The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1861-01-17

sackIng of the Emperor's Palace.

| SAcAAES Oh tne EmperOf'S HaAaccs
The summer palace is about five miles by a
clrcuitous road northwest of this camp, outside
the earthwork. A description of it is given in
Stanton's account Of Lord Macaytney's Embas
| sy and other works of China, but no pen can
describe correctly the scene that has taken place
there within The last two DAYS. Indiscriminate
loot has been allowed. The public reception
nan The stat and private bedrooms, ante rooms,
ooudolrs and every other apartment has been
fansacked; Articles of virtu, of native and for
! elen workmanship, taken,o broken if too large
10 be carried away; ornamental lattice work,
| screens, jade stone ornaments, Jars clocks, and
watches and other pieces of mechanism curtains
ana iurniture- none have escaped from des-
rucuon. There were extensive wardrobes of
eAery article of dress; coats richly embroidered
IN silk and gold thread, in the Imperial Drag
on pattern; boots, head dresses, fans, etc-in
TACT rooms all but filled with them; store rooms
OF manufactured silk in rolls, such as may be
oonght IN Canton at twenty to thirty dollars per
pelce. by calculation made in the rooms
there must have been 10000 or $4,000 peices.
hundreds were thrown down and trampled on.
and the floor covered thickly with them; men
were throwing them at each other, and all tax
ing as many as they could carry. They ere
USED instead of ropes to secure the loading of
carts filled with them. Throughout the French
up others used to make tents or beds or cover
lets.
In the afternoon yesterday party of French
Went through the apartments with sticks, break
ing everything that remained-mirrors, screens.
panels, DC. 1t is said that they did so in re,
Venge tor the barbarous treatment the released
prisoners, their countrymen had received.
"A treasury containg large quantity of gold
lngotS and syce silver, is under charge of a
guard and Is tobe divided between the English
and the French.
amount to large installment of the indemnity
claimed
IN one OF tbs ante-rooHs of til state bedroom
az az the summer palace the treaty of Tiensin, in
english and Chinese, signed by Lord Elgin,
was found. 1t had been thrown on the ground
~ some one, and lay in a heap of broken arti-
oies, I'LL The English paper evidently attracted
the eye Of the person who discovered it.
A general order from the British Commander
IN chief desired that all articles taken by officers
and men, were to be sent in for sale by pub
puollc auction, for the benefit of the army which
was done. All were permitted to have the ar.
leles they brought for themselves valued, aud
nave 1t at option to take or reject them. Many
beautiful curiosities and souUeRirS were obtained
IN TINS manner at Il nominal price. The sale
realized $32 ,00O which with the value of the
treasure, es,imased at Sol 600, is to be divided
as prize money on the spot
The commander in chief and general officers
have waived their right to share A gold lug.
OF great value was presented to the commander
In chief by the army. Nearly all the articles
were sold at very high prices, large enamelled
and inlaid vases and ornaments realizing full
Shanghai prices for such articles, the fact of
their having been the property of Helm Fung,
adding an imaginary value to everything. The
scene Whole the sale was held, in the Temple
Lamasiri, occupied as head quarters was wor-
thy of the pencil of an trtist. Had His Impe-
rial Majesty handed over the whole of the con
tents OF that place, uninjured, it would have
sold for an enormous amount, more than three
iourths having been destroyed or taken away
by the French.
All round the vicinity of the palace are large
enclosures parks or cemeteries, with trees of
some magnitude, and stone bridges over null
iahs' the country being very dry at present.
Branching of from the palace are several paved
roads, and, just outside of it is the French camp
by the side of two large lotus ponds