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CHINA,

IX A SERIES OF VIEWS, DISPLAYING

THE SCENERY, AECHITECTUEE, AND SOCIAL HABITS,

THAT ANCIENT EMPIRE.

DRAWN, FROM ORIGINAL AND AUTHENTIC SKETCHES, BY

THOMAS ALLOM, ESQ.

WITH HISTORICAL AND DESCRirilVE NOTICES DY

THE KEY. G. K WRIGHT, M.A.

VOL. III.

r I SHE II, SON, k CO. NEWGATE STREET, LONDON ; RUE ST. IIONORE, PARIS.

Digitized by the Internet Archive

in 2012 with funding from

Research Library, The Getty Research Institute

http://archive.org/details/chinainseriesofv3to4allo

LIST OF PLATES.

VOL III.

PAGX

A Chinese Cemetery « - ....... vigxettb (>2

The Woo-tang Mountains ........... 5

Hall of Audience, Palace of Yuen-inin-yuen. ...;.. ... 8

Landing-place and Entrance to the Temple of Hoiiau ...... 10

The Proof-sword Rock, Hoo-kew-shan .......... 12

Estuary of the Ta-hea, or Ning-po River ......... 15

The Tai-wang-kow, or Yellow Pagoda Fort, Canton River . . . . . .17

Ladies of a Mandarin's Family at Cards ......... 18

Termination of the Great Wall of Ciiina ... 21

The Shih-mun, or Rock Gates 23

Dyeing and Winding Silk ............ 25

Sowing Rice, at Soo-chow-foo ........... 27

Transplanting Rice . . 30

Playing at Shuttlecock with the Feet ......... 32

Entrance to the Hoang-ho, or Yellow River ......... 34

Sacrifice of tiie Ching-tswe-tsee, or Harvest-moon ....... 36

The Western Gate of Peking 89

The Grotto of Camiiens, Macao 42

The Cataract of Shili-tan ............ 4o

Gardens of the Imperial Palace, Peking 46

Cap-vender's Shop, Canton . 48

Close of the Attack on Chapoo 49

CONTENTS.

PARS

An Itinerant Barber 51

Scene in the Suburbs of Ting-bae 53

Opium-smokers ... . .... , . . . . . 54

Amo}-, from the Outer Harbour 56

A Marriage Procession 58

Landing-place at tlie Yuk-shan ........... 60

Silk Farms at Iloo-chow ............ 61

A Devotee consulting the Sticks of Fate 64

Great Temple at Honan 66

The Emperor Taou-kwang reviewing his Guard? ........ 67

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CHINA.

THE WOO-TANG MOUNTAINS.

PROVINCE OF KIANG-SI.

" The wild streams leap with headlong sweep, In their ciirbless course o'er the mountain steep : All fresh and strong they foam along, Waking the rocks with their cataract song."

The Recluse or the Rock.

In the schistose district of the Meilung mountains, that engross the southern part of Kiang-si, the forms of the cliffs and the crags are more varied than art could ever have made them, and than nature generally does. The goddess, however, in a sportive mood, seems to have moulded the amazingly diversified surface of the Woo-tang rocks, in which the Kan-kiang-ho has its source; for, the toppling position of the great mass that overhangs the village of Woo-tang and the vale of Nan-kang-foo, is obedient rather to the strength of adhesion than the laws of gravit)'. An Alpine grandeur pervades the whole mountain chain to the north of the Meilung group ; and the Chinese are so entirely devoted to pleasure, so much engrossed by superstition, such victims to actual romance, that they associate every picturesque spot amidst these cloud-capp'd pinnacles with a legend of pleasure or pain — a duty enjoined by custom — a pilgrimage dictated by caprice or idleness.

Many of the princes of Woo have acquired celebrity by their chivalrous bearing, by their disinterested patriotism, their great wisdom, or their solid learning. One, however, is remembered with more feeling: his story has found more sympathy than the sorrows or the sufferings of his kindred, from its interesting and romantic character. Too-fan was a prince of undaunted courage, great personal graces, and cultivated mind. Whe- ther he was disgusted with the insipidity of a courtier's life, or was inspired naturally with a love of wandering, is uncertain ; but one day, after he had reached the age of

