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 Edward Slosson's Chinese diary :trip fro 
 
 3 1924 023 499 506 
 
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 Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of this book is in 
 the Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
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 Edward Slosson's Chinese Diary 
 
 Trip from Tein Tsin to Quay Hwa Cluing 
 aud Return. 
 
 DIAEY •WRITTEN IN NOVEMBER, 1862. 
 
 I On (he 15th of February last, I left 
 I Tern Tsin in company with my partner, 
 Mr. P. F. Richards, having with us a 
 few samples of goods intending to pro- 
 ceed to Chang Kia Kau, where, should 
 ihere' be any prospect of doing any 
 i busniess, I was to remain, while he re- 
 1 fui'ljied aud brought up more goods. 
 ' utei weather in leaving was bitterly 
 Id,: and after a two days' ride we ar 
 ifh?«dat Peljin at 9 p. m. on the evening 
 ■it the 17th. On riding up to the city 
 .giftttis We found the same closed, and 
 "pe compelled to return and hunt out 
 ^Sstel, and after some difficulty we 
 '^firty one in the suburbs whsre 
 f,H.i,$j£ up our lodiugs. 
 The next morning we engaged a cart 
 land went to the French Mission,, where 
 we stopped and had dinner, and from 
 « clock tower that they had lately 
 erected, I had a fine view of the palace 
 and ground, the walls surrounding 
 ^ which being only 500 yards distant. 
 V ^^ekin is divided into three distinct 
 icities, the Chinese on the south, the 
 Tartar on the nortli, and the Imperial 
 lenclosed in a higli wall painted yellow, 
 situated in the Tartar city, in all, iti- 
 'cludingthe immense suburbs, they are 
 .said to contain five millions of people; 
 but this m my opinion cannot be, as 
 the walls are not above 14 tiiles in cir- 
 .cumference, and with few exceptions 
 
 ^U the houses are only one story in 
 height, and that always oUe family oc- 
 cupies one house, which in a man of 
 wealth takes up a great space, much 
 more than a Euroiiean dwelling in a 
 tity, as they always have a court yard 
 abound which the houses are built. It 
 is true that the family may consist of 
 parents and married children, all living 
 together; still, when we compare this 
 to the four and six story houses at 
 home, in many of which two or three 
 families are living, aud also that much 
 of the city is not built upon, it stands 
 to reason that the above estimate is 
 greatly exaggerated. 
 
 I made particular inquiries from a 
 French Missionary, who had resided 
 many years in Pekin, and he estimated 
 its population at the utmost at one mil- 
 lion only, and his reasons for the same 
 
 |,,are vfhat I have above stated, and uo 
 
 i^doubt.he is correct. 
 
 g;,. \mch has I)3en written about 
 
 >-j -^^ ^''■h\ "'"•'^ '-°"' i ^vill not waste the 
 { time in describing it; After a, delay of 
 two days we again started, and after re 
 tracing our old road previously de- 
 scribed we arrived at the Chang Eia 
 Kau on the 24th of that month, and 
 took up our lodgings at the same hotel 
 at which we had formerly stopped. 
 
 Having some goods for the Mission ' 
 at The Wan Zee, we left for that place ' 
 on the 27th and returned to Chang Kia' 
 Kau on the 1st of March. As we were- 
 very desirous of engaging rooms for' 
 me to stop in during my stay nere, we : 
 instantly made enquiries and after a 
 great deal of delay aud annoyance, we 
 :j obtained the back part of a, hotel con- ' 
 
 sisting of thirteen rooms for the moder- ' 
 ate price of |12 pei- month, and after a 
 great deal of expense in fitting up the 
 same, as they were in a most dilapidated 
 condition, on the 20th we were com- 
 fortably installed in our new quarters, : 
 and the next day my partner, left for ' 
 Tein Tsin and I was left alone. 
 
 The time passed slowlv by as I had no 
 books nor companions, but being my 
 own cook, &c , I managed to keep myr ; 
 self busy during part of the day, but at i 
 last this life became insupportable, on ! 
 the 28th I started for Suen Hoafoo, 20 
 miles distant, with my gun to have a \ 
 day's sport on Lan Ho, a river which > 
 ran near by. After stopping at the ; 
 place two days, on*the 31st I started for ; 
 home, and was overjoyed to meet on ; 
 ttie road a gentleman named Grant, ' 
 whom I had met at Tein Ts;n and who 
 was on his way home via Russia. He > 
 stopped with me two days, and on the 
 3d of April I saw him into Mongolia, 
 and bade him farewell. From that time 
 to the 10th April, time passed slowly, j 
 and that evening, justa.'j I was retiring, 
 three Mandarins came in aud brought ^ 
 me a document from Pekin, signed by 
 her B. M. Minister Mr. Bruce, the tenor 
 of which was that I must give up my: 
 house at Chang Kia Kau, as by my " 
 tjiking rooms, wliich the Mandarins had 
 represented as a house, we had ii}.- 
 fringed one of tlie articles of tlie treaty. ! 
 
 Wishing to obtain advice from ai 
 French missionary who was at Suen • 
 Hoa foo, and with whom I was ac 
 quainted, the next day I left for that 
 place, from which I returned on the 
 13th, and instantly packing up my! 
 goods on the 15th, I went to Suen Hoa 
 
foo where I took rooms from our Com- 
 prador and was very comfortably set- 
 tled. 
 
 Nothing of interest occurred till the 
 1st of May, when in the evening a let- 
 ter was brought me from my partner 
 requestinff me to meet him at Pekin, 
 and tlie next morning early I started 
 and arrived at that place on the 6th, 
 and on tlie 7tli we went to the English 
 Ambassadors and saw his Secretary, 
 who treated us most shamefu lly, mak- 
 ing us stand out in the rain while he 
 called upon Mr. Bruce and represented 
 our case to him, After a most unsatis- 
 factory audience, we returned to our 
 resting place, and the next day I left 
 for Suen Hoa foo, at which place I ar- 
 rived on the 13th. 
 
 From this time to the 30th the time 
 passed quietly, and on the 31st my 
 partner arrived from Tein Tsin with a 
 consignment of goods, and on the 2d of 
 June we together went to Chang Kia 
 Kau and again took possession of our 
 house. We now endeavored to dispose 
 of our gooas, and had it not been for 
 the Mandarins, who are greatly opposed 
 to foreigners, aud who gave orders that 
 no one should purchase goods from us 
 under pain of fine and punishment, we 
 would have succeeded. 
 
 At last after great delay and many 
 difficulties, we determined to proceed to 
 Quay Hwa Chung, where we were in- 
 formed that we could obtain a' ready 
 sale for our merchandise, and on the 
 18th of June we sent our two clerks 
 back to Tein Tsin. 
 
 The foregoing is the summary of 
 events that transpired during my ab- 
 sence from Tein Tsin up to date and 
 of which I kept no journal. Now I will 
 give you the account of my trip from 
 Chang- Kia Kau to Quay Hwa Chung 
 and back, the whole journey being 
 through a country NEVER before visit- 
 ed save by a few French Priests in 
 Cliinese costume. 1 regret that I have 
 not the time to go over the journal aud 
 make many additions, but my time is 
 wholly taken up studying the Chinese 
 language and writing up another 
 journal of our former trip through 
 Shansi. 
 
 JUNE20tli. This morning early, every 
 thing being prepared, our carts with 
 provisions and goods having gone on 
 ahead, I mounted my horse, an Englisli 
 one by the by, and accompanied by my j 
 companion started. After a long ride j 
 
 tITrough the dirty, paved streets of 
 Ciiang Kia Kau, we came to the Great 
 Gate through which one passes the 
 Great Wall into Mongolia. 
 
 Here I met an old Mandarin who was 
 one of my most constant visitors, who 
 lias charge of the gate and sees that 
 nothing passes through wichout paying 
 toll or having a license, and after a few 
 words with him we went on, and now 
 were out of China into Mongolia. 
 
 The morning was lovely, with a strong 
 west wind, and after passing the few 
 Mongol shops and hotels in the suburbs, 
 we proceeded at a rapid rate up the' 
 valley in a weatevi^y direci,io,i. The 
 road was very fair, consistiiij,-" of small 
 gravel, and the mountains on each side 
 towered above us to the height of from 
 2,000 to 3,000 feet, while scattered here 
 and there over their precipitous sides 
 were flocks of sheep grazing on the 
 stunted grass which had forced itself 
 through the rocky surface, and the 
 shepherds seated on some eminence were 
 watching their flocks witli their faithful 
 dogs crouching by their sides. 
 
 On our left hand ran the great wall, 
 cresting the summits of the lofty moun- 
 tains with its crumbling towers and 
 dilapidated walls. At this place it is 
 about 20 feet high, built of common 
 rocks neatly placed one above the other, 
 with no mortar, measuring at the bot- 
 tom in width some 15 feet and at the 
 top between three and four feet. The 
 towers, wliich are always placed on the 
 highest peaks of the mountains, average 
 about 40 feet high and are built square, 
 some 30x30, on the top of which are 
 parapets pierced with embrasures for 
 musketry and cannon. The only access 
 to these towers are by ladders, which 
 placed against the side of the tower, 
 you climb up and enter through a small 
 archway some 20 feet from the ground, 
 sufficient to admit one man at a time, 
 into a small vaulted apartment from 
 which by stone steps you ascend to the 
 battlements. Thev were in time of war, 
 I should judge, used principally as 
 watch towers. 
 
 The inner great walj, built I believe 
 some 500 years ago, is vastly superior 
 to outer, being composed of cut granite 
 and bricks, and at the places that I 
 measured was SO feet high by 15 feet 
 broad on tiie battlements, with towers 
 situated every 200 yards rearing above 
 the top of the wall some 10 feet. On 
 the outer edge of the wall are the par- 
 
 "apets, about 5 feet high and pierced 
 with embrasures and loop ho!es, while 
 on theinnerside, from which no danger 
 can be apprehended, they have a small 
 wall about a foot high for protection. 
 Walking on the battlements, which is 
 all neatly paved with bricks, you enter 
 the towers which measure about 40x40 
 and are pierced with six embrasures 
 besides loopholes. The walls of these 
 towers which are composed of large 
 bricks are 4 feet in thickness, and in one 
 of the same I saw an old dismounted 
 cannon, I should judge a 28 pounder,; 
 spiked with copper, through the centre 
 of which was driven a wedge of steel. 
 On enquiring of a bystander who was 
 following me, he read the characters 
 and said that it belonged to the Ming- 
 Dynasty, who were dethroned some 
 220 years ago. The ascent to the bat- 
 tlements is through an archway in the 
 inner side of the wall, up a flight of 
 steps built in the centre of the wall, 
 which leads you. out into one of the 
 i towers. 
 
 On the road we met a couple of Mon-i 
 gol Lamas, who hailed us in their 
 gutteral tones and asked where we were; 
 bound to? This is al ways the first ques- 
 tion asked by C"iinese Mongols; andj 
 answering them in Chinese and alsoi 
 making the same inquiries, theymount-i 
 ed on travelling camels soon ieit us farl 
 astern. 
 
