The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-12-29 00:00:00

t joined their prayers to ours Oef the remains Of our
.•
murdered countrymen;
LC 611.1 Y 111,'AVS.RTNEIr S PRESENTS.

During the tiest.Tii.ktiOti Yu'ensltiik-V,tien- the'
soldiers came upon two present? Wat ha 4 been set out
to the Emperor of China by Lord rtlaeaittiey Nom
George 111.,—a State coach and two twelve-Voind
howitzers,—e)mplcte in every way, and in very good
condition and repair, great care having evidently been
taken of them ; yet, strange to say, with these guns in
fhoit Iteasession, they have never made any endeavour
io ittiptilfd te?t Olt field artillery carriages. Shot
and shell vOelre ,do's6 tti the guns in the kind
of coach-hotise Which they Ifere iodnd:
'R PAIIAtiTIO, 'S I,6RD E T lq LGINIB Tkir
• • .

' INTO' PEKIN:
• . On receipi, or Prince &tes let* and the payment
of the 300,000 taels it was necessary td muteftrsilitable
relidenee, fos
.the EiubaSsy inside Pekin, • add a
public oirg 9( 841ficient,extent,,shoidd be prepared'
in which' 6 ceremony, of sighing the Convention could
be performed in air, foxiiiiress the koplo with the
importance of the act they wer6 t i rlessln f ,
Messrs. Parkes and Loch were sent by Lord' noifgr
the purpose of visiting all the public buildings in Pekin,
and to select those best adapted for the objects in view.
Lieutenant-Colonel Ross, of the Quartermaster-
General's Department, also went, by order of the Com-
Mairderzin-Chief, to see that proper quarters would be
provided for the e'stort that was to attend Lord Elgin
White he tesided in the city: Their description of the
P'cierti of the city, and the state of decay of the public
hutidirAiiinteAtdeplotable... With an escort of ffty men
they, proceeded thro.3/411 doicherit portion of the city,
being joined by three or foiir Mar/dating', Who had been
sent Ito point out thoSe buildings that de' id the' best.
repair, an obtain' their entrance into anYothefo they
might dekre to' idspeet ;* bUt each seemed, to rNal the
other in ciilapidatidn ddd liietehedrieSs, Passing down
the west side of the city by odd n t'h'e biiacl` streets that
run north and south, they found, as they' got' treater to
the Chinese city, which is separated by a high wall fr.=
the Tartar city, the streets much more crowded, and
business going on more briskly. Turning to the left,
along the south of the city, the streets became narrow
and tortuous three or four buildings were visited in
this vatter; but none of them were habitable. They
passed the'
,Bovril of Punishments, where Parkes and
Loch had been so long hill:timed, awl close by the
Russian' Einbassy.•
THE B'OARIY RITE g ent.3lol /FeS.

A bid'ad streei runs from the centre of the Imperial
city on the south do the central gate of the Chinese city.
A large sqTuare enclosure is in front of the gate enter-
ing the Imperial Palace, on the east side of Which' are
the great Boaids of ()Cabe of the Empire. The first
visited was the Board' of Ceremonies, which has been in
its day a magnificeht hi/1104;F it has still fine court-
yards and halls. But the Board c'E Revenue was a heap
of ruins, and the Boards of Civil Offfee, War, &c., in
very little better condition. The Board of Ceremonies
was therefore decided on as the place best adapted for
the ceremony of signing the Convention, both on account
of its position, wich was good, and from its better
state of repair.
No houses however, had been pointed out that in any
way &Old be made suitable for the Embassy. Prince
Rung was therefore requested to have some private
palace at once *Piked for Lord Elgin's reception, and
the Prince of I's was nanied; a b'ehig in a convenient
situation. It is a building of vast eiteut ; the out-
houses alone could accommodate 3,000 soldters with
ease; but the palace and gardens were in not
better condition than the other buildings visited. Three
hundred Chinese workmen were, however, set to work,
and it is surprising how much they can do in a few
hottrs towards making a place look habitable and corn-
foitabre. gut the state of decay of the public buildings,
as well as pri 6Veo when owned- by one of the
greatest and richest prititeg of
.tire empires like the
Prince of I, gives a melancholy iM'ptessiOh for the
future of China.

