, 1859-11-23

.rowds of beholders. It
IuE FLAGS OF TEE OLDEST ASp YOUNGEST NATIONS
ExgRAclsG.
The Stars and Stripes were run up to the
top Of tho high mast md there our national Dag
spor.ed Ia tho. breeze With the aug OF Cn,n1-
sta fag Of ths yornEest nation in the world
nearly. embracing lovingly but not treaoling's
that Of the Oldest, tile most Loary, and almost
The sight was touching to my
own heart rs gazed upon the flags thus dont.
Jag npon tie breeze frog the single past Of the
junk, and 20 feet high IN the air. The ends oE
tiule seemed TO unite in tlcae enteEtwioing
standards. and the history Of our globe to be
written on those folds.
rEr-rsAsd-wHY THE lAxp ROUTE WAS sRArE1-
! Ep--EEAns or txsAs1oS-ruE fzl-ilo cuARa-
,.e'=!tst+ 49,. :. ;.
THIS town, Pei-tsaug, Is only eight miles from
Tien-tsin, name 30 often occurring in my let.
tcrs and the papers. where the Grand Canal
unites with this river. Ths distatee from the
mouth OF the riyer to Tien-tsin ty water is 10
miles, though by land it is only half that dis
taace, 30 torluous is the r'rer: The distance
travelled was estimated ut 43 miles in reaching |
ttis pciat on the river: Much easier and more
pleasant would hare been passage mp the river
from its mouth; and the only reason for the |
other course to which We were driven, vas The |
policy Of the Chinese government to close up |
the Pei ho to foreigners for the protection OF the
capital from foreign invasion Heyond donbf. |
Bfong Notifications are erected far up the river,
which the government Intend to keep secret
until The flames nf powder shall reseal them.
The pci-Eo is charming river, has1ng ahore
Tien-tsin Of from to Is feet Of water, and the
width Of tho Connecticut at its,nouth, and near
" twice its width ado7e Springfield The cur
rent is about q miles an hour, and the tide, rs
We salr, most materially affected it ut Tung-
chow, onEY II miles bclow Pekin-
rrs en,.-r,r,r ~ Yur R1rru-sN RN.nrr nr
| 7l.1ETYsix JCSks-HH. Wards ICSk 1!D YEARS
|. oL1-t15 HISTORY.
Upon leaving Pei-ssanT in The morning, our
| 1cet made 6re spectucie upon the wafer, as
our caracade had done dpon the land, thirty si1
| junks and smaller tcais alt drawn up cloae to
the shore, and ready 70 follow our Ministers
iunk the moment the Immense and terrible gong
gave the signal for departure. Each mandarin
had his junk and servants, while some Of the
junks we're used for baggage, provisions, and
other purposes. s.r. Wasd's Junk has its
history. Ii was built hundred years ago, and
pa.senger-boat, and had on board three genera
lions Of owners, viz, the grandfather; aged 60,
and his two wives, and the son ard his two
wives and four children, his own nge being 40
The grandfather had IN elder brother on board.
aged q years, and fairly a;;ae,. to The lenk'
and will not till bis body is borne from thence
to The house Ct silence instead OF the noisy
label in which he has lived so long The junk
is an heirloom, having belonged 10 the fatni'y
from the beginning.
| THE PRorEL11Sc; pnwEK-uAS strrLY1xG TUE
PLACE or TIE HORSE.
Onward VIC move, but not by wind, or steam,
or hors.; or ,nale-nawer. it is simply The power
| of human bone and muscle which starta this
long train of 81 junks from their suu,bers, mor-
; Ing them slowly but surely against. current
| which runs 2a miles TT ho:tr; and also often
} agaiust the winds as they turn the needless an-
gular points made by the sinuozities Of thc riy'
CT. 4 lung rope, Of sometimes 60 yards, is at.
tuched to The top Of the ,nast which is seized
. by men called "trackers,' who sometimes walk
. on one bank, anathcn on the other, as the depth
or current directs. each man having little yoke
} on his shoulder which is connected by small
J ! er rore to the main one- Thus the9e fine-ook:
ing, muscular men fulfill the Office Of horses aud
! mules. which could he readily used, aud track
these heavy junks from the Gulf to Tung- chow,
. u distance Of about !sx' miles. Sometimes tlv
/, | wind fayoTs, and then instantly they spread
i their Que square sail, end catch the precious
; breeze, which, however. they can generally util
! izr for few minutes only, rs II new nnyu1at
e roiut is to be doubled about every two nli1es
when the wind may be contrary, In descend
/. Jug, the current comes in aid Of the humble
: tracker, and though he may not Goct down Il
his junk, small demands are made upon his bont
and muscle. Our Junk had sometimes 10 ant
|
: and some less.
