New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1885-02-18
A Chinese Review.

The Princes large blue tent was
pitched on slightly rising ground
apart from the Others. and was con-
stantly surrounded by gorgeous officers
in bright young raiment, with round.
flat black hats and long feathers, who
were galloping to and fro, directing
grand charges of cavalry 1t did seem
so funny to see whole army of ponies;
for there are no horses here. unless the
foreign residents chance to import any.
These Eight Banners arc all Manchus
or Mongol Tartacs, or at any rate arc
descended from such, Chinese troops
being ranged under the grand stand
ard. These Eight Banners which, as
have said. are multiplied, are plain
white, red, blue, and yellow, and the
same colors repeated, and distinguished
by a white edge and white spot.
These companies are supposed to de-
Tend different sides of the city, the
colors having some mystic relation to
the points of the compass; except that
yellow is in the middle. where it guards
the Imperial Palace. Red guards the
south, blue the north, and white the
west, while the east is nominally given
up to the green standard, which, how
ever, being composed of Cinnamon, is
not admitted to the honor of guarding
the forbidden city. am told that tho
Banner Army numbers upward of a
hundred thousand men, who supply
Tartar garrisons for the principal cities
of the empire. We got out of the car:
and secured good position on a small
hillock, whence we had capital view.
A number of Tartar soldiers who were
Oft duty gathered round, and were quite
captivated by the loan of my opera
glasses. Then they showed US their
wrctched firearms, (Which certainly
did not look as if any European could
have superintendent the arsenal where
they were manufactured,) and also
their peculiar belts, containing charges
OF powder only; and yet we are told
that in addition to frst-class firearms,
which are being ceaselessly manufac-
tured at the Government arsenals at
Tien-Tsin, Shanghai, Canton, Foo-Choo,
Nankin, and other less important
places, the Chinese Government spares
no expense in buying both ammunition
and firearms of European manufacture
suppose they are kept in reserve for
real war! A picturesque company of
archers rode by on stout ponies, hold
ing their bride in the right hand and
in the left their bows, the arrows being
cased in a leathern culver, slung across
the shoulders. As to their swords, in
stead of hanging from the waist, they
are stuck under the saddleAap; each
mans cap is adorned with the tails of
two squirrels, which is the correct
military decoration. Now though we
Scots arc quite ready to believe that
blackcocks were created for the express
purpose of bequeathing their tails to
adorn the caps of the London Scottish,
(the said tails having very much the
jovial, independent character of the
bird itself, it really is impossible to see
the fitness Of things in selecting poor
little squgs as military emblems, unless
to suggest the wisdom of he who fights
and runs away! Anyhow, it now
seems as if we might find profitable
market for all the thousands of SPUR
rels' tails which are annually wasted in
our north country woods. 1 quite for
got to take note of the fan and tho
pipe, which l am told are invariable
items in the accoutrements of the
Chinese soldiers.