Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1861-01-03
The Stacking Of the Chinese Em>
DePOP3S Palace. ral

YCuOHSo a1tsCCs tlFErg.
The allied English ana French armies
marched on Pekin with but little opposi-
ton, and entrenched themselves in a strong
position within tbe works. A large party
proceeded to attack the Emperor's Sum
mer Palace, which was taken with but
slight resistance. The defending force
consisted of three hundred eunuchs, in
charge of the palace, and forty in charge
of the gardens, but only twenty of the
men had guns. As soon as the Palace was
captured indiseriminate plunderiug com
menced.
The public reception hall, the state and
private bedrooms, apte-rooms, boudoirs and
every other apartment were ransacked; ar
ticles of virts, of native and foreign work.
manship, taken, or broken if too large to
be carried away; ornamental lattice work,
screens, jade stone ornaments, jars, clocks,
watches and other pieces of mechanism,
curtains and furniture-none escaped de-
struction. There were extensive ward
robes of every article of dress; coats rich
ly embroidered in silk and gold thread, in
the Imperial Dragon pattern; boots, head
dresses, fans, DC; in fact, roofns all but fill
ed with them; store-room of manufactured
silk in roofs, such as may be bought in
Canton for twenty dollars or thirty dollars
per piece. Bya calculation made in the
rooms there must have been 10000 or 80,
600 pieces. Hundreds were thrown down
and trampled on, a,d the floor covered
thickly with them; men were throwing
them at each other, and all taking as
they could carry. They were used instead
of ropes t secure the loading Of carts fill
ed with them. Throughout the French
camp were hundreds OF pieces, some heap
ID up, others used to make tents or beds
and coverlets. In the afternoon a party of
French went through the apartments with
sticks, breaking everything that remained
mirrors, screens, pannels, DC. 1t is said
that they did SO in revenge for the barbar-
Gus treatment the released prisoners, their
countrymen. had received. A treasury
containing a large quantity of gold ingots
and sycee silver was put under charge OF
a guard, to be divided between the Eng
lish and French. The total value of prop
erty destroyed would amount TO alarge in
stallment of the idemnity claimed. In
one of the ante;rooms of the state bed
room at the Summer Palace the treaty of
Tein-tsin, in English and Chinese, signed
by Lord Elgin, was found. II has been
thrown on The ground by some one, and
lay in a heap of broken articles till the
English paper evidently attracted the eve
of the person who discovered it.
The articles taken by the British were
sold at auction, and the amount divided
among the army, the Commandment Chief
and general officers waving their right to
share. A gold jug of great value was
presented to the Commander in Chief by
the arny. The sale realized $4,000,
which, with the reasure, estimated at Sol,
600. is 10 be divided on the spot.
1t is said that no attempt Gan give an
idea of the splendor of the palace. The
entrance or reception hall is paved with
marble, and painted with gold, azure and
scarlet in the most georgous style. The
throne of the Emperor is beautifully caiv-
ed dark wood, and the cushions are EN-
broidered with gold dragons; every inner
chamber and saloon was very handsomely
fitted up, and full Of rolls of silk. The
jade stone and china were of great value,
and some Seyres china of Louis Quatorze
would have delighted the eye Of many a
curious %faucier; aud a presentation sword,
with the English coat Of arms, studded
with gems, and evidently of antiquity,
gave rise to soIne speculation. All the la
dies had disappeared, but their little Jap
anese dogs, something like a King Charles
spaniel, were running around in a distracted
state.