Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XIII.djvu/242

 232 PEKING ty consists of four separate altars : to the spir- its of the heavens, those of the earth, the planet Jupiter, and Shin-nung, the inventor of agri- culture. The worship at this altar is performed at the vernal equinox, at which time the cere- mony of ploughing a part of the enclosure is performed by the emperor, assisted by members of the board of rites. A little "W. of this en- closure is the pool dedicated to the spirits of the waters, where his majesty performs special supplications whenever the country suffers from drought or deluge. The southern city is not subject to the same strict military rule as the northern, and is in consequence resorted to by many persons in quest of relaxation and dissi- pation. During the night the great thorough- fares are usually quiet, and are dimly lighted by lanterns which hang from the doors of the houses. The air is polluted by the stench arising from private vessels and public reser- voirs for urine and all kinds of offal, which is carefully collected and carried out of the gates in the same boxed carts in which the vegetables are brought to market. Covered carts without springs drawn by mules, saddle horses, and donkeys are used, and can be hired at numerous stands throughout the city ; but sedans are not permitted to be used so near the emperor except by privileged persons. The Mantchoo women ride astride, and their number in the streets, both riding and walking, imparts a peculiarity to the crowd which is not seen in cities further south. The various tribes of central Asia have representatives among the throng, and their different costumes add to the liveliness of the scene. The climate of Peking is very cold in winter. The ther- mometer then ranges from 25 to 10, and in summer it sometimes rises to 105, but is gen- erally between 75 and 90. Water is frozen from December to March, and violent storms and whirlwinds occur in spring. But upon the whole the climate is healthy, and epidemics are rare. The manufactures of Peking are tri- fling, and the trade of the place is confined to supplying the wants of the inhabitants. The principal part of the provisions consumed comes from the S. provinces, or from the N. part of Chihli, the plain adjoining the city pro- ducing but little. The taxes of China are for the most part paid in kind, and large quantities of grain are stored in Peking. Coal is brought from the south and southwest on the backs of camels and mules ; and the houses are heated by stoves, the fuel being a compound of coal dust and earth. All the necessaries of life are exceedingly dear, and many of the inhabitants are miserably poor. The government differs from that of other cities in the empire ; it is separated from the affairs of the department, and administered by officers residing in the four circuits into which it is divided. A minister of one of the boards is appointed superintendent of the city, and subordinate to him is a mayor. These functionaries are quite independent of the provincial governor, carrying any affairs which they cannot determine directly to the emperor. The police is materially assisted in its duties by the gates which are placed at the heads of the streets and closed at night, and watchmen patrol the city. There is frequently much trouble in keeping the populace quiet, for in times of unusual scarcity they rise in mobs and pillage the public granaries. There is a government journal, the "Peking Gazette," published daily in the form of a pamphlet of from 60 to 70 pages. Everything printed in it is first examined by a political or literary com- mittee, and the official part emanates from the emperor's cabinet. It notices all public affairs, and gives a succinct account of the principal events. It contains the petitions and memo- rials presented to the emperor, together with his replies and his orders and instructions to the mandarins. Records of judicial events conclude the official part, which the editors cannot alter in any respect, without subjecting themselves to the penalty of death. Examples of this punishment, occurring from time to time, maintain among the public an almost re- ligious respect for all that appears in the " Ga- zette." The journal is regarded as an expres- sion of the emperor's will, which every one obeys, and before which every one bows. The environs of Peking are occupied with groves, private mansions, hamlets, and cultivated fields, in or near which are trees, so that the city viewed from a distance appears as if situated in a for- est. The park of Yuen-ming-yuen, or " round and splendid gardens," lies about 8 m. N. W. of the city, and is estimated to contain 12 sq. m. The country becomes hilly in this direc- tion, and advantage has been taken of the nat- ural surface in the arrangement of the differ- ent parts of the ground, so that the whole pre- sents every variety of hill and dale, woodlands and lawns, interspersed with canals, pools, riv- ulets, and lakes, the banks of which have been thrown up or diversified in imitation of nature. Some parts are cultivated, groves and tangled thickets occur here and there, and places are purposely left wild in order to contrast the better with the highly cultivated precincts of a palace, or to form a rural pathway to a retired summer house. The number of residences for the emperor or his ministers within this park is estimated at 30, each of which is surrounded by many houses occupied by eunuchs and ser- vants. The summer palace and principal hall of audience, the most extensive and by far the most splendid of these residences, was plun- dered by the Trench and English forces in their advance upon Peking, in October, 1860. The entrance or reception hall was 110 ft. long, 42 ft. wide, and 20 ft. high. It was paved with marble, painted with gold, azure, and scarlet, in the most gorgeous style, and was elaborately furnished. Among the plunder were silks, china, jewels, and valuable presents to the emperors. The English treaty of Tientsin was also discov- ered, and an immense quantity of spoils of all kinds made it difficult to decide what to take