Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-06-15


 The London and China Telegraph gives the following extracts from an interest ing account of the ceremony enjoined by precedents for tho marriage of the em- peror of China, which took place on Feb. 26.
 "A few days before the actual wedding the servants of the office of equipments will carry to the imperial palaces with all ceremony the hundreds of articles for tho use of the emperor and his bride that have been prepared previously by the board of the imperial household and kept tn the empress palace. These | articles comprise jewelry. headdresses, clothes. and accessories, embro1dertes, peedlework, fine chinaware, gold and silver work, furniture, carved and inlaid upholstery, personal ornaments, station | cry, etc. On Feb. 24 the high officers. | by the emperor's command. should go to worship at the Temples of Heaven, Earth, and the Gods, and announce the | approaching nuptials. On Feb. 20 the necessary arrangements should be made | in the palace. The officers of the office of equipment should reverentially bring out the empress sedan chair, yellow l chairs, and her chariot to which an elephant Is harnessed-this last being merely formal. The accompanying 1 paraphernalia arc:
 | 1.-Two pairs of yellow silk umbrellas, embroidered with dragons. One pair of crooked-handled umbrellas, embroidered with phPniXes. X pair of large fans. Ten colored umbrellas. Eight banners, decorated with dragons and phGnixes. The embroidered flags. Eight fans em- 1 broidered with dragons. Eight yellow fans shaped like pheasants tail.
 "On Fet- 26, all being ready, four prin- cesses will proceed to the empress res | idencc at 12 u. m. (sic) to assist in robing the empress. The robes that she will have to wear are A red silk headdress decorated with pearls, chrysophrases, coral, rubies, comedians, amethysts, and jasper and blue feathers an en- broidered court robe, decorated with jewels on tho overlaps; two strings of coral beads, d necklace decorated with coral, pair of jeweled earrings, folded | handkerchief. The empress will rest after being robed and then a eunuch will come to the hall and invite her to como out and receive the marriage con- tract and gold seal. She will be attended | by two princesses, while a eunuch holds the contract in both hands and reads 1t tosher.
 This done, tho empress will retire to her hall and again rest. A eunuch then takes the gold sceptor and seal and hands 1 them to the chief commissioner, who re- placos them in their pavilions, all the proper officers and attendants being in l their places. Another cunuch will fix the suspicious time, and then eunuchs will carry the Empress chair into the hall, the chair containing d sccptre lnlald With jade.
 The prtncesses will then help the cm- press to tako her seat in her chair, after giving her an apple, the chair having been fumigated with q piece of Tibetan ln- l cenSo, and having been placed i'll tho position of Pleasing God" The whole | procession will then escort the empress Xl .>J {1,n from entrance, the Ia Ching gate. Princesses and noble ladies will enter by the back gate, tho Shen Wu gate, and will await the arrival of the procession ut the pal ace. On it's arrival at the Chien-ching gate the attendants must stop, and the paViliOns having been replaced here, the
 ministers of the board of rites will take
 out tho gold seal and marriage contract
 from these pavilions and place them on
 the tables arranged at the Chio-tai pal
 ace, where eunuchs will be in waiting to receive them. During this time tho of
 ticials of the board of music will perform,
 and then eight eunuchs will carry the cmpress's chair into the Chien-ching pal ace, where shO will be requested to alight and will be transferred to another chair decorated with pcacocks' feathers in which sho will be carried to the
 ChunStsui palace. Hero a brazier of live coals will havo boen made ready, oyer | which nor Cntllr VIII DO CurTlou.
 Tho appointed princess will then ask
 her to alight and present her with an apple The scepter inlaid with jade will
 be taken out of her chair, and she vii be presented with a ''preolouS bottle
 containing pearls and gold coins. DOW
 and arrow and saddle having been pre-
 yiOusly placed on tho threshold of the :, bridal chamber, and the emperor, having |, arrived in full costume to meet his bride .. takes the bow and arrow and shoots a !. tho saddle on tho threshold, and thel Q removes the brides veil. The princesse { then conduct the empress to tho brida x. chamber, whero the emperor sits on thu y left hand of the bed and the empress ol l tho right, face to face. The prlncesse , then request tho imperial couple to drinl
 by joining their wine cups. When nigh
 comes some of the ladies of the court offe
 them the pudding called the Pudding o s Sons and Grandsons" and the brot] l. called the "Broth of Long Life" @ This having been done, the princes t. will arrange the bed, scepters inlaid witt If jade being put at tho four corners of tn ,f bedstead. At a. m. on the 27th of Feb Il ruary the princesses go to tho brlda
 chamber to help the empress to dress
 The emperor also puts on his full dress
 and the proper instructions are given t l. tho imperial couple as to kneeling, ko y towing and rising. The emperor thel
 
 n gods of heaven, earth and tho house g hold, which they do by kneeling and ko 'r towing nine times. This done, they re
 pair to the Hwu-Huang temple, wher they burn Tibetan incense and kotoN B. nine times; thence to the Chien-chin C. palace, where they kotow nine times be v- fore tho images of their grandfather @. father and brother. Thence they com s. to the Chu-hsii palace, where they prt
 sent scepters to the empress dowage
 and kotow nine times. Inc empres
 dowager gives them her own scepter an h. they return to the place where the en ly press kneels to present her scepter inlai oI with jade to the emperor and kotows min 1e times. The emperor confers his scepte
 inlaid with jade on the empress, wh
 then takes her seat, and the two secon'
 ary expresses kneel down and koto KS nine times to the empress. ve "On March a proclamation will pal es known the imperial marriage througho'
 tho whole empire"
 A Goat Rivaling Cleopatra Pearl StOF