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‘ .1 ANTHROPommBRARg;

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. HISTORICAL ACCOUNT L“, t, WW}

THE EMBASSY

TO THE

EMPEROR OF CHINA,

UNDERTAKEN BY ORDER OF

THE KING OF GREAT BRITAIN,

INCLUDING

lee Mamzeis and ng/ioms of the In/zabzmnts,

AND PRECEDED BY
AN ACCOUNT OF THE CAUSES OF
THE EMBASSY AND VOYAGE TO CHINA.
Abridged principally froin the
PAPERS OF EARL MACARTNEY,
'AS COMPILED , "

BY SIR GEORGE STAUNTON,B/1RT.

Secietary of Emball‘y to the Emperor of China, and Miniﬂer Plenipoten-
tiary in the abfence of the Einbaflador.
w‘;.‘E:—

Embellz'ﬂzcd wit/1 tﬁc following Plait": :

 

 

 

< I Monkey Bread Fruit Tree of St. Jago 18 Chinefc Monument v
2 Leaf of the Prickly Pear . _ 19 Bronze VclTel for Incenfe
“ 1,3 Largcl’c of the Iﬂands of Triﬁan 20 Manner of railing \Vatere/
‘ " d’Acunha 21 Chiuefe Plough J
4 Chinefe Barge 22 Fifherman’s Boat J
5 Nondefcript Inﬁcé'ts and Plant 23 Manner of crul-hing Rice._,
‘ 6 Feet of aChinefe Lady 24. Chinefe Bridge \, ‘
, 7 Chinefe Mariner’ s Compafs 25 Chinefe Chain Pump V .
1 8 Chinefe Neptune 26 Method of railing. a Net - f»
_ 9 Method of cariying Sedan Chairs 27 Cave ofCamoéns / . V
110 Chinefe Female Divinity '18 Camellia Sefanqua '
_ 1 1 Method ofcarrying heavy Packages 29 Map of China,with the Track ofthe
12 The Emperor’ s Throne Ships , "
13 Sketch of aMafs of 1ndd’1ated Earth 30 Map of the Journey by Land from i
l and Gravel Zhe-hol, in '1 arcary, to Canton V
/r4, Sceptre and Purfo 31 Great Wall of China. \/
, 15 A Carved Agate . s» 32 Frontifpiece, by Stothard .r 1
x6 Jupiter ofthe Chmefe 33 Vignette, by Burney. 4 , "

V17 Bronze Statue of a Lion
m

LONDON:
PRINTED FOR jOHN STOCKDALE, PICCADILLY.

» ' 1797. “1%

 

 

 

 

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Lid ‘1-_ V 52»

 

D 33 709
S V12
ANTHROPOLOGY
Jimmy

 

AD VER TISEZVIENT;

 

 

 

" i ._ HE Publifher delivers, with pleafure,
the tenth and laﬂ number of his Abridga

merit; and as every link of the chain rela-
tive to this Embelﬂ‘y has, been prefe'r've'd in
its prOgreIs, he leaves the Public to form
their opinion as to the "probability 'of ade-

‘ quate fucceis. With regard to hir'nfelf, in
few inﬁanc’es has he ever met with greater
encouragement ;-——'in none—#With more ge—
neral approbation. In his propofals he en-
gaged to deliver only twenty plates; but the
k extraordinary encomiums paired on the work
by the difcerning‘ Public, ﬁit‘nulated his ex-
ertions, and demanded that his liberality
ihould keep pace with their generality; he
a 2 ' has

5/181 9654

iv ADVERTISEMENT. '

has therefore increafed their number to
twenty ﬁve: And nOtWithﬁanding M3:
Nicol has prefumed to beﬁow the/epithet
of myc—‘mble on the Prints of this abftraé’c,
the Public will fee, by comparifon, that
NONE are inferibr,——MANY are fuperior to.

his own Engravmgs.

A Far was it from the Publifher’s intention
to depreciate the original work, fromiwshich,
by the plan he had adopted, he was likely
to derive beneﬁt. Butas he has unprovok—
ingly been dared to combat,—likea prudent
General he has refe‘ryed the fire of his artilg‘:
lery till the day of battle, in Weﬁminﬂer
Hall; when he will be able to fhowor upon
his antagoniﬁs fuch volleys offecret informa-
tion, and irreﬁftible arguments, relative to
the folio volume of plates, as well as the
quarto volumes, &c. as may bring {um-1+

\ _, . , fron-

 

 

 

ADVERTISEMENT._ ‘ V

ﬁoh with: checks of fome, and make”

therh 'lame-nt they had ever excited fuch

giﬂd'ure.

The Public are the beﬁ’judges of the
hand/ante manner in which they have been
treated in regard to this Embaﬂ'y, which
has coft the nation two hundred thoufand
pounds. It isﬁill vfreih in their memory,
that an account, of it was advertifedwto be
foﬁforwﬂrmznm: Nor is it yet known-
) i V ence imis now publiﬂl'edia’tﬁur:

 

on , what! -
guinem; 'l'unfelfs ‘it‘be, that the high e’fsrfieéta-
tibﬁs which the 'Eaft India Company had-
formed of it, induced them to make _:a pre-
term: of THREE THOUSAND GUINEAS 10-,
wards defraying the expence oi" engrav-
ing the Volume of unkﬂerﬂﬂng plat-es ;
manyof which, {uppoﬁng half the fumto
have been. applied to that. purpofe, rcfiéél as
Little honour on the artifts as the additional

a 3 price \

f3")? : h :. : i: f A a; .: $7.7 $4.- 3‘":
V1 ADVERTISEMENT.

pr1ce to the ﬁrft propofal 6065 on the pub-f
hiher Some of thefe plates are Well exe-i
cuted , others {peak for themfelves . but”
tIie maps To highly eXtolled are, to retort on
Mr. Nicol, ﬁfty copies of the Jefmt 3 maps"
of China. i' ' ‘ 3

But the rage for obtruciing Prints on the
Public (1063 not {top here , for the truly 1’11-
genious, and; We ma‘57 atid ﬁzadzﬂ Mr- Aim;
antler, has iiiiied propofals Fdiiﬁﬁ‘h‘hﬂmrgia
{cries of Prints relating to China, to be
eompnzcd in twelve numbers, a‘i: the mode!
r'a‘te‘ price of Witli letter-prefs, {even fh‘ili”
‘Iing's and ﬁxpence each (We hope no fatal
accxdent has befalle'n‘ the ﬂcond number,
which was to have appeared left Auguﬂ) ;‘
To that, including four‘tguiiieasto beipaid to
Mr. Nicol for printing. his part of the Em:
haﬂ'y, in a type large enough to be read by.
telegraphs inﬁead of fpeéiacles, the Public

w ould

ADVERTISEMENT vii

would be obliged to pay eight pounds and
‘ fourteen ﬂlillings, ere they could obtain that:
information towards which every individual
has contributed, were it not for the correé’c,

concife, and elegant abridgment of the Pub:
liiher’ s, at the moderate expence of Half a

Guinea 1n boards.

Though Mr. Stockdale deems it indifg
penﬁbly neceﬂ‘aryy to be on his guard to
repel attacks, as he has already done; he de-
clares, that he cherifhes no refentment
againit any of thofe‘ Gentlemen, much lefs
againﬂ the learned Secretary, and compiler
of the original work, for Whole abilities, and
elegance of manners, he entertains the hi gheft
eﬁeem. ‘

1 Piccadilly, 21th Oﬁober,’ 1'19} V.

: Explanation.

   

\ ”<-

Emplamtmn 9f 1726‘ EM 62m: and V 'gneiz‘e.

 

l

The Frontifpiece rep1efents the E311 of Ma'cartney s

33'- Entrance into China, introduced-'2 by a Madatine.

In the back ground are Cities, Canals, &c. The

th1ee Iigutes, between the' Mandarine’ and the Fe—

1 male 16p1efcntimg Cmnmetc‘e, are Soldiers of the
Empmm.

The Vignette repi‘efents 1111 Eaigl‘iih M erohﬁﬁt fhewing
fome ﬁne broad Cloth to a Chinefe 0n the ﬁde of
each, are Embiems of the Comméme of the re-
.fpcétive Countries. In the fore gmund are the In-
feéts and Plant of '1 urOn Bay; with the I eaf of the

Pm kly P6211 and Cochineal Infeéts.

 

IN THE PRESS,
'AND S.PEI.£DILY wiLL BE PUBiISHED,

In One Volume, Crown 8?».

EFFUSIONS

HEA R T.-
POEMS. .

7 'BY MISS 'STOCKDALE.

LONDON: PRINTEDVFOR JOHN STOCKDALE:

LIST

LIST. OF PLATES,

WITH REFERENCES FOR THE READER,

——

E‘ontﬁieee tofaee tﬁe Title. ‘ for ﬁle my“
Engraved Title, will; a Vigneite. ' ' ..
Mnkey Bread Fruzt Tree of SI. Jago, to

face page ........ , ............... V 70
Leaf of tlte Prickly Pear .L ...... l. I ...... '84

iew of tlze large/l of tlze I/lantls of Trg/lan

I‘D Amen/ta ....................... 95
Map of Clzina, wifﬁ a T3ael of flte Skips” .113 f
Clzineﬂz Boat....,.._.‘ .......... 167’,
Ill/2’6}: and Plant quuran Bay. . . . 4 . . 180M
Clzzneﬂ? 1Warzners Confaﬁ. . , . . , I, . . 221"
Chine/e Neptune ............ . i. . . .Q 261“
ﬁletlmd of (a? rjing Sedan Clzairs (fee tlzeplate ’_ -_
' atjm e180) ................ 27g
Clzznefe Female Divinzz‘j. . . ‘. t. . .' . I...) , 284
Method of carrying lzea‘vy Packages ....... 297
Emperor’s T lzrone .................... 304
S/cetel: of a MyG qf lllllltrdh’d Earilz or

Gravel ........................... 332.
Sceptre and Purfe (ﬁe plate at page 221). . 34g
Carved Agaie (fee plate at page 95) ...... 354

Ma}:

LIST OF PLATES, &c. 3::

Map qf the Journey! of the Emhaﬂ'y from Zhe-.

holtaCanton ........ .............. 367
Jupiter of the Chineﬁ’. . _. . , . . . .......... 371
Bronze Statue of a Lion. . . _. , .......... 372
Chme/e IVIonument. _. . . ................ 384-
Bronze Veﬂel for [new]?! 02.; plate at page V

213) .................... . ....... «a
Method of ral/ing Water. . . ...... V ...... 387'

Chinefe Plough (jee plate at page 37 2).. . . . 389
Fl/hermerz' hearing a Boat, with the ﬁ/hing
Birds upon it (fee plate at page 332.). . 395

Method of era/hmg Rice ...... V ........ .. . 396
Chinefe Bridge (fee plate at page 384)... 401 ‘
Camellia Sq'anqua. . . ._ ................ 408
Chine/eChain Pump 412'
Method of raijing a Net (ﬁre the plate at page A
387) ....... _, ...... ,_,,..,.._. ..... .420
Cave of Camoe'ns. . . . . . . . . ........... ' . 433
flew of the Great Wall of Chgaa ........ 468

CONTENTS.

 

..................

' ' - CHAR I _
Occqﬂoﬂg’me Embqﬂj/ . ." . 1'

CHAP II
'_ Preparatzom for the Embqﬂj . > -. _ ., ‘ :22

. CHAR III.
PqﬂE/ge to the Madeira » . ‘ '. '.« . 3Q

CHAP IV.
Pqﬂz‘zge t0 Tenergfc; to SI. Jago. Notices
(If the Hands . . . . . . . 52

. CHAP. V.. ' '
Pzﬂhge of the Line. Comfe acrofv the
Atlantic. Harbour, Czty, and Coun-

tiyquiodeﬁmeim‘ . . . 73
_. CHAP.

xiii CONTENTS.‘

_,._ , --Page
_ CHAP. VI.
Paﬂage to the font/tern partof the Atlan-
tic, and of the Indian Ocean. View
of the Iﬂands of Trgﬂan d’Acnn/za in
the former, and of-thofe of St. Paul
andL Ang/lerdam in‘ the latter. En—
tranceinto the Str'ai‘te (female. Viﬂt
’ to Bata=via and Bantam, in" the l/lana"
of java. View if the ﬁnthern extre- -'
mil)! of the [ﬂand of Sumatra. Pct/l
fage through the [Straits- of . Banca to ._
Pulo Condore . ‘. . ,' . . 4- 93

\ CHAP. V11.
Cochin-China. Paﬂizge to the Ladrone
_I/lana’s, near Macao; and thence to
Chat/an. Tranﬂzft’i’ons and O/gﬂzr‘va-

tion'there .- . . . . .150"

CHAP. VIII.

Navigation through the Yellow Sea.
Emhaﬂaa’or’s entrance into the river
leading to Tienﬂng. Pi‘ogrcfs of the

- Emhw, along the river Pei-ho,‘vto-. ‘

wards

t .
xiv QONTENTS.

thee—lee. . . . ;

CHAP. IX}

‘ Embaﬂjr land: near Tong-choo-fpo; Pro-I"
reeds through Pekin to a Palace in'tlze‘

Page"
, wards the capital 9/ C/zina.De1>ar-\

rare qf the ﬂaps from the Ga f que- _V .
. [218-

neighbaurizood. Return: to the ca- 1”

, l

pita] . .

CHAP X

Jour we} to the northern frontier qf China.

V ew of the Great Wall. . V f t“ to the. ,

Emperor’s Court at his jitmmer re 1e

deuce in Tartar}! , ,. ._ _ ,. 4:

CHAP. X1

322

Relum to Pekin.‘ Gig/{ewatiom and 00- »

.‘currences there, and at Yuenemin-

‘ ..Yuen Departme from Pekin. Jourr,

my to Han- ch00 foo, partly upon Ihéfx ~
. . . .- . e367

Imperial canal

CHAP.

CONTENTS. XV

. Page
CHAP. XII.
Han-choo-foo. Journey from thence to
‘ Chnj/Em; and a% to Canton. Pa/l
jag-e of the Lion and IIindcﬂan from
the former to the latter. Re/idence of
the Emhcﬂ‘y at Canton, and Macao.
Prﬂage to St. Helena ; Notices of that
gland. Return home . . . . 404

NOTES.

EXPLANATION OF THE NOTES IN THE
PRECEDING CHAPTERS

Fate of the Gunner—177w the Envoy was
—-Dea"ths at Batawiw—De/criptim of
" Canton—Monkeys employed in gathering
Branches of the Tea Tree—Deﬁnition
of Pehin—Genz'ns, Manners, and CW;
toms of the Chintye—Déﬁription of the
Great W111+State (f Pity/5c in China 441‘
Errata . . . . . . . .476
Direét‘ions for placing the Plates . .- . 477

EMBASSY

 

EMBASSY

TO THE

EMPEROR OF CHIN

 

W
CHAPTER 1.
OCCASION OF THE EBIBASSY.

HE late Embafly to China, .of which

the following is a fummary account,

was undertaken by Government, as might
naturally be imagined, on purpofe to facili-
tate and extend our commercial intercourfe
with that empire. The Portugueze were
the ﬁrft Europeans who, in this point of
View, explored the coalt of China. This
event took place in the ﬁfteenth century,
_ and from their earlieft communication, they
had rendered the Chinefe fuch eminent fer-
vices, asinduced the Emperor to' grant them
certain privileges and immunities; the Chi-
B nefe

2 EMBASSY

nefe theirfelvesrepofed in them the greateﬁ
conﬁdence, and, in fome inﬁances, have,
granted them a decided preference over
every other nation.

~ The Dutch, fome time after, followed
the track of the Portugueze; and they, too,
having helped to fubdue a powerful rebel
who, with his ﬂeets, was committing great
depredations on the eai’cern coat of China,
received great attentions from the govern-
ment; the Emperor invited them to Pekin,
and loaded them with tokens of eﬁeem.
His fucceffor, Cam-hi the Great, who reign-
ed long and profperouﬂy, admitted into his
familiarity, all foreigners who were adepts
in fuch of the arts and feiences, as were bet-
ter known and cultivated in Europe than
in the eaﬁern clime. Many of thefe were
religious Millionaries,from Spain as well as
Portugal, all of the Roman Catholic \perfua-
ﬁon, fent thither to propagate ,their modes
of faith ; men who, from their depth of
learning, {triétnefs of morality, and ﬁmplig
city of manners, conciliated general eﬁeem,

made

TO CHINA. 3

made many profelytes, and by thefe means
furthered the objects of fuch of their coun-
trymen has had embarked only on the prin-
ciples of commerce.

At the clofe of the ﬁxteenth century, John
Mildenhall was fent out by order of Queen
Elizabeth, to the court of the Great Mogul,
to obtain certain commercial advantages for
they Englifh. He was there {trongly oppofed
by the Spaniﬂi and Portugueze Jefuits, who,
from craft and prefents, contrived to fruftrate
its completion for ionic years. It appears
that the excluﬁve privilege of reforting
thither was claimed, and enjoyed, by the
Portugueze till the year 1634, when a free
trade to China, as well as to other parts of
the Ealt Indies, was agreed to between the
Viceroy of Goa and a Company of Englifh
Merchants, purfuant to a licence granted
for that purpofe by King. Charles the Firlt,
' though in oppoﬁtion to an exiﬂing charter
of Queen Elizabeth, whichdelegated that
immunity to. others. This Company of
Merchants, by virtue of the premifes, ﬁtted

B 2 out

‘ 4 EMBASSY

out a ﬂeet of Ihips, and gave the command
to Captain Weddell, who being furniﬂled
with oorrefp'ondent letters to the Governor
of AMacao, c’onld forefee no obftacle to pre—
vent the meditated intercourfe with the
Chinefe Hat Canton. It feems, however, that
the Procurator of Maccow, or, as it would
appear, the Portugueze Conful, on the ﬂeet’s
arrival of that place, went on board the
Commodore’s fhip, and faid, that as to mat—
ters of refrefhment, he would provide them ;'
but that there was an obﬂtacle to their trad-
ing, which was, the non-confent of: the
Chinefe, (who, he pretended, held his (the
Portugueze) people in miferable fubjeétiorﬁ

In the Hiftory of Commerce,xwhence this
article is extrat‘ted, we are farther informed,
that the Englifh, mortiﬁed, doubtlefs, at the
difappointment, were determined to difco-
Yer, if polﬁble, the river leading to Canton.
A barge and pinnace, with above ﬁfty men,
were accordingly fent out to explore, and in
the courfe of two davs they came in ﬁght
of the mouth of the river, the entrance of

which

T0 CHINA. 5 '

whiCh was prohibited even to the Portu-
gueze; and who, in confequence, carried bn
their trafﬁc in {mall craft, throggh circui-V
'tous narrow {traits amid variOIIs iﬂands.—-
The’ Chinefe, alarmed at their appearance,
came down the river, being then in ﬁght
of a fort, or caf’cle, With twenty fail oszmks,
(boats) all mounted with ordnance, and tre-
ble-manned, commanded by an admiral,
who deﬁred them to come to an anchor.
Having complied, the Chinefe began. to ex—
poﬂulate on the temerity of coming thither
to infpeét their manufactures, and explore
tlLe interior parts of f0 great a Prince’s do-
minions; and afked who were their pilots.
Being told that they came from England to
exercife a free trade for the mutual advan-
tage of both Princes, paying the accuﬁom—
ed duties, like others,——that they were with-
out pilots, and were able, oftliemfelvcs, to
difeover, by art, palTages inﬁnitely more in-
tricate and dangerous, they began to relax
their auﬁerity, and promifed to introduce
three of them to the Viceroy at Canton,“
provided they would proceed no farther in

B 3 . their

6 EMBASSY

their pinnace. This was agreed'to, and the
next day, being within ﬁve leagues of Can-
ton, (the alarm having reached that city) a
deputation waited on them, and deﬁred
them, in a friendly manner, to return to
their fhips; with an alluranee, that if
they would apply to certain perfons at
Maccow, they fhould have a licence grant—
ed them for the exercife of a free trade.
This was nothing but an artiﬁce; for their
requeﬁ being complied with, ﬁx veilels be-‘
longing to the Portugueze, laden With mer-
chandize, failed in the interim for Japan;

and it appeared they were under apprehen-
ﬁons left Commodore Weddell ﬂlould have
' feized them. Being now out of danger,
they derided Englifh credulity; and conﬁd-
ing in their own ftrength, on the {core of
defence, fent the Englifh a peremptory de-

nial. ' ‘

i ,3.

Enraged at this piece of oriental duplici-
ty, a gpuncil of war was holden, at which
it was'unanimouﬂy refolved, to proceed up
the river as far as Canton. Having reached

the

us-

. To. CHINA. \ 7-

the cattle before‘mentioned, by means of
fome interpreters they fell in with, they
were introduced to fome Mandarines; who
p'romifed, on condition of their remaining
on the fpot for ﬁx days, to intercede with
the principal men, reﬁdent at Canton, for
the accompliﬂiment of their wifhes. This
was another fubterfﬁge in order to gain
time; for in the courfe of four days, the
{aid fort, before difmantled, was now fur-
nifhed with forty ﬁx pieces of heavy ord-
nance; and they actually difcharged {everal
{hot at one of the barges, as it was paﬂing
by in fearch of a convenient watering place.
This daftardly conduct, fuperinduced by the;
falfe reprefentations of the Portugueze, f0
incenfed the'whole Engliﬂi ﬂeet, that, the,
the fame hiﬁory tells us, they immediately
hoiﬂed the bloody ﬂag, got under Way, .
anchored within gunﬂiot, abreaﬁ of the fort,
and, by a brifk and well— conductedrﬁre,
ﬁlenced, in a few hours, this formidable-bat-
tery. They then landed a hundred men,
got full poileflion of the fortrefs, difmoupt-
ed the ordnance, hoilted the Britifh ﬂag on

B 4 < the

4 «.9

'0

8 EMBASSY -

the‘ walls, fet ﬁre to the council-houfe, and
demolifhed whatever they could. Having
feized two' or three {mall veﬂels, a letter
was fent to Canton by one of the boats,
complaining of their breach of faith. They
alfo juftiﬁed their proceedings; and throw-
ing all the odium on the perﬁdy and intri-
gues of the Portugueze, they effected a re-
conciliation, and obtained the object in
VieW,——a licence for a free trade.

The unfortunate circumﬁances, however,
under which the Englifh ﬁrit got footing in
China, rmuﬁ have operated to their difad-
vantage, and rendered their ﬁtuation, for
fome time, peculiarly unpleafant, Tillthen,
the'name of their country was unknovvn;
and the contemptuous epithet of carrotz‘y-
pale was attached to them long after their
commercial intercourfe. Thefe, and‘other
inaufpicious im‘prelhOns given of them by ‘
other European nations, added to the na—
tional and religiOus prejudices imbibed
againf’cgthem, and thofe unreftrained ema-
nations of liberty and independence, too fre- -‘
#5 quently

{’5

T0 CHINA". _ 9

quently indulged in by the natives of Bri-
tain,' were only to be obliterated by a feries
of vigilant circumfpeé’cion, and prudent de—
meanor; and more efpecially as merchants;
as well as artifans, are there holden in the
loweft degree of eftimation. But of all fo-
reigners, then carrying on trafﬁc at the port
of Canton, ”the Engliﬂ), from the above
caufes, were portrayed in the molt unfa-
vourable point of View; their complaints,
however juft and notorious, were deemed
frivolous and vexatious ; and, to prevent
their grievances from being made known,
per‘fons were forbidden to tranﬂate them.
The {mall number of the Englifh whoihadac-
quired as much of the Chinefe language as to
be able to reprefent them, being applied to for
that purpofe, rendered themfelves obnoxious;
and it became dangerous for the natives to
undertake to teach it. Now though a fac:
tory had‘been eftablifhed upwards of a cen-
tury,—yet, for want of an aﬁimilation of ‘
manners, fentiments, and habits, which fa-
cilitate and invigorate commerce ;—-on aca
count of the vaﬂ; pre-eminence of rank ar-

rogatcd

10 ' EMBASSY

rogated by patrons in authority, at China,
over thofe eXerciﬁng any kind of traﬂic,——~
mercantile concerns were materially im-
peded, and expofed to various impéfitions.
Thus circumltaneed, thofe ancient preju-
dices to {hanger-s, early imbibed, and deeply
rooted, operating on the conduct of the Chi-
nefe, and reduced as it were, to a feience,
founded on the perfect Rate of their own
civilization, remained in their full force;
and to reprefs the conduét of their Euro-c
pean viﬁtors, as well as to prevent the con-
taminating powers of bad examples among
their own peeple, orders were iﬂued that
one port only ﬂiould be left open for foreign
{hips ;-—-—and at a Rated period, every Euro-
pean was obliged to embark, or quit the
Chinefe territories, leaving his factory and
concerns until the return of the {hip the
next year.

Another obﬁruélion to commerce, which
- long iexiﬁed, was,-—-the natives were in.
ftrué’ced, by the moralif’cs of the Empire, to
admit it only from motives of humanity and

benevolence,

TQ CHINA.; 11

benevolence, notfrom neceﬂity or a inclina-..
tion on their part, nor any mutual beneﬁt-
to be derived ; and even the balance of trade.
in their favour, a deﬁrable- object with all
other nations, among them was conﬁdered
rather as an inconvenience than advantage,
Indifferent, then, as to it's progrefs, and it
being rather ﬂfered than ﬂag/at for, {hangers
who exercifed it could entertain but ﬂender
hopes of common attention, or common
juﬁice; nor could the Englifh, in their deal-
ings, procure any redrefs for infults, hard-
Ihips, or oppreﬂions. Such conduct, how-
ever, could not, in their opinion, be known
to, nor authorized by, the Emperor of
Chinagand, therefore, under this convic-c
tion, many agents of the India Company,
concerned in the trade thither, hinted the
neceﬁity and propriety of an embaﬂy to his
Imperial Majefty, in hopes that, by a true
ﬂatement of their ﬁtuation, he would order
a removal of the exiﬁing grievances. , The
idea was communicated to fome eminent“
artiﬂs and mathematicians, in the fervice of;
and who reﬁded at, the Court of Peking)
' ~ ' and

12 EMBASSY

and from a thorough knowledge of the dif-
poﬁtion of thofe who compofed it, conceiv-
ed the meafure’would be attended With the
happieft effeéts, provided it met with pro-
per fupport. Such an event, however, was
not to be brought about by any of the Eng-
llﬂl at Canton; they had not been particu-
larly recommended by their Sovereign, and
were no otherwife known than through the
defcriptive medium of their adverfaries or
c0mpetitors.’ The fame motives of policy
or commerce, which led to the eﬁablifh-
ment of Miniﬁers at other Courts, applied
with equal forcehand propriety to the ap-
pointment of one at Pekin. Beﬁdes, the
million of a Britifh Ambaﬂador, it was ar-
gued, - would be as ﬂatteringly received, as
the fpeé’tacle would be fplendid and novel.
The annual amount of the trade between
, the two countries amounted to feveral mil-
lions fterling; and though the two feats of
Government were many thoufand miles
apart, yet the dependent territories of each
State approximated ’within two hundred V
miles of that of Hindoftan. It is‘ here,
however

T0 CHINA. , 13

however, deferving Of notice, that there are
fome petty princes, often hoﬂzile to each
other, but clofely connected with, or de-
pendent on, one or other of their two pow-
erful neighbours, who occupy much of the ,
fpace ﬁtuated between the weﬁern limits of
the Chinefe Province of Shen-fee, and the
eaﬁern boundary of the Britifh Government
of Bengal. In the common courfe of events,
from fuch a relative ﬁtuation mutt arife
difcufﬁons which might, without the inter-
vention of perfons of high rank and conﬁ-
dential character, lay the baﬁs of . difagreea-
ble difputes between the two Courts.

At Canton, a few years ﬁncc, an accident. ‘
happened which had well nigh put a ﬂop
to our foreign trade. Evils of every kind,
fraught with this tendency, are to be appre-
hended, and ought to be particularly guarded.
againft, efpecially by a commercial nation.
On fome day of rejoicing, in ﬁring the
guns of one of thofe veifels which navigates
between the Britifh fettlements in India and -
Canton, but not in the employment of the.

Eaﬁ- ’

O

14 EMBASSY

Bait-India Company, two Chinefe, in a boat
lying near the vellel, in the river Canton,
were accidentally killed by the gunner.~ The

crime of murder is never pardoned in Chi- i
ml. The Viceroy of the province, ﬁred
with indignation at the fuppofed atrocity,
demanded the perpetrator of the deed, or
the perfon of him who ordered it. The
event was flared, in a remonflranee, to be
purely accidental ; but the Viceroy, {up-
poﬁng it to have been done from a wicked
difpoﬁtion, {till per—lifted in his demand, and
to afﬁrm himfelf of that obje&,..he feized
one of the principal fupercargoes. The other
F aétories being alarmed, united themfelves
with the En‘gliﬂr as in a common caufe,
and feemed difpofed to reﬁi’c the intentions
of the Viceroy; who, on his part, arranged
his troops on the banks of the river to force
a compliance. It was at lai’c deemed expe-
dient, on principles of policy, to give up the
gunner, with fearce a'glimmering hope that

his life would be fpared. Note I.

,- 7 The

To CHINA: 15

The Chinefe Government, ever on the
watch with refpeét to ﬁrangers, and eaﬁly
alarmed, forefees the pofﬁbility of the moﬁ:
diitant evils ; and there was much caufe of
apprehenﬁon left, to avoid'ﬁmilar accidents,
and to preferve the tranquillity of its {ub-
jeéts, ,- it might not have been induced to
put. a total {top to foreign trafﬁc. The ef—
fects, which fuch a prohibition mutt have
on, our manufaétures, not to mention. the
revenue, would have been feverely felt in
this country; but. in no one article f0 much
as that of tea, which is now become a ne-
ceﬂary of life in all ranks of fociety; the
fudden deprivation of which, having no pro-
per fubftitute, might be conﬁdered as a na-
tional calamity.

_;The ﬁrﬁ importers of tea into Europe,
which did not take place till the commence-
mentof the laﬁ century, were the Dutch.
They: had heard of the general ufe of a be- '
verage from a plant of that country, and
they wifhed to eftablifh the fade of an Eu—
ropean plant, praifed for its virtues, for the

fame

16 EMBASSY

fame ufe among the Chinefe, and thus ex-
change one commodity for the other.“ Sage
was the herb ﬁxed on, extolled by the an-
~cient phyﬁcians for its “(alubrious and 10n-
gevous qualities, The European herb foon
fell. into. difufe in China ; but the confump-
tion of foreign tea has ﬁnce increafed alto—
. nifhingly in Europe. From ﬁfty ,thoul‘and
bounds weight, the annual public {ales of
the Company in the beginning of the pre-
fent century, the {ales in the fame time,
now amount to nearly twenty millions of
pounds, which is four hundred times as
much as it was a hundred years ago.

‘ 'Meafures have been taken 'to intrOduce
the culture of tea in {uch of the Britilh ter—.
ritories in Hindoﬁan as appear to be molt
congenial to its growth; and a {mall plan-
tation of it, in the Iﬂand of Corfica, is re- ‘
ported to be in a ﬂour/ifhing Rate; but the
produce will not be equal to the expence.
It is thought, however, highly pr0bable,
that we may, fome time hereafter, furnifh

ourfelves with this ufeful article, on reafon-
able

T0 CHINA. 17‘

able terms, Without depending on the will
or caprice of a foreign Power. In the int-ea
rim, prudence dictated the ’ neceﬂity of
forming fuck a connection with the Court
of Pekin, as might place theBritiﬂl trade to
China on a folid and more beneﬁcial baﬁs,
as well as to remove the diﬂ'iculties and jea-
/ louﬁes which might ariie on the ﬁde of
Hindoﬁan, from the intrigues and mifrepre—
fentations of the refpeélive dependents or
allies of China and Great Britain.

The forming and completing of fuch an
[alliance could not be expeéted to be brought
about on a fudden. The Court of Pekin
was little inclined to an intercourfe with
foreign States, and deemed it wifdom to fe-
clude its fubjeé’cs, whom it conﬁdered as in
the vale of happinefs, from an allociation '
With the profane.--—A hafty exception to
this could not be expected in favour of a
nation, of whofe virtues the Emperor and g
Mandarines were but little acquainted.

' c i , The

18 EMBASSY

The punifh-ment of a Britifh fubjeét, by
' exprefs orders from Pekin, for endeavouring
to penetrateto the capital, in order to pre-
{but a memorial of grievances from the Bri-_
' tifh Faétory, IS a proof of the difﬁculty amt-
hazard that might have attended an attempt
to place a fuccefﬁon of Britifh fubjeﬂs, in:
digniﬁed ~ﬁtuations, at that Court, wh’ofé
amiable manners, and difcreet conduéti
Would be adapted to gain the ef’ceem and
' refpeé’c of every clafs ; and by diﬂipatin'g
their prejudices, and conciliating their good‘ ,
will; obtain that conﬁdence requiﬁte for‘fo
deﬁrable a conneé’tion. But a more rationa'I:
hope for fuccefs was attached to the miﬂion I
of an Envoy of rank, inV eﬁed with IOyaI
authority; and, aCcordingly, a Nobieman of i
exalted merit undertook to make the experi'3
ment, but his premature death on the’outward'”
pafiage interrupted the expedition. N is II '

Some time after, other propitious'eireuni-'
ﬁances occurred to prefs the exeeution of

the original dcﬁgn, which had been delayed’
bf

TO CHINA. ' 19

by ﬁxe above event;- and to the conﬁdera—,
tion of policy and commerce, Were now fu—
peradded thofe of humanity and philofophy.
Under the aufpices of his prefent Majeﬂty,
adding luﬂre to his reign, very conﬁderable
and important improvements had. been
made in navigation and geography, by voyg
ages} round the world, executed by able and;
feientiﬁc men. Enterprizesv Like-thefe, tendw
ing to enlarge the boundaries of knowledge,
without theincentives of conqueﬂ: or gain;
voluntarily faériﬁcing every enjoyment, and.
encountering numerous perils! in order to
enrich the pages‘of hif’cory or fcience, were;
in the midft , of war, regarded as facred by,
an (admiring enemy, and the perform and,
property of the adventurers; unfolicitedly,
fecurc’dfrom hoﬂilityi ,

The accounts given by thofe who had
hitherto been fortunate enough to penetrate
into China, were contradiétory and prdble-
matical,conthbut1ng rather to excite atten—
tion than fatisfy curioﬁty. They all eon-c

» C 2 ‘ curred,

26 EMBASSY"

C111red, h6weVer, 1n affuring, that, in regard
to its natural and artiﬁcial produélions,~—
the 66licy and uniformity of 1ts Gavern-
1116111, «—-the manners and fcntiments of the
mhabitants, their civil inﬁitutions, moral
magims, and general economy,-——-it prefent-
ed colle€1ively one of the fublimeﬁ objeé’cs
for human contemplation, or deep refearch.
The imaginary danger of admitting a free
interc6urfe to perfons, prone to tumult and
immorality, are the obﬁacles raifed by the
Chinefe Government againﬁ a free vinveﬁi-
. gation 6f tit; and this could only be .done
away by fuch {hangers Whole reﬂitude of
c6ndu61, and fuavity of manners, ihould'
convince them to the contrary by exam61es
I, Of an oppoﬁte tendenCy. ‘

_ To eradicate ﬂich inveterate prejudices,

Vthei'e might not only be required the‘eﬂ’eé’t
of examples” ffee frbm‘moral' obliquity‘,’ibut
21116 the accompanying qualiﬁcations”ifor
‘ mOVing in the higher fphere of life Much
V might depend on the admiﬁion’ 61 an Am-

‘ baffadm

TOCHINA. ‘ 21

:baffador- into. their, territories, and the im--
preﬂion which he and his fuite might make
on the minds of the Mandarines and the
people at large, during their progrefs through
the country, and his Viﬁt to the Court; but
» principally, Whether he could excite a wifh,
and procure reﬁdenee for, fuCceeding Mini-
ﬁers, contrary to the prefent received prac-
' tice of the Chinefe. To effeét this would
. be a principal ﬂep toward the concluﬁon of
an intimate alliance with the Emperor, and,
by eonfequence, a free intercourfe with all t
_ parts of China. To aim at too much, in the
beginning, might occaﬁon either a tedious
delay, or a total failure; and though the Eaft-
‘ «india Company were too well convinced of
the meonvenienee; and oppreﬂions attached
to their commerce at Canton, yet,’ dreading
“bardfhips of a greater magnitude, they re-
, gemmended the utmoft care and circuma-
fpeéhon, left the Government of China
, mould, by any imaginary umbrage, entirely

' ,emlude. them from entering their ports.
, ‘ .ﬁdminiﬁration had, therefore, to {elect from
' .C 3. her

25? 33.43”“.

her bofom, a perfon ofgreat talents, long.
experience, and tried prudence , and it was
fome tirne ere the Nlinifter had determined,
on his choice.

 

. CHAPTER II,
PREPARa'rIONs FOR THEEMBAssx, .

THED Right Honourable Earl Mac-artney, _
who had already advantaged his country

by his diplomatic talents, and whole reputa-
tion was ﬁxed for integrity and aptnefs for
bufmcfs, was appointed, by the Miniﬁer,
Embaﬂador Extraordinary and -Miniﬁer PIC?!
nipotcntiaryto the Emperor of China; r011
this occaﬁon, the Lords of the Admiralty
ordereda ﬁxty-four gun fhip, the Lion, to
be ﬁtted up. for his Lordihip’e reception,
with; leave/to nominate the Gammander,...
. Captain, now :Sir Erafmus GOVVCrglE who in '
’ hipsljuvenile years. had been two voyages-
* round

1116721: 11111111. ' ‘23

1101111111511 war-111, m1“ {any squad t6 the 71111;-
Want fervice, was feiefted‘ for this pm?
[1%, and honoured with the command; andT
was alfo gratiﬁed with the choice of his of:-

ﬁcers, every clafs of which was foon ﬁlled,

To add dignity to the miﬁion, a military
7 guard was alfo aiiowed, to attend the perfon
of the Embaﬁ‘ador,‘in compliance with the
praétice of Eaﬁern Embaﬁics. This guard,
Over Whom it had beeh 'refolved to, r‘riaiiithin
the ﬁriéteﬁ: difcipline, in order to prevent
the leaﬂ: dereliétion of duty, or dlforde?
céndua, when 1n prefence of the Chine e,.
was put under the command of Major, 110w
GOiOnei, Benfori , afﬁﬂed by L1eutenar1f
now Gaptain, 'Pdriﬂ1'11and Lieutenant; ani
Lieﬁtmaht (31110-11121,cram.-~11015101"G111~,{ml
was Phyﬁeian to the Embaﬂy, and Enact
Séb‘t the Surgeon; a gentleman 6f abilities-
aﬁd eXpei‘ience, who had long {CIVed m that '
capacity in the navy with diﬁmguiﬂredq'ew
9111211111111 Doétor Dinwi'ddie, aﬂfronomer,
and Mr. BarroW, b’oth Well fkiiled 1n mag
thematics and mechanics, had alib’ approa-
' , C 4 priate

2'14, 'EMZB'ASSY

pria’te’ appointrnents. { Mr. Ac’hefon Maxwell
and Mr.’Ed‘ward Winder, Were made ' joint
SeCreta‘rieS "to the Embaﬂhdo‘f ;" and Mr.
Henry Baring, recently appointed a Writer

in the {ervice of the Bait-IndiaGompany,
i was permitted to accompany the Embatlyto
Pekin. Two botanic gardeners alfo‘ em-
barked; one at the public expenee, the other
at'that of an individual 'in the Embafly., ~ .

Another ofﬁce, of no {mall import, ftill
remained vacant, which was as neceﬂa‘ry as
its Fulﬁllnent Was difﬁcult; that of inter-
preter and tranﬂator'. i In all the Britiﬂi do—
rnini'ons, not one perfon could be procured
”properly qualified; and to depend on ﬁnding
ans. 'at Canton, was too preCarious-for'the
importance of the Embaily; The Milliona-
r’iés tolerated -'at the Court of Peki‘n are not
'i’allov'Ved't/o leave the country ;‘ but frame, by
“pe'netr‘atingin difguife far'from‘ the Capital,
“havebeen known ‘t‘o-J reitUrn. ’ FSofne of the
"mere “learned Chinefe, howe'veh' hadﬁby
'{orﬁii'toiis Circumﬁances,“f0und their Way-to
ﬂame-Tana we're-employed;- atztthatieah,
' t0

To. (1391an . 3‘5:

to‘cmhﬁne: attain thngik; Iboekksganijmgg
unferipts ;--and ate? Naples» aaﬁqll‘egcv had
‘béén founded,iontss'ofﬁzcak fog. Chtiftian-ity;
rdcckiiz'ated to-~thc education»? of" young Chi;
,nefe; who, by means 0E the EmopganiMif—
{zonaries,ahad contriveditov cffcét thcinchaFg
out of China.,: The onlyf-rcfoutcc left was,
toxfce whethcr.any- of the abovewcrc.Wilg-
ling to, accept of, and qualiﬁcdfot, the-tem—
ployment. With this View, the Secretary of
the intended Embaify fat out in January,
1792; _H6 paffcd through Paris, where two
,tbundations for foreign mifﬁons, {till «{ubﬁﬁ-
.céLeéLz} 7Man5ﬂ. Ede . Saint Lazare, andaL‘a
Mmﬁn die-.5“ Mgﬂiom ~ Etmnge‘nesp z-At thajlan- .
:tgcmWa-s. qno who had: 16ft; China ytvsganty
--y.'oars%ago;: but, beﬁdcs.,thatr.he Wasrawfe
.toura-Miﬁtathnt country; he . had nearly fox-
giggtten his native language. He next went to
,Bome, but with no other fuccefs than that
- gm"; havingzprocurcd, from Cardinal, Antanclli,
ﬁréng letters of xccommendation tothe It;-
vlianTraMiﬁionatrics in China, 3213'.quan to the
"Curator-s: of the. Chinofc (1011ch at. Naplos:
There, by the aid of his Majctty. s,Miniﬁ:ﬁr,
. Sir

2.6 'BMBA sear

Sin William..Hamilton, .to whom the Colby
legeuwere; under: obligations; he overcame
the‘fcmples of the Curators; and two Chi-.-
nefe,‘ uncontaminated inmorals,‘ amiable: in
mnncrs, and candid in difpcﬂition, quali-
ﬁed to interpret between their own language
,andathe Italian or Latin, cameto England
with: the Secretary of the EmbaiTy, in May,
1192, exprefsly to Embark for China in
quality of 1nterpretersj~

-They foon began to render themifeivesi
ufeful, ‘by fame-pertinent hints'refpeéﬁngi‘
their own country, and {uggei’ted' the ﬁtteft
preparations for fuch an eXpedition Pre-
ﬁmts, according to the Eaﬁ‘ern manners, are A
indifpenﬁble, bOth for the Emperor and his v-
Court; and they mentioned what they
judged might be met): acceptable. ”Such
articles as Were there fought after withaﬁri
dity, and produced the greateﬁ‘proﬁt, Were,

onqthis head; not to be difrega'rded. EX-n '

traordinary pieces of .ingenioué and (3011113713.,
catcd-mechanifm,.richly and variouﬂy' ores?-
namentcd, and producing, by means of in-

) - ternal

T0 ‘GEINA. Q‘l‘r

temill Wheels andvfpring‘s, apparently 'aiitaé.‘
matous movements, =were- exported annual;
Iy,-gto a conﬁderable amount.7.: Thefc'mai.
chines, taken over thither at the exprefs dea
ﬁre of the Mandarines, Whom it might:
have been dangerous (to difobey, were either:
given: as prefents, or .a triﬂing fum,‘ inﬁnite;
lylefs than the M cell, was received in rear I
turn, that the tranfaﬁion might have the.
appearance of a common purchafe. Many,‘
of thefe coﬁly articles, obtained by the
Man'darines, for little conﬁderation; {ram
the merchants, under promife of protecftioni:
{ram their irgfériors, s ultimately found. . their" ‘
way’ into the Palaces of the Emperor and:
his Miniﬁers, in the hope of feeurihS the
favour of theirﬁqﬁeriorsh A ’

,4\
M ,,

:It would have been vain, in public prefemts, ' :_
to think of furpaﬂing, either in colt or WOrk—xh
manihip, {uch articles of this kind, (Called, “
in the cant jargon of the Eaﬁ, Sing Songsyas. ‘-
had .paﬂed thither through private chain-helm?

and beﬁdes, the annual accumulation‘l‘of‘f '

them was {uppofed {uﬂicient to fatiate the
tranﬁent

28 EMBASSY

tranﬁent gratiﬁcauon excited by gaudy
tnﬂes Other prefents were fubﬂituted 1n
their 100111 more Worthy of princely notice
and acceptance.

Aﬁronomy being a favourite {cience in
China, which has long engroiled the atten-
tion and occupation of the Government, in—

Vit‘ruments Of the lateft improvements, and
erreries reprefentin g the molt perfect motions
. i of the folar fyﬁem, could not fail to be ac-
ceptable. v To thefe were added, fpecir'nens
pr aﬂortments of fuch of our manufactures,
ﬁniﬂied 1n the ﬁrﬂ: ﬁyle, as Were adapted
for general utility, or focial comfort; which,
beﬁdes being likely to pioye highly grateful
, iv to thofe to whom they "were prefented, were
likely to create a future demand for the
fame articles.

1". v.16: . . . > L
. _ 4 , ,
r

_ For the fafer conveyance ofthefe prefents,
the Eaﬂ- 111111 a Company appointed one of
their largei’t ﬂaips, and gave the command
of her to Captain Macmtofh with init1‘11c.- ‘
11011s to carry out fuch perfons appertaining

tQ

TO errrNA. 29'

I

to the Embaﬁ'y as could not conveniently be ‘
accommodated on board the Lion. A {mall
brigantine, manned and ofﬁcered from the
Lion, was alfo ﬁtted out, as a tender, to ac-
company the Embafly.

It became neceﬂary, while thefe prepara-
tions were making, to embrace the earlieﬂ:
opportunity of formally announcing the in-
tended Embaﬂy to _ the Chinefe Govern—
ment, inafmuch as intelligence is frequently
conveyed to China from foreign ports.
Without this precaution, the undertaking

, might, through error or deﬁgn, be made to
aﬂume an uncertain or warlike appearance,
-—the Embaﬂhdor 5 reception rendered du-
bious,—-—and the intentions of Government
completely fruftrated To fecure, then, the
effects of ﬁrﬁ impreﬁions, which in every
inftance are diﬂicultly eradicated, three
Commiﬂioners, who had been feleéted by
the Eaft-India Company to manage their

V affairs at Canton, were empowered to com-

municate, with due folemnity, the intended

. .miﬂion of Lord Macartney , and to deliver

. a letter,

80 ' harass?" ,

a - letter; eorrefpondent' hereto, fiom’ Sir
Francis Baring, then Chairman of the Court
of Direétors, in f0 public a manner to the
Viceroy of Canton, as to prevent, if he had
been {0 inclined, the poﬂibility of its being
kept from the knowledge of the Emperor.

a This letter ﬂated, “ that his molt gra-i
cious Sovereign having heard that it had
been expeéted his fubjeéts, fettled at Can:
ton, fhoulcl have fent a deputation to the
Court of Pekin, in order to congratulate the. ‘
Emperor on his entering into the eightieth‘
Year of his age, but that (rich deputation
had not been immediately difpatehed, ex-
' préﬂéd great difpleafure thereat; and, being
deﬁrous of -'cultiva~ting the friendfhip of the
Emperor“ of 'China,‘ and of improving the
conne'étion, intercou'rfe, and good correa‘
fpondenée between the Courts of London
and‘Pekin, and oflincreaﬁng and extending
the'eommerce between their refpeétiv'e fub? "
jeéts, had refolved to fend his well-beloved
couﬁn‘ and counfelloi‘,’ Lord Niacartney, a "
nobleman of 'greatrvirtue, wifdom, andiabi-I
' lity,

To; enma, 1- 3 1

Iity, as his Emhaffador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary to the Emperor of China,to
rePrefent his perfon, and to expreﬂs, in their
ﬁrongeﬂt terms, the fatisfaétion he fhould ‘
feel if this mark of his attention and regard ;
{hould ferve» as. a foundation to eftablifh‘raa-
perpetual harmony and alliance between.
them; and that the Embaﬂ'ador,‘ with his:
attendants, ﬂiould foon fet- out on the voy«
age; and, having feverai preﬂents for thei.
Emperor from his Britannic Majeﬂy, which;
from their ﬁze, and nicety o'f mechanifm;
could not be conveyed through the interiorv
of China to f0 great a dittancc as from Can—u.-
torr to Pckin, without riﬂe of damage, he:
ﬂiould proceed direétly in one of his Mas».
jei‘ty’s‘fhips, properly accompanied, to. the
port of Tien-ﬁng,‘ approaching, in- the ﬁrﬂz-x ‘
inﬁance; as near as poﬂibie to. the reﬁdenccz
of the Emperor of China " And Sir Franv
eis ends the letter by “ requetting the in»
formation thus given to be conveyed to the; v
Court of Pekin, trufting that the Imperial-2
orders Would be itihed for the proper recep- ,

tion of the King of Great Britain 5 (hips,
with

32 , EMBASSY

with his Embaﬂador and fuite, as feon' as
. they ihould appear at Tien-ﬁng, or the
neighbouring coaﬁs.”, i

The prefents on this occaﬁon, expreﬂed
in the above letter, were illiberally con-
ﬁrued by fome perfons to be directed to ex-s
' traordinary and improper purpofes, and the
attention of the diplomatic corps was there-
by awakened. One of thefe attributed the
deﬁgn to nothing lefs than that of engrofﬁng
the Whole trade to China, to the excluﬁon
of all other foreigners, and in his zeal for
his Court, propofed a counter Embaﬂ'y.
That monopoly, however, had no part in it
Amui’c be evident, when it is underﬁood, that
this intended Embaffy was exprefsly impart:
ed to the States-General of the United Pro—
vinces, then in alliance with Great-Britain,
with offers of emballadorial fervice, in cafe
the Rate of the Dutch Factory at Canton
. ﬂiould require fuch mediation. ,

But the real drift of the iMiﬂion may be
clearly afcertained by his Majeity 5 private

inﬁruétiOns

:0

To CHINA. 33

inftruétions to his Embaffador, in which it is
figniﬁed, that “ a greater number of his {ub-
jeéts than of any other Europeans, had been
trading for a conﬁderable time pait in Chi-
na; that the commercial iintercourfe be-
tween feveral other nations and that great
Empire, had been preceded, accompanied, ‘
or followed, by fpecial communications with
its Sovereign. Others had the fupport of
Miﬂionaries, who, from their eminence inv
fcience, or ingenuity in the arts, had been
frequently admitted to the familiarity of a
curious and polifhed Court, and which Mif-
ﬁonaries, in the, midft of their cares for the
propagation of their faith, were not fuppofed
to have been unmindful of the views and
intereft of their country; while the Engliﬂl
traders remained unaided, and, as it were,
unavowed, at a. diftance {0 remote, as to
admit of a mifreprefentation of the national
charaéterand importance; and where too
their occupation was not holden in that
eﬁeem which might be neceifary to procure
them fafety and refpeét;” that, “ under
thefe circumﬂances, it became the dignity

D and.