III. B

6 CHINA ILLUSTRATED.

twenty, he left his royal home to enjoy the pleasures of the chase, and did not return at the accustomed time. Couriers were despatched in all directions, and public procla- mations issued, offering immense rewards to any one who could reveal the mystery of his sudden disappearance — but in vain. At length the emperor abandoned all hope of recover- ing his favourite son, went through the prescribed forms of wailing for an heir deceased, and appointed a successor to the lost but loved Too-fan. Time rolled its ceaseless course, and Hoo-fan, lately elected successor to the throne, accompanied by a retinue of courtiers, proceeded to hunt in the valleys and amidst the rocks of Woo-tang ; but the sportsmen being separated by the chances of the chase, the royal heir missed his compa- nions, and rode in search of them down a sequestered glen, until he was exhausted by fatigue, and apprehensive of being overtaken by the darkness of night. In this distressing situation, a young female, modestly attired, approached him, inquired the occasion of his so little expected visit to that unfrequented spot, and invited him to alight, and take shelter in her lowly dwelling. Astonished at her exquisite beauty, at the kind yet unembarrassed manner in which she offered to extend the rites of hospitality to a stranger, Hoo-fan for awhile was not able to reply : attributing his silence to fatigue, she at once called for assistance, which was answered by the appearance of a young man at the cottage door, who immediately advanced, and con ucted the wanderer in.

Here the prince passed a night not of rest but distraction, although every effort that hospitality and benevolence could dictate was employed to reconcile him, and safe guidance to the precincts of his well-known hunting-ground, promised him on the morrow. But the surpassing beauty of his benefactress had made an impression on his hearty that reason could never efface; and his elevated rank induced him to believe, that it was not in mortal power to prevent him from one day calling her his own. This, however, was a fatal folly, and he lived just long enough to regret the error of such ungo- vernable passion. Perceiving that the beautiful mountaineer was the wife of the cottager, he proposed at once to purchase her, and increased his price to such an extravagant amount, that his host at length concluded that folly, or madness, could alone have prompted him to this singular request ; leading him, accordingly, to the limit of his lonely vale, he bade him be happ)', and farewell.

These last words found no echo in the heart of Hoo-fan, who was henceforth to become the prey of a lawless and a hopeless passion ; and, proceeding rather as his animal carried than himself conducted, at length returned to his companions, who were overjoyed at again beholding their royal leader.

Changed in his very nature by the flame that withered up all his moral feelings, Hoo-fan now began to plot the destruction of the peasant of Woo-tang, that he might remove what he deemed the only impediment to the possession of his fair companion ; and for this purpose, approaching his imperial father, he laid before him a grievance which he said ought to be immediately redressed. He told him how a bold rebel, of whose exact name he was uncertain, but whose secret home he knew, in defiance of imperial pleasure, continually hunted in the royal domains ; and prayed permission to suppress the offence by punishing the offender. His request being granted, Hoo-fan set out,

THE WOO-TANG MOUNTAINS.

with a chosen few of his profligate associates, and reaching the once happy valley of Woo-tang, acquainted the cottager, who had treated him so hospitably when his life was in his power, that information of his predatory habits having reached the imperial throne, he had been deputed to inquire into the circumstances. Ingratitude, and a still deeper contempt for his fellow-men, for a moment overpowered the innocent victim, who had not passed unnoticed the attention with which Hoo-fan had regarded his faithful wife ; but, recovering himself quickly, he formed his resolution. " Great prince," said he, " allow me to give instructions to my dearly-loved wife, for the arrange- ments of our cottage during my absence, after which I shall obediently attend you." The prince withdrew, leaving the afflicted wife to hear the last fond words which the partner of her solitude was ever, as Hoo-fan purposed, to whisper in her ear; but a watchful Providence had decreed far otherwise. " When I depart," said the husband calmly, " with prince Hoo-fan, and his satellites, do you, my dear wife, ascend yon hill, and hasten to the imperial palace by the shortest way ; tell the chief officer of the court to bear this girdle, with the bright diamond that adorns it, to the emperor, wherever he may be ; adding, that the owner is now on the way to an ignominious death, by the imperial order, and that the imperial presence alone can save him. Speed, and may Fo, the god of the faithful and the fond, befriend you."

Hoo-fan having told the emperor that such an offender did exist, must necessarily have inflicted punishment upon him for the pretended crime, in somewhat of a public manner, unless one of his infamous coadjutors should have boldness enough to supersede this necessity by assassination. This, however, would have been an attempt of the most perilous kind, the captive being a man of gigantic stature, extraordinary muscu- larity, and possessing the fleetness and activity of those very animals of the chase, which he was accused of pursuing and overtaking on foot. He was conducted, there- fore, to the nearest tribunal, the summit of a lofty rock, which was itself enclosed between two huge perpendicular masses ; and on this plateau, in the eye of just heaven, the iniquitous trial and punishment were to take place.

