence which appears to be attached to it, a bulletin has been issued and posted about the town, relative to the Emperor’s health, stating that the danger is Again past, and that he is improving. Whether this means

* The Allied Gommiasiou, during the occupation of Canton, con* sisted of Mr. Farkes and an English and French inilititry officer.

Ch. XI.]

MATRIMONIAL ACTIVITY.

841

that he is dead or not, it is difficult to say ; one fact is certain, that the' utmost activity prevails in marrying, the number o^v-edding processions seen in the streets far exceeding what is customary. This is stated to arise from a popular belief in the death of the Emperor, and an anxiety to get out of the state of single blessed-ness prior to the official announcement rendering it impracticable. Some of the processions seen of late are on a grand scale, having camels introduced into them, covered with trappings, and with houses on their backs, like the houdah of the elephant.

To-day Mr. Bruce had a letter from Lord John Hay, giving him an account of the visit of Her Majesty’s ship Odin to Nu-che-wang, from which it appears that Yen-ko or Yen-tze is the place at the mouth of the river where our Consulate is established, and that Nu-cho-wang is thirty miles inland from it. The road is described as vciy bad, being little better in wet weather than ditches running through fields. The country is flat and ex-ceedingly fertile, and the peojile a robust, active, and industrious race, — a finer people, in fact,* than any he thinks he has seen in China Nu-che-wang is a large and wealthy place, but the chief trading city is Laon-qui-ang, forty-five miles up the river. It is larger than Tien-tsin, and has a vast extent of wall. Forty-five miles again from this place is Moukden, the capital of Manchuria. Lord John Hay describes it as resembling Peking on a smaller scale, with the exception that its streets are broader, its houses better built, and altoge-ther presenting a cleaner and more prosperous aspect. All the people go about armed, as there is a rebellion in

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[Ch. XL

the neighbourhood, and it takes some time before a stranger gets accustomed to the natives rushing up to and after him, with baskets of melons in^no hand, and spears or matchlocks in the other. There was some popular excitement on their arrival, but no rudeness or incivility, — the excitement of curiosity only.

There is every indication of wealth and prosperity in this portion of the empire; and Lord John Hay ex-presses the belief that, with such elements to work with, trade cannot long remain dull, as it now is, which is to be traced chiefly to the prohibition of the export of beans. A good deal of smuggling, however, of this form of produce out of the place would appear to have already commenced, and to have been gradually exciting a feeling of hostility against foreign intrusion and trade. This was becoming apparent at the time of Mr. Daven-port’s interference in the domestic misunderstanding which led to his being maltreated. The feeling, how-ever, owing to the destructive measures adopted by Mr. Consul Meadows, is not now manifest, and, whatever the people may feel, their external demeanour is one of civility, no doubt dreading the occurrence on their own soil of the calamity which last year befel the peaceful and amiable peasantry of the Pei-ho. Export trade, in the form of smuggling of beans, is contraiy to treaty, and if foreigners lend themselves to it, as they have been doing, it need not be a matter of surprise if dis-turbances ensue. Excellent coal is procurable at Nu-che-wong, and Lord John Hay thinks that in course of time it ViU become an important export, the proba-Inlities being that it will admit of being sold at Shs^-

Ch.21.]

HEALTH OP PEKING.

343

bai at a lower price than the coal from Japan. Mr, Wade states that there is no rebellion, going on at Moukden, but'that the armed condition of the popula-tion arises from the number of robbers with which the neighbourhood is infested.

August Xtth . — ^Inquiring to-day with reference to the health of the city, I find that since the rains have set in, that is to say, within the last fourteen days, there has been a change in the character of the sickness pre-vailing, small-pox and the spotted fever having boon succeeded by a disease which, from the description given of it, would seem to be ague ; and this corresponds with my experience inside the Legation, several cases of that disease having occurred of late. Though the general character of the weather continues very warm, there are occasionally somewhat sudden falls of the thermometer ; for instance, yesterday evening, after a heavy squall, with some rain and lightning, the glass fell in two hours from 85® to 75®. These sudden changes from great heat to comparative coolness, opera-ting on constitutions impaired by previous excessive heat and general defective hygiene, are no doubt the cause of the aguish type of disease referred to as l)eing rife in the town, some instances of which I have seen amongst the Chinese teachers and servants resident on the premises ; in fact, while the health of the Europeans is certainly not worse than it was during the extreme heat, 1 have been applied to more frequently since the advent of the rains by the Chinese section of the com-munity than during the hot weather.

^ Augudt 13^— '1 had, some conversation this morning

844 fEKIKO AND THE PEKINGESE. [Ch. XI.

with Mr. Wade on the currency question, with which he is at present deeply engaged, endeavouriug to trans-late the Qovennnent Memorial on the subject, which continues to be no easy matter. In illustration, he came to a passage which he could make nothing of, and he took the opinion of four different teachers upon it, all of them men of considerable learning, and each of them gav^c him a diflfereut interpretation of it ; but after all, this is not so remarkable, for it is easy to understand, that even in England, if an abstruse paper on finance was submitted to three or four people unacquainted with the subject as one of special study, many passages might occur in it to which each might apply a diflferent signification.