34 EMBASSY

and character of his Majeﬁy to extend his
paternal regard to thefe his diﬁant fubjeé’cs,
even if the commerce and profperity of the
nation were not concerned in their fuccefs ;
and to claim the. Emperor of China’s pro-
tection for them, with that weight which
is due to the requifition of one great Sove-
reign. from another ;” that, “ a free com-
munication with a people, perhaps the molt
ﬁngular upon the globe, among whom civi-
lization-had exiﬁed, and the arts been cul-
tivated, through a long feries of ages, with
fewer interruptions than elfewhere, was
well worthy alfo of being fought by the
Britifh nation, which law with pleafure,
and with gratitude applauded, the feveral
.voyages undertaken already, by his Majeﬁyls
command, and at the public expence, in the
purfuit of knowledge, and for the difcovery
and obfervation ' of diﬁant countries and
manners ;” but that, “ in feeking to im«-
,prove a connection with China, no Views
were entertained except thofe of the gene~
ral i-ntereﬁs of humanity,the mutual bene-
ﬁt of both . nations, and the protection
' '~ of

To CHINA. 35

of commerce under the Chinefe Govern-
mentf,’ '

His Majeﬁy’s letter to the Emperor of
China breathes the fame fpirit. It is therein
faid, that “ the natural difpoﬁtion of a great
and benevolent Sovereign, fuch as his Im-
perial Majeﬁy, Whom Providence had feated
upon the throne for the good of mankind,
was to watch over the peace and fecurity of
his dominions, and to take pains for diﬂe—
minating happinefs, virtue, and knowledge
among his fubjeé’ts; extending the fame be-
neﬁcence, with all the peaceful arts, as far
- as he was able, to the whole human race.”
That his Britannic Majefty, “ inipreﬂed
with fuch fentiments from the beginning of
.his reign, when he found his people engaged
in War, had granted to his enemies, after '
obtaining victories over them in the four
quarters of the world, the bleﬂings of peace,
on the moi’c equitable conditions ;” that,
‘f ﬁnce that period, not fatisﬁed with pro—
moting the profperity of his own fubjeéts,
in every refpeélz, and beyond the example of

' D 2 . ’ all

BO -EMBASSY"

all farmer times, he had jtaken various op»
portunities of ﬁtting out fhips, and {ending
in them fome of the molt wife and learned
'of his own people, for the difcovery of dif-
tant and unknown regions; not for the pur‘
pofe of conqueft, or of enlarging his! domi-
nions, which were already fufﬁciently ex-s
tenﬁve for all his wifhes; nor for the pur~
pofe of acquiring wealth, nor even for ‘fa-
vouring the commerce of his fubjeé’cs; but
for the fake of incrcaﬁng the knowledge of
the habitable globe, of finding out the vari-
ous productions of the earth ; and for com—
municating the arts and comforts of life to
"thofe parts, where they had hitherto been
little known; and” that “ he had ﬁnce fent
veﬂbls, with animals and vegetables molt
.ufefuli to man, to iﬂands and places where,
it appeared, they had been wanting ;” that
“ he had been {till more anxious to inquire
into the arts and manners of countries,
where civilization had been improved by
the wife ordinances and Virtuous examples
of their foivereigns, through a long feries of

ages; and felt, above all, an ardent wifh to
become

T0 CHINA; 37‘.

become acquainted with thofe celebrated
inﬁitutions of his (Chinefe) Majeﬂty’s popu-v
lous and extenﬁve empire, which had car-
ried its profperity to fuch a height, as to be
the admiration of all furrounding nations."
That “ his Britannic Majeﬁy being then
at peace with all the world, no time could
be f0 propitious for extending the bounds of
friendfhip and benevolence, and for propof—
ing to communicate and receive the bene-
ﬁts which mul’c refult from an unreferved
and amiable intercourfe between fuch great
and civilized nations as China and Great
Britain."

It was evident that the Embaﬁy was not
limited to affairs of commerce at Canton, as
Lord Macartney had difcretionary power to
viﬁt, beﬁdes China, every other country ca—
pable of affording ufeful or important infor—
mation. He had diplomatic authority ad-
dreﬂ‘ed to the Emperor ofJapan, and t0 the
King of Cochin-China; and a general com-
million to all Princes and States, in what-

D 3 ever

38 EMBASSY

ever part Of the Chinefe feas he might have
oecaﬁon to touch.

The {hips being, by this time, at Portﬂ-
menth, and every thing in readinefs for the
voyage, thofe who were to accompany the
Embaflador, in all nearly a hundred, joined
his Excellency there in September, 1792, in
order to their repairing on board. Impelled
by the fafcinating incitement of curioﬁty,
already were they meditating China at a
diﬁance, and voluntarily quitted their native
fhores to engage in‘a perilous, but intereﬂb
ing enterprize; and when the wind and
weather were announced favourable for de—
parture, they felt no regret, or unpleafant
emotion, except-when the inward thrillin‘gs
of affection awoke the remembrance of their
friends and dearel’c connections.

' CHAR

' TO CHINA; 39‘—

CHAPTER III.
‘ PASSAGE TO MADEIRA.

HE Embaflador and his fuite being
embarked, the Lion and Hindoﬁan,
accompanied by the Jackall tender, fet fail
from Portfmouth on the 26th of Septem-
ber, 1792. The weather foon changed from
moderate to boiﬁerous; in the night, the
ﬂlips 1011' company of the tender, and were
compelled to take fhelter in Torbay;
whence, after being detained two days by
adverfe winds, they again put to fea.

Steering the ufual courfe, on the 10th of
Oé’cober they difcovered the iﬂands of Porto
Santo and Madeira, the latter of which, at
the then diﬂance, appeared like a huge
mountain whofe apex was loﬂ: in the clouds.
Soon after, the Deferta’s Iﬂands were de-

D 4 fcried,

40. EMBASSY

feried, {ubjeé’c alfo to Portugal, forming
part of the Madeiras.

The ﬁrﬁ View of the iﬂand of Madeira
reprefented it as rocky, barren and uncul-
tivated, but on a nearer approach its beau-
ties opened to View, and formed a {cene pic-
turefque and enchanting. Funchal, its prin-
cipal town, {lands in the midft of a verdant
valley, whofe fcattered ediﬁces, being White
externally, formed a pleaﬁng contrait with
the eVer- greens and plantations, which, at
all points, met the eye.

The feafons here may be {aid to‘be only
two, fpring and fummer; as no degree of
heat or cold has been found unpleafant.‘
Fahrenheit’s thermometer, during his EX—
cellency’s ﬂay, placed in the Ihade about
noon, was from ﬁxty-nine to {eventy-two
degrees. At Funchal, in January, when,
the tops of the hills are covered with fnow,
it is about ﬁxty— four, and feldom rifes 1n ,
autumn, higher than feyenty-ﬁve. .1 _ -.

TO CHINA‘. 41

~ The Portugueze. Governor ordered due
attention to be paid to the‘Embaﬂ‘ador, of—
fered his Excellency a military guard, who
refufed, but accepted a polite invitation to
partake of an entertainment, truly furnptu—
Ous; to which the Embaffador’s fuite, the
ofﬁcers of the Lion and Hindoﬁan, the
merchants of the Britifh factory, and the
molt refpeélable inhabitants of the iﬂand,
about two hundred perfons, were likewife
invited. A young lady, only ten years old,
daughter of the Governor, did the honours‘
of the table, till the deffert was brought,
when'the Governor’s wife preﬁded.

From a geometrical furvey of this ’iﬂand
by ' Mr. William Johnﬁone, a native of
Great Britain, lately a merchant in Madei-
ra, he found it to be of a parallelogramic
form; its mean length, from W. N. W. to
E. S. E. was about thirty {even miles, and
mean breadth eleven miles, compriﬁng an
area offoirrhundred and {even fquare‘miles,
equal to two hundred and ﬂirty th’oufand
four hundred and eighty acres. It is dividd

., ed .

42 EMBASSY

ed into thirty {even parifhes, and its inha‘bi.
tants are computed to be eighty thoufand. .

Many parts of Madeira being mountain-
ous, declivous, and rugged, and others near-
ly deﬁitute of foil, are incapable of culture”
Small patches, indeed, of cultivated ground
appear in the narrow valleys, in which alfo
there are fome villages. But though the
cultivators are lazy, yet they have fhewn in-
ﬁances of induﬁry, by breaking, on the ﬁdes
of hills, thinly covered with foil, fuch pieces
of {cattered rock as contain vegetable mat-
ter, into fmaller parts; and the rills, from the
heights, being made to ﬂow over, the frag-
ments comminute and become a fertile .
mold. ‘

Indolence, however, prevails with the
men, who enjoy cafe at home, while their
wives and daughters go barefOOted, to a
conﬁderahle diﬁance, over rugged paths, up
to the mountains to cufbroom ‘for' fuel.
This they carry in loads to Funchal, and
di-fpofe of it for fubﬁﬂance, which is chieﬂyg

' on

TO CHINA. 43

on falt ﬁfh. Thus, feverity of labour, poor-
‘nefs of food, and warmth of climate, make
them old in frame, when young in years.
The complexion of this clafs of the people
is dark, their ﬁature low, and the fpirit
and aétivity of their anceﬁors much degene-
rated. '

The hog is the food molt relifhed at Ma-
deira. Thefe animals," when young, are
marked by their owners, and fuﬁered to
range wild among the mountains, and at

’laﬂ: are hunted and caught by dogs.

No ferpents, nor any noxious animal,
have been known to exif’c at Madeira; nei-
. ther are there hares, or foxes. Fifh, of
feveral kinds, are caught on the coaﬁ, but
,herrings and oyﬂers are ﬁrangers there.
Salted cod, in abundance, is imported from
‘ America; and being the principal diet of
the poor, occaﬁons among them frequent
{corbutic eruptions.

The

44'- EMBASSY

The inhabitants are amply fupplied with:
delicious fruits and vegetable efculents, of
various kinds for the table. But the grape,
chieﬂy white, is the ftaple production of the
iﬂand. Twenty ﬁve thoufand pipes, each
of a hundred and twenty gallons, are made
annually; half of this is exported to Eng-
land, North America, and the Weft Indies,
and the reﬁdue is confumed by the inhabiJ
tants, either in its natural ﬁate, [or in 3 {pi—
rit from diftillation.

This fort of wine has the appellation of
dry Madeira, the higheﬁ priceof which to
dealers, is thirty two pounds a~ pipe; but
private individuals are, from general cuf—
toms, made to pay more. The merchants,
however, add one pound per pipe extra, to
the above charge, fCr every year they keep
it in their cellars, as an equivalent for in-
tereit of money, and other incidental loffes.

Other kinds of grape are natives in Ma-
deira; one, whole juice has a deeper co—
lour than the former, the wine of which is

called

T20 CHINA.. 545

called tinto. 'Another, called Baﬁardo, has a
red fkin, but produces a white juice; and
laﬁly, on fome few foils a third fpecies is
raifed, whofe juice is remarkably fweet and
rich, from which is made that celebrated
Wine called Malmfey. The annual produce
of this vine is averaged at ﬁve hundred pipes,
fetching, at market, about ﬁxty pounds per
pipe. The merchants of the Britilh factory
here, like that at Oporto, attach themfelves
to the cultivators of the vine, and fupply
them, in advance, with Whatever can contri—
bute to their neceﬂities. They are remark-
able for their hofpitality to ﬁrangers. Their
houfes are fpacious, and open, on the ﬂight-
cfl: recommendation, for the reception of '
paﬂengers who {top there for refrefhments
in their way to Aﬁa or America.

Proviﬁqns excepted, the Government of
Portugal impofes a duty on all imports into
Madeira, and alfo on wine exported. And
though internal taxes are levied, yet, after
defraying the expences of the civil and mili-
tary eﬂablifhments, the furplus is {aid not to

' ‘ exceed

46 EMBASSY

exceed eighty thoufand pounds. The baa
lance of trade to that iﬂand is much in
favour of the Englifh. Twenty trading
houfes of great folidity, whofe acquired for-
tunes ultimately ‘centre in Great-Britain,
conﬁitute the prefent Britiﬂ1 faétory. Their
immenfe capital, avowed integrity, and com-
mercial knowledge, have ﬁiﬂed every corn-e
petition, and left them in the almoft entire
poﬂeﬂion of the trade to Madeira.

The falubrity of the climate proteﬁs its
inhabitants from various difeafes. The
fcurvy, from bad proviﬁons, is the lot of the
poor; and paralytic aﬁceétions, from indo-
lence and repletion, that of the rich. Inter-
mittents are unknown there. The {mall
pox proves moft fatal in fummer, and inc-.-
culation, on account of religious fcruples,
is rarely performed. -

_ a. .

The town contains about ﬁfteen thoufand
inhabitants; and though ﬁreams of water run.
though the ﬁreets, they are kept very dirty.
Some improvements are going on, to which

the

T0 CHINA; 47.

the Governor has contributed, and among
thefe is a delightful mall, with two rows of
handfome trees. The cultivation of the
country keeps pace with an increaﬁng po-
pulation; but the uncertainty of the feafons
often caufes failure in crops, and fubjeé’cs
the farmer to hardfhips.—The creditor can
{eize property for rent, but cannot imprifon
the debtor. ~

The fugar’ cane is but little cultivated
here. The 'cane refembles, in form, the
common reed, grows to the height of about
eight feet, and has a jointed item, with leaves
fpringing from the joints. The bell: and
ﬁveeteﬁ juice is centered in the middle of
the ﬁem.—-—A few trees of the true cinna-
mon, with three-ribbed feented leaves, and
a thin fragrant bark, are thinly difperfed.

From Funchal, to the eal’cward of the
iﬂand, the road is ﬁcep and craggy up hills;
at the top was a narrow path, 011 one ﬁde of
which was a perpendicular rock, on the
other a dreadful precipice, paiTable only to

. pedef-

48* EMBASSY '

pedeﬁrians, except to fome well trained,
fure-footed mules. Farther on is an open
plain, adorned with myrtle and box—tree,
growing wild; and alfo the whortleberry
lhrub, far. more eoriﬁderable in height and
luxurianee than any iwhich grows in En«
gland.-—-At the eai’c end of the iﬂand, Tome
gentlemen of the Embaﬂ‘y, who had made
the excurﬁon, difcovered the crater of a dif«
tinét volcano, four hundred yards in diame-
ter; at .the bottom and round the ﬁdes‘ of
which were {cattered fragments of lava. ‘ '

It appeared to Dr. Gillan, that “ there
had been feveral craters in the iiﬂand, and
that eruptions had taken place from them
at various and very dif’cant intervals. This
was particularly manifelt at a place near the
brazen-head, where might eaﬁly be count~
ed, twelve different eruptions of lava from
neighbouring craters." "

“ The chain of the higheft mountains of
- Madeira has hardly any volcanic appear-
ance. The clouds envelope frequently their

’ tops,

TO CHINA. 49

tops, and from them defcend all the {treams
and rivulets of the iﬂand. Their antiquity
is marked by the deep chafms or gulphs they
have formed in their defeent between the
ridges of the rocks, during the long lapfe
of time they have continued to ﬂow.———ln
the beds of thefe rivulets are found pebbles
of various ﬁzes, and large round maffes of
ﬁlex, fuch as are ufually found in the beds
of many ﬁmilar torrents in the Alps. The
foil, alfo, of the ﬁelds and paﬂturage grounds
appears exactly the fame as thofe _ of the
Continent, where no volcanic ﬁre has ever

been fufpeétcd.”

“ It is likewife to be obferved, that no lava
of a glaﬁ'y nature has been difeovered in
Madeira, nor any perfect pumice (tone;
circumftances which both indicate, that not
the higheﬂ degree of heat had been fuffered
here: but it is probable that the bay or
beach of Funchal is a fegment of a large
crater, the exterior part of which has funk
into the fea; for, in the ﬁrft place, the

ihining or blue {tones upon the beach are
‘ E all

50 . EBMASSY

all of compact lava; fecondly, temp’ef’cuous
weather throws, always upon the fhore,
larger maﬁbs of the fame blue lava ﬁone,
and, alfo, a quantity of cellular lava, ap-u
proaching to pumice Prone in texture, but
much heavier, and not ﬁbrous; and laﬁly,
the Loo Rock, and landing place oppoﬁte to
it, to the weftward of Funchal bay, as well
as that upon which Fort St. J ago is con«
ﬁruéted, are evidently perpendicular frag-
ments of the edges of the crater, which have
hitherto reﬁtted the aétion of the fea, by
having been better fupported, or' having
more clofely adhered together, tho’ much
worn by the violence of the furge. They
hear not the leaft refemblance‘ to the neigh--
bourin-g rocks a little within ﬂlore.”

The iﬂand of Madeira- is well defended-
by nature. Violent {urges beating con-
ﬁantly upon its rocky ﬂiores, form a ﬁrong
barrier againft invaﬁon. Art has, likewife, ,
contributed to the {trength of the capital,
which extends three quarters of a mile along
the beach, and nearly half a mile in depth,»

by

TO CHINA. 51

by. four forts ; St. Jago, St; Lorenco, Peak
Celtic, and anotherupon the Loo Rock.

The military eﬁabliﬂument of the iﬂand
conﬁﬂzs of three hundred ,egular troops, half
infantry, the reﬂ: artillery; and two thou-
fand militia who are embodied occaﬁonally.
The latter, making two battalions, are ob—
liged to provide thcmfelves with an uni-
form. There are alfo ten thoufand irre-
gular militia, who are not {0 clothed, nor
called out to exercife, and being at no ex-
pence on that account, are compelled to
do garrifon‘ duty, to take charge of fignals,
and repair the highways. Three colonels
are appointed, in feparate dil’criéts, to com3
mand them; and they are farther fubdivided
into companies, each of which has a cap-

' tain and lieutenant, ‘

The Lion and the Hindoi’can having pro-
cured the neceiTary refreﬂa’ments, and re-
cruited and completed the ﬂock of water,
and fuel; and having left inﬂ'ruétions for
the Jackall who had not yet rejoined, them,

E 2. to

52 EMBASSY

to proceed to Port Praya, in the iﬂand of St.
J ago, his Excellency and fuite embarked
from Fun’chal on the 18th of Oé’tober 1792.

1

 

CHAPTER IV.

PASSAGE T0 TENERIFFE; TO ST. JAGO¢
NOTICESOF THE ISLANDS.

APTAIN Sir Erafm-us Gower, in order

to obtain a better Wine for the feamen

than could be procured at Madeira, at the

contract price, refolved to touch at Santa

Cruz, on his way to St. Jago; and ﬁeering

for this place, they entered the bay on the

~21ft of Oétober, and anchored in twenty
fathoms water.

The place is defended by forts and bat.-
teries; and the ﬂlOI‘C fo ifenced by cragged
rocks, and conf’tant furges, as to render it
nearly inaccefﬁble to- boats. The regular

troops

T0 CHINA. 53

troops do not exceed three hundred ; but
every perfon, capable of bearing arms, is en-»
rolled in the militia.

To the above fecurities of' art and nature
againﬂ: the attacks of an enemy, arifes ano-
ther to which hoftile fhips are expofed :—
The wind is hardly ever favourable to Clear
the land. This danger proved no obﬁacle
to the ardour of the gallant Admiral Blake, .
who, in 165 7, entered the road, attacked
and deﬁroyed a ﬂeet of Spanifh galleons in \
ﬁrength nearly equal to his own ; and then,
by a fortuitous Wind, he brought off his
{quadron in perfect fafety, ‘

The town of Santa Cruz is. pleafantly\
ﬁtuated. It has a handfome pier, conve-
nient landing places, and an excellent quay,
:[haded by feveral rows of trees—Its ﬁreets
are elegant and tolerably fpacious. A founr
tain, adorned with marble ﬁatucs, ﬁands
in a fquare; and the neighbourhood aﬁ‘brds
many delightful promenades,

E 3 The

54 ,EMBASSY -

The mountains to the northward of the
town are rugged, and the rocks, found upon
them, volcanic. Notwithﬁanding, they pro-
duce beans, corn, and grafs for fodder. The
culture is ingeniouﬂy carried on to their very
fummits by means of ﬁages or platforms of
foil, fupported by fences of ﬁone; Various
wild odoiiferou‘s herbs were fcattered around;
and fome of a powerful, and as it were, in-
ebriating fmell.

La Figuera de India, called, in 'Englifl1,'the
Prickly Pear-tree, bears afruit,‘ which is held
there, in great eﬂiimation; but it is neither
eaﬁly plucked nor eaten; A" peafant Whom
a gentleman belonging to the Lion, then on
an excurﬁon, accidentally met, obligingly
. undertook to overcome the difﬁculty. He
gathered one, by enveloping the fruit with .
a tuft of grafs, to guard his ﬁngers from the
prickles., “He warily took off the rind, and
I th'e'p'ulp being éXpofed to View, proved de-
licious to the taﬁe, uniting the ﬂavour of
a ﬁg, the winter Burgundy pear, and the
water\melon.———Sce a plate of the leaf of
this tree.

To CHINA. 55

Other gentlemen, belonging to the fhiPS,
made an equeﬁrian tour into the country,
in which they viﬁted the capital of the
iﬂand, called, St. Chriﬁophé de Laguna.
The Governor reﬁdes at Santa Cruz, but
here are holden the courts ofj'uftiee. The
city is built on an eminence in an extenﬁve
fertile plain ; it contained feveral fountains,
which were fupplied with water from the
neighbouring heights, by mean of an aque-
duct. The foil produced vines, Indian corn,
potatoes, and a fpeeies of beans, Even the
bofoms of the mountains were cultivated,
and their craggy ﬁdes covered with various
forts of {pontaneous plants.

At the bottom of an amphitheatre of
mountains, out of which rifes the Peak of
Teneriffe, is the villa, or capital, Orotava,
otherwife called, Oratavia, the port of which
is at three miles ,diftant. The trade here,
as at Madeira, is chieﬂy conﬁned to Britilh
merchants. '

From this place, the afcent of the Peak is
E 4 generally

56 ’ EMBASSY

generally attempted; accordingly a party
from the ﬂiips undertook, on the 23d 0&0-
ber, to Viﬁt it. The feafon of the year was
doubtlefs unfavourable; the cold on the
mountains was {aid to be intenfe ; and fud-
den Ihowers of {now and hail often over-
whelmed the traveller. They fet of}: how-
ever, about noon, accompanied by two
Muleteers as guides. They paired through
a plcafant vale i covered with vines; and
afeending an eminence, the ﬂoping Ides
of which were entirely covered with a grove

of chefnut trees, they arrived at the fummit
of the ﬁrft, called the Green, Mountain.

They had now to attain the top of a fee
cond mountain, whofe ﬁdes were craggy
and ﬁerile, and its afcending path on the
brink. of preeipices. A few pines were thin-
ly feattered on its ﬁdes. In the afternoon,
by mean of a barometer, they found they
had afcended nearly ﬁx thoufand feet above
the town. The mountain upon which they
ﬂood, was now overeaft with clouds; and
various, and impetuous gufts of wind, com-

bating

TO CHINA. 57

hating each other, feemed to threaten any
farther approach.

Excavations, refembling diftinét craters
of volcanic matter, were difcovered in every
part of this mountain; and night fetting in,
and the path being difﬁcult, the guides not
only propofed to halt, but, in contempt of
threats, were unwilling to proceed. The
travellers wanted much to reach that part,
known by the name of La Enﬁancia dos
Inglefes, the reiting place of the Engliﬂ‘l. It_
then began torain, and blow with violence,
and the guides, anticipating, from experi-
ence, an approaching tempeft, declared the
uniheltered traveller mutt inevitably perifh,
and inﬁfted on {topping under the brow
of a projecting rock. .

They had furnifhed themfelves with pro-
viﬁons at Orotava; they kindled a ﬁre with
the branches of the cytifus, and the leafy
boughs of the Spaniﬂl broom, feerd them
as a couch to ﬂeep upon. The thermome-
ter was now at forty-ﬁve degrees; the air

keen,

5‘s . EMBASSY

keen, the Wind tempeﬁuous, and they had,
no ﬂielter againft the rain.

At day-break they arofe ; but the weather
was exceedingly 'boiﬁerous, driving with
violence heavy drops of rain. They faw the
point of the upper cone; but the conincal
fruﬁum, by which it was fupported, was
concealed by thick clouds: thefe rolled in
fucceﬂion along its ﬁdes, and being thence
rapidly hurled into the vallies, between the
hills, againﬁ which tlticy were: forcibly
driven, quickly condenfed into rain. Some
of the party then gave up the project, and,
by the aﬁiﬁance of one of the guides, re-:
turned to ,Orotava.

Previous to their arrival at the {ea-port of
Orotava, and at a little diftance from the
city, or upper town, of the fame name, neat-
ly built of {ton-c, they faw, on their way, a
remarkable Dragon’s Blood Igee. Itstrunk,
at the height of ten feet from the ground,
meafured thirty-ﬁx feet in girth, At the
~ height of ﬁfteen feet, it divided itfelfintq
' about

TO CHINA. 59

about a dozen branches, fpr’Outing regularly,
as from a ”centre, in an oblique direction up-
' wards. Thefe produced, only at their ex-
tremities, thick, fpongy leaves, refembling,
but fmaller than, the common aloe. This
tree, by a tradition current in the iﬂand,
eXiPced three centuries ago, at the time the
Spaniards conquered Teneriﬂ’e; and it is
now, as it was then, a diftinguiﬂiing land-
mark.’ '

The gentlemen who purfued theirjourney
towards the Peak, were attended by another
,gui‘de, 'one of the few remaining of the 'de-
fcendants of the Guanches (original inha-
bitants) and {ole poﬂeﬂors Of ‘ the iﬂand,
when it was ﬁri’c invaded by the Spaniards
in the ﬁfteenth century. They had attained
the {ummit of the mountain whence arifes
the great Cone, which being frequently co—
vered with fnow,‘occaﬁoned the ancients to
giVe the whole iﬂand the name of Niva‘ria’.

The plain, on the top of this mountain,
prefented a dreary waﬁe, loaded With maifes
' of

60 EMBASSY

of black lava, without verdure or vegetation;
except a folitary cytitus, which peeping,
now and then, through the ﬁlTure of a rock,
difcovered its feeble, withering branches.

Having already afcended two thoufand
feet above the place where, the preceding
night, they had taken ﬂielter, the Muleteers
became refractory, and impeded the progrefs
of the animals. The cold, indeed, was
piercing and intolerable; the fall of ﬂeet
torpiﬁed the hands, and incapacitated them
from holding the reins. In their perilous
ﬁtuation they had many hair-breadth efcapes,
[but none more to than Dr. Gillan. Stimu-
lated by curioﬁty to follow his friends, and
forced by the wind to the edge of a preci—
pice, his mule fell, opportunely, into a bed
of volcanic alhes, or both mutt have been
hurled down the precipice, and inevitably
pcrifhed. At this time the tempeﬁ raged
with incrcafed VlOlCIlCC, and the drops of
rain fell half congealed ; the difﬁculties they
had to encounter were infurmountable, and

the only choice left was that of returning.
Excurﬁons

:ro CHINA. 61

Excurﬁons to the Peak, at pr0per feafons
of the year, are attended with lefs difﬁcul-
ties. The fame lVIr. Johnftone, mentioned
in the preceding chapter, as having furveyed
Madeira, Viﬁted this place in the fumme'r
time. He and his party provided themfelves
with tents, and ﬂept, the night before they
got to the Peak, nearly about the fame fpot,
which ﬁniihed the labours of thofejuft men-

tioned.

“ There,” it is faid, “ they encamped on
ground covered with pumice ﬂone, a {tream
of lava on each ﬁde; in front, a barren
plain; the iﬂand of Grand Canary bearing
fouth-eaft, as if rifing out of an immenfe
ﬁeld of ice, formed by the clouds below
them, 'About four o’clock next morning,
the ﬁrﬂ: of Augult, the moon {hining bright,
and the weather clear, they began to afcend
alkind of path, along the ﬁrft great fruf-
trum, leadingllto the fmaller and higher
Sugar-Loaf. The paﬂage was {teep and
difagreeable, being covered with pumice
ﬁone, which gave way at every itep. In

about

’02 EMBASSY

about an hour they got to the Alta Vifia,’
where it was neceiTary to climb over the
lava, leaping from one large ftone to ano-
ther, till their arrival at the foot of the Sugar— ’
Loaf. Here they relied about ﬁve minutes.”

“ They then began to a’fcend the Sugar-
Loaf. This was by much the moﬁ: fatiguing
part ; it being exceedingly ﬁeep, and Wholly
conﬁﬁing of {mall pumice Pcones, {0 that the

, foot, at every ﬁep, links and ﬂidcs back.
They were obliged to take breath; repeat-
edly. It was little more than ﬁx 'O’dock
When they got upon the fumm'it of thef
Sugar-Loaf. At this time the clouds had
gathered about a mile and “a half perpendi-
eular below. They were thick, and had a
very {hiking effeét, appearing like an im— a
'menfe extent of frozen fea, covered within-e
numerable hilloek‘s of fan, above which
the Iﬂands of Grand Canary, Palma, Go-
mcra, and Hiero or Ferro, raifed their heads.
On the fun’s getting a little higher, the clouds ,
difappeared, and opened to the View the wait
around. The‘colours, hoifted on the Peak,

were

To CHINA. 63

Were diﬂinéily feen by gentlemen in Oi‘o~
tava, through their telefcopes.”

“ The profpeét from the Peak is romantic
and extenﬁve, no other hill being of a height
to intercept the View. The coait is per-
ceived all round, and a diftint‘t idea of the
iﬂand formed. The north—weft coaft ap-
pears to be well cultivated; but the fouth-eaﬂ:
feems dreary and barren." Within the fum-
mit of the Peak,” he relates, “ is an excava-
tion or cauldron, not lefs than eighty feet in
depth, into which the gentlemen defcended,
and gathered fome fulphur, with which the
furfae‘e is m‘oftly covered. In many partsrthe
A footcannot reﬁ; upon the fame fpbt above a
minute, the heat-penetrating quickly through
the 11106. Smoke iffues frequently from the
earth. ,Juft under the furface is a {oft red-
diﬂi clay, {0 hot, that the hand introduced
into it-muft inﬁantly lac-withdrawn. -In the
cauldron, the fulphureous odour is very oﬂ‘ené
ﬁve ;- but on the ridge it may be-eaﬁly en—
dured”, u ’

“ From

04 EMB ASSY

“ From this place they {aw the town of
Santa Cruz, and the {hipping in the road,
which is a diﬁance, in a direct line, of about
twenty—ﬁve miles. They continued two
hours and a half upon the fummit of the
Peak, without feeling any inconvenience-
from heat or cold. Soon after fun rife
the thermometer, in the fhade, was at ﬁfty-
one degrees. They defcended the Sugar-
Loaf, in a few minutes, running the whole
way, which was found to be the belt mode.

“ At the foot of the Peak there were
feveral caverns in the midﬂ: of lava, fome
ﬁlled with ﬁne water, extremely cold, and
frozen at the edges of the caverns. Others,
in the Winter, are ﬁlled with fnow, over
which the fun never fhi'nes ; and, thus, {now
continues in them through out the year.”

The height of the Peak, alfo meafured by
Mr. Johnl’cone, was found to be two thou-
fand and twenty-three Englifh fathoms, or;
two miles, two furlongs and eighty-{ix yards;
and its diftant from the {ca port to Orotava,

eleven

TO CHINA. 65

eleven miles and a half, bearing fouth, forty-
eight degrees well: ; the variation of the com-
pafs being ﬁxteen degrees to the weﬁward of; I
the Pole. 4

Religion here, as in every part of the Spa-
nifh dominions, engrofles much of their lei-
fure which might be devoted to inﬁrué’cion
and improvements. Even ladies of rank fel-
dom go out but to mafs, matins, or vefpers.
The unmarried live in convents, and are
there often enticed to take the veil.

The reﬁdence of the Bilhop of the Iﬂes,
whofe revenue is ten thoufand pounds a year,
is at Canaria ; his unbounded charity is equal
to his ecclefiaﬁical rigour. Religion {utters a
very little interruption by commerce. Fo-
reign fhips rarely touch at any other place
than Tenerife; and from Santa Cruz are
annually exported about twenty—ﬁve thou-
[and pipes of wine, chieﬂy to the Englilh in
return for manufactures.

17 The

66 EMBASSY'

The revenue accruing to the Crown, from
all the Canaries, after deduéting the ordinary
expences of adminiftration, does not exceed
ﬁxty thoufand pounds a year. The .duty on
tobacco and fnuff is fo enormous, that the
temptation. to fmuggle isirreﬁﬁible. The
royal monopolies, of which Orchilla is one,
are the chief grievances of the inhabitants.

Teneriﬂ‘e, though not the largei’c, the molt
populous and fertile of the Canary Iﬂands, is
about feventy miles in length, and twenty
two in mean breadth. Its furface contains-
one athoufand ﬁve hundred and forty fqnare‘
miles, ornine hundredand eighty-ﬁve thou-
fand ﬁx: hundred acres. Its inhabitants are’
, computed at nearly a hundred thoufand,..
which averages about ﬁxty-ﬁve perform to
every fquare miles

The population" of the Grand Canary
iﬂand is efcimated at forty thoufand inhabi-i
tants; Palma, thirty thoufand; F ortevena
tum, ten thoufand; Lancerota, eight thoua-

i fand ;;

To CHINA. 67

fand; Gomera, {even thoufand; and Hierro,
or Ferro, ﬁfteen hundred. This iﬂand, the
weﬂermoﬂ of all the Canaries, is the mofl:
Weltern part of the old world, from which
geographers ufed to calculate their ﬁrﬁ meri-
‘dian.

On the 27th of ‘Oétober, the Lion and
Hindoﬂzan left Santa Cruz, and fteered their
courfe towards Port Praya, in the iﬂand of St.
J ago.

They came in ﬁght of Bonaviﬁa,” one of
the Cape de Verde iflands, on the ﬁrft of No;
vern’ber'; on the 2d,'--of the Iﬂe of May. The
next (1* the"iﬂand of St. Jago appeared;
and at noon the Lion anchored in Praya '
Bay, in {even fathoms water. The latitude
of the Bay is fourteen degrees ﬁfty ﬁx mi;
nutes north, and the longitude twenty three
degrees twenty nine minutes weft. The
variatiOn of the compafs is twelve degrees‘
forty eight . minutes weft. Ships, bound
to the fouthward, generally ﬂop" here for
.frefh pro-viﬁons. The coaﬁ teems with vari—

F 2 0115

68 EMBASSY

ous kinds of ﬁfh‘. At this time,- liowevef, .
the iﬂand, was in a ﬁate of defolation and fa-
mine ;- nor had any one of the Cape de Verde’s
cfcaped the calamity.- Little or no rain had
fallen for three years paft ; the rivers were
dried up ; vegetation had ceafed; and the
cattle perilhed as well from want as drought.
Some inhabitants had prudently migrated;
many of thofe who remained were {tarved to

death.

Upon a {andy beach a little to the right of
St. Jago, clofe to the rock, and at the foot of
an elevated plain, are the ruins of a once elegant
Romiﬂi chapel, built, probably, by the grate-
ful piety of a perfon faved from lhipwreck.

, The toWn of Praya, if fuch it may be cal-
led,- is ﬁtuated upon the plain above-men-
tioned. It conﬁfts of about a hundred {mall
huts, one Rory high, built of wood, thinly
feattered. It has a fort or. battery almol’c in
ruins. The jail was the belt building, and
nextto that the church, at which ofﬁciated
a mulatto prieft. '

The

TO CHINA. , 69

The governor reﬁdes in a {mall wooden
barrack, at the extremity of the plain, com-
manding a View of the bay and Ihipping.
The Embaffador was received by him with
due honour and refpeét; advancing a con-
ﬁderable diftance from his houfe to meet and
conduét him thither. But as he had ﬂiared‘in
the general wretchednefs, occaﬁoned by the
long drought and arid winds, he had neither
wine nor any other refrefhments to offer.

Notwithf’canding the general deval’cation
in the vegetable kingdom, a few verdant
palm trees Were feen to ﬂourifh amidﬂ; burn-
ing fands. The afclepias gigantina, noticed
for its ‘milky‘, but- corroﬁve juice, was rich
in ﬂower. The jatropha curcas, or phyﬁe
nut-tree, called by the French Weft-Indians
bois immortel, was alfo ﬂourifhing; and in
fhady vales, {omc indigo plants, and a few
cotton ihrubs were fuccefsfully cultivated.
The mimofa, or fenﬁtive plant, common
about the country, growing to the ﬁze of
trees, did not appear to languifh; and in {ome'

’ F 3, Parts,

70 EMBASSY

parts; the annona, or fugar apple was in per-g
feé’t verdure.

A tree, which, for ﬁze, maybe called a
phenomenon in Vegetation, was difcovered
in a healthy Rate, in a vale about a mile and
a half from the town of Praya, called by
Botanifts, adanfonia; in Englilh, monkey
bread tree; of which a correét engraving
is here given. The natives of St. Jago call
it kabifera ; others, baobab.» The circumfer:
ence or girth of the bafe was ﬁfty-ﬁx feet,
which foon divided intotwo van branches;
the one in a perpendicular direétion, whofe
periphery was forty two feet, the other about
twenty-ﬁx. Another of the fame. {peciesv
ﬂood near it, whofe ﬁngle trunk, girthing.
only thirty eight feet, was fcarcely noticed;

A‘fmall rivulet, diﬁant, inland, about two;
miles, but which foon falls into a bottom,
irrigated fome grounds, and rendered them
fertile; and alfo fupplied a few of the inhabi—
tants with water, at this calamitous period.

Near:

iii OTNJKFAY VB‘RKH {\‘D , ll‘ 713:1" EH“ "1‘ REE .

‘>.__~QM‘\M—‘

 

/

 

T0 pHINA. 71.

Near this {pot was planted the maniita, or
caffada tree, whofe expreffed juice, from
the root, is deadly poifon. The root itfelf is
Ialutary; and {o is the fediment depoﬁted
from the poifonous juice, being the {ub-
ltance fold in England under the name of
tapioca.

The town of St. J ago, formerly the capital, ‘
is ﬁtuated in the bottom of a vale. Not more
than ﬁx families refide there. The country,
then arid, bore the appearances of natural,
fertility. By the information of a Portu-
guefe, the Iﬂe of Brava, one of the Cape de
Verde’s, was a better place for ﬂiips to touch
at, at any time, for proviﬁons and water,
than St. Jago. It had three harbours, but
that at Puerto Ferreo, to the fouthward, was
the molt commodious for large ﬂiips. Captg
Sir Erafmus Gower, to whom the like in-
formation had priorly been given, recom—
mends to make a trial of them.

The population of all the Cape de Verde
lﬂands, about twenty in number, is cﬁiq
F 4 mated

72 EMBASSY

mated at forty two thoufand inhabitant-s
‘ Of thefe St. Jago IS {aid to contain twelve
thoufand; Bonaviﬁa, eight thoufand; the
Iﬂe of May, fev en thoufand; San Nicholas,_
the molt pleafant of the whole, the reﬁdence
of the Bifhop of the Cape de Verde’s, ﬁx
thoufand ; San Antonio, four thoufand; San
Phelippe de Fuogo, remarkable for a volca-
nic ﬁre, iﬂuing conﬁantly from the-cone of
a mountain in its middle, four thoufan‘d;
Brava, ﬁve hundred, and in thofe not {peei-
ﬁed ﬁill fewer.

They had now been at Praya Bay ﬁve
days, without feeing the Jackallr It was
therefore determined to profecute the, my-
age without her, and the two ihips accord-
ingly fet fail from St. Jago on the 8th of
November.

CHAPTER

To CHINA. 37

CHAPTER V.

PASSAGE OF THE LINE. COURSE ACROSS
THE ATLANTIC. HARBOUR, CITY, AND
COUNTRY QF RIO DE JANEIRO.

- HE fettlements on the Coaft of Africa

always afford~ abundance of refreih-
ments which, fometimes, are not to be met .
with in other places. On this account the
Lion and Hindoftan directed their courfe to
the Port of Rio de J aneiro, a rich Province

of Brazil, fubjeét to the Portugueze, of which
St. Sebaﬁian is the capital.

Eaﬁerly, called trade winds, are preva-
lent from the continent of Africa to the At-
lantic ocean ; but on approximating the op-'
poﬁte continent of America, it has been ob-
ferved, they take a courfe between north
and weft. Ships, therefore, bound to the
Cape of Good Hope, always avail themfelves
of this information.

They

74 EMBASSY

They arrived under the equator, about
eleven o’clock, on Sunday the 18th of New
vember; and Sir Erafmus Gower permitted
the {hips company to indulge themfelves in
the ludicrous ceremony commonly obferved
when croﬁing the line. On this occaﬁon, a
failor was dreiTed up in a manner to imitate
the God, Neptune, holding in his hand a
trident his garments dripping wet with the
'element he is fuppofed to command. He
ﬂood at the {hip 3 head , the Embaﬂ'ador, Sir-
Erafmus Gower, ofﬁcers, and paiTengers,
being all aﬂembled on the quarter-deck, and
demanded in an audible voice, the name of‘
the veffel thus encroaching onhis domi-e
nions, An anfwer being given from the
- quarter-deck, Neptune, with his attendantsa
fantaitically accoutred,‘ advanced with fo-
lemnity towards them, and prefented his
Excellency with a ﬁll], recently caught, as
part ot the pieduce of the deity s domains
His godfhip was treated with refpeét, and‘
received, for himfelt and companions, the.
aceuftomed ﬁlver offerings from thofe who
had before croffcd the line, but which were

rigorouﬂy.

T0 CHINA; 455

rigorouﬂy: exacted . from others who had
not, under the penalty of. going through a
ceremony more ludicrous than agreeable.

To keep up the charter, however, fome
noviciates are always marked out as Vic-
tims for the ceremoniﬂl. It conﬁﬁed of an
ablution; geherally performed in one of the
fhip’s boats, ﬁlled with water, into which
the party is fouced, blindfolded; and after
he has received a good ducking, he is .la‘u
thered,’ not too cleanly, and ﬂiaved, notvery
tenderly, by Neptune’s tonfor, with awood-
en razor; and that in f0 folemn, and,.appa.~
rently, {cientiﬁc a manner, as to excite, in
the by—ﬁanders, broad grins, and convulﬁve
laughters. A hearty meal, accompanied,
with muﬁc and exhilarating libations to
Bacchus concluded the amufement.

‘ The equator was erolled in the twenty,
ﬁfth degree of weﬂern longitude from

Greenwich, with a frelh breeze. from {011th
eai’t. Nothing remarkable occurred in the
paffage from St. Jago. Few birds were
; feen,

70 EMBASSY

feen, and few, ﬁﬂa caught. A {hark was
harpooned, which, on diﬂhé’tion, was fOund
to contain no lungs. A dolphin was haul-
ed on board; and difplayed, in the agonies
of death, its inherent property of often
changing its colour. .
an

By heaving the deep-{ea lead, in latitude
twenty two degrees fouth, longitude forty
degrees thirty four minutes weft, foundings
were difcovercd; and on Saturday the ﬁrﬂ
of November, the Lion anchored in the
harbour of Rio de Janeiro, in ﬁfty. fathoms
water; f0 that the paffage from England to
this place, including nineteen days Pray at
Madeira, Teneriffe, and St. Jago, was PCT?
formed in'one day lefs than two months.

The harbour is capacious, and convenient
for commerce. Its fhores abound with vil~
lages and plantations, terminated by an am-
phitheatre of mountains, thfe fummits
are covered with trees, '

The

T0 CHINA. 77

The city of St. Sebaﬁian, alfo called Rio,
is ﬁtuated four miles to the weftward of the
harbour; in the middle of which is the pa—
lace of the Viceroy. A Benedictine con-
vent, and a fort, are on the extreme point
point jutting into the harbour, oppoﬁtc to
which is the Ilheo dos Cobras, or Serpent
Iﬂand. Upon this Iﬂand are a dock yard,
magazines, and naval ﬁorehoufes; and,
around its fhorés, convenient anchorages for

ﬂripping.

Rio has lately undergone conﬁdcrable imé
provements. In many parts the houfes
are built of hewn Prone. The ﬁreets are
ﬂraight, and well paved; and ﬁmilar arti—
fans reﬁde in the fame ﬁreet. An aque4
duet, of conﬁderable» length, brought over
vallies by a doulile row of arches placed one
above the other, fupplies the fountains, ﬁtu—
ated in the fquares, with water. A guard ‘
, conﬁantly attends the fountains. to regulate ,
its diﬁributioni; and a fufﬁcient quantity of
it is thence conveyed to the quay, through
canvas hofes, for the ufc of the ihipping.

The

78 EMBASSY“

The opulence and commercial importance
of the place could not be more fully afceré
tained than by it's Ihops, magazines, and
markets : all of which abounded. with every
{pecies of Britifh manufaé’cure; and the ap-
pearanCe of individuals indicated cafe and
comfort. The city had feve‘ral public walks ;1
and buildings, both public and private, were
increaﬁng. There were many principal
ediﬁces built of granite, with which mate-i
rial was conﬁruéted a fpaCiOus quay, .upon‘
the. beach, oppofite to the palace.

Thetown is infalubrious from- local cir-i
cumftances, and the deciﬁve inﬂuence of
climate.‘ It is ﬁtuated upon a plain ;7 and;
except from the harbour, fur-rounded 'with
hills, covered? with thick foreﬂ: . trees. The
air,,thus conﬁned, is rendered humid morn;
ings. and ‘eveningsi From "this caufe, as
Well as from {tagnant water in marfhes near
the, town, arife putrid and intermittent;

fevers; and the elephantiaﬁs is not un-o
L common.

