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

2IIE CITY OF PFIiI2V.

The following particulars respecting the cify of
' Pekin, its palaces and walls, are derived from " .Ful-
' larton's Gazetteer," and will be found interesting
at the present moment :
Peking, Pekin, or Peleking (i.e. " the Northern
capital"), the modern capital, since 1471, of the
empire of China, in north latitude 39 deg. 54 min.
13 sec., and cast longitude 116 deg. 26 min. 54 sec.,
60 miles from the great wall, and, 100 miles from
the sea,on a sandy plain, between the river Pci-ho
and its affluent the Hoen-ho. By Marco Polo, and
other early travellers in the 13th and 14th centu-
ries, it is mentioned under the name of Carahalu
and as a city, which the Tartar monarchs had re-
cently built adjacent to the Chinese city of 'fay-du.
The distinction between the Chinese and Tartar 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-thing, or 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 Manchu languages,
and one for the
study of Tibetian, a Mahometan mosque, a Russian
and a Roman Catholic church, and numerous Bud-
dhist temples, of which that celled the White
Pagoda is the most remarkable. The Chinese cite,
which lies to the south of the Tartar division, and is
distinguished as the Waietching 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 only 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., E o 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 ef several storeys, there were
' which at a distance
somewhat representations
resemble
the s
cannon
ham ports in a ship of
war.

The imperial palace is an enclosure within the
city, formed by what is called the Yellow Wail,
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 hive been excavated, the earth dug up
from which has been formed into eminences, while
the lakes are 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, forests, rocks anti rivers,—are here
grouped in a bold and irregular manner. This
palace contains 30 distinct places of residence for the
Emperor, each, with all the necessary appendages,
<sf 11') inconsiderable magnitude.
The buildings, however, are more remarkable for
number than magnificence. The very dwelling of
the Emperor, and the grand hail 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 evfary rule and prin-
ciple. The length of the audience hall is 110 ft.,
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 1301 t. 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.