The Sun.
London, England, 1860-12-10 00:00:00

2III: CITY OF PE IE.

The following particulars respecting the city of
Pekin, its palaces and wane, are derived from Ful-
larton's Gazetteer," and will be found interesting
at the present moment :
Peking, Pekin, or Peh-king (i.e. " the Northern
capital"), the modern clpital, since 1471, of the
empire of China, in north latitude 39 deg. 54 min.
13 sec., and east longitude 116 deg. 28 min. 54 sec.,
60 miles from the great wall, and 100 miles from
the section a sandy plain, between the river Pei-ho
and its affluent the Iloen-ho. By Marco Polo, and
other early travellers in the 13th and 14th centu-
ries, it is mentioned under the name of Cambalu
and as a city, which the Tartar monarchs had re-
cently built adjacent to the Chinese city of Tay-du.
The distinction between the ChineseandTarter cities
is still maintained. The latter forms the main body of
Pekin, being surrounded by the principal wall
which encloses an area of 14 square miles. It is
called the Nuy-ching, en- Nei-tching, or " inner
city," and contains the six supreme tribunals of the
empire, the public granaries, the palace of the Em-
peror. The palace division forms the innermost of
the three divisions. The northern part of Pekin
also includes a college for the cultivation of the
Chinese and Alatir;hu languages, and one for the
study of Tibetian, a Mahometan mosque, a Russian
and a Roman Catholic church, and numerous Bud-
dhist templete, of which that celled the White
Pagoda is the most remarkable. The Chinese city
which lien to the south of the Tartar division, and is
distinguished as the Wai-tching or " outer city,"
has a wall of its own, which, however, is in many
parts falling into ruin, but which encloses an area of
about nine square miles. The suburbs are also
very large. Pekin, like most other Chinese cities,
is laid out with mathematical precision.. A street
four miles long, and 120 ft. broad, reaches from one
gate to the other of the Chinese section, and is
crossed by another of similar length and breadth.
At the point where these streets meet are lofty
ornamental arches. The other streets leading
from these two main lines of thoroughfares are
narrow ; many of them can eiily be considered as
lanes. They are all unpaved, And covered with
sand and dust, but are kept clean, and frequently
watered. The principal streets consist almost
entirely of rows of shops, which are painted, gilded,
and adorned with much magnificence.
Pekin, according to Chinese ideas, is strongly
fortified. It is surrounded with walls about 30ft.
high, and 20ft. thick at their base ; but their
breadth on the top, within the parapets, does
not exceed 12ft., so that they have a considerable
slope, especially on the inside, and rise by stages
like pyramids. It is also surrounded with a ditch,
and defended by square towers placed at the interval
of 70 yards, or a bowshot. Each tower projects
about 40ft, from the line of the wall, and has a
small guardhouse on its summit. The body of the
wall is composed of earth dug up from the ditch;
but it is faced on each side with a mixture of brick
and stone. Lord Macartney's embassy saw no
cannon mounted on the walls or towers ; but in an
elevated fortification which surrounds the gates,
rising to the height of several storeys, there were
representations of cannon, which at a distance
somewhat resemble the sham ports in a ship of

The imperial palace is an enclosure within the
city, formed by what is called the Yellow- Wall,
from the colour of a small roof of varnished tiles
which rises above the red brick of which the wall
itself is built. The enclosing wall is 30ft. high
and 12ft. thick. The space contained within it,
about one mile in length, and three quarters of a
mile in breadth, is artificially formed into an
imitation of rude and romantic nature. A number
of lakes have been excavated, the earth dug up
from which has been formed into eminences, while
the lakes arc studded with small islands adorned
with trees and fanciful structures. The edifices
destined for the accommodation of the Emperor
are placed on hills of different height; the loftiest
summits being crowned with pavilions, kiosks, and
other buildings, destined for pleasure and refresh-
ment. The grand entrance to the palace is by the
south gate, the central avenue of which is
reserved exclusively for the Emperor's use.
Behind the gardens of this palace is a building
said to contain a library of immense extent. The
imperial palace of Yuen-ming, situated without the
city, presents the same scene on a more extended
scale. The grounds here are at least 10 miles in
diameter, and comprise an extent of about 60,000
acres. All the great features of Nature,—lakes,
mountains, forest!, rocks an rivers,—are here
grouped in a bold and irregular mariner. This
palace contains 30 distinct places of residence for the
Emperor, each, with all the necessary appendages,
forming a village of no inconsiderable magnitude.
The buildings, however, are more remarkable for
number than magnificence. The very dwelling of
the Emperor, and the grand hall of audience, when
divested of their colours and gilding, are little supe-
rior to the barns of a substantial English farmer.
The apartments are as deficient in proportion as
their construction is void of every rule and prin-
ciple. The length of the audience hall is 1101 t.,
breadth 42ft., and height 20ft. ; the ceiling is
painted with circles, squares, and polygons, whimsi-
cally disposed, and loaded with a great variety of
colours. The Tae-ho-mun, or " Hall of great har-
mony," attached to the palace in the Tartar division
of the city, is an apartment of about 130 ft. in
length, and nearly square.
According to the best official information which
Macartney could procure, Pekin contains a popula-
tion of 3,000,000. Klaproth estimates it 1,300,000.
Gutzlaff is of opinion that if the suburbs are
included the population may amount to 2,000,000,
in which is comprised a stationary garrison of about
100,000 Manchus and their families.

