or PEKIN, the capital of the Chinese empire, and of the province of Chihli, stands in a sandy plain about 12 miles S.W. of the river Pei-ho, and about 100 W.N.W. of its mouth; N. Lat. 39° 54', E. Long. 116° 27'. It is, in the opinion of the Chinese, one of their most ancient cities, and is known under various names. Previous to the conquest of the country by the Mongols it was called Shun-tien-fu, or "The City obedient to Heaven;" but after that event, when it was made the capital, the name of Khan-palik, or "The City of the Khan," was given to it. The name Peking signifies "Northern Capital;" but it is generally designated on Chinese maps as King-oz, or "Capital of the Court." A tributary of the Pei-ho, called Tung-hwui-ho, flows through the city from the N.W., and supplies it with water. The circumference of the city and suburbs is estimated at 25 miles, and the area at 27 square miles; though other accounts limit the area to 14 square miles. The latter estimate probably includes only the city itself, and not the suburbs. Peking consists of two parts: the northern or Tartar city, called Nut-ching; and the southern or outer city, called Wai-ching, in which the Chinese live. Both these divisions are surrounded by walls 30 feet high, and about 20 feet broad at the base; but as the inner face is sloping, they are only 12 feet wide at the top. They consist for the most part of mounds of earth or rubbish faced with bricks. According to most of the plans, Peking is also surrounded with ditches; but this, though perhaps partially true, is certainly not the case with the N.E. portion. At intervals of about 60 yards along the outside of the walls stand square towers, projecting about 30 feet from the wall; and similar erections stand at each side of all the gates, connected by a semicircular rampart in front. The gateways consist of strong arches surmounted by wooden buildings several storeys high. The appearance of Peking from the outside is dull and uniform, as there are no spires, minarets, or pillars rising above the mass of the houses, which are roofed with yellow, green, or red tiles; and the only prominent objects are clumps of trees and the flag-staffs that rise in front of the houses of the officials. The roofs of the houses, however, present an appearance by no means unpleasing, as their sides and ridges are gently curved, and are adorned with various fantastic figures; and the whole glitters like gold in the rays of a bright oriental sun. The northern city consists of three separate inclosures, one within the other. The innermost, in which the imperial palace is situated, is called Kin-Ching, or the "Prohibited City." Within are the palaces and pleasure-grounds of the emperor and empress. The ground in this inclosure is not level, but is raised in artificial hills, on which the principal palaces are built. There are also large and deep artificial lakes, of irregular form, and interspersed with small islands. The buildings and grounds within the Prohibited City are said to be, in architecture and arrangement, far superior to anything else of the kind in China. To Sir George Staunton, who, when passing through Peking on an embassy to the imperial park of Yuen-ming-yuen, caught a glimpse of this portion of the city through the northern gates, the whole had the appearance of enchantment. Besides the imperial palaces and pleasure-grounds, the Prohibited City contains two halls and a fine marble gateway 110 feet high, ascended by five flights of stairs, where the emperor stands on certain occasions to receive the homage of his courtiers. On the east side stand the offices of the cabinet, the treasury, and the imperial library, consisting of 12,000 works; while towards the west is situated a variety of public and private buildings. The government of the palace is in the hands of a special council, which is divided into seven sections, having different duties. Attached to the court of Peking are three great scientific establishments: the National College, for the sons of the great dignitaries; the Imperial College of Astronomy, by which the annual almanacs are prepared; and the College of Medicine. There is published daily at Peking an official gazette of 60 or 70 pages. It is entirely under the control of the emperor, to whom everything that is printed in it must be presented. The population of the Prohibited City is not very great, and it consists principally of Manchoos. Outside of this inclosure is another called Huaing-Ching, or the "Imperial City," not so sacred as the former, but entered only by authorized persons. It is about 2 square miles in extent, and is surrounded by a wall covered with yellow tiles, and known as the Imperial or Yellow Wall. From the southern gate a broad street leads up to the Prohibited City, on the right of which stands the Tai-Miao, or "Temple of the Imperial Ancestors," an extensive collection of buildings surrounded by a wall; and on the left an altar of a peculiar construction dedicated to the gods of land and grain, on which the emperor alone is allowed to sacrifice. The Imperial City also contains numerous temples to various subordinate Chinese deities; and it has been calculated that there are in this and the interior inclosure upwards of 200 palaces, all of great size. The Tartar city, lying outside of the divisions already described, has several broad and straight streets crossing each other at right angles. Near the southern gate of the imperial wall are the principal tribunals and government offices in the city; and not far off is the college of the Russian mission, which consists of ten members sent periodically from St Petersburg. On the wall at the S.E. corner of this part of the city stands the observatory, provided with instruments by the Emperor Kanghi, under the direction of Roman Catholic missionaries, and now under the care of Chinese astronomers. Not far from this building is the hall for literary examinations, where the candidates for degrees assemble. In the north part of the town is a lofty tower, forming one of the most conspicuous objects in Peking, and containing a huge cylindrical bell and a large drum, both of which are used to mark the watches of the night. The town contains many places of worship belonging to different religions and sects, including a Greek and a Latin church, and a Mohammedan mosque, besides numerous temples of the various forms of Buddhism. Among the last is one where the deceased kings and emperors are worshipped; and another called the White Pagoda, a tastefully-ornamented building, having a fine obelisk in front of it. The outer or Chinese city, which is about the same size as the other, though more populous, is not in general so well built, and contains few large buildings. Two extensive portions of the area are occupied by the large inclosures surrounding the altars to Heaven and to Agriculture, which stand, the one to the right and the other on the left of the central street leading from the south gate to the Tartar city. The former, on the east side, consists of three circular terraces, each 10 feet high, and in succession 120, 90, and 60 feet in diameter. They are all paved with marble, and surrounded with balustrades. In connection with this altar is the Palace of Abstinence, where the emperor, who is the priest of the altar, fasts for three days before offering the annual sacrifice at the winter solstice. On the opposite side of the street from this altar is another inclosure containing four altars, dedicated respectively to the spirits of heaven, to those of the earth, to the planet... PEK