There

To CHINA; 79

Thereare three convents for men, and
two for women; none of them remarkable
for religious auﬂerity. The ceremonies of
religion, ' however, Were {triﬂly obferved;

and an addition had been made to them, -

by‘the ringing of bells; and launching of
ikyrockets, whenever any folemnities were
performing in the churches-i

‘ All claﬂ'es of fociety have an infuperable
attachment to gaiety and pleafurei The
lower order appeared abroad in cloaks ; thofe‘
of the middling and higher ranks always in

{wordsv The ladies had their hair hanging ,

down in treires, tied with ribands, and‘adom“
ed with ﬂowers ; theirheads were uncovered;
They had, in general, ﬁne dark eyes, and

animated counteiﬁtces ;. were fond of mus '

ﬁe, and their ourite inﬁmmen‘ts the

harpﬁehord and guitar. A few of them:-
ﬂrewed inﬁances of extreme levityr; and "

fomevof the men were aecufed of unnatw
. ralpr‘aélzices. ’ '

Plays

 

80 ' EMBASSY

Plays, operas, and mafquerades were the
innocent amufements of both fexes. A pub-
lic garden, at one extremity of the town, by
the {ea ﬁde, was the favourite. attraction ;-
where, after their evening promenade, they
frequently partook of banquets, rendered
more zeftful by the accompaniment of muﬁc
and the difplay of artiﬁcial ﬁreworks. This
garden was laid out, with much taile, in
grafs plots, {hrubberies and parterres; inter-
{pcrfed with ihady trees, and arched alcoves
decorated with ﬂowers, jeﬂ‘amines‘ and fra—
grant plants. Towards the middle, was a.
fountain of artiﬁcial rock-work, ornamented

. with fculptural ﬁgures of two alligators,
fpouting water into a marble refervoir, in .
which aquatic birds, done in bronze, were

i fportively reprefented. '

There was alfo a terrace of granite on that
ﬁde of the garden next the fea, at the extre-
mity of which were built'two neat fummer
houfes. The ceilings were ornamented with
various deﬁgns ;' the cornices cxhibiteddif—

ferent fpecies of ﬁfh and birds ; and upon the

walls

r0 CHINA. 8‘1”

walls Were, ill- executed, eight paintings;
emblematic of the principal produeétidns‘
whisk-rm the country to its opulence;
1‘; among Whieh were views of the diamond
. if and gord mines, and the manner of working

a, riJ Wm
if. C ’-
3’ ontiguous to the tea more, and near to
the town was another garden, curious for a
{mall manufaétune of Cochineal. It was'ﬁ’zpn
pofed, that the inieét which forms this dye
at Riv, is not the fame as that noﬁtedq by
Linnaeus, :under the name of ecccuis eaﬁil - ._ ‘
caminelliferi, which is deﬁribed as being; ' V
togithe back, with black? _ .. ‘
ﬁg hams or antennae. *

 
  

The infeét of o is convex, With-legs,~ﬁx
innumber, of a c . bright red, in both male: . . \
and-:fgnale, and the antennas moniliform,‘ or 5,:
bead'like. The colour of the Whole body 0f
theJiriale is a bright red ; the brcaa elliptical,
and ﬂightly attached to the head; the an-J
tennae about half as long as the body... T-wo
ﬁne White ﬁlaments, thrice as long agthein’4
feet, proj'cét from its abdomen; and they have i

G i two

8.2;, EMBASSY,

two wings, erect, of a faint ﬂraw colour.-,-~,
The female, which has no wings, is of mi
' ellipticform, and convex on both ﬁdes; its;
back fis covered with a downy fubﬁance re-
liambling ﬁne cotton. The abdomen is
marked with tranfverfe rugx or furrows”,
The mouth is ﬁtuated in the breaft, having
a brownifh beak which penetrates thei‘plant
the infect. feeds upon. AbOut twenty days
after its birth, it becomes pregnant; and
dies after bringing forth an innumerable
offspring. The ﬁze of'thefe is {0 minute as
to be eaﬁly miftaken for the eggs of thofe in-
feéts.» They remain without the leaﬁ ap-
pearanCe of life for about the {pace of a day,’
then fhew tokiins of animation, and, foon
after, move agilely over the furface of the
leaf, upon which they weﬁtdepoﬁted‘ bythe

(lays the downy,

chelopement, viﬁble on the fecor‘id day only

mother. In three or four

through a microfcope, appearsto thﬁ. Iitalied
eye; and the infect it covered increafes raa ‘
pidly in file till equal to a grain of rice.
As they augment, in bulk, they decreafe in
motion; and when arrived at their. fullf
growth, they are, attached to; the. leaf ina

A torpid

. cm can“. 83‘

torpid‘ ﬁate‘.-'---This is the period at which
they are taken from the plant for ufe: if
fuﬁered to remain, they would depoﬁte their
young, as before mentioned. Various cells,
of a cylindric form, ﬂanding perpendicularly;
upon the furface of the leaf, are difcovered
among the clufters of thefe infects, envelop—
ed in their cotton. Thefe cells are the
chryfalides'or coccoons of the male. The
Wings, in their nafcent ‘ ﬁate, make their '
ﬁrﬂ: appearance out of them, and are per- .,
ceptible about three days before the infect is
in a fate of completion or maturity. In that
condition it enjoys its exiﬂénce only three
or four days, during which» it impregnate;
the females. 7 '

The plant, uponlwhich this infect feeds,
is, probably, the cactus opuntia of Linnaus ;
called at Rio, orumbela—a fpecies of the
cactus, or prickly pear. A plate of the leaf
is hereannexed.

The leaves of this plant are forn'ewhat
elliptiCal, and grow without ﬁalks. They
are thick and ﬂefhy, having the upper ﬁde

G 2 more

’84 EMBASSY

more planoconcave than the other. They
rife immediately one from the other’s edge,
and all?) from the item, armed with. round
and tapering prickles about an inch long.
Thefe plants, though they would extend to
twenty, are prevented from riﬁng above
eight feet; this height being more con-
venient to the manufacturer, and at which
the juice of the leaves is fuppofed moft nu-
tricious. (The young leaves are. of a darkifh
green, but acquire, by age, a yellow Gait ;
and their internal fubﬁance is, of the fame
colour as the external. 1

0
Upon the cactus is found another infect,
fuppofed to feed upon \the coccus, or co-
chineal infect. It refembles, in its perfect ’
ﬁate, a four-winged infect, called ichneu-
mon; but is found, on clofe examination,
to be a ﬂy with only two wings. The larva,
or caterpillar of this ﬂy, is with difﬁculty
diftinguifhed from the coccus; it inﬁnuates
itfelf into the cotton in which the latter is
enveloped. When: this‘ﬂy is prepared to
change its ﬂiin, it leaves the cotton, comes
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To CHINA. 85

upon the leaf, and quickly increafes 1n ﬁze;
and changes its colour. In a few days,
then, it becomes inactive , but quickly after,
it contracts its wings with violent agitation,
and depoﬁts a globule of pure red colouring
matter. It next fufpends itfelf upon the
prickles of the leaf, and is metamorphofed in-
to a chryfalis, out of which illues, fhortly, the
perfect ﬂy. The plate mentioned at page 83,
will thew the refpeé’cive forms of both infects,
as well as the plant upon which they feed,
and the following IS a defcription. ‘

I and 2. The male coccus, or cochineal infect, the
fize of nature.

3 and 4. The fame much magniﬁed The body of

‘the infect is of a bright red colour; and the
long ﬁlaments proceeding from the pofterior
extremity of the body are white, but were
made dark in the engraving to diﬁinguifh
them from the paper.

5 and 6. The female coccus, thﬂize of nature, in two
different Rages of its growth: the body is
of a mahogany colour; the legs of a bright
red. i i ,

7. Firlt {late of the larva, or caterpillar of the
fly, fuppofed to feed on the coccus.
8. The fame magniﬁed. ‘
G 3 9 and

86 EMBASSY

9 and to. The larva of the ﬂy, in different views and
magnitudes, juft before its change into the
chryfalis’ ltate. In nature, it is the length
of the line under ﬁg. 9.

1 I. The chryfalis of the ﬂy.
12. The perfeét ﬂy magniﬁed. The natural ﬁze
is the length of the line drawn under it.

,- V The converﬁon of the infeéts into cochie
heal is a ﬁrnple procefs. They are put into
aeﬂat earthen difh, and placed, alive, over a
charcoal ﬁre, and par—roaﬁed very ﬂowly,
till the down upon them difappear, and the
aqueous juice of the animal be entirely eva-
porated. But, during this procefs, they are
to he conﬁantly ﬂirred about, with a tin
ladle, to prevent abfolute torrefaétion, which
would reduce the infect to aﬂles, and there-.—
.by deﬁroy the colour.

Within the harbour, and oppoﬁte to the
town, is anoth ‘fpecies of manufacture, for
converting the blubber, of whales into 'oil,
for which an excluﬁve privilege was given
to a company, on paying one ﬁfth: of its
proﬁts: to government, I '

At

T40 "GKINJA. 8'?

"At Valrihohgo, . in; armther part. :oﬁr the
harbour, are warehouﬁes "for the reception
and tale of ﬂavcs from Angola and Ben-
guela, on the coa‘ft of Africa. Out of twenty
«thoufand, purchafed annually for the Brazils,
Rio took ﬁve thou‘fand, of which the average
price was twenty pounds {’terling each. The
Queen of Portugal receives ‘vﬁlxty thoufand
pounds per annum, into her privy purfegfb‘y
a duty of ten t‘houfand rees, on each 'ﬂhve,
paid before they'are {hipped from Africa;-
T he Brazils, “it was Computed; contained ﬁx
hundred thoufand ﬂayes, > born in Africa,26r
d'efcended‘from thofe \who were there; the
‘Whites were eftima‘ted at tWO hundred
’thoufand ' ‘

The original inhabitants of Brazil? are low
in ﬂature, mufcular, ﬂout and aéiive; of a
‘light-brown“ compleftior‘ {traigh't black
hair ; little beard; 10mg dark eyesfbu’t with!
tokens of, intelleé’c, They entertained an
' implacable antipathy to the invaders of their
country; they fhun the-fettlements‘ of the
Portugueze, but maﬁacre'individuals; With-
‘ G 4 out

83 .EM BA-SSY ~

V out remmfe, 'wherever they are found feat.
tered arr-unproteﬁed.

The ..f0reﬁ,. before mentioned, beﬁdes
abounding With 'palms, and maﬁic-wood,
mangoe and gouyava trees, contained many
other. vegetables,‘never before obferved. , A
Francifcan friar, ,Who reﬁded at Rio, had un—

dertaken a defcription, in a botanical work,
to be called Flora Flumineigﬂs.

On a ﬁream, clofe to the foreft, was
erected a corn mill, ufed by them, worthy
of being defcribed ,from its ﬁmplicity of
.conﬂruétion. ‘_‘ A wheel, a few feet only
in diameter, was placed horizontally, much
below the current of a ﬁream, as it (fell -
from, a ﬁeepbank, andlwas received in hol-
lows, ten or twelve in number, fol obliquely»,
{collopefl into tbupper rim of the wheel,
,asto impel it to a quick rotatory motion;
while its upright ﬂlaft, palling through an:
opening of the centre of an immoveabl‘e
millftone, above the wheel, but of-a nary
rower diameter, was ﬁxed to a fmaller mills.

{tone

TO CHINA. 89

ﬁone, :Which, forced round by‘ the mo-
tion of the Wheel and dependent fhaft,
crufhed between it and the larger {tone be—
neath, the grain inﬁnuated between them
from a hopper. Thus that erred): was pro-
duced, by the mean of one wheel only,
which is generally the refult of a much
more expenﬁve and complicated machinery;
It IS {aid that a ﬁmilar mill IS in ufe in the
Crimea."

' ' The fertile valley of Tijouca excited no-

tice. It Was irrigated by a pure ﬁrearn,
which, on its ﬁrf’c entrance, was precipitat—
ed'down a fteep‘ and broad rock of granite,
ﬁrming? a magniﬁcent cafcade. In 5the
{pace ' of a few fquare yards4—indigo,‘c"oﬁ'ee,
.ma’nioc, cocoa or chocolate trees, {iigar
canes, plaintains, and orange lime trees~¥4all
grew ;promifcuouﬂy. TE fame articles,
-wlth the addition of rice, pepper, and: t0-
baceo, were produced in other dif’criéts'
The vine alfo ﬂouriﬂied; but the grape is
prohibited from being prefled. ‘

The

go , EMBASSY

The whole Of the Brazils is divided into
eight governments; the revenue is eftimat-
ed at about a million ﬁerling ; of which one
third was confumed'in the cxpences of ad-
miniﬂration. The principal feat of govern-
. ment, and Chief mart for commerce, was
formerly at Bahia dos Todos os Santos; but
the 'difcovery of the diamond and gold
mines, within a hundred leagues of Rio de
Janeiro, caufed its removal to , this place,
whofe governor has the title of Viceroy.

A late prohibition had prevented the pea:-
ple at Rio from working up the gold even
in their own mines; and the tools,- ufed by
the artiﬁcers, feized and conﬁfcated. The
people complained heavily. of taxes; 1 they
were {0 feverely felt by thofe in the interior
provinces, that by carriage and tranﬁt du-
ties, a bottle of fort wine cof’c the confumer
ten fhillings ﬁerling.-——-Thefe, and other
hardfhips, led, not long ﬁnce, to a conf‘pi—
racy againf’c the parent country, in which
were concerned clergy as well as 'l~aity,r..an‘d

fome ofthe principal ofﬁcers of the govern—
ment

, TOVCHIN‘A. 91

ment there. xThei-r views, however, were
happily difcovered, and timely prevented.
Only the chief confpirator received capital
punilhment; the reﬁ; were banifhed to the
African fettlements.

Rio is proteéted by feveral {mall forts and
batteries, f0 detached as to impede the pro-
grefs of an enemy. Its military eﬁabliﬂr-
ment conﬁfts of, including two battalions
of difciplined militia, ten thoufand men];
excluﬁve of a numerous undifciplined mili-
tia, mOﬁly in the city and its Vicinity. 2'.

"The fort of Santa Cruz was the chief de-
fence of the harbour. It mounts twenty
three guns towards the fea, and thirty three
to the northward and weﬂzward; and is
ﬂanked by batteries to the eaitward and
weitward. The city of Big depended mott-
ly for protection, on the works erected, on
Serpentlﬂand. 'The length of this is about
three hundred yards; and mounts forty ﬁx
guns facing diﬁerent points of the compafs.

If

92 EMBASSY

If the political Rate of Rio ﬂiould pafs
without animadyerﬁon, its natural appear-
ance cannot fail to attract notice, whether
it be contemplated in its harbour, moun-
tains, woods, or rocks.—-—lts productions
ﬂourifh on a grand fcale, like a proliﬁc
garden cultivated by the careful hand of its
owner. '

The anxious deﬁre his Excellency had to
attain the place of his deltination, hurried
him on board before he was quite reco-
vered from an indifpoﬁtion he had at fea;
and as foon as the two ihips had completed
their wood and water, they weighed their
anchors, and on the feventeenth of Decem~
ber, 1792, proceeded on the voyage.

CHAPTER

TO CHINA. 93

CHAPTER VI.

PASSAGE TO THE SOUTHERN PART OF
THE ATLANTIC, AND OF THE INDIAN
OCEAN. VIEW OF THE ISLANDS OF
TRISTAN D’ACUNHA IN THE FORMER,
AND OF THOSE OF' ST. PAUL AND AM-
STERDAM IN THE LATTER. ENTRANCE
INTO THE STRAITS OF SUNDA. VISIT
TO BATAVIA AND BANTAM, IN THE
ISLAND 0F JAVA. VIEW OF THE SOU-
THERN EXTREMITY OF THE ISLAND OF
SUMATRA. PASSAGE. THROUGH THE
STRAITS 0F BANCA TO PULOCONDORE.

N order to fecure the- trade VV’iindS, the
Lion and Hindoﬁan took a foutherly
courfe from Rio, till they got into the
thirty feventh degree of fouthern latitude,
where the prevailing winds are chieﬂy wef-
terly, favourable to {hips bound to Aﬁa. In
this track tempeﬂuous weather‘is frequent,
and the fqualls fudden and violent; every’

poﬁible

 

 

 

 

&

'94 ‘ EMBASSY ,

poﬂible precaution was, therefore, taken to
guard againﬁ danger.

'The navigation was continued in this
parallel for fo-me days, with a deﬁrable
breeze from the weﬁward; and on the
thirty ﬁrﬂ of December, 1792, the lﬂands
of Trif’tan d’Acunha hove in ﬁght. Only
the largeﬁ bears that name; the others are
fubdiﬁinguifhed by the appellations of In-
acceﬂible, and Nightingale Iﬂands.

Inacceﬂﬁble is a high bluf, about nine
miles in circumference. It has a very for—
bidding appearance, and may be feen at the

'44 1udiftance of twelve or fourteen leagues. Its
‘ latitude '4 lhirty {even degrees nineteen mi-

nutes {on ';'.‘its longitude eleven degrees

ﬁfty minute‘s, Welt from Greenwich.

I

Nightingale ifland is irregular in form,
with a hollow in the middle; and is {even or‘
eight miles in circumference, with {mall

irocky iﬂes at its fouthern extremity. Its

latitude is thirty {even degrees twenty nine
' ' minutes

 

 

 

 

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[ix/V; Sf/J/f 4y], /‘1’ LC! ('I‘II’MIZA', I’lhndﬂﬁg

'ro CHINA. 95

minutes fouth ; its longitude eleven degrees
forty'eight minutes weft, and may be deor
{cried at {even or eight leagues dif’cance.

The land of Trif’tan d’Acunha is exceed~
ingly high, difcoverable at the diﬁance of
twenty ﬁve leagues. It feems about ﬁf-
teen miles in circumference. Towards the
north part of this iﬂand, there is an eleva—
tion a thoufand feet perpendicular from the
fea; then commences a level, or, in the
feat phrafe, a table land, exrending to the
centre of the iﬂand; and afterwards arifes
a conical mountain, not very dilllmilar to
the peak at Teneriﬂre, as feen from the bay
of Santa Cruz.-4-—Having previoully exa~
mined the (bore, and taken foundings in
boats, the Lion flood in‘ and anchored in
the evening, on the north ﬁde, in thirty
fathoms water.——-VVhen the {hip was at an~
ychorv, {he was overfhadowed by the dark
mafs of that portion of the ifland whofe
ﬁdes feemed to rife like a mofs-grown wall
immediately from the ocean. This appear-
ance is reprefent‘ed in the plate annexed.

This

 

195' EMBASSY

This illancl was not explored on account
of an accident.—-—A fudden guﬁ of wind
ﬁarted the Lion’s anchor, and obliged her,
for fafcty, to put to fea.-——But from good
meridional ohfervations, and by the aid of
accurate time-pieces, the {pot where the
Lion lay-was determined to be thirty {even
degrees ﬁx minutes fouth latitude, and
eleven degrees forty three minutes weft
longitude ;. whiCh is a poﬁtion two degrees:
eaﬁ of‘the longitude as laid down in charts.
The‘variation of‘the compafs was {even de-
grEes weltward from the pole. ‘ Fahren-
heit’s thermometer ﬂood at ﬁxty {even de-
grees=.'———The {word ﬁfh ;' whales of. every
fpecies; {ea lions and feals; penguins and
albatrolTes frequent this coaﬂ,

Thefe iflands are ﬁfteenhundred miles
diﬁant from any land to the weﬁward or
northward of them. Being in the general
track to' China, and to the wait of. Coro-
mand'el,‘ by the outer paﬂ‘age, they'merit
particular examination. 1 In Heircumﬁances
requiring difpatch, a veflel might come
" - ‘ from

, To CHINA. $7

from ~England to Triﬁan d’Acunha without
ﬂop-ping. by the way, and thence proceed to
India or2 China. (A fettlement, indeed, has
been twice in contemplation. One project
Was, to make it a mart for the light manu-
.faétures of Hindoflan, {uit'ed a; warm eli- ,
mates, for the ﬁlverof the Spaniih fettle-
ments 'in South America ;—--the other, as
a proper {it"uation for‘drying and preparing
the" fats, of fea lions and feals, and for
extraét'mg the fpermaceti of the white or
long-nofed whale, and the whvalevbone and
:oil 0f the black fpecies. ‘

. In the paffage from the above iﬂand, the
‘Lion croiTed the meridian of London‘o'n the
ﬁfth of January, I 793. When in the
latitude of‘ forty-one degrees fomh, they
'metiwit‘h ﬁrong ‘breeZes. The wind was
from north weft to fouth well; the former
producing fogs and rain,——-the latter, cleat
and cold weather. ---During the whole way
only one gale of wind was experienced,

which was to [the eaf’tward of Madagafcar.

‘H It

98 EMBASSY

It began from the north eaf’t, and ended in
the {outh weft, "blowing violently in' all
direé’cions. The {hip laboured much, and
rolled gunwale under water. .

Approaching within thirty leagues of St.-
Paul and Amﬁerdam, .a few feals and pen- ,
,guins made their appearance—A current
was alfo obferved to let due fouth, at the
rate of a mile an hour.——-The weather was
now moderate. and warm; for though in
the month of January, it {hould be recol-
leéted, that in this hemifphere it is a part
of fummer. ‘

, On the ﬁrfl: of February Were perceived
the iﬂands of Arnﬁerdarn and St. Paul.
They are in the fame degree of longitude,
but at feventeen miles diflance. The
Dutch circumnavigators, as well as Cap-
tain Cook, give the natne of Amﬁerdam
to the northern, and of St. Paul to the
fouthern; but mof’t others, reverfe them,
calling the lbuthernmof’t Amﬁerdam.‘

0

As

'ro CHINA. 99

As the {hip drew near the fhore, two
human ﬁgures were feen moving upon the
land. They made and waved a ﬁgnal, by
tying a handkerchief to a pole; and the
rational conjeé’cure arofe, that they were
perfons who had fuﬁ'ered fhipWreck.-—-
The Lion anchored in twenty-ﬁve fathoms
water, about a mile from fhore, manned a
boat and fent her into the baibn to thofe
men to learn their hiftory, and to oEer them
aﬁiﬁance.—There were ﬁve men in all;
for by this time, three others, their com-
panions‘had joined them. Two of them
were Englifh, and the reft French; one of
thefe, the chief or fuperintendant, was ina-
telligent and communicative—They came
laﬂ‘. in a trading veffel from the iﬂe of
France, and had been left there purpofely
to provide a cargo of twenty-ﬁve thoufand
feal fkins, of which they had already pro-
cured: eight thoufand, for the Canton
market.-This veiTel was gone to Nootka;
found, on the north weft coaft of America,"
with a view of“ bringing a quantity of feaa
otter lkins to China,. and afterwards of

H a calling

100 EMBASSY

calling for the cargo of feal {kins at this
place, to be likewife carried to China, -' pro—
cceding thus, alternately between Nootka
and Amfterdam ifland. '

The feal of A'mﬂerdam is the 205064
urma of Linnaeus. The male is much
larger than the female; the weight of the-f6
is from feventy ﬁve to a hundred and
twenty pounds. During the winter, n‘ums
bers of fea lions (pbocm laminae), fome
eighteen feet long, crawl out of the fea,
makinga prodigiousnoife. Whalesabound-
here in the winter feafon ; but in- the fum-
mer they feek deeper water.

The feal catchers had conﬁrué’t’ed a rude!
but upon the border of an elliptic cove, or
bafon. The bank of this cove, next the
(ca, was low, and had recently been did
vided in the middle by a fhallow corhmu‘
nication with the feat ; for none fuch ex-
iﬁed in 1697, when this iﬂand was viﬁted'
by Van Vlaming.-—-Clofe to this now in-

terruptcd caufeway, the land rifes, on each
’ ﬁde,

‘ TO CHINA. 10!

'iide,rudaen1y from the baron, and is con—
tinued round it to the height of feven hun-
dred feet. In divers parts of the ﬂaming
{ides of this funnel near the water’s'edge,
and in the caufeway which divides it from
the fea, were difcovered feveral fprings of
602‘ water. In one of theft: fprings was
_ immerfed Fahrenheit’s thermometer, which,
in they air ﬁood at ﬁxty two degrees, af-
cended immediately to one hundred and
ninety ﬁx. In another it rofe to tWo hun-
dred and four degrees ;—-—and the bulb of
the thermometer being applied to a crevice,
from which ilTued a {mall ﬁream, it af-
cended, in lets than'a minute, to the boil;
ing point or two hundred and twelve de-
grees. One of the gentlemen of the party,
with a hook and line, caught fome ﬁfh out
of the bafon, and‘let them drOp into-the hot
fpring adjoining ; where, in ﬁfteen minutes,
they were boiled ﬁt for eatincr.

Large beds of moiTes (marcbantia and [yea-
podium') were growing exuberantly in form:
places, in the vicinity of thefe hot fprings;

H 3 in

102 EMBASSY

in others were obferved veins of vitriﬁed
matter éurnt but not fu/éd; and beautiful
pieces of Zeolite were difcovered in {ome‘
of the rocks. Several craters were alfo
perceived; the largef’t was on the eaﬁern
ﬁde of the iﬂand, now full of water, ex—
ceedin g in diameter thofe of Etna or Vefu-
vius. Thefe, and other appearances con-
ﬁrmed the idea, that the iﬂand of Am-
ﬂerdam had experienced {ubterraneous ﬁres,
evinced by various volcanic eruptions.

This volcanic inﬂammation is percep.
tible, in the day time, only by its fmoke;
but at night, from the ﬂiip’s decks, were
feen, upon the heights of the iﬂand, feve-
ral corufcant ﬁres burﬁing out of the
crannies of the earth, refembling, in fome
refpeéls, but exceeding the nightly ﬂames
iﬂhing from ignited coalpits.

Except one, all the fprings, or refer-
voirs, of hot water were brackifh.———One
fpring, . whofe ‘fonrce is in the high, ground

or‘

To CHINA. 103-

or ridges of the crater, is. a pretty ﬁrong
c-halylieate; and {mall incruﬂations of
ochre were feen adhering to the ﬁdes of the
rock whence it iffues, as well as into the
cavity into which it falls.—This is the
water ufed by thofe ﬁve fearnen, who are
reconciled, by habit, to its taﬂe; and feel
no inconvenience, whatever, from its ufe. ’

This iﬂand lies in thirty eight degrees
forty two minutes fouth latitude, and
feventy ﬁx degrees ﬁfty four minutes eaﬂ:
longitude. The magnetic variation, in the
great crater, was nineteen degrees fifty
minutes weﬁward of the north pole. The
length of the iﬂand from north to fouth
rather exceeds four miles; its breadth
from eaﬂ to weft about two and ,a‘half
miles, and its circumference eleven miles,—
compriﬁng a furface of eight‘fquare miles ;
' nearly the wholeof which was covered
with a fertile foil.

Among'the different kinds of ﬁlh with
which this iﬂand abou’nded, none was
H 4 more

1'04 EMBASSY ‘

more ireliihed than a fpecies of the cod,
‘whether eaten frelh or falted.-——-Cray ﬁlh
were; caught upoii the bar by hand; and at
the" ﬂiip’s anchorage in bafketsr; That
Lﬁbelc’ies of the» penguin, partaking, by its
{6516- like feathers, and En like wings, of the
ﬁfhy‘ tribe, called by Linnaeus chrylocoma,

is fOund here 111 abundance. -

With refpeét to birds, there was a lefs
variety. Of the larger were feveral {pe-
cics of the albatrofs, and the ﬁerce and
voracious black petrel, the prom/[aria equi-
nog‘iz'a/z'r of Linnaeus. This bird is a more
fatal enemy to the blue petrel of Amﬁer-
dam/7.,~ the prowl/aria for/Zen, than to the
albatrols. It evifcerates the former, and
'dev‘ours only 'the‘ heart and liver; ”many
were found- upon th-e'iﬂand in this {late——
But-the moﬁ'b‘eautiful of the feathered tribe
was the ﬁlver bird, or ﬂerna birmzdo, the
ﬁze ofa large fwallow, with a forked tail.

“ The blue petrel, about the 'ibiohefs of a
pigeon, and the ﬁfh caught by angling,
conﬁituted

TOOK-INA. $05,

con-ﬂitutedv the principal food of the {cal-
catchers, the only inhabitants of the iﬂand.
But for thefe, they muf’c have perifhed.”
They had been here ﬁnce the month, of Sep-
tember, and were left with a {parity ﬂock of
proviﬁons. They were i‘upplicd with many
efculent roots from the Lion and Hindoﬁan ;
and hcﬁdes potatoes, the gardeners» planted
around their hut, various kinds of veget-
ables, which may not only prove a feafonable
relief to them, but alfo to their fucceﬂbrs
upon the iﬂand.

The ifland of St. Paul lay in fight, and» to
the; northward. It prefented no very high
land nor conic riﬁngs-. Report {ays it abounds
with frefh water ; but there is no good an-
chorage near it, nor any fafe or convenient
landing place. The {hips got under way, and
on the evening of the fecond of February loft
ﬁght of both iﬂands.

For fome time the fquadron failed in high
fouthern latitudes; but a [favourable breeze
fpringing up, theytook anoblique courfegto
thenorth eaﬁ, as well to get into the Straits

of

106 EmBAssv

of'~‘Sunda, as to have the better'chance of
falling in with {hips homeward bound. The
fan’s vertical heat wasmoderated by frefh
breezes; the tropical birds then made their
appearance; and feveral water fpouts, fome’
refembling jets d’eaux, others very ﬁmilar to
the blowing of a whale, prefented themfelves
to_Vi-ew, and feemed to reach the lewered
clouds.

The {curvy now began to aﬁ‘bé’c the crews
of both ﬂiips, notwithﬁanding the heft means
taken for the prefervation of their health.
Marinated cabbage, called {our crout, was
mixed with their food, and a, beverage admi-
niftered to them from the effenc‘e‘ of malt.

The 'Lion and Hindoﬁa‘n having fpread
mere than ufual,’ the better to‘a‘ccomplifh
their x'Wi-fhe's, nowfeparate'd, fo‘r‘the ﬁrﬁ time
ﬁnce they left England; but the retidezvhus,
North Iﬂand, hadD been previouﬂy appointed.

0n the twenty ﬁfth of February, 1793,
Javaihead the mdff weneny "paint of the
iﬂan‘d

TO CHINA. 10.7

.iﬂand of that name, was difcovered by the
ofﬁcers of the LIOH; and, not long after
Prince’s ifland, which is at the entrance of
the Straits of Sunda. Thefe Straits are form-
ed by the proximity of the fouth eaﬁ part of
the great iﬂand of Sumatra to that. of the
north weft of Java. They are interfperfed
with a number of {mall iﬂes, rich and gay
in appearance. .

The two great iﬂands, Sumatraand Java,
are low, and marfhy towards the there, but
afterwards rife gradually to the interior of
the country; aﬂ’ording every variety of
landfcape. In the middle of the Strait is
a fmall iﬂand named, from its ﬁtuation,
Thwart-the-way; and two fmaller called,
appropriately, Capand Button. Thefe have
ﬁeepand naked (ides ; but moﬂ: of the others
are level, founded upon beds of coral, and,
covered with trees.

A white fa’ndy beach iencompaﬁ'es {ome of
the. {mallet .iﬂands, which have numerous
thickets .clofe to» the water’s edge;. andronf

the

108 , EMBASSY

the outﬁde are fhoals, upon which multitudes
of little aquatic animals, are fagaciouﬂy buﬁed
in {conﬁruétin g calcareous habitations for their
proteélion. Theie gradually emerging. out,
and riﬁng above the lurface of, the water, by
the adventitious adheﬁon of ﬂoating vegetable
matters, plaﬁiclyo Giving birth to plants and
,trees, eithei become new iﬂands, or augment
thofe already produced by the fame means.

i The Lion found the Hindoilan at anchor
in North lﬂand, one of thefe coralline pro-
dut‘lions. Near the mouth of the Straits {he
had fallen in with one ofthe Eaft India Com-
pany’s (hips, returning from China. \She
had brought difpatches from the Company’s
Commiﬁioners at Canton, addrefled to the
' Embaflado’r; and after waiting ten days for
his Excelleney at Batavia, were left there for
him.

On receiving this infoxmation, both {hips
immediately fhaped their courie thither, and
the paﬁ‘age was produétive of much plealure.
The fea had {carce an undulation ; and eluf—

’ ters

4

11111 CHINA. ioa

ters of coral iﬂands fprang 111 View. Q1anti-
ties of zoophites "ere dragged from the tea,
fome ofa ﬁefhy, and “0111c ofa leathe1y tex-
ture. The co1als were of vaﬁ mamas, And of
numerous fpecies, the madrepam, cal/iporal,
and 124650011421 , of various fhapes, ﬂat, round,

and branched, 1 and of the feveral colours,
blue, white, and brown; but none red, ex-
tept the tuba/arm mtg/ta. ’ '

011 the ﬁxth of March the {hips anchored
in Batavia road, ﬁtuated in ﬁx degrees ten
minutes {outh latitude, and a hundred and1 ﬁx
deg1ees ﬁfty one minutes eaf’c longitude, 1 the
variation of the compafs about half a degree V
to the weﬁward of the Pole.

The road is very capacious, and has‘a
fafe anchorage for ﬂ1ipping, it heing. prorated
from any {well by a circular range Oof iﬂandsx
Several Chinefe junks were riding at 2111-1
chor ; and the vaﬁ quantity of Dutcoh veﬂ'els
lying before the city, announced it as their
'chief place of trade, as well as their prmc1pal
feat of government. ‘ 1., '

l NotWithi

no - EMBASSY

g Notwithﬁanding the Embaﬂ'ador’s , million
had excited great alarms, his Excellency ﬁrft
received the compliments of the Dutch go-

vernment on board, and was afterwards ﬂat—
tered on ﬂiore with diﬂinguifhed honours-

VHis Excellency explained aWay their ap-
prehenﬁons by aflnring them, that-the‘Admil
nil’tration. of Great Britain had oﬁcered tenth-e
States General its mediatorial aﬁiftance, if
liepeﬁary,-on behalf of their trade. ».The
Council, who had been ignorant of ‘this- prof-L
fer, acknowledged their intentions of conn-
teraé‘tingthe Embaffy; and refolved to fend
immediate inftruétions to Canton, for uniting
with, inflead of oppoﬁ'ng the efforts of the
Emhalfador; whence it was expected, that
every other nation trading to China, would
ultimately be beneﬁted.

The difpatches which his Excellency re-
ceived here from the Commiﬁi‘qners of the
Eaft India Company, at Canton, portended
his honourable reception at the court of
Pckin. The Commiﬁioners flared that,

“ having

TO CHINA. 111

'5‘ having applied to two' of the principal mer-
chants to folicit their audience from the
Fouyen or Governor of Canton, in the ab-
fence of the Viceroy of the province, in order
to deliver a letter to him from the Chairman
of the Court of Directors of the Eaft India
Company ; vthofe merchants readily gu'efled
that-the letter related to the Emhall'y‘, of,
which the rumour had fpread among them;
and expreﬂed fome degree of apprehenﬁon,
left the meafure might, in its confequences,
affect the trade, property, ‘or perfonal fecnrity
of the native merchants at Canton ; but that
the Commiﬂioners aflured them that it would
rather be produéti-ve of good than of ill confe-
quences to all the trading part of the commu-
nity; that the motives of the Emball'y Were
anxiouﬂy enquired into, on the part of the of-
ﬁcers of government, as a'pre‘liminary’ ftép to
the audience required by the Commiﬂioners,
who declared that nothing fart-her was intend-
ed than to diced}. 2. ﬁriéter friendfhip between
the courts of London andthekinyand- ”an «in-4
create of that intercourfe, which had bee-near:
tied. on for‘fo many years, to the-advantageo?

’ both

 

112' EMBASSY

bothnations; that this explanation was pree-
bably fatisf'aétory, as the day for their recep-
tion was ﬁxed at an earlier period than c0uld L
have been expeé’ced, from the procraﬁinating
and {uperﬂitioustemprer of the Chinefe ; that
a meﬂage afterwards, however, was fent by
the Governor to learn the rank and ﬁtua'fi'on
of the perfon from whom the letter carh'e' ;'
and whether he was a fervant of the King,
and. held an ofﬁce under his feal; that. in
anfwer it was faid, that the'letter, though
not written by an immediate fervant of the
King, was fent to the Viceroy with his
Majef’c'y’s knowledge, to aimoun-ce the ap-
proach of his Embaffador to Pekin; that in
confequence, h0weyer, of the letter not hav-
ing been written by an immediate ofﬁcer of
the crown, nor to be delivered by performs in
its fervice, but in that only of the Company,
' objeé’cions arofe‘ to the intended form of their
reception; but“ any contePt about cere-
mony might ‘haye been followed by a refufal
to receive the letter, till an anfwer could be
obtained from Pekin, which was“; fuﬁerfage
Which the Hoppoi'or mandarine more imme-
‘ diately

 

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To CHINA. ’ 113

diately conneéted with Europeans, and inter-
eﬁed in preventing reprefentations of any
kind from reaching Pekin, betrayed a difpo-
V ﬁtion of urging to the Fouyen, it was deter-
. ‘rnined to deliver the letter in any manner
that might be prefcribed. It became necefL
. fary, likewife, to communicate its contents;
. and it Was with no fmall trouble and dif-
- ﬁculty that the Chinefe merchants, who

were the only interpreters, could be brought
to comprehend the particulars of the letter,

and the real object of the Embaffy. The

want of a competent linguif’t, and the ne- ,
ceﬂity of encouragement to attain the Chinefe..,., ,;
language, under the obﬁacles to be encoun?"

tered in fuch a purfuit, were, perhaps, never,
fo apparent as on this occaﬁon; and the
Engliﬂi commiﬂioners could not but lament
the Want of an interpreter of their oWn.
nation, capable of conceiving and rendering

the fpirit of the letter, and of carrying on,
with advantage 3 conference both delicate.

and important. That it ended, however,
in a promife that the letter {hould be for-
warded to the Emperor; and the refult
' ‘ I made

» _ S332:

39‘ ‘a’

an

114: EMBASSY

made known to them through the Chinefe
merchants. That accordingly, forne time
afterwards, his Imperial Majefty’s pleafure
was publifhed on the fubjeét in an ediﬁ.
declaling his. fatisfaﬂion of the- Embally;
and giving orders that pilots fhould be pro-
perly ﬂationed to conduct the (hips, in.)
which the Embafladm and the prefents from .
the King of Great Britain were expeé‘ced,
into the Port of Tien- ﬁng, or any other
they might think mo1e convenient, 01 fhould
prefer.” The Commiﬁioners . added, that
“ theimpreﬂion looked for from the Em-
baﬁy had already taken place on the ofﬁcers)
of government at Canton. Lefs. interruption
to foreign trade, and a more read}r attention
to the reprefentations of the Commiﬁioners,
were very apparent; 7 and the Hoppo was
already {aid to have in Contemplation to
abolifh the extravagant charges 'at Macao, by
which means. one of the principal impoﬁtions
on foreigners would be fuppreﬂed.”

_‘ TheBatavian government, on the commu-
nication of thele difpatches,‘ in which they
felt

TO CHINA. ' 11'5.

felt themfelves intereﬁed, refolved to cele-
' brate the anniverfary of the birth of the
Prince of Orange, Stadtholder of the United
Provinces, with additional fei‘tivities, and
increafed fplendour, to which the Embaffador
and his fuite were invited. ——-A falute of
twenty-oneg ouns was ﬁred from the Lion
the eighth of aDMarch, on the occaﬁon, and it
was on that day his Excellency ﬁrf’t went
on fhore.

The entertainment took place at the houfe
of the Governor General, a {hort diflance
from town; an avenue of trees, bordered by
canals, lead to the fpot.-——0n one ﬁde, the
unexpected exhibition of the humours ofa
Flemith. fair, arref’ced the time and attention
of fome of the gueﬁs; while, on the other,
a dramawas performing, by feveral Chinefe
actors, in, a cart or pulpitum, faid to be the
original or fcene, of dramatic reprefentation.——-« -~
A grand ball preceded the banquet ; and {plen-
did illuminations and artiﬁcial ﬁreworks were
difplayed in the garden.

I 2 The

110 EMBASSY

The city of Batavia, ﬁtuated amidl’c fwarnps
~Mid flagnated pools, independent of climate,
and inattention to cleanlinefs, is, perhaps,
1 one of the moﬂ; unwholefome places in the
"univerfem—The' morning {ea-breeze others
A in noxious vapours, and the meridian-fun;—
1. deleterious miafmata. The wan and languid
appearance of. the people, and the obituary
of the public hofpitals, which recognized
nearly a hundred thoufand deaths within the
.laf’c twenty years, are melancholy proofs of the
allertion, and proclaim it, with ju’ﬁnefs, the
- Grave of Europeans. Nate III.

The acknowledged unhealthinefs of Bata-
2‘vi21, notwithflanding the inducement of a
rapid acqu1ﬁtion of fortune, difcourages Eu-
r0pea-ns From going thither, if, by any opoﬂible
means, they can remain comfortably at
home “This accounts for the prepoﬁerous
“unﬁtnefs with which ofﬁces and profeﬂions
”are ﬁlled and perfonated. There were two
“men in the place, originally barbers; the
one acted as clergyman, for the good the
415111, -—the otherwas phyﬁcian for that of

the body. I
~ T 1e

T0 CHINA. ‘ 117
The feafon which contributes moftwto
health, or, rather, which arreﬂs or retards the
progrefs of death, is from March to No-
vember. The fea breeze commences about
ten o’clock in the morning, and remains till
about four in the afternoon. A calm-then
fucceeds till about eight, when the land
breeze fets in, and, except now and then a
few intervening calms, is ﬁationary till day-
break; from which time, till about ten
o’clock, there is fcarcely a breath of wind.
During the Lion’s ﬂay in Bata‘via' road, the
thermometer was from eighty ﬁx weighty
eight degrees; but in the town it was two
degrees higher.

‘Difeafes of the teeth, which prevail in the
northern parts of Europe, are {hangers to
the native Javanefe, who principally fubﬁft
onivegetable food. But {0 capricious is man-
kind with regard to taﬂe, that what would
appear difguﬁing if not dil‘graceful to an
Enmpean, Mack tc’é’t/J, is with them conﬁ-
' dered as the ﬁandard of émuty. Accordingly,
they feduloufly paint their teeth all black, of

I 3 thc

g.
118 EMBASSY '

the’deepe‘ft hue, the two anterior ones in the
middle excepted, and thefe they cover with
gold [eqfr—The operation is repeated, as often
as is necefTary, to keep them in that Rate;
and they compare thofe to monkeys who
preferve them in their natural colour.

The fortiﬁcations of Batavia, which at ﬁri‘t
View feemed to imply great ﬁrength, would
not, in Europe, be conﬁdered as formidable.
And it fhould be obferved, that one of the
Counfellors of the Indies, who had exerted
his military talents to guard the fettlement
_from external attacks, declared that their
chief dependence was upon the havoc which
the climate, and noxious air of the atmo-
fphere were likely to make upon the enemy’s
forces, I I ' J

The troops on the eftablifhment Were
twelve hundred Europeans, of whom eleven
hundred Were infantry, the reﬂ; artillery.—
‘There were, beﬁdes, three “hundred volun-
t-eErs'ofthe town, not difciplined, formed
intO‘two. companies, ~The:irregulars con-

' .ﬁﬁed

TO CHINA. 1'19

lifted of enrolled natives of Java, who were
never embodied, and of Chinele; in all very
numerous. Add to this, every perfon who
becomes a fettler at Batavia, is compelled to

take up arms in its defence.

The caﬁle is conﬁrué‘ted of coral rock,
and the town Wall, partly, of denfe lava from'
the mountains in the centre of the Iﬂand,
not unlike that of Vefuvius. ThCIC is no
{tone of any fort difcovered for miles behind
the city of Java.—The marble and granite,
ufed here in various ediﬁces, are conveyed
thither from China‘in vefTels called junks.
Thefe fail from the ports of the provinces of
Canton and Fokien, and are moi’cly laden
with tea, ﬁlks, and porcelain.

The Dutch fettlers in this place, acquiring
wealth and inﬂuence under the‘ Company,
neglect their former habits of inclufhy and
temperance, and too often 1acriﬁce health,
and fometimes life, to indolence and volup-
tuoufnefs. Convivial pleafures, in parti-
cular, are carried to excefs.——In many re—

1 4 {heritable

120 EMBASSY

fpeé’cable houfes, ﬁfh and ﬁeﬂi are ferved with
tea. and coﬁ‘ee, for breakfaﬂz; very foon after
this, gin, claret, Madeira, Dutch fmall beer,
and Engliﬂi porter are placed in the portico
of the great hall; and pipes and tobacco
ferved to every gueft, with a brafs jar ‘to
receive the phlegm. In this they are buﬁed
with little interruption, till near the hour of
dinner, whichtis one o’clock.

,‘Juﬁ; before dinner, each gueﬂt is ferved

witha bumper of Madeira wine, as a Whetter
or bracer; two men {laves attend for this .
.purpofe. Afterwards enter three female
ﬂaVes , one holds a ﬁlverjar' containing rofe,
i.Qr common water to wafh with,.—-—a fecond—v
_ an empty ﬁlver bafon, with a cover, to re-
,ceive the water after having ufed it; and the
third has towels to wipe the hands with -——-
Other female ﬂaves wait at table, which is
L'covered with a variety of difhes; but with
ﬁomachs to cloyed,littlep1s received \mtog
them except liqueur-(25.1% band of muﬁc,
fall Maven, play at a {mall difiance, during the
ngaﬂ'. Coffee immediately fucceeds dinner,
and

'1‘0 CHINA, 121

and foon after they retire to bed, conﬁf’cing
only of a .mzattrefs, bolﬁer, pillow, and "a
Chintz counterpane, but no {beets ; and the
night drefs, conﬁfiing of a muflin cap, and a
long loofe gown, is put on. If he be a ba-
chelor, a female {lave attends to fan him
during his ﬂeep. -—-About ﬁx they rife and
drefs; drink tea; take an ai1ing in their
carriage, and form parties to {pend the even-

111g.

The morning meetings are feldom attended
by the ladies. Molt of thefe are defcended
from Dutch fettlers, and their education has
by no means been neglected. The features
and contour of their faces are EuroPean ,
but their complexion and character Javanefe.
The tint of the rate is an alien to the cheek,
while pale languor obfets‘the’ countenance. ---
When at home they are clothed, like their
ﬂaves, in a red, checkered gown, of cotton,
defcending to the ancles, with long wide
ﬂeeves. .——.-The colour of their hair 18 Dmoﬁly
black; worn in plaits or trelfes, faﬁened with
a lilyer bodlgin on the top of the head, like

the

._. ,
A ‘ A “WM_.__. 1.1

r):
1‘1 EMBASSY

the peafants of Switzerland; they wear no
head-drels; and their hair is occaﬁonally
polifhed with the oil of the cocoa-nut, and
‘ decorated with Chaplets of ﬂowers.

When abroad on morning viﬁts,—out on
airings in their carriages,——or engaged in
parties on evenings, they drefs fplendidly in
gold and ﬁlverrfpangled muflin robes, with
their hair, unpowdered, adorned with a pro-
fuﬁon of jewels. They are not folicitous to
mold the fhape, from fancied elegance, at the
expence of cafe; neither are they guided by

\‘any ﬁandard of fafhion.

_ Every native lady takes abroad with her a
female ﬂave, handfomely dreffed; who, on
her .miftrefs being, feated, ﬁts before her on
the ﬂoor, holding in herhand a gold or ﬁlver
box, containing a pungent maﬁicatory. It
is compounded of areca nut, cardamom feeds,
pepper, tobacco, and .flacked lime, rolled
within a betel leaf, and is in general ufe ‘

amongthe ladies.

it, When at public allemblies, the ladies

feel themfelve’s incommoded by heat, whether
occaﬁoned

T0 CHINA. i233

occaﬁoned by their drefs or not, they with-
draw, and change their coﬁly robes for a‘
loofe attire—The younger gentlemen follow
the example, and fubf’titute white jackets,
often with diamond buttons, for their heavy
formal veﬁmentsz—and the Elders of the”
Council quit their periwigs and put on
nightcaps.

