Page:Illustrations of China and Its People vol. III.pdf/31



NANKING is not open to foreign trade; if it were, the mode by which strangers disembark from the steamers would be different from what it is. Three officers of the Viceroy's household, with myself, my servants and baggage, had to scramble into a small boat after dark, and were landed at the dry est part of the bank, whence boatmen led the way up to a straw shed, erected for the accommodation of passengers who might be waiting for the departure of the steamers. A few dim lanterns nickered about the walls of this building, and lit up the faces of a crowd of Chinamen, who were squatting on the earthern floor, or reclining on wooden benches. In this place I was constrained to spend the night, in an atmosphere of garlic and tobacco smoke; and here, too, I learned, to my deep regret, of the death of Tseng-quo-fan. This great man, one of the foremost statesmen of his time, died on the 14th of March. Through the kindness of our Minister at Peking, I had obtained a letter of introduction to Tseng-quo-fan, from Li-hung-chang, a comrade who had fought with him during the Taiping campaign, and now the Viceroy of Pechihli, and it was most unfortunate that I had deferred my visit to Nanking until my return from the Upper Yangtsze. My letter was now forwarded to his son, who sent a courteous reply, expressing regret that I had not arrived in time to take his father's portrait. Tseng-quo-fan, a native of Siang-Hiang, in Honan, distinguished himself during early life at the literary examinations, and rose rapidly to the highest rank as Commander-in-Chief of the troops in the Yangtsze Valley and southern provinces. He aided Col. Gordon against the Taipings, and was instrumental in crushing the rebellion. He was a member of the Grand Secretariat, and after the fall of Nanking was created a noble of the second class. He was then at the zenith of his power, and it was even said that his wide-spread influence was dreaded at the Court of Peking. In 1868 he became Governor-General of Pechihli; but he was removed from that office immediately after the Tientsin massacre, and for the third time appointed Governor-General of the Liang Kiang.

The Arsenal was built under the auspices of Li-hung-chang. It was the first of its kind in China, and stands near the site of the great Porcelain Tower outside the south gate of the city. The " Monastery of Gratitude," as well as the tower, were destroyed by the rebels, and the present Arsenal is partly built out of the bricks which had been employed in these structures. The chants of bygone days that used to issue from the Buddhist courts, filling the air with their dreary monotones, are to-day replaced by less peaceful sounds— by the whirr of engines, the clang of steamhammers, and the reports of guns or rifles, which are being tested for use. The Arsenal is conducted upon the most advanced scientific principles, and superintended by Dr. Macartney. It is a startling innovation on the old style of things in China. If the Chinese first taught us the use of guns (they are said to have employed them at the siege of Khai-fung-fu, in 1232), we are certainly repaying the obligation with interest by instructing them how our deadliest weapons are to be made. In this Arsenal many hundred tons of guns and ammunition are yearly manufactured, and I have no doubt its products have proved of great service in the prompt suppression of the Mahometan outbreak in the Provinces of Kangsu and Shensi. In No. iS my readers will recognize a mitrailleuse; on the right of it a torpedo, and rocket tube, a pile of shells, a howitzer, a rocket-stand, and a field-gun carriage. The mitrailleuse had just been finished, and was fired in my presence. A native workman is engaged in describing the instrument to one of his officers. This picture shows that, however much the Chinese may have neglected to cultivate the Western sciences which pertain to peace, they have sought to make themselves masters of those which relate to war.