Interesting from China.
ratification of the treaty in Pekin — funeral of the Murdered Allies — the burning of the Emperor's summer residence, &c., &c., &c.The America's mails give the particulars of the ratification of the treaties between the Allies and Chinese, in the city of Pekin. An interesting description of the scene says: ‘ The ceremony took place in the hall of Ceremonies, in Pekin. At three P. M. the procession entered the Austin gate in the following order:--One hundred cavalry (detachments of King's Dragoon Guard, Prebyn's and Fane's Horse,) four hundred infantry, (detachments of the various regiments of foot;) officers and others mounted; the general and staff; Lord Elgin in his green sedan chair, carried by sixteen Chinese coolies in scarlet livery, attended by a detachment of cavalry and infantry. The street from the gate was lined by detachments of infantry, amounting to 2,000 men, who followed up the procession as it passed, forming altogether a force of about 3,000 men marching through the capital. On reaching the Hall of Ceremonies the party passed through a gateway into a court-yard, when the horsemen dismounted, and the whole flied off on either side, leaving an avenue through which her Majesty's envoy was conveyed to the steps of the raised floor of the hall, whilst a flourish of trumpets and the national air saluted him as the soldiers presented arms. ’ On descending from his sedan chair his lordship was met by Prince Kung, the Emperor's brother, who saluted in the usual manner of the Chinese, by extending the two arms forward with hands together, the Earl raising his hat. His lordship then walked towards the further end of the hall and took the seat of honor placed there for him, at the same time motioning the Prince to take the lower eat, about fifteen feet on his right. Sir Hope Grant occupied a chair on Lord Elgin's right. A table, covered with tawdry embroidered cloth, stood before each. At and behind a row of similar tables running from the back to the front, staff and other officers and visitors sat or stood, to witness the ceremony, and on the opposite side the Princes of the Council and mandarins of various buttons and feathers took up a similar position. Between the two stood the attaches of the embassy, interpreters and others engaged in the ceremony, at a table whereon papers, dispatch boxes, &c., were placed. The examination of credentials and other papers occupied about half an hour, and at a quarter to five o'clock the signatures of the high contracting parties were attached to the documents. Kung produced the Emperor's signature in vermilion, with the seal of the empire attached on yellow paper, authorizing to sign the convention. Lord Elgin then sent a message through the interpreters to Kung expressing his hope that the treaty now concluded would be lasting, to which the Tartar replied in true Asiatic words, he hoped it would last a thousand years; that affairs had been badly managed hitherto, but that now he had undertaken the control of them he believed no misunderstandings would arise. On retiring, as Lord Elgin walked towards his sedan-chair, Kung should have been at his side, but he lagged behind a little, and his lordship had to wait until he stepped forward. Throughout the ceremony the Prince's expression was one of undisturbed sulkiness; he appeared to reply with churlishness to all that was said to him. He had on a purple damasked silk long coat. The button on his hat was covered with red silk like the tassel which hung from it. Lord Elgin was in ambassador's uniform. He assumed a cold and distant air, and doubtless felt the utmost disgust at having to treat with the minister of a false hearted and perfidious master. A salute of twenty-one guns from a battery of royal artillery on the wall at the An-tin gate announced that peace was established. It had been intimated that the usual refreshments on such occasions would not be partaken of; therefore none were offered, except the cup of tea, which is customary at all times. This Hall of Ceremonies is a common looking chamber, entirely open in front, with large closed doors at the back, on which the usual pictures of warriors, &c., are pasted.--From the ceiling in front there were some tawdry silk hangings, the floor was partly covered with mats and pieces of carpet, and the whole scene was considerably interior to the stage of a second rate sing-song in the South. The burial of De Norman, attache to the British Legation; T. W. Bowlling, special correspondent of the London Times; Lieut. Anderson, and eight soldiers, who died from cruel treatment while in the hands of the Chinese, took place on the 18th of October. An account says: ‘ The bodies could only be recognized by the dresses in which, in some instances, they appeared to have been wrapped after having been stripped. A description of the state of these poor victims is too horrifying to be related. The tightness of the cord with which they were bound eat into the flesh, and caused a lingering and painful death by mortification. The bodies of the Sowars were given to the Sikh cavalry, who, as is the custom, burnt them. The French were delivered to our Allies, and the four British were buried in the Russian cemetery, outside the An-tin gate of Pekin, on the 17th. ’ At noon the procession formed at the Liama Temple, and marched in the following order, to the Russian cemetery, half a mile from the city, the band of the Rifles playing a slow march: One troop Dragoon Guards, one troop Fane's Horse, an officer and twenty men of each European corps, (armed;) the Commander-in-Chief, the Earl of Elgin, chief mourners. The corpses on gun-wagons, each drawn by six horses. Mourners — nearly all the officers of the English, and a large number of the French army, including General Montauban, Commander-in-Chief. The burial service was read by the Rev.--M'Ghee, chaplain to the Britiish forces. The priest of the Greek Church attended by request, in his pontifical robes, holding on high the emblem of our faith. Father Mahee, the Roman Catholic priest attached to the British army, was present. Three volleys were fired by the infantry. The Chinese authorities have been made to pay the sum of 300,000 taels of silver (say £100,000) for the families and friends of the deceased. The exact amount for each will be decided by her Majesty's government, the maximum, it is said, will be £10,000, and the survivors who escaped will participate, in consideration of their sufferings. One Sowar has died since he came into camp from the effect of his injuries. The three summer gardens of the Emperor, and palaces at each, were burnt by the allies on the day of the funeral. The account adds. The party started at half past 8, and not many hours had elapsed before the rising columns of smoke betokened the commencement of the work of destruction. The view of the country below from the hill top in the Wan-show-yuen was most perfect; you looked down on a series of handsome temples, a large lake with a temple standing in its bosom with a marble bridge of arches stretching from it to the shore; the open country south, with its groups of villages and trees, a tier of hills on the right, and Pekin away in the distance. The 19th of October was the great day of destruction, black masses of smoke rose continually from the gardens, giving the appearance of a fearful thunder storm impending. Unfortunately the houses of the surrounding villages were not spared in the general destruction, and thousands of unhappy subjects had to suffer for the sins of their rulers. The General gave orders to spare the monument as a work of art; all other public buildings in the neighborhood were destroyed. The Tartars in the different banner villages appeared greatly alarmed, thinking their turn might come next. They turned out in great numbers with warm tea and cake to regale the soldiers on their return from the hill gardens. Before sunset of the second day every place had been fired, and the soldiers were marched back to camp at the Sih-shing gate. We passed the summer palace on our way back; flames and smouldering ruins debarred our passage every way. We passed the entrance gate, and watched with pleasure the daring flame curling into grotesque festoons and wreaths, as it twined in its last embrace the grand portal of the palace, while a black column of smoke that moved straightwards to heaven from the already roof-fallen reception hall, formed a fine deep background to this living picture of active red flame that hissed and crackled as if glorying in the destruction it spread around.