The members of this government, but on
thefe occaﬁons, have always combined their
perfonal gratiﬁcation with the eaﬁern-policy
of ﬁriking vulgar minds with reverential
awe, by aliuming external and excluﬁve dif~
tiriétions. They, alone, for inﬂa-nce, are
privileged to wear abroad, crimfon velvet;
to them, only, one of the city gates is
opened _;—-their carriages have dif’tinguifhing
heraldic ornaments; and others, meeting .
them, mutt ~flop and pay them hOmage.
They certainly do fucceed in maintaining ab-
folute poWer, not only over the defcend‘ants
of the aborigines of the country, but likewife.
over the ﬂaves imported into it, and the Chi-.
nefe attraé‘ted thither in the hope of . gain“

' Th9

1.24 EMBASSY

The native Javanefe were. formerly go-
' verned'by as many petty Kings as there were
large towns; but their number has. been di-
~minifhed. At prefent, the Sultan of Ma-
taram rules to the eaﬂ, the King of Bantam to
the weft, while nearly the whole coaﬁ and
effeé‘tive power are in the hands of Holland.
Thefe people are reprefented ﬁerce, proud,
and barbarous ; ‘very remote from civilization.
No attempt, however is made to enﬂave their
perfons; and they find the Dutch govern-
ment leis tyrannic than that of others who
{haretfome portion of the fovereignty of the
iﬂand with them. Thofe other fovereigns
are the defeendants of foreigners who brought
the Mahometan religion with them to Java ;
but there are a few mountaineers excepted,
who have maintained their independence. and
their. faith, and with other articles the tranf—
migration of fouls.

, Thofe Mahometan princes, being all de-
‘fpot-s, do not rule in the hearts of their {ub-
jeé’cs. According to Dutch accounts, the ty-
ranni‘c {way of the Emperor is f uppor ted by

prodigious

r- ‘I

To CHINA. 1'25

prodigeous armies throughout hisvterritories,
and by a very conﬁderable female guard about

his perfon. Thefe heroines are trained toa do- ‘

m’eﬁic, as well as to a military life, among
' Whom many, from mental accomplifhments,
are the companions as well as attendants of
his Imperial Majef’ty. If the fame accounts

be correct, that the number of fe’malebirths,

in Java, furpaifes that of the males, the {ingu-
lar inﬁitution abovementioned may have‘ori-
ginated from the facility of obtaining recruits.

The i’ﬂand ofCelebes, to the eaﬂWard of
Borneo, and fome other eaﬁern iﬂands {up-
p'ly Java with ﬂaves, - and though a change
of matter may not have generally aggravated
their condition, yet {ome among them, who,
before they were made captives, lived-in a
’ Rate of independence. have been knownto
take offence on the ﬂighteﬁ occaﬁons. and. to
avenge themfelves by affaﬂination. Under
this apprehenﬁon it is, that female ﬂav'es are
preferred in Batavia, for every ufe to which
they can be applied," and their number, of
‘courfe, exceeds that of the males.--The me-

‘ thod

126 EMBASSY

thod of wreaking their revenge is this: In '
order to polfefs themfelves of artiﬁcial cou-
rage, they fwallow a more than ordinary dofe
of opium, which foon renders them frantic
and defperate. In this ﬁate, they not only
ﬂab the objects. of their hatred, but, in their
phrenZy, fally forth and affail, in the fame
manner, every perfon they meet, till felf-
prefervation renders it a duty to deﬁroy them.
Indeed, fuch is the moral turpitude of man-
kind: that infrances are not more frequent
among the ﬂaves, than among the free natives
of the country, who, without prudence to guide
them in the ordinary affairs of life, or forti~
tude to bear them up againfl its common ac-
cidents,-;—f1‘om the anguifh of loﬁng their
friends, or their money or property, madly
adopt the fame remedy, and produce the like
dreadful effects.

\The Chinefe, too, are fondly attached to
gaming as well as opium; but by inﬁilling
into their minds cantious principles, the fame
latent difpoﬁtiOn in them is curbed, and they» i
have been deterred from lapﬁnginto fimilai ex-

celfes.—-—

T0 CHINA. . 127,

eeITes.---However they may be difpofed, they
are more capable of” forming deﬁgns againﬂ:
the Government. They are {aid to be now as
numerous as they-were in 1740, when they
joined in a revolt againi’c the Europeans, un‘
der the Command of a pretended defcendant
of the Emperor of China ; butthey were re-
pulfed and difarrned. The alarm, notwith-
ﬁanding, was [0 great that, under orders of
the Duteh, twenty thcﬂffand Chinefe, men,
women, and children, i were mallacred, and
their (ﬂeets feized. The Direétors of the
Company in Holland execrated the horrid
deed. They feared the Emperor of China’s
indignation ; and apologizing on the ground
of neceﬁity, were agreeably furprifed when
he returned them the following anfwer; that
“ he was little}‘"folicitous for the fate of un-
worthy fubjeéts, who, in the purfuit of lucre, '
had quitted their country, and abandoned the
tombs of their ancef’tors.”

They appear, however, to have the higheﬂ:
veneration for fueh of their ancefiors as have
paid the debt of natuge. A cemetery is ap-

propriated

123 EMBASSY

propriated for their remains, and they {pare
no expence in erecting monuments to their
memory.-—-The head of every family, not a
pauper, has a feparate vault; and when a
Chinefe of refpeé‘tability dies, the melancholy
event is announced to the l'iirviving relatives.
The body of the deceafed is walhed and per-
fumed; and after putting on ita beﬁ apparel,
it is feated in a chair, before which the wives,
children, and relations proﬂrate themfelyes
and weeg'bitterly. A table, fpread with fruit
and various difhes, with a defert, is laid be-
fore the corpfe, and wax ﬁgures placed on
each ﬁde, as its attendants.—=-—On the third
day the corpfe is put into a cofﬁn, and placed
in one of the bell: apartments hang round,
on this occaﬁon, with white linen, the colour
of their mournino. An altar is raifed in the
middle of the room; they place the portrait
of the deceafed upon it, and burn incenfe‘
near it. The fans, drefied [in coarfe white
linen, {land near the cofﬁn, and manifeﬁ
every token of foﬂ‘ow, while the mother and
female relatives are. heard to bewail behind
a curtain. i a

On

T0 CHINA. 129

- 0n the day of interment the whole fa—
mily aﬂ'embles, and the corpfe is conveyed
to the grave with great pomp and foleme
nity. In the ﬁrft proceﬂion are perfons
bearing images of men and women, rela—
tives of the family ;—-—images of various
animals; and wax tapers and incenfories.
Next ‘ follow the prieﬁs, accompaniedwith
inﬁruments of muﬁc; and then the corpfc,
borne upon a bier, attended ‘by the fo'ns of
the deceafed, clothed in white, [and in-
clining upon crutches, as if unable, from,
forrow, to fupport themfelves erect. , ‘The
female relatives are carried in chairs, enf
circled with white ﬁlk to conceal them from
View; but their lamentations are uttered
aloud; and other women, trained to mimic
forrow when the heart’s not fad,.are hired
to how], lhriek, and groan, as is the cuf-
tom in fome parts of Europe.

The fChinefe, from their induﬁry and
ingenuity, have rendered themfelves indif— '
"penfably necefTary to the Dutch, who ac-

knowledge the fettlernent could {carcely
K fubﬁi’c

130 ' EMBASSY

fubﬁﬁ without them.-—Their reﬁdence, at
Batavia, is in the fuburbs,——their houfes are
low, built moﬁly of wood, crammed with
people. Every fort of mechanical employ-
ment is done by‘ them ; in town, alfo, they
become clerks, agents, or. hueklters; and
in the country—farmers, particularly in the
' cultivation of the fugar cane.

The {hops at Batavia, refemhlingr thofe of
brokers dealing in fecond—hand articles, were
thinly fupplied with 'Britilh merchandize,
very unlike thofe at Rio de Janeiro ; .a plain
proof that the interior inhabitants of Java
are either unable or not willing to purchafc’
coﬁly manufactures. But there are .fpa~
cious magazines for depoﬁting the rich pro-
ducts of the Molucco or fpice iﬂands, ex-
ported hence to all parts 0f the World; be-
ﬁdes fugar, pepper, coffee, and arraok, the'
produce of the place, i

The Dutch Company, from an inor-
‘ dinate thirﬂ; for gag}, fuggeﬁed the idea of
monopolizing the Whole of the fpice trade

to

'TO CHINA. 131

to themfelves. To effeé’c this, as well as to
prevent the markets from being overﬁoeked,
if reports are to be credited, they employed
and eﬂzablifhed a fet of men under the appel-
lation of extirpators, whofe fole buﬁnefs was
to eruncate, in whatever places they could
penetrate, a few {pots excepted, every tree
which bears thofe valuable productions ; '
hoping thus to fecure to themfelves the ex-
cluﬁve {ale and property of thefe articles—~-~
‘Thefe extirpators had torn up and deﬁroyed
the nutmeg tree at all the Moluccas, Banda
excepted; at which lai’c place, a fubfequent
volcanic eruption had nearly completed what _
they had left unﬁnifhed, by burying, in its
alhes, or otherwife materially injuring, every
vegetable production of that iﬂand.

The medical garden, at Batavia, is now
well ﬂocked with the various fpice-trees,
and the Delegates are become more liberal
in their ideas. A nutmeg plant, and a nut,
_ in a Rate fuppofed capable of germination,
were prefented to a Gentleman in the Em-

K ’2 baﬁy,

132 EMBASSY

baiTy, who intended them for His lVIajefty's
Botanic-garden; at Kew, but an untoward
accident in the pallage frultrated the dc,—
ﬁgn.--The nutmeg-tree is a beautiful vege-
table; its fruit, when frefh, is nearly the
fize of a common ne&arine. Between the
{hell and the outward rind is a reticulated
membrane, or partitioned {kin which, when
dried, is the mace: the nutmeg, {oft in its
original ftate, is the kernel within the
ihell.-——There is alfo a clove-tree in this
garden.—The germ of its fruit with the
ﬂower cup which contains it, is the clove.——-—
The cinnamon-tree is known by the three
nerves, which uniformly divide the inner
‘furface of its oval leaf, as well as by the fra-
grancy which is diffufed from bruiﬁng any
of its leaves or branches, correfponding to
the odour of its bark—The camphor-tree is
alfo here ; {o is the pepper, which grows in
cluﬁers, like the grape, but of a much fmaller
" ﬁze'.~——The betel is a fpecies of the pepper
plant, the leaf of which is chewedby moft
of the fouthern Aﬁatics ; and ferves for the

incloﬁng

To CHINA; 133

incloﬁng of a few bits or ﬂices of the areca,
thence erroneouﬂy called the betel nut, re-
fembling in form and tafte, but fmaller when
dry, the common nutmeg. The areca nut-
tree is the fmalleft tribe of palm-trees, but

next in beauty to the mountain cabbage-tree
in the Welt Indies.

A tree was {aid to be growing in the ter-
ritories of one of the Princes of Java, fo veno-
mous and deﬁrué’tive as to poifon perfons by
its exhalations at fome miles dil’cance. This
was the fuppofed UIbas, of which the above
account was given by ‘Foerfch. But it: was
nothing but a bold attempt to impofe on
the credulity of the public—«Enquiries ‘
were made concerning it, and no fuch tree
is known to cxif’c in the Iﬂand. In a differ—
tation written exprefsly by a Dutchman, the
ﬁory is refuted. An opinion, however, pre-
Vails at Batavia, that there is in that country
a vegetable poifon fo fubtile, that being .
rubbed upon the daggers of the Javanefe, it
renders a wound incurable. Indeed, Doctor
Gillan was informcdgby one of the keepers

K3 , of

134 EBMASSY

of the garden, that there was in that col-
leétiOn a tree which dil’cilled a poifonous
juice ; but the knowledge of this was kept
fecret, left, by being communicated to the
Javanefe, they ﬂiould turn it 'to an im-
proper ufe. '

The whole country is richly l’tored with
the choiceﬂ: fruits, which, like all places
within the tropics, are gathered throughout
the whole year. The mangoﬁeen, about
the ﬁze of a nonpareil, accounted the molt
delicious of all, was ripe in March. Its
rind, thick and ﬁrm, of a dark colour, con~
tains from ﬁve to {even feeds, of which the
pulp that covers them is the only part eaten.
It has a delicate fubacid taﬁe, differing a
little from, but far preferable to the fame
kind of pulpy fubﬁance which inclofes the
four-{op in the Welt-Indies. Pine apples
are planted in large ﬁelds, carried to market
in carts like turnips, and fold for lefs than a
penny a piece—Sugar fetched only ﬁve-
pence a pound; and proviﬁons of all forts
were exceedingly cheap. Rice, though un-

commonly

\
T0 CHINA. ‘ 135

commonly fcarce when the Lion was at
Batavia, fold for lefs thana penny a pound.

I Notwithﬁanding the number of noxious
animals which always abound in low, warm,
marfhy countries, few accidents were known
to happen in this part. The Iacerta iguana,
or guana, la harmlefs land animal, is exte-
riorly formed like the lacerta crocodilus, 0r
crocodile ; a molt voracious animal which
frequents the rivers and canals of this coun-
try. From being an objeﬁ of fear, it has
become an object of veneration; and, to this
day offerings are made to it as to a. Deity.

, The diftrié’ts round Batavia, fubjeé’c to the
Dutch, are fuppofed to comprife. ﬁfty thou-
{and families, enumerating in all three hun-
dred thoufand perfons. The city of Bata-
via and fuburbs contain eight thoufand
houfes. Thofe belonging to the Dutch are
clean and fpacious, and built fuitably to the
climate. Both Windows and doors are wide
and lofty, and the ground ﬂoors are laid
with marble.’ Many of the houfes were

K 4 uninhabited,

136 EMBASSY

uninhabited, which with other circum-
f’ca‘nces indicated a declenﬁon of their com-
merce. The Company’s veffels were lying
in the road without men to navigate, or car-
goes to ﬁll them. They had no {hips of
war to protect their commerce; and even
pirates came to the harbour’s mouth, and
attacked and carried oﬁ~ their V‘effels. They
were, bcﬁdes, threatened with an invaﬁon
from the iﬂe of France, at a time when they
knew the place was not in a proper con-_
dition for defence, half the troops deﬁined
for this purpofe being ill in the hofpitals;
and, laftly, Commiﬂioners were expected
from Holland for the reform of abufes;
whofe prefence was as much deprecated as
that of an enemy.

Notwithﬁanding thefe gloomy profp‘cé’cs,
the Embalfador and his fuite were treated
with every mark of attention and refpeét.
His Excellency being indifpofed, was preffed
to remove from town to a healthy {pot
amidit the mountains; but he waved the
invitation, and left Bvatavia on the {even-

teenth

T0 CHINA. 137

teenth of March, in order to proceed to the
Straits of Banca.

In the paﬂage from Batavia, the Lion
touched upon a fmall, unnoticed, {unken
rock, whofe apex was three fathoms under
water, but around its bafe were ﬁx or feven.
This circumﬁance pointed out the neceﬁity
of fuch a tender as the Jackall; and. as, by
the difpatches which the AmbalTador re-
ceived at Batavia, the Company’s Commif—
ﬁoners at Canton had been difappointed in
their intentions of fending two fmall veffels
:: to precede the Lion and Hindoﬁan, in order
to found the depth of water in unknown or
fufpeé’ted places, his Excellency fent back to
Batavia and purchafed one which the fervice
required, and called her, out of refpeé’c to'
his Royal Highnefs, the Duke qf Clarence.

After this. they ﬁeered towards the open-
ing which leads to the Straits of Banca.
The weﬁern ﬁde of thefe Straits is formed
by the eaﬁern ﬁdeof the iﬂand of Sumatra,

whofe

138 EMBASSY

whofe fouthern extremity forms the northern
ﬁde of the Straits of Sunda. ,North iﬂand,
the rendezvous ﬁxed, in cafe of feparation,
is ﬁtuated nearly in the angle made by thofe
Straits abovementioned, having at. the fame
time a view of the Straits of Banca; and
the Lion had not long returned to this fpot,
ere the Jackall came in ﬁght. She had un-
fortunately arrived, both at Madeira, and
St. Jago, a few days at each place after the
Lion had quitted them. She had expe-
rienced many hardfhips in the paffage ; but
was {ooh ready to proceed to fea.

The monfoon being adverfe, and many
of the feamen fickly, the {hips kept moving
about the coafts of Java and Sumatra, to
difcover the cooleﬂ and healthieﬁ fpots.
During this period obfervations were taken,
in order to afcertain the accuracy of former
charts of the northern entrance into the
Straits of Sunda, from which the latitude
and longitude of the following places were
determined:

Pulo

'1‘0 CHINA. \ 139

, South Latitude. Ear: Longitude.

Pulo Salier 5° 50’ 30” 1050 56’ 30”
Nicholas Point 5 50 40 105 5,1 30
Java Head . 6 47 104 50 30
The three Sifters 5 42 105 4}. 36.
Thwart-the-way 5 55 ' 105‘ 43

North liland 5 38 105 43 30'
Angeree Point 6 2 105 47 30
Cap 5 58 30 105 48 30-
Button 5 49 .105 48 30

There were two caverns difcovered‘ in
Cap iﬂand, which ran horizontally in the
ﬁde of a rock. In thefe were many of thofe
birds' neits to much valued and fought after
by Chinefe epicures. They are built by the
{mall grey fwallow, of which great numbers
were feen ﬂying about. Thefe nefts not
only adhere to each other, but likewife to the
ﬁdes of the cavern, in almoﬂ; uninterrupted
tows. Theyare compofed of ﬁne ﬁlaments,
united by a tenacious matter; and are not
unlike tliofe gelatinous animal fubﬁanees
risen ﬂoating upon every coaﬁ, “ The {wal-

lows,

I40 EMBASSY ‘

lows feed on infects, and their nefts, which
occupy them two months to build, are pre-
pared from the Choiceft remnants of their
foodé—They lay only a couple of eggs,
which are hatched in about ﬁfteen days;
and the proper time for takingthe neﬁs is,
when the young ones are ﬂedged.

Thefe nefts, not known at the fouthern
extremity of Sumatra, form an object of
trade with the Javanefe, who go regularly
three times a year to take them; but it is a
very perilous enterprize.—The natives of
this part as well as at molt of the iﬂands in
the Chinefe feas, are diﬁinguiihed by the
name of Malays ; remarkable for vindiétive-
nefs, indolence, and indocility. They are
low in ﬁature; have broad faces, wide
mouths, brown compleétion,‘ and long
black hair. Though half naked, for their
drefs extends no lower than their waift,
they never go abroad without being armed
with a crifs qr dagger, with its point im—
bued in a poifonous juice.

AI;

,, on“)

TO CHINA. 141

Ah artiﬁce: belonging to the Embaﬁ‘y,
who went. on ﬂlore here with a {mall
bundle of linen to wafh, was murdered by
fome of the Malayan—Many of the fouth—
ern parts of Sumatra are fubjeét to the King
of Bantam, to whom it was determined the
murder fhould be made known. This-was
done through the Dutch Chief, and fome
time after intelligence was received, that
his Bantamefe Majeﬁy had difeovered one i
of the men, and had caufed him to be
executed.

The fquadron weighed from North Iﬂand,
and proceeded to Nicholas Bay; an eaﬁerly
courfe from which leads to Bantam, for-
merly a place of great trade, and the prin-
cipal eaﬁtern rendezvous of fhipping from
Europe. But after the Dutch had eon-
quered the neighbouring province of J a-
e'atra, and built Batavia; and that the
Englilh removed to Hindoﬁan and China,
commerce took a new'cOurfC, and Bantam
foon funk into inﬁgniﬁcanee. The power
of its fovereign declined with the lofs of its

trade.

142' EMBASSY

trade. When at war with other princes of

Java, he {elicited the afﬁﬁance of the Dutch,

ﬁnce which pCIlOd he became, as it were,

their captive. The Palace he reﬂdes in is

within a fort garrifoned by Batavian troops.

The commander does not receive his orders

from the King of Bantam, but from a Dutch .
Chief or Governor, who reﬁdes in another

fort adjoining the town, nearer the fea-ﬁde.

Contiguous to Nicholas Bay ‘was a con-
venient rivulet for watering; and at a fhort
diﬁance from the fhore a village, where
buffaloes, poultry, fruit, and various efcu-
lent vegetables were cheap, and abundant.
Frefh —proviﬁons were ferved daily to the
Lion’s crew.——Here, as well as. at Angeree
Point, many of the convalefcents were fent
on {bore for air and exercife.——Indigo was
manufactured at this place from a leaf which
grows in the neighbourhood.

Two ﬂips,” which arrived from China,
brought ’a conﬁrmation of the former fa-
vourable accounts. Soon after, the wind

‘ began

TO CHINA. 143‘

began to fhift, and the Lion. got under way;
but from very light breezes little advance
was made, and the anchors were often let
. go to prevent the ﬂiips from being driven
back. On the twenty-ﬁxth of April the
Current changed its direction to the eal’t
fouth eaft, and the next day north eaf’t,
half a mile. While the fquadron was at
anchor within three miles of two iﬂands,
Called the Brothers, their latitude, by ob-
fervation, was found to be ﬁve degrees eight
minutes fouth, and longitude one hundred
and ﬁx degrees four minutes oath—Whales
were «lifcovered about this place, for the
ﬁrﬂ: time ﬁnce they had left the iﬂand of
Amfterdam.

On the twenty eighth of April the hills
on Banca iﬂand were feen; and on the
thirtieth the fhips came to anchor clofe to
its weﬁern fhore, near the three Nanka.
iﬂes.-—The iﬂand of Banca is celebrious
throughout Alia for its tin mines, the an-
nual proﬁt of which, to the Dutch com-
pany, is eﬁimated at a hundred and ﬁfty
thoufand pounds.

The

144 EMBASSY

The {hips left the Nanka iﬂes on the".
' fourth of May, and on the tenth crolled the
.line, in longitude one hundred and ﬁve de-
grees forty eight minutes 'eaft. A current
was difcoVered here which fet eai’c north-
eafc twenty feven miles in the twenty-four
hours. '

Pulo Lingen, no inconﬁderable iﬂand, is
mailed by the 'equinoétial line. It has a
mountain in its centre, terminating in a
fork, like that of Parnallus, and called by
feamen alles’ ears. In this palrage new
iﬂands conftantly fpranét> in View, difplaying
a variety of ﬂlape, ﬁz’e and colour; fome‘fo-
litary, others in 'clul’ters; fome with tall
trees growing, others mere barren rocks,
tenanted by innumerable birds. The-wean
ther wasoften'fqually with rain ; and thun~
der and lightning were not infrequent.
The thermometer in theihade~ was from
eighty four to ninety‘degrees ; j the heat fut"-
foeating and intolerable, The fea Was very
ihallow, its depth feldom exceeding eight
‘fathoms, and'the fquadron was often com-
pelled to come to anchor._. Several feamen

' A were

T0 CHINA. 145

were attacked with dyfentery, which ren-
dered it deﬁrable to remove them on ihore
in order to {top its contagious inﬂuence.

On the feventeenth of May, the fquadron
anchored in a fpacious bay, on the eaﬁer'n
ﬁde of the iﬂand of Pulo Condore, at the
entrance of its fouthern extremity. 'Four
fmall iﬂands form this bay,-——the principal
of which, in fhape— of a. half moon, with a
ridge of peaked hills, is about twelve miles
long, and three broad. By a meridional
obfervation its latitude is eight degrees forty
minutes north, and its longitude a hundred
and’ﬁve degrees ﬁfty ﬁve minutes eaﬁ.—A
neﬂi of turtles was found here upon the
beach, containing feveral young ones, juft
hatched. Their ﬁze was about an inch- and .
a half, and their weight only a‘ few ounces. '
' Something refembling 'a- placenta was ob;
ferved to adhere to their bellies.

‘The Englifh were difpoﬂ‘eﬂed of their
fettlement on Condore, in the beginning of

the prefent century, by fome Malay foldiers
L then

146 EMBASSY

then in their pay, who murdered molt of
them in refentment, for, probably, ima-
ginary ill-ufage. A Very ﬁnall number had
the good fortune to efcape from the iﬂand,

in which no European has ﬁnce reﬁded.

Clofe to a fandy beach, at the bottom of
the bay, wasia Village to which a party be-
ing detached, armed, they were met by
fome of the inhabitants who welcomed
them on ibore, and efcorted them to the
reﬁdence of the chief. It was a neat barn-
boo cabin; the ﬂoor, elevated a few feet
above the ground, was covered with mats.
In one apartment was an altar drelled out
with images; and the partitions had pen-
dent ﬁgures of monltrous deities. A few
f pears ﬂood againﬁ the wall, as did alfo fome
match locks and a fwiv‘el gun. Their drefs
was principally of blue cotton worn loofely
about the body ; their faces were ﬂat, and.
their eyes fmall. Their oral language was
diflcrent from the Chinefe, but the written
one was compofed of the fame charaﬁers.

, ,5“

To CHINA. 147

An offer was made to them to ‘ purchafe
proviﬁons, and the fpeciﬁed quantity were
promifed to be ready the next day ; when,
. if the weather permitted, it had been iri-
tended to land the invalids. Meﬂengers
being, accordingly, fent on fhore, with mo-
my to pay for them, were altoniﬂled to ﬁnd
the village abandoned. The inhabitants
had left open their houfes, and none of the
eﬂ‘eéts had been removed. In the chief ’s
cabin was found a paper, written 'in the
‘Chinefe language, of which the following-is
the literal tranﬂation ; that “the people of the
iﬂand were few in number, and very poor,
yet hohei’c, and incapable of doing mifchief;
but felt much terror at the arrival'of fuch
- great fhips, and powerful perfons ; cfpecially
as not being able to fatisfy their wants in
regard to the quantity of cattle, and other
proviﬁons, of which the poor inhabitants of
Pulo Con’dore had fcarcely any to fupply,
and confequently could' not give the expe&-
ed 'fatisfaé’tion. They therefore, through
dread and apprehenﬁon, refolved to ﬂee, to
preferve their lives. That they fupplicate
L 2 the

148‘ EMBASSY

the great people to have pity on them;
that they left all they’ had behind them,
and only requel’ced that their cabins might _
not be burnt; and concluded by proﬁrating
themfelves to the great people a hundred
tlmes.”

It is probable that the writer of this 1et~
ter had received fome unfair treatment from
former ﬁrangers, and it was refolved the}r
fhould have no caufe to entertain the fame
unfavourable idea of all who came- to viﬁt
them." There is no doubt but that they
were as much furprifed, on their return, to
ﬁnd their houfes undemolifhed, as their'vi-
ﬁtors had been to fee them all deferted.
Not an article had been removed; and a
{mall prefent, fuch as was imagined would ,
be acceptable to the chief, was left for him
in the principal dwelling, with a Chinefe
letter, purporting that, “ the {hips and peo«
ple were Englifh, who called merely for re-
freihment, and on fair terms of pumhafe,
without any ill intention ; being a civilized
nation, endowed With principles of huma--

‘ nity,

'1‘0 CHINA. 149

nity, which did not allow them to plunder
or injure others, who happened to be weaker
and fewer than themfelv es.

This letter, however, was not likely to
fall into their hands while the {hips remain-
ed in the bay. Their apprehenﬁons could
only fubﬁde by removing the exciting caufe;
and as it was a matter of importance to get
the invalids comfortably provided for on
(bore, the ﬁgnal was made to weigh anchor,
and on the evening of the, eighteenth of
May the fquadron quitted this place, and
{haped their courfe to the northward.

L 3 CHAPTER

150 EMBASSY

CHAPTER v11. '

COCHIN-CHINA. PASSAGE TO THE LA-
DRONE ISLANDS, NEAR IVIACAO; AND
THENCE TO CHU-SAN. TRANSACTIONS
AND OBSERVATIONS THERE.

HE Rate of health of the Lion’s crew
became daily more alarming, and
the neceﬂity for removing them on fhore
more urgent. Beﬁdes the dyfentery, feveral
were afﬂicted with difeafes of the liver;
others ’With fudden and violent fpafms;
and the fultrinefs of the weather often pro-
duced deliquium. From reports of former
voyagers Turon Bay, in Cochin-China, pro-
mifed the advantages of good anchorage
for the fhips, and a dry air and frefh provi-
ﬁons for the men; and towards this place
the fquadron bent their courfe. , V H

To CHINA. 151

In the evening they came in ﬁght of the
fouthern extremity of What may be called
the Chinefe continent. This part is divided
into three {mall kingdoms or territories,
called Cambodia, Tﬁompa, and Cochin-
China.—-Hiftory Rates it to have formed,
anciently, a part of the Chinefe empire;
but the Chinefc governor of the fouthern
peninfula, containing Tung- quin to the
northward, and Cambodia. and Tﬁompa to
the fouthward of Cochin—China, feized an
opportunity, and ereéted the {tandard of in—
dependence at the time of the Mogul in- l
vaﬁon of China, from Tartary, He and
his poﬂerity had reﬁdence in Tung-quin.
In the courfe of time, the Tung-quinefe
governor, following the example of the an-
ceﬁor of his fovereign, alfo erected his go-
vernment into a kingdom. Both, how-
ever, acknowledged a nominal vaﬂalage to
(the Chinefe empire ; and did occaﬁonal ho-
‘mage at the Court of Pekin.———This con-
nection'with China, though ﬂender, was
conﬁdered, by the Embally, as worthy of
attention.

L4 1 No

152 . EMBASSY ,

. No part of Cambodia came within View
of the fquadron; but Tﬁompa was difco-s
vered .on the nineteenth of May, as was
Tyger iﬂand near it ; and the next day two
other iﬂan’ds, Pulo Cambir de Terre, and
Pulo Cecir de Mer. After this, in latitude
twelve degrees ﬁfty minutes north, Cape
Varella came in ﬁght, on the fummit of
which is a high rock refembling a tower.
To the nmthward of this rock, in latitude
thirteen degrees ﬁfty two minutes north,
is a bay called Quin-nong, or Chin-chin,
often reforted to by the country veiTels.

Pulo Canton, named, alfo, Pulo Ratan,
whofe extremities being high and its middle
low, give it the appearance of two iﬂands,
was defcried on the twenty fecond of May.
The fquadron was now abreaft of the king-
dom of Cochin-china, and their paﬂage be-
tween its ihOres and a multitudinous range
of rocks and iﬂets, called the Paracels, lying
north and fouth for almoﬁ: four hundred
miles. The danger of being driven againft
thefe, by currents, was not lefs to be attends

ed

T0 CHINA; 153

ed. to than what are called, in thofe feas,
,typhoons, in the Atlantic, hurricanes; be-
ing both alike as to the violence and fudden
lhifts‘of the wind. Some preternatural ap-
pearances in the atmofphere indicated the
approach of One, on the twenty third of
May ; but they foon after difappeared ; and
the weather, next morning, being ﬁne and
clear, {hewed an opening in the land, at
fome dif’tance, fuppofed to be Turon bay.

A great number of canoes were ﬁﬂling
between the fquadron and the land, and
feveral were hailed to come along ﬁde ; but
being frightened at the ﬁght of {trange vef-
{els, they made towards Ihore with all pof—
ﬁble fpeed. One canoe was overtaken by
thei'Hindof’tan’s boat, and the Skipper,
under great terror, taken on board as pilot.
His mind was foothed, and his alarms dif-
,perfed' by attention and prefents; and he
conducted the Hindoﬁaninto Turon bay;
but, before {he came to, fudden fqualls of
wind, accompanied with thunder and light-
ening, drove all the {hips again to fea, and

they

154 EMBASSY

they could not return, to anchor, before the
twenty ﬁxth of May, when the Lion moor-
ed in {even fathoms water. The channel
into the bay is round the north-ealt end of
a peninfula, called by the 'fquadron, from
its refemblance to, Gibraltar ; having alump
of an iﬂand to the north—Ships may ap-
proach the coaﬁ with fafety, as the water
fhoals gradually from twenty, to {even fa-
thorns.

The firﬂ object attended to, was to ﬁnd

a {alutary and convenient {pot for the lick
and invalids. Gibraltar hill, near the Lion’s
berth, was ﬁxed on; and 'as foon as tents
Were pitched they were all taken on ﬂaore.
A difpateh was preparing to be fent to the
town of Turon, to announce the arrival
of the {hips and the caufe of their deten-
tion; but an alarm had already been ex-
, cited: for the Lion had no fooner anchored
than an ofﬁcer came on board, in order to
. be informed of the reafons for the {qua-
dron’s appearance, 'conﬁdered’by them hof—
tilely,

TO CHINA. 155

tilely, not having ever feen ﬂiips of vfuch
magnitude and warlike conﬁrué’cion.

Beﬁdes the ufual fquétdron, another veffel
from Macao, under Genoefe colours, fol-
lowed them into the bay, {0 that the Whole '
had an inimicitial afpeét. The latter idea was
entertained from a circumftance explained
by the 'maﬁer of the brig from lVIacao. He
{aid that Turon, and a lconﬁderable part of
the kingdom of Cochin-china, were at that
time under the dominion of a young prince,
the‘nephew of an ufurper, Whofe antago-
niﬁ, a defcendant of the former fovereigns
of the country, {till retained fome parts of
the fouthern provinces of the kingdom ; and
that he was in daily expeétation of fuch
fuccours from the court of France as might '
enable him, to re-conquer the territories of
his ancel’cors, European millionaries had
.beenztreated by his family with kindnefs,
and their religion tolerated, The princi-
p’a‘l'of thofe millionaries, digniﬁed, by the
Pope, with the title of Biﬂlop, was after-

wards

I

15.6 EMBASSY.

wards fent, by his Cochin-chinefe Majelty,
embaflador to the court of France ; whither
he efcorted the young prince, for whom
fuch an uncommon degree of intereft was
taken, that effeétual fuccours were pro-
mifed for the re-eﬁablifhment of his houfe.
Meafures were actually preparing in France
for this purpofe, when the revolution which
happened deprived the unfortunate Monarch
of the power of affording aﬁiﬁance. Thefe
hopes, however, were often repeated; and
the fquadron, now in the bay, was fuppofed
to be come with hoﬁile intentions.

A communication foon took place be-
tween the oﬂicer and interpreters, by mean
of the written charaéters of the Chinefe Ian-.1
'guage. The paciﬁc difpoﬁtion of the fqua»
dron being declared, and its ultimate Ob-i-
jeét explained, an immediate fupply of pro+
viﬁons was requeﬁed. The governing Maw.
giﬁrate of the place, in the interim, had
written for inﬁrué’tions to the capital; and

till he received an anfwer very little could
' be

To CHINA.- 157‘

be procured either from boats» or'at mar:
ket; and the few articles purchafed were
paid for'at exorbitant prices.

. But, in three or four days, a perfon ofrank
arrived at Turon, who complimented the
Embailador on the part of his mafter. He
came in a large decked galley, with nume-
rous rowers. ‘ There was a Rate cabin upon
' the middle of the deck, neatly painted; the
head and item were ornamented with ﬁrea-
mers of various colours; and the ﬁdes of
the Rate cabin were encircled with fpears,
and various enﬁgns of authority. The of-
ficer, attended by a Chinefe interpreter, was
.drelfed in elegant ﬁlk robes; and his man-
ners were polilhed and reﬁned. Nine boats
followed his galley, full of various kinds of
provifions, as prefents, from the chief, for
the failors and paﬂbngers; and from that
moment the markets were abundantly {up-
plied, and the articles fold at reafonable
rates.--The Governor of the diﬁriét alfo
came on board, and paid a vifit of refpeét.
He invited the Embaifador and fuite to an

entertainment

158 EMBASSY

entertainment on fhore, and propofed to
keep an open table for their conﬁant recep~
‘ tion. The molt marked attention was .
henceforwardi manifef’ced, and no eﬁ'ort
{pared to cultivate the friendihip and good
wiﬂ1es of the fquadron.

Propofals were made for the purchafe of
arms and ammunition; and it was percep—
tible that no conﬁderation wonld have been
{pared to have derived aﬂiﬁance in behalf
of the prince then reigning at ‘Turon, as
well as at the capital and northern parts 6f
the kingdom. His ﬁtuation wa’s’veryiini-
fecure. The province of Donai, or foutherh
part of Cochin-china, had reverted to the
ancient family of its fovereigns ; and Quin-
nong, the middle province, was poﬂeﬂed
by the ufurper of the whole. His younger
brother, entrufted with the care of his con:-
queﬁs in the north, availing himfelf of this
conﬁdence, invaded Tung-quin, the neigh-
bouring kingdom, with fucccfs; and then
declared himfelf fovereign, as well of Tung—

quin as of Cochin- china. He alfo intend-
ed

To CHINA. 1‘59

ed to have wrefted from his brother what
he {till poﬂEﬂ‘ed’of that kingdom,‘and like-
Wife {uch other parts as had been recovered
by the lawful fovereign. But this bold,
enterpriﬁng ufurper, well verfed in the art
of war, died in September, 1792, in the
midf’c of his fuccelles. His eldef’c fon, who
was illegitimate, was left in the government
of Tung-quin. The youngeﬁ, his legiti-
mate oﬂspring by a Tung-quinefe princefs,
being at Turon when his father died, in~
ﬁantly took upon himfelf the reins of go-
vernment, as heir at law to his father ;—-
while his elder, but illegitimate brother kept
poﬂeﬂion of Tung—quin, and arrogated a
right to the whole of his father’s conqueft.

During this Rate of civil warfare, which
had laﬁed twenty. years, great numbers had
fallen on both ﬁdes. The country was {0
much depopulated and exhaufted, and the
' balance of parties f0 nearly-equipoifed, that
no enterprize of moment was undertaken,
though both-were deviﬁng and preparing
new projects for each other’s overthrow. But _

had

160 EMBASSY,

had thefe evils not exiﬁed, the Embaﬂ'ado:
did not imagine it would have, been ,pro-
per to prefent his credentials, much lefs to
treat on any kind of buﬁnefs‘, tillhe ﬂlould
have delivered thofe addreiled to the Em-
peror of Cliina.-4His Excellency conﬁned
himfelf to a reciprocation of compliments
and refpeét, and to a return of prefents
which had {0 feafonably been fent to the
fquadron. But even this kind of inter-
courfe did not exif’c without viﬁble marks
of mutual diﬁruft and clofe obfervation.

The bay of Turon, called by the natives
Han-fan, as well as the town, might, with
more propriety, be ﬁyled a harbour. It is
very capacious ; has good holding ground ;
and {hips may anchor fecurely from every
Wind. The {ea breeze commences about
three or four in the morning, and continues
about twelve~ hours; to this fucceeds the
land breeze Which laﬁs nearly as long ; and
is not contaminated by paﬂing over fwamps
or marﬂaes. In common weather,‘ ﬂlips

may be fo placed as to take advantage of
both.

TD CHINA. 161

both. 'The {ea is fmooth throughout the
harbour, and there is a convenient place fer
{hips to be hove down or reﬁtted.

‘Th‘e harbour is plentifully fupplied with
ﬁfh. The ﬁfherman is meetimes attended
by his wife and children in the boat, in
which a Circular roof ferves them for ﬂaelter
in lieu of a ﬂat deck. Broad pieces of
gourd or calabafh are attached to the chil-
dren’s necks t‘o buoy them up, in cafe they
fhould fall overboard—As often as the
fifhermen return on fhore, they ereét al-
tars to the deities, among the bufhes;
make offerings of rice, fugar, and other Vic-
tuals; and burn odorous, confecrated wood,
imploring the fafcty of their families and
fuccefs in ﬁfhing.

A river at the fouthcrn extremity of the
harbour leads to Turon town ; and upon a
contiguous point of land is a watch-tower,
conﬁﬁing of four exceedingly high pillars
of wood, upon which a ﬂoor is conﬁrué’ced.
FrOm this ﬂoor, ‘afcended to, by a ladder,

M may

162 EMBASSY

may be feen any veffels to the northward;
and, looking over the iﬁhmus, thofe to the
fouthward. All veﬂ'eIS going into the river
are {topped and examined at this tower.—
Upon the fand, by the river’s ﬁde, was feen
that renowned bird, the pelican of the wil-
dernefs, the ﬁze of whofe bill, gullet, and
wings are more than proportionate to its
body, which is, however, not lefs than that
of the largett turkey. , The town is ﬁtuated
about a mile above the river ; the adjoining
land has a gradual Hope to the water’s edge.
In this river infants, from two years old and
upwards, came down from their habitations, ~
and fwam and {ported in the water like {'0
many ducklings.

Turon, before its civil commotion, was
conﬁderably larger than it is at "prefent.
The houfes were low, built principally with
bamboo, and thatched with rice ﬁraw or
rulhes; and, except thofe ﬁtuated in the
market place, interfperfed with trees. The
neateft are in the centre of gardens, plant-
ed with the areca—nut tree, and other de-‘

leétable

TO CHINA. 163 /

leétable fhrubs; Behind the town are others
ﬁtuated in the midﬁ of groves of oranges,
limes and plantains. The market was well
fupplied with ﬁih and poultry, efpecially
ducks; and the various fruits and vegetables
indigenous to tropical climates.

The chief of the place gave an entertain—
ment to a party from the fhips. The table
was fpread with many dilhes, or rather
bowls, conﬁi’cing of pork and beef cut into
fmall fquare pieces, ferved up with various
kinds of‘ favoury fauces. In others were
ﬂowed ﬁfh, fowls, and ducks; and the reft
were loaded with fruits and fweetmeats.
The number of bowls were not lefs than a
hundred, piled in three rows, one above
another. In lieu of bread, boiled rice was
placed before each gueft; two porcupine
quills did the ofﬁce of knife and fork, and
their fpoons, in form oflhovels, were made
of porcelain. After dinner, an ardent fpi—
rit, obtained from rice, not very unlike
whifky, vVas ferved around in cups; and the

«bolt, by way of example, and in the ﬁyle
' M 2 of"

164 ' EMBASSY

of European feﬁivity, ﬁlled his own a bum-
per; and when he had drunk it, turned it
up to thew none was left in the bottom.
He afterwards walked a ihort diftance with
the gentlemen, and took them to a kind of
theatre, where a comedy was reprefented-
The principal characters were a peevifh old
man, and a humerous clown; and they
were {0 well fupported as to excite riﬁble
pleafure. Not only the theatre, but all the
adjoining trees which looked into , the play-
houfe, were crouded with fpeétators; who
were more inquiﬁtive to fee the {hangers
than thefe were to fee theyaé’cors. '

,- On the return of thefe gentlemen from
the entertainment, a harbinger was difpatch-
ed to requeﬁ them, by ﬁgns, to ﬂop till an
elderly lady, who was on the way from her
houfe, fhould come up with them. Ap-
proaching with wonder and furprize, {he
apologized, in the language of nature, for
the liberty the had taken. She gazed at
them with avidity and uncommon atten-
tion; and ﬂiortly after, tef’cifyin g her thank-s

for

To CHINA. 105

for their politenefs, retired; exulting in the
gratiﬁcation of an ardent curiofity.

The attention of the fame gentlemen was
arreﬁed in their turn by a ﬁngular inﬁance
‘ of eaftem agility. A number of Cochin-
chinefe young men were collected together,
playing at fhittlecoek.——They had no bat-
tledore; neither did they ufe the hand at

a;ll but, after running a ihort diﬁzance, met
the defcending fhittlecock, and {truck it
with the foot fo forcibly as to drive it up
high 1n the air.

But fportive games are not the only in-
ﬁances in which thefe active and ingenious
people ufed their feet as others do their
hands. The lower orders, and many of
other ranks, are accuftomed to go bare-footv
ed. By this the mufcles of the toes have
free motion, and acquire a {trong contractile
power, {0 as to render the foot an ufeful
auxiliary to the hand, in the exercife of

M 3 feveral

 

 

" '- v
7.4
at

160 EMBASSY '

{everal mechanic trades, but particularly in

that of boat building.

The boats in common ufe ambng them,
conﬁﬁ of ﬁve planks only, united together
by ribs or timbers. Thefe planks are render—
ed ﬂexible by being expofed, fometime, to a
ﬂame of ﬁre, and are then brought to .the
deﬁred degree of' inﬂection. The ends being
thus connected together in a line, the edges
are joined and ﬁxed by tree-nails (wooden
pins), and ﬁitched with ﬂexible threads of
bamboo. The feams are afterwards paid
with palte,made by mixing water with quick
lime from {ea Ihells. Other boats are made
with wicker work, the interﬁices of which
. are paid, or ﬁlled up with the fame compo-
ﬁtion as ufed for the former; and this luting,
as it may be ﬁyled, renders. them water-
tight. They are remarked for withﬁanding
the Violence of the waves, for being {tiff
upon the Water, and for failing With expe—
dition.

The

 

 

 

*‘ (CHINESE BOAT.

 

    

. VII/z/zvnl/ dry/fl .’

k 41‘ ’

   

$35;

T0 CHINA. 167

The boat which belonged to the chief ‘
of the diﬁriét, of which a correct engraving
is here given, was built after the above me-
thod, but on a larger fcale. It had a carved
and gilt head, not much unlike that of a
tyger; and a item decorated with {culp-
ture of various deﬁgns, painted in vivid co-
lours. In thefe boats, contrary to European
cuﬁom, the principal ﬁtters are accommo-
dated in the item.

The Cochin-chinefe, though little aﬂift—
ed by the foﬁering hand of feience, have
brought fome of the arts to great perfec-
tion. Prompted by necefﬁty, they, have
ﬂiewn themfelves fuﬂiciently dextrous in
making experiments on fubﬁances of which
the refult promifed to contribute either to
their wants or their comfort. The few ar-
ticles manufactured among them are fuch
as would not difgrace a more enlightened
nation. Their earthen utenﬁls are neatly
made. They underftand the cultivating of
land; and in the art of reﬁning {ugar, they
feem to excel Europeans. Their method

M 4 was

9 ,

168' EMBASSY

was this :«-After draining the grof’s fyrup
from it, and that it was become granulated
and. folid, it was fomctimes placed in ﬁrata
or layers of about one inch thicknefs, and
ten inches in diameter, under layers of equal
dimenﬁons of the herbaceous part'of‘ the
plantain tree. The aqueous juices which
exfude from this ﬁlters through the fugar,
carrying along with it all the feculencies
which had been boiled up with it, and
leaving the fugar pure and cryﬁalized. In
this ﬂate it was light, and. as porous as a
honey-comb; and when diﬂblved left no
impurities at the bottom.——This was fup—
pofed an improvement on the mode prac-

tifed elfewhere, which conﬁfts in pouring;

the fugar, when granulated, into inverted
conical veilels, and placing a layer of wet
earth upon the upper furface of the fugar.
Butfugar, thus reﬁned, will be lefs pure
than that; which is done after the former-
method,

The art of {melting ore, foientiﬁcally, is
not known among the Cochin-chinefe, yet
they:

- , is
114$

TO CHINA. 169

they have fallen upon the means of making
good iron, and the manufaéturing of it, af-
terwards, into match locks, fpears, and other
articles. Their dexterity was confpicuous
in all their Operations, efpecially in the Bar-
ringz‘om'an art, in which, from frequent prac-
tice, they were become noted adepts; neia
ther were they difconcerted whenever their
direptions were detected.

Beﬁdes gold that was found in the rivers, ‘
they had alfo feveral mines of the richeﬁ:
ore; and from the pure Rate in which it
was obtained, the gold was extraé’ted by
the ﬁmple action of ﬁre. They formed it
into ingots of about four ounces, and made
their payments with it to foreign mer-
chants. It was ufed, alfo, as an ornament
to their drefs and furniture, and fometimes'
as an embellilhment to their {words and
feabbards, Prior to the troubles? in Cochin-
china, not only gold duft, but, alfo, wax,
honey, and ivory were brought down from
the high lands and exchanged, by thofe

rude

17o EMBASSY

rude people, to the low-landers for cloth,
cotton, rice, and iron.

Silver mines were, formerly, either fo
' rare, or the art of reﬁning [0 little under-
ﬂood, that ﬁlver ufed to be imported from
abroad, and bartered for gold, to the advan-
tage of the importers. But, lately, either
.new mines of ﬁlver mutt have been ex--
plored, or a more facile mode of purifying
it praé’tifed, inafmuch as it was now the
chief medium of exchange for goods from
abroad, and was made up, for that purpofe,
in bars of about twelve ounces.

The lower clafs of thefe people transfer
their wives and daughters on moderate
terms, and without the leaft fcruple; and
treat all affairs of gallantry with perfect in-
difference. The higher orders exercife au-
thority over their wives, by conﬁning them ;
and injuﬂice over the people, by oppreﬂing
them. Subordination among them is fcru-

_ pulouﬂy

T0 CHINA. 171 .

pulouﬂy maintained,—-—evinced by numer-
ous inﬁances of abject humiliation. _

The firf’c degree of rank here was the _
military, who held the people in the greateﬂ:
fubjeétion: the next was that of the judges.
The p0wer delegated to both was equally
abufed to the ioppreﬂion of their inferiors.
Trials at law were conducted with much
feeming formality and apparent equity; but
a favourable decree was always to be ob—1
tained by bribes. Both parties, indeed, made
prefents; but the molt liberal donor was
likely to be the fuccefsful litigant.

