Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1871-11-09
ALEXANDRIA GAZETTA
Points From Pekin.

(Mr. Jas. Brooks Pekin Letter in n. Y. Ex.
How human beings live by the hundred
thousands in such city as this is only to be
accounted for by their insen>ibility to sights
and smells but they don't see, and they don't
smell. Eyes and noses in China are, indeed,
often as great curses as they arc generally Dig
blessings. should like to dispense with il
nose till get back to America, or INTO Europe
if could then buy it back again NO oScWers
no closets, TO drains No way OF letting out
Ola big ely the filth in it Streets unceaned
for two centuries, save by the hogs and vult!'I
es The poor are uuclad and unwashed with
skins the water seems never to nave penclrl'
ed: and ewes that are sorc-but why pain you
70 describe ? Imagine the worst Of cverythlng'
IN that way and that worst Is all here
Nevertheless, people lo live here, and some
live masniicrntly There are some wealthy
Chinese There are many wealthy mandarlns.
The interior of some of their hopeless exterior
lookipr dwellings, abound in Il certain species
of luxurics, and in very few comforts " nat
Pekiu is therefore, one cannot sec IN me
streets and as 4 foreigner can only, with
great difficulty yet into Il Chinese house,
no stranger is likely to see more than
these streets There are S,mptuary laws i'll
pekin that forbid luxurious indulgence: No
mandarin ever can ride in 1 sedan char, no
matter how many buttons he has won, what
their color is, or fans he carries, but by >pe-
cial permission Of The Emperor. The sedan
chair is the Emperor's prerosative Foreig-
ners attached to legations Use it as representa-
tive of home luajesiy. and the lnSoSnce Is
liberated from necessity; but no Chinaman
,erturcs upon anything beyond cart, save on
two great days of life, or death-the first a
marriage procession, and the second funeral.
I,uxuries are allowed then. The woman, then.
the only Clsv of her life, rides in 4 sort ol Sc
dan. Hence, now understand the cnuino-
ton made on the night ut my entering the city
in an opcn sedan, and a lady in IT. These
sumptuary laws speak of reryade, am told,
all Pekin life, and are here especially kept up
to keen the ,,coplc n; far as possible removed
from the luxuricS Of the Emperor. They dh
not exist elsewhere in China, only III this court
city, where the Emperor is. The manI arm
has his especial sable rob" or ermlne adorn-
mcnts in winter. AS for the Won'en, thcy
seem to he OF no account here, save as moth
ers Of children. The Chinauan takes is
peror has them by the hundred--but the hrSt
wife is the real wife, the only mistress OF the
establishment, and the others are only her hand.
maids about the establishment, and they all
obev her. The Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
mode of life is the life III China yet. They
have not advanced, in this respect, step be-
vond the Patriarchs. What u field this would
be for Mrs. Cady Stanton and the other bright
strong minded ladies' who in America arc for
reforming the world-tor woman is not OF the
least account here, save to be pretty anu well
painted with white powder and vcrmilion, hair
long, skewered, and well glued, so that the gale
of wind cannot disturb 1.-THE whole standing
upon two little props, looking like birds claws
done up in sandals and here called "leet.
Alas women-fashons are equally foolish every
where | bet in Japan, once, the woman
hair was her own, and was beaten IN the bet
| would not bet on anything about wcnlan in
China now from her head to her foot t-claWs-
from her long nails to the color OF her face
Copper should have called her color, but sec
so many powdered and vermilion faces, that
am not certain, now, the woman race Is not
white with red cheeks, or checks little rci'
dened. Above the brows is often painted red,
with the eyelids, too
PEANUTS. The new crop Of peanuts is Just
beginning to come in and our shippers take
lots as fast as they arrive The quality Is rep
resentcdg to be-very fine, only II small portion
heinz immature or pops. The yield is said to
be very good, with the exception Of Il few spots
about the country where the rain was not so
ireouent during the Summer. Peanuts are
getting to be a staple product with US, and the
proceeds from the sale of them amount to a
considerable sum in a season. Last year the
amount of money arising from the shipment OF
peanuts was estimated to be about one hun
dred thousand dollars. AS the crop this year
is represented to be better in quality and larger
in Weld, it is supposed that the amount WI be
loroer this season than Cvrr.-f frtPiSbUtg