Waterbury Democrat., 1901-11-25
A RARE COLLECTION.

The recent events in China, which, have directed the eyes of the world to that country, and the death of it's premier, Earl Ii Hung Chang. will re call to the minds of many of the older Bridgeporters the magnificent collec- ton of Chinese jewels, silks and iyor- ies owned by MT and Mrs Charles F.. Hill, who late i'll the 'T0's resided 9t the old Sterling hotel. says the Bridge port Standard. That was during the years that William II. Adams and family resided there, Mrs Hill being an only sister of Mr Adams. Both Mir and Mrs Adams and Mrs Hill en- tertained lavishly ill the old hotel. and many of the wonderful and beau tiful pieces of Mrs Hills collection were to be seen in tile apartments of brother and sister. Mrs Hill is now | resident of Syracuse, N. Y., and since she was here her collection of Chi nese articles has increased until it is one of the largest ill any home in the country.
 Of that collection the Syracuse Her aid says:
 Mrs Elizabeth Adams Hill of No. COB East Fayette street is the fortu- nate owner of treasures, many of which are relics of the footing of the summer palace near Picking on the oc- casion of the expedition undertaken against China by France and Eng land in 1860.
 Charles E. Hill was a tea merchant in Shanghai at the time, and it was to him. that Ii Hung Chang owed his rise to power. At the time of the first rebellion, when the southeast provinces rose against the empire, Nh. Hill, by lending the future earl, who was then mandarin of his province, and his personal friend. q fleet Of fully equipped vessels, made it pos sible for him to go against the rebels and handle the war for the imperial party and bring it to successful fin ish =
 A ring of Mrs Hill's wherein is set q sapphire the size of huge pea re- calls to mind the fact that the same stone once sparlzled in the forehead of an idol which was forty years ago en- shrined in the imperial palace and q magnificent jade bracelet was at that time the property of the empress her self.
 The pillage of the palace by. the d. lies lasted two days, when by the OK ercise of a little tact it was stopped A few days later the summer palace was burned by the order of the gell- erals as an act of public and author ized vengeance for the murder and torture of members of tie allied forces.
 Just when tic conflict was ended :, party, among which MT and Mrs Hill were numbered, went from Shanghai h e,&o J ct the river and canals to view the scenes of carnage where the ground was strewn with unburied corpseS.
 The relics of the loot which are in Mrs Hill's possession were mostly gifts from Ii Hung Chang, who ai- ways considered Mir Hill as one of his best friends, and showered pres ents upon him at every suitable oppor- tunity. The spells which had been laid at his feet by the subjected reb- els included all sorts of costly and beautiful articles, and many of these were bestowed by the mandarin upon his American patron,' as he called MT Hill. Another reason for the pop ularity of the Hills in China lay in the fact that they were the parents of twin sons, a circumstance which ren- dered them almost sacred in the eyes of the Chinese, who regarded male children as special gifts from Heaven only vouchsafed to those who were both good and great.
 One of the gifts made to MT Hill by Ii Hung Chang was . large photo graph of himself in the robes of of fee. Mrs IIiIl's recollections of Earl Ii are as willy politician and born diplomat. She also speaks of him as having been far from trustworthy, and tells of the various acts of treachery of which he was guilty during the Tai-Ping rebellion. When the south ern provinces had laid down thalr arms and the treaty of peace had been concluded. Iii Hung Chang delib- erately beheaded every one of the viceroys of these provinces. ssChi- nesev Gordon was so wrathful at this act that he would have killed tha earl on the spot if he could have found him. but Ii went into hiding and was not discovered until the danger was past.
 About four years ago Mrs Hill pre- sented this photograph of Li Hung Chang to Syracuse university to- gether with a number of other beauti- ful and curious things from the s'Flowery Kingdom. One of these was an image of the Chinese war god. Kuan-Fu-Tze Miau Men-Sau Shen- Eisu, 2 hi,leous gilded idol about two feet and q half tall. On the belt that fastens his flowing robes is carved the horrible dragon of war He stands in q threatening attitude, with one hand uplifted. and fierce black whislxers as:d to his belligerent expression. This representation of the. war god was worshipped for over q century in a Shanghai temple.