Painting and fculpture are entirely un- .
known to the Cochin—chinefe; but’ the fei-
ence of harmony has been, not unfuccefs-
fully, cultivated. They have both Wind and
ﬁring inftruments, upon which they played
fev‘eralpiecesof muﬁc in a ftyle that was
not. expeéted. Their inftrurnents were rude,
.but their general principlesand intentions
were the fame as in Europe. In performing, i
they keep excellent time, and meafure the

bars

l“:

172 EMBASSY

bars b): a regular movement of both hand
and foot.

Among their various amufements, the
drama ﬁlls up a part of their vacant hours.‘
The Embaﬂador accepted an invitation
from the Governor of the diltriét, to dine
on fhore on the fourth of June, his Bri-
tannic Majefty’s birth—day; and a grand re—
pait was provided on the occaﬁon. A play
was afterwards performed, in a manner fu-
perior to any thing before exhibited. It was
a kind of hiﬁorical opera, with the recita-
tive, air, and the chorus, in ﬁriét conformity
to the eltablifhed mode of the Italian {tage ;
and feveral of the female ﬁngers met with,
and merited much applaufe. The Embarra-
dor’s band performed, occaﬁonally; but their
muﬁc was by no means approved of.

The Embaﬂador was received in a build~ V
i‘ng hung with printed cotton, of Britifh
manufaéture ; and the foldiers who attended
the Governor had outﬁde veﬁments of red

cloth, alfo fuppofed to have come from Eng-
land. -

To CHINA. 173

land. But their chief trade is with the Por-
tugueze at Macao, who fupply them with
goods of an inferior quality, from the Can-
ton market; and who, in their dealings, ex-
perience many exaétions from the executive
government.

‘ The foldiery of Cochin-china were armed
with fabres, and long pikes decorated with
tufts of hair dyed red, a colour forbidden to
be worn in drefs or equipage by any except
in the fervice, or by order, of the fovereign.
His Excellency’s guard who attended him .
on fhore, ﬁred a falute in honour of the day ; I
and performed a number of military evolu-
tions, to the aﬁonifhment of the native

troops, andto the admiration of a beholding
multitude.

Though the country has been very much
depopulated by a long, civil war, thirty
thoufand men, exercifed daily, were laid to
be in garrifon at Hue-foo, the capital of the
kingdom, about forty miles to the north-
ward of Turon. Their generals have much

reliance

I74 EMBASSY

reliance on the havoc made by elephants",
here trained for war. Thefe, likewife, are
occaﬁonally exercifed and are obedient to
command. A number of foldiers are placed
in ranks before the war-elephants, who are
inﬁructed to aﬂail them moﬁ: furiouﬂy,
‘grafping them with their trunks, throwing
fome into the air, and trampling others'
under, foot. The elephant, however, is
gentle by nature, agile though unwieldy;
and perfectly inhoﬁile, unlefs trained to acts
of violence, or roufed by corporal injury.
Their keeper is generally a boy, who mounts
“upon his neck, and governs him with cafe;
and the extreme fenﬁbility and abducent
power of his probofcis render it, in many-
inftances, equal in activity to the human

ﬁngers.

The elephant, among the Cochin-chinefe,
ferves likewife for food, and his ﬂeﬂr is» ac?-
counted a great delicacy. When ﬂaughter-
ed for the table 'of the king or his Viceroy,
pieces are cut off and fent as prefents to per-
fons of rank, as a dii’cinguiihed mark of

favour.

'ro CHINA. 175

favouf.‘—-Buﬂ'alo has the preference over
other beef. It is not cuﬁomary to milk any
kind of animal; of courfe,‘ milk conﬁitutes
no part of their food; notwithf’tanding they
have often experienced all the horrors of a
famine, occaﬁoned by the deftruétion of the
contending armies. In this dreadful conﬂié’t,
human ﬂefh is {aid to have been expofed for

fale, in the public markets of the capital. i

During the infurreétion in Cochin—china,
the neighbouring Tung-quinefe feized that
opportunity to invade the territories of the
north, compriﬁng the capital of the coun-
try, and pillaged it, during their lhort ﬂay,
of every thing that was valuable, efpeCially
goldand ﬁlver. The major part of What
then efcaped their rapacity, had been ﬁnce
fent to China to pay for the neceiTaries of
life brought thither by the junks, an ex-
tremity which the miferable inhabitants had
been often put to, from the devaftation of
their cultured lands, and the deftruétion 5f
their manufaé’cories.

The

1.76 EMBASSY

The prefent mountaineers are defcendants
of the original inhabitants of the country ;,
and when their anceﬁors, in poﬁefﬁon of the
plains, were invaded by the Chinefe, the}r
retired to the mountains which are 'on the
conﬁnes of Cochin-china to the‘weﬁward,
as well as to thofe which feparate it from
Cambodia ;' ﬁmilar to the ﬂight of the an-
cient Britons into Wales. Thefe reﬁdents
of the mountains of Cochin-China are de-
picted as rude and barbarous, with coarfe
features and black complexions; whereas,
the colour of the lowlanders was lefs dark ;/
and thefe were conﬁdered, before the over-
throw of the ancient government, a civil,
aﬁahl c, and harmlefs people. This {impli-
city of maﬁfers gill exifts among the agri-
cultural inhabitants.

Smoking is a cuftom very prevalent in
both fexes of the Cochin-chinefe ; but the
women ﬁnoke lefs than the men.-—-They
have no wine in the country, but indulge
themfelves in the free ufe of fpirituous li—
quorg asxveH as n1 that of tobacco; and

they

To CHINA. 177

they are pallionately fond of chewing the
areca—nut and betel-leaf, kneaded into a
paﬁe with lime and water. The .men are
lazy in the extreme; the fmoking of to-
bacco being their chief employment; and a
fervant always attends his ‘ maf‘ter abroad»
with the apparatus for fmoking. ‘The
women are remarkably indul’crious, as well
at home in domeﬁie affairs, as abroad in
cultivating the land. In towns they often
act as agents and brokers for foreign mer-
chants, and cohabit with them during their
agency; and-in both ﬁtuations are laid to
act with ﬁdelity. Concubinage is not here
accounted» difhonourable.

The exterior drefs of thefe people was
hardly fuﬂieient to diferiminate the fexes,
Both wore a loofe robe with long ﬂeeves,
which cover the hands ; but perfons of rank,
particularly the ladies, put on three ofthefe
gowns, of different colours, one over the
other. The undermoﬁ touched the ground;
the next was fomewhat ﬂiorter, and the up-
permoﬁ: the lhortef’c of all. Small collars
, N were

178 ‘ EMBASSY

were put round the neck of the robe; and
this was fufﬁciently full to fold over the
breaft. They had no linen, but wore, in
lieu, next the ﬂiin, veﬂs and trowfers ot
.ﬁlk or cotton. To comple their drefs every
lady pits on a girdle, from which hangs a
ﬁlk bag, having three partitions to contain
tobacco, areca—nut, and betel leaf; and the
gentlemen have an ornamented ribband
thrown over the {boulder like a belt, hav-
ing afﬁxed to it a {mall cafe or purfe for his
areca-nut and betel. A few of the women
appeared in hats, but never with caps; and
Tome of the men wore turbans. Neither
fex, whatever were their drefs, made ufe of
fhoes._

Rice is the principal object of cultivation,
of which there are two kinds; one requir-
ing a Wet, the other a dry foil. The laﬂ;
has the appellation of mountain rieeér-But
beﬁdes this, ﬁlk, cotton, pepper, cinnamon,
coffee, (and, as were before mentioned ,)
areca—nut, betel, and tobacco, are alfo gene-
rally cultivated. The Vine, it is (aid, grows

fpontaneonﬂy

 

To CHINA; :79

ﬁzOntaneouﬂy upon the mountains ; but the
juice of the grape is not made into wine—-
The fweet-fcented a uila or eagle wood, {0
highly \ eﬁeemed in the wit, ufed to, be
brought hither from the mountains; but,
for fome years pait, no intercourfe had {ub-
ﬁﬁed between the high and low—lan‘ders.

An object of natural curioﬁty prefented L
'itfelf to View by accident.’ Upon a {hrub
{not unlike the privet) neither in fruit nor
ﬂower, were difcovered a vatt number of
uncommon infeéts, creeping about fome of
its {mall branches. They were, in ﬁze, not
much larger than a domeﬁic ﬂy; in {true-
ture—«-very curious, having peétinated eXtu-
berances riﬁng in a curve, and inclining to»
wards the head, fomething ﬁmilar in form
to the tail-feathers of the common fowl,
but in the contrary dircc‘lion. The infeét'
was either perfectly white of itfelf, or, at
leait, covered with a white pOWder; and
even the item upon which thefe infeé’cs
were perceived, was by them covered with
a white, fubtile fubﬁance. _Th'e annexed
' N 2 I plate

180 ' EMBASSY

plate will tend to elucidate this defcrip-
tion. -'

The white wax of the eaft was [aid to
be comp‘ofed of the above white powder.
A certain proportion of vegetable oil being
mixed with it, and kneaded together gives
' it a degree of conﬁitence or folidity, as to
render it ﬁt to be moulded into candles.
The experiment may be made, and the fact
afcertainecl by incorporating one part of this
wax, with three parts of olive oil. The
compoﬁtion will concrete into a mafs, with
nearly the hardnefs ofvbee’s wax.

Turon bay aﬂbrds a fate retreat for {hips
of any burden, and at all feafons of the year;
and the coaft, beﬁdes, is intercepted withl
other eommodious harbours. Cochin-china
then may be conﬁdered as particularly well
adapted for commerce, feeing that its Vici-
niny to China, Tung—quin, Japan, Cam-
bodia, Siam, Borneo, Sumatra, Malacca,
and the Philippines renders any intereourfe
'iNith thefe countries lhort and facile. ”Mr.

' Barrow,

 

 

'ro‘ CHINA; ' 181

Barrow, who furveyed the harbour, and has
given aplan of it, found the latitude of the
Hindoftan’s anchorage to be ﬁxteen degrees
feven minutes north, and longitude a hun—
dred and eight degrees twelve minutes weft.

Notwithﬂanding the difadvantage of cli-
mate, the country in general, was imagined
to be healthy; the fcorching rays of the
fummer fun being tempered by the regular
breezes from the fea. The rainy feafon
commenced in September, and continued
till the end of November, during which
period the low lands were frequently in-
undated by torrents precipitated from the
mountains. Thefe inundations happened
about once a fortnight, 1. and continued for
two or three days ; and as the time of their
-~tommencement was about the full and
Change of the moon, it {cemed to conﬁrm
the idea of that fatellite’s inﬂuence. The
months of December, January and Fe—
bruary were alfo accompanied with 'mee‘
rain, and with cold uortherly'winds.

N 2 The

182 EMBA 531"

The deluge’,-juft mentioned, like the pew
riodic ov‘erﬂowings of the Nile, rendered
this country as fruitful as any upon the face
of the earth; many parts of the land pro-
ducing three crops of grain in the‘year.
Several commercial nations had an exten-
ﬁve intercourfe with the people, and V‘ ere

‘a‘ccuﬁomed to barter Britifh manufactures
for their valuable produétions, in which
were included the precious metals. But
the devaltations caufed by inteﬁine broils
had turned the current of commerce, and
now, except a few Chinefe junks, nothing
but their own galleys and fometimes a Por-
tugueze veilel were fcen in their harbours.

Other circumﬁances haﬁened the deitruc-
tion of the commerce of the Country; Per-
miﬁion to trade was only to be obtained by
purchafe; high duties were levied on goods
for falc, and prefents demanded by thofe in
power; and to complete the whole, perﬁdy
had been praélifed to cut of? both ﬂip and
cargo. An inftance of this kind is record.-
ed, by the Eafl: India. Company, to have

happened

0

T0 CHINA. 183

happened in the year 1778. The French,
confcious of the danger and uncertainty of
holding intercourfe with them, had diret‘ted
their Views to the purehafe of the {mall
iﬂand of Callao, ﬁtuated a few miles to the
fouthward of Turon. Such an intention
rendered that iﬂand of importance; and a
profeﬁional Vlﬁt was made to it by Captain 3
Pariih and Mr. Barrow.

Calla‘o, fo Called by its inhabitants, but
by Europeans Campello, is oppoﬁte to the
mOuth of a large river on the coaﬁ: of Co-
chin-china, about eight miles to the eaﬁ-
ward; on the banks of which ﬂands the
town of Fai-foo, a place well known, , at no
great diﬁance from the harbour of Turon.
The bearing of the higheft peak of Callao,
from this harbour, is about fouth—eaft, dif-
‘tant thirty miles. The extreme points of
the iﬂand lie .in ﬁfteen degrees ﬁfty three
minutes, and ﬁfteen degrees ﬁfty {even mi-
nutes north latitude; the greatel’c length is
from north-weft to fouth-eaﬁ,- and is about
five miles; and its mean breadth two miles.

N 4 The

I

184 EMBASSY

The fouth-weft ‘coaft .is the only inhabited

part of the iﬂand. The lower grounds con-
tain about two hundred-acres of good fertile
land, diverﬁﬁed with temples, houfes, fhrub—

u beries, and trees of- .Yariious kinds; and a
~ ftream of pure water illuingfrom the moun»

tains, is directed through ﬂuices along the
ridges of the vale, to refrefh the rice grounds
in dry _feafons.-—-—The number of houfes upon
the iﬂand was about ﬁxty; of ‘which thirty
were in the principal village, chieﬂy built
of wood, a few, however, of ﬁone, cover—
ed with tiles; and the appearance of the
whole was Clean and decent. Behind every
houle, not immediately in the village, were
growing in a Rate of exuberance, fugar canes,

‘ tobacco, and various kinds of vegetables.

Exeluﬁve of the principal bay there were
{even {andy inlets, and at the back of thefe
{mall parcels of level ground. T hefe en-
trances formed tolerable landing for boats;
but ﬂeep and rugged rocks, which feparated
them from each other, rendered any com-
munication between them difﬁcult, if not

impraeti~

TO' CHINA. 185

impraﬁicable; {0 that very ﬂight works
would be fuﬂ'icient to defend the iﬂa‘nd. The
water in the bay was deep enough for {hips
of the heavieft burden, and they were per-
. feétly {heltered from every wind, except the
'fouth—eaﬂ‘, to {which quarter it was immedi-
ately open.e—The diﬁance betwixt this and
China is very ihort; a palrage with a fair
monfoon was Inade in four or ﬁve days. If,
therefore, the impediments and ,rcf’criafions
which impede a freer intercourfe with China
could be removed, a {ettlement at Cochin—
china would be of as much advantage to
Great Britain as to any European nation;
becaufe, independent of thislnew Channel for
the eonfumption of its own manufaélures, it
would fecure to the Briti'lh {ettlernents of
Hindoﬂan an important demand for their
produétions. '

Preparations were now making by the {qua-
dron for their departure. They had been about
fourteen days in Turon harbour,- and the mon—
(foonv having fet in favourably promifed a

’ Eluiek paﬂage to the coaﬁ of China. The in,—
valids

r86 EMBASSY ,

Valids who had been on ﬂlOI’C the whole time,
were returned on board in better health, and
the {hip was free from every kind of conta-
gion.“ The paffengers and crew had to re‘‘
gret the deeeafe-of- a worthy man, Mr. Tot-'-
hill, purfer of the Lion; and nearly‘ about
the fame time, much temporary uneaﬁnefs
Was-created for the fate of Mr. J aekfon, the,
matter, as well as for a boat’s crew. He had
gone in one of the ﬂiip's boats to take the
foundings‘ and bearings of the eaﬁern ﬂ1ore,
on- the peninfula of Turon, and Was expedi-
ed to return the fame night. All «the‘ next
day elap'fed without any tidings of him,
and of courfe his friends were alarmed for
his ﬁlfety, recolleéting the perﬁdioufnefs and
eruelties exercifed againﬂ: {hangers upon the
deoaft. The rumour which had been fpread
that he, the boat’s crew and the boat had
been feized and detained, was foon conﬁrm-
ed by a Mandarine, who acknowledged that
fome foreigners had been taken up for at«
tempting to penetrate, in the night time,
one of the rivers in afufpicious, if not in an
unwarrantable manner. This Was a very um;

pleafant-

no CHINA. ‘ * 187

pleafant cirCUmftance, as it was poﬂible that
a tedious difcuﬂion with the acting govern—~
ment might arife from the fubjeé’t, which,
in its confequences might in fome refpeéts
impede the buﬁnefsof the Embaﬂy. The
Embalrador, however, claimed them, and a
promife was given that they, their boat and
directs {hould all be reﬁored, A few days
after they did return, but in their captivity
they had quered_ much fatigue «and many
indignities from the people, independent of
the cruelties exercifed over them by the in-
ferior ofﬁcers.

This incident'furnifhed Mr. Jackfon with
an opportunity of making fome pertinent
remarks on that part of the country through
which he was marched. H‘e {tated that, in~
tending to take a furvey of the eaﬁern coaﬁ‘:
of the peninfula, he kept along fhore till he
reached the ifthmus’ point, when the {C214
breeze fet in. He“ then flood towards the
entrance of Fai—foo river; and being aﬁured
that. it was a branch of another river of whiCh
. another branch, at a ﬂiort-diﬂance, fellinto
the

188 EMBASSY

the harbour of Turon, he thought ofreturn-
ing that way to the fhip. After proceeding
twenty miles in various directions, about
eight at night he found himfelf before a large
town on the bank of a river. Having re¢
mained there about tWO hours, he was
beckoned on fhore by two armed galleys;
but he had no fooner landed than he was
feized by fourteen men, and taken to a houfe
in the town, where he and the rei’c remained
prifoners all night. The next morning they
were all removed from thence, handcuffed,
to a fort at a ﬂiort diﬁance from the town,
and treated with much inhumanity till the
arrival of a perfon-of’ authority, who, appa-
rently, was greatly difpleafed at their be-
haviour. They were afterwards marched
for two days through the country, fcoffed by
their conductors, and derided by the popu-
lace, till at length, being efcorted to their
boat, they got on” board and ﬁeered for Tu-
ron harbour.

In marching through the country to the
{Outh-Weﬁ of Turon, Mr. JaCkfon obferved
’ it

'ro CHINA. 189

it was level and fertile. He {aw many rivers
and canals full of boats of various ﬁzes. They
lay before a town three quarters of a mile
long, (diﬁant from the {ca twelve miles)
whofe houfes were built with red brick.
They paired through two other large towns;
in one, the market was ﬂored with rice,
yams, fweet potatoes, greens, pumpkins, me-
lons, fugar (in Wide circular cafks, at three
halfpence a pound), fugar canes, poultry and
hogs. Stalls were erected, in the market, .
built with bamboo, for the {ale of cloths
and other articles. The country feemed
exceedingly populous, and both men and
women very induf’crious.

Narrow paths, in cultivated grounds,
ferved as diﬁiri€tions of landed property, for
they had no fences whatever. The land
was ploughed by a couple of buffaloes ; and
the plough appeared to be all of wood,
Children were employed in picking cotton
from the pod ; and Women in {pinning and
weaving it. The horfes he law were {mall
butﬂmettlefome. They had many goats;

and

290 EMBASSY

and there were forne mules and afTes. The
civil ofﬁcers treated the people like tyrants,
the. foldiers like brutes; both kept them
under great fubjeé’tion. Their arms eon-
lifted of fpears,_ long pikes and cutlaﬂes.
He law no cannon, but feveral wall-pieces
with bell-like muzzles. There were no
carriages of any kind“; neither, indeed, were
the paths made wide enough to admit them.

Since Tung-quin had fubmitted to the
arms of the late ufurper, the whole of the
Cochin—chinefe territories occupied the
{pace between the twelfth degree of north-
ern latitude, and the tropic of Cancer, and,
its breadth not” quite two degrees of longi-
tude. Thefe domains are bounded to the
weftward by a cordon of mountains, which lie
contiguous to the kingdoms of Laos, Siam,
and Cambodia; Cochin~china and Tong-
quin are wafhed by the {ca to the eaﬁward;
this—has the Chinefe province of Yunman
to the northwardrand tliat—r—Tﬁompa to
the fouthward. The whole comprifes about
ninety ﬁve thoufand fquare miles. ‘
' ‘ Notice

'1:

To CHINA. 191
Notice was given to the ofﬁcers of the
Cochin-chinefe government that the {qua-
dron was about to quit its prefent Ration.
This was anfwered by a meifage of compli-
ment from the reigning prince, attended by
a fecond: prefent of rice and other provi-
ﬁons. The Embaflador replied with appro-
priate civility and thanks, and ﬁgniﬁed his
intention of returning> to Cochin-china, if
practicable, after he fhould have viﬁted the
court of Pek in. The fquadron then weighed
anchor, and failed from Turon on the ﬁx,

teenth of June, 1793. (

~ For the ﬁrft three days after their depar~
ture, they met with current. which {et in
various directions, lariﬁng from different
caufes ; and on the twentieth of June the
ﬂiips difcovered a high, acuminated iﬂand,
called by Europeans the Grand Ladrone.
Near it was another, lefs lofty, but m0re
level upon its top; and the fame day the
main land of China came in ﬁght, bearing
north-north-eaﬂ. ‘

0n

1‘92 EMBASSY ,

On thevtwenty ﬁrft of June the fquadrbn
anchored in twelve fathoms water,.under
the lee of Chook-tchoo, another of the La-
drones; which place bore fouth by weft,
diftant three miles, and the Grand Ladrone
weft-fouth—weﬁ: three leagues.) The lati~
tude of the Grand Ladrone was found to,be.
tWenty one degrees ﬁfty two minutes north,
and the longitude a hundred and thirteen
degrees thirty ﬁx minutes eaft; the latitude
of Chook-tchoo twenty one degrees ﬁfty
ﬁve minutes north; longitude a hundred
and thirteen degrees forty four minutes eai’t.
The above longitudes, which were afcer.
tained from .correc‘t data, and accurate cal-
culations, are a. few miles lefs eaﬁerly than
what they have been fuppofed to lie in.

The rocks adjoining the fea, which bor-'
der the iﬂand, are of a dark brown colour,
and much honeyeombed, by reafon of. the
auction of the {alt Water. They are compo-
nent maffes of clay, a {mall proportion of
calx of iron, and a conﬁderable one of ﬂinty

earth, and of mica, a genus of the tale; and
the

T0 CHINA. 193

the foil upon the furface of the iﬂand feem-
ed to partake of their combined properties.
Some fprings are found upon thefe iﬂands,
whofe water is neither brackifh nor chaly-
beate. I '

The fquadron being now on the borders
of China, the EmbalTador gave directions
for the Jackall and Clarence brigs to pro—
ceed to Macao, on the buﬁnefs of the Em-
baﬂ‘y, On this occaﬁon, two Chinefe,
brOught from. Europe, Who during the paf—
fage had airociated with the interpreters,
wiihed to embrace that opportunity of re-
turning to their native land, and accordingly
folicited his Excellency’s permiﬂion. The
conduct of both had been exemplary during
the paifage; and one of them, an adept in
the Chinefe charaé’cers, had occaﬁonally af—
ﬁf’ced the interpreters in 'the way of their
profeﬂion. Before his departure his EX-
cellency preﬂed him often to accept of mo-
ney and prefents, as a compenfation for his
trouble; but he was inﬂexible in his re-
fufals,—declaring, at the fame time, his
perfect cﬂeem- for the Englifh nation; and

' 0 that

‘ 1:94 EMBASSY

that gratitude for the civilities which had
Vbeen-fhevwn' him, would compel him, when
in China, to do juttice to‘ itscharaéter,‘ to
the extent of his inﬂuence. ~0ne of the
interpreters was ialfo deﬁrous of retiring from
the fervi'ce of the Embaily, through fear of
being detected, and puniihed Conformable
i to the laws of his country; for leavingl'it
without licence, and for accepting an em-
ployment from a foreigner. The cafe-0f
the other interpreter was exaétly ﬁmilar,
but he had lefs apprehenﬁons and more for-
ytitude ; and was determined, at all events,
to fulﬁl his engagement. To prevent'de-
teétion, he was dreﬁed in an Engliih mili-
tary uniform, with {word and cockade; and
though a native of Tartary, fubje‘ét to China,
- his features were not {0 {trongly‘marked‘as
to betray his country,.and he anglicifed his
name as an additional precaution.

The other three Chinefe embarked-for
vMaCao, with the perfons ordered thither by
the Emhaﬁhdor on the buﬁnefs before men-
tioned: The Secretary. alfo carried with
' him difpatch‘es from' the gOV-emment gene-

TO CHINA. '195

ral of- the Dutch Eait India fettlements, to
their reﬂdent in China, with inﬁrué’cions to
aid the views of the Britilh EmbaiTy; and
letters to the fame purport from the cardi- .
nal prefect of the, congregation for propa-
gating the faith at Rome, to the procurator
of the miﬁions reﬁding at Macao. The
Englifh factory ﬁill remained there, none
of the {hips having yet arrived from Eu-
rope, that feafon, in the river Canton.—
Note IV.

» On the return of the tWo brigs from MaCao,
the Embaﬂador received information from
the Engliih Eaﬂ: India Company’s commif—
ﬁoners, that “ his Imperial Majeﬁy’s difpo-
ﬁtion to afford a reception to the Embairy,
, fuitable to its dignity, had not fwffered the
leaf: diminution, as appeared by his repeat-
ed inftruéiions on this fubjeét to the dif-
ferent governments upon the coaft. He
had given orders for Mandarines to await
this Excellency’s arrival, and the pilots to be
properly {tationed to take charge of his
‘ "Majei’cy’s fhips, and to conduct them in
iafety to Tien-ﬁng,las well as to prepare fer
' O 2 receiving

”rs" '

196 EMBASSY

receiving the Embaﬂﬂador,‘ and conveying
him and fuite- to Pekin; concluding his
commands with thefe remarkable words,
“ that as a great Mandarine lzad come _/0 far
to 71ft him, he mat/i be race wed in 0 51/2172-
gujﬂzed manager, and unfwemble to the occa-

Jim.”

The commiﬂioners, however, formed the
opinion, colleéted from facts, that the go-
verning ofﬁcers of that place to Whom the
Embaﬂy was exceedingly obnoxious, had
contravened the difpoﬁtion and inclinations;
of the Emperor towards Europeans; and
that nothing could be fo deﬁrable, nor. {0
advantageous to the Eaﬁ India Company
as the effecting Of a free communication
between their fervants and the court of
Pekinr The Hoppo, or chief ofﬁcer of the.
revenue and infpeétor of foreign trade was.
the moﬁ. alarmed. He ﬂood felf- convicted
by his manifold acts of oppreﬁlon, extortion,
and injuﬁice, and viewinp the intent of the‘
Embaf") in no other light than to procure
a redrefs of griev ancesrhe was terriﬁed at
the thought of an invei’cigation, and cm-

ploy ed

To CnINA. ' 197

:plOyed all his art and intereﬁ to counteraét
its tendency. V

The Foo-yen, or Governor of Canton,
whofe idea of the buﬁnefs coincided with
that of the Hoppo, was not without his ap-
prehenfions; and was {till anxious to know
the private objects of the Embaffy. Per-
fuading himfelf that the Commiﬁioners
muﬂ: be acquainted with them, as well as
with the perfons to be denounced, he af-
{ured the Commiﬂioners, that,“ if. they,
would difclofe them’ to him, he Would con-
ﬁne the matter within his own breal’c and
that of the Emperor.” They very properly
replied, that, as far as name within their
knowledge, there was no other View than
that of paying a juft compliment to his 1m,-
perial Majeﬂy, and of cultivating his friend-:-.
ihip. ‘

The Commiﬂioners had been repeatedly "
preﬂed to write to the Embaﬂador to ﬂop
at Canton, WhClC all foreign veﬂels came,
in lieu of going to Tien- -ﬁng, By this

2013 artiﬁce

1978 EMBASSY ‘ H

artiﬁce they hoped to dive into thofe {up-
pofed intentions, and if ﬁich exiﬁed, to re-
tard the progrefs of the Embafry prObablyH’;
by corrupting the integrity of the pilots in V
fuhieﬁing them to be biaiTed by intriguing
pegﬁons confeﬂedly againft the meafure ‘ ’

Some o1; the European fa6tories {till en-I;
tertalnedJealouﬁes on the oceaﬁon; but the
Dutch had availed themfelves of the nafcent
inﬂuence of the Englifh to avoid the ufual ‘
impofcs laid 1011 forewners, Who remov e fromi
Canton to Macao The Emperor s notiﬁ-
catiqp had made fueh an imprefﬁon on the
ofﬁcers of government at Canton, that feve- ,
ral new taxes Whieh or101nated With, and:
were Claimed by the Hoppo, in the article:
of cuﬁorns, \had, ﬁnee the. arnval of the
Comm1ﬂioners, been given up, on an abfoe.
lute refufal to fubrmt 'tomthem and thiS;
Without any confequent delay in fhlpplng‘
the companys teas I The fufpeaed com;
plamts which he deprecated had extorted
from 111111 inﬂances of forbearance, and a6’tS
of CIV‘lllty

~ . E
1 . ,
.. t,

The

T0 cmNA 199

The Governor of Canton had demanded
adift of the \prefents intended for the Em- '
peror; and as the curioﬁty of the court of
Pekii! had been roufed on the occaﬁOn, he
wiﬂled for the means of gratifying it.——He
laid it down as a neceirary condition; af-
ﬁrming that “ he cOuld not fend the letter ‘
announcing the Embaﬂador’s approach,with
an offering to his maﬁer,without tranfmittin‘g
the particulars of it.” The Commiﬂionersri
Who difcovered thatimiuch importance Was!
attached to the nature of the prefents, gave
all the information they Were able conceff!—_‘
ing them, but declared their knowledge "
of the buﬁnefs was very limited, as they
had left England previous to many of them
being provided.

T he Embaﬁador received information,"
alfo, from the Commifﬁoners, that two of
the native merchants of Canton had got or-‘
ders to be in readinefs to go to any part'df
the coaft, whenever intelligence " 'iihOuld be
obtained that any of his Majeﬁy’is {hips had
arrived there with the EmhaﬂadOr,"and pro-

0 4 ' ' bably"

290 EMEAséY}?

’ba‘bly to proceed to' court ”with his Excel- «
lency'. It' was Conje'étured they were ' to
“rem: as interpreters, as well as to treat for
' any merchandize which might be fent with
“the Embaﬂhdor for tale. The COmmiﬂion—
~ crs, however, Were of opinion, that there);-
»' tenﬁve trafﬁc between the {aid merchants
and the Company might {utter by their ab-
fenee, and for that reafon intreated the go,-
vernrnent not to take them from their buﬁ-
' nefs, inafmuch as the Embaﬂador was 211*-
ready accommodated with interpreters, and
' that there were no goods of any kind for fale
on board the {hips which attended the Em-
bany.—Thefe merchants, beﬁdes being ill—
qualiﬁed for interpreters, would have {uttered
' conﬁderably in their affairs by the journey;
they, therefore, backed the petition by mak;
ing liberal prefents to the ofﬁcers 'of the
government of Canton, and were in confes
'quence excufed from leaving their concerns.

It had been the cuﬂom, on former Emf
bafﬂes to {end one of the mfo‘mzries, at-
tached to the palace, to meet and accom-

pany

c T0 ‘GHINA- “291"

parry the Embaﬂhdor tO‘COU‘l't’g-but even with
{he/é a- change of : fyftem had been refolvred'
on. ~Due precautions hadbeen taken, from
the moment the French Revolution and‘its
concomitant calamities, were , known. at Pe-
kin, to prevent the introduction and dill}:-
mination of’ﬁmilar principles.-——Arxd though
foreigners were not excluded from entering
into Canton, and that miﬁionaries were ﬂill
admitted into China,‘ and, as 'adepts in-the
fcienees, encouraged in the capital, yet! their
conduct was narrowly watched, and their
correfpondence intercepted and examined by'
the vigilant and {ufpicious government of
China. ‘

The inference deducible from the above
islobvious; that on the IPI‘CfCI-lt‘ occaﬁon, of
communicating with Ereigners; the Chinefe
.Would naturally give the preference to their
own fubjeéts-g nearly in which -light,_frqn1'a
long uninterrupted connection, they conﬁ-
dered the Portugueze of the dependent fet-
tlement of ~Macao. Somevrfriendlyi'ofﬁims,
however, were to be expeé’cediron’: thefe in
' behalf

202;. EMBASSY

behalf of the Englifh, in confequence of the,
ﬁriét alliance which fubﬁtted betwixt the _.
two nations. But the Embaﬂador was af-,
fured, on the belt authority, that the Por- _.
tugue,zc {till retained their ancient policy of
a monopoly, and were exerting their inﬂu-i _
ence to exclude all foreigners from China.
His Excellency then had principally to rely
on the impreﬂion which his own conduct
and that of his fuite, might make on the,
Chinefe, for diﬂipating the jealouﬁes, and
removing the prejudices entertained againﬂ:
the Englifh, as well as for furmounting every
obftacle that might be thrown in his way
to counteract the tendency of the Em-,
baiTy.

The brigs being returned from ,Macaot
the fquadron got under way, and left Chook—
choo on the twenty-third of June. The
windwas favourable for their courfe to-:.
wards the {traits which feparate the conti-~
nent of China from the iﬂand of Formofa,
or, as the Chinefe call it, Tai- -wan. The,
fame day the {hips paired between two {mall ‘

iﬂands,

T0 *G‘I’Hﬁéx'.‘ 20:3“

iﬂaﬁdsrg'iohei’ﬁoﬁii’ts’ bifurcated appeérance, .
cgiltd Aﬂ‘és Ears, the Other Lema, both en-
'vir6ned with rocks, and uncultivated. By
meridional obfervations, and the aid- of
time-keepers, the ﬁtuationsfof thefe iﬂands
are ‘ ‘ ~

The Aﬂ'es Ears, 21° 55”}NO rth

Lt f{‘Lema, - - --22

Long. { - - iii 17 “Bait
“5011 Qtéh'e twenty» fourth of June a large LT
eleiiate'd' rock Was defcrie'd,~whieh being?
perfeé’dy' White, "h'asiobt‘a‘ined fromr the Per-f ‘
tugueze, who ﬁrft difcovered it, the name
of Pedra Branca. Its latitude is twenty
two aegrees nineteen minutes north, longi-
tude a ~huﬁdred a‘nd fourteen degrees fifty
feveri miﬁutes eaﬁ. At noon the thermo-”'
meter-Was at eighty four-degrees, and the»
barometer? at t’v‘vcn‘ty ’niﬁe i'nehes‘fe‘vmty‘”
three decimal part-s. During “the; hit twenﬁ
ty four hours, a current had fet novth by
cai’c, at the rate 093: mile an 1101111251
The

204 EMBASSY

., The next day the fquadron crdfed the
tropic of Cancer. An extraordinary degree
of rednefs that evening, attended the fetting'
fun. The quickﬁlver fell fuddenly in the
barometer ; and the Wind, before moderate,
changed now to a freﬂi gale from the fouth
welt. -

The morning of the twenty-ﬁxth came
in with heavy fqualls, attended with rain,
thunder, and lightning; but there was a
calm before noon. The fea, notwithﬁand—
ing, kept up for fame time. . The thermo-
meter ﬂood at eighty-two degrees, and the
barometer at twenty nine inches ﬁxty three
decimal parts. During the remainder of '
the day, the wind veered from {011th eaﬁ
to fouth by weft; and the weather being
{qually, thick and hazy, attended with much‘
rain, no obfervation could be taken.

-It is a cuﬂom among the Chine'fe failors,
when it rains, to change their cOtton Clothes
for jackets and trowfers made of ﬁraight,
uncompreﬂ'ed reeds, placed parallel to each

other ; ’

To enema. 205

other; and to'wear a ﬂouched hat formed
of the fame texture and materials. The
rain ﬂides off their furfaces as water does of?
the feathers of aquatic birds.

On the twenty {eventh of June the wea-
ther was likewife fqually, with continued"
heavy rains, and a difagreeable crofs fwell of
thefea. By-obfervation, a current, Within
the laﬂz three days, had run forty eight miles
in the direé’tion of north feventy two degrees '
eaﬂz, equal to two thirds of a mile an hour;
The thermometer at noon ﬂood r-at'feven‘ty‘
nine degrees, and the, barometer at "twenty
nine inches feventy three decimal parts.

7 On the twenty—eighth of June the wea- '
ther was moderate ; the wind variable, but '
chiefly from the north ;, and there was a'
heavy {wellfetting eafterly. The fquadron
having now cleared the Strait, a current
wasobferved to fet to the weﬁward,: at. the
rate of about half a mile an hour. The
weather being moderate, a'courie was fhaped.
towards the iﬂand‘s of Chmfan. x ,r
7 The

200 EMBASSY“

in The weatherrvproved very :hazy'on’f‘the
twenty-ninth; The foundings now were
afeertained to decreafe from ﬁfty two to
twenty two fathoms ; and at this time the
.ﬂlips perceived a clutter of iﬂands, diﬁantra
‘ very few miles, called the 'Hey- fan, or Black
Iﬂands ; little elfe than barren rocks. Their
latitude is twenty eight degrees ﬁfty three
. minutes north, and longitude a hundred and
twenty one degrees twenty. four minutes

eaft.

On the thirtieth of June the fquadro‘n
had thick weather, with a moderate‘fou’th-
weitbreeze. As they were now ﬂanding
to the northward, the foundings increafed
from twenty two to thirty'two fathoms. ‘*

On the ﬁrft of July they met with hazy
weather, with drizzling rain; the .wind
foutherly, but variable; This day another
clutter of iﬂands, called the Quee-fan, were
“obfcrved; and

The

To: CHINA. ”297

The «next day, the fqu‘adron' advancing
near them, anchored in nine fathoms water.
The: higheft and molt foutherly of thefe,
called by the Engliih, Patchcock, bore north
. by weft four miles. It is ﬁtuated in latitude
twenty nine degrees twenty two minutes
north, longitude, ; by chronometer, a bun--
dred and twenty one degrees ﬁfty two mi-
inutes eal’t ,

On the third of July the fquadron weigh-
ed anchor, and ﬂood in, not without difﬁ-
culty,f nearer to Chuéfan, by reafon of a
multiplicity of boats around them. There

(werefome thoufands in ﬁght. Three hun-
td-redcrouded... about the Lion, from one of
which a pilot was procured by the ‘Hindof—
tan. He conduéted her of? Tree-a-top
iﬂand, and anchored her. four miles to’ the
;fo,uthward of it; butthe Lion" and Jackall
Read in, and came to between the PlOugli-
man and Buffalo’s Nofe. From hence {Cine
of the gentlemen, with the interpreter, were
difpatched, in the Clarence, to Chu- fan, to
, bring

. 208 EMBASSY

bring, down the pilots who had been ordered
to carry the ﬂiips to Tien-ﬁng.

The Lion got a fupply from Plowman’s
iﬂand, conﬁﬁing ' of bullocks, goats, and
fowls on reafonable terms ; and of ﬁfh, from
boats which were along ﬁde. The number
of viﬁtors who came to fee the {hip was f0
great that all the decks were ﬁlled; and it
was found necellary to fend off, fucceﬂively,
one party to make room for another, who
were equally anxious to be gratiﬁed. \ Some:
of them obferving, in the great cabin, the
portrait of the Emperor of China, immediate-
ly proﬁrated themfelves in humble adoration,
killing the ground repeatedly ; and after
riﬁng, looked with grateful complacency
towards the exalted poﬂeﬂor.

The Clarence, in her paﬁ'age to Chu-fan
harbour, anchored, the full evening, a little
to the fouthward of Kee-to—point, in {even-
teen fathoms water ; and {0 good a look-out
was kept, that intelligence of her approach
had already been received at Chu—fan. An

oﬁicer,

To CHINA. , 399

ofﬁcer, from a C‘hinefe veﬂel paida (Vifit‘on
board, who, purfuant, to inﬁruétions, con-
ducted the Clarence, with his boat, the next
morning into Chu—fan harbour.

- ‘ Three hundred iﬂands are laid to be com-r
prifbd between the Quee-fans and Chu-fan.
harbour; a {pace of about ﬁxty miles in
length .and thirty in width; among which
there are many valuable and commodious
harbburs, ﬁt for lhips of the greateﬂ: burden.
This advantage, added to its central ﬁtua-
tion with regard to the eaﬁern coaft of
China, and'its "contiguity to Corea, Japan,
Leoo—keoo, and Formofa, make it a place
of great trade, particularly to Ning-poo, a
great commercial city, bordering on the
province of Tche—tchiang, towhich are an-
nexed .all the Chu-fan iﬂands. Twelve
velrelsf are'difpatched annually for copper,ﬂ
from one of its ports to Japan.

. The occaﬁon of the Clarence’s arrival be--
ing made known to fome civil and military

ofﬁcers, who came on board-for that put-r
P Pofe,

' 21:0 EMB'A/SSY

pofe, accompanied by a Chinefe merchant
as interpreter, it was agreed that the party
ﬂlould difembark in themorning to wait
on the Governor, and to make the demand.
This interpreter, formerly concerned in trade
with the agents of the Eaft India Company
while they were permitted to frequent this
coaft, had not entirely forgotten the Enu
glifh language, In a converfation with him
he declared, that the Engliih had given no
caufe for umbrage; that he attributed the
interdiétion- to the intrigues and intereﬁed
views of the governing ofﬁcers 'of Canton;
and, perhaps, dreading an innovation of prim
ciples,to that jealous eye with whichthe Chi:-
mfe government always regarded ﬁrangers,‘

As foon as the Governor had information
that the Clarence belonged to the Embaﬂ'y,
he ordered proviuons of eVery kind on board.r
He alfo politely received the gentlemen om
ﬂiore the next morning, and invited them
to partake of dramatic and other amufe-
merits. He had before been apprized of the
Embaifador s arrival in the Lion, and had;

fem:

Ta china. 135711l

{cut his Excenency a formal invitation to 1113'
houfe, where fplendid preparations were
making for his reception. The ardent de-
ﬁre of repairing with all {peed into the pre-
fence of the Emperor was admitted as a fuf—
ﬁcient apology; as well as for urging an
early departure of the'pilots.

, The Governor had provided pilots who
were capable only of carrying them to the
next port, at which others were fucceﬂivelyp
to be procured, till they ﬂiould arrive at
Tiena-ﬁ‘ng. The danger of eoaiting with
fuch large fhips, the frequent occaﬁon to cal?
anchor; and a deﬁre for a direct navigation,
to‘the Gulf of Pekin being inﬁl’ccd on, he
requeﬁed till next morning to determine on.

the buﬁnefs.

In the mterim the party went to view the
city of Ting-hai, about a mile dil’cant.-—I’t‘
is envirOned by a wall thirty feet high, over-'
topping the houfes, molt of which have only»
one Rory. Several {quare {tone towers were
ereélzed upon the Walls , in the parapet's w‘rére’

P 2 embrafures.

 

1-?" .2 ”r 1f. a > .
f ”:23“? tax:

212 EMBASSY

embrafures, and in the merlons holes for-
archery.-—Within a double gate was a
guard—houfe, furniﬂled with bows and ar—
rows, matchlocks and pikes, all placed in
proper order; and foldiers were there on
duty. The town had many bridges, being
interfeéted by canals; theﬁreets were nar-
row, paved with fquare ﬂat ltones; the ﬂlOpS
numerous, and the goods for {ale swell, dif-
played; efpeciallycoﬂins, which were paint-
ed in various colours. Dogs and other {mall
quadrupeds, poultry, ﬁfh in tubs of Water,
and eels in fand, all intended for food, were
expofed alive for {ale—Both fexes, were
drelled in loofe garments and trowfers; no
paupers about the ﬁreets; induﬁry feemed
to prevail; and the fields were cultivated .
like a garden. .

Women of the middling and inferior claf—
fes, aping the unnatural euftom ofitheir {upe-
riors, who conﬁder a {mall foot as a markof
beauty, fuller much, pain and. inconvenience
by having their feet maimed and diﬁorted.
The great toe is the only one left to aft with

freedom,

 

 

 

 

BR @N Z E

«

FEET mfa CHlNESE

i

  

 

L ADY .

 

 

To CHINA. ' 213

freedom, the reﬁt are doubled down. under:

' 3 , the foot in their tendereﬁ infancy, and re-'

_‘ tamed by comp'reﬂ’es and tight bandages, till
they unite with, and are buried in the ‘fole.
This gives them an awkward, hobbling gait,
cauﬁng them to walk upon their heels, and
. toi‘rtotter‘ as they pafs. The fame p‘reirure is
aipﬁlied by fome t0 the ankle. A model was
procured of a C’hinefe-lady’s foot, and an en-
gi‘aiirig taken from it. See the annexedpla’te.‘
80mg; of the female mountaineers of the low—
- eft 'clafs are exempt from this barbarous cuf-
ton’i {but they are holden in the greateﬁ ,‘
contempt by the others ;' neither is this "ha—V
bit practifed in Hindoftan, or Turkey, where?" »
women are kept more clofely conﬁned than
in’ China.

gr

En the! morning the party went, by ap-
pointment, to the hall of audience, a fpaci-‘
ous building with galleries around it. The
roof was {upperted by pillars of Wood ; and
thefe, with the beams and rafters, were
. Painted red, and highly varnifhed. Round

‘ V P 3 the

214 , 11111311551:

”the "Eoli1nins; "and under the Crofs beams,
Were a great number: ‘of lamps o'r lanterns
161' various {hape's and ﬁze‘s; {ii—{pended by
ﬁlken cords. The lumlnating part of 1211113:
were made of thin ﬁlk, having VﬂTlOUS tie-
vices of needlework ;.-~othc1‘s, not lefs than
1W0 feet in diameter, ofa Cylindric form, were
'made of one uniform piece of horn, which
3being lighter than, is preferred to glafs.
"They are in common ufe, not only 1n their
houfes, but 111 their temples.

The {earns or Joznmgs are rendered inviti-
'ble by an art found out by the Chinefe, Of
.lWhich the follOWing is {aid to be a pretty
cxa’ét defcription. —The horns, chieﬂy thofe
of Iheep and goats; are to be put into water,
.and boiled till they are {011.111 this {fate
'they are to be cut open, and ﬂattened by
’repeated ﬁrokes with a hammer, after
Which they may be eafily feparated into thin
‘Ilaminae 01 plates. To Join two of thefe to-
' gether, the ﬁdes are to be made ﬁraight,
I and both edges chamfered, as jbiners do a,
piece of wood They are then 'to be ex-

pofed '

GPO-CHINA. 215

pefed towhot {learnt and as {0011. as they are
thus rendered foft, the two chamfered or
furrowed edges are to be put in contact, and
pro-ﬂing them clofe with any cOnvenient in:
ﬁrument, theywill be ﬁrmly incorporatew

The Governor now made his appearance
at the hall, accompanied by a civil ma«
giﬂrate. The latter wore upon his brealt a
{quare piece of part) coloured {11k upon. ,
which‘was embroidered a phoenix; ; the Go-
vernor’s had a tygrc wrought upon his,
emblematic of his military functions. Tea
followed an interchange Of compliments,
after which he allerted, that it had long
been the cuﬁom of the Chincfe to navigate
along the coaﬁ: from province to province,
and that that mode, in the prefent inﬁanCe,
mull: be the molt eligible ,---that the Port
ofChu-fan was only an auxilia y port to the
greater one of Ning- poo, and not able to
furnifh fuch pilots as were required. To
this it was anfwered; that as the Engliﬂi
ihips were much larger than the Chinefe,
and Of a different conﬁruftion, they re-

? 4 quired ~

216 EMBASSY

épiféda mode to'be followed diﬂerent'tnom
thel‘tﬁu’fh‘alpraétice ;5 and that as 7' Nixig-‘p‘oo‘
might fupply fuch pilot’s» as could not be met
‘with at‘ Chu— fan, they would immediately
, go thither 1n fearch of them. . ,

1 'The' governor inﬁantly took the alarm.
Their departure for‘Ning-poo, he faid, would
bei'cronftrued by the Emperor as proceeding
from an improper or coo1 reception; and

. that he might. not only be difmiﬂ‘ed' from
' his? ofﬁce; but be diVefted of his honours»;
pointing to'a red globular button in’his bon—
net, betokening the fechd claf’s 'of magiﬁ
t1acy in the empire, of Whleh there are nine; ..
and, {triétly (peaking, no other rank 'or Chg-
nity in the country.

To avert the danger, he undertook to
ﬁnd p1lots capable of taking the fquadron to

the delier place. Orders were inﬁantly '

d1fpatched into t011 n’, commanding all per:
Tons Who had ever been at Tien-ﬁng to‘ re"-
pair forthwith to the hall of audience. Sea
veral came, and underwent examinations;
and

ToucmNA. 211

and at. laﬁ {We were, found who ‘-had 7 often
traded td- that port, ﬁnd-who hid, the {quay
dron might, be carried to a‘rfafe and comma:
dious‘. harbour, unde'rthe iﬂand, of Mi-a-tau,
within a day or two’s fail of Tien-ﬁjng, .

