The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-10-07

opportunities. resorts to every device to In
crease the productiveness of his land. and
takes from it three, four and even. five
around Marking, as far as the eye can
see, are raised rice, grain, tea, silk, cotton,
straw, hay and vegetables of every sort.
The ponds and lakes are utilized to the
utmost. Nearly all are stocked with fish,
are planted with water plants and used as
duck and goose yards.
The roads are bad and seldom used, ex-
cept in winter. The water communications
are almost as complete as in Venice. Boats
are everywhere, from great junks and
steamers down to Sampans and RATS. There
are slow cargo boats, which convey produce
through the Grand canal to Tien Tsin far
away in the north, and swift, snakelike
dragon boats, which go eight and ten miles
an hour, and frequently cover two hundred
miles in a single day. They serve as cour-
iers and pony posts. and are employed by
officials and wealthy merchants who desire
dispatch. Marking is a very old city. 1t
was the prosperous capital of a petty feudal
kingdom 200 b. c., and ever since has been
an important city of the country. 1t was
the national capital in the fourth, fifth and
sixth centuries of our era, and again under
the Ming dynasty in the latter part of the
fourteenth century. 1t was captured and
held by the Taepings in their great rebel
lion, and when these were driven out, in
1865, by the Imperialist rmieS 1t was nearly
destroyed and almost all it's population put
TO the sword. This war nearly ruined the
place forever. In 1855 1t had within its
walls a million people. while as many more
were in its suburbs; ten years later only
one-tenth OF that number were left alive
in their old homes. The rest had been slain
or dispersed. In the last thirty-five years
it has revived, and is now said to have "a
population of half a million, and to enjoy
again a trade and similar TO
what it possessed before the civil war.
The city was easily defended before the
days of modern weapons. The many canals
and other watercourses on three sides and
the Great River in front enabled its
occupants to repel any invader and sue
cessfully to withstand a long siege. a vast
array of junks, well armed and manned,
lay in front and near the walls which could
easily defeat any naval descent from other
districts. To-day it would be powerless
without heavy ordnance and powerful, iron
clads. The walls around the city are fifty
four miles in circumference and are like
the clothes of a sick man who once was
stout. They are dilapidated everywhere and
at some points are mere mounds and heaps
of rubbish. At intervals are ancient forts
equipped with rusty %ten-pound cannon, and
on the river front with a few thirty-twos.
There is not a breech-loader, much less a.
steel piece, large or small, in the entire
armament. The range of the guns is a short
half mile, so that a single gunboat could
dismount and destroy all the artillery of
the place without exposing itself to hostile
fire. An army would have much more
trouble than a naval expedition. The land
on two sides is mixed. wet meadow and
marsh. almost impossible by cavalry and
artillery. Stone causeways, narrow and out
of repair, lead from the gates across the
territory and are reinforced BY a deep
canal, which runs at the foot of the west
ern walls a long distance. There are a few
hills on the east which omman the city
and which could be fortified if necessary.
There is a nominal garrison of five thou
sand soldiers at Marking, but the actual
strength is about 1900.
Within the walls are the ruins of thou
sands of houses, in fact. not more than
half of the city area is occupied by in
habitable buildings. 1t has d number of
handsome temples and official establish
ments, but the rest of its stores and
houses. offices and other buildings are poor
and squalid. The streets are moderately
clean and tolerably paved-Just about like
those of Chicago.
All that remains of Markings former
glory is an avenue from the city to the
sepulcher of the Emperor Hung-Wu, con-
structed by the Emperor Yung-Loh. of the
same dynasty, about 1415 A. d. The me-
mortal street was paved with heavy cut
stone slabs and ornamented with giant
warriors in stone on either side and
crossed with inscribed stone tablets twenty
feet long, supported on huge monoliths.
Beyond these are the figures, in heroic size.
of elephants, horses, lions, bears and cam
els. Five centuries have worn away the
angles and fine lines, and left clumsy
shapes, from which the artists design has
almost vanished. They are so large and
ponderous, however, that they still inspire
awe in the beholder.