Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-01-16
China.
FURTHER PARTICULARS OF THE IMPERIAL
MARRIAGE

/ Having described all that could posi-
/ bly, be seen of the Imperial wedding. |
have been anxions to get details of the
/ ceremonies within the Palace; but this.
( from the nature of the circumstances, is
not easy of comprehension. Small
/ driblets of information do filter through
the massive walls, and are repeated with
many variations of particulars accord
ing to the channel by which they have
come. All that correspondent can do
IS to give IN such case what seems to
him to be at the moment the most relia-
| bic of what he hears. There is one
very interesting ceremony which / viii
tell as / have heard it:
When the bride had reached her des-
tinatiOn in the recess of the Palace, the
! Expresses of east and west came to re-
! lieye her at the door of the Yellow
Chair, in which she had been carried.
/ They placed Svcee gold and silver-that
is uncoined pieces of these metals-in
each hand, and crossing her arms on her
breast she thus supported vase con-
tanning wheat, maize, rice, emeralds,
sapphires, rubies and other articles to
! symbolic all that the earth produces.
| She then stepped from the chair upon a
! small golden saddle, and thus entered
! the dwelling of her future husband. II
was talked over the other evening, as to
! whether this ceremony with the saddle
was Monaghan or Manchu custom, but
! the conclusion seemed to be that il was
neither, and that it most probably has
/ come down from the time when the
horse was the greatest of all sacrifices,
and when everything connected with
that animal had a Specification. There
is an old custom still practiced by some
of the Circassian tribes, in which the
bridegroom goes through performance
/ of stealing his bride ont of her fathers
house, or fighting for her with her rela-
tives or clan; but the end is that he car
! ries her off and takes her home sitting
on the saddle before him. This sug-
gests that as the Emperor of China could
not, in keeping with his dignity, come
out and have row in the streets OF
/ Pekin for his wife, the saddle at the door
is to indicate this old ceremOny-a cere-
mony which has a suspicious flavor in il
of Sabian rapes and the general free
booting tendencies Of the old Scythian
races.
1t is reported that the Emperor was
asleep when the bride arrived, and that
be had to be Weakened, and said some
necessary prayers in rather hurried
.
very early in the morning, fer he has an
/ audience at ; a. m. Under sucb circum-
stances. an hour after midnight is rather
/ late to have to sit up, and he may be ex-
F., cused if found mapping. The ceremony
/ of arranging the brides hair in the man
ner it is worn bv married women would
take place the next day. This consists
in removing the hair on the temples so
as to make the brow have very sharp
/ corners on the top The hair is also
plated in a particular manner, and made
to project ont in a peculiar way by means
/ of silver, or in the case of an Empress II
would be golden, skewers. On the third
day after the marriage they would both
| appear in very gorgeous costume. The
dresses worn on this occasion, were
made In Pekin. and are covered with
pearls and all kinds of precious stones,
and cost. / am told, ESQ, 600 each.
There are some stories current which,
If true. would indicate that the young
Empress must be a person 81 some de-
cisi0n Of character She is said TO be
able to read and write her own language,
/ accomplishments which are not uncom-
mon among Chinese women, but the En-
press is said to be well read and high
proficient in Chinese literature; and it
was this merit which won her the I'm
periaI prize In the competitive contest
which was described in a former letter
One morning shortly after the marriage
she was exhibiting her capability of writ
ing to the Emperor. and he was astOnish-
ed at the beauty Of the characters she
formed. They were thus engaged; she
was making quotations from books,
when an official announced that break
fast was ready The Empress turned
around on the attendant, and, Wi b in
dignation. asked if she was to be inter
rupted in the high delights Of literature
by such commonplace affair as eating
and drinking. This sort of thing would
seem rather melOdramatic II Il came
from a young lady IN England, but TO
the Chinese mind 1t has not this look
about il. They have had literary En-
perors of whom they are proud, and
literary Empress will be quite to their
taste
There is another story told OF the En-
press which is quite in keeping with the
character indicated above. When her
. credentials-th is. the golden tablet
and seal-arriyed. declaring her to be
Empress. it became the duty Of all her
relatives to ko-tow to her in that rank.
When her father performs this ceremony
= il would be in keeping with the customs
of the country for her to let him of
easily: that is. she should affect not tC
wish such manifestationfromh her father
and ought to have attempted to lift hin
up while PROSTATE on the ground before
her. She showed no tendencies Of this
: kind: but. on the contrary, she wal
every inch an Empress, rather by ne
manner and action demanding, instead
of prohibiting. the obesiance OF all he
: relatives. do not know what kind q
? garments an Emperor of China wears
] but If he has articles for the inferior eN
tremities ike those worn in Europe. j
is more than probable that this lady vii
very soon attempt trial al wearing
! them. She IS two years the senior o.
I her husband-an advantage IN one way
f but placing her at great dlsadYantagi
+ a few years hence with younger rivals
but any rival had better have care o
such a sovereign. ] think that l forgo
2 TO state that an aunt of the Empress
D was selected as one Of the secOnd-clas
wives when the great competition tool
place. The whole story of this marriag
will no doubt appear very strange L
European ideas, and marrying an aun
e and her niece at the same time viii no
help to improve ones impression OF III
affair.
The Emperor viii oficiate ID the Ten
( pie of Heaven, on the 21st OF December
/ which is the Winter SOlstice according
to the Chinese almanacs, and in Febru
arv the two Expresses retire from u
Z regency. At present, when there J
II business to be done, these two ladies 81
S behind the Emperor, concealed by cur
/ tain. but so placed as to hear all that
: said. and when decision has been com
to they direct what is 70 be done, an
> the Emperor signs with the ''yermililo
o pencil" accordingly. General repor
n giyes them credit for having goyerne
We'll while in power. The Empires
: III the East Is reputed TO have yer
y good character. She is said to be qule
IS and amiable and leads a retired life. @
is The contrary. the Empress Of the Nesl
q that is. the mother of the young Empel
or. is said to be what we would "a
4srotber fas, She Is very fond g