The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1861-01-15 00:00:00

THE PEACE OF PEKIN.

The following letter, which the Times receive d
from a correspondent at Pekin, is one of the most
interesting communications that has yet been re-
ceived relative to the events which immediately
preceded and followed the conclusion of the treaty
with the Chinese :

PERIN, Nov. 7.

Since my last date everything has been going on most
smoothly. The treaty has been signed by the Emperor,
and is being printed in Chinese, for distribution over the
empire. The way of printing is very peculiar. It is first
written on thin paper, which is pasted on a board about
four feet square, then all the paper and a film of the
board are cut away, leaving the letters standing in a low
bas-relief ; then two tables, the size of the board, are
placed about a foot apart; on one is the paper to be
printed on, eight feet by four—half of it is heavily
weighted to. prevent its moving ; the other half is
doubled over on the first ; the board is fixed on the
second table ; two men stand opposite each other, wet
the type with Indian ink, and then, taking each a corner
of a sheet of paper, stretch it from the first table over
the type, and let it fall upon them, rub the sheet over
with a rather hard fiat brush, and it receives the im-
pression ; the sheet is then lifted by the corners again,
and let fall between the two tables. 1

The allied forces are leaving as fast as possible. The
last will be on their march to the Taku Forts, or Tien-
tsin, on the 9th or 10th. The French left on the Ist,
to embark for Cochin China and Madagascar. I have
heard it is intended these troops are never to return to
France, the expense being too great, but they will be
expended at the two abovenamed places. Before they
left the French Roman Catholic missionary bishops
were presented to Prince Kung with great pomp. On
the 2nd the English troops which were encamped and
quartered in the villages about three miles from Pekin
were concentrated round the gate we hold, it being thought
they were too sca'tered with an army of 30,000 Tartars
so close to them. This army is the Emperor's guard, and
when he made it known that he intended to retreat
with it thirty miles to the west of the city his council
addressed a memorial to him, which was found in the
Summer Palace, stating " that they all had the pro-
foundest reverence for the skill which prompted such
a measure, but to their weak minds it occurred it would
be better he left the city to march eastward, and assist
San-ko-lin-sin ; they also begged to remind him of the
important and significant fact that every one of his
august ancestors who had taken the same step had never
returned at all, or were brought back as prisoners." He
went, however, and these troops are intrenched between
him and Pekin. He is about thirty miles away in
the mountains, ready for a start into Tartary at a
moment's notice. Iris brother, Prince Kung, said
to be the most intelligent of the Imperial family,
paid a friendly visit to Lord Elgin at the Embassy
on the '.3rd. He came in a sedan chair, and was accom-
panied by a host of every variety of the genus Mandarin
on foot and horseback, their grades being known by the
peacock's feather or different coloured balls on the
crown of their caps; first comes the feather, then the
red ball, then the blue, and, lowest of all, the white
one. It struck me forcibly at the time that at least
two-thirds of their number were chore or less marked
with the small-pox. Some, according to the Chinese
notions of male beauty, must be considered very hand-
some, for they were enormously fat ; others were hag-
, gard, thin, sharp-featured, and waxen-looking, opium-
smoking being written on their features.
Prince Kong appears to be about 31 or 32 years old ;
he is rather short, and would be handsome in the face
if the mouth and chin did not spoil the other features,
as they do all high born Tartars, by making them look
sheepish. He Was dressed in a puce-coloured satin robe,
with the Imperial dragon coiled in a circle about a foot
in diameter, and embroidered in gold on his breast,
shoulders, and back. He wore a common Chinese cap,
without any ornament. He remained over two hours, and
during the conversation after lunch said "that until our
visit this s'e'ar' they did not know that India was merely a
province of the British Empire ; they formerly believed
Great Britain to be a very small island, the popula-
tion of which was so large more than half were obliged
to live in ships." He was received with great ceremony,
the Royals and Dragoon Guards lining the entrance and
courts of the Embassy, and the full band of the 67th
playing during his stay, with which he was much
pleased; so were the Mandarins, for they listened to it
like children. Lord Elgin returned his visit next day,
and afterwards dined with the Russian Minister. After
the treaty was signed permission was given for any one
from the fleet, or the stations on the road, to visit Pekin,
or, fig It is correctly pronounced, " Pechin." Great
numbers took advantage of the opportunity, and I dare
say go back pleased with being able to say they have been
here, but very disappointed with what they expected to
see, for Pekin is, without any exception, the most contemp-
tible city to a stranger I ever saw ; it is built upon a
perfectly level plain of mud, so that there is no
drainage, the Peiho, into which it might be turned,
being fourteen miles distant, and so sluggish in its cur-
rent it would not carry what was thrown into it away.
There are no latrines or any receptacles for filth, the
public and; crowded streets,; supplying all demands,
without regard to decency. Two or three of these
are as broad as: Regent or Oxford-street, but the
majority of them are very narrow. In the broad
ones a mud cartway runs up the centre, with a ditch
of stagnant stinking water on either side, then comes
a deep pathway, on which itinerant vendors of every-
thing, more particularly of old clothes, mended shoes,
travelling " old curiosity shops," and the man who
has " killed his pig," and brings it ,to market, erect
their stalls, or spread their wares on the ground.
Here you may have your dinner from a portable
cooking shop, selecting your luxuries from puppy dogs,
cats, or other suspicious-looking things which no one
but a Chinaman has any other name for in the larder
vocabulary. Here the barber with his shop on his
shoulder stops, makes room for himself, tinkles a little
bell, and soon has several heads to shave and tails to
replait. Here is a blind fellow playing a full band of
instruments, consisting of cymbals, flutes, fiddles, bells,
and drums, altogether with his arms and legs ; a little
further on you came upon two or three boys yelling
forth Chinese songs like our own folk at home, and
selling little books of them, no doubt, at "three yards
a penny."