Directory_and_Chronicle_1845 — Page 391

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the east and south-east sides, nearest to the river, giving the whole a much more substantial form, its breadth being, say fifteen feet. The entire wall, as it now stands, is surrounded, on the outer face, by a bulwark, about two feet broad and six high, with embrasures or loop-holes at the distance from each other of nine feet. Behind this bulwark on that part of the wall nearest to the river, having both an inner and outer face, there is a terre-plein, fifteen or more feet broad.

arrows.

These loop-holes the Chinese calls tich, . They are three thou- sand six hundred and odd in number. They are two feet broad and about the same deep, but so far above the terre-plein that they would be unserviceable except in the use of the musket and the bow and At the interval of every few rods, there are what the Chi- "arrow towers." These are square projections of the main wall, so as to allow on each side of the pro- jecting part two loop-holes and one in front, being five in all, on each tower. The whole number of these arrow towers, in the en- tire circuit of the walls is twenty.

nese call tsien tái, 箭

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On the north-east side of the city wall are two tih lau, “battle halls,” and three tsang tái;

"elevated terraces.' What these may once have been does not now appear. Others of a similar kind have fallen to ruins, and these are fast going to decay, and at present serve merely or mainly as retreats for beggarly priests and reptiles.

The structure and material of the entire walls are such as to ren- der them but a poor defense against a modern foe. In some places the foundation and lower parts of the walls are of stone, but the main body and upper part, including the bulwark or parapet is built of brick and mud, and might be very easily demolished. Indeed the walls have been repeatedly breached by the action of the ele- ments, the wind and rain. In the 17th year of Kánghí, several rods of the walls and one of the gates fell. The parapet at the same place, fell' again' in the 26th year of Kienlung, and they must, if wé may judge from the present appearance, very often need repairs in

time to come.

The gates of the city are six-one at each of the four cardinal points, east, west, north, and south, with one at the south-east and another at the north-east. The gates all have double entrances- an outer wall, in every respect like the main wall of the city, being thrown out and around the inner gate in shape of a crescent or