ROBERTSON AND BLAIR.

Dr. Blair was a different kind of man from Robertson,
and his character is very justly delineated by Dr. Finlay-
son, so far as he goes. Robertson was most sagacious,
Blair was most naif. Neither of them could be said to have
either wit or humour. Of the latter Robertson had a
small tiucture—Blair had hardly a relish for it. Robert-
son had a bold and ambitious mind, and a strong desire to
make himself considerable ; Blair was timid and unambi-
tious, and withheld himself from public business of
every kind, and seemed to have no wish but to be admired
as a preacher, particularly by the ladies. His conversation
was so infantiue that many people thought it impossible, at
first sight, that he could be a man of sense or genius. He
was as eager about a new paper to his wife's drawing-room
or his own new wig, as about a new tragedy or a new epic
poem. Not long before his death I called upon him, when
I found him restless and fidgetty. "What is the matter
with you to-day," says I," my good friend—are you well ?"
" 0 yes," says he, " but I must dress myself, for the
Duchess of Leinster has ordered her granddaughters not
to leave Scotland without seeing me." "Go and dress
yourself, Doctor, and I shall read this novel ; for I am
resolved to see the Duchess of Leinster's granddaughters,
for I knew their father and grandfather." This being
settled, the young ladies, with their governess, arrived
who
one, and turned out poor little girls, of 12 and
could hardly be supposed to carry a well turned comlp3lmwent
which the Doctor gave them in charge to their.
grandmother.self that I
Robertson had so great a desire to shine
contrary,
tefetpreid lenaostt
Ish
hardly ever saw him patiently bear anybody.onhellireshe'es
off but Dr. Johnson and Garrick. Blair, on
conversation,
though capable of the most
desire
o show to
shine,
int
enne
re to show other people
circumstances led to it, had
but was delighted beyond mdesasu,,
their best guise to his friends.
lion he to. say after the exhibition of a
lion wkellhlteo-dataty.an?'g'er. man, he was the least
enviousremarkable
I ever knew. He had truly a pure mind, in which
For a vain
there was not the least malignity ; for though be was of a
quick and lively temper, and apt to be warm and impatient
about trifles, his wife, who was a superior woman, only
ulna
, bed 7 and his friends joined her. Though Robertson was
never ruffled, he had more animosity inhis nature than Blair.
They were both reckoned selfish by those who envied their
unequal grounds ; for though Blair
prosperity, but on very
talked selfishly enough sometimes, yet he never failed in
generous actions. In one respect they were quite alike.
Having been bred at a time when the common people
thought to play with cards or dice was a sin, and every-
body thought it an indecorum in clergymen, they could
neither of theta play at golf or bowls, and far less at cards
or backgammon, and on that account were very
.happy
when from home in friends' houses in tho coufntryinrainaTt
weather. As I had set the first exampdlesoo playingrelievd the
cards at home with unlocked doors,
Robertson
clergy from ridicule on that side,
to play at whist after they reatanhixetyy.both learned
ors in my parish, where
country quarters for two
q 'intern happy. We were much
did very well Blair nevertu wsheone. He had his
nd extent of mind that made her
htoegeatnhderlii.
degree, and an acutene!o a
hers and indeed a great favou-
sNVi
Mrs.f wife
. Vwerheo lead wit and humour in a high
fit to converse with philorp
much'upon Blair; and, as Mrs.
rite with them all, 77. f
whatever she pleased.
the wonder of the sage doctor.
BT
h.
eay
lletgoeodk,
deli„
sny dear doctor ? " "No "
" Who told you that story,
t for it was Mrs.told
says ho, "don't you
and so, so," said he, "I must
dhtuilnal'rienallits'oilnryg
me.” nmy laugl
for her imagination." Five or
died, findirg him well and in
" Sinco you don't choose to
• 'ts I said to him,
dine abroad
,
this season (December), you may at least
haiexredaaf3t.earbraotaolreee
said to
dine abroad in
let a friend or two dine with you." " Well, well, some
and dine with. ni
e to-morrow," looking earnestly at Miss
Hunter, his niece.
" I am engaged to-morrow, but I can
return
four to-day." He looked more earnestly at his
t
a“\vhat's to hinder him?" said she, meaning to
return answer his look, which said, " Have you may dinner to-day,
Betty ?" I returned, accordingly, at four, and never passed
four hours more agreeably with him, nor had more enligh-
tened conversation. Nay more, three days before his death
he sent John Home apart of his history, with two or three
pages of criticism on that part of it that relates to Provost
Drummond, in which he and I thought John egregiously
wrong.—From the " Autobiography of the Rev Dr. Ales'
Csrlylo.".