 As we journey on the scenery be- 
 comes truly grand, the lofty crags and 
 isolated fragments towering man|r 
 hundred feel above the summit of the 
 range, presenting most picturesque 
 shapes, and the immense iiiasse$ of 
 rocks jutting out from the sides of the. 
 mountains, which, as we gaze up ^tj 
 them, appear by the swift movementsi! 
 of the fleecy clouds in the azure above, } 
 .lust about toppling over to bury us un-l 
 der their ponderous weight, and wrthi 
 an indescribable feeling of awe antlt 
 reverence for Him, who reared these f 
 works, to which, in the other side of 
 the valley, that gt-eat work, the great 
 wall, built by the hands of men and Is 
 the wonder of the world, which' ap 
 doubt took hundreds of yeArsand mil- 
 lions of lives and money to accomplish, 
 appears so paltry and insigmficaut; w« 
 ride on. i; ; ' ., .•■ 
 
 A short distance farthep'on I saiflr 
 seated on the summit of one of these 
 masses, a Mongol Lama at his devotions), 
 religiousl,y counting his Heads, and.ia- 
 
citing his prayers ; far above the reach 
 of mortal ears, the only living thing 
 near him being a large eagle, which 
 was swooping just over his head in 
 search of prey, it was truly a suitable 
 spot to commune with his Maker. 
 i. At one place one of these masses, 
 situated upon the summit of one of the 
 loftiest mountains, had by some throe 
 of nature become separated, and formed 
 a natural bridge of some 40 feet in 
 width by a large rock which spanned 
 the opening. 
 
 After a short ride through this wild 
 valley we came to a small village 
 named Nan Tae Mun, where we found 
 our carts not yet prepared to start, and 
 we have to lay over here for the day. 
 Our apartment is not very luxurious or 
 even extensive, consisting of one small, 
 dirty room about 10 Dy 10 feet, two- 
 thirds of which is taken up by a large 
 cangue or Chinese bed place composed 
 of earth and bricks, and the windows 
 and doors were missing, and on our 
 speaking about the poor accomodations, \ 
 we were informed that soon we would] 
 be glad to obta.in such good sh&lter,,^! 
 on the plain we would have to sleep in ! 
 our cart. 
 
 After our supper, in the evening, ac-' 
 companied by all the ragged urchins 
 in the village, we took a walk to the 
 summit of_ a neignboring mountain 
 which overlooked the valley, from 
 which a fine view of the valley and 
 country could be had, and dusk coming 
 on, we descended and entering our 
 sumptuous apartment were soon re- 
 clining at our ease on the ,*t6ne bed, 
 and being used to these articles of fur- 
 niture with one or two rolls were asleep, 
 
 June 21.^This morning we arose at 
 daylight, a cold, cheerless day with 
 signs of rain. During the night our 
 re.st had been anything but quiet, caused 
 by the numerous curs of the village 
 continually howlinar, and when they 
 would stop to take breath, a herd of i 
 donkeys just under our window would: 
 Set up a s-multaneous bray, which, ; 
 rising on the still night aad resounding 
 from the mountains, was enough to^ 
 awake any living mortal. 
 
 At 6 a. m. a ;dro\re of horses were' 
 driven in. Some 40 lean and shaggy 
 beasts were selected to be our motive 
 power during the journey; and after 
 some delay in gettnig theiri harnes.Sed, ; 
 as all of them seemed aware that'iheyi 
 were now to have hard work, then' 
 
 made a general bolt in all dir'ections. 
 But finally, by long thongs of hide 
 they were attached to the heavily laden 
 carts, ten in number, and we made 
 quite a respectable train when proceed- 
 ing up the valley, each cart drawn by 
 four horses, and flying from the two 
 foremost was the Union Jack, whil&the 
 remainder were each supplied with a 
 small triangular yellow flag with the 
 characters Ta Inco, (great Englishmen) 
 inscribed thereon. 
 
 The mountains as we proceeded up 
 the valley were covered with verdure, 
 on which were grazing numerous herds 
 and flocks, and as we journe.yed on we 
 passed two immense flocks of sheep, the 
 shepherds, Mongols, some mounted on 
 shaggy ponies and othei's on half bare 
 camels, were making the mountains 
 echo again with their shouts and cries, 
 and as we passed all rushed up to have 
 a look at us, and seeing that we were 
 foreigners set up a yell, when sheep, 
 horses, camels and all went scampering 
 down the valley. They were truly 
 about as wild looking specimens of the 
 genus homo as one would wish to meet 
 with. 
 
 On the left hand side of the road on 
 the summit of the mountain is a large 
 gi-auite quarry, from which runways 
 or slides, built of granite lead down the 
 side of the mountain, and as we passed 
 by two large blocks came rushing down, 
 burying themselves deep in the soft 
 sand banked up to receive them. 
 
 A short distance from here we passed 
 an immense train of carts, each drawn 
 by a single ox. I counted 785, and they 
 
 extended about 5 miles. These carts 
 are two wheeled, and there is not a 
 particle of iron or any other metal in 
 their entire manufacture. They w-ere 
 laden with natural soda, (Chinese soap,) 
 and were from Lame Meou, where it -is 
 dug from immeflse mines and is brought 
 to Chang Kia Kau, a distance of 300 
 miles and there TkjiIbS, and all refuse 
 matter being extracted is ruo into large 
 moulds each weighing a pecul, (133J 
 lbs.) and is of a pure white colpr. At 
 every 8 or 16 carts are immense Mongol 
 dogs, somewhat resembling the New- 
 foundland, which are very fierce. Once 
 walking up to get a" spe-jimen of the 
 soda, I narrowly escaped being titten 
 fay one of the brutes, but the cartman 
 rushed up and somewhat roughly pulled 
 me back ; and in future- J^.l was more 
 icareful, ■j-wvo . s£i4w, Jt fs^A *"^ ■ 
 
 June 21, continued. — At 12 m. we 
 arrived at TaChinsa, (Great Gold Town,) 
 said place consisting of three mud 
 hovels and one large hotel. Here we 
 had breakfa.st and I noticed for the first 
 Hime that here the only fuel used v/as 
 'the droppings of cattle, which burns 
 splendidly and gives out a great heat. 
 In fact they can get no other fuel, as 
 not a tree can be met with for miles, 
 aud the expense of coal is too great, and 
 even had they this it would not answer 
 the purpose as well as the fuel now in 
 use. 
 
 Soon after leaving tins place it came 
 on to rain with a cold wind, and enter- 
 ing our carts we proceeded ou up the 
 valley at a snail's pace, continually 
 on the ascent from 50 to 100 feet per 
 mile, till we arrived at the foot of the 
 mountain over which the road runs 
 nearly perpendicularly. Mounting our 
 horses, we rode up to a small joss house 
 named the Lawa Meou, after the deity 
 which it contains. This is situated- 
 about 600. feet above the valley. "While 
 resting here I saw three Mongols , at 
 their devotions, while a dirty looking 1 
 Priest, to save time, was eating his chow-! 
 chow and at intervals striking the bell. ■-. 
 
 The inner temple is neatly painted, 
 with scenes representing the exploits of- 
 the god, a firmer Emperor who has been ■ 
 deified for his warlike exploits, and on 
 each side of the same are images, one 
 holding 111 his hand the representation 
 of a horse and a piece of grass, the other 
 a cow and sheep. These are the par- 
 ticular objects of veneration from the 
 Mongols, who seldom" pass by here but 
 they burn a piece of joss stick and kau 
 toe for tlie multiplication of their herds 
 and flocks and abundance of green 
 grass. 
 
 From here we rode on through the 
 rain up the mountain till we arrived at 
 Pam Pa, a small village consisting of a 
 few mud houses and some hotels. 
 Finding that we were to stop here for 
 the night, we took a walk up to the 
 great wall which runs near by, and 
 climbing up the outside of one of the 
 dilapidated towers I had a view spread 
 out beneath me that my pen cannot de- 
 scribe; It was not a view of green 
 plants, dense forests and broad rivers, 
 but of a country upon which the heavy 
 hand of Nature had been laid, rending 
 into innumerable deep ravines and val- 
 leys the surface, and leaving scarcely a 
 I spot which man could make fit for cul- 
 Jiyation. There must have been at one 
 
time a great volcanic revulsion at this 
 place, which extends nearly through 
 :. the entire northern part of the Provinces 
 of Pechili and Shansi, and suddenly 
 stops at the great wall, standing on 
 which a few miles farther on, on the 
 south hand can be seen this terribly 
 cut-up country, and on the north 
 stretches Mongolia with its undulating 
 hills and valleys, with not a stone to be 
 seen. 
 
 Far to the east and west the great 
 wall upon which we stood could be seen 
 running, now over the summits of the 
 ( loftiest mountains, and again sinking 
 out of sight in the valley beneath. 
 After feasting our eyes on this singular 
 ; spread of country, which would have 
 delighted any true lover of nature, we 
 returned, and after a slight dinner 
 turned in to sleep; but our accommo- 
 dations were not much superior to those 
 we had the night previous, and the 
 elevation being some 3,000 feet greater, 
 we slept anything but comfortable, as 
 the co]d was very great and we were 
 not provided for it. 
 
 June 23d.— At four a. m. we arose 
 from our stone couches, and giving 
 I ourselves a shake and donning our hats, 
 I were dressed and ready to start. It was. 
 [ a very cold and misty morning, with a. 
 ( dense, fog so that one could scarcely see 
 to the distance of 20 feet. Starting our 
 sleepy cartmen, on we went, still as- 
 cending the mountains, and while on 
 the way up, we passed many trains of 
 carts, thousands in a tram, slowly wend- 
 ing their way over the stony roads, 
 guarded by their faithful dogs and at- 
 tended by the wild looking cartmen, 
 who stared at us with amazement when 
 we went galloping past, and sang out 
 to each other "Orusee!" (Russians.) 
 
 The road here leads along the great 
 wall which at this place is overgrown 
 with weeds and re-sembles more a large 
 dilapidated stone fence than this faroous 
 wall of China. At last we arrived at 
 the summit of what at first we thought 
 an interminable mountain, and the 
 bright sun rising, cleared away the 
 dense fog, and we here had our first 
 view of the liills and, .valleys of Mon- 
 golia through which at this season of 
 the year, covered witli verdure and 
 watered by innumerable springs, one 
 can travel for months and thousands of 
 miles. 
 
 Here and there scattered over the 
 green lulls and valleys were numerous 
 herds of cattle, horses and flocks of 
 
 sheep. Proceeding on in advance of 
 the carts, and turning a bend in the 
 valley, at a distance a collection of 
 round, white-covered tents showed that 
 there we had our first sight of a Mongol 
 village. Putting spurs to our horses, at 
 9^^ a. m. we arrived at Ta Kun Go, and 
 no sooner had we ridden up to the place 
 than we were surrounded by numerous 
 dogs whose yelping and barking soon 
 brought out the inmates of the different 
 tents ; and dismounting we entered the 
 Queens tent and seating ourselves on 
 mats laid down for us, we were offered 
 tea, cake, cream and milk, and accept- 
 ing some of the latter we waited for our 
 carts to come up, the centre of a gaze of 
 curious eyes. 
 
 A Mongol tent is always placed fac- 
 ing the rising sun, upon a raised plat- 
 form of earth about a foot high to es- 
 cape the water. It is round in circum- 
 ference, and the roof is composed of 
 light strips of wood which opens and 
 shuts like an umbrella. -r^This when 
 opened is placed upon a light net work 
 of wood, about 4 feet high, which can 
 be pulled out or shut up at will when 
 travelling. Over this frame work, 
 when complete and put together, are 
 placed straw mats, covered with a thick 
 belt which is tied on with ropes of 
 camel's hair. Now the tent is complete, 
 and they vary in size from fifteen to 
 twenty feet in diameter, and ai'e about 
 ten feet high in the centre. Around 
 the sides of the tent is placed the fur- 
 niture, consisting of small sideboards 
 and shelves, and m the centre near; the 
 door is an earthen fire place on which 
 is placed a small chalty in whicli all 
 their cooking is done. Tlie smoke from 
 the fire passes out through the roof, 
 where a movable piece of felt in time of 
 rain can always be drawn over. Out- 
 side every tent or two, are great piles 
 of dung, well dried for fuel. These are 
 generally built m regular rows and are 
 plastered over to keep out the rain. 
 
