Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-08-25
have caused more discussion than AFFAIR. of


state.
The Heavy Wallis.
The heavy walls which surround these
legations have proved effective means Of
defense. while the Chinese method of build
ing houses up against each other and their
numerous alleys and courts and narrow
passages and their many back gates offer
such facilities for underground" communi-
cations can be found in no other city
in the world The British legation, in which
such a small band of marines has been able
to defy Chinese hordes numbering tens OF
thousands, is adjoined on both the north
and south by the compounds of friendly
chinese. At the northwest corner were the
imperial carriage yards. on the west were
still other Enclosures of friendly Chinese.
while the stable gates at the southwest cor
ner OF the legation opened into a large Chi
nese market The walls around the legation,
almost three feet thick, have been cut
through INTO the compounds of the
friendly Chinese, and through them and
from the Chinese market ii was an easy
matter to smuggle supplies and provisions
and also to spy on the besieging mobs
around them. These legations are, in fact
little cities within themselves The English
legation has on its premises no less than
eight or ten different wells and covers an
area of about six acres. There are separate
establishments for the minister and for
the first and second secretaries of legation,
extensive quarters and barracks for con-
=.
vate stables for the minister and general
stables for others of the legation, a doc
tor house and hospital. parsonage and
chapel. school and home for teachers,
besides extensive quarters for servants.
The other legations. except the American.
are maintained on the same general plan.
though none of them on so elaborate
scale as that maintained by the English.
The American Legation.
The American legation occupied the most
humble quarters of any foreign embassy
On south side of Legation street just be-
yond an old marble bridge that crosses the
canal, it lies in the shadow of the great
wall of the Tartar city. The Chinese can
not understand and have never ceased to
wonder and speculate on how one who
lives so simply the American min
lister can exact such consideration
and respect from the ambassadors of the
other powers, who maintain court with
oriental splendor in the magnificent old
palaces of the Manchu princes.
Some have complained that life in Pekin
was almost exile. For many years Ii was
comparatively quiet. The ministers had lit
tie to do looking after the interests of their
governments and there were few complaints
from their citizens engaged in trade through
out the empire. The delightful summers were
spent in the old temples on the famous
western hills, overlooking the plain sur
rounding Pekin Excursions and side trips
10 the great wall, the Ming tOmbS, the
summer palace the beautiful deer park or
to the royal potteries, where the beautiful
yellow, green and blue porceains which
adorn the imperial palaces are made under
the direction of descendant of the original
inventor furnished about all the excite
ment that was to be found. In the winter
time the succession of state dinners and le-
CATION balls We're varied with ice carnivals
held in the skating Kinks, which were made
by flooding the tennis courts in the legation
grounds and housing them over with sheds
of bamboo mating.
Ever since the outbreak of the japanese
war, when the moving armies of Chinese
soldiers from provinces where foreigners
We're unknown, began to mako it dangerous
TO wander about the city a. the legation
people had formerly done. there have been
secret treaties, waves of reform and great
reactions. riots, beheadings, hurried flights
rumors of uprising, abdications the coming
and going of legation guards, aLh now at
last the deluge.
GUY MORRISON WALKER