The party passed out of the retired valley, crossed the stream of the Kang-kiang-ho, by two rustic bridges, that span the deep ravine through which it tumbles, and reaching the plateau on the summit, went through the contemplated mockery of a trial, by which the prisoner was condemned to be thrown from the beetling cliff' into the abyss below. The pause that followed this dreadful announcement was suddenly interrupted by the appearance of a cavalcade, numerous, coming on at full speed, and with all the character of a hostile troop. One horseman, better mounted than the rest, rode madly into the ring formed for the tribunal, exclaiming, " Suspend the sentence, stop the execution, as you value your lives — the emperor ! the emperor !" A few moments more, and the emperor stood amidst the traitorous band who had abused his confidence. " Hoo-fan," said he, " you have forfeited my affections, disgraced the name of a prince of Woo, and are no longer worthy of my protection. Go, take the place of the captive, whom your vicious passions would have put to a painful and most horrid death ; and, to aggravate your disappointment, I adopt him to be the heir to my throne and kingdom." Having

8 CHINA ILLUSTRATED.

concluded this solemn decree, he threw aside the restraints of majesty, and rushing towards the prisoner, fell upon his manly bosom, exclaiming, " My son, my lost son, Too-fan !"

On the spot where this affecting incident is said to have taken place, a temple of Fo has been erected, in which an altar, or tang, is dedicated to the memory of Too-fan, and from which Woo-tang takes its abiding name.

HALL OF AUDIENCE, PALACE OF YUEN-MIN-YUEN.

PEKING.

Fling ye the silken curtain wide. With gold restrained, with purple dyed, And let the colours wander o'er The polished walls, the marble floor. White are the walls, but o'er them wind Rich patterns curiously designed.

The Khan or Kathay.

Imperial luxury appears, in China, to be insatiable. There is not a minor political division of this vast empire, unadorned by some palace, or villa, or hall of majesty ; and the display of fancy exhibited in their arrangements is only inferior to the gorgeousness with which the designs are executed. Yuen-min-Yuen is perhaps the most extensive and sumptuous of all these abodes of magnificence and power; and it is also better known to Europeans, from the reception, within its marble halls, of foreign embassies, than the travelling-palace of Hoo-kew-shan, and other picturesque localities.

A noble park, improperly called the Gardens of Yuen-min-Yuen, is situated about three leagues north-west of Peking, and occupies an area of eleven square miles. Here are no less than thirty distinct imperial residences, each surrounded with all the necessary buildings for lodging the numerous state officers, servants, and artificers, that are required, not only on occasions of court and public days, but for the regular conduct of the household. Each of these assemblages includes so great a number of separate structures, that at a little distance the appearance is precisely that of a com- fortable village, and of tolerable extent. The mode of building possessing few traits of permanence, on a closer examination a character of meanness, and a poverty of invention, are at once discovered ; and even here, in the most luxurious and spacious of all the imperial homes, it is to the amazing number of fanciful huts, and decorated sheds, rather than to their stateliness or durable pretensions, that any magnificence is ascribed.

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HALL OF AUDIENCE, PALACE OF YUEN-MI N- YUEN. 9

Amongst these thirty groups of painted palaces, the Hall of Audience is the most conspicuous for its magnitude, ornament, and proportions. Elevated on a platform of granite, about four feet above the surrounding level, an oblong structure stands, one hundred and twenty feet in length, forty-five in breadth, and in height twenty. A row of large wooden columns surrounds the cella, and supports a heavy projecting roof; while an inner tier, of less substantial pillars, marks the area of the chambers : the intervals of the latter, being filled with brick-work to the height of four feet, form the enclosing screen or walls of the chief apartment. Above these the space is occupied with lattice work, covered with oiled paper, and capable of being thrown open, when the temperature of the hall demands it. On the ceiling are described squares, circles, polygons, and other mathematical figures, in various combinations, and charged with endless shades of gaudy colours. The floor is a more chaste piece of workmanship, consisting of slabs of a beautiful grey marble, disposed chequer-wise, and with the most accurate and perfect precision in the jointing. In a recess at the centre of one end stands the imperial throne, composed entirely of cedar richly and delicately carved, the canopy being supported by wooden pillars painted with red, green, and blue colours. Two large brass kettle-drums, occasionally planted before the door, and there beaten on the approach of the emperor, form part of the furniture of the hall, the rest consisting of Chinese paintings, an English chiming-clock, made by Clarke of Leadenhall-street, and a pair of circular fans formed of the wings of the argus-pheasant, and mounted on polished ebony poles. These stand on each side of the throne, above which are inscribed, in the Chinese letter and language, "True, great, refulgent, splendid," and beneath these pompous words, the much more pithy one — " Hapjmiess."