 Each tent has its family, consisting of 
 parents, children and often children's 
 wives, and they all sleep in common 
 around the fire place, on mats and skins 
 spread out at night. To a stranger thife 
 mode of resting with men, women, 
 children and dogs bundling in together, 
 appears somewhat singular \ but I can 
 assure the traveler that if he wishes to 
 rest in a Mongol tent such will be his 
 position, and if he is a modest man he 
 had better not make the attempt. How- 
 ever, in many villages there are tents 
 built expressly to lodge any passing 
 
 "Tiraveler.; " —•^-•trr^-^-r-,. 
 
 The Mongols subsist principally ori 
 I meat andmilk, and when in the vicinity 
 of the Chinese, eat a great deal of grain, 
 such as millet, oats and buckwheaU 
 During the heat of summer they sel- 
 dom have meat, as they have no way 
 of preserving it, and at this season they 
 subsist principally upon milk, which 
 they prepare in different ways, gener- 
 ally when sour by boiling an.d making 
 cheese, similar to the cottage cheese 
 home, which is pressed and then placed 
 in the sun to dry, when it will keep a 
 long time and is very hard. From the ' 
 cream which they are careful to save, 
 they make butter by boiling it and 
 skimming oft' the oil, which they run 
 into sheeps' bladders and bellys, and'! 
 sell great quantities to the ChineseJ ' 
 They also manufacture a cheese out o^ ' 
 it which is very rich. When they kill 
 an animal in the summer, the flesh is 
 preserved in the heat of the sun, and 
 they have no objections to its "oeing a 
 little on the taint, In fact I have seeiBJ 
 some putrified, and on asking whetheC 
 it was good to eat, an old crone sang 
 out "Sail" (good.) Still, with even 
 this assurance, I could have declined an 
 invitation to that house to a family din- 
 ner! 
 
 Their reliqion is Buddhist or Boo.d-j 
 hism, which teaches, as I understand! 
 it, that at distant intervals a Boodh or 
 Deity appears to restore the world from 
 decay and ignorance. This state is con- 
 sidered as the highest supreme good and 
 reward of virtue on earth, and is called 
 "Nivavana." The last Boodh appeared 
 some 500 years B.C., and was named 
 Gaudama, and now they worship his 
 image and the relics attached to him. ! 
 Their priests are styled Lamas, andi 
 they shave their head entirely, similar 
 to the Chinese priests, and are restricted 
 from marriage. Like all men of this 
 denomination over the world, they do 
 nothing but attend to the spiritual vyel- 
 fare of the people, and many of them 
 are wofully ignorant, and cannot, read, 
 especially write, and it is only those 
 who by their industry and talent rise- to 
 any position in their profession. 
 
 The number of priests of this denomi- 
 nation in Mongolia must be enormous, 
 for I was informed by a king of a vil- 
 lage, a very well informed man, who 
 stated that about 45 per cent, of the en-l 
 tire male population were Lamas, aadj 
 _aJ^o a Cg,tholic priest told me that bj^jaj 
 
late decree of the present Emperor of 
 China, out of every five male children 
 four were to be made Lamas. But the 
 decree having only lately been issued I 
 can not say, from what little I have 
 seen, whether this decree is obeyed or 
 not. There are very few women, and 
 although I was positively informed that 
 such a thing as infanticide was unkno wji 
 amongst them, and I believe it is true, 
 still it is a singular fact that there are 
 generally two-thirds more boys than 
 girls in a family. 
 
 Like our own clergymen at home, 
 the priests are exempt from military 
 enlistment, and most of the males not 
 of this class are annually drawn off to 
 swell the ranks of his imperial majesty; 
 and it is seldom or never that any ever 
 return! The truth is, the priest re- 
 marked to me, that the government are 
 still afraid of the Mongols, who weire 
 in days gone past such formidable 
 enemies to the late Ming dynasty that 
 they were compelled to call in the aid 
 of the Tartar or Manchurians, wh6, 
 when they had ousted the Mongols, 
 quietly took the reins of governmerjt 
 in their own hands, removed the seat of 
 government from Nanking (the south 
 .capital,) to Peking (the north capital,) 
 ' and have left it till the present time ; 
 and so formidable did they appear that 
 no great attempt was made to recover 
 i4hei» lost rule till lately, and now 
 *paepings, or rebels, as theyare unjustly 
 called, are waging war in true earnesC, 
 and with some chance unle.ss the Enj^-. 
 yJish, who are never satisfied unless they 
 have a hand in everybody's pie, assisted 
 by the French, do not interfere. j 
 
 They have also amongst them a clasp 
 of women who shave the head entirely. 
 and dress like the men, and who arb 
 called ; .. i 1 
 
 , .,: FEMALE LAMASi ■ '•«' ■''"'■' j 
 
 but why they are thus styled I havp 
 not, from my ignorance of their lanl- 
 guage and slight knowledge of the ■ 
 Chinese, been able to find out. | 
 
 In relation to their laws of marriagei: 
 No young man is allowed to marry after 
 he becomes thirty years of age, and like 
 the Chinese, the children are betrothed 
 at an early age, by the parents of thfe 
 boy making a present of silver to the 
 'parents of the girl, the amount of whic^i 
 varies according to the station m whiclk 
 they stand. When the marriage is to 
 take place, the friends of both parties 
 assemble together and they have a gen- 
 eral feastj^fl.nd^fj,er siriging, eating and 
 
 drinking to their full, the young couj^e 
 are led to a separate tent where they 
 pass the night. At this time the parents 
 of the girl pl'esent her with a horse, 
 cow and camel, and also clothes and 
 furniture to commence hou.se keeping 
 with, should (hey be well enough off to 
 have a tent of their own. I made par- 
 ticular inquiries whether the Lamas 
 officiated on these occasions, and was 
 informed that they do not; that the 
 consent of the parents and the marriage 
 being performed publicly, was sufi- 
 flciently valid. 
 
 They do not inter their dead, but have, 
 thein wrapped up in clothes and carried 
 to some secluded spot amongst the hills 
 and there left lying on the ground. A 
 king, or man of wealth when he dies 
 has erected ashed of mats before his 
 tent on which the body is placed, and 
 after remaining there some year or two 
 it is carried out to the hills and deposited 
 in some unfrequented place. When a 
 Mongol dies in a city, liis body is burn- 
 ed by his relatives or friends and the 
 ashes scattered to the winds. This can 
 often be seen at Chang Kia Kau. 
 
 The' government ■ of Cnina obtairi 
 horses, men and cattle from the Mongols 
 without paying as much as one dollat- 
 cash, and in my opinion, and it was also 
 the opinion of the king who gave me 
 the above information, that should 
 sonae talented and energetic man place 
 himself at the head of a few of the 
 tribes farther north, he would soon be 
 reinfo^'ced by thousands, and could 
 easily oyer run the whole northern 
 provinces of China and establish their 
 own independence. But their spirit 
 seems to be entirely crushed out, and 
 this once most warlike people, who 
 years ago, under the leadership of the 
 famous Kingis Khan oyer ran nearly 
 the entire of Asia to the confines of 
 Turkey, are now a dependancy to one 
 of the most corrupt governments that 
 the earth contains. Rome has had its 
 day, and so have the Mongols theirs. 
 
 In Inner Mongolia, where the Mon- 
 gols have intercourse with the Chinese, 
 m the summer season they dress in 
 American drill, which they prefer to all 
 other cloths, and since it has been in- 
 troduced they wear nothing but this 
 stufi' and have entirely repudiated the 
 Chinese cotton goods. In the winter 
 they wear skins, mostly sheep skins 
 lined with drill. In Outer Mongolia 
 both summer and winter they dress in 
 ^s^ins and furs,_turning the wqoly side 
 
 out in the heat of summer, and wearing 
 it in during, the intense cold of the 
 winter. The kings wear cloth of skins. 
 
 The Mongol men are as a class very 
 robust, are about the average height of 
 Europeans. In color they are of a light 
 copper, which by the great exposure to 
 the climate turns dark. They are gen- 
 erally good humored and simple, having 
 a broad face, high cheek boiies, small 
 black eyes and wide nose, and as to 
 character are easily, pleased; quiet, in- 
 offensive, and in my opinion strictly 
 honest and upright. 
 
 The Mongol women can never be 
 called handsome, although one oc; 
 casionally meets, some that are very 
 fair, have pleasing countenances, and 
 generally all have handsome teeth^in 
 fact I have noticed this in both -men 
 and women, and often envied some of 
 this copper colored race for the beauti- 
 ful teeth which they possess. This is 
 caused not by the care they bestow up-; 
 on them, for they never think of clean- 
 ing them ; 'but by their never eating any 
 sweets or acids, which has such a de- 
 leterious effect. , 
 
 The dress of the women in common 
 is a long flowing robe, generally of a 
 bright color, buttoned at the neck and 
 over the bosom. The young girls wear 
 it tied tight around the waistifey a sash. 
 When a woman is married she is allow- 
 ed to wear a head dress, consisting of 
 immense bands of brass or silver (ac- 
 cording to the wealth of the wearer.) 
 inlaid with colored stones and great 
 earrings, large enough for bracelets, 
 from which are hung pendants of col- 
 ored glass. The hair is braided, and to 
 it are attached these ornaments, and it 
 is often raised some inches from the 
 head, on which on great occasions they 
 wear a fancifully made cap, the same in 
 shape as worn by the men. Some of 
 these ornaments which I have seen are 
 quite valuable, and part of them they 
 keep on night and day ; they weigh from 
 one to two lbs. , and are most cumbrous 
 looking articles. , ,. , "'?.:' 
 
 Judging by what 1 saw of them I 
 think that, that great virtue next to 
 godliness is little known and much less 
 practiced amongst them. I doubt much 
 whether such an article as cold water 
 has ever been applied to thair dusky 
 skins. They are in general short, 
 stumpy and dirty, with a face round as 
 a Dutch cheese pierced with two small 
 black eyes, flat nose, thick lips, and the 
 only redeeming feature, beautiful. 
 
pearly teeth ; all this combined ' with a 
 long flowing dress buttoned at the neck 
 whose original color had long since dis- 
 appeared under the effect of grease and 
 dirt. Broad bare feet on which a daub 
 of black paint would scarcely be seen, 
 attached to an ankle not of the most 
 delicate symetry, evidently made more 
 for use than for ornament, and in gen- 
 eral dirty hands and face, compose a 
 fi-gure anything but agreeable to the 
 sight, and one that would bear a strik- 
 ing contract to the Venus de Medici or 
 any other model of that charming 
 luxury, "Woman." 
 
 The men are much more cleanly in 
 their dress and appearance, and look 
 upon their women as a mere piece of 
 convenience, who obey them in all they 
 say and are m fact little better than 
 slaves. 
 
 The Mongols, like other half civilized 
 nations, have their own laws of hos- 
 pitality, and should you enter their tent, 
 tea IS always offered you with cheese, 
 cakes and milk, and they would feel 
 offended unless you partook thereof. 
 But should you be encamped in their 
 vicinity they expect the same in return, 
 and will help themselves ad libitum to 
 whatever you have spread out before 
 you, and being possessed of good ap- 
 petites the prospect is that unless you 
 are on the move to make a grab for at 
 least a share of what is rightfully your 
 own, you will be compelled to go fast- 
 ing. To liquors, also, they have ho 
 objections, and will throw off a nobbier 
 of brandy with the ease of an old salt 
 and then beg for more. 
 
