, 1860-02-16
u. KREIsMANN, q,
IntertattDE From Chlua-~Fr1son Tor
IureA..A ChtncAe Court.
In NerrarY

l. QukGTE8L1DE FROM Gnl0Ae<EF480nA AOTa
| 1urea..A Chinese Court.
/. [Eron tho Newark Aerruzy.]
From letter received By 3tr. ]. II. Andrus:'
Of this city, from his nephew in Hong Kong
China, We are permitted to make the following
interesting extracts. The letter bears date ot
| November Is, 1853.
II hare recently returned from trip to Can
ton, where I gathered many items Of intelll-
gence which may be interesting. We were SO
fortunate, shortly after our arrival. as to secure
the services Of Rev. Mr. Gray, stationed there
as Chaplain, who being veil rersed in China at
fairs, played the cicerone greatly to our adran-
tase. We commenced our explorations By Wis
nusely, on criminal court day. We were the
first persons ever taken By our guide into q
Chinese court. The magistrate, a rery high
Mandarlu,' knew Mr. Gray, and upon our enter
ing, stopped the court. We were introduced
aud inyi'ed to take seats. which, after great
deal Of bowing and salaaming, ne did.
''The Mandarin and ourselves were the only
persons secuted in the court-the magistrates
assistants always standing during hours.
There were several interpreters present to
question tue prisoners on trial, and to answer
the Mandarin. That functionaty neyer de-
than that strictly Mandarin dialect There
was quite number of prisoners, all with nau-
aclcs upon their limbs and neck, awaiting their
turn for trial One Of them was fastened upon
N instrument Of torture, called the rack, used
to extort confessions, true or false, from their
victims This rack resembles carpenters
saw bench. The victim is made to kneel, the
rack is then placed upon its end, against his
back. His cue, or tail, is passed through q hole
in the end Of the rack, and tied fast to the up
per feet, Which strains the cords Of the neck
horribly.
"a 6auduge is then placed across his fore.
head md fastened to the end Of the rack. A
eli 10 f,b1f1a nF1 fhnfYh f4ut
his arms are drawn behind him and upwards,
and also made fast to the upper feet, slip
moose Is also put upon each big toe, which is
drawn upwards and made fast at the same
point, and are drawn so that the victims knees
are about one inch clear Of the foor-thus leav-
ing the whole weight Of the body suspended by
the thumbs and toes. The victim was Kept
upon the rack about half an hour, aud when
cast loose fell upon the door-haviug for the
time being lost afl control Of his limbs. Hewas
left lying as be fell until his blood resumed its
circulation, when chain was put about his
was no doubt convicted OF the crime With which
he was charged, rs he was des,rous Of kneeling
befure the Mandarin md pleading for mercy,
but was not permitted so to do.
awe followed the prisoner, and saw him
thrust into room will some thirty others, all Of
whom were condemned to DEATH The cell was
very small, excessively warm, and the stencil
from it was, to Us. uncomfortable. The cell had
not single article Of furniture in it, and all the
occupants were entirely nude. They greetodus
with Chin Chin Taipan, and Cunshaw Taip.
an which was How do you do p 'Gise US
present.
ave saw, also, on our visit. several convicted
felons undergoing the punishment of the
'Canquc,' which consists Off square board with
n hole in the centre, aud goes together with
hinges. It is put upon the victims shoulders.
WITH bis head throug u the hole, The 'Canques'
are Of different sizes and weights, according to
tue age, aid Tue degree Of crime. Offenders are
frequently compelled tn wear them from four to
six months, during which time it is impossible
for them to lie down, aud they are compelled to
them had eaten and slept SO long in one pos
ture, that their skin WINS cl,afed through, and
they were almost covered with raw sores.
"Among others whom we saw confined, was
the mother Of Tai Ping Wang, the crest rebel
chief, Of whom the Mandarins, or Imperialists,
stand IN great fear. They have never been able
to defeat him. and have offered }arge rewards
for his capture, without success. The 1mperi-
alists have arrested his mother and oil his rela-
tiycs Us far Us ttley have been able to trace
them. His mother is woman Of small stature.
und nearly seventy years uf age. With hair as
white us snow. She had heavy chains upon her
aukles, aud chain also around her neck, with
Il stone fastened to the end, which trai'ed upon
the ground. The other relatives Of the rebel
chiet were also in chains. The females we're
embtoidcriug, and tae males were knitting un-
dershirts, using small linen twin*. We like
wise saw many rebels in Chains, with their ears
cut of, and others who had been hamstrung,
dragged themselves along with their hands,