THE SIGNING AND RATIFICATION OF nit
CONVENTION,--LORD ELGIN AND PRINCE

VINO;

,
The %tth' WM rite (fay naMed for signing the Con-
vention. Vof sthW daYi pi'eficl,3 Medea. Wade and
Parkes were busily engdged diteussiing the dames of
the Convention, and making tirtaingerd'ents• for their
coming into immediate operation, togethfeiv those
of the treaty of Tien-tsiu, as soon as the ratified treatises
were exchanged. Among the Chinese Deputies were
Hang-lie and Wang. The latter was, I believe, asso-
ciated With Tan, Governor-General of Chil-li' when
they ineffectrially attempted to stay Lord Elgin's
ad:Vance in 18•61.

On the morning of the 24th Lord Elgin and Sir
Hope Grant etiterect the A-n-ting gates aecomparded by
an escort of WY men' and 160 officer, iron the regi-
ments at Pekin. The ComMander-in-,Chief, with the
head-quarters and his persotial dab', tale' a littre in
front of Lord Elgin, who was cafrit'd in his state chair
by sixteen Chinese, dressed in scarlet; his botse; satiated;
was led behind him, and the members of the embassy
rode on either side.

The 2nd Division, under Sir Robert Napier, lined the
streets, and as Lord Elgin passed, followed at intervals,
taking tip stragetical positions along the line of route,
in case treachery was intended by the Chinese. Con-
siderable crowds lined both sides of the road; they were
extremely orderly, merely etincing great curiosity to
get a glimpse at the "Great Barbarian" by attempting
to peep into his chair as he passed by.
The Board of Ceremonies is about three miles and a
half from the An-ting Gate, and it was past three
o'clock before the procession arrived there. Dense
crowds surrounded the entrance and filled the streets
and square in front and on every side of it. The guard
formed up on either side of the courtyard, where the
dais on which the ceremony was to take place opened.
The officers ranged themselves on the left of the dais,
the place of honour, and on the right were assembled a
number of Manda/ins. At the back of the dais were
two small tables and chairs, that on the left for Lord
Elgin, the one on the right for Prince Kung. Close to
Lord Elgin's chair was another for the Commander-in-
Chief ; on either side, at right angles, were ten small
tables and chairs for the high officers of each nation;
behind them again was another row,,for the 'accommo-
dation of other office's.

As Lord Elgin's chair entered the gate the troops pre-
sented arms, and the bands played " God Save the
Queen." His chair was carried to the front of the dais,
when Prince Kling advanced to receive hitn, accompanied
by all the Mandarins. A cold bow from Lord Elgin
and an anxious hesitating salutation from Prince Kung,
and Lord .Elgin passed at once to his seat and sat down,
motioning Kung to take the one on his right, which is
considered the lowest. A table stood in the middle of
the space, in front of which the boxes containing the
convention and treaty were placed.
Business was immediately commenced by Lord Elgin
telling Mr. Wade to hand the translation of his full
powers to Kung, with the request to see his in return.
Prince Kung said his were not so full, but equally am-
ple as to powers, and gave Lord Elgin the Emperor's
decree conferring on him full powers to negotiate and
conclude a peace, and also to affix the great seal of the
Empire as a ratification to the treaty. The convention
was signed, each Plenipotentiary affixing his seal.
The treaties were then exchanged, Kong sealing it
with the great seal of the Empire, certifying under his
seal and signature that the ratification of the treaty had
been duly effected, and that affixing the great seal of the
Empire meant the acceptance by the Emperor of all the
conditions and responsibilities contained in the treaty.
A few interchanges of good wishes for the results of
the treaty, and hopes that it would be the means of esta-
blishing a good understanding between the two govern-
ments, passed between Lord Elgin and Prince Kung,
the latter remarking that a great many mistakes had
been made:heretofore in their intercourse with foreigners,
and that matters had been very badly managed, but
he had now taken it into his own hands, and he hoped a
new state of things would commence.
Lord Elgin then rose; Bung walked a short distance
across the platforth, and then stopped; Lord Elgin did
so likewise, and it was only after vigorous beckoning of
the Mandarins attending on Kung and Lord Elgin
stopping that Kling was induced, after a few hesitating
pauses, to accompany him to the edge of the dais.
Prince Kung is about 28, but looks older; his coun-
tenance is not devoid of intelligence, but there was an
expression of anxious, nervous care, partly fear strug-
gling with anger, no doubt at finding himself in a
position so different from the one he had been accus-
tomed to hold in the presence of the high officials of the
Government ; yet there was a curious mixture of
familiarity and respect in the manner of the officers
towards him.

