Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1860-06-09

with large, fiat stones, which have been dis
placed in some instances by frost, or the vio-
lence of driving or else holes have been worn
to a considerable depth by the natural action of |
the wheels, or else they have been made by the
natural decay of stone of less compact and firm |
structure, while the harder resisted alike atmos-
pheric action and the everlasting rolling of the |
carriage wheels The discomfort arising from
travelling over the streets in the carriages
have described, without seats or springs, is in
conceivable. 1t is not discomfort merely, but |
suffering, and at times even agony, as the wheels |
drop into these holes and ruts suddenly, and |
striking against the solid rocks with all the force
given by strong horse and mule, driven tan
dem and at full speed. These pavemenis had !
been laid for ages, and for ages had never BEEN
repaired. Everything looked old and decaying,
like the whole of this great empire, of whose
fate the huge and untold collins | have men
toned seem to be an emblem and prophecy
Still, so great city, so far up from the sea, al
most New York in the quiet country, is strik-
ing to a foreigner coming here. But all the |
country, aim Jst down to the shores of the Gulf |
is covered with hamets, villages and towns, the |
larger containing from ten to twenty-five thou
sand people, who cover the land like locusts
and grasshoppers. A short distance on the
north side of The river there is another city, of
about the same population, four hundred thou
sand, while twelve miles only above it is Pekin,
with its population of three million. Tung
chow is situated on the west side of the river,
as is Pekin also.
In the western part of the city are the public
grararies, large structures of stone, and sur
rounded by wall almost equal in height and
thickness to that Of the city. Here the rice and
grain brought from the Southern provinces are
deposited for the use of the capital in times of
want or famine, which frequently occur | OBJ
served here again the decay and negligence ex-
hibited everywhere else; for some of the roofs
had fallen in, and the grass and weeds were
growing upon others. Just out of the city gate,
on the road to Pekn, there is one exception to
all the signs of deterioration and decay seen
elsewhere. Over the branch of the Peiho of
considerable width, a stone bridge is built,
twenty-five feet above the water, and five hun
dred feet long, bearing the marks of recent
construction, and which, in strength, in propor-
tions, and in the excellence of the masonry, can
hardly be excelled. The stone posts at each
end of the bridge are hewn into dragons at the
top, with no little skill, the whole structure in
dcating both architectural taste and the capac-
ity to erect massive works. On this stream,
which is too shallow for junks, small boats are
provided, which sometimes as | observed, use
sail, and sometimes the oar, but more fire.
quently the bone and muscle of the "trackers."
The grain being brought up in the junks from
the South with other articles for the use Of the
city population, is conveyed in these small
boats, or else is carried in part in carts and on
camels over the great paved road uniting Tung-
chow with the capital.
Let us now look back upon the river. 1t was
fairly covered with junks, and not only mme-
diatey in front of the city, but for two or three
miles below it; and so densely were they COM
pncta1 that onulI ,-oll. d ha ~,
them, with the exception of narrow unoccu-
pied space hardly sufficient to admit our junk.
Half dozen junks were placed side by side,
and thus formed as many tiers for miles, and
alike on each side of the river. Judging from
the distance tnet vAtenuca up aud down the
river, and counting the tiers Of junks, I was
able, after careful observation to form an APP
proximative estimate of their number, which
judged to be fully one thousand, with tonnage
varying from seventy five to one hundred and
fifty tons each. gentleman present, familiar
with such matters, thought the tonnage of the
whole could not be under one hundred thousand
tons. l carefully counted the number of per-
sons on board each, so far as | could observe
them in the junks close about us. Some of
them almost touched our junk, and as all occa-
sionally came upon deck, or appeared at the
doors of their cabins and kitchens, it was easy
to count them as looked down upon them
/ from. the high stern part of our junk. Often l
have counted thirty and even forty individuals
in single junk, embracing men, women and
children, from infancy to old age, all of whom
had their home here-their world here. Here
many were born, and have liye1 all their lives
thus far, and here they will die, the only spot of
the earth they will ever own being the grave
without stone which they will occupy Put
ting the number on an average at twenty only,
here is population on the river, before the
town. of twenty thousand But on the river
below, we often counted fifty or one hundred
junks within the reach Of the eye, from which
it would he reasonable to Judge that there are
at least as many more between Tung-chow and
Tsen-tsin, where the grand Canal joins the river,
and a little below the point where we struck it,
making the whole number of junks on the river
at least two thousand, and the population living
ond dying in them at least forty thousand.-
There said to be eighty thousand boats reg
istered at Canton probably the names of some
remain on the register when the boats them
selves have long since perished
! have often been carried in them-tiny things,
rowed often by mother and her young daugh-
ter while the baby is asleep and the little ones
sitting about, and all of whom, drawing the
bamboo slide over it for a roof, sleep in it by
night as they live in it and work in it by day.
1t has been computed that three hundred thou
sand people thus live about Canton. Here the
boats are junks, and are as large as scores of
Canton "Sampans," and each one holding a
family, honorable, in point of number, to an
old patriarch.
It. is likely Tung-chow will be an important
point in the coming military operations or the
English should they advance upon Pekin, and
these thousands of junks will either be destroyed
or else the navigation of the river be entirely
suspended. and these tens of thousands living
in the junks be deprived of food, and these
hundreds of thousands also who swarm along
the river, while desolaton takes the place of all
this beauty, and cultivation, and luxuriant veg
citation spreading over the great plain from the
Gulf of Pechele to the walls of Pekin
AS l think of the after wickedness of this
war. the work of reckless and inhuman ind-
vidual, though sustained by Christian and
Protestant nation, and the scenes of desolation
and misery which are to follow, can almost
pray Heaven as of old to rain down hailstones
upon the invaders, in addition to the balls
showered so plentfully and effectively last June
from the ports at the mouth of this same river.
Even on board our ship we have an English
Major as passenger, on his way to Jeddo to
obtain leave from the Japanese government to
purchase horses and mules for this flibustering
expedition. 1t rouses as well as saddens ones