Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, DEC. 6, 1900. Pekin.

Manawatu Herald, 6 December 1900, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, DEC. 6, 1900. Pekin.

— — - — « The civilisation of the We&t is not showing up to very much advantage in its actions with the East, and the tales of brutality on the part of French, Russian, and German troops are not in keeping with the civilisation boasted of by the countries they are representatives of. The latest pieco of vandalism is the removal of the astronomical instruments erected by Jesuits on the walls of Pekin. We have not, at hand, the date that the Jesuits erected these instruments, but it must be borne in mind that China has probably done more to teach the West astronomy than any other country, for though the earliest astronomical observations were made at Babylon in 2234 8.C., and the study was advanced in Chaldea, it was known to the Chinese in the year 1100 8.C., and as they have survived the vicissitudes of empires the longest, they have beon the mainstay of the study. Pekin is one of the most ancient cities of the world and thus accounts for the site of the astronomical instruments upon its walls. Pokin consists of two cities— the Inner and the Outer and is situated in a sandy plain, and surrounded by walls with sixteen gates, each surmounted with towers 100ft high. The walls of the inner city average 50ft in height, and are 60ft wide at the bottom ; those of the Outer city are 80ft high and 25ft wide. The Inner city is divided into three portions ; and at the heart of it are two enclosures, into the innermost of which entrance is forbidden to all except such as have official connection with the court. It is called the Purple Forbidden City, and in it are the palaces of the emperor, his empress, and other members of the Imperial family. Surrounding the Forbidden City i.s the Imperial or August City, encompassed by a wall 20ft high. In tho General city aro the principal ofiices of the government, the observatory, the Provincial Hall for literary examinations, tho Colonial office and the National Academy. All tho foreign legations unu Christian Missions are within

the Inner City. The Outer City is very sparsely populated ; much of the ground is under cultivation or wooded Tho climate is sevoro, the temperature in winter being 25 degrees to 10 degrees F, and in summer the heat is great, the thermometer rising to 105 degrees, though the usual summer temperature is 75 to 90 degrees. The population is placed at a million.