HISTORICAL REFERENCES TO PEKINGESE TYPE 



[lit. " unicorn " " scratch " or " scramble "] dog to which 

 he was attached. This came to the knowledge of a certain 

 chief eunuch of the Board of Punishments well-known for 

 his relentless severity. He threatened to inform the Emperor 

 of this crime, but was dissuaded by a douceur of something 

 over 1000 taels in silver. 



It was during the Ming period that modern European 

 traders first entered into trade relations with the Chinese 

 Empire the Portuguese in 1516, the Spanish from the 

 Philippines in 1575, the Dutch in 1604, and the English in 

 the dying days of the dynasty in 1637 ; the Portuguese 

 traded solely at Canton, the Spanish permitted the Chinese 

 to trade with them at Manila, and the Dutch and English 

 traded at first at Amoy and in Formosa. 



From as early as the Sung Dynasty direct foreign trade 

 with the Chinese capitals had been but slight. Merchant 

 caravans from the seven or eight kingdoms on the western 

 frontier of China were allowed in under pretence of being 

 ambassadors bearing tribute to the Chinese Emperors. They 

 brought public letters forged in the names of the sovereigns 

 they professed to represent, with jade, diamonds and similar 

 merchandise suitable for such arduous overland transport. 

 In exchange they received lavish entertainment and presents 

 far exceeding the value of their own. The Jesuit records of 



occurrence of eight dogs in certain illustrations of the breed a pictorial pun on the 

 Chinese word for " eight " which has the same sound, " bah-rh." 



The Chinese are so weak in exact definitions and scientific distinctions, that it is 

 difficult to decide the question as to whether " bah-rh " or " hah-bah " has the wider 

 significance at the present time. Both terms are commonly used in Peking to denote 

 any small pet dog of any breed, Chinese or foreign ; but the Chinese readily use the 

 words " Shih-ze " or " Lo-sze " as qualificative of the " ba-erh " dog, meaning " lion " 

 or " pug " small dog ; yet they refuse similarly to qualify the " hah-bah " dog. This 

 appears to indicate that the " bah-rh " dog is the broad stock from which the Chinese 

 consider the lion dog and the pug dog to be minor offshoots, while the term " hah- 

 bah " may be taken to comprise what is probably an amalgamation of several varieties, 

 which were probably fairly distinct in the Tao Kuang period and are now roughly 

 comprehended in the English breed named " Pekingese." 



139 



