Chap. XIX. 
SURROUNDING COUNTRY. 
315 
Manure is apparently not appreciated here as it is 
in the south, and the habits of the people are 
filthy in the extreme. On the tops of the ram- 
parts, on waste ground, and even in some of the 
streets, the stench is almost intolerable. 
It is difficult to account for this state of things. 
Here we see a large and flourishing trade, great 
wealth, good shops, and an active commercial 
people, and yet their city is everywhere in a most 
ruinous condition, and their streets are frequently 
almost impassable. It is true that this place had 
been taken by the Allied troops a short time 
before, and it was then in the hands of the English 
and French soldiers; but there were abundant 
proofs that this state of dilapidation and filth had 
existed long before the place had been occupied 
by our troops. The cause of this state of things 
may possibly be traced to the corruption of the 
Government and its officers, who may have been in 
the habit of embezzling the sums annually raised 
from the people, or possibly of using the money 
for other purposes. 
The country around Tien-tsin is one vast plain 
nearly as flat as a table, and at one period was 
probably covered by the ocean. Yast tracts of 
land are even now perfectly barren, and salt, 
which is shining amongst the soil, gives the 
ground an appearance as if covered with hoar- 
frost. On the south side of the city there is not 
a vestige of cultivation, and the plain here formed 
an excellent parade-ground for our troops. It also 