Through Mr. Wade, I made some inquiries of Tsoon, who has resided forty-three years in Peking, with regard to its population. According to his statement, which on the whole was confinned by another teacher, — the only difference between them being in reference to whether the Chinese or Manchus predominated in the Tartar city, — ^it would seem that, exclusive of enregimented or garrison Manchus, there are in round numbers about a hundred thousand families ; these, considering the numbers which reside together, we are justified in multiplying by eight, and with the garrison, amounting to one hundred and ten thousand men, this brings the papulation of the Taiiaar city up close on one million. As far as personal observat^pn goes, I should say this was an overestimate, unless the suburban population immediately outside the wall is included in it.* The population of the Chinese city is estimated at fifty

Ch. XI.] SOIRfiE AT RUSSIAN LEGATION. 345

thousand families, which at the same ratio would give four hundred thous^d persons ; and this I should think a tolerably approximate estimate, from the more crowded and compact manner in which the houses are built, as well as*the narrower character of the cross streets run-ning between the main thoroughfares.

This evening, being that on which a file takes plQce in Eussia connected with the blessing, of the water,” Colonel and Madame de Balluzec invited the French and English Legations to a soirie — ^the first social Occasion on which the three Legations have met. We had the great treat of hearing Colonel de Balluzec, who is a most accomplished musician, perform several extemporary pieces on an instrument resembling an organ — har-monium, I think, is the name usually given it. In the course of conversation, Colonel de Balluzec said that for some days he had been anxious to see the Prince of Kung, but had been unable to do so, excuses of one kind or another having been made ; and he has reason to believe that the Prince has been to Je-ho; further, that his informant alleges that the Prince stayed but a few minutes in the Emperor’s room, his illness being of a putrid character, precluding any one remaining for prolonged periods near him.” This story, I suspect, is mere rumour, as I think Mr. Wade saw the Prince at a period sufficiently recent to render it impossible that he could have been to Jedio and back.

\4t1h — ^To-day Jtr. Wade had an interview at the Foreign Office with Wan-senang ; and, being desirous of finding out whether the Prince was actually in town or not, be ashed WaxHi^-’ang if he had been to the office

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[Ch. XL

to-day, who, in a somewhat hesitating manner, said, Yes, he was here this morning, and I think he has gone into the eastern part of the city to call on his. brother.” As Mr. Wade was leaving, he casually asked one of the mandarin 'attendants standing outside, after a young officer who is usually there, and whom he has not seen for several days. The reply was, “ He is in attend-ance on the Prince.” Mr. Wade then asked, “ Has the Prince been here to-day ? ” and the man gave a ready “No.” Notwithstanding these contradictory statements, Mr. Wade is of opinion that the Prince is not absent from Peking, because on the 12th instant he received a document back with his cypher upon it, indicating that it had been perused by him, which, unless it was signed by some other person in his stead, would render it impossible for him to be at Je-ho, as supposed. How can those at a distance wonder at the uncertain and frequently unreliable character of the information they receive about China, when at the present moment, ^vith every possible advantage, we are unable to say whether the Prince of Rung is in Peking or not?

Matters axe very bad to-day in the money market, and the public dist^nst of paper more and more appa-rent, the value of the dollar having risen to twenty-four thousand paper cash. In connection with this question, I was called on to-day to soothe by medicinal means the wrath of Yang’s male servant, who had got some rough usage at an exchange shop, not from the ci'owd in a struggle for priority, but from the officials in the bank, for insisting on more than was first offered him, and refusing to go away* . -

Ch. XI.] DEPRECUTION OP PAPER MONEY. 347

August 15<A. — ^There is no improvement in the public mind relating to paper money, but the contrary, the depreciation having reached such an extent that no one will receive paper at all. The rate of exchange this morning is twenty-five thousand paper cash to the dollar. The holder, for instance, of a thousand-cash note receives fifteen of the Peking ten-cash pieces, the actual value of which is thirty of the ordinary Cfish of the realm. The depreciation the paper money has undergone is thus ninety-seven per cent., which perhaps will bo the more readily understood by supposing a £5 Bank of England note to be at so low a price in the money market as to be worth only three shillings.

Tliis lamentable state of the currency, fortunately, is confined to Peking, and would seem to have been gradually coming on for years, and increased of late by the bad management and malversations attending Su-shu-en’s administration as chief of the Board of Re-venue, By law, one tee-ou contains five hundred cash, and two tee-ou equal one tael — the equivalent proper of six shillings and eightpence sterling. In 1838, however, the Board of Revenue altered it to four tee-ou, and in 1853 increased it to eight tee-ou to the tael ; consequently the debt which the Revenue Board admits to the banks amounts to two very different sums, according as the tael is estimated at its legal or fictitious number of tee-ou : —

At eight tee-on to the tael it is 1,687,500 taels— equal to £562, 500^

At two tee-ou to the tael it is 6,750,000 taels— equal to £2,250,000. .