The Governor charged thefe two, mCIi-l to
prepare themfelves inﬁantly to go on board
the Clarence, and to pilot the Englifh {hips
into the harbour he mentioned, ,or.».as near
to Tien—ﬁng as was praﬂicable. It was in
vainythey urged the dii’crefs of their families,
or the lofs oftheir buﬁnefs ;’+ethe Emperor’s
orders, he faid, muf’c be obeyed, and he

couldliﬁen to no remonf’crance.

. The gentlemen now returned- on board
the‘Clarence to make ready for departure;
and‘very: {hortly afterthey had an unexpect-
ed viﬁt from, the Governor, {timulatedg as
much, perhaps, by curioﬁty as civility. The
pilots being now on board, the Clarence got
under way, and the next day rejoined .1116

Lion,

In

21 8 . EMBASSY ’

, In her abfence the Embaﬁ'ador had been
viﬁted by the deputation mentioned at Chu-
fan, and alfo by the vGovernorivof the pro-v
Vince. Both had folicited his Excellency
to partake of entertainments on (bore, which
were declined on excufes ﬁmilar to thofc be-
fore mentioned.

\

CHAPTER VIII.

NAVIGATION THROUGH THE YELLOW SEA.

' EMBASSADOR95 ENTRANCE INTO THE
RIVER LEADING T0 TIEN-SING; PRO-
GRES’S OF THE EMBASSY, ALONG THE
RIVER PEI-HO, TOWARDS THE CAPITAL
OF CHINA. DEPARTURE OF THE SHIPS
FROM THE GULF OF PE-CHEE-LEE.

EFORE the {quadron could arrive at
the gulf of Pekin, they had to fail

through about ten degrees of latitude and
ﬁx

' To CHINA. 219

ﬁx of longitude, and that in a fea in which
no European had hitherto penetrated; ‘Chuh
fan being the utmoft boundary of their nau-Q
tical refearches. The {hips were now under
the guidance of two experienced pilots, well
acquainted with the coaft; and being fur-
nifhed with fcientiﬁc men ready to feize and
note down every ufeful information, it was
no triﬂing advantage accruing to the Ems
hairy to have been the caufe of exploring,
withOut ri'Ik, a tract f0 extcnﬁve and impors-
tant.

The Yellow Sea is bounded by China,
Tartary, and the peninfula of Corea, The
great Wzang—ﬁo, or Yellow River of China,
difembogUes itfelf into this fea; carrying
with it, in its circuition, a vaft quantity of
yellowifh mud, from which circumftance it
derived its name,

The pilot being upon deck, looked with
aﬂonifhment at the manoeuvres of the ihip,
and the alacrity of the feamen in preparing

» her

     
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  

EMBASSY

Her For fea. He had brought with hima
for taking an obfervation. They do, {ome-
times, carry with them tongh drafts of theirx
. intended track," ﬂietched out or engr’aVed
5‘, upbn the back of an empty gourd, its glo-
. balar form correfponding; in fome degree,
,télthe rotundity of the earth.‘ But as the
Chinefe! feas are narrow, andleviery’v‘vhere'
iﬂférfééted with ‘iﬂands; they have lefs’oc‘ca-l
{ion for charts, and thCy depend chieﬂy on
the polarity of the needle. '

1‘ The cornpaf's, hovVeVer,‘ is in'uii‘iverial'hfe
among them.Their‘n1agnetic needles 11132;
feldom made longer than an i11Ch,no;r
thicker than a line, or the thel’fth part of
an inch. They are poifcd f0 nice-bl, Or tick:
11/7121! in the box, as to be inoved by the
ﬁnallef’c change of poﬁtion towards the Welt
or eaft of 1t; but as the perfection of a com-
pafs coniiﬁs 1n the magnetic needle 5 keep-
ing’ iteadily to one ﬁxed portion of the hea—
wens, yVhate1 er motion may be giVen to the
’ ‘ ‘ Containing

   

 

    
    
 

      
   

   
  

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TO CHINA. ‘ 221

containing box, or furrounding object, the
Chinefe have an ingenious method of ac;
cornplifhing this; which, however, cannot
be conﬁdered very intereﬁing to any of our
_ readers. I
O

,The Chinefe compafs—box, as will appear
byithe annexed correct engraving, has, upon
its upper furface, feveral concentric circles,
ofcorrefpondent ﬁzes. The innermoﬁ, and
of courfe the fmalleft, contains eight differ-
ent Chinefe characters, which ftand for the
four cardinal points, eaﬁ, weft, north, and
fouth; and the four bifeéting ones—north~
eal’c, fouth-weft; north—weft, and fouth—eaft.
Thefe eight characters are alfo meant to ex-
prefs as’many equal diviﬁons of the natural
day, each of three hours; and that of the ‘eaﬁ
‘ being placed towards the fun-tiling, the reft,
of courfe, will reprefent, nearly, the poﬁtion
of thefun at the different times of theday.
This diviﬁon of the inmoft circle into eight
equal parts, accords virith the firﬂ: cornpafs,
faid to have appeared in Europe atth'e corn-

 

 

222 EMBASSY

mehcernent of the fourteenth century,
which, for greater accuracy, was afterwards,
and {till remains {ubdivided into thirty two
equal parts or points, each whereof has a
diﬂinguifhing appellation. ‘

The next circle upon the Chinefe coma
pafs has twenty four diviﬁons, with appro-
priate characters denoting a twenty fourth
part of the heavens, and, confequently,a
twenty fourth part of the natural day; each
point containing ﬁfteen degrees, a propora
tionate part of three hundred and ﬁxty, the
number of degrees into which all celeﬁial
circles are divided. ' ‘

' As the Chinefe nation reckons its chros
nelogy by cycles of ﬁxty years, another of
the circles contains the characters which
eatprefs them, i as do the two remaining ones
thofe which explain their doctrines of rny-
thology and philofophy. ‘ -

The ﬂiips being ready, they ﬂood out a
conﬁderable

, 1,5110
1,,"

‘ 5:?

To CHINA. 223

conﬁderable diﬁance from land, having pre-
viouﬂy taken their departure from the iﬂc
of Patchcock, whofe latitude is twenty nine
degrees twenty two minutes north, and
longitude a hundred and twenty degreesﬁfty
two minutes eaf’c. They entered the Yel—
low Sea- on Tuefday the ninth of July, in»
dark, cloudy weather. Vaft quantities of
yellowifh-brown mud were diﬁurbed by the
{hip’s motion through the water, when they
were failing in about ﬁx fathoms, as. appear.
ed in the ihips’ wakes at a conﬁderable dill,
tance.

On the morning. of the tenth of July,
being 1n from thirty to thirty fev en fathoms
water, they difeov ered the iﬂands of Tchint
fan, and Shoo-tong-yeng; which bore about
north-weft by weft, diﬂant nine or ten lea-f
gues. A heavy {well (at from the eaﬁward,
accompanied in the morning, by thick,
hazy weather; in the afternoon-eh}r livht
airs.

' Light

224 .EMBASSY

Light winds and calms in the fore partof
the next day ; foundings at noon thirty {ix
fathoms. Towards evening, abreeze fprang
up from the fouthward. At ﬁve in the
morning, defcried two new iﬂands called,
Pa-tcha-fan, and Te-tchong.

Friday the twelfth of July, the wind, at
the beginning of this nautical day, was at
fouth, fometimes fouth-eaf’t, attended by a
thick fog, which increafed much in the
morning. The foundings from thirty ﬁx,
decreafcd, fuddenly, to feventeen fathoms,
with grey {and at the bottom; a circum-
ftance, the pilot obferved, that indicated
they were then oppoﬁte to the province of
Kiang-nan. Guns were ﬁred, during the
fog, to keep the fquadron together; not-
withﬁanding the Hindoﬁan loﬁ: company.

i Saturday the thirteenth, the weather be-
ing foggy, the lead was caft every hour, the
wind was fouth- eaft. —-—At ﬂiort 1nterv als the

fog cleared up.
. Sunday

 

 

T0 CHINA. 225

Sunday the fOurteenth of July, the wind as‘
yelterday; but the fog was difpelled. Several
junks were obferved this morning ﬁeering
different courfes. Land birds, alfo, made
their appearance ; and {ea weed and bamboo};
were perceived ﬂoating upon the water;
indications of approximating the land. The
Hindoftan, it afterwards appeared, had this
day fallen in with the Endeavour brig, be-
longing to the Eaft India Company, com-
manded by Captain Proétor, on board which
V'elrel was a young man, matter of the Spa-
nifh and Chinefe languages, who meant to
offer himfelf as an additional interpreter to ~

the Embaify.

Monday the ﬁfteenth, alternate foggy and
clear weather; the wind foutherly. The
Hindoftan, in clear intervals, perceived a
{mall conic—formed iﬂand,‘ called by the
Pilot Ka-té-noo; and on the next day, the
craggy promontory of Shan—tung, and a {mall
iﬂand to the fouthward of this—An incon-
ﬁderable current was here obferved to {ct to
the northward. The longitude of this place

Q was

226 EMBASSY

was afcertained to be a hundred and twenty
two degrees forty-ﬁve minutes eai’c, and la-
titude thirty ﬁve degrees ten minutes north.
The courfe which the Lion {teered from this
. place was weft by compafs, till the reached

the latitude of thirty ﬁx degrees twenty mi--

nutes north. Here the foundings leffened
{uddenly from forty to fourteen, and even
twelve fathoms, having a fandy bottom.

On Tuefday the ﬁxteenth, the fame iﬂand
which the Hindof’can defcried in the north-
eaﬂ, appeared at the fame time from the
Lion to the north-wefL—lhe being to-the
eaﬁward of it. ‘

On Wednefday the ’feventeenth of July, .

the whole fduadron again joined company.
Two capes or headlands were this day dif-
covered. Thefe, with the iﬂand juﬁ no-
ticed, lying in the track from the fouth-
ward to the gulf of Pekin, being likely
to be the ﬁrit iﬂands made, their exaél:
ﬁtuations were afcertained, and the follow-

mg

 

 

4 - .n‘zmu.m?.hﬁ§m«;;.\.ﬁ«tmm:xé*magn-19” : t “-4,. ,, V

TO CHINA. ' 227 ‘

ing namesgiven to them by Sir Erafmus
Gowerl

North latitude of Cape Macartncy 36° 54’ _
.Eaft longitude 122° 12’ by fun and moon
- 122 20 by time piece.

North latitude of Cape Gower 36 5 7
Eat’c longitude 122 15 by fun and moon
- 122 23 by time piece.

North latitude of Staunton’s Iﬂ'and 36 47
Ealt longitude 122 g by fun and moon

- 122 17 by timepiece.

There was an inlet within Cape Macart-

ney, where feveral {mall craft were f‘een ly- _
ing at- anchor. This cape may be eaﬁly‘

known, if it is brought to bear north- north—
ealt to nbrth- welt, by a ﬁngular appearance
of {1x pointed peaks.

A reef of rocks ran out from a neck of

land near Cape Gower, which appeared to
Q 2 have

/

228 EMBASSY

have a compaét harbour. The entrance to
it was between the Cape, and the reef juﬂ:
mentioned. A conﬁderable number of vef-
fels were dcfcried within the harbour, and a
pretty large town behind it.

Thurfday the eighteenth, eafterly wind
With fogs. Another {pacious harbour was
perceived this afternoon, full ofjunks. The
following day was buy; the wind from
eaft-fouth-ealt to north; but a thick fog
coming on about midnight, the fhips lay to.
On Clearing, up the next morning, they found
themfelves clofe to a {mall rocky iﬂand.
From hence the fquadron made Tail along
the coaft in various directions, till they got
into the bay of Ki-fan-feu. The harbour of
Mi—a-tau was in an iﬂand, diﬁant ﬁfteen
leagues farther to the weitward, though the
latitude differs but a few miles only to the
northward.

The bay of Ki-fan-feu is very. fpacious,
extending about ten miles from eaﬁ to weft,
and nearly the fame diﬁance from north to

fouth.

To CHINA. 229

fouth. It is lheltered from every wind ex-
cept from eaﬁ-north-eaﬂ: to eal’c-fouth—eaﬁ,
the direction 70f the entrance into it.—The‘re
are two harbours within this bay; one at the
back of a high bluﬁ“ point, called Zeu-a-tau;
the other, on the fouth-eaft ﬁde of the bay,
on a projecting ﬂip ofland, by the mouth

of a river, called Ya-ma-téo.

The fquadron remained one day in this
bay, having procured new pilots;—but on
Sunday the twenty—ﬁrﬂt of July, they made
fail through the paﬂ‘age between Cape Zeu-
a-tau and the iﬂand, keeping rather clofer‘
to the former than the latter.——-Thcre was a
bay, a little to the weﬁward of the moftr
northerly point of Zeu-a-tau, in which fe—
veral' vaTels were feen to enter. This has
been laid down by fome mifﬁonarics as a
fafe'and convenient ‘harbouré—After clear- '
ing the eaf’c point, they ﬁeercd a cou‘rfe from
north to north-weft, keeping the coaﬂ:
pretty Well on board. On the evening they
hauled rOund a projecting head-land, Which,

Q 3 ‘ I with

23o EMBASSY

with a bluff point due weft from V this,
ldiﬁant about eight miles, form the entrance
of Ten-schoo-foo bay, in which the fquadron

anchored in {even fathomls water.

The anchorage being foul, by! reafon of
{bells and hard ground, the Clarence was im-
mediately ordered to proceed to Mi-a—tau to
examine its harbour. In the interim, an of-
ﬁcer was fent to the Governor of Ten-choo-
foo, to notify the arrival and purport of the
{quadron ; who, when he heard theEmbalTa-
dor was on board the Lion,inftantly fent oﬂ“ a
prefentof frefh proviﬁons, and fome fruit, and
went afterwards in perfon to compliment his
Excellency. The GOVernor had anumerous
train Of attendants,~ one of whom difplayed,
on the-quarter-deck, an inﬁance of the moﬂ"
abject fervility, to the great furprize of the
Engliﬂi fpcétators. He had occaﬁon to com—
municate fomething. to the Governor as he
paired along the deck, and he inﬁantly ‘
threw himfclf upon his knees, and remained
in that degrading potture all the time he was

‘ talking

 

T0 CHINA. 2'3'1

talking with him. The Governor’s countes-
nance was not the leaﬂ: moved, and it was
eafy to perceive, that it was the ufual man-
ner in which he was accofted.

The Governor did not fail to invite the
Embaﬂador and his fuite, in the molt preﬂl
ing manner, to entertainments and plays on
ﬂIOI‘C.- He wifhed for an opportunity of
Ihewing his Excellency, on a ﬁnall feale,
what a magniﬁcent reception was preparing
for him by his Sovereign againﬁ his arrival
at the court of Pekin.

To a nation like the Chinefe, among
Whom fubordination in the various ranks
and degrees of fociety is obferved With un—
remitting ﬂriétneIs;——who look up to the
throne with the profoundei’c veneration, and
whofe minds were about to be impreﬂ‘ed,
from the imperious example of their Sove—
reign, with the higheft degree of conﬁdera—
tion for the Engliﬂa nation, heretofore held,
if not in contempt, at leaft in difeﬂeem, it
was a matter of the highef’c importance, that

Q 4 the

232 EMBASSY

the individuals who compofed the Embaﬂy,
{hould adopt fueh a ”cautious and circum-
fpeé’tive conduct as fhould avoid giving of-
fence where it was {0 eaﬁly taken; and alfo
endeavour to root out their prejudices, and
coneiliate their eﬁeem, by examples of civi-
lity, courtefy, and moral rectitude.

As the fquadron was now pretty far ad-
vanced in the Yellow Sea, and likely foon to
arrive at its place. of deftination, his Excel-
lency judged it expedient to caufe a paper to
be difperfed throughout the ﬂeet, tending to
put thofe perfons, who compofed the Em-
baﬂy, on their guard with refpeét to their
general demeanor. This paper, which was
publicly read to the crews and pailengers of
each fhip, purported, that the fuccefs of the
Embaﬂy depended on gaining the good-will
of the Cliinefe ; that this might alfo de—
pend on the ideas entertained by them of
the difpoﬁ‘tion and conduit of the Engliih
nation, now to- be judged of by their beha-
viour ; that the unfavourable impreﬂions

retained

To CHINA. 233

retained by the Chinefe againft theEnglifh
for irregularities heretofore committed at
Canton, ﬁamping them as the worf’t of
’Europeans, could only beeffaced by a con-
dué’t diametrically oppoﬁte ; and fuch a cdn-
duét only was likely to eradicate that fettled
enmity ; that the meaneﬁ: of the Chinefe
were fupported by their fuperiors in all their ’
differences with foreigners ; , and, if necef—
fary, were ready to avenge his blood, of
which a fatal inﬁance had happened, not
long ﬁnce, to an Englifhman, who molt in-
nocently, and very unintentionally, deprived
a Chinefe of life; he therefore recommend-
ed particular caution and mildnefs 1n eVery
intercourfe or accidental meeting With, the
pooreﬁ individual of the country.

His Excellency, who was convinced there
was no neceﬂity for recommending to Sir
Erafmus Gower to .make.fuch regulations,
as, prudence might dictate on the occaﬁon,
for the 'perfons under..his immediate com-
mand, nor to CaptainlMacintofh for the of-

ﬁcers

234 EMBASSY“

ﬁcers and [crew of the Hindoﬂan, truf’ced
1 alfo that the propriety and expediency of
maintaining the credit of the Engliﬂi name
would 'fecure their voluntary obedience ;
and that the fame incentives would produce
ﬁmilar effects on every wperfon cOncerned in

I the Embaﬂy.

His Excellency declared, that as he ﬂiould
be prompt to encourage and report the good ’
conduct of thofe who merited commenda-
tion, {0 he fhould be equally ready, in cafe,
of mifconduét, to report with equal exacti;
tude, and to fuf pend or difmifs the violators ;‘
and that, ihould injury be offered or done
to a Chinefe, or a mifdemeanor of any kind
be committed, puniﬂrable by the laws of
China, they were not to expect him to
interfere with a View of mitigating or ward-
ing of? their’feverity.

His Excellency had a ﬁrm reliance on
Lieutenant—Colonel Benfon, Commandant

of his guard, that he would ﬁrié’tly watch-
over

T0 CHINA. 235

over the conduét of that body; that he
would caufe them to be exercifed in all
military evolutions, and fuffernone to be
abfent without fpvecial leave, and in urgent
cafes. His Excellency prayed, in the melt
earneit manner, that no perfon whatever
belonging to the ﬂiips might be permitted,
eand he ftriétly enjoined that his fuite, his
guard, and. mechanics, {hould not prefume
'to offer for fale, or propofe to purchafe the
fmalleft article of merchandize, as the leaft
appearance of trafﬁc would compromife the
dignity and importance of the Embaily.

His Excellency took occaﬁon farther to
obferve, that however impelled by a fenfe
of duty to promote the objects of his mif-
ﬁon, and to infpect into the conduct, and
puniih the crimes of thofc whofe improper
behaviour, or difobedicncc of orders, {hould
either endanger or retard the fuccefs of the
Embaﬂy, or tarnifh the‘ credit of the En—
glifh character; he ﬁlould 0n the other
hand, be. always happy to be able to report

and

236 EMBASSY

and reward the merit, as well as to advance
, the intereft and gratify the wiihes of every
perfOn, as far as was compatible with the
honour and welfare of the public.

It may be pleafant to the reader to be in-
formed, that this paper produced the deﬁred
efeét on the perfons to whom it was ad-
dreffed. Their conduét was meritorious
and exemplary, and met with {the approba-
tion of the Embaﬂador, of which his Excel-
lency made a favourable report. It was fuch
as was alfo highly extolled by a Mandarine
of rank, who conﬁantly accompanied the
Embafry, and who declared, that an equal
number of Chinefe taken from the different
ranks of fociety, would not have behaved
themfelves in a more orderly or decorous
manner. . '

‘ The next objeé’t of impOrtance was, to
know whether the {quadron could be fafely
iheltered in the harbour of Mi-a—tau. The
ofﬁcer who had been thither in the Cla-
rence to reconnoitre, foon after returned,

and

To CHINA. 237

and reported that that harbour did- not" af-
ford them a fecure retreat, on account of a
dangerous reef of rocks that layoff the call:-
end of the eaﬁernmoﬁ of the Mi—a-tau
iﬂands, called Chan-fan, which could not
be approached by the fquadron nearer than
where there were nine fathoms water. The
Clarence, however, anchored in {even fa-
thoms, in clayey ground, within a mile of
the 1’hore.———The iﬂand was three miles long,
and nearly as many broad ; and was popu-
lous and well cultivated.

From this report it was determined, by
Sir Erafmus Gower, to fend an ofﬁcer, pre-,
vious to the fquadron’s failing to the gulf of
Pekin, to furvey the mouth of the river
which fell into it from Tien-ﬁng, that its
fafety might be afcertained. The Jackall
was no fooner difpatched for this purpofe,
than a new pilotwas recommended, well
acquainted with the fpotdn qucﬁion. He
did not heﬁtate to afﬁrm‘ there was a com-
modious harbour within ﬁx miles of the

Pei-ho,

l

238 ' EMBASSY *

Pei-ho, or White River, ﬂowing from Tim-

ﬁng, with water deep enough for the largeft

veffels ; and 'he drew a {ketch of the place.
As this man appeared to be more ﬂiilful- in
nautical affairs than the other pilot's, much
conﬁdence was placed in him, and it was
refolved to enter the gulf without farther
delay. '

The fquadron got under way in the af-
ternoon of the twenty third’of July, keep—

ing the Mi-a-tau iﬂands on the right. The

weather moderate and clear ; and the Wind
eaﬁerly. Soundings through the day from
ﬁfteen to nine fathoms.

Wednefday the twenty fourth, the wind
fouth—eaﬁ with moderate breezes and clear
weather. Early in the morning the found—
ings decreafed from fourteen to nine fa-
thoms; and afterwards to ﬁx and a half
fathoms. The Clarence, which had been
Tent a head, ﬁred feveral muﬂiets as ﬁgnals
of danger. The ﬂlips wore, and ﬂood of}.

to eaﬁ-fouth-eaft. _
Thurfday

To CHINA. 239

Thurfday the twenty ﬁfth, light breezes
from the fouth and fouth-weﬁz, with clear
weather. Standing a little to the fouth-
ward of weft, under eafy fail, the water
ﬂaoaled from ﬁfteen to {even fathoms. At
midnight, having ﬁeered towards the well,
the Clarence made the ﬁgnal of danger;
the ﬂ'llPS hauled their wind to the fouth-
calf, and the Lion foon got into from ﬁx,
to ten fathoms.

In the morning of Friday the twent}r ﬁxth
of July, violent ﬂowers of rain, and in the
evening tremendous claps of thunder, with
continuous vivid ﬁafhes of lightning—The
Jackall ’was difcovered returning from the
weﬁward,environed with numerous 'Chinefe
junks; and from Lieutenant, now Captain,
Campbell’s report, who had been fent to
explore, it appeared that no fecure harbour

was to be found on the fhores of the river
Pei-ho.

The Jackall, in going up the river, was
hailed by fome Chinefe foldiers in a boat,
who

24o EMBASSY

who deﬁred her to caft anchor. Soon after
a Mandarine, with feveral attendants, came
on board; and being allured {he belonged,
to the Embaﬂy, inquired after the Embaf-
fador, and what prefents he had brought for
his Imperial Majefty. When he had ob-
tained all the information he could as to
the numberand ﬁze of the Ihips, and how
many guns they carried, he clofedhis inter-v
rogatories by declaring, that the Emperor had
given fpecial orders for the reception and ac-
commodation of the Embally, and that he
would provide whatever might be wanted.
In the mean time the gentlemen of the
Jackall accepted an invitation; and were
hofpitably entertained on fhore; but {trié’cly‘
re—examined on the 'former points.—-—The
Mandarine alfo inquired refpeéting the mer-
chandize brought for {ale at Pekin, and of~
fered to get them depoﬁted in the four
chriitian churches. Trade and an Englifh-
man were, in the mind of iaChinefe, f0
aﬂbciated, that nothing could exceed his
fur-prize on being told that they had no

goods for falc, that the perfons of the Em-
baﬂy

TO CHINA. 241

1321ny were not merchants; and that men cf
war never carried out, nor dealt in, any kind
of merchandize.

The Mandarines being informed that the
{hips were too large to crofs the ‘ bar, gave
orders for a fuﬂ'icient number of junks to
be got ready to bring the prefents, and paf—
fengers, and baggage, on ihore. An exten—
ﬁve building, near the river’s mouth, had
been prepared for the Embaﬂ'ador’s recep-
tion, fuppoﬁng he would have remained
there fome days to recover himfelf from fa-
tigue; and his Excellency had the choice of
travelling to Pekin in a {edan chair, in a
two-wheeled carriage, or in a commodious
veﬂ'el by water.

Soon after the J ackall’s return, a prodi-
gious quantity of live-ﬂock, fruit and vege-
tables were brought to the fquadron in
junks; and not being able to {tow away the
whole, the furplus was neceirarily returned.
The following is a lift of the articles.—-»
Twenty bullocks, a hundred and twenty

R fheep,

242 EMBASSY

iheep, a hundred and twenty hogs, a huh:
dred fowls, a hundred ducks, a hundred and
ﬁxty bags of ﬂour, fourteen cheﬂts of bread,
a hundred and ﬁxty bags of common rice, ten
chcﬁs of red rice, ten chefts of white rice, ten
chef’cs offmall rice, ten chef’cs of tea, twenty
two boxes of dried peaches, twenty twoboxes
of fruit preferved with fugar, twenty two
cheits of plums and apples, twenty two boxes
of ochrus, twenty two boxes of other vege-
tables, forty bafkets of large cucumbers, a
thoufand fquaﬂies, forty bundles of lettuce,
twenty meafures of peafe in pods, a thou-
{and water rnelons, three thoufand muﬂc
melons, beﬁdes a few Jars of fweet wine and
fpirituous liquors, together with ten chei’cs
of candles, and three baﬂcets of porcelain.
Not only here, but alfo at Turon bay,
Chu—fan, and Ten- choo-foo, the fquadron
experienced the fame hofpitality; and they
were gratuitouﬂy fupplied without having
been previouﬂy demanded.

Two Mandarines of rank, one in the ci-
Vi}, the other in the military department,
numerouﬂy

{r0 CHINA. 243

mimerouﬂy attended, came to the Lion tb‘
c0ngra’tulate the Embaﬂ'ador in the Empe—
ror’s name, and in their own, on his fafe
arrival, after {0 long and perilous a naviga-
tion ; and informed him— they were ordered
by their fovereign to accompany him to
court. The civil Mandarin, whofe family
name was Chow, had the title of Ta-z/zz'n,
or great man annexed to it. He bore the ho-
.norary diﬂiné’cion of a blue globe placed

upon his bonnet.

The name of the military Mandarine,
who had a brave, open countenance, was
Vzm; but he, too, had the addition of Tas-
zhin, or great" man. ‘His valour had been
confpicuous in battle; he had received many
WOUnds, and was not Only honoured with
the red globe upon his bonnet, but had alfo
fuperadded a peacock’s feather, taken from
the tail. He was cvelebrious for his ﬂ<ill in
archery, the bow and arrow being {till in
ufe there, and generally preferred to fire-
arms. Thefe gentlemen were received on

R 2 4 i ' board

944 EMBASSY

board the Lion with every mark of attenu-
tion and refpeét. A third perfon of high
rank, of a Tartar race, had alfo been ap-
pointed by the Emperor as a principal le-
gate, to attend the Embaﬂ'ador; but being
very timid of the far, waited to receive his
Excellency on ﬂrorer

Between the highel’c Mandarine or prime
miniiter, and the loweﬁ: conﬁable, there
are nine claﬂes, all veiled with different de-
grees of authority. Each clafs is diﬁin-
guiihed by a drefs peculiar to itfelf, aswell
as by the colour and materials of the-{mall
globe or ball worn upon the bonnet. Thus
it is that they maybe known by ﬁrangers,
and are pointed out to the people; by which
a proper refpeét is always paid to their per-
fons, and due obedience to, their refpeétiire
orders.-—Mandarines, it is alfo faid, have a
a guard of infantry and cavalry always at
command. Theft: “guards reﬁde in tents
pitched around the, m‘anﬁons of their maf-
, ters.

Inquiry

TO CHINA. ‘ 245- ‘

Inquiry was made by the two Manda—
rines, whether the letter brought by the
Embaflador for the Emperor was rendered
into. Chinefe, and what were its contents,
in order that they might be able to tranfmit
to Pekin every poﬂible information relative
to the Embaﬂ'yr'eAs this quei’cion was not
urged on the authority of the court, the an-
fwer given was, that the original, with its
tranﬂation, were locked up together in a
gold box, to be delivered into the hands of
the Emperor.

But with regard to the prefents, after
which they fedulouﬂy inquired, they Were
formally inﬂruéted to demand ailiﬁ: of them,
to beforwarded to the Emperor. An ordi-
nary catalogue could neither point out their
qualities, nor their worth; V nor be compre-
hended by any ,tranﬂationr-They were,
therefore, defcribed, by‘ circumlocution, in

all the pornp of oriental ﬂyle, '

I The prefe’nts'conﬁﬂed of an orrery, a re-
ﬂeéting telefeope, a celeﬁial and a terreﬁrial
, R 3 globe,

246 EMBASSY -

globe, feveral chronometers or'tirne pieces,
an air pump, a‘machine exhibiting the me-
chanic powers, ﬁve pieces of brafsordnance,
mufkcts, piﬁols, fword blades, a compleat
, model of a ﬁrit rate man of war of a hundred
and ten guns, ornamented vafcs, various
kinds of earthen ware, a large burning glafs,
a pair of magniﬁcent glafs luftres, fpecimens'
of the productions of the manufactures of
Great Britain in wool, cotton, ﬁeel, and:
other metals, reprefentatiOns of feveral ci~
ties, towns, churches, feats, gardens, caf-
tles, bridges, lakes, volcauos, and antiqui-
ties, of battles by {ea and land, dock-yards
or places for building ﬂlips, horfe-races, bull-
ﬁghting, and of moi’c‘ other objects curious
or remarkable in the dominions of his Bria
tannic Majeﬂy, and other parts of Europe ;
alfo of fome of the mof’c eminent perfons,
including the royal family of Great Britain ;
the reprefeintations themfelves being monu-
ments of the artsby which they are made
in their prefent advanced Rate.

The defcription at large, as it appears in-
the

To CHINA. - 247

the original work, was tranﬂated into Chi-
nefe, and done into Latin by Mr. Hiitner,
tutor to Matter Staunton; as had alfo been
his Majefty’s letter to the Emperor, for the
purpofe of giving the miﬂionaries an oppor—
tunity of COrreéting any m’iﬁake which might
have been cemmitted in the/,Chinefe tran‘f—
lation,—-which‘, however, was underftood
fuﬂ‘iciently by the two Mandarines to excite
their admiration of its contentsr-O'rders
were given to prepare a number of junks to
convey the Whole acrofs the bar, after which
they were to be tranihipped into different
veﬁ'els, better’ adapted for the naVigation of
the river; other junks were provided to con-
vey the perfons and baggage of the Embaﬂ'y-
from the ﬂlips to the river, Where proper
veﬂ'els Were alfo ready to receive them.

The {ea junks, which, attended the {hips
were to the number of thirty, each about
\two hundred tons burden. The hold, by
mean of partitions, is divided into twelve
compartments. The compoﬁtion ufed for

caulking the {cams is made of lime and oil,
' R 4 with

248 ' EMBASSY

with fome-fcrapings of bamboo—It is. very.
glutinous, foon acquires folidity, is not com;
buﬂiblc, and is impenetrable to water.

The weather was exceedingly favourable
for tranfhipping the prefents and baggage (;
for though done in the open fea, they did
not fuﬁain the leaf: damage. The ftormy
feafon, however, was approaching fail, and
fomething was to be refolved on to provide.
for the fafety of the fquadron, their prefent
ﬁtuation being ineligible. With refpeét to
the Hindoﬁan, it was thought deﬁrable in
her way home to touch at Chu-fan, pro-
vided leave could be obtained at Pckin for
that purpofe, which it was intended Cap-
tain Macintofh, by accompanying the Em-
baffador, fhould folicit in perfon. He could
not only procure there teas and ﬁlks on bet-
ter terms than at Canton, but on his way
to rejoin his' hip, he might have an oppor-
tunity, of obferving the mode. of fabricating
the articles he ufually carried from China,
of which the Eai’c ”India Company Was anxi-
ous to gain information. His Excellency

recomw

TO CHINA. ' 249

recommended’xSir Erafmus Gower to pre‘o
pare to conduct the fquadron, either to the
Bay of Ki—‘fan—feu, or tothat ofI‘Chu-fan;
where proper convenienci‘es might be pro-
cured'for the ﬁck, and refreﬂl‘mehts' for the
crews; but truﬁed that thenec‘eﬁary .fup- ‘
ply of. proviﬁons would be paid for, and'that I
no prefents would be allowed to come on
board ' for individuals.

While thefe preparations were ‘making,
under orders from the commander to his ‘
ofﬁcers, his Excellency wifhed to'have the
fatisfaﬂion of his company to Pekinr ' Que
of the brigs was to remain in the river Pei-
ho to take him to the Lion, after. which his
Excellency requeﬁed that Sir Erafmus
Would quit the coaﬁ: of China, and not to
reviﬁt it till the enfuing month of May; the
interval of which was ﬁlled up with gene-
ral .inﬁruétions of what ports heuwas to
touch at, 'obferving to be at Macao, toxm‘eet
the Embailador in the beginningOf‘the fol;-
lowing May.: : ,1 . ,_ .1. . if,

25-0 EMBASSY

Sir Eraﬁnus Gower begged to decline the
propofal of going to Pekin, deeming his pre-
fence with the fquadron indifpenfably necef-
ferry—He {hould return to one of the bays
mentioned, and after the health of the
crews were re-eﬁabliﬂied, proceed to ac—
compliﬂl the objefts contained in the in-
ﬁruétions, for the public advantage. The
Mandarines having been applied to, procured i,
from the Viceroy letters to enfure good
treatment for the Liam—The Embaﬁador
and his fuite were now preparing to quit her,

on whofe departure the crew cheerfully , ,

obeyed the orders of their commander, to
man the yards as a token of el’ceem; loud
cheers were given, and a general falute from
the {hips ﬁred, which was a novel fpeétacle
to the gaping Chinefe.

It was on ‘Monday the ﬁfth of Auguf’c,

1 793, 'that the Embaflador, and the gentle-
men belonging to the Embally, embarked on
board the Clarence, Jackall, and Endeavour
brigs for the Pei-ho river ; the 'fervants,
. ., guards,

T0 CHINA». 25L ,

guards, muﬁeians, and other attendants,
went with the baggage and prefents in the
junkSH—eThe wind being favourable, they
croflbdvthe bar in a few hours, and in the
afternoon came to, for a {hort time, on the
fouthern bank of the river, oppoﬁte a {mall
village 'called‘ Tung-coo, which being a
military poft, the troops were drawn up
as a mark of refpeét to his Excellency.
From this place the veﬂ'els were dragged or,
trailed along, by men upon the rivers’
banks, to another Village named See-eoo,---
and thence to a town called Ta-coo, where
a great number of yachts and, other boats
were lying ready for the accommodation of

the Embaily.

As the learned author of the Embaﬂy to
China has not thought proper to give a de-
{cription of the Naval Proaﬂon on this ex—
traordinary occaﬁon, our readers may not be
difpleafed at our having fupplied this deﬁ-
Ciency, which we underﬁand was as follows :

1777/3: ‘

3.5.2

EMBASSY

Fig/Z, The grand Mandarine and his

Yacht, No.1.

2.

03

fuite in ﬁve large covered
barges ;-——-afterwards 1n
His Excellency the Earl of
Macartney.
Sir George Staunton, Bart.
Secretary, and Mr. Staun~

ton, Page of the Embaﬂy.

. Mr. Plumb, the Chinefe In-

terpreter.
Lieut. ‘Col. Benfon, Lieut.
Parifh, and Lieut. Crewe.

. Capt. Macintolh of the Hinr
V doftan, Mr. Maxwell, Se?

Cretary t0 the Embaﬂadbh
Dr. Gillan, Phyﬁcian, and
Mr. Hiitner, Preceptor to
Mafter Staunton.

. Mr. Barrow, Mathematician,

Comptroller of the Houfe:
hold,&c.‘Mr.Winder,Joint
secretary 0f the . Embalfa-
I dor, and _Mr. Baring, {on

I Vof Sir Francis Baring.

Yacht,

To e'n'INA. 55:5

Yacht, No. 7. Dr. Seott, Surgeon to the
Embaﬁ'y, Dr. Dinwiddie,
‘ PrOfeﬂbr of Aﬁronomy,&c.
iMr. Hickey, Portrait Painter.
and Mr. Alexander, Draftf-
man. 5
Lq/ily, Five other large junks which
contained the mechanics,
foldiers, and fervants, clofed
the proceﬂion.

The yacht prepared for the reception of
the EmbalTador, into which he entered on
their arriV al of? Ta- -c'oo, was fpacious, richly
ornamented, and contained a greater num-
ber of glafs panes than the other yachts;
Whofe windows, inftead of being glazed,
were ﬁlled up with a tranfparent kind of
paper, fabricated in COrea from cotton, and
is not eaﬁly affected by rain or any other
weather. His Excellency s apartment com~
prifed moft of the veﬂ'el, and conﬁﬁed of an
anti—chamber, a falcon, atbed-chamber, and
a clofet. The faloOn was'furnifhed with a
fquare fopha, or ﬂat of honour, fuch as are

' ’ met

25.4 EMBASSY

met'with in the manfions of the chief Man.»
darines, which they always occupy on giving
audiences-On each ﬁde of the yacht, from.
head to item, was conﬁrué’ted a gangway,
projeéting two. feet beyond the gunwale.
Upon this the crew manoeuvred the veffel ;
and by it the domeﬁics were prevented
from paﬂing through the principal rooms.
-——The cabin allotted for the crew was next
the item, in a corner of which was a {mall
altar, with an idol upon it, and around it
perfumed matches were kept conﬁantly
burning.

_ .Beﬁdcs the Embaﬂador’s, there were fix-z
teen other yachts in the proceﬂion, indepen‘
dent of lighters for conveying the prefents
andluggage ; and the junks for the accorn-e
modation of Mandarines of various ranks, as
wellias other Chinefe, ordered to attend on
the occaﬁon, were equal in number to thofe
which compofed the Embaﬂ'yg—Many of
the yachts were eighty feet long; and not—
withltanding they were encumbered with
upper—works, drew only eighteen inches

water. /

'ro CHINA. 255

water. The cabins in them were loftyand
airy; aboVC them were berths for the crew ;
beneath—lockers for ftowage. Some had
coloured curtains-on the outﬁde, reaching
from item to item, to keep out the fun, and
{butters to ward oﬂ~ the rain. ———Some of
thefe boats, in which were feveral cooks,
contained proviﬁon’s for the Embaﬂador’s
v table, to preCIude the neceﬁity of going on
lhore, or prevent procraﬁination whenever
the wind and tide were favourable for their

paifage.

Every magniﬁcence was difplay ed out of
compliment to the Embafry. A conﬁderable
guard had been appointed to attend the Em-
bailador on fhore, but the yachts could each
only take in a {mall number. One ofthefc
always accompanied an European on fhore ,
his prefencehwhile it claimed for the {tran—
ger government protection, might alfo have

been» intended as a fpy upon his actions.

The tranihipping of the luggage, of.
which there were ﬁx hundred packages,
()CCUPlCJ

25G EMBASSY

:r ‘

occupied nearly three days. While this
was doing, the chief direétors of the route,
Chow-ta-zhin and Van-ta-zhin, made or»
caﬁonal complimentary viﬁts to the Embaf-
fad‘or, as well as, to fee that he was properly
accommodated. Their politenefs extended
to the principal gentlemen of the EmbalTy,
Who were likewifc honoured with viﬁts of
civility. The inferior Mandarines were/not
lcfs attentive to the accommodation and
comfort of the paﬂengers belonging to the
Embaﬂ‘y, and even the Chinefe foldiers and
failors evinced a difpoﬁtion to pleafe beyond
the ordinary line of duty.

The gentlemen in each yacht were ferved,_
after the manner of the eaﬂ, with a feparate
table, in which faint attempts were made to
imitate Engliﬂi cookery. Stewing, how-
ever, was their molt ufual method of pre-
paring animal food, of which beef and pork
were the moft plentiful. The meat was
cut into {mall fquare pieces; vegetables of,
various kinds were mixed with it, and, fea-
foned and ferved up with piquant favoury

fauces.

To CHiNA. 257

fauCes. They had abundance of the Com:-
inOn foWls of Europe; but the greateﬁ: de—
licac'y, and molt coﬁly article of the table,
was the fwallow’s neft, deferibed. in page
139, and 'the ﬁns of fharks. Both thefe
yielded abundance of rich nutritious juices,
but, like the turtle, were neceiT‘arily drefred
with {trong fpices to render them zeftful.

' Roaiting, it appeared, was very little prac-
tifed in China; inthis mode of Cookingoil was
made ufe of, which not only gave a high glofs,
like varniﬂi, to the meat, but proved lingu—
larly unpleafant to the palate. ——The Man-
darines, however,~ imagining malt-meat
would be acceptable, gave orders to their
cooks to prepare fome in this way ; and
pigs, turkeys, and geefe were brought Whole
upon the table.

Baking was as feldofn put in pra‘étice as
roafting ; indeed, not a proper oven was per&
eeived 'in this part of the country. Boiled
rice isgenerally ufed at meals as bread. Its
expanﬁon in boiling facilitates its digeﬁion,

S and

258 EMBASSY

and renders it as wholefome as fermented
dough ; but though they do not bate, they
ﬂmm bread ; and it is done in the following
manner:

Wheaten ﬂour, mixed with water, is made
into cakes ; . thefe are put upon latticed
' fh‘elves, ﬁxed Within a frame of wood, of a
convenient ﬁze, Open only at the bottom :
This frame is then. placed over a veilel of
boiling water, the {team of which, rafcend-
ing through the lattice—work, caufes the
cakes to rife or {well to the ﬁze of a com-
mon orange, leaving a thin, foftiﬂi cruft over
the whole furface. In this {tate they are
eaten by the Chinefe ;\ but when ﬂiced and
toaﬁed, they were a tolerable fubftitute for
hard—baked bread.-—Some of thefe cakes
were rendered very palatable by the admix-
ture of aromatic feeds-*"I‘heir ﬂour is ob:-
tained moftly from buck-wheat, whi-chjas
‘well as the other fpecies) is cultivated in
many provinces of China—It is perfectly
white when feparated from the bran,

Jars

so cﬁJNA. ' 259

Jars of: wine, or rather of vinous liquor,
Were diftributed among all the yachts ; but
it was generally diﬂiked. 'It Was of a yel-
lowifh‘ colour, by no means pellucid, and of
an acefcent quality. The Chinefe feemed
to have been better acquainted With the art
of diﬁillation; for the fpirit {upplied was
'very palatable. Its’ftrength exceeded the
common” proof; it was perfectly clear or tran-'
fparent, and void of empy‘r‘eumatic odour.
This fpirit, in the fouthern provinces, was
diﬁilled from rice; in the northern—from
millet, and was called by the Chinefe ﬂow-

choo, 01" [wt wine.

Fruits of various kinds, fuch as, peaches,
plums,apples,pears, grapes, oranges and apriﬁ

Cots, were regularly fupplied ; and, as might

be expected, green and bohea tea in abund-
ance. Its'tafte, however, was not relifhed {0
well as the London tea, owiﬁg, perhaps, to its
having been recently gathered—Their green
tea was imported, chieﬂy, from the province
of Kiang-nan, and the bohea from that of
Fo-chien. The Chinefe, in general, ufe no»

' S 2 fugar

'r‘ﬁ’i’ﬁ ,

 

 

 

260 EMBASSY

fugar in their tea; and even tea among the
lower 'clafs appeared to be a luxuryy—e
Loaf fugar was unknown here, nor did they,
import the cryltallized‘ fugar‘ of ,Cochin;

china; but the proyince of Fo—chien {up-

plied them with brown fugar and fugar-y

, candy.

An interchange of Viﬁts took place be-

! , .
tween the Embaﬁ‘ador and the» Viceroy of
6;, the province, as venerablein years .as re»

ﬁned in manners. He was of the higheft
rank yet feen in the country, and by com-

mand of the Emperor, had come a hundred
miles, from his ufual reﬁdenee, to congratu-
late his Excellency on his arrival into-the -

territories of China, and to fuperintend -the
purveﬁance of every thing that could res
dound to the honour of the one, or the
comfort of the other 4—-—In this Viﬁt the con-
ﬁraint of cafterggsforms, efpecially on the
introduction ot tea, was difpenfed with,
and his Excellency was received with a ae—
gree of cafe, attention and politenefs, feldom
furpaffed in the more poliihed courts of

Europe.

 

sum-i i

 

 

/) ' ,
H/A’Wu/zr 04/] 0“ .éuA/rulonr A .

W“

 

1V,

1M.- yﬁlysz», 7-9;, [yIZJ'IDckM,Wy. ' *

   

T0 CHINA. 261:

Europei-é—Tea was handed in cups with
covers, and oblong faucets, without either
cream or fugar ; each cup was infufed fepa-
rately, and the leaves were left at the bot-’
tom of the cup.——A ﬂiort time after the

Embaffador’s return to his yacht, he re?

ceived, very unexpectedly, from the Viceroy,
a fplendid repaﬂ, conﬁf’ting of twenty-four

difhes; and three others, not lcfs expenﬁve,

and'of equal covers, were alfo lent to the

three gentlemen who accompanied his Ex-
cellency on the viﬁt.

The Viceroy reﬁded at the principal

temple of Ta-coo, confecrated to the god of‘
the fea, under the name of Toong-hai-‘vmmg,
("Jr-king of the eaﬁern fea. A reprefenta-
tion of a Chinefe Neptune is given in the
annexed plate. In the right hand he holds
a dolphin, fhewing his power over the inha-
bitants of the ocean, and in the other a
magnet, confcious of his fecurity. His agi-
tated locks, and difordered beard, ﬂoWing
in every direction, feem to perfonify that
perturbed element.

S3 On

 

262 EMBASSY

On the morning go? the ninth of Aug-nit,
every neceﬂ‘ary arrangement having taken
place, and his\ Excellency’s wifh being

known, the ﬁgnal was made for failing. ,

This ﬁgnal, always ufed upon the water, is
not made with guns, but with an ‘inftru—
ment called in Chinefe Zoo, and-by Euro-
peans in China, gang. .It conﬁﬁs of circu-
lar rimmed plates of copper, in which there
is mixed a certain portion of tin, 0r fpelter,
to make it fonorous. Thefe being {truck
with a wooden mallet, covered with leather,
emit 3. found \which may be heard at two
or three miles’ diﬁance. Authoritative n0-
tice, on fhore, efpecially among troops, is
made, not by drums, but by ﬁriking two
pieces of hollow bamboo together. The
drum is no (martial inﬁrument, being ufed
only in their temples. i

'The mean'drous courfe of the river, which
rendered a wind that was fair 'on" one ﬁretch,
foul on another, retarded the progrefs of the
Embany, but afforded a favourable oppor-
tunity of Viewing its banks and circumjacent

places.

 

;
a

TO CHINA. 263

places.~ Each ﬁde was adorned with plea-
fant Villas and delightful gardens, and the
ﬁelds were in the highelt ftate of cultiva-
tion; many of them covered with Barbadoes
millet, holcusforg/zum, the talleﬂ: of the ve-
getable tribe, growing to the height of ten; V
or twelve feet, and is {aid to inereafe a hun—
dred fold. At night its banks were {plen-
didly illuminated with a diverﬁty of lights,
fromdanterns of tranfparent, party— —Coloured
paper. Lights were alfo afﬁxed to the malt
heads of the V;eﬂ‘els their numbei and litu-
ation denoting the rank of thofe on board.
The ﬂirill and repeated found of the [00,1and
the conﬁant buz andvthreatening Ring of
mufquitos in the night time, were both {In-2
gularly troubleforne.

