St. Paul weekly Minnesotian. (St. Paul) 1860-1861, 1861-01-11
The Allied Armies In Pektn--Sackins
Of the EsnperOr's Palace.

The Allied Armies in Pektn.-SackinS
Of the EmperOr's Palace.
Oorrespond.pse of the North China Herald Nov. 20.
The summer palace is about iiyes mile.
by circuitous road northwest of this ca,up
outside the esrihwOrn. A description Off
is given in Siauutons account OF Lord Ma
cartney's Embassy, and other works OF
China, but DO pen can describe serrectly
the scene that has taken place thers within
the last two days. Indiscrlminate loot
has been allowed. The public reception
hall. the state aud private bedrooms, ante
rooms, boudOirs and every other apartment
has been ransacked; articles Of virtu, ol
naive and foreign workmanship taken, or
broken if too large TO be carried away /; or
namentsl lattice work, screens, jade stone
ornaments, jars, clocks, watches and other
pieces Of mechanism, curtains and furniture
hone have escaped from destruction.
There were extsns We wardrobes of every
article of dress; coats richly embroidered
in silk and gold thread, in the Imperial
Dragon pattern boots, head dresses, fans,
&c.-in fact, rooms MI but filled with them;
| store-rvoms OF uansfactur,d silk in rolls,
such as may be b ught in Canton at TWEEN
ty TO thirty dollars per piece. By calcu-
lstion made iu the roons there must have
been 20 900 or $4,000 pieces. Hundreds
were thrown down and trampled on, and
the floor covered thickly with them; men
, were throwing them at each other, and all
t.king AZ many as they could carry. They
were used instead Of ropes to secure the
loading OF carts filled with them. Through
ont the French camp ere hundreds Of
pieces, some heaped up, others used to
make tents or beds and coverlets.
In the afternoon yesterday party Of
French went through the apartments with
sticks, breaking every thing that remained
mirrors, screens, panels, &c. 1t is said
that they did so in revenge for the barbar-
Gus treatment the released prisoners, their
countrymen, had received.
A treasury containing large quantity
of gold ingots and sycee silver is under
charge of guard, and is to be divided be.
tween the English aud French.
The total value of property destroyed
would amount to large instalment of the
indemnity claimed.
la one of the ante.rooms of the state
L
Of Tientsin, in English and Chinese, signed
by Lord Elgin, was found. 1t had been
thrown on the ground by some one, and
lay in q heap Of broken articles till the
English paper evidently attracted the eye
of the person who discovered it,
A general order from the British Com |
in-Chief desired that all articles !
taken by officers and men were to be sent |
in for sale by public auction, for the bene-
fit Of the army, which was done. All were /
permitted to have the articles they had |
brought away for themselves valued, and
have the option of taking or rejecting them.
Many beautiful curiosities and soureners
were thus obtained at q nominal price.
The sale realized SS2 900, which, with the
value OF the treasure, estimated at SOL
300, is TO be divided as prize money en- the
spot. s..s E':
The Commander in Chief and general
,fticers have waived their rights to share
A gold jng OF great value was presented to
he Commander in. Chief by the army
Nearly all the articles were sold at very
nigh prices, large rnameled and iHlaid
'ases and ornaments realizing full Shang-
la prices for Snrt, articles, The fact Of
heir having been the property Of II en-
Eung added al imaginary vaIne 10 every
hing. The scene where the sale was held
II the Temple Lama>iri, occupied as head
quarters, vas worthy of the pencil of an
!rtist. Had His Imperial Majesty handed
'gcr the whole # the contents of that
'atace uninjurai, it would have sold for an
normous amount, more than three. fourths
'aving been destroyed OF taken by the
french.
All round the vicinity Of the palace are
arge enclosures, parks or cemeteries, with
rees Of some magnitude, and stone
ridges over nullsfs, the country being
cry dry at present. Branching off from
ne palace are several paved roads, and, |
Ist outside of it is the French camp, by
he side Of two large lotus ponds.