348

PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. XI,

In the Memorial which Mr. Wade has under translation, it is proposed to pay off this enormous debt in tee-ou at the present depreciated rate of*thirty to the tael, which reduces the amount to four hundred and fifty thousand taels, or one hundred and fifty thousand pounds ster-ling, the money for the purpose to be raised througli the subscription offices for the sale of rank. The tael hitherto has been paid into these offices in the form of three-tenths silver, five hundred cash in bank paper, and five hundred cash in State paper. Now Govom-nicnt offers to take nine tee-ou in paper in lieu of the three-tenths of silver, which will induce the rich to pur-chase paper money from the poor, and thus increase the metallic currency amongst the lower orders. By this means Government hopes in one year to redeem all its paper. That, again, which has been issued by the banks without Government authority — ^that is to say, notes beyond the amount of the Government debt — the banks must meet as best they can, Government not intending to interfere.

The accounts once squared, it is proposed that all banking establishments in Peking in future issue notes, and on the day that the account of the Board of Eevenue is settled, the four Government banks take down their sign-boards, and give up their note-blocks bearing Government Banks established by the Board of Revenue,” and become private banks, placed under the jurisdiction of the Shun-te-en-fu, or Prefect of the Metropolitan Department. There are at present in all nine Government banks, but five of them are under the household. I have endeavoured to ascertain whether

Ch. XI.]

GOVERNMENT BANKS.

349

these banks had an existence prior to their becoming paymasters for the Government ; and, from wliat I can learn, they had not, having been, in fact, started witli Government subsidies aided by private speculation. The present excitement about paper has been mate-rially increased by the Government proclamations denouncing several of the banks for tlieir over-issue of notes, aijd stating its intention of calling in the paper issue. This is viewed as a declaration of its worthless-ness, and therefore the holders of it are eager to get rid of it, almost at any amount of loss ; in fact, the depre-ciation cannot go much lower than it now is, Khoiii of declaring the paper utterly worthless.*

Baron de Meritens returned from Tien-tsin last night, where ho has been giving interpretorial aid to the Prus-sian Envoy in drawing up the details of his treaty, which is now settled, the question of residence being disposed of by tho right being acceded after five years from the date of the treaty being signed. His infor-mation goes to corroborate the nimoure of tho Empe-ror s death. He states that just before ho left Tien-tsin, Tsoon-luen sent for him, and he thought it was about tho signing of the Prussian treaty. Tsoon-luen (who is an oflScer of the household) pushed the docu-ment away from him, saying that it was not about that he had sent for him, but to tell him that the Emperor was at the point of death. To-day also Monsieur de Meritens made an attempt to procure an interview with the Prince of Kung, but failed; the reason assigned

* A further notice of the Government Memorial will be found under date 17th Augoat

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PEKING AND THE PEKINGESE.

[Ch. XI.

being evasive, and tending to confirm the impression that the Prince is absent from Peking.

At the interview referred to yesterday, which Mr. Wade had with Wan-se-ang, the jbrmcr remarked that lie thought one of the mistakes which the Chinese made was taking for official everything that an interpreter might say, and that, he thought, had influenced them in tlieir imprisonment of Mr. Parkes ; when Wan-se-ang jocularly remarked, Ah, had we known you as well then as we do now, we should have kept you also implying therefrom that his presence would have been useful to them in their difficulties.

To-day the teacher Sue, who is a remarkably acute observant old gentleman, asked Mr. Douglas for an ex-planation as to how it was that the Chinese Christians residing within the Legation appejired to attend to their devotions and go to church regularly, but that he had been unable to detect any similar regard for religion amongst the European Christians. Mr. Douglas ex-plained to him that the Chinese Christians in Peking belonged to a sect that had places of w^orship estab-lished there, but that the Christians of the English Legation were of a sCct that as yet had no place of public worship, and therefore their devotions were con-fined to their own rooms. Sue, however, could not understand how it was that, seeing the unity of both as Christians was fully admitted, such an apparently in-superable barrier should exist between them in regard to unity of devotion.

To-day being the birth-day of His Majesty the Em-peror of the French, a Te Deum was performed at the

Ch. XI.] DE BOUBBOITLON^S DINNER PARTY.

351

Cathedral, the Missionary Bishop Anouilo officiating. In the evening Monsieur de Bourboulon oiitertainod at dinner the English and Russian Legations, in all twenty-two Europeans, including Madame do Bourbou-lon and Madame de Balluzcc. After dinner tlie health of His Imperial Majesty was proposed by Mr. Bruce, Her Majesty the Queen’s by Colonel de Balluzoc, and that of the Emperor of Russia by Monsieur do Bourboulon. The gendarmerie attached to tlie French Legation gave expression to their loyalty in the couise of the evening by substituting for tlie j)yroteclniic displays, usual on such occasions, several grand discharges of Chinese crackers.

END OF VOL. I.

BRADBUBT JJfD BVAHB, MIKTBB8, WBITBTRlAKS.