The columns in all cases — within the hall, beneath the imperial canopy, and those that sustain the overhanging roof — are without capitals ; and the only substitute for an architrave is the bressumer, or horizontal beam on which the projecting rafters of the roof recline. Below this architrave and between the columns, wooden screens are interposed, painted with the most glaring hues of the brightest colours, profusely intermixed with gilding. Over the whole of this fancy-work a net of gilded wire is stretched, to protect it against the invasion of swallows, and other enemies to the eaves and the cornices of buildings.

The grounds around the many palaces are either broken by nature, or formed by art into hill and dale, diversified with wood and water — the latter enclosed by banks so ingeniously thrown up, that they represent the fortuitous workmanship of the free hand of creative power. Bold rocky promontories are seen projecting into a lake, and valleys also retiring from them, some, deep-wooded bosoms — others, scenes of richest cultivation. Wherever pleasure-temples, or grottoes, or pavilions for rest, are erected, the views from each are evidently studied productions of some one eminent in the delightful art of land- scape gardening. In the arrangement of trees, not only the magnitude to which the species ultimately attains, but even the tints of the foliage, are maturely considered in the composition of the picture.

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10 CHINA ILLUSTRATED.

LANDING-PLACE AND ENTRANCE TO THE TEMPLE OF HONAN.

CANTON.

" 'Tis mad idolatry, That makes the service greater than the god."

SlIAKSPEARE.

On the south banks of the Cho-keang, or Pearl river, and on the opposite side from the city of Canton, is a rural district, much frequented by visiters and residents for recreation and change of air, but by a still greater number of pilgrims, who come hither to bow the knee at the shrine of Buddha. Emerging from the narrow filthy streets, and escaping from their no.\ious atmosphere, the bridge of Honan, with its quaint architecture, conducts to the little isle itself, a paradise in comparison with the busy city to which it is united. Here the scenery is peculiarly pleasing, and the luxuriant trees that adorn the banks, that dip into the stream, that spread their grateful shelter over the fields, animate the picture by the amazing variety in their shades and their colours.

Here also is the most famous of all Buddhist temples in China, the very cathedral of that contemptible idolatry. Standing on the margin of the water, it is most frequently approached by boats; and the multitude that is in perpetual motion at the landing- place, is calculated to give a very low estimate of Chinese character. It consists of the aged, infirm, and infantine, coming to ask pardon of a block of wood, for sins and omissions in this world, and to beg liberation from the torments of swords, and axes, and bowstrings in the world to come. Another and more unimportant portion of the crowd is intent on over-charging, on pilfering, and abusing the confidence of these dotards, whom they have, almost pardonably, concluded to be deserving of no better lot. The reasoning, however, is obviously vicious, which would pretend to prove that folly in one party, justifies dishonesty in another: but, what is in China the standard of virtue or vice — the test of truth or falsehood — the boundary of good or evil?

A small comfortable-looking assemblage of doors, and screens, and gables, and projecting eaves, and concave roofs, and grotesque animals, gives to the landing-place the character of a country ale-house. Here, however, is the place of entrance to a vista of majestic banyan trees, that appear to have resisted the assaults of the elements for centuries of time, and by their venerable aspect, supply, in some degree, the want of antiquity in the flimsy, temporary sheds, that lie hid beneath them. Giants of wood guard the next doorway, with becoming vigilance, and terrific aspect ; and whoever passes these formidable warders, will find another enclosure within, intersected by flagged walks, that lead amidst the trees, to colonnades, filled with gods and monsters

