PEKING. City of Peking. THE city of Peking stands in a vast plain, in latitude thirty-nine degrees, fifty-five minutes, longitude one hundred and sixteen degrees, forty-five minutes, east of Greenwich, according to some, twenty miles more westward, and belongs to Shunteen-foo. It is situated about sixty miles from the great wall, and one hundred from the sea. The Pe-ho flows at some distance to the east of the city, but as the Chinese cannot do without communication by water, they have dug canals and tanks, which stand in connexion with the Tunghwuy. This is a small river, which, after having joined another branch, flows into the Pe-ho, and facilitates the water communication with the capital. government to Peche-le. By the natives, Peking is generally called Kingtoo, or King-sze, (the residence of the court,) and is looked upon as a sacred spot, the nearest portal to heaven. It has undergone great changes since its foundation: it is now divided into the old and new city; the latter, which lies to the north, was built by the Tartars, and contains the imperial palace, and is hence called Nuy-ching, (inner city;) the former, which lies to the south, bears the name of Wae-ching, (outer city.) It is said to occupy an area of twentyseven miles in circumference, not including the suburbs. The wall which surrounds it is thirty feet in height, and of the enormous thickness of twenty feet; nine gates lead through it, which The Chinese court has been fre- reminds one very strongly of ancient quently removed from one part of the Babylon. A ditch around completes empire to the other. Kublai, the Mongol the fortification of a city, which, in the conqueror, fixed it at first in Shan-se eyes of the Tartars, is impregnable. province, and then established it at The wall is faced with many lofty towers Peking. This is an ancient city, founded and battlements, so as to form sufficient during the reign of the Han, and the room for planting batteries. The streets capital of the Ketans, the founders of leading to the nine gates are very spathe Leaou dynasty. It seems to be the cious, but lined with low houses, and same as the Kambalu of Marco Polo, not being paved, are, in wet weather, though the site of that city appears to almost impassable. In entering no capidiffer from the present situation of tal will a traveller be so much disapPeking. The founder of the Ming dy-pointed as in entering Peking; for after nasty lived at Nanking, (the southern court,) but one of his successors, Yunglo, transplanted the seat of the supreme having eyed the city with wonder, and passed the gate, the romantic fairy-land vanishes at once. If, however, he can I content himself with the sight of gaudy | ven and earth, the words Keen and shops, and a promiscuous crowd, conti- Kwan-(the two dual principles, heanually thronging the streets, he may ven-the moving power, earth-the restill be reminded, that he is in the capi-ceiving mother,) distinguish their retal of China. spective palaces. In the Fung-seenteen, the tablets of the deceased imperial ancestors are kept, and it is here that the emperor prostrates himself, in order to obtain blessings from the manes of his ancestors, and to show his filial piety. Six palaces are occupied by the imperial females, and one by the emperor's stewards, and there are others besides kept for similar purposes. To our taste, the buildings appear gorgeous, but to the Chinese they have indescribable charms. The second inclosure, called Hwangching, (august city,) is six miles in circumference, and surrounded with a wall twenty feet in height. Many temples, dedicated to idols, are destined to adorn, or rather to disgrace the Hwangching. We notice the Shay-tseih-tan, an altar erected to honour the gods of the land and of grain, the most sacred idols, constituted by the ancient kings ob The northern city being built in the form of a parallelogram, facing the four quarters of the globe, consists of three inclosures, one within the other. The innermost contains the imperial palace, where his majesty and the royal family live; the next, though designed to be the residence of the immediate officers and attendants of the palace, is now occupied by the industrious Chinese; whilst the third constitutes the open city. The wall which surrounds the imperial sacrum is laid over with yellow bricks, mounted with high towers, and built very regularly, so that the whole has a neat appearance. All the walks, which lead to the principal halls, are paved with large slabs of white and grey stone. The Wao-mun, or meridian gate, is the most splendid of all; the emperor alone can pass through it by means of the southern avenue, and whenever he honours it with his pre-jects of adoration. From them, though sence, a gong and a bell, hung in the tower over the gate, are sounded. Here he distributes presents to foreign ambassadors, views