The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1869-11-18
A Graphic Sketch or Pekln.

The walls Of Pekin are sixty feet high and
forty feet wide at the top, forming nice
promenade of nearly twenty FIVE miles around
the city, A partition wall divides the Tartar
from the Chinese city, and four gates at the
north, south, east and west. afford the only
means for passing the walls, and these are
opened and closed with the sun. Inside the
great walls Of the Tartar city is another wall
made of yellow bricks and covered with en-
amclled yellow tiles, called the walls of the
Imperial City, which is Inhabited mostly by
Tartars, and persons connected with the gov
eminent Inside the Imperial City, is still
another wall of red bricks surrounded by a
moat inclosing the prohibited city, in which
the palace, treasury and public buildings i'm
mediately connected with the Emperor's house
hold are located. In these sacred precincts of
majesty no foreign foot has ever trod, and the
mysteries of the palace are only known to a
few Of the most faithful and honercd servants
of the Manchu dynasty The coIored' roofs,
made of the enamelled tiles Of blue, green,
red. and yellow, seen amid the dense foliage
of the forest which ornaments the palace
grounds. Here the Emperor of China holds
his court counselling only with the Regent
Mother, his teachers and few high officials
who are admitted to his presence. He is 1e-
vered by the people as the Son of Heaven
and liz theory is supreme, but in practice only
so far as the people please to obey, as the right
of petition to the throne is recognized as one
of the most sacred customs of the Chinese
Empire.
AN INCIDENT AT THE FAIR OF THE AMER
1cAN INsTITUTE-One morning, the Secre
tary Of the Board of Managers, Mr.. John w
Chambers, was having his boots BACKED at
the entrance of the Fair by small boy
shoeless and stockingless. The Secretary
in his urbane manner, told this boy that if he
would wash himself and come to him the
next day, he would admit him to the Exhibi
ton. The next morning, young lad, with
his face polished by the use Of soap, appeared
in the office, and asked to be admitted to the
Exhibition, as he had been promised. "Wher
did promise you p said the Secretary. eyes
terday morning, when polished your boots. :
I" IF you are the lad, come in" He passed
him to the Exhibition. Half an hour after
wards, while the Secretary was passing one O.
the pianos, Gan Arion, he noticed a GROVE
surrounding the instrument, and to his sur
prise, found the young bootblack delightips
the audience by the brilliant tones which h
was drawing from the instrument, It is .
pleasure to record the fact that this young lac
! has been taken into the store Of the manu-
facturers whose piano he was playing. These
gentlemen, have furnished him with a new
suit of clothes, and every evening he has
been heard at the Exhibition playing equally
we'll on the piano or electric organ The boy
is an orphan. His father; a German musi'
clan, taught his infant SOD to play, but after
| Che formers death his son was thrown unpro
tected upon the world, aud, finding nothing
| to do, earned precarious living by backing
boots. His name is Charles Knubel; he il
| now fourteen years Of age, and, We have ne
doubt that he will honorably be heard Of il
the future:-N. 7. Tribune.