CURRENT LITERATURE.
Peking and the Pekingese. By Dr. D. F. Rennie. An account of
Pekin written in the inconvenient form of a diary, and valuable chiefly because its author is friendly to everything Chinese. He observes
closely, but not very keenly, and records his observations in a somewhat scrappy and dull style. Any reader who wades through the two volumes will pick up a good many facts as to the externals of life in Pekin, but he will feel that he is wading. The following will interest many readers:—" The Prince of Kung has a very agreeable expression.
His features are of the true Tartar type ; the right cheek is slightly blemished by two cicatrices, close together, apparently the marks of two small boils. His face and hands are small, the fingers being delicate and effeminate-looking. On the right thumb he wore a large and broad jade-atone ring, of a white colour, with an upper surface of reddish brown. He is about the middle height, and has a slender figure. His dress consisted of a fur robe of the sea-otter skin, over a purple silk dress, trimmed with ermine cuffs. His hat was of the ordinary Tartar kind, the turned-up portion being lined with black velvet. The hat was surmounted by a crimson silk knob, in place of the button and high- class peacock's feather, worn by the nobility, or mandarins, as we call them. The Prince had two chains round his neck, one of amber- coloured beads, the other of large beads of red coraL Each of the chains. had an appendage, with precious stones attached, which hung down his back in the same way as his tail. Black satin boots completed hia costume."
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