The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-03-17 00:00:00

PEKIN.

It has been remarked by travellers that a great sameness
prevails in all the cities of China, Those of the larger size
contain a few streets well paved, in which there are shops.
But the streets are for the most part narrow, and full of
hovels. The suburbs are in many instances larger than the
cities themselves. We learn, too, that the villages and ham-
lets, though they have a beautiful appearance at a distance,
are little more than a heap of houses irregularly thrown to-
gether, with a cheerful exterior appearance, but without ade-
quate furniture or comforts, and withal filthy as a stable.
Pekin, the principal and northern capital, stands in an ex-
tensive plain, in lat. 38 deg. 55 min., lon. 116 deg. 45 min.
east of Greenwich. It is about 60 miles from the great
wall, and 100 from the sea. At some distance to the east of
the city flows the Pe-ho, but a water communication is ob-
tained by canals with another river which flows into the
former. The city was founded in the reign of Han, the
founder of the Leaon dynasty, generally called King-too.
By the natives it is considered the nearest portal to heaven.
It has undergone great changes, and is now divided into the
old and new cities. The latter, built by the Tatars, contains
the imperial palace, and is called the " inner city ;" the lat-
ter, which lies to the south, is called the " outer city." It
is said to occupy an area of 27 miles in circumference, with-
out including the suburbs. " The wall," says Gutzlaff,
" which surrounds it, is thirty feet in height, and of the
enormous thickness of twenty feet. Nine gates lead through
it, which reminds one very strongly of ancient Babylon. A
ditch around completes the fortifications, which, in the eyes
of the Tartars, is impregnable. The streets leading to the
nine gates are very spacious, but lined with low houses, and
not being paved, are in wet weather almost impassable. In
entering no capital will the traveller be so much disappointed
as in entering Peking; for having eyed the city wall with
wonder, and passed the gate, the romantic fairy land vanishes
at once. If, however, he can content himself with gaudy
shops, and a promiscuous crowd continually thronging the
streets, he may still be reminded that he is in the capital of
China. The northern city is built in the form of a paral-
lelogram facing the four quarters of the globe, and consists
of three enclosures, one within the other. The innermost
contains the imperial palace, where his Majesty and his royal
family live; the next, though designed for the immediate
officers and attendants of the palace, is now occupied by the
industrious Chinese ; whilst the third constitutes the open
city. The wall which surrounds the imperial sacrum is laid
over with yellow bricks, mounted with high towers, and built
very regularly, so that the whole has a neat appearance. All
the walks which lead to the principal halls are paved with large
slabs of white and gray stone. The Wao-mun, or meridian
gate, is the most splendid of all: the Emperor alone can
pass through it by means of the southern avenue, and when-
ever he honours it with his presence, a yong and a bell, hung
in the tower over the gate, are sounded. Here he distributes
presents to foreign ambassadors, views the captives, whom
his invincibles have taken, and shows himself whenever he
has to dispense money. The Emperor receives congraula-
tions and visits of ceremony in the Tac-homun, (the gate of
great harmony,) which is a splendid Chinese edifice 110 feet
high." There are also two other halls of ceremony, one of
which is called the Keen-tsing-kung, signifying the palace of
heaven's rest. A palace is set apart for the Empress, who
has also a flower garden. Adjacent is a library stocked with
most of the books that have been published in the empire.
Six palaces are occupied by the imperial females, and one by
the Emperor's stewards, and there are others besides. These
buildings are represented as gorgeous. The second enclosure
is six miles in circninference,'and surrounded by a wall twenty
feet in height. Here are many temples, and an altar in
honour of the gods of the land and of grain—the most sacred
of Chinese idols. Close by is an arsenal, where munitions
are prepared for the defence of the country. The Emperor
(says our last named authority) spends his leisure hours in
artificial parks, gardens, and summer-houses. Several of
these are well contrived. Amongst the public buildings there
are no fewer than 200 palaces, but some of them would scarcely
serve for stables. The National College, however, reflects
honour on the city. Here all Chinese learning and literature
are concentrated. " Muntchoo, Chinese, and Russian learn-
ing flourish in it; all religions, though some of them are pre-
scribed, share the honour of being sanctioned in its precincts.
A mosque, a Greek church, a Roman Catholic church, pa-
godas dedicated to different idols, are here mingled, as if
there were no religious distinction." The great hall of au-
dience is said to be a splendid apartment, 130 feet long, and
nearly square. The throne is also grand, but plain, with the
simple inscription, " Shing-holy,"or sugr. The Emperor
annually ploughs a field himself ! and the grain produced by
his manual labour is considered superior, and is therefore
used " to make cokes for the sacrifices offered up to heaven !".
hf
an t st
were
e rnn ied/s/ it would The
inhabitants of Peking, including the suburbs, number
about
trade,
Filsdhe '
be
herelt stilli sgreatertsays
carryGutzlaff,
business.E ‘u
ra o greatp
eanT placeeinn eo
r
or.
c
twelve miles from the capital•
are the imperial pleasure gar-
dens, of which Yuen-nung-yuen is the
They occupy an extent of twelve square
miles
st imsortant.
an are so
arranged as to combine natural beauties with '-
art . jungle and
gardens regularly laid out,—waste tracts and well-cultivated
fields are so interchanged, as to give the whole an
of infinite varies. It is said that about thirtyappearance
palaces are
built upon this spot, which, if we form a proper idea of a
common Chinese palace, will not appear wonderful. The
principal hall of audience, where the English ambassador
was admitted, stands upon a platform of granite, surrounded
by a row of wooden columns which support the roof. The
hall within is 110 feet in length, 42 in breadth, and 20 in
height. No decoration, no tinsel distinguishes this hall ;
the greatest ornament here is the imperial presence."
About 30 miles up the river Pe-ho stands a town called
Teen-tsin-foo, or " The Celestial Ferry." It extends for
miles on the right bank, but its breadth is but small.
several
As the emporium of the capital this is the richest trading
kingdom, and the river opposite to it is crowded
place in the. .
for miles with junks, rain, from variousparts.
The g &c.
the .
is salt, in transportation
The staple article of the place
thousand s of boats are era.
of which to the interior many

ioyea.
[We are compelled here to close our description of this in•
teresting country; in our next we shall supply a sketch of the
rise and progress of the dispute with China, together with an
account of Canton and the adjacent country, which will be
accompanied by a beautifully-executed map, yresented gra-
tuitously fo the purchasers of the STANDARD.]

Government has raised the interest on Exchequer Bills
from lid. per day to 21d. per day.
KING JAMES'S OPINION OF TOBACCO.—" Tobacco," says
King James, " is the lively image and pattern of hell ; for
that it hath by illusion, in all the parts and vices of the world,
whereby hell may be gained ;
to wit—First, it is a smoke ; as
so are all the vanities of the world. Secondly, it delighteth
them that take it ; so do all the pleasures of the world delight
the men of the world. Thirdly, it maketh men drunken and
light in the head; so do all the -vanities of the world, men are
drunken therewith. Fourthly, he that taketh tobacco cannot
leave it, it doth bewitch him ; even so the pleasures of the
world make men loath to leave them ; they are, for the most
part, enchanted with them. And further, besides all this, it
is like hell in the very substance of it, for it is a stinking
loathsome thing ; and so is hell." And further, his majesty
" were he to invite the devil to a dinner, he
professed
should
havetha tt,
three dishes—first, a pig ; secondly, a
poll of
ling and mustard ; and third, apipe of tobacco for digestion."