The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-07-16
Definition Of a Compound and Hosp
taIity Of Minister DENLY.
FLAGS Or ELEVEN NATIONS THERE.
The Walls Of Pskln Are About Fifty Feet
High and Forty Feet Thick, With
Towers Rising Ahus.

Charles s. Hartwell OF Brooklyn, ~. T..
writes to the News as follows concerning
the manner In which the legations live
In Peking. China, and the work OF the
missionaries there:
We shall probably learn soon how they
died at Peking. but will try to give an
idea or how they lived I'm the legations at
the Chinese capital i spent the first four
months In 1857 In Peking, having divided
The last three months OF 1895 between
Shanghai and Tien Tsin. During this
period my associations were almost en-
tirely with the diplomatic corps. though
not miss the opportunity 10 become
acquainted with the work and the uyes
of a number of missionaries. The Amer
ican Methodist missionaries lived In a
large compound about half mile from
Protestant denominations and the catho-
lie missionaries lived within four miles.
A compound is an inclosure for three 10
ten houses and has its regular gatekeep-
ers TO afford some degree of seclusion
and protection to foreigners. With the
stan of the imperial maritime customs
and or the Imperial University the entire
foreign population of Peking numbered
only three or four hundred.
All the legations except the British and
the Austrian were on Legation street in
the southeastern part OF the Tartar City,
the Italian, Russian and American being
farthest to the east and the Netherlands
and French, q half mile distant to the
west The relative locations OF the princi-
pal legations are indicated m the diagram.
Some of these buildings are of two stories
and they are spacious and substantial.
In these houses, built OF brick and sur
rounded with walls about ten feet high
and one or two feet thick. the occupants
could maintain themselves in ordinary
periods OF excitement and anti-foreign
prejudice. but what can be expected OF
few hundred men, women and children
in q city Of q million and a half at a
period like the present? Machine guns
inpfront OF the American legation could
rake both streets. but a time must come
when ammunition and provisions fail.
In 1887 Minister DENLY, Secretary of Le-
cation Rockhill and Interpreter Cheshire
were at the head OF the American staff.
Business hours are from 10 TO and II was
a glorious sight to behold the flags OF
eleven nations as they fiuttered I'm the
breeze. OF all these every American rec
ognixed the Stars and Stripes as the most
beautiful and the Chinese seem TO have
the same opinion. for they call our coun-
try Tai Me Kwok. or the land OF the
fowery flag" One must see all these
flags on one street to appreciate the real
beauty OF our national emblem and you
will notice that no American who travels
in Oriental lands fails to value his birth
right or TO honor the ensign OF freedom.
Luring business hours, In AL the embas-
sizes. dispatches were being prepared, du-
plicated, recorded, translations were la
boriously worked out. callers Neceived and
Official visits paid. Messages between
buildings we're carried by Chinese en-
ployes and couriers were constantly pass
ing TO 1ien Tsin. eighty miles distant,
with bags of mail On the arrival OF mail
from homo governments there would be
unusual activity, as also before the de-
parture OF carriers
Office hours over. little groups OF horse
men could be seen passing out of the
great city gates for a gallop beyond the
walls. Many fine horses w.re owned by
the officials and trips on horseback were
taken I'm every direction. On these trips
could be seen strings OF large. long haired
camels, usually six I'm set, and donkeys
with a variety OF burdens. vending their
way to and from the city The Mongo-
liam camels are quite different from the
Egyptian. which have short hair and
seemed to me smaller. Though the