Jupiter, and to the monarch Shianung, who is regarded as the inventor of agriculture. To the west of these altars is an artificial pool, called the Black Dragon Pool, dedicated to the spirits of the waters, which also occupies a large space. Beyond the walls of the city stands, on the east side, an altar to the sun, and on the west, one to the moon; while about eight miles to the N.W., in an undulating country, is the park of Yuen-ming-yuen, containing numerous imperial residences and a hall of audience. In one of the most beautiful situations near Peking is a French burying-ground; but this has been much defaced by the Chinese.

The principal streets of Peking, which are generally straight, leading from one gate across the city to another, are about 100 feet broad, and the lowness of the houses with which they are lined serves to increase their apparent width. They are unpaved, probably on account of the difficulty of obtaining stone in the vast plain in which the city stands. During the summer they are kept well sprinkled with water, but in wet weather they are exceedingly muddy. The smaller thoroughfares, like those of most Chinese cities, are merely narrow lanes. The principal streets are lined with shops, which are entirely open in front during the day, and have on each side sign-boards fastened in stone bases, and reaching as high as the eaves, painted with large ornamental characters, and sometimes decorated with flags of various colours. The fronts of the houses are also frequently painted in brilliant colours, which gives the streets a very gay and lively appearance.

At the intersections of the principal streets there are tablets and portals erected in honour of distinguished persons. The main thoroughfares are feebly lighted during the night by lanterns hung in front of the houses; and those who go about in the dark carry lanterns or torches. People belonging to all the various tribes of Central Asia, in their various costumes, throng the streets of Peking; and the number of Manchoo women who are to be seen in the streets, on foot and on horseback, gives to the city an appearance different from that of those in the south of China. Horses and carriages are used as means of conveyance, and are to be had for hire; but sedans, which are elsewhere in China the usual conveyances, are not permitted so near the emperor, except for privileged persons. The streets, though broad, are much blocked up by the moveable workshops of various mechanics, the tents and booths filled with all kinds of merchandise, and the various wares laid out in front of the shops; so that there is only a narrow road left in the middle, along which there are continually passing official, funeral, and bridal processions; strings of dromedaries, with coals from Tartary; carts and wheel-barrows laden with vegetables. The sides of the streets are also filled with crowds of people buying and selling, whose varied appearance and confused sounds give to the place a busy and animated appearance. Few manufactures and no trade is carried on at Peking; the city is supplied with provisions chiefly from the southern provinces, and from the flocks raised in the northern part of Chihli; and the adjacent country produces but a small quantity of the provisions required. The government of Peking is not subordinate to the provincial magistrate, but only to the emperor himself. There is a regular police, who patrol the streets by night beating together two hollow bamboos to mark the time. The climate is colder in winter than that of most other places in the same latitude; and the houses are warmed by fires under the rooms; but fuel is very scarce and dear. A large proportion of the inhabitants of Peking are poor, and they frequently rise in mobs, and pillage the granaries to supply themselves with food. To keep the capital quiet is an object of much care to the government, as the state of the whole empire depends very much on that of Peking. The population of Peking is variously estimated from 1,300,000 to 3,000,000. It probably amounts to 2,000,000, or nearly that of London.

(Barrow's Travels; Gutzlaff's China Opened; The Middle Kingdom, Williams; Davis' China, new edition, 1857.)