Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-08-02
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TEN SlN.
The Chinese City Winch is Now the Centre
| of Attra ctiau.

The Chinese City Which liz Now the Centre |
Of Attraction.
The attention of the civilized world
is new concentrated upon Pekin and
Tientsin. An authorization description
of this city will therefore doubtless he !
of interest. A gentleman, who has
spent many years at Tientsin, DR..
Jaisohn, formerly Of Korea, and now
residing in this city. gives the follow
| ing account of Tientsin.
Tientsin Is situated at the junction
of the Yum Ho or Hwae River, better
known as the Grand Canal, with the
| Pei-no. 1t is distant from Pekin by
road about so miles, but the bulk OF
the enormous traffic between the twd
cities Is by the river Pei-do as far 1T
Tungchow / l3 miles from Pekin) and
J thence ny carts and wheelbarrows over
the once magnificent but now dilapi-
dated stone causeway. Tientsin was
formerly place Of no Importance and
till recently had few historic assooia-
tions; till the end of the Ming dynasty
| it was only second-rate military
station, but as the northern terminus
of the Grand Canal it gradually as
sumed commercial Importance, and by
the end of the Seventeenth century had
become a great distribpting-centre. The
navigability of the Pei -Ho or sea gcing
junks ceases at Tientsin and this made
ii the emporium for the very large
quantities Of tribute rice yearly sent up
to the capital after the Grand Canal
shosled up so as to be unfit for carriage
in bulk. The expeditions OF the allies
in 1S5S61 greatly enhanced the i'm.
portance OF the city as it then proved
to be the military key OF the capital
and an excellent base 1t was here on
June Goth, 1858, just AZ years ago, that
Lord Elgin signed the treaty which
was to conclude the wal, but which
unhappily led to its indefinite pro-
longation The temple In which tho
treaty was Is about mile distant from
the West Gate and is nov in closed
In small arsenal { Hal KwanTgol and
surrounded by factories forthe manu-.
facture of small ann ammunition.
The city will ever be infamous to
Europeans and Americans from the
massacre Of the French Sisters of Mercy
and other foreigners on June 2lst, 1870,
in which the most appalling brutality
was exhibited. As usual the political
agitators who insti2ated tho riot got
off. The ruins of the Roman Catholic
Cathedral Church still tower up ON
: commanding site on the river bank,
but the enti,e mission has been trans.
| lbrreu 10 tile II rencn COuceSsIon, IDlIe
lower down the river.
The population is reputed to he
1000, 900. but there is no statistical
evidence to Justify such large figures.
!, The houses without exception are one
storied. The suburbs are very extensive
and there is the usual vngueness ms to
where the town begins and ends. Thel
city walls are quadrate and extendI
about 1000 feet 10 the direction OF each
cardinal point The advent of Foreigners
: has caused great increase in the value
= OF real estate all over lientsin.
Lii Hung Chang authorized the gov.
ernor 10 sink coal shaft at Tong
= Shan in the seventies this was donel
and proved the precursor Of railway,
!, which has since been extended TO SHAM
! Hal Kwan for military purposes, and
! to PeIsin.
4 The foreigners live in two conces.I
sions, British and French, which fringe
. the river below the city and cover anl
I. area of less than 200 arces. The Ger,I
u mans in 1855 acquired on extensive COM
cession adjoining and below the British.
y The British municipality has hand
= some town hall, completed in 1889, adj
% joining there is well kept public
. garden styled Victoria Park. An or
. cellent recreation ground OF 10 acres
% has also been developed, and TIRES
. miles distant there is o we'll -formcd
y race course. There are also two hotels,
= y the Astor House and The Globe, clubs
/, theatre and an excellent library.