Washington sentinel., 1899-07-22

ulAke0 kOPS SCI lSNA A~SA SNN
about it; a wide approach from the
southern tower.sapped gateway
leading to the sommander-in-
chiefs quarters--noN the imperial
ualace-with the pavilions Of his
staff to the right and to the LETT
now the palaces of the princes OF
the blood--with the bulk OF the |
army ranged round about in their |
orderly rows Of tents set out along
wide alleyways giving ample room
for rapid manRuVrinp. The WIDE,
low, curved roof buildings OF to-
day are but the crystallized tents
OF yesterday. This is the modern
Manchu city, which surrounds on
all four sides the imperial city,
an enclosure within an enclo-
sure, the former a parallelo-
gram three and a halt miles by
four miles, an area OF fourteen
square miles, having within It
second walled parallelogram, the
Forbidden City," about one mile
square. In this latter lives the
Emperor; Immediately outside and
around him his faithful Manchu
bodvpuard, who alone are sup
posed TO inhabit the Manchu city.
This bodyguarc is known as the
" light Banners" who form the
twenty four territorial divisions OF
the garrison. Outside, again, are
encarnped the sutlers-ths Chinese
come to buy and sell to the army
and the Court. Their quarters
cover a somewhat smaller area
five miles by two), and are also
surrounded by brick faced
earthen rampant oil the same type,
though lower than that Of the
Manchu citadel adjoining, Pekin
is laid out on a grand plan, is in
tersected by noble avenues tortY
and fifty yards in width, and its
temples and palaces, though de
cayed and dilapidated like everv-
thing IN the China Of today, stand
with imposing grandeur in wide
/ park like enclosures "A marvel
lous contrast to the narrow,
crooked thoroughiares Of London,
and the shabby framing, generally
limited depth of, and cramDed ap-
| proaches to her most ambitious
| buildings.
If the approa III to the port OF
London land The gate by which no
few of her visitors from the Conti-
nent enter her renowned precincts)
is on the murky surface OF the open
sewer into which modern science
/ has succeeded in converting the
/ once gracious Thames, the sp-
proach to the barbaric splSndor OF
the Chinese metropolis is little less
disheartening, but in another
sense. Here we have a magnifi-
cent approach, too, in the shape OF
a grand stone causeWaY, which at
the time of its construction by the
"Mings," nearly five hundred
years ago. was probably the great
est work OF its kind then IN exist
ence. 1t extends from the eastern
gate of the capital down to Tung-
| chou, its port, a provincial walled
city built at the head Of navigation
OF the Peiho river. 1t is a paved
roadway formed ofenormous stone
blocks quarried from the western
mountains, laid on causeway OF
earth raised some four feet above
the surrounding plain. The blocks
average eight by three feet surface
by two in thickness. Not having
been touched apparently since the
day that the great Ming Emperor
had then, orderly put there, time
has undermined their bed; they lie
tilted at every conceivable ang e,
and they now form a barricade
rather than a road of approach.
Y t--and it is hardly 20 be ex-
pected that any one who has not
been there and seen it with his own
eyes will believe the statement
over this "obstacle chase" come
and 60 daily four fifths Of the whole
trade aud travel oi the metropolis
Of this huge empire with the outer
world.