Morning journal and courier., 1882-05-12
Burglary in an Emp.ror's Palace.
 


 The recent discovery of a great robbery at the Winter palace at Pekin is stated in the China papers to have created g great sensa- tion. ''The almost idolatrous veneration with which the Emperor is outwardly, at least, regarded; the apparent inacessibflity to the palace walls; the strictness of the reg ulations affecting admission to the Ysfious in closures, and the duties of the innumerable guards, all combined to render an actual bur glary an event of no small significance The North China Herdld says: 'sIhe prize was, no doubt, tempting one Massive bronze or copper chains, plated heavily with gold and several tons in weight form no contemp- hbie booty, and the fact that this mass of treasure was actually seized and carried of by the gang of robbers is enough to cause the profoundest suspicion and alarm to the palace inmates. It shows not only that the Son of Heaven is exposed to disloyal attacks from without, but to the still graFer danger of unfaithfulness from within The disclo- sures thus brought to light are not those of an ordinary theft. The walls of the palace, like those of the Manchu city are garnished with bastlons. or watch-towers, at the cor ners, and these structures are usually regard ed as virtually no more than characteristic decorshons-imposing from 8 distance but of course, scene of emptiness and neglect and dust inside. It appears now. that for years past the imperial bastions have been the lurking place Of gang of thieves, who were protected and assisted by the palace eu- nuchs. Lights were occasionally observed to flash and gleam from the cannon holes and windows of these towers, an occurrence which seems to have caused the officers of the household to suspect that they must be in habited. The eunuchs, on being questioned, confirmed the story of the lights, but ex- plained the mystery by saying that the Hu Hsien, or Fox Fairy was prostrating himself there with his lighted torch. It may be thought incredible that the officers should have been sufficiently imbecile to believe this fable, or that the eunuchs should have dared to trade so far upon the superstition of their superiors. But foI-m myths are far from being extinct in China, or even in Japan The ami nal Is credited. with many marvellous and su- pernatural attributes, among which is the ability at the age of fifty to take the form of woman, and at one hundred that of young and beautiful girl He can also become wizard If he likes, and at the age of one thousand years he is admitted into Paradise, where he becomes 8 celestial being" The imperial palace, it appears, is not the only public building where depredatioas have been carried on. In the great national libra ry of the Hanhn Yuen hundreds of the im- perial editions of standard works have been found to have been subjected to the most re- morseless initiation all the broad margins of fine white paper having been cut of and sold by the frugal minded custodiaus of the place. Tt is difficult" says the paper already quo ted, ito conceive more unpardon2bls and wanton outrage. But it shows what rotten condition the vhele administration of the empire must be in"