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LANDING-PLACE AND ENTRANCE TO THE TEMPLE OP HONAN. 11

of every sect and profession. Beyond the second square are situated three grand lialls, appropriated to idols of greater costhness, and still more hideous aspect. Within the central are the three famous images, illustrative of the triune manifestations of Buddha — the past, present, and future. Kwo-keu-fuh, whose reign is past, is on the right ; We-lae- fuh, whose reign is yet to come, on the left ; the centre being occupied by Heen-tsa-fuh, whose power is now supposed to regulate human destinies. The monsters, although in a sitting posture, are each eleven feet in height. Before these " three precious Buddha " stand tables, or altars, on which are placed joss-sticks, censers, perfumes, flowers, ornaments, and sometimes rare fruits; and, on either side are arranged eighteen images of the primitive disciples of Buddha, supposed to be resuscitated emperors of the Mantchou-Tartar race. The side walls are decorated with silken cur- tains, embroidered, in letters of gold and silver thread, with mottos and precepts from the works of Confucius. A number of pillars, gilt and painted, sustain the roof, from the cross-beams of which several hundred lanterns depend, whose muffled rays diifuse a mysterious light around, not badly calculated to aid the solemn character which the labours of the priests are incessant in endeavouring to impart.

The several cellae, or places of worship, within the sanctuarj', are all of nearly equal capacity, and adorned with an equal variety of objects of vertu; and, besides these devotional apartments, a very extensive monastery belongs to the temple, where some hundred priests are comfortably lodged. Considerable distinctions appear to exist between the grades or classes of this monastic order, for, some of them are clothed in costly habits, and exhibit unequivocal symptoms of having " fared sumptuously every day ;" while others are squalid, emaciated, and poverty-stricken. There cannot be a more obvious inconsistency in the government of any public body, than is presented by the wretchedness that marks the appearance of a large number of this Buddhist fraternity, and the luxury in which the sacred hogs indulge in the consecrated styes beneath the very roof of the temple. These favoured animals are fed and tended with the utmost care, and, when they have literally eaten themselves to death, are laid, with much solemnity, in a mausoleum appropriated to their remains.

In Buddhist worship, the priests, who have a direct interest in its maintenance, perform all the functions of their calling with the most becoming solemnity, and the ceremony itself is exceedingly imposing; but the people do not appear to feel the influence of example, and look on with indifference, while the most venerable amongst the priesthood knocks his aged brow repeatedly against a sacred flagstone in front of the altar. Indeed there cannot possibly be any wide-spread faith in the creed of Buddhism, even in the empire of Cathay; for, in addition to their total indifference to its ceremonies, Buddhists occasionally appropriate the very temples of worship to profane purposes. On Lord Amherst's return from the court of Peking, he visited Canton, and the authorities of that great city, although his lordship had been unsuccessful in his mission, did not hesitate to provide accommodations for the embassy in the great temple of Ilonan. The triune were removed from their pedestals, and transported to a lodging on the other side of the river; while the chief cell,

12 CHINA ILLUSTRATED.

or choir, or aisle of the temple, was converted into a banqueting hall for the foreigners. This fact did not escape the vigilance of the savars in that distinguished cortege, who have judiciously remarked, " that the conversion of a people so slenderly attached to the predominant religion, would not be attended with difficulty, if truth were on the tongues of those who undertook it."

THE PROOr-SWORD ROCK, IIOO-KEW-SHAN.

And, as the brand he poised and sway'd, " I never knew but one," he said, " Whose stalwart arm might brook to wield A sword like this in battle-field."

SlOTT.

In the mythological or romantic ages of every eountrj', personal strength commanded a respect which is now confined to the few remaining nations that have evaded civilization. The victory is no longer to the strong ; intellect, civilization, science have obtained a signal triumph over mere brute or animal force ; and the prowess of Ajax, or of Coeur de Leon, the unfading theme of the troubador, will soon be neglected by the writer of history. However, conspicuous excellence in some one respect, whether it arise from a pure unmixed boon of nature, or from the meritorious labours of the individual, cannot fail in attracting the attention of a chronicler worthy of the subject.

Physical ability seems to have been employed as a test of royal origin, of fitness to rule, of military elevation, from the earliest period ; but, the criterion in individual cases was different When Ulysses returned to his sea-girt isle, his halls were filled with suitors for the hand of his faithful queen. Remonstrance would naturally have been vain; his altered appearance, and the protracted period of his wanderings, forming so strong a presumption against personal identity ; but when, seizing the bow, which none else could bend, and with —

one hand aloft display'd

The bending horns, and one the string essay 'd,

he shot the arrow through the mystic rings, his claims to royal ancestry were no longer disputed, even by those who offered violence to his resumption of the throne.