the captives, which his invincibles have taken, and shows himself, whenever he has to dispense mercy. The emperor receives congratulations, and visits of ceremony in the Tae-ho-mun, (the gate of great harmony,) which is a splendid Chinese edifice one hundred and ten feet high. The Chung-hoteen, and the Paou-ho-teën, are likewise halls of ceremony; but nobody can visit the Keen-tsing-kung, except those who receive a special call. It is the palace of heaven's rest, for this is the signification of its name, and serves as a cabinet, where ministers of state assemble for consultation, and candidates for office, to obtain their appointment. Twice it has been made the scene of social enjoyment; on one occasion, when Kanghe invited all who had passed the age of sixty; on the other, when Keenlung issued a similar invitation to an immense number of persons in their dotage. The Kwan-ning-kung is the abode of the empress, who has also a flower-garden near her dwelling. Adjacent to her palace is a library, containing most of the books that have been published in the empire. Their majesties being the representatives of hea merely deified personages, every blessing of the country descends; a plentiful harvest, a tree in full blossom, a well stored granary are the gifts of the Shaytseih, the Ceres of China. The face of the altar is of party-coloured earth, the north side is black, the south red, the east green, the west white, and the centre yellow. However, heaven's son does not place his entire confidence in those vain idols; he has in their neighbourhood a large arsenal, where every thing is prepared for the defence of the country. The principle of latitudinarian toleration is here carried to extremes; the Russian priests reside not far from the Tibetean Lamas; whilst the idols of thunder and wind, in the adjacent temples, keep them both company. The emperor spends his leisure hours in artificial parks, gardens, and summer houses. The most remarkable are the King-shan, a hill raised and well planted with cypress; the Se-yuen, or western park, with an artificial lake, and several landscapes, summer houses, cupolas, etc. Yet the monarchs are so much devoted to military tactics, that even in this retreat of sweet repose, the annual examination of candidates for military rank are held. An immense statue of Budhu is paraded in one of the temples. This is now an idol, which the Chinese orthodoxy of state has declared to be illegal, and consequently excommunicated; how, notwithstanding, it has gained access to the imperial city, and stands there in open defiance of all prohibitions, we are unable to tell. It would be tedious to describe all the buildings the palaces alone exceeding two hundred. Lest, however, the reader should form too high an estimate of the city, we must inform him that some of the palaces even would scarcely serve for a stable, and that the far-famed gardens might be mistaken for a mere jungle. The writer has seen imperial gardens, where there was nothing growing but brambles and briers! and the buildings in which were so filthy and dilapidated, that, for night quarters, he would have preferred an Irish cabin. There are some remarkable exceptions; and amongst these, we number the splendid gardens of Yuen-ming-yuen. The five tribunals which decide upon all important affairs of state, hold their sittings here, in buildings belonging to the palace. The medical college, the astronomical board, the imperial observatory, are all in its environs. But no institution reflects so much lustre on this city as the Han-lin-yuen, (the national | college,) where all Chinese learning and literature are concentrated. Even the censors of the empire have their seat here. Mantchoo, Chinese, and Russian learning flourish in it; all religions, though some of them are proscribed, share the honour of being sanctioned in its precincts. A mosque, a Greek church, a Roman Catholic church, pagodas dedicated to different idols, are here mingled, just as if there were no religious distinction: one church, however, is wanting -a temple dedicated to "the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom he has We have already mentioned the Taeho-teën, (hall of great harmony,) but have not yet spoken of the imperial throne, and the great hall of audience, which it contains. It is one hundred and thirty feet long, and almost square; the imperial dragon, which is the official badge of heaven's son, is painted on the green lackered ceiling; but the walls are only whitewashed, and, in the absence of all decorations, the Chinese seem to intimate, that true grandeur is best represented in the most simple garb. This applies also to the throne, a lofty alcove, raised some feet from the ground, with a simple inscription Shing, holy or sage. Whether the monarch is seated upon it or not, the mandarins knock head upon the pavement, to