S88 



i I VIL ARCHITECTURE. 



Tiiuaphal 







Mr B- 



'UW. 



.i. >..., 

 <ndmud. 

 <"IU, all 



of column, with some trifling thades of variation, it to 

 be mri with in ilmott ill the pagodas. 



We have hitherto procredcd upon the authentic* of 

 Duhalde and Chamber*. We shall now give some par- 

 ticular* from Loui* le Cocnpte, given in hit NoHveaux 

 Memoire*. Hit description of tt. - imperial palace and pa- 

 gotiat, corrrpi>ndi nearly with those already given. They 

 are too general to afford any further tatiifactory informa- 

 tion. Respecting the city of Pekin, he states that the 

 principal streets extend in a direct line one league be- 

 tween the gates, and that they are 120 feet in width : 

 that each shop- keeper puts out, on a pedestal before his 

 house, a plank, 20 or US feet in height, painted, highly 

 Tarnished, and having a list of the articles he sells : that 

 these, on each side of the streets, at equal distances, have 

 the appearance of scene* in a theatre. Respecting the 

 city gates, he represent* them a* consisting of two large 

 separate square buildings, connected by two very thick 

 walls, so that the space enclosed may contain about 500 

 men in battle order. The first building, which has the 

 appearance of a fortress, has no direct passage through 

 it ; it is entered at the side wall, by a gate proportional 

 to the rest. When turning to the right, a second tower 

 is met with, which commands the city, and lias a gate- 

 way like the former ; but it is so long, as to become 

 dark towards the middle. In approaching Pekin, these 

 immense gateways have a striking effect. The arches 

 are built with marble, and the rest with large bricks, laid 

 in excellent mortar. The walls are so high, as to conceal 

 the city. They are so thick, that crntinels on horseback 

 are placed upon them. At every bow-shot distance they 

 are fortified with towers. The ditch i broad and deep, 

 but dry. 



Of triumphal arches, which are very common in Chi- 

 na, he stated, that they consist of three arches, the middle 

 one being the highest. The four columns which support 

 them are ometimes round, but more frequently square. 

 They have no bases, nor any capitals ; but the shaft is 

 fastened into the architrave. The frieze is very high in 

 proportion to the rest ; it is decorated with inscriptions, 

 and beautiful figures ; with knots wrought one loop with- 

 in another, and with flowers and birds all in very bold 

 relief. Instead of cornices, they have before and be- 

 iiind, large flat marble stones, like pent-houses. 



The foregoing accounts and description, though we 

 have no reason to question their accuracy, are yet in so 

 uniform a tone ot admiration, as to render it evident, that 

 the favourable features only are exhibited. In order, 

 therefore, to chasten, and perhaps to render the picture 

 more perfect, we shall present the reader with some de- 

 scriptions from an equally accurate and more recent vi- 

 sitor, Mr Barrow. Sailing up the river Pei-hoo towards 

 Pekin, he observes, " there are few tree*, except near 

 villages, which are of mean appearance \ the houses ge- 

 nerally consisting of mud- walls, one story high, and 

 thatched with straw or rushes. Here and there a soli- 

 tary cottage intervened. Nothing bore any resemblance 

 to the residence of a gentleman, or that could be called 

 a comfortable farm-house ; and although villages were 

 aumerou*, no auenblage of hovels were perceived, that 

 properly could be classed under the name of a town, ex- 

 cept that of Lee-koo, near the mouth of tlie river, and 

 Ta-koo. a few niKs higher, until we proceeded to the 

 distance of about ninety miles, when we entered the sub- 



about Redriffe or Wapping. Every thing, lu tact, dial 

 we had hitherto seen wore an air of poverty and mean- 

 nes." Seep. TO, 71. 



Again, " The great road to the capital lies acroM an 

 open country, which appeared f> be sar.dy and ill culti- 

 vated ; and the few houses on each side were of mean 

 appearance, being commonly built with mud or half burnt 

 bricks, up to the very gates of Pekin. This city is sur- 

 rounded by a brick wall, rather less than thirty feet high, 

 but extending round a circumference of nearly fourteen 

 English miles. The buildings within are all so low, as 

 to be completely hidden by the wall. They are all con- 

 structed on the model of a tent, being supported by 

 slight wooden pillars, and concealed by a dead brick wall 

 to the street. Their roofs alone appear above tin:- en- 

 closure ; and, being arranged in straight lines through* 

 out the whole city, give it very much the appearance of 

 a vast encampment. With the exception of four great 

 streets, which lead to the gates, the rest, of the city con- 

 sists of very narrow lane*, and every part entirely with, 

 out pavement, and filled with sand and dust. There an- 

 no aqueducts ; and the well water is, for the most part, 

 intolerably nauseous. There are no drains. There are 

 very few buildings which rise above the level of ordinary 

 dwellings, excepting the rice magazines, at the angles of 

 the walls, and a conical temple or two." And again, 

 " The very dwelling of the emperor, and the grand hall 

 in which he gives audience, when divested of the gilding 

 and gaudy colours with which they are daubed, are lit- 

 tle superior, and much less solid, than the barns of a 

 substantial English farmer. The principal hall of audi- 

 ence at Yuen-mi-yuen stood upon a platform of granite, 

 raised about four feet above the level of the court. A 

 row of large wooden columns, surrounding the building, 

 supported the projecting roof ; and a second row within 

 the first, and corresponding with it. The interstices be- 

 tween the column* being rilled with brick-work to the 

 height of four feet, the space above this was a ort of 

 lattice work, covered over with large sheets of oiled pa- 

 per, and capable of being entirely thrown open on pub- 

 lic occasions. The wooden columns had no capitals ; 

 and the only architrave was the horizontal beam that 

 supported the rafters of the roof :" (Seep. 12 1.) A- 

 gain, " The ground* of Yuen-mi-yuen comprehends a 

 circumference of ten English miles, well laid out, but 

 far short of the description by Sir W. Chambers. The 

 buildings are all slight, detached and irregular, and the 

 greater part of those, included within the precincts of 

 Uie palace, are mere hovels, or very mean cottages." 



With regard to the accommodation of the first officers, 

 he states, " the stone or clay floors are sometimes, in- 

 deed, covered with a carpet of English broad cloth, and 

 the walls papered ; but they have no glass in the win- 

 dows ; no stoves, fire- places, or fire-grates in the rooms; 

 no sofa, bureaux, chandelier, looking-glasses, book ca- 

 ses, print*, or paintings. They have neither curtains 

 nor sheets to their beds. A bench of wood, or plat- 

 form of brick work, is raised in an alcove, on which are 

 mats or stuffed mattresses, hard pillows or cushions, ac- 

 cording to the season of the year. Instead of doors, 

 they have usually screens made of fibres of bamboo. 

 (See p. 19i.) There is not in the whole empire a sta- 

 tue, a hewn pillar, or a column, that deserve* to be men- 

 tioned." 







City o 

 Pefcp. 



Palac?. 



Stone and 

 clay floors* 



l-'urniture 

 scanty and 

 mean. 



urb* of the large city of Tien-ing, Uretching, like Lon- By the introduction to the account of Earl Macart- 

 dn <n, the Thames, for *evrral mile* along each side of ney's embassy, we are informed, " that in Nan-king, in 



the n<.r Fit r.oo ; but neither the building* nor the ri- 

 *r woold bear any comptritoi, cw witn those part* 



the province of Kiang-nan, though the street* are na, 

 rower than those of Pekin, yet they are well paved, and 



Earl Mac- 

 artney'* 

 embassy- 