The respect in which muscular strength was held by our Norman lords, may be estimated from their long adherence to the practice of single combat, an ordeal still known as " the wager of battle." A remarkable instance of this kind occurred in the reign of our King John. Some doubt existing as to the English title to a town in Normandy, Philip of France proposed that it should be decided by wager of battle, and

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THE PROOF-SWORD ROCK, HOO-KEW-SHAN. 13

his challenge was readily accepted. In all England there was none so famous for courage, and swordmanship, and gigantic strength, as John de Courcey ; but through the artifices of his rival, de Lacey, he had been falsely accused and imprisoned in the Tower of London. Called from his dungeon by a mean and merciless monarch, he answered, " My country, but not my king, shall have my services."

The field and the lists were now appointed, galleries were erected, and the princes and nobility of both kingdoms seated as spectators, when the French champion sallied forth, took one turn, and then rested himself in his tent. De Courcey next appeared, and went through a similar ceremony. And now the trumpets sounded the grand charge, and the champions issuing from their rests, advanced gallantly to the combat ; but, according to the custom of the joust, they first reined in and viewed each other searchingly. The stern aspect of De Courcey, his giant form, his steady seat, his perfect command of horse and weapon, struck terror to the Frenchman's heart, who calmly essayed as if to take another turn, and display his prowess; but, when the next trumpet sounded, and De Courcey drew his trusty sword, the French champion broke the barrier, and fled the field. The trumpets proclaimed the victory of the English king; but Philip pro- tested against such claim, unless De Courcey gave some indisputable evidence of his surpassing strength. Accordingly, a stake being set up, and a shirt of mail and helmet of steel placed thereon, the champion was directed to prove his sword upon this new adver- sary. Casting a stern glance at both monarchs as they stood beside each other, he raised his sinewy arm, and, with a single blow, cleft the helm, shirt, and stake, so far down that none but himself was able to pull out the weapon. King John, astonished at this extraordinary proof of De Courcey's chivalrous qualifications, restored him to his title and rank and possessions ; adding, that he was prepared also to grant him whatever favour he might prefer. " Your generosity," replied the victor, " has placed me beyond any desire of further riches : I shall only ask, therefore, that it may be permitted to myself and my successors to remain covered in the presence of royalty." His request was granted, and, to this day, his descendants, the Earls of Kinsale, enjoy exclusively the privilege of wearing their hats in the presence of the sovereigns of Great Britain.

Another Irish giant and chieftain, but of more genuine Hibernian origin than De Courcey, exhibited his military qualifications by a proof still more unequivocal — this was Fingal, or Fin-mac-cumhal, general of the Irish militia. When this puissant soldier was setting out upon an expedition against the enemies of his country, a mysterious-looking person joined the cavalcade, and entered into familiar converse with the chief. They very naturally discoursed of the profession of arms, and the man of mystery, in the vehemence of argument, exclaimed, " Unless your sword can cleave that mountain, it shall not subdue the multitude of your enemies." Fingal immediately smote the rugged cliff, and cleft it to the very base.*

A tradition, preserved in the San-tsae-to-hwey, gives the following version of the Proof-rock legend of Hoo-kew-shan.f " Heuen-tih, prince of Shuh, one of the three

• Vide Wright's Guide to Wicklovv — Glendalougb.

I How-kew-shan, a travelling palace of the emperor, is in the province of Keang-nan. Vide vol. i- p. 14, el seq. III. D

14 CHINA ILLUSTRATED.

rival kingdoms, was invited by Sun-kwan, the designing monarch of Eastern-woo, to visit his territories, and espouse his sister; but the real object of this flattering invitation was to obtain possession of the prince's person. Heuen-tih, an honourable and unsus- pecting man, adopting the advice of Kung-ming, called also in history, Choo-ho-leang, a sort of Chinese Machiavelli, cheerfully passed the frontiers, and proceeded to the palace of the treacherous Sun-kwan ; where his manly appearance was highly pleasing to the queen-dowager, although at first indignant that she had not been consulted in the choice of a husband for her royal daughter. A grand banquet was prepared in honour of the princely guest; but the wicked host caused the pavilion in which it was spread to be closely surrounded by a body of armed men, intending to seize the prince, and throw him into a dungeon. This iniquitous attempt, however, was completely frustrated by the personal bravery of a single man, the gallant aide-de-camp of Heuen-tih, who, perceiving that treachery was intended, suddenly entered the royal saloon with his sword drawn, and, placing himself before his master, declared that they should not be made prisoners alive. This resolute conduct arrested the project, and the queen-dowager being made acquainted with the circumstance, did not hesitate to upbraid her son with having dishonoured his royal race, violated the rights of hospitality, and blighted the fair prospects of a sister's happiness.

