Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1862-02-26
Mortester 9a1Ip Spp.
A Visit to the threat Wall of China.

A Visit TO the Great Wall of China.
NJ Fonbanque communicates to the Lon
don Times graphic description of visit to
the Great Wall OF ChIna. The following are
extracts
accompanied by Mr. Dix, an excellent
Chinese scholar, aud attached as interpreter to
the commissariat, left Tien .Tsin on the 18th
OF March, and after three days ride through
as uninteresing a country as can well be con.
ceived, came in sight OF the fine solid wall
which encloses the struggling mass OF ruin,
dirt anI decay, called Pekin.
Chinese villages are, at best, dreary and
squalid looking but or this route, where the
dogs OF war have SO recently been let loose,
there is something narrowing in the misery
and desOaiOn OF the scene. Has grinding OPP
preston and long suffering deadened the hear
OF the Chinese peasant to all sense Of injury
Or has christian feeling OF forgiveness to.
wards his enemies, for which no orthodox
churchman would give the Pagan credit |
cannot explain it, bu; l own to something like
sense OF shame having come over me as we
two solitary uuarmed strangers passed through
crowds Of men, women and children, standing
by the clarTed ruins of their hOmesteads and
among their shattered household gods, with
out being met by single angry look Or GEES
ture-nay, more, always receiving a ready and
friendly reply to every question, Perhaps
they felt grateful that we had, at any rate,
spared their lives which is more than they can
expect from their countrymen, the rebels when
they pay them visit.
Some OF the villages along our road were
mere heaps of rubbish, others retained more
or less the resemblance ofhuman habltatons.
In the larger ones such as Hi si.woO, which it
may be remembered was for some time in oc.
cupation Of our troops, the late enemy's in
scrlptlons on doors and walls seem to be
plously preserved as agreeable relics, aud such
familiar garrison words as Officers Quar-
tiers, - "Cauteen," "Fane's Horse" Commis.
sarat, General Hospital" &C., meet one at
every turn; though one cannot hut remark
with regret that the buildings which appear TO
have afforded shelter to the invaders are sadly
devoid OF everything in the shape OF wood
work, which was probably used as occasion re-
CURED for cooking dinners and boiling water.
A celebrated and imposing pawnbroker's shop
winch was looted here, has lot recovered H.
sell. Bat let it be borne in mind that in pill
lage, as in wanIon destruction, the Chinese
themselves lar excel the British or even the
French soldier; the bonds of restraint once
removed, and Celestial mob have no patriot.
&c or religious scruples as 10 the pr0prlety of
Mandarin, priest or peasant-as they fully ex.
empided at the sacklng oi Yuen-ming-Y uen,
and the Llama temple, the sacred proceeds of
which are 10 this day openly offered tor sale al
more Or less exorbltant prices i'll the shops OF
Tieu-tsin
AL HO-si-woo we met French missionary
bishop on his way to Europe, alter having
passed twenty five ears i'll CHINA. He was
dressed III the native costume, even to the pig
tail, and appeared to be treated with great
reverence by .he unbelevng crowd who flock
ed i'll 10 see the Mandarin priest. The self
devotion, the zeal, and as Il very general rule,
the pure and simple lives led by the French
missionaries in China land their number
throughout the empire and the kingd IN ex
ceeds 1907 are NOT without their effect nptn
the people, although this is not displayed by
wholesale and iudscrminate conversion to
nominal christianity,
Another days journey brought us to Chat
AQUA hamlet at the foot o the Great Wall
The road tor the last fifteen miles had been 50
bad that we we've obligt d 10 leave our horses
at Nahkan, hiring i'll their place Tar,ar ponies
Nothing less sure looted than these shaggy
hardy little beasts could have carried us
through these rugged mountain paths, which
we would have done on foot, but that one
mile march over the sharp rocks when form
the pavement would have left us shoeless.
AT day break on the following morning we
climbed the highest peak OF The mountain
range, and there, standing OH the top of the
great wall, reflected upon the stupenduuS folly
OF this wonderful work of human industry,
which Is said TO have cost the country two
hundred thousand lives from sheer physical
exhaustion. The wall, which is built vi stone
ami brick, is twenty feet high and fifteen feet
broad, surmounIed by double parapet, loop
hOled on the north side AS lar as the eye can
follow Tie mountain range it winds over the
ridges OF the prCcpit0us black rock like gi-
gamtc serpent crawling along, and with its
breath .uuiup uIl md tnr I'M h.,rn
you Will, nothing meets the view but the DIES.
olate, dreary tract OF rock, unrelieved by
blade OF grass or TUT OF moss, and huge
boultlers Strewlng the base OF the mountain
sides. 1t was the whlm OF tyrant to build
wall where nature had already built bar
rier tar more etfectual than anything that
human art could construct. However, there
II remains after lapse OF nearly two thou
sand years-a monument of The cruel folly OF
one man, and the patient industry and SUITE r.
lngs OF many thousands.
Having made an abortive attempt at a
sketch, and tried in vain to discover one lie
deeming feature in this vast scene of desola-
ton, secured my brick, and descending to
the pass, remounted to proceed hOmeward.
Our guard could hardly believe his senses
certainly he doubted ouIs. When at Nankan
mine host inquired what we were going TO the
Great Wall Tor. Our honest answer met with
no credit Were there not walls everywhere?
Was not the wall Of l'ekin much better worth
looking at ? And then as for shooting, why
come so far for game when it could he bought
in the market at our very doors His impress.
sion evidently was that We had some sinister
project in view but when we returned with
the brick the good man simply burst out
laughing, and set US down for couple Of
harmless manacs.''