 The king or chief of a Mongol village 
 is supreme. The flocks belong to him, 
 and he settles all little disputes and tries 
 all petty crim es. But should any crime 
 of magnitude happen, such as murder 
 or horse stealing, which amongst this 
 horse raising race is equivalent to mur- 
 der or highway robbery, then he ap- 
 peals to the Mandarin placed over him 
 by government. They are generally 
 very hospitable, and most of them are 
 well informed. The title of king is 
 hereditary, and Ins son takes his pos- 
 sessions and title. In relation to the 
 tenure of land I cannot positively state, 
 but should judge that all is common; 
 that any can imigrate from one part of 
 the country to the other at-will, and 
 when they .come .tp a suitable spot,,can 
 encamp. t.,.. ,,,,,i„ r,-.... i •• 
 
 I Shortly after our arrival the carts 
 came up, and hearing that we would 
 have to stop here for the day, we pre- 
 pared our breakfast in the queen's tent, 
 and sitting down on mats with our legs 
 neatly tucked under us, a la Chinese, 
 we had 
 
 i OUR FIRST MEAL. 
 
 iri a Mongol tent, surrounded by crowds 
 from the neighboring tents, who were 
 however very respectful and watched 
 
 .our proceedings with much interest. 
 
 I Setting aside a portion of our meal for 
 the old queen, to whom we also gave a 
 ^lass bottle or two with which she was 
 
 jtnuch delighted, we set out, accompanied 
 by a couple of barefooted young 
 Lamas, to have a view of the valley 
 from the neighboring hill, on the sum- 
 mit of which was a wide pile of stones 
 aad from the centre of which was a flag 
 staff erected, bearing the small remnant 
 of a piece of a rag fluttering in the 
 breeze. 
 
 These flag staffs are always erected 
 on some adjacent hill which commands 
 a view of the country, and serve as a 
 beacon' to the traveller in the sea of 
 verdure ! Il is to these places also that 
 the Lamas resort to count their beads 
 and recite their prayers, far above the 
 reach of mortal ears and undisturbed 
 by the noisy crowds beneath. 
 
 As we approached the place a couple 
 of large eagles rose up from the stones 
 and went sailing over the green hills. 
 These birds are larger than the com- 
 mon bald eagle of our country, and 
 when standing straight are nearly four 
 feet high. They are a great nuisance 
 to the Mongols, for to them they are in- 
 debted for the loss of many an innocent 
 lamb. 
 
 From here we had a fine view of the 
 valley spread out before us. At our 
 feet the small, white, covered tents of 
 the valley, sixteen in .number, before 
 each of winch was standing two or three 
 shaggy Mongol ponies, and around 
 which were a crowd of youngsters, 
 boys and girls (dressed in that light and 
 airy costume which our two former 
 parents were reported to have worn 
 when tliey first became inmates of this 
 globe,) busily engaged in tormenting a 
 mangy cur, who now and then made 
 a rush at his tormentors and sent them 
 scattering into their respective homes ; 
 the men lounging about from tent ta 
 tent. Occasionally one would mount , 
 his hardy beast and go galloping over 
 valley and hill in search of the flocks. 
 
 in tiie centre of the valleyi close to 
 the clear running stream, our carts are 
 encamped, the cartmen engaged in pre- 
 paring their evening meal, while their 
 horses are roaming over the hills feed- 
 ing on deep grass, while here and there 
 scattered over the hills and up and down 
 the valley, numerous flocks and herds 
 can be seen, each guarded by the faith- 
 ful shepards and herdsmen, who day 
 and night are in constant attendance. 
 
 Returning to the village I amused, 
 myself visiting the different families, 
 all of whom were very hospitable and 
 it was amusing to witness the expres- 
 sions of astonishment and wonder on 
 these innocent people's countenances 
 when anything was shown them which 
 they had never seen or heard of before ; 
 and again and again my clothes, shirts, 
 stockings, and everything appertaining 
 to my dress was examined, and one old 
 Lama pulled off my shoes and stockings 
 to examine them more thoroughly, and 
 would have undressed me entirely be- 
 fore the whole village, men, women, 
 and children, had I not stopped him, at 
 which he laughed and said to me in 
 Chinese "PuShanKi!" (nevermind.) 
 
 About dusk they commenced bring- 
 ing in the herds and flocks, which are 
 driven into round corrals made by em- 
 banking the earth and turf up to the 
 height of about ten feet, and soon we 
 were surrounded by thousands, and it 
 was a scene of great activity, the men 
 galloping here and there, cracking th^ir 
 whips over the backs of some refractory 
 horses, who preferred to stay out on 
 the green grass, rather than be penned 
 up with their crowded companions; the 
 women struggling with the calves, who 
 made frantic struggles to get to their 
 mothers; the dogs barking, inen shout- 
 ing, the stamping, lowing, and neigh- 
 ing of the cattle, and the rays of the 
 setting sun tinging with gold the lofty 
 paountains in the distance, impressed 
 upon me a scene never to be forgotten. 
 
 Making up our beds in our carts — for 
 we preferred to sleep in them, rather 
 than trust ourselves amongst the Mon- 
 gols, who not only are not over clean, 
 but have other bedfellows in their tents 
 hot belonging to the "genus homo," 
 and whose acquaintance we did not care 
 about cultivating— about nine p. m. 
 ■we turned in for a comfortable rest, and 
 such a night ! Till the break of day 
 nothing was to be heard but the lowing 
 of cattle, bleating of calves and sheep, 
 njBighing of horses, the shrill cry of the 
 
eamei and the continuous barking of 
 dogs, which I have no doubt acts as a 
 sort of lullaby to the drowsy senses of 
 the Mongols, to us having the very op- 
 posite effect. We whiled away the 
 lonsr hours, and when day break came 
 we arose, anything but refreshed. 
 
 We here saw for the first time a 
 Thibetan bull and cow, resembling 
 somewhat the American buffalo, being 
 covered with hair some two feet long, 
 and presenting amongst the sleek hides 
 of the common cattle a singular ap-, 
 pearance. 
 
 June, SSd-^-Whenlarosb thismorn- 
 ing it was clear and cold, and walking 
 around the place I casually looked into 
 a tent which had its door open and was 
 somewhat surprised to see the position 
 in \vhich the inmates were lying, all 
 still in deep slumber. Across the door- 
 way two boys were sleeping; on one 
 side of the tent lay a son and his wife ; 
 on the Other side his unmarried daugh- 
 ters and an infant ; at the other end of 
 the tent lay the parents, besides two 
 very large dogs making up. the com- 
 plement. The heat being very great 
 during the night, they had thrown off 
 their clothes and were now nearly all 
 naked. This was proof snfflcient that 
 they truly lived in common. 
 
 At five a. m., after a cup of chocolate 
 we started. Proceeding down the val- 
 ley at a slow pace, we saw for the first 
 time the antelopes who, attracted by 
 the red flag flying from the foremost 
 cart, approached so that we had a fine 
 view of them, but not near enough for 
 a shot, and in endeavoring to get nearer 
 they turned and whisking their short 
 tails went bounding up the lullside. 
 , Proceeding ahead of the carts at seven 
 a. ni., we arrived at a large village 
 named P6 Rut Sai, where there is a fliie 
 Joss house, but we had not time to. ex- 
 ^.triine it. Dismounting, we entered a 
 tent and had some milk, and on offer' 
 ing payment it was indignantly re- 
 fused, and on our carts coming up we 
 g^ve them a bottle! Here as elsewhere 
 we have the. same view, the white tpnts, 
 pitched near the running stream, the 
 'regiilar piles of fuel, the round corrals, 
 the numerous and naked ydungsfers 
 playing lu the sun, and the dirty look- 
 ing females at their different avocations 
 or nursing their infants sitting outside 
 their tents— presents a scene similiar to 
 what can be met with at every encainp- 
 ment and one description sUiBces for 
 all.l,»,^_ 
 
 A short distance from here, situatect 
 on the hillsides is a large hotel, to which 
 we proceeded and had our breakfast, 
 after which we walked down to where 
 our carts were by the side of the Stream, 
 and mounting our horses ride up-io the 
 summit of the mountain, over which 
 the road ran and throwing ourselves on 
 the green grass, enjoyed our segars and 
 the scene spread out before us. It was a 
 lively, peaceful scene that we had from 
 liere, and well worth 
 
 '-^im<mssmJM,ii^^ti. .t*.iJ:.r'4^^.X.,:f ,.. .. 
 
 , ;,■ ANY AMOUNT OF TRAVEL 
 
 to see it. In the valley beneath us 
 were numerous flocks of sheep and 
 lierds of horses and cattle. Far up the 
 valley the white tents of a Mongol vil- 
 lage could just be seen, while around 
 about us was that beautiful green sward, 
 covering hill and dale, affording the, 
 only subsistence to the inhabitants of 
 this otherwise barren region. 
 
 Wiiile reclining here a herd of fifteen 
 antelopes passed near by, and hastily 
 mounting our horses, we gave chase in 
 the vain hope of getting near enough 
 for a shot with our revolvers ; but they 
 soon left us far in the rear, and the last 
 we saw of them was bounding over a 
 distant hill into the valley beneath. 
 
 By this time our carts had come up, 
 and enquiring the road we went on 
 ahead. Passing oyer the hills we came 
 into an extensive valley, on the other 
 side of which about three miles distant 
 were some large Mongol villages; but 
 the road led to the left, andm company 
 with a Mongol we went on. Passing 
 out of this valleylnto another we passed 
 two Mongol villages, the entire in- 
 : habitants of which turned out en masse 
 to have a look at us, our appearance no 
 doubt affording conversation for the 
 next week to come. At six p.m. we 
 arrived at Mai An Chu, where a short 
 distance from the village m the valley 
 we encg,mped for the night. . 
 
 At this place there were only four 
 tents, and during the evening we were 
 continuail.y surrounded by the dirty in- 
 mates of the same, who were a perfect 
 nuLsance, fingering everything with 
 hands that left a mark wherever they 
 were placed, till at last to get rid of 
 them we gave them a bottle, and turned 
 into our carts and went to sleep, undis- 
 turbed by cattle, dogs or any living 
 beast or creature. 
 
 June 24.— This morning I was awak- 
 ened at the usual hour (4 a. m.) by my 
 cartman, who was just starting, and 
 sppn the whole train was in motion 
 
 "travelling slowly up the valley. There 
 was nothing of interest to be seen, save 
 that same mantle of green thrown over 
 hill 9,ud dale, and nothing to be heard 
 but the sweet song of .the lark, who, 
 sitting on some tuft of grass, is pouring 
 forth his song in the full enjoyment of 
 his heart; and as we pass by rises up 
 and flutters down amongst the deep 
 grass near the nest of his mate; the 
 "Quack! Quack" of the duck, as he 
 swiftly wends his way past to some 
 favorite feeding spot; the occasional 
 lowing of the cattle on the hillsides, the 
 gruff tones of our cartmen, who far 
 astern are urging their lazy beasts up 
 some slight ascent m the road; the 
 bright sun just rising in all his splendor I 
 
 and tinging with his golden rays the 
 hill tops, was enough to make man re- 
 joice, for when Nature is in its happiest 
 humor, sad must be the heart of him 
 who would be otherwise, especially 
 when removed far from the crowded 
 cities and busy haunts of menl 
 
 Proceeding on at a. rapid pace up this 
 lovely valley, I saw numerous herds of 
 antelopes feeding on the hill sides, 
 which as we go west grow stony, and 
 great rocks crop out from their .green 
 ^ sides. The ground was literally alive 
 with ground squirrels, or gophers, the 
 same as those they have in California, 
 and they could be seen all over, seated 
 upright on their hind legs^ some eating 
 the roots of grass that they had ju^t 
 procured, while others were chasing 
 and running about as if they too appre- 
 ciated the lovliness of the scene and 
 climate. 
 