= TIE WONDERFUL s,xrosl11Es OF TIE RIVER.
0 These "reaches' on two sides Of the triangle
. along which the junka sal, or ar. drawn, arr
9 from one to three miles long, and extend tht
d whole length Of the rirer, 1nure than doublin:
i the distance. Sometimes the base Of the trian
$ gle is so narrow that it could be crossed at
il common walk in five minutes, while in some in
i stances, it seemed that . man Standing in th'
4 middle could hurl stone to the water on eithc
= side. in ore occasion, standing on the noor
e deck, could take in tire Of these tranglcs will
c my eye, and counted hundred junks, who's
c sails happened to be spread to the propitiot
s | breeze, aud which were sailing, rs it seemed
c almost in opposite directions. Nothing coul,
= be mere picturesque AID strange. just ss thou:
d the iuuks, since the water could not be seen
!, were immense Flauts driven through the greer
i fields and solid earth hy the power Of wind au.
:, sails!
= THE SPLENDID crLTIyArioS-1uE vEtETATIoS-
NO FORESTS.
Then tile country aud the cultivation! Wh,
E can describe il: 1t fulfilled all which has evc
been said in praieo Of Chinese agriculture, ans
d all which my faucy had erer pictured. Corn
It nliet wua the principal article, rising to tWclv
c and fourteen feet, and making forest Of greer
vegetation farther than the eye could reach, ant
il the ruws in drills 50 straight and at such regu
l. lar distances, that the most exact measuremr
l. must hare attended the planting, while th'
It whole was cleaner Of weeds than any garden
It ever entered. Then came division OF 1ndiat
c corn, but not as broad or rs frequent; then
d breadth Of beans then Of another kind Of mil
i let resembling oats in the stalk, aud rery rink
4 aud then breadth Of sesame, or Of hemp, aue
e SO erer alternating. probably from, views 0
; utility, though nothing could be more tastcfu
!, aud beautiful to the eye. Solitary tries also, n
J, the willow and the elm, became frequent. Will,
r in The distance could be seen thick groves COZ
r criDg three or four acres, but no forests.
ONE THOUSAND yrLLsGEs-oSE HrxpREp ruoC
\ SAND AES CROWD THE uANK<, BIT NOT i woxAS.
\ The banks Of the rirer wcrc 1i1el with yil
lages containing Thousands Of inhabitants, whe
y rushed on to gaze ut us. though VIC had conf
j. from the spirit land. though one suspected
us Of being spirits. while further back rose Other
c and greater towns md villages still, and : grea
e valid city lay little further back from on.
It point in the river, containing soc, 900 inhabi
t tants or more; the tones Of whose bells can't
d floating softly and in melancholy surGcs to III,
r ear over these bouudless fields Of vegetation
d The rush was indie. cribabfe the fields seemed
r alive with those wishing to catch gaze Of us
a In advancing short distance. a few mics ont;
!. | it vas computed thut We passed about 1o0, ,Ns
i. people crowdiug the banks: But woman va!
e not there "a single fact indicating the root o
q almost all the evi!s in China and the East. No
d thing could Le more qniet aud respectful thar
these Immense crowds, though brought together
# under the most exciting sentiments.
G LOFTY AorSTsIxs-rHE GREAT WALL
e Onward still we move, when new wonde
e breaks upon our eye in the dissance-a range o
3 lofty mountains running from the northeast tt
l the southwest They are the sungc separating
China from Tartary, and reaching for more thar
l,;,.0 miles, orer whose tops and down Who's
valleys that mighty work Of man, if not th'
h miehtest, and the wonder Of the world for lon1
: sses-tbe Great Chinese Wsll-stretches 70
t some distance
> 1rSG-cnow, THE HEAD OF NAVIGATION.
: Tuesday eyeni- s. July 81, after passage o
y five days upon the river, re arrived at the grea
: town Of Tnugchow, at the head Of navigation
= on the Pci-Ho, which here divides into tw.
= branches. The town contains 4oo,oo0 inhabi
!, tants, being enc Of the second class, and th
u port Of the metropolis. It il surrounded bJ
= high aud thick wall, built Of brick and earth
;, and surmounsed With bastions- The streets ar
q paved with Hat stones, which, however, are 81
q uneven and full Of holes, as to make riding in
: carriage intolcrab1c.
!. 100000 TOYS Of sa1rriSt, AND ] 900 1rsxs-rul
r GREAT clSAL-s16ss OF DECAY.
L There is great amount Of shipping here
( which has been estimated at above lla tN1 tons
8 and from calculation made from careful oh
q servaton, judged there were at least Or
o junks in the river before the town, and shor
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