He who had been guilty of such baseness felt little reluctance in employing false- hood in his defence ; and, having given a specious explanation, protested that himself and his minister, Cha-yn, were ready to complete their promise in the most entire manner, by conferring the hand of the princess Sun-foo-jin upon their valued guest This, however, was but the first movement of a second plot for the prince's destruction, for they now calculated upon his becoming so much intoxicated by the pleasures of a luxurious court, that opportunity would not long be wanted for effecting their base objects.

It was immediately after his escape from the dagger of the assassin, that Heuen-tih, having laid aside his robes of ceremony, was walking in front of the palace, when he observed a lai-ge rock lying beside the broad pathway. His extraordinary fortunes occupied his thoughts at the moment, and, drawing his sword, and looking up to heaven, he said, ' If I, Lew-pei, am destined to revisit my capital, King-choo, and acquire entire possession of the empire, may I cleave this rock in two with a single blow !' While he yet spoke, he smote the rock, from which a perfect blaze of light flashed forth, and cut it in two. Sun-kwan, who stood behind him unperceived, and closely watched his movements, now advanced, and inquired what cause of anger he could possibly entertain towards the stone. ' My years,' replied he, ' are now three or four lustre, yet I am unable to defend my country from the invader : this reflection has filled my heart with pain and sorrow. The honourable alliance which I have just formed with your illustrious family has again, however, awakened my ambition, and I resolved on asking heaven to give me, as a sign or prognostic that I should one day defeat my enemy Tsaou, power to split this rock at a single blow of my trusty sword ; and heaven has granted my request.'

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ESTUARY OF THE TA-HEA, OR NING-PO RIVER. 15

The false-hearted Sun-kwan, believing the story to be a mere invention, resolved to test its authenticity; declaring, that he too had asked heaven for a similar sign, as to whether he should partake of the glory of subduing the grand usurper, and of retaking King-choo ; and that he also would prove his sword upon the rock of fate. He spoke, and, letting fall his shining blade, the rock was completely rent from top to bottom. Ten characters, graven in the stone, commemorate the extraordinary event, and an elaborate native poem celebrates the praises of the princes, whose fate was so myste- riously connected with the Proof-sword rock.

ESTUARY OF THE TA-HEA, OR NING-PO RIYER.

Bare the rugged heights ascending

Bring to mind the past, When the weary voyage ending

Was the anchor cast.

L. E. L.

The scenery at the entrance of this noble tidal river is truly magnificent, from the loftiness and forms of the hills, and from the broad expanse of its waters, which are almost constantly in a state of agitation. These naturally picturesque features are still further improved by the construction of irregular works of defence upon the most conspicuous eminences. At a little distance, the embattled tower, bristling with artillery, resembles the strong hold of some powerful chieftain, who is always in an attitude of defence against assaults, of which his own aggressions have been the occasion. The currents that are caused by the obstruction of the Chusan Islands, by the efflux of the Ta-hea's waters, and the influx of a tide setting always strongly, produce and maintain a surface of con- siderable agitation, and whose navigation by boats is uniformly attended with danger. But these interruptions tend in no moderate degree to heighten the picturesque cha- racter and solemn effect of the splendid panorama which the whole estuary presents.

It is now upwards of a century, since the British merchant first became acquainted with the advantageous commercial position of Nin-po-foo, and felt the regret to which disappointed industry becomes necessarily a prey, arising from the inactivity of his own government, and stupidity of the Chinese. In the year 1701, we had a factory at Ting-hae, and were allowed to look along the highway of commerce that led to Ning-po; but entrance into, or direct trade with that noble city, was forbidden, under pain of the bowstring, or the axe, or the squeezing apparatus. Many opportunities, however, were then afibrded of forming acquaintances, and even friendships, with the most eminent of the Ning-po mandarins; for many, and those the wealthiest, sated with business, sought rest and retirement from the cares of the world, on the beautiful

16 CHINA ILLUSTRATES.

little island of Kin-tan, which rises somewhat precipitously in the emhouchure of the Ta-hea ; and immediately in front of which a British man-of-war is represented, in the accompanying view, towed by a steam frigate through the rapids. There British subjects were permitted to land, and the indulgence led to that intercourse, which was ever afterwards remembered with pleasurable feelings.