show their veneration and servility to the potentate. To introduce order amongst the immense crowd, which collects at every audience, brass plates nailed upon the pavement, with an inscription indicating the name and rank of a certain officer, point out to each individual his proper place, so that every one has space enough to lie down prostrate, and ko-tow (knock head) without injury to his neighbour. Immense stores of valuable articles, such as gold, silver, ivory, furs, etc., are kept near this palace, and only opened, when an emperor ascends the throne, or a lady is raised to the rank of empress. Yet the numerous fanes in the Hwangching are too few for the superstition of the dragon. There are also temples in the Chinese city, or Wae-ching, which he occasionally visits. Such is the Teen-tan, or celestial altar, where the azure heavens are adored this is rather a splendid and large building, the wall which surrounds it is half a mile in circumference; between it and the outer ditch is a roof, supported by one hundred and sixty pillars. Before the principal entrance, on the left hand, is a pavilion of stone, adorned with a statue in bronze, representing a man in deep contemplation, and on the other the monument of time. The emperor himself sacrifices here at the winter solstice, to the azure heavens. The Seënnung-tan is erected in honour of the inventor of agriculture; but the spirit of the heavens and the earth, and the planet of Jupiter, have all their respective altars. Sacrifices are offered before them to the five sacred mountains, the five predominant mountains, and the five common mountains; their meaning we leave the reader to guess, nor can we discover what they have to do with agriculture. But this is not sufficient; the rivers have also their representatives, and receive their regular sacrifice upon an altar, where their form is engraved. Nothing, however, is so remarkable as the field which the emperor annually ploughs. But here we merely observe, that the grain produced by the emperor's manual labour is thought much superior to common grain, and is therefore used to make cakes for the sacrifices offered up to heaven. The Chinese city bears all the marks of an industrious people, constant in the pursuit of gain: mercantile bustle pervades every corner of it. The police, which consists here of soldiers, keeps a sharp look-out to prevent robberies, theft, etc., Peking, like almost all cities, and perhaps more so than any other, being a sink of iniquity. The suburbs included, we do not hesitate to say that the city numbers two millions of inhabitants. It is naturally a great place for trade, and would be still greater, if any European merchants were established here to carry on business.-Gutzlaff. THE ASH. Explanation of cut.-a, flower. b, winged seeds. c, single flower. d, seed divested of its wings. NATURAL ORDER. Oleœcæ. LINNEAN ARRANGEMENT. Fraxinus Excelsor. Diandria Monogynia. Calyx none, or in four deep segments. Corolla none, or in four deep segments. Filaments two, short. Anthers large, purplish, with four furrows. Germen superior, egg shaped, two celled. Style short. Stigma cleft. Capsule green, with a flat leaf-like termination, two celled, each cell one seeded, frequently remaining on the tree after the leaves have fallen. Leaves stalked, consisting of five or six pairs of lance shaped, opposite leaflets, deeply serrated, with a terminal leaflet. buds large and black, blossom in loose panicles. Flowers in April or May. Flower as "the towering ash," combining, as it does, in equal degree, majesty and beauty, dignity and grace? How noble the sweep of its lofty trunk and "umbrageous arms!" How light and airy the ramifications of its sprays, nor less so the feathery foliage, which clothes them with a pendant mantle of the brightest and loveliest green. How splendid its silvery stem, embossed with lichens of a golden hue. "Its knotty bloom," Gilpin declares, "not only enriches the spray, but is itself one of the most beautiful among the minute appearances of nature: the seminal stems are of an olive tint, and each of them tipped with a black seed.' But "Nature seems to ordain The rocky cliff for the wild ash's reign," and all its external charms appear to yet greater advantage from their contrast with the rugged sublimity of the scene around, when the tree is found, as it not unfrequently is, "At anchor in the refted rock," waving its graceful form on the sides of some craggy precipice, or rooted in the fissures of a rocky bank, and bending over some mountain streamlet, or foaming torrent, "Narcissus like, viewing its own charms." In such a situation have our poets often delineated it. "Tall ash tree, sown by winds, by vapours nursed, In the dry crannies of the pendant rocks." WORDSWORTH'S EXCURSION. "The ash asks not a depth of fruitful mould, It thrives, and high o'er