The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1861-08-31
WHOLE NO. 227.
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Mr.. FonblanQue communicates 10 the
London Tisses graphic description OF .
visit 70 the Great Wall Of Ch,na. The fol-
lowing are e1tratcs:
Accompanied BY Mr.. Dick, An excellent
Chinese scholar, and attached ~ interpreter
to the cammissariat, lefs Tien.,isn on tho
10Th at March, aud, after three days ride
through as uninterestiug . country ~ can
well be conceived, eamc 10 eight Of the 6as
solid wall which encloees the strageling
mass Of ruins, dirt and decay called Pekin.
Chinese villages are, at best, dreary and
equallid looking, but on this route, whore
the dogs Of war have 90 recently been les
loose, there il something narrowing in tho
misery and desolation Of the eccne. Has
grinding oppression and long euffering dead
ened the heart Of the Chinese peasant to all
sense OF iniuryp Or has he, after all, =
Christian feeling Of forgiveness towards
his enemies, for which no orthodox church,
man would give the Pagan credit? can
not explain Il, but own 70 something like
. sense Of shame having come over me -
through crowds Of men, women and chill
dren, standing BY the charred ruins Of their
homesteads aud among their shattered
household goods, withou, being met BY .
single angry look or gesture-nay, more,
Away. receiving resdy and friendly reply
to every question. Perhaps they felt gratc-
full that We had, at any rate, spared their
lives, which is more than they can expect
hair hn hall Ak
they pay them visit.
Some Of the villages along our road were
mere heaps Of rubbish others retained
moro or less the semblance Of human hab-
itatione. In the larger once, suce as Ho.si-
WOO, which it may be remembered, was for
some time in occupation or our troops, the
late enemy's inscriptions on doors and walls
seem 10 be piously preserved as agreeable
relics, and such familiar garrison words ~
Quarters, 'sCanteen,' s'Fane's
Porse, I" ssCommissariat," "General lospi.
tai" &C., meet one at every turn; though
one cannot bat remark with regret that the
buildings which appear to have afforded
shelter to the invaders are sadly devoid Of
everything in the shape OF woodwork, which
vas probably used as occasion required, for
cooking dinner and boiling water. A cele-
brated and imposing pawnhrokcr's shop,
which was ''looted" here has not yet rec0v.
cred itself; but let 1t be borne in mind that
in pillage, rs in wanton destruction, the
Chinese themselves far excel the British or
even the French soldiers; the bonds OF roe
straint once removed. and Celestial mob
have no patriotic or religious scruples as to
the property Of Mandarin,pri or peasant,
rs they fully exemplifed at the sacking OF
Yuen. ming vuen, and the Llama temple, the
sacred proceeds Of which are to this day
openly offered for sale at more or less exor-
bitant prices in the shops Of Tein-tsin.
AFRkxcn BISHOP IN cmSEsE ATTIRE.
Attic. si-woo we met French mission
ary bishop on his way to Europe, after hav-
ing passed weuty.6 Eve years 10 China. lie
was dressed in the native costume, evcn TO
the pigtail, and appeared to be treated with
great reverence BY the unbelieving crowd,
who fiocked in to see the "Mandnrin priest
The self dev otiou, the zeal, aud, ~ very
general rule, tho pure and simple lives led
BY the French mi sioparies in China, (and
their number throughout the empire and tho
kingdom Of Siam exceeds l,5OO,) are not
without their effect on the people, although
this is not displayed by Wholesale and in.
discriminate cony erson to nominal christi.
anity.
THE GREAT WALL.
Another day's journey brought 40 to Cha.
tnon, hamlet ut the foot Of the great wall.
The road for the last fifteen miles had been
% bad, that we were obliged to leave our
horses at Nankan, hiring in their place Tar
tar ponies. Nothing less sure footed than
these shaggy, hardy little beasts could have
carried US through those rugged mountain
paths, which We would have done on foot
but that one miles march over the sharp
rock which forms the pavement would have
left Us shoelese.
At daybreak on the following morning
We climbed the highest peak OF the noun.
tain range, and there, standing on the top
of the great wall, reflected on the stupend-
Gus folly Of this wonderful work Of human
industry, which is said to have cost the
country two hundred thousand lives, from
sheer physical exhaustion. Tho wall,
which is built Of stone and brick, 10 twenty
feet high and flftcen feet broad, surmount-
ed by double parapet, Ioopholed on tho
north side. As far as the eye can follow
the mountain range il wiuds over the ridges
of the prec, pitous black rocks like gigantic
erpent crawling along, and with its breath
will, nothing meets the view but the deso-
late, dreary tract Of rock, unrclieved by .
blade Of grass or a tuft Of moss, and huge
boulders strewing the base Of the mountain
sides. II vas the whim of tyrant TO build
. wall where Nature had already erected .
barrier far moro eifecsual than ANYTHING
that human art could construct. However,
there il remains, after lapse OF two thou.
sand years-a monument Of the cruel folly
Of one man, and the patient industry and
sufIerings Of many thousands.
Having made an abor,ive attempt at
sketch, and tried in vain TO discover ono re-
deeming feature in this vast scene Of deso-
Iation, I secured my brick and descending
to the pass, remouuted to proceed home
ward. Our guard could hardly believe bis
senses certainly he doubted ours. When
At Nankan mine host inquired what Va vsrs
going TO the Great Wall for. Our honest
answer met with no credit. Where there
not walls sverywhere9 Was not the wall
ss Pekin much better worth looking asf
And then. a for shooting, Why come % far
for game whom it could be bodght in the
market st our very doors2 His impression
evidently was thas we had some sinister
pYojec, 70 view; bot when Ne returned with
the brick the good man simply burst out
laughing, and ses us down Tor couple Of
harmless maniaos.
PATRICK HENRY On NATIONAL UNITY.
Pats;c Henry secuted the Idea Of section
d distinctions or individual interests. "All
America.n said be, sis thrown into one
macs. where aYe ynur landmayks-your
k.as1se;a. ~ enloc;es1 Thev avA All thrown
down. The distinctions between Virgin.
ians, Pepnsylsapians, New Workers SD
N.v Fnxlsndeas are no more. ! sm no