The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1886-04-14
LETTER FROM CHINA.
Another Letter from Our Hoosisr Friend in
China.
Taku-Tieuasin-Hosp of the For
eign PopuIation-Shart Fins aud Bam-
boo shoots Cor dinner--TungcaOw, etc.


sixty-seTen miles frorn Tientsin. The land
is dead fiat level In 1879 line of tele-
graph Yves constructed erom Taku to Tent
sin, was continued to Tunchow in 1888,
and competed to Picking in August, 1884.
In May, 1853. the British squadron, under
Sir Michael Seymour, attacked and passed
the forts, and Lord Elgin, on the 26th of
June 1853, made the famous treaty at Tient-
sin. In June, 1929, another attack was made,
which was unsuccessful. On she Dist OF Au-
gust, 1850, the British captured the forts and
took Tientsin. Whence thsJ marched to
Peking. The river generally freezes about
the 9th of December, and opens about the
second week in Mazch.
AT Tientsin we took rooms at the
Astor House. We arrived there Satur.
The Minister was anxious to get to his post.
Gen. Stahel had left the Consulate and gone
home. We saw him at San Francisco. Gen.
Smithers was Charge d Affaires a6rinte-im at
PekIng. He had been ordered to Shanghai
to act as Consul General, and was only await
ing our arrival to start.
Tientsin is situated at the junction Of the
Grand Canal with the PeihO River. The for
eigners have a concession here which is we'll
built and contains some very nice dwellings.
The chief business is done in the native city.
The streets are very narrow, the houses, very
Here the -ench Sisters of Charity and. other
foreigners were massacred the 21st of June,
1870. Here the Vice Roy Iii Hung Chang
lives. He is man of great influence and
power, and is said to be progressive in, his
ideas. Being the seaport of Peking impOrta-
tons are large. In 1883 290204 piculs.Of tea
were exported picul is one hundred and
thirty-three and third pounds.
The foreign population, as every where in
the East is very hospitable. The Minister'S
family was invited to dine at the house of
Mr.. Seth, manager of the Hong Kong aud,
Shanghai Banking Corporations The ladies
accepted, but he had prior engagement to
dine with the Taotai. This Official
ranks next to the Vice Roy who
was at Picking. The occasion was
a dinner to the new Minister to the United
States. There the representatives of the two
natiOnalities met the one going to the United
States, the other to Picking.
ALL THE ooNsULs WERE PRESENT.
The dinner was thoroughly Chinese.
There were shark fins, bamboo shoots, birds
nests every species of dried fruit, con-
fectionery, with Chinese wines in little cups,
and French winesin ordinary glasses. There
were chop sticks and knives and forks, you,
took your choice. The company was COM
posed of many leading Chinese officials aud
soldiers and sailors The minister was the
guest of the evening. His health was pro-
posed and he responded in a friendly speech,
which was translated by the interpreter.
The Chinese do everything differently from
us. The seat of honor is to the left and not
to the right of the host. We rode over Tien-
tsn in iin-siki.shas. They have been intro
duced into several Chinese cities, but have
not reached Peking. The Peking cart, which
/ shall by and by describe, is the only pas
senger vehicle at Peking except the sedan
chair of officials Tientsin is eighty miles,
from Peking, bat the winding river makes,
the distance one hundred and twenty 10
Tungchow, which is sixteen miles from
Picking.
The last Monday in September we en-
barked on house boats for TuEgchow. The
ordinary house boat, used generally for
travel is nothing but a fiat boat with a
rough cabin on it. There are. no conven--
fences. The traveller takes his bed, bedding,
and food with him. A large house boat
owned by Jardine, Matheson and company
had been procured for u.s. which, with a
house boat for the boys, Accommodated our
party. There were sofas which we're made
into beds at night, a kitchen, and dining
room. Provisions were procured by the host
of the Aston. The boat was towed by six
men. There was a sail, but it was rarely
used. This mode of travelling is delightful.
The traveller can get on shore at any time.
He can, by cutting across bends walk miles
ahead of the boats. We habitually walked
rom breakfast until tiffin, and were some
times four or five miles ahead of the
boats. Up the Peiho the bulk Of the
tribute rice is brought. There are
literally thousands of boats engaged in, this
and other business. China pays many OF her
officials in rice. Immense quantities are
brought to Peking for this purpose ard for
distribution to the poor. large part
OF the taxes is paid in rice. Peiho
| is nearly flush with the banks every
where. The country is very fat; you pass
| many villages. Nothing can be more differ
| ent than the aspect of the country from that
| of Indiana. There are no fences or barns.
| The houses are one story mud huts There
| is no stock. This immense population CLEANS
| the fields until not blade of grass is left.
The country is as bare as the palm of your
hand. But the people seem to be centented,
and live at least comfortably.
FOR THE BENEFIT OF TOURISTS
who may see this letter let me give them
| little advice. The proper thing to do, if you
are going to PeKing, IS to engage one
pony for each person at Tientsin, and one for
the mafu, who takes care of the ponies. Then
you want carts enough to haul your bag
| gage beds, and provisions. You will find
nothing to eat at the Chinese inns, though
| you can sleep in them. You ride your po-
! mics to Peking in two days and keep them
there TO ride around the city, and on your
| excursions. You can OF course ride in the
carts when you tire of the ponies. You must
engage a boy at Tientsin to accompany you.
The boy is indispensable. He is well-rec-
ognized institution in the East. Every gen.
tleman has boy. can not say that all this
is inexpensive. Travelling is very expensive.
The ponies will cost you ninety cents day,
but the boy, and the mafu, and the carts,
and incidentas make big sum in the end.
We were three days and part of another
coming to Tungchow. 1t reminded us of the
time when we used to go from Evansville to
Petersburg on the old Wabash and Erie
Canal, which in its decay and ruin has done
one good at least, it has been the cause OF
many handsome fee to lawyers. l would
come to Peking by land ON ponies, and re-
turn by boat. The trip down stream is made
more rapidly. One other hint, would pass
by Japan, see China first, and see Japan re-
turning During eight months at Peking,
from the last of August to the first of May,
no rain falls. In June, July and August the
rains are heavy During December, January,
and February you can not get to Tientsin,
except of course, over land, 700 miles from
Shanghai. Everything Is frozen up. The
mails sre carried by pony. 1t takes about
fifteen DAYS for letter to come to Picking
from Shanghai. For three weeks at the be.
ginning of the pony system we had no mail
at all The tourist should reach Peking only
in September or October. Ten days here will
-.