 At 10 a. m. we stopped by a running 
 stream for breakfast, and pitching a 
 temporary tent we lay over during the 
 heat of the day. It is a beautiful spot, 
 and our hungry horses are knee deep in 
 the luxurant grass. At the base of the 
 hills some two miles distant a large 
 herd of antelopes are quietly feeding. 
 While eating our breakfast, a couple of 
 Mongols rode up, and we gave them 
 something to eat. They were after lost 
 horses, and soon were on their way 
 down the valley on a gallop. 
 
 At 1 p. m. after a long rest we again 
 went on, but coming to two roads, we 
 were compelled to wait till a Mongol, 
 came up and from him we obtained the 
 required information, and riding on we 
 saw abundance of game, antelopes, 
 hares, ducks, &c., till seeing far ahead 
 on the summit of a hill a flag staff' with 
 the remnant of a rag floating in the 
 
"breeze, and well knowing that this was ^' 
 
 a true beacon to some encampment in 
 
 this waste of verdure, at a rapid pace • 
 
 we went on, and at 3 p. m. arrived at : 
 
 i 
 Hoi Or Nor To, a small place consisting i, 
 
 of three mud hovels and four tents. 
 
 Dismounting, we entered the king's 
 
 teat, where we .Jiad some milk and 
 
 waited for our carts to come up. There 
 
 were only at the time of our arrival 
 
 here, three women and two men; the 
 
 rest being out on the hills attending the 
 
 flocks. Two of the women had very 
 
 pleasing countenances, and had it not 
 
 been for their dirty dress and feet, which 
 
 latter part of their person I have seldom 
 
 been able to see in a state of cleanliness, 
 
 would have been quite pretty. 
 
 THE MONGOL ■WOMEN, 
 
 like the Chinese and Japanese, suckle 
 their children till they are from 4 to 5 
 years old, and I saw an instance of that 
 here. The wife of the king I saw 
 suckling an infant about 6 months old 
 at one breast, while at the other, there 
 was an urchin of fully 4 years standing 
 up suckling ; and on my telling the 
 women that he was old enough to eat 
 f()r himself, she simply smiled and said 
 
 I ''Wou Qua," (no.) This has the eflfect 
 of making mothers, who are in fact 
 quite young, look prematurely old.' 
 , At 6 p. m. our carts came up, and we 
 
 ' stopped here for the night. During the 
 evening as usual we were visited by the 
 inmates of the place, the chief's wife 
 bringing amongst other presents a bas- 
 ket of dung for fuel, and went away 
 perfectly delighted with a glass bottle 
 ■yvhich we gave her. Glass bottles are 
 
 ; a somewhat bulky currency to carry 
 about in this part of the world, (but I 
 would back them against Chase's cur- 
 
 :i pency at home !) nevertheless, they are 
 of as much value as gold or silver, as 
 *ve buy everything we want with them. 
 ; Junk 25th.— After a cup of chocolate 
 this morning, at four o'clock we mount- 
 ed and again went on. The day was 
 mild and balmy, and the scenery : tame 
 and uninteresting, for when one has 
 travelled for days throijigh green hills 
 and dales, anything that will forma 
 irelief to the eyes is accepted ! As else< 
 where on the route, plenty of antelopes 
 and other game were in sight, but bei 
 ing unprovided wTth a rifle, we could 
 
 ! ohly wish for that Useful article, and as 
 Avishes are but breath, we were com- 
 
 1 pelled to remain unsatisfied. Aftee 
 
 j passing over a number of hill's. we came 
 
 ' to sonae cultivated in which were a 
 
 S)uple of Chinamen Working, and hail- 
 ing them we inquired the road, and 
 being informed that; we ' were On the 
 Ta Lu, (Great Road,) we pushed on, 
 and soon catne to the endof' the hills. 
 Here spread out beneath us was an ex- 
 tensive plain, scattered over which were 
 numerous mud hovels, the homes of 
 the Chinese who had crossed the Great 
 Wall and finding the soil more pro- 
 ductive, had settled down and were 
 now working and cultivating the land. 
 Descending the hills by a steep and 
 circuituous road, we went on for some 
 distance, through fields of wheat, 
 buckwheat, oats, millet, potatoes, beans, 
 paas, turnips, cabbage, coles, flax, «&c,, 
 till W8 again came amongst green )iiHs 
 and valleys. The Chinese are^ : :i 
 
 GREAT FARMERS^; ^ = 
 
 aiid the amount of labor expended on 
 the growing crops is enormous. The 
 wheat, oats and all other grains and 
 vegetables are, two or three times dur- 
 ing the growing season, as carefully 
 weeded out as at home we would do a 
 bed of oiiions. All grains are drilled 
 in, either by hand or by a simple ma- 
 chine, drawn generally by donkeys or 
 men. Instead of cutti ng the grain t hey 'iii 
 
 harvest it, it is generally pulled up by 
 the roots, the latter serving as fuel dur- 
 ing the winter. The oats here differ 
 from our own at home only in having 
 no shell when threshed out, and comes 
 out the same as wheat. I shall, as soon 
 as a favorable opportunity ofi:ers, send 
 some home, as I am not aware that they 
 have any there. 
 
 Coming to a running stream we stop- 
 ped till our carts came up, and here had 
 ; breakfast. While we were resting' 
 here, a great train of Mongols passed 
 by, moving with their tents and furni- 
 ture from one spot to anbther to find a 
 I suitable spot to encamp. After break- 
 fast in company with our guides, a ! 
 couple of Lamas, we mounted and rode i 
 ;on, and again came into a large valley 
 cultivated as the former, at the other 
 end of which was a large village in- 
 habitated by Tartars or Manchus. This 
 we passed, and after a short ride came 
 to Hatun Ka 8ho, a large Mongol vil- 
 ;lage. Here dismounting, We entered 
 the queen's tent and had some milk. 
 
 There are quite a number of men and 
 women here, some of them not un- 
 handsome, especially two young girls, 
 and all were very civil and quiet. Tak- 
 ing a walk to the summit of an adjacent 
 
 hill Xve had a fine View of the valley^, 
 F^r up north plots of ground and dnj i 
 ferent sliades of green showed that there 
 Was well cultivated land, while around 
 about lis was that same green sward,| j 
 which has been and most probably wilf 
 be the saftie for centuries to come. , In 
 the centre of the valley runs a bright 
 stream Of water, which winding its way 
 through the green grass, appears like a 
 thread of silver, near which a large 
 flock of sheep are resting and part of 
 them are standing in the stream, while 
 their lambs standing on the bank are 
 bleating for their dams. On the opposite 
 side of the valley rises a lofty ,green 
 capped mountain, oh the sides of which 
 with my glass lean just discern a small 
 herd of antelopes, while beneath us at 
 our feet is the village, presenting nearly 
 the same appearance as before described, 
 the white tents, numerous dogs basking , 
 in the sun, the dirty children all naked, 
 the rough uncombed ponies tethered 
 before the tents stamping and whisking 
 at the files, and here . and there groups 
 of men and women sitting in the shadow 
 of their tents drinking a decoction of 
 dirty looking tea and milk, and smok- 
 ing, which appears to be aboiit the 
 most arduous Jtask they have to peiji j 
 form,- . .. j 
 
 Being informed by our guides that we. 
 were to stop here for the night, we en- 
 gaged the queen's tent, had it well swept 
 out, bought n fine young lamb for 50 
 cents, had it dressed, and when pur 
 carts came up at 7 p. m. our dinner was 
 ready. While eating our dinner we 
 were visited by a Chinese Catholic 
 Priest, who address;ed us m French, to 
 our surprise, stating that he belonged 
 to the Mongolian Mission and had visit-; 
 ed England and Fra,nce, which l9,tteir 
 language he sppke imperfectly. On niy 
 asking him whether he had any Mpn: 
 gol converts aniong his 400 Manchu 
 christians, he laughed and said that he 
 had better try to convert the Deyil than 
 a Mongoly and winding up, said th%t 
 they were ".pauvre diables," and that 
 he had never heard of one's being con-r 
 yerted.. After a short stp,y lie, retired, 
 stating that he had a long .journey, tp 
 make the following day, and gave us an 
 invitation on' our return to come and 
 stop at the niisaon. i He was a very fat, 
 jolly looking man of upwards 60,- and 
 the next morning he sent us:a, present 
 of fowls .and potatoes, stating in alette* 
 written in Latin thalt? he hoped' w» 
 would accept his gift. 
 
7 !H!Ll,Jll|i*i iHIWIKfci.^1 
 
 JuNBSeth.-fc'lIdrly'asiusuil.we' xode 
 on, passing two lat-ge Mbngol villages, 
 the: iumates of ■which wore Just astir, 
 some driving out the sheep < and battle, 
 some coruntifQg' tlie horses as one by Otte 
 tkeiy filed otit of the corral, while the 
 women! wbre husy^tiilkmg the cows and 
 tiyirig up thie cal res . Biding up to iarw 
 of the women who wasithus eiigaged, I 
 had:adraiught' of sweet, niilk and after 
 answering as to : Who and. what, I waa; 
 where from and-'wheregDiirg; I rode on 
 and ioimedmy compariioin. ' • ' 
 
 Aftet passiiig through a large valley 
 dotted with the wJiite and red flocks 
 andlbci'ds, we passed' over the brow of 
 a hill and were surprised to see. on the 
 slope of the same, overlooking the. vab- 
 lBy.:ari extensive' :-:' ; i '^.^■■•ii"j':.\i] 
 . :coLLEcmoN of'.teIieUesI ' ; 
 tod houses. ' As w6 .hadionly a'few 
 minutes* to spare; we rbde down; and 
 hailing one of the Lamas who, half 
 asleep Was reclining on the steps before 
 tlie entrance, inquired whfe&er we could 
 enter, and on his offering, to: showius 
 the place we dismouiited. . ■ 
 ' The name of the place was the Chour 
 Che Meou, and following our guide, 
 who was by this time surrounded by 
 Mongols, we entered. Passing a number 
 ipf neat houses, the abodes of Lamas, we 
 came to the Great Temple. The build- 
 ing, composed of brick and granite, 
 was li storys high, built square about 
 150x150, and is ornamented on the out- 
 side with great quantities of brass or 
 -gilt work of dift'ei^nt devices. Ascend- 
 ioQg to the large granite court yard, be- 
 fore the main entrance to the temple, 
 are a couple of neatly carved antelopes 
 of different life size in brass, between 
 which is the symbol of a large wheel 
 also in brass or gilt. 
 
 Entering the temple, one is introduced 
 into an immense room occupying the 
 whole building, at the other end of 
 which is the altar or image, which is 
 Covered, On each side of this are three 
 Ipge chairs for the use of the principal ' 
 Jsiaaias. Arranged along the floor, 
 which is granite, iu regular rows are 
 benclies about six inches high, covered 
 with felt. The ceiling is supported by 
 pillars of wood, beautifully decorated j 
 ind carved, and from the ceiling hang \ 
 leces of tapestry, splendidly worked 
 ith Arabic and Mongol oharaotors. 
 hen we first entered the temple there ' 
 ere four Lamas at their devotions, 
 &i\\f drawling out in a monotonous 
 ;oneof voice their pi'ayers from well 
 
 mi 
 \&\ 
 to 
 
 M 
 
 U^j^l llll M III»ll II \ 
 
 thumbed books, but who, on seeing us, 
 hastily-came to a close and joined the 
 crowd who were following us. 
 