One of the headlands that look down upon the entrance of the Ta-hea, is covered with tea-shrubs to its summit, and the mulberry tree constitutes the chief ornament of the scene on every side. These indigenous products have conferred the greater portion of their wealth upon the inhabitants of this district, which is the very centre of their profitable cultivation. Here, therefore, foreigners were first induced to seek for the privilege of trading with the natives — silk and tea, China's boasted products, being obtainable in a better condition, and at half the cost they bring at Canton. But folly, bigotry, and cowardice repudiated the enterprise of Europeans, and an imperial edict not only denied admission to Ning-po, but expelled our trade from Chusan Islands, and limited it strictly to Canton. Against this illiberality an appeal was made in 17.36, by a party who chartered the "Normanton," and attempted to conciliate the authorities of Ning-po ; but their resolution and perseverance only exasperated the mandarins, who now destroyed the factories of Chusan, and prohibited their countrymen from supplying foreign ships with provisions.

Even this rejection and discouragement failed to extinguish British commercial enterprise, for, Mr. Flint ventured to renew negociations at Ning-po, although warned of the perilous consequences of such an attempt by the Cantonese authorities. His efforts proving abortive, he proceeded to Peking, where he was deceived by the hypocri- tical mandarins, with assurances of the most friendly character ; and, on his return to Canton, contrary to every obligation of truth, honour, or national dignity, he was seized, transferred to Macao, where he was thrown into prison, and, after two years' incarcera- tion, sent back to England.

Lord Macartney visited this Chinese archipelago, and met with a continuance of that courtesy, which his prudence and address elsewhere obtained for him amongst these very prejudiced people ; but, their apprehension of his discovering how accessible Nan- king was to a British fleet, induced them to misrepresent the true character of the Ta-hea estuary. That embassy, therefore, added nothing to our knowledge of this valuable inlet, decidedly the most advantageously situated for commerce with foreigners, amongst all the populous places of the empire.

An expedition undertaken in the ship Amherst, augmented our hydrographic information of the Chinese coast, and searched the recesses of the Ning-po harbour ;* but the achievements of the late war, in which China succumbed so humbly to British power, have opened the harbour and the river, and the trade of this beautifully-seated city, not to Britain only, but to the civilized world.

• Vide " City of Ning-po, from the river," vol. ii.. p. 67, et seq.

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THE TAI-WANG-KOW.

THE TAI-WANG-KOW, OR YELLOW PAGODA FORT.

CAXTOX RIVER.

Haste, bring tlieni forth ! and raze

From turret to foundation-stone, the keep Whence rose no song of praise

From weary captives wont to doubt and weep.

The Christian Captive.

In many places' the banks of the Canton or Pearl river are eminently picturesque, and the separation of its waters into numerous channels, while it perplexes the foreign navigator, is a source of endless gratification and real advantage to those acquainted with the different branches, and who dwell along their refreshing borders. IMile after mile of the river littorale below Canton is clothed with the densest and most brilliant foliage, save where population equally compact has hewn out a site for a settlement. There villages peep forth from the thiclv dark shelter of an ancient grove, which at one time is in immediate contact with the grotesque dwellings, at another removed only by the area of an orchard, a garden, or a pleasure-ground. The noblest forest-trees that grow in China are intermixed with fruit-trees of rarity and richness; amongst these are the peach, almond, plum, and many whose blossoms impart to the landscape a colouring that even Chinese dexterity often fails to imitate effectually. Orange, citron, and other varieties of Oriental fruits, luxuriate along the gently waving banks of these sunny waters, with a bloom and a beauty that art and cultivation in vain endeavour to attain.

An islet that seems to float in the channel, called by Europeans the Macao Passage, serves as the foundation for the fortified pagoda of the Tai-wang-kow. A tower of four stories is enclosed by a strongly built curtain of granite stone, pierced with loop- holes, and finished with battlements. The primitive object of the Pagoda is not easily explicable on rational principles; but, in connection with the Chinese system of military discipline, and their art of war, admits of explanation. From the elevation of its turreted stories, watchmen can discover the approaching enemy, and give the word of command to the gunners within the ramparts. This plan, however, is subject to one inconvenience, namely, discovery of the fort itself by the foe, and, therefore, exposure of the Pagoda itself to the fire of an enemy's ship, which might throw down the whole building upon the gunners at its foot. In this case, the gingalls, matchlocks, and men of all arms, would in all probability be buried in the ruins. The area of the island, about an English acre, is dedicated to military works, with the exception of the space occupied by some lofty trees of the banyan species, whose shelter proves particularly grateful to the soldier sinking