The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-11-08
A CHINESE PUZZLE.
The Difficulty in Locating The Places
Mentioned in War Dispatches.
Significance of Chinese Geographic
Names az Explained by Naval Off,
cer-Outcome of the War.


Names az Explained by Naval Off,
cer-Outcome of the War
From the Washington Star.
Perhaps some who are trying to fol-
low the so far brilliant campaign of the
Japanese in the war with their colossal
enemy" said naval officer to a Star re-
porter, have been puzzled to find the
whereabouts of many of the places men
toned in dispatches. 1t is no wonder, for
the spelling of those names has been car
ried out under two distinct systems. the
continental (Eurepean) and the English.
and a few have been further mangled by
the telegraph after the correspondents
have transmitted them. For example.
the old-fashioned geographical word spelt
chow by the English, may be written
tchiau by the French, or chu by others.
and it was reduced TO iu by the cable the
other day in at least one case--Wei-ju,
which may be found in some aliases as
Y-tcheCu. Reference has also been made
to the imperial palace at Je-hok which
has been marked on maps Zhehol and
even Shehol, which last unpleasantly sue-
gestive spelling Is a misnomer for the
Hunting Park, though the name does
mean IlOl liftI. w utI III uOuDL IL may
be well to try all the names by both the
continental and English systems of pro-
nunciation, and to search the maps for
either spelling.
"A few random notes may add interest
to our inspection of the rather Indifferent
maps we possess, and may show that in
China, as elsewhere, names have mean
ings, and in some cases entertaining ones.
To begin with the cardinal points: North.
south, east and west are, respectively.
Peh, Nan, Tung and 81; so that the i'm
portant city which we generally call Pc
kin is, In fact, Peh King and means
northern capital; or in another way lofty
ten-millions, which exceeds our express
sion Upper-ten-thousand IL also bears.
to the confusion of outside barbartans.
the title Shun Tien Foo, abiding to tho
experimenting hand which directs
streams of all things Nan King used 10
be the southern capital before the pres-
ent Ia Using or subimely pure dynasty
removed to its existing quarters. The
two provinces, Shang Tung and Shan 81,
are respectively east Of the hills and
west Of the hills, the character Shan be-
ing a corrupt form Of the original picto-
rial representation of three mountain
peaks. The province which contains Tho
capital is Chih-li, meaning direct rule be-
cause Peh King, the source Of supreme
power Is in Il. The province Of Ilau
X
the Yalu river and the great wall has the
appropriate meaning remote distance
"The northern dialect is so different
from that Of tho south that the natives
themselves are often compelled to com
muncate with each other through the
written characters, or stlll more strangely
pidgin English In the north the word
no means river, and hoang sometimes in
correctly spelt wang, being yell
low, We have the title Yellow
river-poetieally 'China's Sorrow from
its devastating floods. and because
Il 'howeth where II listeth,' its present
mouth being some three hundred miles
from one Of rs former points Of discharge.
Tho name yellow n derived from the
muddy color Of its waters. which IN turn
dlscolOr the Gulf Of Pe-Chi-L and tho
Yellow sea. Tho mud has also made the
rulf shallow. and, with that from the Pei
10. has caused the mud fats near Ia.
Eu which brought disaster 10 the Eng
Itch in their first attack upon tho forts
there. whom our nag ofncer Tattnsll.stret-
ehed 70 International point and tald that
Blood is thicker Than water In the