 Before the main temple are tsvo 
 smaller ones, one of which I entered, 
 and it was most nchly decorated. In 
 the centre of the room, erected against 
 the wall, was the image of the Boodli 
 Gaudama, in gilt or covered with gold 
 leaf, along each side of which were the 
 relicts conaistiiig of small golden images 
 in glass cases. Small benches and two 
 large chairs were on the floor as in the 
 former one, and great quantities of 
 tapestry hung from the ceiling and 
 walls. 
 
 My companion going ahead, I waited 
 behind and was fortunate enough to 
 witness tlie manner in which the Priests 
 dine. Hearing the sound of a conch 
 shell, I asked an intelligent Lamastand- 
 ing near me, who spoke Chinese, what 
 that was for? £te said that part of the 
 Lamas were going to breakfast, and in- 
 vited me to see the ceremony. He led 
 me to a small temple in which was also 
 an image of the Boodh, long rows of 
 benches and the two large chairs. Tak- 
 ing up a position outside from which I 
 could observe the proceedings, they 
 rapidly commenced coming m, ranging 
 themselves along the door way, till the 
 head Lama should come. Tliey were 
 60 in number, all dressed in yellow,' 
 each having a piece of long cloth which, 
 they wore somewhat after the fashion 
 of the Roman toga, thrown over tlie 
 left shoulder leaving the right arm 
 bare. Oh the head they wore a peculiar 
 cap of felt, rising up from the forehead 
 to the hight of about 16 inches and then 
 falling, with an immense yellow fringe, 
 gradually, to a point at the nape of the 
 neck. After the allotted number had 
 arrived, the head Lama came. He was 
 a venerable, austere looking man of 
 about 60, and slipping ott' his shoes en- 
 tered, followed by the rest, and seated 
 himself in one of the great chairs, the 
 others themselves crosslegged on the 
 benches. After removing their caps 
 and prostrating themselves three times 
 before the image, they commenced a 
 monotonous sing-song prayer, which 
 continued till the breakfast was served 
 up. 
 
 While intent on observing this, my 
 guide touched my shoulders, and turn- 
 ing around I saw a number of young 
 Lamas coming in, bearing in their arms 
 a pile of wooden bowls, each capable of 
 containing easily two quarts; after 
 
 "tfiem followed a number of men carry- 
 ing between them large buckets full of 
 soup, composed of drawn flour in the 
 shape of maccaroni and mutton, and 
 looked very clean. Seven large buckets 
 were brougiit in, when one of the at- 
 tendants filled a large golden bowl and 
 placed it before the image, then one be- 
 fore the head Lama, and filling up the 
 remainder of the bowls, one was placed 
 before each Lama. After another short 
 time of singing, each man deposited a 
 small portion of the contents of hi.s 
 bowl along side his plate, with a small 
 bone or ivory spoon, and then at a given 
 signal, all taking the bowl in the left 
 hand, they lifted it to the mouth and 
 shoveled down the. contents with the 
 right. 
 
 After the repast is finished there are 
 more prayers, and then they all rise up 
 to make way for another lot. They 
 have only two meals a day, and it is 
 always taken as above described. 
 
 While standing here some 40 women, 
 old and young, came up, to have a look 
 at me, and one of them innocently asked 
 me whether we had any women, where 
 I came from, and whether our women 
 were like her. I informed her that we 
 had plenty, but inwardly thanked God 
 that they did not bear a striking re- 
 semblence to my questioner, who was 
 about the ugliest specimen of the sex I 
 have evei' had the misfortune to meet. 
 
 Having no time to spare, I thanked 
 the hospitable Lama and rode on and 
 joined my companion, who I found had 
 encamped by the side of a spring for 
 breakfast. 
 
 Let me say here, that a Mongol never 
 walks. No matter how short the dis- 
 tance may be, he always makes it on 
 horseback, the horse being ever at 
 hand. It is a small but hardy beast, the 
 best of which have been known to travel 
 200 miles in a day. 
 
 June 37th, — This morning we made 
 an early start. Hiding on rapidly, we 
 soon came to the -tillage afi.Hoi-0 Nor, 
 where we tarried many hours. The 
 king was most kind to us, and being 
 seated in his tent, the usual food, milk 
 was served to us by his comely wife and 
 pretty daughter. Tlie latter was really 
 the prettiest girl that I had yet seen, 
 and modest as she was pretty. But 
 there's no occasion for going into 
 
 EOSTAOIES OYER BEATJTY 
 
 in this heathen land. There isn't 
 enough of it to boast over. While en- 
 joying our meal in this hospitable tent, 
 
the mother of the king entered. She look at us,' and invited us into their 
 was 89 years of ag-e, and we were the tents. At 6 p. m. we reached Un Dun 
 first Europeans she had ever seen. She Ga, and took quarters in a liovel, se- 
 scrutinized us closely. On my showing- curing a small, dirty room. We had 
 her how to light a match, one of our just time to get in our bedding, when 
 parlor kind, which goes off with a loud a fearful storm arose, with rain, light- 
 "crack," she became so frightened that ning, deafening thunder, and hailstones 
 she hurried out of the tent, believing' as large as pigeons' ea-gs, and they de- 
 us in league with the. Devil; and no scended with such force that the horses 
 amount of persuasion could induce her were made nearly wild with fright and 
 to come near me again. pain. I iievei- before saw such a hail 
 
 Our next stop was at the village of storm, for in half an hour the ground 
 Ta Yinsa, where we rested during the was covered to the depth of three 
 heat of the day ; for although the nights inches with hail stones. Had we re- 
 are quite cold, the heat at midday is mained in our carts, we would have 
 intense, Here we were visited by many passed anything but a comfortable 
 Mongols, and the demand for glass bot- night, 
 
 ties was ,so great that our supply would 
 soon have become exhausted, and we 
 had to refuse one and all. 
 
 There were few incidents worthy of 
 extended mention on the ride to the 
 next village. The country was about 
 of the same nature, and the traits of 
 the people the same, all of them, es- 
 pecially the females, regarding us with 
 great curiosity. We passed a Chinese 
 train of 2367 carts, from Sliansi bound 
 to Lame Meon, a large city in Mon- 
 golia, their carts being laden with tea 
 and coal. They were in camp at the 
 time. At dusk they began to move on. 
 I believe the rules of the country oblige 
 these trains to travel at night, for being 
 often from six to eight miles long, they 
 greatly obstruct travel as many of the 
 roads are very narrow, especially in the 
 northern part of Shansi, 
 
 June 38th. — ^This was a lovely niora- 
 ing, the sun just rising as we mounted 
 our horses to ride over the plain. And 
 there was a scene for the sportsman. ^ 
 Whichever way our eyes were turned, [ 
 there were antelopes in herds, hundreds | 
 grouped together, and often they would 
 startup from the long grass by the 
 roadside, and after one or two bounds, 
 stop and stand staring at us within 
 good rifle shot. Plenty of other game 
 w:as in sight, such as geese, duck, &c., 
 and all over the plain could be heard 
 the peculiar call of the quail. 
 
 As we travel farther west, the roads 
 become more stony and the mountains 
 more lofty and covered with rock. 
 
 June 29th. — After riding some twenty 
 li (nearly seven miles,) we passed 
 through to the small village of Sha Ber 
 Ta. Then our route took us through a 
 long valley, and two large villages, 
 where the ii;habitaiits, being apprised 
 of our approach, turned out to have a 
 
 June 30th. — This morning we arose 
 at four o'clock, several hours before 
 our men were ready to start. The sun 
 came out grand and glorious after such 
 a storm as that of the evening before. 
 After breakfast we took a walk up the 
 mountain, which towers above the plain 
 to the height of some 600 feet, on the 
 summit of which are the remains of an 
 ancient fortification, now overgrown 
 with grass and weeds. It is built in 
 the shape of a square, and the walls, 
 composed- of earth, are even yet over 
 twenty feet high. .It no doubt was 
 built during the many long years of 
 war between this race and the Chinese, 
 and from its commanding and inacces- 
 sible position, could have withstood 
 many an assault from the Celestials. 
 
 The view from here east and west is 
 very extensive. In the valleys almost 
 at pur feet could be seen the white tents 
 of many villages, the flocks and herds 
 feeding near the running streams of 
 clear water. We returned from our 
 stroll at about 11 o'clock, and at once 
 proceeded on our journey, climbing 
 over the mountain, descending which, 
 we passed through a vei'y narrow val- 
 ley, with the mountain on one side 
 towering upward 3000 feet, and on the 
 other 2000 feet, covered with under-; 
 growth and great, shaggy rocks. In 
 about the centre of this pass or defile 
 we observed by the roadside two monu- 
 ments of stone about eight feet high, 
 and four feet in circutnference, carved 
 with Arabic characters, which were 
 nearly effaced by the action oftjme. 
 These monuments were probably erect- 
 ed to mark the spot of some great battle 
 fought between this once fierce and war- 
 like nation and the Chinese. A mere 
 handful 1 of men could easily have held 
 M\e pass against thewisAnds. 
 
 Passing' out of this defile, we came to 
 a large Mongol village, where we found; 
 
 A MONGOL MARRIAGE : J, 
 
 being celebrated in a tent near by., 
 T^e singing was quite pleasant and 
 musical. The old woman who first 
 came out, thinking, no doubt, that we 
 I had come at a most unseemly time, 
 was inclined to be rather uncivil ; but 
 as soon as our arrival became known, 
 there was a sudden stop to the cere- 
 monies, and, all dressed in their best, 
 thej' turned out to see the strangers. 
 Among them were the bride and groom, 
 the latter looking as if he wished us 
 anywhere but in his village; and who 
 could blame him? I did not, however, I 
 admire his taste in the selection of his 
 bride, who was standing near him. I 
 She was anything but a beauty, having^' 
 a full, round face on which vras plainly ' 
 visible the remains of a severe attack 
 of small pox ; small eyes, giving to the 
 expression of her countenance an acute 
 look, somewhat similar to a couple of 
 burned holes in a saffron-colored blan- 
 ket; thick lips, large mouth, fiat nose, 
 and a form which few could admire. 
 She was arrayed in a costume of bright 
 yellow and green, and on her head 
 wore an immense quantity of orna- 
 ments. However novel and interesting 
 the ceremony, we had no desire,' and 
 it would not have been policy, to in- 
 trude;' so after the usual draught of 
 milk, we remounted and passed on, 
 and at night camped near a stream of 
 water. Another terrible storm swept 
 over us that night, and there being no 
 other shelter we were obliged to sleep 
 in our carts. Those small rivulets of 
 which poets are so fond of scribbling 
 about are very pretty in their usual 
 course ; but when one is in deep slum- 
 ber, and two or three of those rivulets 
 gently insert themselves near the-nape 
 of the neck and go winding their way 
 along the person, they have a peculiarly 
 magical effect of bringing one to con- 
 sciousness of who, where and what he 
 IS. That's what struck me on that long 
 and dismal night, 
 
 July 1st. — At eight o'clock we reach- 
 ed a place named Shar To So, opposite 
 which, on the other side of the river 
 and at the base of the mountain, are 
 the remains of a very extensive series 
 of fortifications, which we visited. 
 They are built in the form of a square, 
 separated into compartments, each 
 capable of containing from 20,000 to 
 30^000 men, The walls are of earth, 
 
and are now about 30 feet hiefh. over- 
 grown with grass, and in its day must 
 have been a formidable'structure to as- 
 sault'. ■ 
 
 From the forts by invitation we visit- 
 ed the small village, and were received 
 in the usual manner. After breakfast, 
 an empty cart was driven up, which we 
 engaged to carry us to Quay Hwa 
 Chung, a distance of 80 miles, as we 
 would thus be able to get there one day 
 in advance of our goods. Hastily pack- 
 ing our bedding and commissary into 
 this cart, we started, accompanied by 
 our servant Fauioo, passed many Mon- 
 gol villages on the route till we came 
 to a valley, passed through its twenty 
 miles, when the welcome sight of green 
 trees, well cultivated lands and Chmese 
 houses showed that we had 
 
 LEFT THE MONGOLS. 
 
