It  did  not  take  this  autocratic  monarch  long  to
make  this  decision.  The  old  city  was  immediately
demolished  and  a  new  one  erected.  The  name  was
changed  from  the  Chung-Tu  (middle  capital)  to
Peking  or  Pei-Ching  (the  northern  capital).
The  city  originally  was  larger  than  at  present.
The  presiding  star  over  the  city  is  Venus,  and  the
situation  is  considered  perfect.  It  has  mountains
to  the  north  to  ward  off  evil  spirits  from  that  direc-
tion. And  to  the  east  there  is  the  protection  of
the  sea  ;  on  the  west  there  are  also  high  mountains,


The  Assault  on  Peking

but  to  the  south  there  is  the  cheering  vista  of  plains,
teeming  with  millions  of  people,  and  fertile  fields,
covered  with  fruit  and  grain  for  the  support  of  man.
When  the  Manchus  swept  down  from  the  north
and  overthrew  the  Chinese  Dynasty  in  the  year
A.D.  1644  they  left  the  cities  as  they  were,  and
from  that  time  to  this  have  added  little  to  them
or  beautified  them  in  any  way  till  a  few  years
ago.  Peking  consists  of  four  cities:  Southern  or
Chinese,  with  a  population  of  about  half  a  million
people  ;  these  are  from  all  parts  of  the  empire.
