The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-07-22
PEKIN' THE IMPERIAL CITY.
FORMER MINISTER DENNY WRITES
OF CHINESE CAPITAL.

OF Foreign Residents.
Charles DENLY former minister to China,
in Golfers Weekly.
The city of Pekin is situate upon a san
dy pain in latitude 80 "a Sc N, and longi-
tude 116 q E. This is arly on the paral-
lei of Samarcand, Naples and Philadel-
phia. The population of Pekin is some
thing less than million.
The usual route to Pekin from Tien Tsin
was, until 1898, up the Peiho river about
one hundred and twenty miles to Tung-
cho. Tungcho is about twelve miles south
west OF Pekin. Here the fine college of
the American Board of Commissioners for
Foreign Missions was recently destroyed
by the Boxers 1t Is pity. The president
Of the college DR.. Sheffield, was nearly
murdered some years ago by assassins.
He has devoted his life to building up
the college. He is a fine Chinese scholar.
He invented a Chinese typewriter.
Until the railroad from Ten Tsin to
Pekiu was built the traveller was pulled
up the Peiho by men. Progress was often
slow. When the river was so high on one
occasion that there was no towpath left,
1t took me six days 10 go to Tungcho
from T1en Tsin. On another occasion my
houseboat was being lowed by a steam
launch. The launch turned suddenly to
the left, and the boat struck a small
prcmontory and turned over. My wife and
l were submerged but escaped with our
lives, losing much of our property Now
he time between Tien Tsin and Pekin is
four hours.
The Great wall of PelSin.
On approaching Pekin the traveller sees
the great wall surrounding the city. The
south wall Of the Tartar city is the north
wall of the Chinese city. The entire cir
cult around both cities is 2425 miles; IA. %
for the Manchu city and 10 for the Chi
nese. The wall around the Manchu city is
80 feet high and 10 feet wide at the top,
and 60 at the bottom. It is OF earth faced
wi h brick, each of which weighs sixty
pounds The wall around the outer or
Chinese city, is 90 feet high. 25 feet thick
at the bottom, and Is at the top.
There is crenellated parapet, and six
teen gates. Near The gates the wall is
faced with stone. Towers surmount the
gates, and buttresses occur every sixty
yards. The arches of the gates are Of
solid granite. and the massive doors are
locked at little after shutdown.
The Tartar city is occupied by the
court, the princes, the legations, and
stores and business houses, but the i'm
portant business of the city is done in
the Chinese city. Here are the theaters,
the cluts, and the great wholesale houses.
The Tartar city was laid out in a grand
style, with bread streets and avenue@.
Long ago it was severed but the sewers
have been gradually filled up and are
only used as cess-pools. The only work
that is ever done on the streets is just
before the Emperor goes to one of the
temples. Then light yellow dirt is scat
tered on them.
In general the diplomatic representa-
tives have their residences on Legation
street which the Chinese call the street
"of The subject nations" On this street
the Dutch legation is the first you pass
after entering the Chen Men, or Meridian
Gate. A hundred yards further is the
American legation. and opposite is the
Russian; then come in their or
der, on either side of the street,
the Spanish. japanese. German,
| French and Italian legations. Along the
moat on a side street close to Legation
street there is the British legation. and
some distance away are the Belgian and
Austrian. The Imperial Maritime Gus
toms Under Sir Robert Hart has its chief
Office here.
"Fhe Forbidden city"
Inside the Tartar City is the Imperial
City surrounded aiso by wall In this
Enclosure Is located the great Catholic
mission or the Peh Yang.
Inside of the Imperial City is the walled
and moated Forbidden City" Here are
the imperial dwellings and halls and
off1ces-fifty or more. This inner inclos-
ure measures about two and a quarter
miles in circuit, and is called Taz Kin
Ching. or "Carnation Prohibited city"
Here lives the Emperor, who is well
called the Solitary Man" All the other
men in the Prohibited City are eunuchs
of whom there are probably 1000 They
do all the mental work. The chief eu-
much is a man of great importance-who
has sometimes played an influential part
In political affairs.
In 1894 the foreign representatives were
admitted for the first time into the pre-
cincts of the Prohibited City. There had
been a long contest to secure this right,
and on the occasion of the presentation of
complimentary letters written by the
chiefs of state in honor of the attainment
of sixty years of age by the Empress Re-
gent ii was first put In force. Since that
time the foreign ministers have always
been received by the Emperor In a hall
in the Prohibited City.
Chinese System of Taxation.
Space does not permit me to set out
full description of Pekin-and, besides, IT
has often been described. The system of
taxation In Pekin is peculiar, and some
account of II may prove to be interesting.
Pekin is situate in the prefecture of
Sheen-Tien Flu; that is. the region incloS-
ing the imperial capital. 1t is divided into
two hsien or districts, viz, Wan Ping
Hsien and Ia Hsing Tien, comprising
roughly the eastern and western portions
Of the city respectively. These two dis
tricts within the city, together with
twenty-five districts and departments out
side of Pekin-including Tungcho. Chan
pingchou, Pa chou. Sanho-Sien, and other
towns-make up the aforementioned flu,
or prefecture. All of these places pay,
through their respective district or de-
partment magistrates, land tax on arabic
land only, which taxes go not to the pro-
vincial treasury at Pao Tin Flu Che capt.
tai of the province of PechilD. but to the
Imperial board of revenue at Pekin This
tax varies when the land is held from the
Emperor from that levied when within the
domain allotted to a prince for his sup
port being larger in the latter case. Taxes
vary, also. with the crop-producing quail
lty of the soil from 10 cents to $3.50 an
acre. the land in each district being
turned, by officers designated for the pur-
pose, as good or bad. high or low.
Is not this practically Henry Georges
idea of the single tax, and is not a dis
elimination as to the crop-producing quail