 Here the country was in the highest 
 state of cultivation; and I can con- 
 lideutly say that if one desires to see 
 land tilled in the most, perfect state, he 
 should visit China. Proceeding on 
 through green and golden fields of 
 vegetables and grains, we arrived at 
 the small village Tau Ba Che. It had 
 only one long street, and a few shops 
 and hotels. Entering one of the latter, 
 we had something to eat, and when we 
 paid the bill, found it most exorbitant, 
 and on paying. the regular fare the land- 
 lord attempted to stop us and our cart, 
 for which I gave Inrn the sweete.st 
 horsewhipping he had ever enjoyed in 
 his life ; and telling him to be careful 
 in future, left him to digest the dose at 
 leisure. 
 
 Eiding on some 20 li fartlier, we came 
 to the small village of Kala Ba Wu Su, 
 where at first we had great difficulty in 
 finding an hotel, the people running 
 from us whenever we approached, and 
 stopping, them, the only answer they 
 would make to our inquiries was an 
 idiotic stare and grin, and the word 
 "Potrinda," (I don't understand.) 
 Knowing well they would not show us 
 to a hotel unless forced, I grabbed a 
 fellow by the head-tail, and walked 
 him around with me alongside my 
 horse, till at last, he, not relishing that 
 sort of fun, he walked us into an hotel, 
 where we secured a comfortable room 
 as to size, it being about 70 foei i""" '^^ 
 30 feet wide! Here we were informed 
 that we were 400 miles from Tai Yeun 
 foo, the capital of Shansi, and 930 miles 
 from Pekin. ., cu !■,; i 
 
 July 2d.— Arose early, and there be- 
 ing many sick in the hotel and neigh- 
 borhood, and the Chinese believing that 
 ^11 foreigners were doctors, we were put 
 to practice. In our outfit we had a large 
 quantity of Epsom salts. We knew that 
 it could do little or no harm in any 
 event, so we prescribed for some ton 
 persons ; some were suffering from ov- 
 erdoses of opium, others from fever, 
 dysentary, and one poor fellow just 
 passing off with consumption. To these 
 we gave our panacea for all evils, in 
 large or small doses according to the 
 apparent endurance of our patients, and 
 from accounts afterwards heard in 
 Quay Hwa Chung, not without fair 
 results. 
 
 At six o'clock a. m. we left the vil- 
 lage, patients and all, and riding on a 
 short distance we had our first view of 
 the plain, which stretches in one un- 
 broken level farther than the eye can 
 reach towards the south and west. 
 Passing through the same beautifully 
 cultivated lands, we came to a small 
 city near which a handsome Pagoda, 
 twelve stories high, rears its head above 
 the surrounding plain. At nine o'clock 
 the welcome sight of a large walled city 
 greeted our vision, and we knew that 
 our journey was nearly finished. Rid- 
 ing up we entered Quay Hwa Chung, 
 the 
 
 CAPITAL OF INNEE MONGOLIA. 
 
 At the gate we were met by an of- 
 ficial, who led us to a small Hoopoo 
 Yamun. By this time we were sur- 
 rounded by thousands of people— noth- 
 ing to be seen but a sea of heads, surg- 
 ing to and fro over the uneven road, 
 and the house tops one mass of men, 
 women and children. In the crovrd we 
 saw many soldiers armed with jinjalls 
 and matchlocks, evidently having just 
 been called out. Entering the Yamun, 
 we stated the object of our visit, trade 
 and barter, and were told that this was 
 the soldiers' city, and that the true or' 
 commercial city was five li (nearly two 
 miles) distant. 
 
 : This city, called the Ping Ching, or 
 Soldiers' City, is four miles square, th^ 
 walls of the average height of forty feet; we were most 
 and with the usual four gates facing; 
 the four points of the compass. From 
 each of these gates runs a broad street! 
 from 80 to 100 feet wide, which inter- 
 sects at the centre, where' there is a 
 large arched building with a neat Joss 
 house surrounding it, thus separating 
 the city into four sections. These sec- 
 
 "Tions or wards are intersected at right 
 angles with narrow streets, and the 
 houses are built in regular rows, each 
 house separated from its neighbor by a 
 high wall. In the principal street is 
 the General's yamun, a very handsome 
 and rich collection of buildings; and 
 there are also a few subordinate yamuns. 
 
 On inquiring for a guide, a ragged 
 beggar was detailed to show us the way, 
 and attended by multitudes we started. 
 Passing out of the west we came into a 
 cultivated country, and in the distance 
 could be seen the lofty temples of the 
 Commercial City. Here for the first 
 time I saw the poppy from which 
 opium is manufactured. In whatever 
 direction the eye is turned, there's noth- 
 ing to be seen but the beautiful, varie- 
 gated flowers of this precious plant, 
 blended with the green and golden; 
 fields of vegetables and gram. 
 
 At last we arrived at the city proper, 
 and one of our horses having given out 
 from exhaustion, having come thirty 
 miles in three hours, we entered a 
 broker's house and left him there, Our 
 arrival having by this time spread like 
 wildflre throughout th6 city, the streets 
 and housetops, when we came out of 
 tlie broker's den, were one mass of peo-' 
 pie, jostling and fighting each other to 
 get a glimpse of us. Engaging a cart, 
 we ordered the driver to convey us to 
 the Yamun, as the crowd was unbear- 
 able and we wished to show our pass-j 
 ports and claim protection from the in-: 
 trusiou of the people. 
 
 Followed by the multitude, whose 
 cry of "Yang Jin" (foreign men) called 
 out the inhabitants of every street' 
 through which we passed, and who 
 looked upon us just as some of Du 
 Chaillu's gorrillas would be stared at if. 
 they were led through the streets of 
 New York or Geneva, and with just 
 about the same fellow feeling which we 
 would experience for one of those links 
 between the human and brutal creation. 
 At last we arrived at the Uhrfoo 
 Yamun, or mayor's ofHce, where we 
 alighted from our cart and entered or 
 "were led into a Joss house, and where 
 
 SHAMEFULLY TREATED. aJ-ijEOfl 
 
 On asking for the Secretary, a Com- 
 mon soldier thrust himself out through 
 the crowd and said "Ecce homo!" or 
 Chinese to the same effect. But we saw 
 instantly from his dress and appearance 
 that he was not what he represented 
 himself to be, and told him that he was 
 ! a Cooly. He then brought but the 
 ycaak, and said that he was the man . 
 
Oa receiving this fi-esh insult, we start- 
 ed to leave, and were about to enter ourl 
 carts when an ofiicial came up and led; 
 us to the Secretary's room. Here we 
 were politely received, and after ex- 
 plaining our business and showing our 
 passports, we departed, accompanied by 
 a soldier to show us a hotel. 
 
 To describe the immense crowds that 
 thronged the streets would be impos- 
 sible. Suffice to say that from thisi 
 yamun to the Hoopoo Yamun, and 
 from, there to our hotel, a distance of 
 nearly two miles, the streets, housetops,, 
 £id every available spot on which a 
 maiuor boy could perch himself was 
 jammed. 
 
 On our arrival at the hotel we found 
 I the yard full of people, and an unsuc- 
 ( cessful attempt was made to turn them 
 'out, and during the rest of the day, 
 mats, boards, blankets, and every avail- 
 able screen was put up to allow us a 
 moment's rest, but with no success. 
 At last we had to take to our whips and 
 hot water, and with the latter we wei-q 
 not sparing, as many a man, rich and 
 poor, who dared to intrude xipon us, 
 received his share ai)d went off with a 
 wry face. 
 
 Every time we made our appearance, 
 so great was their fear that a rush was 
 made for the outside gates, and many 
 were trampled under foot. At last a 
 very fierce dog was fastened at the ho- 
 tel gates, and by this clever device we 
 were for the remainder of the day un- 
 molested. At 3 p. m. our own carts 
 came up, and we w^ent to a broker 
 whom we engaged to sell our goods, 
 and from whom we engaged rooms for 
 our occupancy while we remained Jn 
 the city. 
 
 The city of Quay Hwa Chung contains 
 about 250,000 inhabitants, and is situ- 
 ated on a great plain within seveu miles 
 of the mountains on the north, Unlike 
 ! other Chinese ^cities, it is not walled iuy 
 although on the north side are the rcr 
 mams of a small walled city, which 
 , does not occupy one-twentieth of the 
 j entire space. Through this one pas.ses 
 ito enter the proper city, by four gates, 
 which are in a most dilapidated state, 
 and nearly makes one shudder at tlie 
 thought of passing through. The 
 streets, if they may be so called, run in 
 every direction, are narrow and filthy. 
 The houses are none of them handsome, 
 except a few pawn broker's shops, .and 
 the most that can be said of the richest 
 part of the city is, that it has a respec- 
 table look. There ar^ ' • , •- . :..,■,■; ., 
 
 MANY FINE TEMPLES, ' • ■-' ■ 
 
 one of which, belonging to the l4ongol 
 Lamas, is nchly decorated and sur- 
 passes in beauty, but not in Siz6, some 
 of the Imperial pala,ces at Pekin. In 
 the suburbs are many extensive iKo- 
 hammedoii mosqueSj but hardly' worth 
 a minute description. ' ' . ' 
 
 The greater part of the trade here is 
 in the hands of brokers, and some of 
 this class of men are itnnjeiisely 
 Wealthy, who do not dare make any 
 display of their wealth from fear that 
 the Mandarins would extort money 
 from tliem. This is the case all over' 
 the country. 
 
 July 3d. — We w-ere awi^kened ,e!arty, 
 this morning by the noise of .the inj- 
 mense crowds outside pur gates I 
 Previous to coming to this place we 
 were informed that there was an ex- 
 tensive Catholic niission, some few li 
 Ifrom the city, so we engaged a cart and 
 paid a visit to it. Thfrride was through 
 waving fields, under a 'burniiig sun. 
 The "extensive mission" proved to be a 
 mere collection ofmud hovels, in which 
 a well bred American pig would have 
 been disgusted. The principal who of- 
 ficiated here was absent, so we returned 
 to the city, by way of the soldier 'city^ 
 Richards told some of the crowd that I 
 was a woman ; whereupon their curi- 
 osity and excitement became most in- 
 tense, and they were only cooled down 
 by a blow now and then from my 
 clenched fist. Those who suffered were 
 glad to slink away in the crovvd; and 
 thereafter allow the "foreig'n lady" 
 ample room for her skirts. 
 
 Arrived at our hotel, we found the 
 Priest awaiting us, having heard that 
 strangers were there. He was a fat, in- 
 different looking young man, and spoke' 
 a little bad Latin." • • .!'i;»i o'"iaVV ' 
 About Ha. m. the carts' came with 
 our goods, and we went to the broker's 
 where we were installed in four large 
 rooms, but were much troubled by the 
 crowd until an additional guftrd'-i was 
 sent us from the yamun. 
 