The manner of Lord Elgin was quiet Wand dignified,
and the Chinese could not fail to be struck by the stern
and calm manner in which he performed his part of the
ceremony.
The policy he has pursued has been such as to impress
on the Chinese the feeling that in agreeing to exchange
the ratifications and sign the convention he considered
he was bestowing on them an immense benefit; but that
he had not forgotten, and could not easily forget, the
treachery that had characterised their prooeedings
throughout, and that before such feelings could be
erased the Chinese Government would have to show by
their conduct that they were sincere in their professions
to fulfil the engagements they have accepted. The
serious attention with which the great Princes and
Ministers of the Empire watched Lord Elgin's manner,
as if impressed with the dangerous crisis they were tiding
over, but alive to the dangers that still threatened and
surrounded them, was one of the most interesting scenes
in the day's proceedings.
It is sincerely to be hoped that the recollection of the
dangers they have escaped may live long in the memory
of those in power, and may induce them for the future
to follow a less tortuous policy than they have done
heretofore, and the only way to insure this is to visit
the least departure from the treaty with immediate and
severe punishment, and the position we shall now hold
will always enable us, even with a small force, to effect
this.

The Ambassador's and Commander-in-Chief's return
was in the same order as that in which they went, but
the streets were occupied at different points by the troops
of Sir Robert Napier, who had placed them with great
skill, so that the capital of the Chinese Empire was in
the actual possession of the British troops.
Lord Elgin and Baron Gros have taken up their resi-
dence in Pekin.
By this mail Lord Elgin sends his Private Secretary,
Mr, H. B. Loch, to England, as bearer of the conven-
tion and ratified treaty; Sir Hope Grant sends Major
the Hon. A. Anson by the same opportunity, with des-
patches for the War-office.
The French army retires from Pekin on the Ist of
November, one battalion only remaining as an escort for
Baron Gros. The convention and treaty are to be pub-
lished in Pekin, and circulated throughout the Empire.
ADMIRABLE DESCRIPTION OF PEKIN, BY
AN IRISH OFFICER.

PEKING Nov. 1

Has any one described Pekin for you? 'The capital
is two cities, known as the Tartar (north), and the
Chinese (south) ; the latter an oblong stretching be-
tween four and five miles from east to west, while from
south to north it is much over a mile wide; the former
nearly three and a half miles square, and resting on the
centre of the southern city, so as to produce with it a
T-shaped figure, with a disproportionately stout perpen-
dicular. North of all is a large earthwork, the north
outline of which is exactly parallel to the north wall of
`l,e city, and distant from it perhaps a mile. From its
-^. fall the east and west faces of the enclosure,
with the east and west walls of
a figure somewhat of the
- above each other,
C, the

extrenw,...
aligning themsetrv..
the city. Thus you have
form of three parallelograms, risuifi,
A being the earthwork ; B, the north city ;
south city. In the centre of 13, again, stands an