Not only during the ﬁrit, but. alfo in the
fecond day’s progrefs up the Pei- ho, were
the banks lined with innumerable fpeétators
of both fexes, and of all ages; but the rii er
itfelt was, literally, covered with boats of
every defcription, lts fhores, on one ﬁde,
were crowded with {tacks or pyramids of

S 4 falt,

264’ EMBASSY '

faltyfromtwo to ﬁx hundred feet long, andir
aboutﬁfteen feet high. v Two hundred and:
twentyatwo entire {tacks were counted,
beﬁdcs 'many others incomplete; which;
from a nice calculation, were fuppofed to
Contain {ix hundred millions of pounds
weight. . This was an article of great rever'
true to the crown.

On the third day they reached the port of
Tien-fing, the general mart for the northern
provinces of China.-.-—.-The city is built at the
conﬂuence of two rivers; the 7 one, upon
which the EmbalTy was to proceed to Tong—
choo-foo, “ was alfo called Pei—ho, the other
Yun-leangrha. Abridge of boats extended
acrofs the rivers,which occaﬁonally feparated
toadmit a pailage for vcﬂels. Temples, and
handfome ediﬁces were built along the
quays, contiguous to which were yards and
magaZines for naval ﬁores; and fhops and
warehoufes for retale trade.

A pavilion was erected in the centre of
the city, oppoﬁtetowhich thelcmbaﬂ‘adorial
s a ﬂeet

TO: cur-NA; 265

ﬂeet; ﬂopped-v The «Viceroy, who had?
come byiland from Ta-coo, viras in waiting
here'wfor the Embaﬂador. His Excellency?
dikmbarked, with all his fuite, attended with}
his wholetrain of‘fervants, guards, and min-b
ﬁeians,-and was, received on fhore by the
Viceroy and the, Legate, mentioned at page:
244, according to the following order of"

parade: .
Three military mandarines, or principal

. ofﬁcers: ~
A tent, with a band of muﬁ c outﬁde the team.
Three 10nd trumpets; , ,- < ,‘.
A triumphal arch: . . ~
Four large green ﬂandards, with ﬁve, {mall
,orres between each, and bowmen be-i
tween each {mall colour: -
Six large red ﬁandards with matchloek:
men, and ﬁve {mall colours between
each ﬁandard: .
Two large green ﬁandards, with fwordﬁnen
between each:
Muﬁc tent .
Triumphal-archv: , . e ,-

-. A bodyipf- Chinefeatmops. ' .-:
At

266 EMBASSY

‘ ' At the upper end of the pavilion, to which

the. Viceroy conducted the Embaifador with
the principal gentlemen, was a fanétuary, in
which the majeﬁy of the Emperor was fupe
pofed to be conﬁantly prefent; and they
were given to underftand that a refpeélful
obedience fhould be- paid to that majeity.
This was according performed by a profound
inclination of body.

After an interchange of compliments, and
the acCuftomed refrefhments of tea, and
fweetmeats, the Legate informed the. Em-v
haﬁhdor that the Emperor was at his coun-
try reﬁdence at Zhe—hol, inTartary, at which
place it washis intention to celebrate the
anniverfary of his birth-day, which happened
on the thirteenth of the eighth moon, cor-I
refponding with the feventeenth of Septem—
ber ; and that it was his deﬁre to receive the
Embaﬂy in that city.

The Embaﬂ‘ador and the gentlemen re«.
turned to their refpeétive yachts, and {0011
aftera fumptuous repaﬁ, with the addition

of

To. CHINA‘. 2639;“

of wine, fruit, and fweetmeats, was Tent to
them frent'i the Viceroy, as .he had done be-'
fore at Ta-coo ; and his ‘hofpitality was even
extended to the fervants of’ the Embaﬂy, to
whom he alfo-fent a plentiful dinner; One.
21an the many inﬁances of polite attention
t’othe Embaffador, was a temporary theatre,
which-he had caufed‘to be erected oppoﬁte
to his Excellency’s yacht, where a company
of comedians, at various times of the day,
exhibited dramatic pieces and pantomimes,
,—-Boys or eunuchs played the female cha-'
rafters.

“In the evening, the weather proving fa—
ivourable, the yachts and veiTels proceeded
up the Pei-ho. Its ﬁdes, in {Ome places,
I were banked up by 'the lower {talks of the
millet; "in fome reaches—4by parapets oftcut
granite, and'at others—by caufeways of the
fame material; and ﬂuices were made here
and there to let of water to irrigate the ad-.
joining lands. During the progrels up the
river, they were aﬂifted by the tide for thirty
miles from Tien-ﬁ’ng,’ where it ceafes to

ﬂow;

268* EMBASSY

ﬂow; but in light airs, and “contrary breeZ’es,‘
the‘Chinefe 'failors frequently made ufe of a:
couple offivefps, or large oars, which are ne-‘f
vex lifted out of the water. 1 When rowing
Was impracticable, men were emplOyed-upon‘
thebanks to trail the velrels by 1‘0pes.——"
There- were ﬁfteen men to each yacht, andg
upWards of ﬁxe hundred were occupied on
this fervice,

Tim-ling, the tranﬂation of which is 71m-
11ml} ﬂat is in length nearly equal to Lon—
don, and contained, by information, {even
hundred thoufand perfons. Some of the
heufes are built with ﬂone, but mol’tly with _
brick, ofrwone Rory only, though there are
fome-of- two ﬁories high. Every houfe is
well ﬁlled, inafmueh as the exiﬁing branches
of the-fame family dwell in {ma-ll apart-~
ments under .the fame roof.-—-—The befl' or
moft durable brieksare of a bluifh or lead
colour ; fome few are red ; and others pale
brown.-—-‘The lafl: kind, ufed for the mean
dwellings, are only baked in the fun. The
blue bricks are burnt in a kiln by a cleft:

wood

To, CHINA. 2632 I

wood ﬁrerthe blazeof which is not allowed
to touch them; andgthofe which are ext,
pofed to its ﬂame, acquire a reddifh colour.
-.—-1n the making of bricks from the clay,
thin, layers of ), {traw are placed between
them, .without which they would, asthey-
dried, .run or adhere together; {0 thatithe“
Chinefe, like the children of Ifrael, could
not make bricks without ﬁraw. ' ~-

The lands, as on the other tide, of Tien-
ﬁng, were many of them covered with mile-
let, which with rice, and fome corn, are the,
principal objeé’rs of cultivation); yet,~ the'
people haveexperienced the dreadful effeéts"
offaminc from the deﬁruéti’on of locuPcs,aor*
thefall of torrents, from the mountainsrzrln‘
fomev {pots were feen growing a fpeciesmf
the dolicizos, not very diﬂimila-r-to the: kidney
bean; in others ﬁelds of beans, -;_ and; various
kinds of pulfex; .and likewifeﬂfamum, and:
other . plants 'Wl'lOfC feeds produce oils-Eve-
Plantations of the tea-treegVof adwarfyﬁaegé
were alfo» defcried. «_- {Elie leaves: had; a; {heat
refemblancc to a myrtleawlt 1-‘Was the feafon'

' ' for

270 EMr’sAssY

for plucking the bloﬂbms, the fmalleﬁ; of
which, when carefully dried, poﬂ'efs the
higheﬁ ﬂavour. Note V.

The number ofjunks feen upon the fiVef
Was incalculabl‘e. Excluﬁve of thofe buﬁed
in the ordinary courfe of commerCe, not lefs’
' 'than. a thoufand, of a large ﬁze, were ems
ployed in the fervice of the government be-
tween Tong-choo-foo and Tien—ﬁn‘g, for the
purpofe of gathering fuch taxes as were 'paid
in kind; and a part of the corn thus cola
lefted, was depoﬁted in the public granaries
throughout the Empire—It is ufual for'the
wives and families of the ofﬁcers- and failors
to live conﬁantly upon the water. Children
are born, brought 11p, and {pend their whole
lives on board; every land is foreign to‘ them;
and the water may be called their proper
element, ‘ Each Veﬂel, on an average, con—-
tained fifty perfons; and eﬁimating the total
of the boats at two thoufa’nd, it will appear
that a hundred» thoufand fouls move and live
only upon the furfaee of that river;

There

To CHINA. 27f

- There: are: no bridges thrown acrofs the
riverPei-ho, as they would obﬁruét the nah
vigation; but feveral of hewn itone, and
of decent architecture, were feen over
branches of that river, as well as over canals
-—Near the: ruins of one of thefe bridges,
dilapidated by an inundatiOn, Road a large
palace, in the midﬂ: of a garden, in-clofed
within a wall, having a treble gateito the
water ﬁde. It was one of the Emperor’s
feats, and was the occaﬁonal reﬁdence of
fome of the family. ‘

'Beﬁdes the mufquitos already mentioned;
there are other infects very troublefome, as
well on account of their ﬂing, as of the un—
common noife they make.-—Of this lait kind -
was the cicada, whofe din, produced by the
motion of ‘two flaps which cover the abdo-
men of the male, was a ﬁgnal to, allure the
female to amorous dalliance, who is not fura'
nifhed with thefe ﬂaps..——-A fpecies of moth,
as large as a humming bird, was frequent in
this quarter.

The

272 EMBASSY

The travellers, in’ their ﬂow progrefs up
the river, often quitted and rejoined the
yachts, to obferve more minutely objeéts on
{hore which {truck the‘fancy.» This co‘nduﬂ:
was watched with extraordinary jealoufy ;‘
and they were given to underﬁand, that this
freedom was difpleaﬁng to the Legate. In
ﬂiort, the interpreter difCOVered, by feveral
Vague intimations, occaﬁor‘ially let out in
familiar Converfation with the Mandarines,
that forne recent djﬂz‘ztiy‘aﬁion had been con;
ceived at the court of Pckin againﬂ: the
Englifh nation. Great circumfpeétion had
been obferved by the interpreter, in acquir-
ing this important information; nor was it
without much addrefs that he exto‘rted from
them the following explanation.

In the year 1791, the Emperor of China
fent an army into the Country of Thibet, to
drive back the Rajah of Nap'aul, who had
made predatory excurfidns thither; and in‘
the conteﬁ, his army met with more’ob-v
ﬁacles, greater reﬁf’tance, and heavier loﬁﬂ'es,
than had been forefeen from fo feeble an

enemy.

To CHINA. .273

enemy. . Some Of the’Chinefe ofﬁcers, mor-
tiﬁed at their ill fuccefs, fancied they {aw
oppofed to them not only European taé’tics,
but European foldiers ; and reported at
court, that they perceived hats as well . as
turbans among their enemies; and they con-
cluded the former Inuit have been Englilh.
Thus it had been politically and induﬂtriouﬂ‘y
reported among the people of China, that
the Englifh had, in the above inﬁance, actu-
ally afforded aﬂil’tance.——Though the Em-
baflador gave no credit to either fact, he Was
induced to believe, that the bare aﬂ‘ertion
would have the power to alienate any pre-
vious favourable difpoﬁtion of the country
towards the government of Great Britain. .

It had been a policy practifed in the eal’c,
prior to a meditated attack on the territories
of a foreign prince, to fend an Embaﬂ‘y thi-
ther, under the mafk of friendﬂiip, the better
to difcover its real ﬁtuation and ﬂrength.~—-
The Britilh government knew well with
what a jealous eye the Chinefe viewed their
acquiﬁtions in Bengal, and the prejudices

’ (T which

274 EMBASSY

which might be raifed on the {core of ambi-
' tion; and the Embaffador was furnifhed
with arguments to allay theirjufpieions on
that head. But it was not within the corn-
pafs of human wifdom to forefee,‘ and prepare
againﬂ, an imputation of having interfered
.hoﬁilely with the arms of China, which had
‘ never taken place; nor was it till the fol—
lowing year, when his Excellency arrived at
Canton, that he was informed from England
and Calcutta, what were the circumﬂances
upon which an ailertion {o groundlcfs had
been founded. It was notoriOus, that the
Governor General of Bengal conduéted him-
felf, in this buﬁncfs, with [ﬁrié’c neutrality,
and with great propriety and attention to-
wards the Emperor of China; declaring to
the Rajah of Napaul, that the only aﬁif’t—
ance he ihould give, was to endeavour to.
extricate him from a ruinous war, by mean
of conciliatory negociation between the
commanders of the Thibet and Chinefe
forces.

It

fro CHINA. 275

It is probable, that if the Embaﬂ‘y in-
tended for China, in the year ‘1 787, had not
failed through-the prematurev'death of CO-

lonelCathCart, ithen' appomted Britifh Mi-
niﬁer to the court Of Pekin, any mifunder-
ﬁanding might'have been prevented; or, if
even the circumftanees conneéted With the
Thibet war had arrived at Canton before'the
prefent. Embaﬂador quitted its Vicinity to
proceed to Tien—ﬁng, it is poﬂible it might
have been 'in his power to refute the ca-
lumny. His Excellency took pains to, and
abfolutely did convinCe the principal Manq
darines'andChinefe Ofﬁcers of State, that
the ﬁery Was unfounded; but he was not
able to eﬁ‘eét {0 much with the Tartar Le—
gate, over whom the others had no inﬂuence;
who alone was allowed to correfpond with
the government, and who evinced-no difpo-
ﬁtion to make a favourable or juf’c reprefeni
tation of the Engliﬂl or the Embaﬂ‘y.‘ ; The
Legate, either from miftruf’c or malevolence,
even refufed to fend the Embaflador’s let-
ters to Sir Erafmus Gower, by the meﬁ‘en‘
gets of government, though he knew his

T 2 Excellency,

276 EMBASSY

Excellency had had the honour of receiving
a packet'from the Emperor.‘ Without the
Legate'sﬂpermiﬂion, there was no mode of
conveying any intelligence whatever; of
courfe, he was fecluded from-correfponding
'with the Company’s Commiﬂioners at Can-
ton; Thus the molt neceﬂary 'intercourfe
was obﬁruéted, without the leaf’c profpeét of
redrefs ; inafmuch as the Legate was the
intimate creature 0f Collao, the prime *rmi-
nilter of the Empire, whofe'fentiments were,
doubtlefs, in perfect unifon.

It may be proper to obferve‘, in this place,
that the government of China has not eﬂza-
blifhed any mode of conveying letters “of
correfpondence for the conveni'en‘cy of the
people. The Emperor only receives and
{ends exprgﬂés, which are conveyed on horfe-
back to and from every part of his extenﬁve
dOminions, at the rate of a hundred and ﬁfty
miles a day.—-——Fdr the ordinary exigencies of
government, as well as for the ufe of the
Mandarines and ofﬁcers of fate, there are

ﬂower couriers appointed, who are {ome—
times,

T0 CHINA. 277

times, though rarely, permitted to carry
letters or packets to individuals. But in-
formation is conveyed to, or with-held from,
» the body of the people juﬂ: as the gon-
ment may deem it expedient.

The perverfe circumﬂances above men~
tioned augured an unfavourable fuccefs to
the Embaffy, which was proceeding, but
ﬂowly, towards the capital. The river being
.ﬂiallow, much mud, or diluted Clay, was
dilturbed from the bottom ; and this, added
to what was occaﬁonally wafhed down into
it from the mountains, rendered the water
turbid and fcarcely potable. The Chinefe,
however, have an eafy mode of reﬁning it.—
A {mall quantity of allum is put into 'the
hollow joint of a bamboo, in which feve-
ral perforations are made. A convenient
Iquantity of water being taken from the
river, it is to be ﬁirred about three or four
minutes with this bamboo; by which the
allum unites withthe earthy particles, and
precipitates them to.the bottom of the veﬂ‘el,
leaving the water pure and tranfparent.

i ‘T 3 The

2-7 8; EMBASSY

TheChinefeof rank 'ufe diltilled water
for their own confurnption; and even the
lower claiTes never drink it till tea or fome
other falubrious herb has been 'infufed in it.-
--——Not only is this infuﬁon drunk hot, as
common beverage, but even wine and every
other liquid is made warm before taken.
The fame mode prevails in the hot climate»
of Hindoﬁan.-—The Chinefe, however, en,»
joyrin the heat of fummer,‘ the grateful
coolnefs of ice; but it is principally with
fruits and fweetmeats, '

Notwithftanding tea is the common bC-r
verage’of all the Chinefe, and is 'prefented
to viﬁtors at all hours; yet there are fome,
efpecially in the northern provinces, who are
fond of {pirituous liquors, and are-difpofed'
to be very convivial. The Mandarines feems»
ed to indulge in~luxuryg they made,'daily,
feveral meals of animal food, highly fea-
foned; each repaﬁ conﬁfting ofrnanycourfesg
The intervals were employed in fmoking,
and chewing the arcca nut, ‘

The

TO CHINA. 279

The Chinefe of rank are in general cour-
teous, familiar, and affable; but they are
vain and -national.—-—The two Mandarines
who had the direé’cion of the Embaﬂ‘y, took
much pleafure in fatisfying the inquiries
made refpeé’ting their own country. The
Legate was more taciturnous, and feldom
entered into converfation with the Embaf—
fador, who, very prudently, forbore to afk
queﬁions about China in his prefence, He
viﬁted his Excellency pretty often, though
he travelled, in great pomp, part of the way
by land, in a fedan chair, preceded by foldiers
and fervants clearing the way before him.
A~reprefentation of this chair, borne by four
men, is given in plate No. 5. .

The Embaﬁ'y, in its paiTage up the river,
was {aluted by a difcharge of three guns at
every military poﬁ, {ome of which were
paﬂ‘ed every day when the high road was
near the river. This road, though narrow,
was good; carriages were few; and thofe
only with two wheels, and without fprings,
Gentlemen commonly travel in fedan'chairs,

T 4 chair

280 gEMBASSY

Chair—palanquins, or on horfeback,—-and la—
'dies in clofe litters fufpended between mules;
and even in this manner only for fhort dif-
tances. There are no coaches in the country.

The ancient cuﬂ‘om of applying fails to
~ carriages by land, is not entirely laid aﬁde,
Thefe vehicles are carts-or double barrows
made of bamboo, having one large wheel
placed between them. Two poles, riﬁng
from the oppoﬁte ﬁdes of the cart, ferve as
malts, upon which the fail, conﬁl’cing only
of a mat, is fet. But this can only‘take
place when the cart is going befOre the
wind. In other cafes, the machine is draan
by one man, while another, behind, not
only keeps it Ready, but impels it forward.

On the ﬁxteenth of Auguﬁ, the yachts
having proceeded as far up the river Pei-ho
as the depth of water would admit, came to
anchor within half a mile of Tong~choo~foo,
which is ninety miles diﬂant from Tien-
ﬁng, and within twelve miles of the-city of
Pekin,

' It

,/

To cum. 281

It appeared that the Lion and ‘Hindoﬂan
failed from the gulph of Pe-chee—lee on the
eight of Auguﬂz, and on the 12th paired
through the» {traits of Mi—a—tau.——While
they remained at anchor in the gulph, the)r
found the latitude of the ancmage To be
thirty degrees ﬁ~fty~one minutes and a half
north, and longitude by time—keeper, a hun-
dred and feventeen degrees (ﬁfty. minutes
eaﬂ; and that the latitude of the mouth of
the Pei-ho or white river was thirty—nine
degrees north,

The letter which had been fent from the

7 'Viceroy of Pe—chee-lee. to the governor of
\ Ten-choo—foo, in favour of Sir Erafmus

Gower, had been the mean of procuring him
every afﬁftance of which he ﬂood in need.

' From thence he went to take a minute exa-

mination of the bay of Ki-fan—feu, {ome—
times named Zeu-a-tau, where he arrived
on the ﬁfteenth ofAuguf’t, and found itfpa-
cious, the depth of water from ninewto
ﬁve fathoms, v the ground or \vanchor—age
tough, and that {hips were fecure in all di-v

reé’cions;

282; EMBASSY

reétions; but that wood and water were at
{ome dif’tancc in the bay—«The country,
however, had a barren appearance, the
inhabitants were poor; and it was doubtful
whether proper accommodations might have
been procured for the lick and convalefcents.
Sir Erafmus, therefore, determined to go to
Chu-fan, where he had more favourable
profpeéts, and for this place the {quadron
fhaped their courfe.

 

 

CHAPTER IX.

EMBASSY LANDS NEAR TONG-CHOO—FOO.
PROCEEDS THROUGH PEKIN TO A PA-
LACE IN ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD. RIB-I
TURNS TO THE CAPITAL.

‘ HE route prefcribed for the Embaﬂy
was through the city of Pekin to a

Villa in the vicinity of the Emperor’s au-g
tumnal palace, called Yuen-minvyuen or
garden

To CHINA. 283

garden of perpetual verdure. At this palace

were to be depoﬁted fuch of the prefents as
might receive damage‘by conveying them'
along the rugged roads to Zhe-hol.—-A tern-,
ple, or monaftery, near Tong—choo-foo, was

appropriated for the accommodation of the
Embaflador and his fuite, and temporary;
buildings had been erected for receiving the

prefents. Thefe buildings, conﬁrué’ced of
ﬁrong bamboo, were impenetrable to rain ;,
guards were placed around them, and per-

fons forbidden to approach them with ﬁre

or lights. All the articles were relanded

and houfed in a day.

This temple, now converted into a cara-
vanfary for travellers of rank, was founded
feveral centuries ago, by the muniﬁcence of
a bigot, for the maintenance of twelve priCﬁZS
of the religion of F0, the moft general in
China. It profefles the doctrine of the tranf-
migration of fouls, and holds out happineis
under certain conditions, which conﬁﬂ: more
in donations for the erecting of temples, and ’
maintenance of prief’cs, than ﬁn the obferv—

ance

 

 

284 EMBASSY

ance of moral duties; the neglect Of which
is the puniﬂiment of the defaulters in hav-
ing their fouls pafs into the bodies of the
meaneﬁ animals, in which the fuﬂ’erings
are to be apportioned to their tranfgreﬂions.
In this temple was a deity perfonifying Pro-
vidence, under a graceful female ﬁgure, who
held in her hand a circular plate, having an
eye portrayed upon it. The annexed en-v
graving is an exact reprefentation.

Nearly the Whole of the habitable parts of
the temple, was occupied by the numerous
train of the Embaﬂador. The priefts went to
“a neighbouring monaﬂery, except one, who
was appointed to watch over the lamps of
the fhrine, and to attend his Excellency’s
commands. The rooms had boarded plat—
forms, elevated a foot from the ﬂoor; thick
woollen cloths were fpread upon them,
which, with the addition of a culhion, co'n—
ﬁituted the bedding of thofe prieﬁs. The
apartments of the fuperiors of the monaﬁery
were allotted for the Embaﬂy, in which, to

their

 

 

       
   

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p“

 

 

To CHINA. - I. 285

their great terror, were difcovered fcorpiom
and fcolopendras. ' \

.. A public banquet or breakfaﬁ was pre-
pared the next morning by the Mandarines;
towhich every perfon belonging to the Erna“
baIT‘y‘ was invited. Beﬁdes tea, there were
various kinds of viands. Tableswerecfpread‘
, in the vacant parts of the :new from rooms,
no other place being fufﬁciently capacious.
This repaf’c, according to Chinefe etiquette,
was given as a mark of extreme civility, by
including every attendant belonging to the
perfon whom it was meant to honour; and
iﬁt to have accepted of it, would, beﬁdes

'ving umbrage, have been conﬁdered as a
waht of good breeding.

The (lithium: from; the beach. to the tern-9'
pie was {0 lined with people, that it had the
appearance of a crowded fair, efpecially as
ﬁm‘ilar (tails. were purpofely erected for the
Pale of liquors, fruit, and otherarticles. Not
a pauper to be feen On the fpht; nor did any

one

 

286 . EMBASSY

one alk alr’ns; The prefent, indeed; was n61:
the feafon of diftrefs for the peafantry, who
in times of dearth or fcarcity, impelled by
{harp hunger, are often driven to criminal
excelles to procure food. In thofe times of
national calamity, however, the Emperor
who may truly be called the father of his
people, opens the public granaries for their
relief,~—»remits the taxes of the haplefs cul-
tivator, and reinﬁates him in his farm by pe‘
cuniary alliﬁanee.

A party of gentlemen, accompanied by
fome mandarines, going into the adjoining
city to purchafe a few triﬂes, obferved the
projection of a lunar eclipfe upon the ﬁdes
of fevcral houfes. In ﬁne weather, perfons
of every clafs live much without doors, and-
accuﬂoming themfelves to watch the ap-
pearances of the heavens, they connect them,-
by habit, to terreﬁrial events, as ifthefe had-
a dependence on the former. Some fortu-'
itous concurrences taking place, {trengthen-
ed the belief, and - the vanity of prefcience

laid

TO CHINA. 287

laid the foundation of the pretended feiencc
of aﬁrology. ~

If, as the people believed, eclipfes had
power or inﬂuence over the. operations of
nature, and the tranfaétions of mankind,
the period of their advent merited care and
attention : and the government of the coun-
try, wifhing to cltablilh its authority, in
their opinion of its fuperlative wifdom and
folicitude for their fafety and welfare, has
availed itfelf of their prejudices, by exclu-
ﬁvely obtaining a communication of all that
fcience and obfervation could afford on this
vfubjetct. This foreknbwledge is afterwards
made. known to the people at large, and
that in fo {olemn a manner, as to infpire
them with veneratiOn for that fuperintend-
ing power from whence, they derived that
information.

The Chinefe have always conﬁdered an
« eclipfe of the fun as portending fome na-
tional calamity ; and as/they eitimate their
own happinef's by the degree of-virtue pof—

felled

288 l mmssr

feﬂ’cd by their, {overeigm they attribute
their misfortunes to his privation of moral
goodnefs. Even the Emperor is forced, as
it Were, to accede to the idea, and govern
himfelf accordingly. On the eve .of an
eclipfe, for example, he never engages in
any important enterprize; but feems deﬁr-
ous of avoiding the convcrfe of his miniﬂzers
that he may fecretly examine into his paft
actions, with a View to correct their errors,
for which the approaching eclipfe may be
fent as an admonition; and his fubjeé’cs are
invited freely to offer. their advice.

Though fome of the Manda‘rines Who
were With the party conceived a juf’c idea
of the nature of eclipfes, the Chinefe, in ge-
neral, did not feem to be fuﬂiciently {killed
in numercial computation, as to be able to
.folve any intricate problem. »They calcu-
late by the help of a machine called ﬂatm-
pan. Small balls are {trung upon wires
and placed in different columns. Thofe in

the ﬁrﬂ: row, tothe right, Rand for units;
- ‘ . . the

TO CHINA. ,, 289

the next Column from right to left tens, and
to on in a tenfold ratio.

The multiplication as well as {ubdiviﬁon
of quantities and meafures, among the
Chinefe, is rendered fimp‘le by addecima-
,tions; In their money, for *inﬁance, an
ounce weight of filver is equal to a léang;
ten chm make a leang, ten fan a Chen, and.
ten lee a fen. Thus the lee, a real, and the
fmalleﬂ: of their copper coin, is a thoufandth
part of a leang.-'-——But they have imaginary
money, though {till addecimated, extending A
much lower than a lee, which is of a circu-
flat form, having a fquare hole in the middle
\to admit packthread, upon which they are
lining 1n tem, and multiple of tens, for mu-
tual convenience in trafﬁc. —-A lee, the
Only) {tandard coin in the empire, is, the
common price 10f a cup of tea, which is fold
in public houfes there as porter is in En—
gland.

There is no {ilver coin in China, not-
withﬂ‘anding payments are made with that
U metal

290 EMBASSY

metal in'maiTes of about ten ounces, having

the form of the crucible they were reﬁned
in, with the Ramp of a tingle character, upon
them ' denoting their weight. Its value, \ in
currency, rifes and falls according to its re-
latiye {carcity or plenty iﬂiied from the Im-
perial treafury. Spanifh dollars were knmvn
at Tong-Choo-foo, and are current through-
out every part of Aﬁa‘ Gold is frequently
made ufe of in‘articles of 'drefs or lukury,

‘but feldorn applied to the purpofes of tom‘-

merce.

‘ 'There is no Rate religion acknowledged
or encouraged in China; iThe faith of'mof’c
of the common people is that of F 0; many

‘of the Mandarines have another, and that

of the Emperor difihrent ‘from theirs. But
the temples confeerated to religious worfhip
are {careely diftin-guiihable from common
dWelling houfe . The circular lofty lime?
tures called, by Europeans, Pagodas, are of
various kinds, appropriated to various ufes, .
but none for religious worﬂiip. 4 In many-
inﬁanees there is a ﬁmilarity in the exterior

forms

 

TO CHINA. 291

forms of the religion of F0 and that of the
Romilh church. Upon the altars of the Chi-
nefe temples were placed, behind a fcreen, an
image of Shin—moo, or the holy mother, lit-
ting with a child in her arms, in an alcove,
with rays'of glory round her head, and ta—
pers conﬁantly burning before her.

‘The‘ temples of F0 contain more images
than are met with in moft chriﬁian churches.
There was one female ﬁgure particularly
prayed to by unmarried women Who deflre
hufbands, and by married women who with
for children. But as the doctrine of F 9 ad-'

ﬂirts of a fubordinate deity propitious to
very wifh than can be formed in the human
mind ;—as the government of the country
never interferes with mere opinions, nor pro—
hibits any / belief which may not affet't the
peace of fociety,——-it is no wonder it {hould
fpread among thofe claffes of the people
Lyvho are diffatisﬁed with the ordinary events,
of nature. Thus, from extreme fuperfti-
tion, the temples are particularly frequented,
and the fuperintendant deity ﬁrf’c confulted,
‘ U 2 previous

K

292 EMBASSY

previous to the undertaking of any thing of

importance ; whether it be to enter into the

'rnatrimohial Rate, to fet out on a journey,

'to' make, or conclude a bargain, Or any other

momentous event. There are various me-
thods of doing this, one of which is;a

piece of wood, of ﬁx or eight equal ﬁdes or
furfaces, each having its particular niark,
is. thrown into the air; the ﬁde which is

puppermof’c after reaching the ground is ex-

amined and referred to by the prieﬁ to its
eorrefponden't mark 1n the book of fate.1f
the ﬁrﬁ: throw aCCOrd with the wifhes Of

him who made it, he proﬂrates himfelf 1n

gratitude, and cheerfully undertakes the bu~
ﬁnds. If the throw be unpropitious, he
makesa fecond trial ; but the third throw

'muft decide the queﬁion.——The temples are
always aeceﬁible to confult the will of hea-

ven; and their adoration conﬁﬁs more in
or“wing thanks than oEering prayers.

.. The Chinefe, 1n their turn, had now an
:opportunity of ﬂeeting an European ceremony

or relwron, in the funeral of an inge ous

artilb

1,, I)?

ma...

T0 éHiN‘I'A. 293
artiﬁ, of the name of Eades, belonging to
the Embaify, who died on Menday evening,
the nineteenth of Augui’c, near Tong-choo-
foo. He came from Birmingham, and was
induced, though. beyond the middle age, to
undertake the voyage, in hopes of acquir-
ing, among other arts, that of making Tiir—
fel, as praétifed at Pekin, which is not liable
to tarnifh, or lefs to than that which 15 fa-
bricated 1n Europe. By otder of his Excel-
lency, the funeral rites were performed,
next day, with military honours, and'the
proceﬂion accompanied by a prodious con-
courfe of Chinefe. The ceremony of1nter—
\ ment was done With becoming decency and
gravity, fuitable to eaftern cuftom, which
conﬁders the leaﬁ mark of levity on thefe f0.
lemn occaﬁons as barbarous and inhuman,
His body was interred amidﬂ; feveral Chinefe
tombs, interfperfed with cyprefs trees, near
the road leading Out of Tong-choo—foo,

The country, for fame miles round Tonga
choo- foo, was level the foil light, and Of
cafy culture. Its principal autumnal crops

I - U 3 were

294 ' EMBASSY

\

were indian corn and millet; ,‘and the thick
ﬂubble was left upon the ground for manure.
The inftruments of hufbandry for thrafhing
and winnowing corn, as well as for rolling
the land, were nearly of European c0nﬁruc-
ti? The enclofurcs were few; and but
'1 rare; the animals for food and tillage being-
foddercd and fed chieﬂy in ftalls‘. Straw Cut
{mall and_ mixed with beans wasithe' food
for horfes. Ploughing was performed by
mien; it being too cold here for buffalds.
Their horfes were ﬁrong and bony, but no

cattle to enclofe; paﬁurage ground Was

means employed to improve their breed.
Many of them were {potted as regularly as
a leopard, occaﬁoned by croﬂing thofe of
contrary colours. Mules were more valu—
able than horfes, requiring lefs food, and
performing more labour. The cottages of
the peafantry were fnug and comfortable;
not united into villages, but thinly difperfed.
They had neither fences nor gates to guard
them againft wild beafts or thieVes; for the
latter, pe1haps, it were unneceffary, as rob—
beries are feldom c0mmitted, notwithﬁand-
ing

. .1 41
. 1;;
:11; i ; .1 I“

 

To CHINA. 295

ing the punifhment is not capital, unlefs
accompanied by acts of violence,

The Wives of the peafantry are truly in-i
duftrious; beﬁdes managing every domeﬂic
concern, they exercife fuch trades as are
carried on ‘vvithin idoors. They rear f
worms, .fpin cotton, and work at the Ioor‘n;
in ﬂaort, they are the- only weavers in the
, country. Their hufbands, however, tyran—
nize over them, keep them in the greateﬂ:
fubjeétion, and, on occaﬁonal quarrels, make
them attend behind the table as handmaids.
, e—The old generally reﬁde with the yound,
to temper their impetuoﬁty ; and obedience
to them is enforced as well by habit as by
moral precepts—Moral maxims are incul—
fcated by the aged to the younger offspring;
and plain fentences of morality are hung
up in the common hall, where the male
branches of the family allemble. A tablet
of anceﬁry is in every houfe, and references,‘
‘ in converfation, often made to their actions.
———By their periodical viﬁts to the tombs of

their forefathers, the molt remote lelutions
U 4 beeome

. 395 EMBASSY ,

become colleé’ced and united." The child is
bound to work and provide for his father
and mother; and the brother—efor the bros
ther and ﬁtter, in extreme diﬁrefs ; a failure
in this duty Ramps them with fuch. ignoé
miny, as to preclude the neeefﬁty of a poli—
tv ; law to this purpofe. Even the moﬂ:
di ant relative, if in ill health, or in mifery,
has a claim on his kindred for charitable/
aﬂiﬁanee. This is the reafon why no men~~
dicants, nor fpeétacles of diftrefs are to be feen,

By the cuﬁom of the country, perfons on
horfeback, meeting their fuperiors, difmount
as a token of refpeét. This civility, which
was ihewn to fome Engliﬂi gentlemen'in
an- excurﬁon into the clountry, prevails in
other parts of the Eaﬁ. iiﬁﬁimilar homage is
exacted from all the reﬁdents of Batavia, by
the Dutch governors and counfellors of the
Indies, From this inﬁance, as well as from
others in J ava and other places, it is clear,
that‘China gives the ton to all the countries
bordering upon its feas. Every fovereign in
the eaftern, partexof Alia, for example, affeﬂs

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\ To CHM“. “ 29y. "

the diﬁinétion of yellow colour in imitation
of the Emperor.

The prefents and baggage, which hither,
to had come by water, were now to be con-
veyed by land to the Emperor’s autumnal
palace. 'Such as were liable to receive data
mage by the jolting of vehicles without
fprings, were deftined'to be carried by men;
and from a pretty nice calculation it Was
found, that about ninety waggons, forty
hand- barrows, two hundred horfes, and
nearly three thoufand labouring fmen Would
be wanted for this buﬁnefs.

ed

In China, bulky and heavy packages are
carried by men. To each ﬁde of the load
'are ﬁxed two ﬁrong bamboos. If four men
'(two to each bamboo) be not equal to its
weight, two other bamboos, ﬂiorter than
the ﬁrft, are faf’cened to the extremities of
each of the original long ones. Thefe eight

extremities are brought to reﬂ: on the fhoula ,

ders of eight men, as defcribed in the an-
} nexed plate. More bamboos being afﬁxed
' to

g b.

‘4'

298 EWASSY

to-tWe, the ﬁrength of a greaternumben
of men may be applied in. a geometrical
proportion ; each of whom rwould {uﬁain an
equal degree of preilure on railing or carry-
ing ponderous packages.

The Embaﬂador and three gentlemen of
his fuite travelled in fedan chairs; the other
gentlemen, and all the mandarines, on horfe—
back. They were preceded by Chinefe fol:-
diers on foot, who cleared the way. His
Excellency’s fervants and guard were con..-
veyed ’in waggons. ——The road to Pekin from
Tong-choo— —foo IS perfeé’cl» leV el, the middle
of which IS paved with, .
in many places witlyb‘ti'ees. ’njkthe road,
and over a rivulet, w a handfome, marble

  

bridge, wide, 'fubﬂanti l, and but little (21033,:~

vated, as .the banks of 4 the river are-never
overﬂowed.

After partaking of a breakfaft at a fmall Vil—
V lage upon the road, they got foonafter to the
, caﬁern fuburbs, and in ﬁfteen minutes more,

before the walls of the city of Pekin. The

Embaﬂador s' ‘

f5.

 

 

To CHI’NA; 299‘

Embaﬂadér’s arrival was notiﬁed by thé’ﬁri’ng
of guns. Refrefhments were prepared at a
‘ rel’ting place within the gate,’ over which
was a watch tower, having, in the different
ﬁories, port holes for cannon.-——The height.
of the city walls was forty feet,——the para-
pet crenated, with holesvin the merlons for
archery g—the thicknefs twenty feet at the
bafe, and twelve acrofs the terreplaine or
platform, upon which the parapet was
ereéted. The walls were ﬂanked on the
outﬁde by fquare towers, dif’cant from each
other about ﬁxty yards, and projeétinb 1* from
the curtain between them forty or ﬁfty feet.

Several h . ' ‘ ' '

  
   

ht ride abreaﬁ: upon
an afcent was made
earth raifed within

a

the ramparts,” .
by declivous pat
Vﬁde. '

C
The entrance into Pekin had nothing to
excite particular attention. The houfes were
moltly of one {tory ; the {treet about a hun-
dred feet wide, but unpaved, aerofs which
was a triumph’al arch built of weed, having
.three elegant 'gateways; This {treet led to
v i the

300 EMBASS?

the eaft‘ern, called the yellow, wall 0f the
Imperial palace, whofe name is derived from
the colour of the varnifhed tiles covering the
top. ’ Near the gate were extenﬁ‘ve ﬁore»
houfes for dcpoﬁting rice ; and a lofty build-
ing, at no great dif’cance, {aid to be arrobs
fervatory, built in the reign of the Emperor
Yong-loo, to whom the city was indebted
for its principal ornaments—A funeral PTO-2 ,
ceﬂion was met in this ﬁreet, which, from
the white colour of the mourners, was taken:
for-that of a wedding ;—-but the lamentag
tions of young men attending the corpfe,’
inclofed in a fquare cofﬁn, ﬂiaded by a gau?
_ dy painted canopy, foqri undeceived the
travellers. The fer tig‘tives followed,

behind, in fedan chai ‘i hovered with White.
cloth.—-—Soon"“after, a nuptial proceﬂion 'ofé‘

‘ fered itfelf to View, in which it would beat;
prepoﬁerous to appear in white as it would
in Europe to be dreﬂEd in black. The lady;
whom the bridegroom had not yet fee1i,‘was
carried in a gaudy chair, decorated with ffefe

toons of faétitiOurs ﬂowers, attended by her

relations, friends, and fervaiits, 'fupporting

”I” (the

   
 

(i

 

we CHINA. _ 301

'the paraphernalia, the only portion given to
a daughter in marriage.

[The Embaﬂy turning to the right of ther-
yellow wall, got from its eaﬁern to its
northern ﬁde, in which ﬁreet, inﬁead of
{hops for buﬁnels the houfes were all prie
vate. Before the courts of thefe houfes was
a wall or curtain to obltruét the View of
palfengers ; and this was called the wall of
rgﬁﬁeﬁ. They halted oppoﬁte the treble
gates on the northern ﬁde of the palace
wall, which encompaﬂ‘ed a conﬁderable
{pace of ground. In {ome {pots Were ﬁeep‘
mounts; in others deep hollow a, full of wa-
ter, with varied margins. Out of there
artiﬁcial lakes appeared feveral {mall iﬂands,
beautiﬁed with fancied fabrics, interfperfed
with trees. -—The Emperor s principal pan
laces were erected upon eminences of various
heights;- fome of thefe hills were embel-
lifhed‘ with lofty trees, which encircled ea“
binets. and furnrner houfes deﬂzined for plea~
fure and retirement; the Whole forming a
fcene irreﬁftibly charming. (I ,
Continuing

3.02 , EMBASSY .

1 Continuing in awel’cerly courfe through the
city/the eyewas directed to a library of foreign
munufcripts, among which was {aid to be an
.Arabic copy of the Koran. , Beﬁd‘es a few Ma-
hornetan fpeé’tators of the novel proceflionﬂef
cognifed by their red caps, were {everal woé
‘rnen, natives of Tartary, or of Tartar extrac-g
tion, whofe feet were not diﬂorted like thofe
of the Chinefe. Many of them were genteelly
drcffed, and of delicate features; but their
complexions w ere aﬂifted by art. The feat of
beauty was upon the lower lip, in the mid—
die of which was a thick patch of vermi-
lion. Some of thefe ladies were in‘ covered
carriages, and others on horfeback, riding
.aﬁraddle like men. The Embaﬂy now
‘croﬂ‘ed a ﬁreet, ﬁtuated north and fouth,
‘ in length four miles, the whole extent of
:the Tartar city, and in. about two hours
‘rnore, [after having/paired by feVeral beauti— .
iful temples and other cxtenﬁve buildings,
arrived at one of the weﬁern city gates,
whence commences the fuburbs; to tra-
iverfe which took up twenty minutes.

The

TU CHINA. ' 1 303

The Embaﬂy had now reached the villa
1nt‘ended fer its reception, ﬁtuated between
the town of Hai- tien and Yuen- min- y.uen
The buildings comprifed feveral diﬁinct pa-
vilions, conﬂrué’ted round {mall 'courts,
whofe apartments were moftly embellifhed
with landfcapes, done in water-colours. The
whole encircled about twelve acres of land,
in which Was a garden laid out with taite;
a rivulet meandering round an iﬂand; a
grove of trees with feattered grafs plots of
faé’citious mounds and cavities, and craggy
roCks rudely piled upon each other.

The Governor of this palace, between
whom and, the Emballador the accuf’tomed
Compliments of civility paﬂed, agreed with
his Excellency, that the molt advantageous
mode of difplaying the prefents would be to
place the molt rare and curious on each ﬁde
of the throne, in one of the halls of audi-
ence. The entrance to this hall, whofe
external appearance was magnificent, was
throughthre equadrangularcourts,encompaf—
fed by feveral detached buildings. 7 It was a

‘ hundred,

304 EMBASSY"

hundred feet in length, and forty in breadth,
and in height about twenty; and erected
upon a platform of granite. Two rows of
large wooden columns, whole Ihafts were
painted red and varnifhed, fupported its
projecting roof; and its capitals, beﬁdes
other Ornaments, were decorated with dra~
gons, whofe’ feet were armed with ﬁve
claws. There was nothing left in the hall
but the throne, of which a correct engrav-
ing is given, except a few large jars of porce-
Iaine, and a mufical clock, made early in
the .prefent century, by George Clarke, 9f
Leadm/zall—ﬂreef, London; ‘

The throne was afcended to by Reps in
the front and on eachﬁde ; and above it
were the Chinefe charaéters of glory and
perfection. Tripods, and veﬂ'els of incenfe’,
were plaCed on each ﬁde, and before it a
{mall table, as an altar, for placing offerings
of tea- and fruit to the fpirit of the abfent
Emperor. Being the period of full moon,
3 feﬁival with the followers of F o, it was a
day of facﬁﬁco.——Among the many names

' given

 

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I? ; .fmd ///7y/é'1l [.Y/x/rkx/u/r, /7'rrdaﬁ'/{1'.

 

TO CHINA. * 305.

given to his Imperial Majeﬂy, he has one
which correfponds in found, as well as in
written charaéters, with that given in China
fometimes to the Deity;—doubtlefs as an
attribute of power, reﬁding, almol’c inti‘rely
in the perfon of the fovereign ; whofe domi-
nion they conﬁder as Virtually extending
over the whole world. Believing the Ma-
, jefty of the Emperor to be ubiquitary, they
facriﬁce to him when abfent ; it cannot
therefore be furpriﬁng they fhould adore
him when prefent. The adoration, or K0-
teo'u, iconﬁﬁs in nine proﬁrations of the bo-
dy, the forehead being made each time to
touch the ﬂoor; which is not only a mark
of the deepei’c humility and fubmiﬁion, but
alfo implies aeonvié’cion of the omnipotence
of“ hini towards whom this veneration is
< made. . ‘

, Thefe abject proﬁernations are required .

\ not only from the fubjeéts and tr‘ibntary
Ii princes of the’ﬁmpire, but alfo from ‘all

ﬂrangers, however exalted; and the Legate .

now urged the Embaﬂador to performl'ithem
X ‘ ~ " ~ before

gQQ EMBASSY

befpre the thrqne H1s Excellency ha(L pre-
v1ouﬂy received his Majeﬁy s mﬂruc‘hons on
Ith1Is head and was therefore prepared to
anfwer Ithe demand. He well knew the QC-
nac11:y of the c0111t 1n exaéﬁng ceremonles
as degrading to one part as exalting tQ the
other, and which rCndIered Embafﬁes ﬁngu-
hrly grateful to the Impenal court ——-It was
this haughty fp111t which dlé’cated orders to
wr1te, in large Chmefe charaéters, th; Qn1y
Iupon the ﬂags of the yachts up thQ 11er
Pei; ho, but l1kev11fe 11an Itthe vxhich IaQ—
companied all the land carriages of the Em-
‘ bany, EMBASSADOR BEARING T131}
BUTE FROM THE COUNTRX QB
ENCLAND ‘ " ‘ A
His Excellency , conﬁdennv thathe nught
be fuppofed ignorant of the Imeamng of
thofe charaé‘cers, forbore to make any for-
mal complaint, in which, in‘the ﬁrﬁ: place,
IheI augnred no fuccefs, and in the next,
EIthat it might be the meanb of: abruptly ter-
mmating the EmbaiTyI. The ehaIraé’ters,
however, had attraéied general not1IIce tIIlI1cI;y9

WCI'C

'10 cm“. “53117

1W'ere inferted in the court gazette; they
1 Would be recorded 1n the annals of the em-
pire, and would find their way into Europe
through the medium of the Rufﬁan reﬁ-
dents, and the mifﬁonaries 1n the capital. ~—
The EmbaHa’dor was therefore particularly
on his guard With refpeét ‘to1 any a& 61" his
"1o11vn, which might leHen the dignity-0'11" his
1 {overeign; and he had the example of a
RuHian embaHador Who had refufed to com-
1ply with the ceremony in quef’cion,u until’a
regular promife had been made for its re-
turn in like manner to his foyereign. The
Dutch, Who in the lai’c century had meanly
Tubmitted to every degrading Ceremony in
the hope of obtaining proﬁtable commercial
advantages, complained afterwards of being
11t11reated With negleét, and of being difmiHed 1
11W1thout experiencing the {malleft mark of

favour.

Some of the11miHiona1ies, ‘1it Was1'1faid,h1a1d
reprefented Holia‘nd to the Imperiai C10urt
as a {pot upon the general map, bearing a

political weight or importance only 1111 pro-
" "1 1 X 2 portion

308 ‘ . EMBASSY

portion to its ﬁze. The fame Prandard, in
all likelihood, may have been applied with
regard to England. From fuch partial and
inaccurate ﬁatements it is fair to conclude,
that/the Chinefe miniﬂzers may have formed
afcalehby which'they meafure the relative
importance of the different powers of Eu-
rope, by the degrees of reluctance with which
they accede to their claim of arrogated fu-
periority. But in any 'point of View, there
were cogent reafons for imagining, that the
difpoﬁtion of the Chinefe empire, at that
time, would refufe a return of favours for
any facriﬁce of dignity. The prejudices
imbibed againﬂ: the Engliih on their ﬁrﬁt
appearance at Canton ;—the effect of fubfe-
. p quent mifreprefentations;——and, to complete
‘ all, the recent circumﬁances of the Thi- .
«bet war, notwithﬂanding the magniﬁcence
which every where accompanied the Ern-

baffy, worked to ﬁrongly upon the minds

iof every Tartar chief, as to excite a miﬁruﬁ:
of its deﬁgns, as if intended ultimately to

fhare with the Tartars themfelves fome por—

_ tion of their ruling power. ‘ , _
The

’f .