 Fourth of July.— On this day,- 
 which all of my countryriieh are ac- 
 customed to celebrate as the most im- 
 portant day of the year, I find myiself 
 in nearly the : • ; • i 
 
 CENTRE OF ASIA, 
 
 in a city in which the toot of ^n Ameri- 
 can has never before been, placed, and 
 nearly one thousand miles from any 
 European settlement, Two yea^rs ago I 
 
 ^was"at home, in, beautiful Getieva,^j^ 
 among loving relatives and fi;ieudl^ j! ', 
 Last year I was rolling in the easy 
 swell of the broad Pacific, with the lofty 
 Fusiama of Japan just in sight. Nmj 
 I Etm within twenty miles of the Deserf^ 
 of Goti, and only a short distance from- 
 the Yellow River and the mountains o|j 
 Mongolia. Such are the. changes. ■ j^,. 
 We arose late, and paissed the '9a3f: 
 quietly, if we may so call it. Vast crowds 
 came to our rooms, pushing open tKe 
 doors, breaking the windows, till at: 
 last we went at them with our whipsj 
 and fists, letting fiy right and left,| 
 sparing neither young nor old, and itj 
 was surprising to; see how pleasantly; 
 they took a threshing. Then they|j 
 would retire and send into the houstB; 
 some foolish or ignorant fellow, whbj; 
 after his "reception*' would retreat as|; 
 others had before him. lafact wekepttj 
 busy at this till dinner time! ' "■' j 
 After a grand dinner, we took a i 
 bumper of champagne, drinking the 
 health and happiness of friends and 
 relatives, prosperity to the Uhioh and 
 downfall of traitors, with many en- 
 thusiastic cheers by the two traveler-^. 
 Our impromptu celebration brought in 
 the guards and the employees of the 
 house to see what was the malter.. But 
 as our "Brother Jonathan" was in no 
 way related to th&m, they retired as 
 Ignorant as they came. The Fourth of 
 July in an American citizen will assert 
 itself, no matter where he maybe, or 
 among what race of men. Not long 
 after this we "turned in," and were 
 ^bon traversing the "Land of Nod," a 
 far rnore heavenly place than this 
 heathen and inhospitable region. ' >' 
 "We were detained here twenty-thVefe' 
 days, and although I kept a journal, of 
 events, I propose to relate only a few 
 of the naost interesting incidents which 
 occurred up to the day of oiir leaviixg 
 , for Fung Jen. .'i 
 
 On the evening of the 5th we. visited 
 athr^tre, brilliantly illuminated*;.. .It. 
 was , . . -I ■ 
 
 A STRANGE SIGHT. 
 
 The thousands of white faces turned up 11 
 to the stage, eagerly watching the 
 ridiculous perforniances of a . pompous 
 looking actor, tricked out in all the 
 gaudy finery which thi^.classon these 
 occasions deck themselves with ; the 
 shriek of the ear-piercmg horns,, ^nd 
 ; other instrument?, which tlis niusiciaixS; 
 labor with ; the actipns and voices of, 
 ■the different actors as they pass to^ and, 
 
n*„„ Q^ j],jQ stage, and the lanthorus, 
 
 ^fro 
 
 the b|-ight colored clothes and tapestry 
 1 with, which the stage is decke^l off, left 
 a singula,r impression upon me; 
 : On the (Hh- we-called upon the Chief 
 Magistrate of the city, and aftei* some 
 jdifflculty were ushered into the presence 
 ;of the Secretary. He was very polite, 
 jbut much confused, as we were the 
 'first Europeans he had ever seen. Out 
 of respect we of course removed our 
 ihafa, and not to be outdone in dignity 
 !he removed his, ;and came near choking 
 in the attempt to remove it hastily, as 
 it was tied under his chin! We ex- 
 iplained our business, and: he promised 
 to have everything arranged to our 
 satisfaction. > 
 
 I For several days after this we had 
 
 many calls from officials, who came to 
 
 observe our style and habits of living, 
 
 and most of them, liaving no particular 
 
 (lislike to our liquors and cigai-sj usually 
 
 retired anything but sobfer. ; ■ ' ' i 
 
 ' One :day while waiting for i the ex* 
 
 pected. proclamation: tliat was to permit 
 
 the merchants to. buy our -goods, we 
 
 ii'led to obtain a cart and drive to the 
 
 ''. Whaiig Ho' (Yellow River.) Bat for 
 
 ' this We had to obtain permission from 
 
 ; ihe magistrate. This was putting it on 
 
 1 tatlier thick, and we found that we were 
 
 1 little else than prisoners, being sur^. 
 
 i founded day and night by guards and 
 
 ^pies, in either official or private dress t 
 
 This touched us in a tender spot, as it 
 
 will any American ; and I wrote a short, 
 
 curt note to , the Secretary, which 
 
 ^ brought him to us on the double quick; 
 
 and he said that he would issue orders 
 
 that we should have carts at any time, 
 
 and still further Smoothed it over by 
 
 ipviting us to dine with him next 
 
 "c^i-ts. tie deliberately lied when lie 
 sEiid they were the best that could be 
 had! 
 
 The excitement about us continued, 
 and whenever we appeared in the 
 streets, we were surrounded by multi- 
 tudes. The 12th of July was an in- 
 tensely hot day, and we did not Stir out. 
 The Secretary took dinner witb us, -and 
 this was our bill of fare : MuUagalawney 
 soup ; rice, boiled mutton, caper sauce, 
 roast beef; potatoes, beans, cabbage, 
 turnips; strawberry cream,- fritters, 
 wines, claret, sherry, yellow and cham- 
 pagne, and segars. The Secretary laid 
 into everything with gusto, especially 
 the champagne, and at last a segac 
 nicely fixed him, and when we helped 
 him into his cart he was moie than 
 "half seas over." It was ludicrous to 
 see him. act the part of a sober man be- 
 fore his subordinates. The lasi we saw 
 of him was a dizzy nod of the head as 
 he hiccoughed out "herejal" and re- 
 turned home. It was severA.1 days be- 
 fore he came around again, and then 
 he appeared to have signed the tem- 
 perance pledge 1 
 
 After he had gone, I took a ride about 
 the city, and stopped at a theatre, but 
 no sooner was my presence known 
 than there was a premature stop to the 
 performance, and audience, actors, 
 musicians and all pressed forward to 
 have a look at me, *id so great was the 
 crowd that I had to u.se my whip quite 
 freely. 
 
 On the 20th of July, we found that 
 the 
 
 MANDARINS WERE OPPOSED 
 
 I ' rie 
 
 Of course we accepted, and next day 
 
 at 12 rrl., he came for us with his carL 
 
 It \^as an elegant repast, consisting .of 
 
 -eighteen courses, beginning just where 
 
 ^t home .we end— that is, desert was 
 
 served first, and winding up with a 
 
 'IJowl of soup. ■" •■'.■■■-^-•■' '■ ^ ' " ' '■ -• 
 
 ■' i Sure enough, next njorriih^ the par(s^ 
 
 Were at our door; but ' ' . ,._! , ' 
 
 ' ; SUCH carts! SudHHOFSSESl '■ 
 
 ImHierthe frames.of horses! The "three 
 
 'black crows" would have' scorned a feast 
 
 'dn their bones. Well, we did hot want 
 
 tJ3 ride after those specimens, and dis- 
 
 'missed them. Shortly after theBecre- 
 
 •tary came. We told him that we were 
 
 -'neither pirisoners nor beggars, but men 
 
 ■vfho cduld afford to pa'? for decent 
 
 to our doing any business, and we con- 
 cluded to pack up and leave the place. 
 There was much difficulty in getting 
 carts to convey the goods away, and 
 the time was spent in looking about us, 
 observing aud being observed. On the 
 21st we began to pack, and at 3 p. m. 
 were ready to move, when the cartmen 
 obstinately refused to stir unless per- 
 j mission was obtained from the Yamun, 
 I and they commenced to remove their 
 i horses from the carts. This was more 
 than our patience could bear, and we 
 threshed every cartman soundly. While 
 the performance was going on' the 
 Secretary came up, and gave the per- 
 mission, and at 6 o'clock we were off. 
 
 Our departure having become known, 
 
 the streets and house tops were crowded 
 
 with men, women and children, to have 
 
 ,a, last glimpse of the yang jin, and the 
 
 ^.crowds followed us far outside the city. 
 
 Then we were alone 'in'the' dusk of the 
 evening, bound for — where? We picked 
 our way along over the miserable roads. 
 
 July 28th. — I have not been very 
 explicit as to dates since the 4th. This 
 day our route was through fields of 
 ripe wheat, in which the farmers were 
 at work pulling the grain, while in the 
 Ipoppy fields men and women were 
 scraping the opium from the bulb of 
 «the flower, which as it exudes from the 
 incisions in the bulb is of a milky color, 
 but whicli oh exposure to the sun soon 
 becomes black. 
 
 " The principal subsistence of the peo- 
 ple in this vicinity is millet and oats. 
 Wheat is too expensive for the lower 
 Iclasses. The millet is usually cooked 
 like rice, boiled, and they eat it wiilfe 
 salt, vegetables and onions. Oats ar«: 
 ground, and prepared in several ways, 
 mostly mixed with water, made into 
 thin cakes and steamed. This, al- 
 though quite insipid to the, taste, is 
 v6ry nutricious. Potatoes are raised in 
 abundance, and they have a tevr Eng- 
 lish cabbage. " r ■ J. 
 
 Next morning we arrived at a village 
 called Matei", prettily situated among 
 trees', at the foot of the mountain. 
 Here we had a little ahiUsement With a 
 crazy man. Our carts not having ar- 
 rived, I rode back a few miles to hasten 
 them, and when I returned, Richai'ds 
 had dressed up this ci-azy man in a re;d ' 
 shirt and pair of drawers, and there the 
 poor idiot stood, bowing to the crowds'' 
 of people, and shovvingthein the man-. 
 ner of putting on and off his new<- j 
 f angled clothing, with the utmost dis- 
 regard for personal appearance. 
 
 There are five Joss houses here, and 
 opposite them a theatre. I entered one 
 of these Joss houses, and was surprised^ 
 to see the fibor and steps covered with" 
 priests, men and boys, many stupified 
 and the rest smoking opium, and even'^ 
 6utside, in the shade of the building," 
 men were lying with a stone for a pil-'' 
 low, pulling away at their opium pipes;' 
 The drug is aU of native growth kiid 
 manufacture, and is so cheap that it is 
 within the reach of all the poorest, antf .' 
 few if any can be found who do nbt 
 use it in some shape. ' 
 
 In the street on my return I counted' 
 eight gambling booths, around which 
 were numbers of men and boys, eagerly 
 watcliihg every throw of the dice. I j 
 would not have been surprised at so , 
 much vice and depravity ina populous 
 city; but in this small country village, ' 
 
mostly farmers dependant • on ' ttteW 
 crops, it was truly amazing. ■ ^ 
 
 We left this place at 2 p. m., and on' 
 the evening of the next day arrived at 
 Wan Shin. Our long tedious trip in- 
 land had been expensive but full of in- 
 terest. We had seen manj- strange 
 people, learn«d their customs and 
 habits, their morals, &c., which, under 
 the peculiar influences which surround 
 them are quite commendable. But the 
 inland ports were not open to trade. 
 Had it been as free here as in our own 
 country, the foundation of a large for- 
 tune for my partner and myself would 
 have been laid, and the people would 
 not have suffered as much from over- 
 charges and short weight and measure 
 ;as through their licensed dealers. But 
 red tape notions ruled in all casefe, and 
 njo- ■ amount of consultation could pave 
 the way for the future. Our stores 
 inhere quite exhausted by the time we 
 returned to the coast, and the return 
 trip lost much of its interest by our 
 business failure. In a future letter I 
 ;Will write my impressions of China. 
 , i ,';!■'!" ^ EjDWAED Slosson. ',