The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-08-10

which were pagodas, pavilions, tenn
pies, lakes and the magnificent Marble
bridge, to say nothing of the artificial
hill called "Mei-Shan," or Coal hill, SO
called because it is said to consist Of
coal, to serve the city as fuel in case
Of a siege.
So carefully is the seclusioR of the
Imperial City guarded that even Chi
nese mobiles cannot present themselves
there without being summoned, and
one of the great rewards of a success
full general or favored statesman is
the privilege of riding within the In
perial City precincts. The legations
know little and see less of this hidden
city, as the ministers and their STATS
are received by the emperor once or
twice year in pavilion near one of
the Imperial City gates.
The British legation, or, lying Kwo-
Foo" as the Chinese call it, was for
merly "foo," or residence of a prince
of royal blood, and was granted to the
British minister in 1861. 1t consists of
seven or eight acres, surrounded by
walk, with a fine gateway. In front
of this flows the canal which carries
| the overflow of water from the lakes
of the Imperial City, through the Tar
tar City and into the moat surrounding
the latter.
the beauty of the Chinese palace in
which Sir Claude and Lady MacDon-
Fald dispensed the most gracious hospi-
tally 1t makes me sad to look back
and try to recall the dances, stately
dinners and pleasant receptions given
in those beautiful rooms, where one
met interesting men of all natiOnali-
ties. Here we played games in the lab
yrinthian corridors on informal even
ings; here we sat out dances and lis
tened to pretty nothings expressed in
Italian, English, German, Spanish and
French, but principally in French.
Hither Ii Hung Chang otter came and
watched our gyrations to the music of
Sir Robert Harris band, consisting of
wind instruments played by Chinese
whose education in European music
had put him to no end of trouble and
expense, but it was the plaything of
himself in few frivolities.
Ii often asked us embarrassing ques-
tons on subjects which he had been
warned not to breach to European wo-
men, so he did it to tease evidently.
Poor Chang yi-Mow, who had learned
to like us during his long stay in Wash
ington and for that reason is now con-
demned by the ruthless empress to
break stones on the highways of Man.
churia, and many other Chinese
mobiles and officials presented them
selves on Lady MacDonald's "even-
ings at home" They recalled us to the
stern fact that we We're in Picking sur
rounded by an alien population who.
to say the least. scorned us as barba-
rians, or, more generally, hated us, and
on slight provocation would be only too
ready to stone us.
How pleasant were the choir rehears-
: ais once week in the legation chapel!
What cozy teas Lady Macdonald gave
us afterward in her own sitting room
The secretaries of the legation were
unmarried, but that did not prevent
their giving charming dinners and teas
and even the young students of the
consular service gave us gay teas in
their barraclilille row, where each
young man had his sitting room and
bedroom, all messing together in fine
large dining room.
, On Sunday morning all the English
+ speaking world except the missionaries
(who lived at great distances from the
, legations, and, besides, had their own
5 chapels) met at the morning service to
J listen to Bishop Scott's pleasant voice
and to walk about the grounds of the
5 legation after service. chatting awhile
before tittin. On that day only we
> saw the silk hat reappear from its
/ case, where it generally rested, neglect
4 ed for cork helmets in summer and ful
2 caps in winter.
5 The Russian and French legations
| were the only ones which could com
] pare in size or beauty with the British
S legation. These were more given to
entertaining their own nationals" FIRE
s quently and the rest of society formal
] ly and very splendidly occasionally
4 The ballroom of the Russian legation
t was the largest in Picking. and here
e we danced some brilliant cotillons.
f delighted in the distinctly Russian 10
e cal color one felt when paying visits
$ to the Russian ladies. We generally
j found the minister surrounded by Wis
o itors or his staff sitting on board We
: randa drinking tea out of glasses as tai
n as beer glasses, in silver stands will
n handles, and eating great slices ol
e bread and butter from plates which
stood on Il bare round table.
. The French legation occupied a for
t mer foo" like the English, and wa.
Y only degree less handsome. The Ger
S man and American legations were fa
t too small for the comfort of their occu
e pants. The Austrians had just bull
j their fine new legation in European
\ style. The Dutch legation was mod
a ern and small, with no attraction be
yond an air of comfort. The Spanisl
l. legation was handsome but small, and