704 A Chinese Biographical Dictionary

asking for the grant of a small island near Choaan j and of a small piece of ground in the neighbourhood of Canton, in order ' to establish mercantile residences, which proposals were rejected. Sung-yCLn had been specially commissioned to act as escort on the journey to Peking. No hitch of any 'kind occurred, and he was commended by Decree. After ser?ing as Resident in Ilbet, Governor General of ShSn-Ean and also of the Two Kuang, Director General of the Yellow River and Governor of Hi, with alternate periods of honour and degradation, he was finally degraded in 1819, in consequence of the loss of a seal from the Board of Revenne, which had taken place under his presidency, to the rank of lieutenant in a Manchu Banner. In 1820, on the return of the newly-installed Emperor Tao Euang from Jehol accompanying his father's coffin to Peking^ as his Majesty walked along the raised roadway between thousands of kneeling officiab, he suddenly stepped aside and sobbiag aloud raised the head of Sung-yCLn, whom he had recognised among the crowd in the humble guise of a Mancha subaltern. Sung-yCLn was immediately afterwards appointed BClitaiy Governor of Jehol; and then proceeded to submit to the Emperor his work on Turkestan , entitled ^ j^ ^ fS^ , which was published by Imperial command. Until the year before his death he was employed in various high posts. Canonised as ^ ^ .

T.

1844 Ta Chi §B B • 12th cent. B.C. The beautiful concubine of Choa Hsin, last ruler of the Shang dynasty, captured by him during an expedition against the >^ ^ Yu-su tribe. The wild debaucber; and extravagance into which she led her not unwilling master ultimately brought about the ruin of his house, and she is described in popular language as having been the cause of the fall of tbe

Shang dynasty. She was said to have invented the roastiDg