creviced ruins spreads "Amid the brook, Grey as the stone to which it clung, half root, With twinkling motion lifts the silent leaves, Nor is it only on account of its picturesque beauty that this tree ranks so high among the trees of the forest. External appearance should never be exalted above intrinsic worth, but we are under no temptation to this error, while the ash is our subject. If it is distinguished as the beauty of our woods, it is yet more ennobled by its general utility. As a timber tree, it is only inferior to the oak; and though that tree will ever remain unrivalled for the peculiar purposes to Gives to the humble swain his useful plough, But it is the sequestered scenes of rural life, that we must contemplate, if we would rightly appreciate the value of the ash, the husbandman's tree. Smile not at the lowly name, ye children of affluence, ye great ones of the earth, who estimate surrounding objects only by the gratification they afford your senses, or the degree in which they minister to your own imaginary wants. That "the king himself is served by the labour of the field," is the inspired declaration of the wisest of the sons of men; and shall we then regard with scornful pride, or careless indifference, those humble, but invaluable labours, by which "our own, our native isle," has attained her present lofty station among the nations of the earth; distinguished alike for the extent of her commerce, the variety of her manufactures, and the undaunted bravery of her sons "first on the listed plain or stormy sea;" ennobled by her patronage of the arts, and liberality to the distressed; in "patriots and in statesmen fertile ;" the favourite abode of liberty, and the successful champion of freedom. "Not unto us, O Lord, but unto thy name be the glory," will the Christian patriot exclaim, while with glowing heart he contemplates the wondrous transformation by which "this island, spot of unreclaimed rude earth," in former times the prey of every invader, has become the empress of the seas, the mistress of the world. But while we thus attribute the prosperity of Britain to its true source, the great First Cause of all terrestrial good, to "Him who has hid us and our favoured land For ages safe beneath his sheltering hand;" what may we regard as the instruments by which he wrought the mighty work, as the foundation stones of the glorious building? Behold the acorn from which the giant oak has sprung-the ash, the husbandman's tree, the material of those implements by which our pastures, once poisonous morasses, are "clothed with flocks," and our valleys, heretofore im"covered with penetrable forests, are corn.' "Without the industry of the farmer, the manufacturer would have no goods to supply the merchant, nor the merchant find any employment for the mariners; trade would be stagnated, and riches of no advantage." "Ye generous Britons, venerate the plough," and promote, by every means in your power, the interests of those labourers, who, in the sweat of their brows, prepare for you the staff of life, who labour that ye may take your rest. has been assigned the literal fulfilment of the primeval curse by that God who If to them "hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth," on you devolves the duty of infusing, by acts of sympathy and words of kindness, some drops of sweetening into their bitter cup. "Blessed is he that considereth the poor, the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble," Psa. xli. 1. "The use of the ash is (next to that of oak) one of the most universal. The carpenter, wheelwright, and cartwright find it excellent for ploughs, axletrees, wheelrings, and harrows: like the elm, it is excellent for tenons and mortises; nothing is like it for our gardens, palisade hedges, hop yards, poles and spars, handles and stocks, for tools, spade trees, etc. In fact, the husbandman cannot be without the ash." Such is old Evelyn's testimony; and although the now universal application of iron may have partially supplanted this timber for many of the purposes to which he alludes, it is still used in no inconsiderable degree for agricultural implements. For oars, its combination of strength with lightness renders it peculiarly adapted, nor less so for the purposes of the cooper and turner. By cabinet-makers this timber is highly valued, as the roots and knotted protuberances on the trunk are beautifully veined and susceptible of a high polish. "Some ash is so curiously cambletted and veined, I say, so differently from other timber, that our skilful cabinetmakers prize it equally with ebony; and when our woodmen light upon it, they may make what money of it they will. The truth is, the bruscum or molluscum to be frequently found in this wood, is nothing inferior to that of maple, being altogether as exquisitely diapered, and waved like the lines of an agate." With |