TO CHINA. 30;)

The Legate, ' who ‘was not ignorant of
the} cafe of the Rufﬁan"emba{Ty, ﬂattered
himfelf of being more fuccefsful with the
Britifh Embaffador, from whole tractable
difpoﬁtion he had built upon unconditional
compliance; and to his own efforts he added
thofe of the mandarines who were the rndft
intimate with his Excellency“ Thefe, how-
ever, were altonifhed when they heard that,
for a ﬁmilar aé’t done by an European, Ti-
m'agoras, in the charaéter of Embaflador to a
powerful monarch of the Eat): (of Perﬁa),
was condemned to fuﬁbr death by his court-
trymen, the Athenians, as foon'as he re-
turned home, for having degraded the na-
tion who deputed him; that lcfs acts of
humiliation had, in modern times, been
{everely cenfured; the aétions of men in a
public capacity being looked upon as the
aé’ts of thofe whom they reprefcnt: and that
ceremonies praétifed by fubjeé’ts to their {0-
\‘ereigns, ought not to be exaé’ted from the
reprefenfatives of foreign princes.

X 3 The

a
Q“: ‘

3"1’33 E1113 13'5er

~‘ The point: in’ oueﬁi011 being of the utmoi’c?
delicacy, his Excellency Was difpofed to gray
tiff; the'declared WifheS‘of the Emperor, as
faras‘lay in his pOWer, without Committing
the‘i' dignity of his {Overeigm 'He did not,"
théi‘éfore, refufe to accede to the ceremony
0f proﬁration, but offered to perform the
Whole on a Condition which, while it did
not abftraet any" perfonal refpeé’c from the
Emperor, removed *the‘principal objeéli’on
atta'Ched to it as an aft 'of homage or dead
pendence in his reprefentative charaéter.’
This condition was, “ That a {uhjeet of his
Imperial Majelty, of equal rank to his own,
ﬁlOulderfbrm, before the pieture he had
With him of his Majeity, dreiTed in his robes
of Fate, the fame ceremonies that the Em—‘l
balladOr would be direéted to do before3the
. Chinefe throne.” It was of' the ntmoﬁ:
moment-that» this pfopofal ih‘ouldk'he acc’u4
15:er tranﬂated and forwarded to the Em~
peror, to avoid the pofﬁbﬂity of mifconcep—
tion. The cnibaffadOIial Interpreter, though
a’hatixé of China, from long’difufe Was un-,
acquamted w1th the ﬁyie requiﬁt‘e for the
' , palace,

Tor-19111111; 34:11:

palacep andtfrqm fbavipg been for years,
whileaat Naples, accuﬁomed tp write oan
the Lad-11 and Italian, ,the Chincfe chara¢7
ters,r- .:arnountir_1g ; ktgoweighty nthoufand, Werc
rip longer. familiar to. him.: i The milliona-l
ries {Gareely ever attempted to write oﬂimal
papers; they were generally done hy Ch1~
adebred to letters. :The.,Lega;te,_,Whp;haCl,_
direétcdhis Views to unconditionalcornpli;
once, ,reﬁfted (any compact in writing .a11el
was unwilling to affordany aﬂiﬁance tothal; ;
purpofe. After repeated applications, {(1111};
of the mifﬁonaries were introduced to 1111:.
Excellency, but With the utmoﬁ circum-
fpeéﬁon, and in prefencc. of the Legate and,
a Portugueze jefuit, Whom the Emperor had
railed to a. higher (l1gn1ty‘. than any pf; hrs
brethren.- This man was inimieal to the
iptereﬁs of Great Britain, and encouraged
the Legate, to reﬁtt the requeﬁ which the
Embaﬂador had made to remom to the ca?
pital, where he might more (20111 cmentl)
prepare for the Journey to Ahe- hoI; but thC;
governor of the palacc of Yuommln )nen,
{uperior 11-1 pchr to the Legato, interporfed
. X 4 on

\_,

343 ~ 3111111111., .

on the oceaﬁon, and the Embaﬂ}.r was im— .
med1ate1y ordered to take reﬁdenee at the
palace in the city of Pekin. ( NotaVI.

Here, a‘Chinefe chriﬁian, qualiﬁed in all
refpeéts for the ofﬁce of tranﬂator, recom-
mended to his Excellency by a miﬂionary
well affected to the Embaﬂy, undertook,
priVately, the buﬁnefs, though not without
much riﬂ; on his part, provided it {hould
be known to the Legate , for it is a notori-
ous faé’c that a native of Canton had been
formerly put to death forwriting there a
petition for the Engliﬂi Care, how ever,
was taken 1n this cafe to prevent deteétion.
The tranﬂation was copied, fair, by Matter
George Staunton, (who not only, occaﬁon-
ally” ofﬁciated as interpreter, but who had
acquired a wonderful facility in writing the
Chinefe characters) and the original. rough
draughtdeﬁroyed in his prefence.

The memorial of his Excellency was ad-
dreﬂed to Ho-choong-taung Colao, ﬁrﬂ mi—
niﬁer‘of the empire, and reprefented, that

_ 6: his

’TO' CHINA; 313' L

‘ “ his Majefty the King of Great Britain in
fending an Em‘baITy to his Majeﬁy the Em?
peror of China, fully intended to give the
{trongeft teftimony of particular eﬁeem and
veneration, for his Imperial Majelty; that
the ‘Embaﬁ‘ador entrufted‘ to convey fuch
fenﬁments was earnef’cly deﬁrous of fulﬁlling
that object of his miﬂion with zeal and ef-
feet“; that he was ready likewife to Conform
to every exterior ceremony praétifed by his
Imperial Maj‘efty’s ’fubjeéts, and the tribu-
tary princes attending at his court, not only
to avoid the confuﬁon of novelty, but in or-
dcr to thew, by his example in behalf of
one of the greatet’c as well as molt diftant '_
nations on the globe, the high and juft fenfe
univerfally. entertained of his Imperial Ma—
jefty’s dignity and tranfcendent virtues; that
the Embafrador had determined to aé’c in
that manner without heﬁtation or difﬁculty,
on this condition only, of which he ﬂatten '
ed himfelf his Imperial Majeﬂy would im~
mediately perceive the neceﬂity, and have
the goodnefs to accede to it, by givingfuch I
directions as {hould be the means of p’re-
’ venting

3134 , 'E-MBFASS‘Y?’

Venting-75 thé Embdﬂador 1 13mm :iﬁxﬂ'oringi'lhyg
his devotion to his? Imperial Majel’cy-invthis
inﬂame; for the Emb-aﬁ‘ador would com
tainly- Inger? heavily 'if his} (2011111161, 1 0,11;
tliis‘oticaﬁon,‘ could, be conﬁrmed as in any;
wiﬁéz'unbccoming the great and exaltcdlrank:
Wliith his mailer, whom he rcprcfentod,
heid among the-1ndcpcndent fovcxeigns :of
tho world; that this danger could be) eaﬁly;
‘avoi'dtd, andftho fatisfaélionbowgcnogai 01;;
all: ﬁdcs, by h'i'si'lmpcrial Majeltyisﬁzdm; thgg
ondioflvthe ofﬁcers of hisxcourt, ,,equa1; with;
tbchﬁxbaﬂ‘ador in eranli~,vﬁ10ul‘d porform_,ibas.
fort his BritannioMajcﬁy’s piﬁurc ,atglatgcg
in ﬁisroya‘l'r, robes, and then‘in the Embafﬁ
ﬁd'or’s poﬂ‘eﬂiomiatt Pc-kin, the famepémg
monies Which I‘nould be performed bygthe
Embaﬁador before the tbrone of his Imps-s
rial lVIdJCfty ’ > . > . '

Thxs paper,- after being properly addreffcd,
was ‘(hewn to the Legato, Who appcenad ti)
approve its COntents, and undertook to for;
ward it immddiatblys toathe Emperor, Whofc
ac‘qultfccncc VS as little doubted. In this

perfuaﬁon,

To vensma. 3 1:5:

perfuaﬁom the articlesdeftined for Zhe-hol';
were brought back to Pekin, among which
Were ﬁx neat brafs ﬁeld pieces, on light car-
ri’ages.‘ His Excellency had‘them tried. by
I the artillery men, previous to their exhibit->-
ing before his Imperial Majefty, and they
were fired feveral times in a minute. This
Celerity in military manoeuvres wasdifrelifh-
ed’by the Legate, who aﬁ‘eéted to fay, that
the Imperial army was equally as expert.
He coﬁntermand‘ed the orders refpeéhing.
thefe ﬁeld pieces, which, before were deﬁina:
ed» for Zhe-hol, but now to remain at Pekin.
The” few barrels of gun-powder, intended
for falutes, and the mufquetry of the Erna-
baﬂ'ador’s guard, were both become objeéts'
of fufpicion, and were deﬁred to be given '
up; The requeﬁ was immediately. complied
with as a matter of indifference. In fhort;
the whole tenor of his condué’c difplayed a
mind agitated “by fufpicion left the Chinefe
ihould attribute fuperior sprowefs to the
Englifh nation. Even in a difplay of the
prefents, to gratify, curioﬁty», he was {0 “illi-
beral

3.16 ' ‘ EMBASSY

beral as to fuppr’efs the leaft emotion of- ap-
probation

In: the thirteenth century, the commence-
ment of the ﬁrft Tartar dynafly, a new plan
was deﬁgncd for the principal part of the
capital, thence called the Tartar city. It}
has 1a parallelogramic form; and the four
walls, which‘front the four cardinal points,
include an area of about fourteen {quare
miles, of which the palace, ﬁtuated in the
centre, comprifes, Within its yellow Walls, at
leaﬁ one fluare mile. , The whole is cem-
pu'ted to be one third larger than LOndon.
-—The Chinefe city, {0 named by way of
diﬁin’é’tion, contains about nine {quare miles;
the major part of Which is not occupied by
buildings. Upon that part of it which is in
cultivation is conﬁruéted the ﬁen-nong-‘tan,
or eminence 9f venerable agriculturalg’is, of
which fociety the Emperor is the head; and
V directs the plough, once a year, with his

own hand '

The

T0 CHINA; . 31?

The walls of the Chinefe city, likewife,
co‘mprife two temples; the one called Tie1i+
tan, or eminence (fftea‘ven, having the word
rim or heaven inferibcd upon itsprincipal
biiilding ;—the other—léc-imz, which is de-
dicated to the earth. The former is round,
in alluﬁon to the arch of the heavenly firmay
ment, as it appears to the eye; the latter is
fquare, in conformity to the idea of the Chi-
nefe, who believed this to be the ﬁgureof
the earth.—In the fummer ﬁlﬁice, the Inn’s
greateft heat, the Emperor comes in awful ‘
procefﬁon to pay obedience, , and return”
thanks, for its benign influence; and the like
ceremony, in the winter folftice, is per-
formed, in the temple of the! earth; but perv-.-
{oniﬁcation does not take place in either.

This religious worfhip of heaven and earth
is conﬁned to the perfon of the Emperor;
and for his accommodation it is performed
atPekin, where he annually appears abraad
in feveral other magniﬁcent proceﬂions, fug-
gel’ted from views of policy and religion.
Thefe ceremonies, which conﬁitute the

chief

i318 , EMBASSY

ehief public fpeétacles in that city, haVC
'been compared to thofe religious ones of his
Holinefs at Rome, under the name ofﬁm—

£10711.

Riches, in China, confer but little im- '
'portance, and no power ; and property,
Without ofﬁce, is not always fecure., "There
'is no hereditary dignity to give it Weight
and pre-eminence. The ﬁrong a'rm' bf
power often falls more heavily upon the un-
protected rich, than upon the ’miferable
poor, who having nOthing to lofe are lelé
objects of temptation. Excellence 1n learn-
ing, alone Conﬁitutes greatnefsJ 'There are
but three claﬂ'es of men in China: men
iof letters, from Whom are chofen the man-
darines‘; agriculturalifts; and~ mechaniCS,
including merchants.‘—-In‘ Pekin, alone, {11"th
as, by public examination, are found to ex-
cel 1n the fcicnces of morality and govern-
ment, as taught by the ancient Chinefe, are
exalted to the higheﬁ degree of literature,
and elected, by the Emperor, to all the ci-
vil ofﬁces of Rate, and to the great tribunals

of

19., {211111-1- 1,319

of the_emp1re -—Military rank is alfo con-
terred on fuch as, by competition, furpafs
in military taétics and Wailike exercifes.

The fev eral branc hes of a family reﬁding
under one roof, and all dieting together,
are enabled to lire with greater economy ,
yet the poor are fometimes compelled, by
‘,neeefﬁty, to fubﬁﬁ: on vegetable food only,
the price of labour not being always propor-
itionate to the price of pro1 ilions Mar-
lriage, therefore, among the poor, is a mea-
{fure of prudence, the {0113 being bound to
fupport their parents; and as the cuﬁom of
early marriage is conﬁdered 1n the light of a
religious duty, an union takes place When-
333‘ er there 13 the leaft profpeét of procuring
future fubfiﬁence. In that view they are
not always fuceefsful,,1n which cafe the1r
:helplefs offspring are abandoned by the
wretched authors Of their exiftence su-
perltition has lent her hand to fanﬂion the
horrid deed, rendering it a holy offermg to
the fpirit of the ad101mng rite; to throw an
infant. into it, prev10uﬂy attaching a gourd

, to

320‘ EMBASSY

to its neck to pi'event it from immediate
drowning 5""

In thefe cafes the; Chinefe ‘philofophers'i ,
have left parental aﬂ'eétion to the im‘pulfié‘ of
nature, which, to maintain its authoﬁty,
' iequi'res the force of early precept Chfl—
diren are more frequently deferted than pa-
rents negleéted. To {trengthen the tenden-
ey to ﬁlial obedience, the laws of the em-v'
pire, by way Cfpunifhment, commit a'mian’s
oIf‘Spring to his own will ‘ and power -; ' and
euftlom‘ has rendered the notion familiar
that life only becomes truly valuable, and.
inattention to it really criminal, after it has
exiited long enough to be endowed With
ireafon and fentiment; but that a faint
glimmering exiften‘ce may be allowed to: be
loft without fcruple, though it cannOt with
out reluétanee. ‘ » ‘ ‘

‘ Female infants,'confidered as the lefs‘ evil;
are chieﬂy devoted to‘lthis cruel feicriﬁe’é,
ﬂeeing that daughters be‘COme, ~byimaﬁiage;f
7a part of that family into which they pavfé I".

*~ ~‘ 1* > 5, whereas

T0 CHINA. 321

whereas the fons maintain and confole their
own—Thole infants are expofed foon after
birth, ere the mind or features catch parental
affection. A few of them are fnatched from
the jaws of death by perfons appointed by
the government to watch the river, which
provides forthofe taken up alive, and buries
thofe who had already expired. The mif-
ﬁonarics are alfo vigilant in this work of hu-F
manity; one of whom afferted, that upwards
of two thoufand were thus annually expofed,
of whom a very {mall proportion only was
faved. They provided for as many as they
could recover, and inﬁructed them in the
principles of the chriﬁian religion.

The Embalfador was waited on bya man-
darine, high in rank, the evening before the
Embaﬂy quitted Pekin, with a gracious mef-
fage from the Emperor to inquire after his
health, which he had heard had been lately
affeéled; adviﬁng him to travel by eafy
journeys. into Tartary ; and informing his
Excellency that accommodations would be

Y prepared

322 EMBASSY

prepared, {c319 him- and fuite at the fame pa}.
laces where his Imperial Majeﬁy ﬂopped In
his way to Zhe- hol.

 

 

CHAPTER X.

JOURNEY TO THE NORTHERN FRONTIER:
OF CHINA.‘ VIEW OF THE GREAT
WALL. ‘ VISIT TO THE' EMPEROR’S.
COURT , AT HIS‘ SUMMER RESIDENCE ‘
IN TARTARY. * '

. H E Embaﬂador and mof’c of his fuite ‘

fet, out from Pekin for Zhe-hol on the

feeond, of September, 17 93, accompanied
by; rtheufual number of Chinefe. His EX-
celleney travelled in an Engliih poﬁ-cha‘ife;
in which he occaﬁonally accOmmodated

. fome of the mandarines. At ﬁrﬁ they were
V under great 'apprehenﬁons for its over-turd-
in»g;.bnt their fears {eon fubﬁded,‘ and gained-

Try/CHINA. 3273“ ,

it’ a decrded preference over their clu‘rnfy'j
carriages. ' ' *‘

The land, as they paﬂhd, feemed to be
highly cultivated; and its produce generally
the fame as on the other ﬁde of the city.
One ﬁeld, adjoining the road, attracted par~
ticular notice; as, from 'its'regularitr, it
feemed to have been ﬁlzmtcd With a fpecies
of the polygonum. The leaves beingzli’na:
cerated and prepared like thofe-of theindi-
go plant, imparted a dye of a ‘blue colour
equal, or nearly {0, to that produced from’
indigo—It was faid, likewife, that a dye", ,
of a green colour, was extracted from the
buds and tender leaves of a {mall plant, of '
» the fpecies of the Colutea; that‘carmine was
'feldom ufed, as their ﬁneﬂ red Was drawn
from the carthamus; and that the cups. of 'i
the acorn ferved them to dye a black 00-5
lour.- . . ; ;

Among the numerous tribe of indigenous
plants, the Chinefe have found out, by aCCiffri
. dent or refearch, fuccedanea for many arti- , .
Y 2 cles-

324 EMBASSY

cles "in the CCO‘nomy of life, which, other-
Wife, they would have been obliged to ob-
tain from foreign countries.— In lieu of
pepper, they fubﬁitute the feeds of a fpecies
. of the fagara ;- and an oil, little inferior to the
olive, is extracted from the kernels of the
tapricot. But oil, for more ordinary pur-
pofes, is draWn from the feeds of fefamum,
of hemp, cotton, turnip, of. a fpecies of,
mint, and of feveral other vegetables—A
fpecies of cultivated momordica is found an
excellent fubftitute for Cucumbers ; they

combine fhepherd’s purfe with their falads ;
'1 and a carduus, ‘as a relifh, with their rice.
In rearing {ilk—worms, the leaves of the'afh
”are often given for thofe of the mulberry.
They manufacture a kind of cloth fromithe
”ﬁbres of a dead nettle ; and paper—from the
ﬁraw of rice, from ﬁlaments of hemp, and
the bark of various vegetables.

' Early in the ﬁrtt day’s journey a rivef‘Was
V cr‘oﬂed whieh, though narrow, ’was haviga-
ble for boats. The courfe of this, and of
the others in this-tract, was to the fouth
Vi eaft.

3'
TO CHINA. 325

salt. ﬂuids of various. kinds are brought-
down thefe riVers from the borders of Tar-
tary ; and furs, the richeﬂ of its produce, as
Well as charcoal, the chief fuel for culinary
purpofes at Pekin, are conveyed thence up-
On the backs of dromedaries; animals which
are ﬂeeter and {tronger than camels. Sheep
rwere defcried grazing upon the plains, hav-
ing fhort, ﬂefhy tails, weighing feveral
. pounds ;—in high eﬂimation among Chi-
. nefe epicures. i

' Having advanced about twenty miles in the
country, the foil, in lieu of rich loam which
they had feen, now put on a {andy and
more barren appearance. A few miles far-
ther the Embaﬂy reached the palace which
. Completed their ﬁrﬁ day’s tour. It Was litu-
ated at the bottom of a gentle hill, enCom-
palled with a park and plcafure grounds.
In its neighbourhood were fome mineral
. ﬁxings, {aid to be occ'aﬁon'ally reforted to
by the Emperor, and thence called ' his
baths. . '

Y 3 1 During

320. , EMBASSY

nDuring their progrefs on the .fecondv day,‘
the travellers obferved feveral plantations of
tobacco upon the low grounds.——This~arti—
cle [in the Weft Indies is 'curedvin extenﬁve
buildingsy here—principally in the: open
air. It is hung upon cords to dry, under,
little apprehenﬁons of its leaves being‘in-
jured by rain. Smoking is not only very
prevalent with both fexes here, but this cuf— ‘
torn extends even to girls of nine or ten
years old. The fmoke of the tobacco is in-g
haled through bamboo tubes. Its powder,
too, is taken as fnuﬂ", as is likewife pulvee
fifed cinnabar; and opium and odoriferous
gums are ‘fometimes made u‘fe of for {molt-7

ing.

a In the courfe of the third day, the route
‘ led through a .frriall town, walled round,
but Without cannon; yet there were troops
ftationed for the protection of the public

granaries ; {omeof whom were employed~in i
repairing the roads. Thefe, in many places,
were f0 {teep and ruer bged, that his Excel-.
lency, v vvhofe carriage .vsas forced to be

dragg Wed

O
T03C‘HINA13' 39%

dragged empty over them, 'was at intervals
conveyed in a palan'quin At the bettom.L
of {err-1e 0t thefe hills a river ,ran to the i'
{euth-Ward, over Which there was- abridge
ere‘éted'upon eaiiTons of wattles or hurdles, J
ﬁlled» with iﬁOIlCS. , Bridges; OF-this'rkind,‘
cenflt-ruetedﬁa’t a triﬂing expenee, are the
belt ’ calculated for reﬁtting the torrents
Which; at times, rufh-fuddenly and im’p’e-z
tueuﬂy from the eireumambient preeipices. ’
T—he'eaiﬁbns, >0eeaﬁonally of varied dimen-V
ﬁons‘, are ﬁxed by perpendieuler fpars, whole
number and {trength likewife vary/accord;
ing tee-the fpi‘eadaof the river, or rapidity of!
its-current; and'planks, hurdles, and-gia-‘vel:
.are placed over the whole. 1 But in broad:
. and navigable ﬁreams the caif‘on- -work is in-
tempted, and large flat- bottomed beats
placed in the vacuum. - - ' ‘i/

“Approaching the "cenﬁnes of (Taftéij'iif
there Was a perceptible l'aﬁ'imilation of” mm V
nets betv’vee'n the Chinefe arid T artars, which
at Pekin were {trikingly oppeﬁte. The' '
pr1ne1pald1fe1‘1mmatien of the Tertaxjwe- .

' Y 4 men

328; EMB‘A ssr *

men conﬁﬂe‘d in the ﬁze of their feet. < Both
were natural and artiﬁcial ﬂowers in their“
'head—dreffes. This deCOration is neither neg-
leé’ted- by- the poor nor abandoned by the old;
and ﬂowers are pUrpofer cultivated for drefs
by perfons who have no other-occupation;
’ . Many of thefe gardeners, from attention
and experience, have difcm‘rer’ed methods of
heightening the beauty, and increaﬂng the
fragrancy of the anemone, the peony, the
matricaria, and many other ﬂowers.

_ 0n the morning of the fourth day the
travellers came in‘ﬁght of what has been,
and will continue to be, the wonder and
admiration of ages,-——a work of {tupendous
magnitude, the Great Wall of China; {aid
”to extend in courfe ﬁfteen hundred” miles.
Note VII.

, The road which led to the Wall W33 by
‘3 ﬁeep afeent, which carried them to the
fouthern gate, thrown acrofs the road, where
its paired over the fummit‘of a range of hills;
.inaceefﬁhle almoft in every part. Along

this

racy-mm: 3291

this it ran" through a“ narrow ‘ pa‘fs ‘to'a‘ miliw
tary?poﬁ: ﬁtuate‘d at its extremity; "Her’e‘visi’
as well‘a's at other pof’cs; placed at"<ciertai‘ni
diﬁances, fome men, generally: un‘arméd}
turned out as the ‘Embaﬂy pa‘fl‘ed.v‘-'i§ 700‘-
was heat by a man at the tor) of a tower,
While another ﬁred a falute of three Cannon,
placed vertically 1n the ground

The Embaﬂ'y pafling fo‘on after through

a gate, nearer to the Tartar boundary, arii
rived at Koo-pe-koo, Where the {trong gar-
rifon‘reﬁdes, deﬁined‘ for the defence oF-this
part- of the" outer wall. ' Concentric works;
uni-ted with the main wall, i’nclofedxthe for:
ma; -At this northern border of-‘Cb‘in‘a
‘ Proper, the Embaﬂador re‘Ceived military
honours; The troops were drawn up" in
two lines, facing inwards.——A captain was
at the head of each of the companies, with
' the‘ﬂandard, and ﬁve camp colonrs. VMan—
darines were on each tide of the lane, fortiﬁed
by- two lines; then 'muﬁc; tents, and trur'n?
pets ;‘ triumphal gates"; on‘e'ach ﬁdelt’weliie
companies in » fu‘Cceﬂion‘; tand"§la{tly; ‘ ten

‘ ﬁeld

33o EMBASSY .

ﬁeld pieces. The companies were paraded
each 1n the following order: ‘

The leader ufually a bowman;
The ﬁandards‘:

one {word ; _ ﬁve {mall colours; one (word;
' and matclxlocks and {wordfmen ‘ and

{wordfmen ; in numbers nearly equal 5 - fwordfmen;
ﬁve deep._ ﬁve deep. ﬁve deep.

The whole number amounted to about
.tWelve hundred; and the {pace between the
companies was about {even yards, nearly
equal to the extent of their front

The Embaﬂy had now paired the Chinefe
wall; when a Tartar, one of the attend-V
ants, being ordered to be puniﬂled by fome
of the Chinefe mandarines, for mifbehaf-h
viour, the man made a vigorOus reﬁftance;
and exclaimed in a loud voice, that no Chi:
nefe had a right to inflict puniﬂn‘nent on a
Tartar after having paired the great wall:

An inﬂance of claimed or affected fu-
periority- of Tartar chiefs over Chinefe, of
equal rank, Occurred on his Excellency s
‘ arrival

fro . enmity , 3.?ch

arriyeglﬁat the .next ﬁage; where, receiving ‘
:1 complimentary Viﬁt from a Tartar ‘milir.
tax-y mandarine, Van—ta—zhin {carcely ven-
tured to ﬁt down in his prefence. I

On this ﬁde of the wall the feafon ap—
peared to have undergone a Vfudden change.
The air was much cooler; the mountains
were either bare or thinly {cattered with
Verdure; the pine trees were {tunted , the
oak, afpin, elm, and walnut trees diminiﬂred
in ﬁze; and thewoods, inhabited by wolves,
bears, and .tygers, little better than thorny
ﬂlrubs. Hares, remarked for the length

-and fpread of their feet and toes, many of
which had‘ white furs,_ were not hunted by
dogs, but driven into fnares by men.—-The
peafants of this part, like thofe about Swif-
ferland and the Alps, are {ubjeét to a fwell-_
ing'in the glands of the neck, called by the
French Gaines, fuppofed to be fuperinduced.
by the frequent ufe of {now water. i I h

In the feventh or laft day s journey, the,
ridges of the mountains, containinv im-‘
menfc

332 EMBASSY

menfe rocks of granite, ran nearly parallel
to the read. Between the upper ridge and
bottom of the valley was defcried a perpen-
dicular rock or antique ruin, two hundred
feet high, of an irregular form, or rather,
of that of an inverted pyramid; having tall
fhrubs growing upon its furface; The an-
nexed engraving is an exaét reprefentation.

The cool temperature of the atmofphere
is conﬁderably increafed by the relative ele-
vation of. this part of the country ; it having
been afcertained, that the afcent into Tar-
tary is at leaﬁ ﬁve thoufand yards above the
furface of the yellow fea. At a {mall dif-
tance from the towering rock juﬁ defcribed,
through a recefs of mountains, the valley
of Zhe-hol, the fummer retreat of hierm- ‘
perial Majeﬁy, opened to View.

The Embafly proceeding in due order to
.Zhe-hol, was received there with .r‘n‘ili-ta‘r’y
V honours, and condué’ted to afuite of edi-
ﬁces, conneéted toeach other by ﬁeps of
granite. They were fpaciou's and ’con’ve-

- ment,

‘ WK ’ m
..

‘ iSHERNL‘EN bearing ﬂ'leir BQAT; sub‘llsmigﬁ 15m

  
  

/
[ﬂaw/ﬁr 44/, V’

:WAS S Of‘ IN D‘L' RAT :‘I‘LHD I“. ART H or GJKAVEL .

BI/l- 31/10, / 7/07, @ISWA/bzﬁlixmld/J .

 

T0 CHINA. ' .333

inlent, Commanding a View of the toWn and
part of the Emperor’s park. The imperial
garden, the palaces, and I the temples, ﬁtu-
ated immediately- heyond the town, exhi-
bited av fcene of grandeur and‘ magniﬁ-
cence. ' ' ‘

Soon after the Embaflador’s arrival, he.
was Viﬁted by two madarines of rank, with
compliments from‘his Imperial Majeﬁy; and
'by another mandarine on the part of the
great Colao or prime miniﬁer,‘ Ho-choong-
‘taung. The Legate called the fame day,
and Without offering the {malleﬁ apology,
delivered back to his Excellency open the
memorial refpeé’cing the ceremony of recep-
tion, which had,_been entruﬂed to him ﬂaked,
' under the promife of tranfmitting it to Ho—
choong—taung. The Legate inﬁnuated he
had kept the memorial in his own poﬂefllon,
, though it was a known faét it had been for-
warded to Zhe-hol, and its contents ap-
proved. - This change" of fentimcnt Was
fuppofed to have been'eﬁceé’ced at the-inﬂi-
gation of the V iceroy'of Canton, recently

arrived

33'1 ' EMBASSY! 1

arrived at Zhe-liol from Thibet, where he
had commanded the Chincfe-troops.‘ He
was a declared enemy to the Englifh, and
reprefented them as reﬁlefs, 4 enterpriﬁng‘,

_ and dangerous. . The Colao'Was induced to i
believe it deﬁrable that the homage of vaf-
fals to the Emperor ﬂiould be performed by
the Embaﬂador 'without any return of the

independence of his own fovereign. Upon»
this ground, his Excellency’s memorial to
the [court was not to be avowed, and, of .
coutfe, no anfwer returned: and a firm '
opinion was entertained that when the Em- ;
baﬁador fhould be introduced into the pre- -
fence of the: Emperor he could not avoid
making the accuftomed profternations with
cut annexing any condition.

Before his Excellency, then, fhould make _
his appearance at the palace, it‘ became in-z :
difpenﬁbly neceifary to have an eelaircifTe—
ment of the buﬁnefs. The Colao, indeed,
had requefted an immediate conference with» .
the Embaﬂ'ador, to learn the purport of his. r
Majeﬁy splette‘r to theEmperor. ,But, in: .

dependent

 

To"eIiI’§IA;" 335

' dependent; ofir'i‘difpoﬁ’tiOn, other 'motii'reé"
would. have induced him to decline the Vi:

-ﬁt; and it was: determined that the fecretary,’
of the Embaffy fhould be fent~ in his ftead,

with a v copy of the King’h letter, 'and the '
memorial returned by the Legat‘e. A’s‘by'
the etiquette of the Chinefe court, no {e-

cretary can hold converfe with the 'prime

minifte'r, nor even ﬁt down in his pretence, '
recourfe was had to the commifﬁon of mi—

nilter pl’enipotentiary, granted to the {cere-

tary, in cafe of abfence or indifpoﬁtion of
the Embaﬂ‘ador; and in this. charaéter he

waited on the Colao. This Vizier‘of' China

had been raifed, twenty years ﬁnce, from

an- obfcure birth, and from the humble ﬁa-

tion of ’one of the guards of the palace gates,

to the digniﬁed {tation which, under the

Emperor, delegated to him the whole

powe r of the empire.

On entering the audience room, the CO- '
103 was obferved ﬁtting upon a platform cpl”
Vex-ed with ﬁlk, between two Tartar and
two Chinefe mandarines of Rate: IV’"A chair

was

336 EMBASSY

was brought for the Englifh miniﬂcr, but
the ‘Legate, and feveral other mandarines,
and the interpreter ﬂood the wholetime.
The Colao having formally demanded the
object of the Britifh Embaﬂy to China, he
was referred to his Majeﬁys letter to the
Emperor, a Chinefe copy of which was
handed to him, and he feemed pleated with
its purport. The Embaﬂador’s memorial
being laid before him,‘ he affected to be ig-
norant of it, though he was prepared to
make objections to the propofal it contained;
which objections being; anfwered in a man-
ner that had been pointed out by his Excel;
Iency, the conference ended in the will],
that the Colao’s reafons might be commu-
nicated to the Embaﬂador for his ﬁature

conﬁderation.

I The next day, the Legate and two other

mandarines paid an ofﬁcial yiﬁt to the Em-l

I baﬂhdbr, on the part of the Colao, and
preﬂed him to give up the point in queﬁion.
They reprefented the proﬁration as a ﬁmple,

unmeaning ceremony, when done towards.
the

TO_CHINA. ' 337

the Emperor; but a ﬁmilar one towards his
Britannic Majeﬂy as of the moft ferious im-
port; and as hints of perfonal inconvenience
were thrown out, in default of uncondi-
tional compliance, his Excellency took that
opportunity of declaring, how much his
fenfe of duty to his 30vereign exceeded
. his fenfe of danger; that there muﬂ: ei-

ther be a reciprocity of ceremony, or that
fome {hiking chaiaéteriftic fhould be cita-
bliﬂied whereby to diﬁinguifh between a
compliment paid on the part of a great INDE-I
PENDENT SOVEREIGN, and. the homage
performed by TRIBUTARY princes; efpeci:
ally as already it had been endeavoured to
confound them by giving the name of tri-l
bute to the Britiih prefents, as appeared by
the inferiptions placed upon them by the
Chinefe. Not being, perhaps, aware that
this circumﬁance was known to the Embaf-
fador, they were forced to admit the pro-
priety of the propofal ; and they allied, how: -
far conﬁftent with his duty, and in what
manner, diﬁ‘erent from that of the vairals,
he could teﬂify his perfonal refpeét to his
Imperial Majeﬁ'y P His Excellency replied,

' Z that

3:3 8 EMBASSY

that on approachinghis own Sovereign, to
.whom he was bound by every bond of alley
giance and attachment, he bent upon one
knee; and that he was willing to comply
with the fame form, to demonl’trate his, re-

“, Ipef’tful {entiments towards his Imperial
Majefty. ' ‘

This propoﬁtion feemed perfectly fatisfac-
.tory to'the mandarines, who, promifed to
return foon with the court’s determination.
.In the interim, it became a matter of fur-
prife at Zhe-hol, how a few folitary ﬁrangers,
at the mercy of a foreign court, ihould have
the prefumption to offer to it conditions; or
[the intrepidity to refufe to it obedience.
They were to be fent back withoutaudi-
ence; and no attention paid to their com- ‘

’ plaints. It was at that moment, however, '
neceﬁary to complain of the paucity of pro—
' Viﬁons, which neglect was inﬁantly re-
drefled, and fupplies in future abundantly
furnifhed.

‘ ». The town of Zhe-hol is fmall; the dwell-
in’gsmiferable, and crammed with people.
"I I The

To-CHINA. 339

The {treets were unpaved, and moﬁly creel:—
ed. The beﬂ: houfes belonged tO‘tl’lC' man-
darines; The valley of Zhe-hol, which
winds between hills, has a rich, fertile foil, \
but its culture is neglected. It is watered by
a ﬁream running through it, in the’fands
‘of which were found particles of gold. The
circumjacent hills appeared to have been
once well planted with trees; but thofe few
which remained were {tunted ; and timber
(was become very fcarce. No young planta-
tions had been made to fupply the old ones
cut do'wn.——-—The garden of every peafant
contained a well for wateringit; and the
buCkets for drawing up the water were made
of ozier twigs, wattled or platted with fo
clofe a texture, as to hold any ﬂuid. Garlic,
and other acrid and aromatic vegetables were
feen in abundance in every garden, as they
ferVe as a reliih to the rice and millet, the
principal fubﬁi’tence of the peafantry. I

Intimation was given to the Embaflador,
that'his Imperial Majeﬁy would be pleafed
to accept of the fameform‘ of refpeétfril

Z 2 obedience

340' EMBASSY

obedience from the Englifh, which they were
accuitomed to pay to their own fovereign.
It was alTo notiﬁed, in form, that the re-
ception of the Embaﬂ'y by the Emperor
would take place on- the fourteenth of Sep-L
tember, three days prior to his birthday.”
In the interim very ﬂattering meﬂ’ages were
conveyed to his Excellency, expreﬂive of
the great fatisfaétion, which the prefents
gave to his Imperial Majefty.

In a private viﬁt which the Embaﬂ‘ad’or-
afterwards made to the Colao, he was re~
ceived with unrefervednefs andi aﬁ‘ability,
and with proper attention.- to his rank [and
charaéter ‘In‘the courfe of converfation,
his Excellency was dCﬁI‘OUS of impreﬂing
the Colao with; a full conviétion of the 111--
genuou'fnefs of the paf’c condnét, and the
purity of the future intentions of his Majef-
ty towards China. He perﬁl’ced 1n the pa-
, ciﬁc and beneﬁcent maxims of his govern-
ment,w110fe chief objeét was the extenﬁon
oi comnie1ce for. uni1erfal beneﬁt, and he

ﬂwhtly touched as incidental matter, on
the:

5‘

'ro CHINA, 73311

'thelaﬁ'airs of the tributary princes; onthe
.diﬂ'olution of the Mogul empire Of Hindof—
tan, in whofe conteﬁs, though they claimed
protection of the neighbouring countries,
the Engliﬂi did not interfere. The Colao,
however, afforded not the leaf: opening (for
a particular difavowal of having lent aﬂiﬂz-
.ance to the Rajah of Napaul againﬁ: the
people of Thibet.

His Excellency being no ﬁranger to the
haughty not-ions entertained by the Chinefe
of their being independent in point of com-
merce, and that every fuch tranfaétion With
foreigners was by them conﬁdcred as a boon
or icourtefy,’ was far from inﬁnuating that
they could be advantaged in a mutual intcr~
:change of commodities; in the {upply of
cotton or rice from India; of bullion; or,
laftly, by the aid of a naval force to cxtera
minate the fwarrn of pirates from their
coafts. The Embaﬂador was not averfe to'
their confidcring a commercial intercourfe
as a condefcenﬁon on their part, and offered
to treat on thofe terms.-—TheiColao obferved

Z 3 hereupon,

342 - EMBASSY

hereupon, that' they fhould ’have frequent
opportunities of converﬁng together during
his EXcellency s abode in China.

- Ho-choong-taung, beﬁdes being a ﬁniih-
ed ﬁatefman, was of reﬁned manners, and of
deep penetration. The favour of his fovereign
called him to his high ofﬁce and power, and
the approving voice of perfons of rank and
inﬂuence maintained him in it. He was
rendered {till more fecure in 'its poﬂ'eﬂion‘by
a matrimonial tie, his fon being married to
a daughter of the Emperor ; i for princes, in
Aﬁatic governments, often intermarry with
their fubjeé’ts. This connection, however,
alarmed fome of the Imperial family, and
other loyal fubjeéls, who {aw no bounds to
this favourite’s ambition, inafmuch as the ef—
tablilhed principles of that government leave
the fuccefﬁon to the‘choice of the reigning
prince, vwho, in lieu of its defcending by
primogeniture, may exclude, as has already
been inﬂanced, even his own offspring and
family. A man, over zealous, was puniihe-
ed capitally, by the prefent Emperor, for

daring,
I

To CHINA. 34%.

’ daring, in a memorial, to-advife his Imperial _'
Majeﬁy to proclaim his fueceﬂor, to avoid
future diffentions. -

~The Emperor was accompanied by molt _
of his family on the day of the Embaﬂador’s
prefentation, the fcene of which was in the
garden-of the, palace of Zhe-hol. The Em-
peror’s magniﬁcent tent was placed in the
middle of the garden, and "within it was a
throne. Immediately behind this tent was
another, of an oblong form, having afopha
in it at one extremity, for the Emperor to
retire to occaﬁonally. In the V front Were
feveral {mall round tents; one for the pac-I
commodation of the Embaﬂy till his, Impe-x
rial' Majefty lhould arrive,——tlic others. for
that of the tributary princes of Tartary, and
delegates fr0m other tributary ﬁates, who
came to Zhe—hol to be prefent at the eele- I
bration of the birthday, but who attended
now to digniﬁy ,the Embaﬂador’s reception;
The reprefentative of the King of Great Bri-
tain was to be received by his Imperial Ma-

Z4 ’ jeﬂy,

1344 “4.3455?

jetty, In .1115 large, Rate tent-1,, {cgiied upon
his throne.

As a compliment to the Britiih Embaﬂy, 7-
the_xEm'peror permitted his courtiers to ap-
pear dreﬂed in Engliﬂ1 cloth in, lieu of ﬁll;
and furs. The princes wore the tranfpap,
rent red button, marking the higheﬁ of the
nihe orders, as ﬁxed by the prefent Empes ;
ror. No perfon appeared who was inferior
to the fecond rank 1n the Rate, the charac-
teriftic of which is, the opaque red, button. .
”There are three claffes of another kind of
dignity, which conﬁft of peacock’s feathers
fixed in agate tubes, worn pendent from the
bonnet ,j and he who had been honoured
with three feathers, doubtlefs thought him— .
felf thrice happy. In compliance with the
etiquette of the court, which is to be along -»
time in waiting, the Embaily ailembled be-
fore peep of day ; but many of the courtiers
had remained all night in the garden,

The Emperor’s approach was notiﬁed,
foon after daylight, by inﬁruments of muﬁc.
' i His

To“ mm, 345 U

Hist ‘Imperial‘Majeﬁy was‘preeeded by p55}?
fons loudly proclaiming his virtues and his '
power. He was borne by ﬁxteen men in a
triumphal ear, f0110wed by his guards, ofﬁ-f .:
cers of the houfehold, ftandard and umbrella ,
hearers, and a band of muﬁe. He wore a
plain, dark ﬁlk, with a velvet bonnet, hav— y,
ing a large pearl 1n the front, the only jewel ,
he had about him.

His Imperial Majelty entered the: tent,
and afeending a few ﬁeps, Confeerated only,
to his ufe, feated himfelf upon the throne, '_
The Colao, and two ofﬁcers of his houfe—
hold were next him, and knelt whenever Av

........

mily, the tributary princes, and ofﬁcers 05in
ftate having gained their refpeétive ﬁations
in the tent, the preﬁtlent of the tribunal of 5 :
rites conduéted the Embailaclor, attended .
by his page and interpretei, the miniﬁer
plenipotentiary being r alfo preterit, near the i
foot Of the throne, on the left hand tide——
. the place of honour. The other gentlemen, ,
of the Embany, many mandarines and ofﬁ-

' cers ,

3216’ .EMiBASSY"

cers of various ranks, were 'at the great

opening of the tent, whence every thing
that pailed could be obferved. ‘

His Excellency appeared in a fuit of vel-
vet richly' embroidered, decorated with a
diamond badge and ftar, the'Order ofthe
Bath, and over this, a long. mantle of the
fame order. The minif’ter plenipotentiary,
being an honorary doétor of laWs, of the
univerﬁty of Oxford, was/{habited in the "fc'ar- »
let‘gown of that degree. The Embaflador,
purfuant to inﬁruﬁions received from the
preﬁdent of the ceremonies, held the large,
magniﬁcent, fquare gold box, embelliﬂled
with jewels, containing his Majeft‘y’s letter
to the Emperor, between both hands raifed
above his head,—.—and mounting the Preps
which led to the throne, and bending upon
‘one knee, prefented the box' with a fuitable
laconic addrefs to his Imperial Majefty, who
”receiving it graciouﬂy with his own hands,
(put it by his ﬁde, and reprefented “ the
{atisfaélion he felt at the teftimony which

his Britannic Majeﬁy gave to him of his
ef’teem

T0 cnma; 347

’eﬂzeem and good will, in fending“ him, an.
Embaltv, with a letter, and rare prefents;
that he, on his 'part, entertained fent-iments
of the fame kind towards the fovereign of
Great Britain, and hoped ' that. harmony
would always be maintained among their,

refpeétive fubjeéts.’ ’

The dignified and ‘fplendid manner in
which the Embaﬂy was received, inﬂuenced
the minds of the Chinefe, and induced them '
to believe that the government was about to_
make a change of'meafures favourable ,to the
Engliih. Embaﬂhdors were not ufually re-
ceived by the Emperor upon his throne;
nor were their credentials delivered into his
hands, but ordinarily into thofe of his mi-
nifters.

The ﬁrﬁ: prefent which the Emperor
made to his Majel’cyi was a jewel or precious
‘ﬁone, more than twelve inches long, highly
valued by the Chinefe. It was carved into
the ﬁmilitude of a Chinefe feeptre, in the
form of that which is always placed upon

the

{348 EMBASSY

the Imperial throne, alluﬁve of peace and
plenty; The Embaﬂ'ador, in- compliance '
with the Chinefe etiquette, and alfo the
miniﬁer plenipotentiary, refpeé’cfully offered
prefents, in their turn, on their own behalf;
which his Imperial Majefty vouchfafed to

receive, and gave others in return.

Adverting to the inconveniency of having
recourfe to an interpreter to explain what-
ever palied during the interview, his Impea-
rial Majeﬂty afked the Colao, if there were '
any perfons in the Embaﬂ‘y acquainted with
the Chinefe language ; and being told that'
the Embaﬁ'ador’s page, Maﬁer George
Staunton, a youth then in his thirteenth
year, was the only one who had madcany
proﬁciency in it, the Emperor deﬁred he
might be brought up to him ; and he aﬂged
him to {peak Chinefc. His Imperial Ma-
jcﬁy was {0 charmed with the converfe and
elegant manners of this accomplifhed young” »
gentleman, that he took from his girdle his
arecamut purfe, which hung to it, and pre.
fented it to him with his own hand“ It

was

TO Grimm. ' 349

was of plain yellow ﬁlk, andr‘had the-figure ‘
of'the ﬁveeelawed dragon, and/{Ome'Tartat
charaéters wrought upon it. ' A reprefentau
tion of this purfe, with one of the {ceptreﬁ‘
intended for his Majeﬁy, is gi-venin.:the:ané
nexedlplate. Purfes, it feems,‘ are. thehiu'
bands of the. Chinefe monarch; which he '
bef’cows as rewards of merit; but the Em-
perorfs own purfe -was a token of 'perfonal
favour, valued by. the Chinefe above all
other gifts. . . ‘

{At the concluﬁon of thefe 'ceremosrii'esgf
were brought up to the :Emperorgfatﬂthd‘
right [hand of the throne, feveral Hindoor"
Embaﬂhdors from chu, wudMahometansﬁ'
from the Vicinity of the Cafpian, who,r'whem j
they had repeated nine =f0tlemn proﬁra‘ti'ons, 2,
werengpeedily difmiﬂ‘edmLAfter this, the"
Englifh Embailador, and the three! perfume:
accompanying him, were condué’ted to' than;
left/hand of hi§,,lmperial'.Majeﬁy, and‘fea‘tﬁf‘
ed upon cuﬂ1ions., . ' The , princes of, .the'1 line-3
perial family, : ,the. chief; :Tartar tributaries?
and- the, higheiboﬂiadrsylbf court lwereLfeeitedf‘i

according

350* ' EMBASSY

according to rank, nearer to or more remote
from the throne, before which was placed a
table for his Imperial Majeﬂty ; and one ta- ‘
Tale was likewife laid for every two gueﬁs.
When all were feat ed, the tables were un-
covered, and difplayed a fplendid banquet,
Various kinds of viands and different forts
of fruit were ferved up in bowls, piled
pyramidically one above another. Tea was
alfo introduced. During the repaﬁ, every
bowl or Cup handed to the Emperor was
taken with hands raifed above the head, as
had been done by the Embaflador when he
prefented the gold box. Muchiﬁlence and
great folemnity, verging on religious. awe, ‘
were obferved during the whole of this
buﬁnefs.

His Imperial Majei’cy’s attention to his
European gueﬁs was remarkably confpieu-
ous. By his order, feveral dilhes were

A ' handed to_ them from his own table; and

‘when the repaf’c was ﬁnilhed, he fent for
them, and gave them, with his own hand,

a goblet of warm Chinefe wine. Inquiring
of

To, 0,1111%. ‘ ‘35:

x of the Embaﬂador how old his own fove-
reign was, he cordially wilhed, inranfwer,
that he might attain his years, which then '
amounted to eighty- three, in a perfecten-
joyment of health. The feﬁival concluded,
he defcended the throne, and walked ﬁrm

and ereét to the open chair which wasrsin
waiting.

, A fhort time after the Embaﬂador return-
. ed, he received, from his Imperial Majeﬁy,
prefents of ﬁlk, porcelaine, and tea for him-
{elf and all the gentlemen of his fuite.
Some rare white grapes, more oblOng in
form than. the Spanifh olives, and about

their ﬁze, were mixed with the occaﬁonal
I prefents of fruit—At or after the cuﬁomary
viﬁts, between fuperiors and inferiors, an
interchange of prefents: takes place; but
thofe from the former are bellowed as , d0-
nations, while the latter are received as qﬁis’r-
ings: thefe being the Chineﬂ: terms for fuch
prefents as pals between the Emperor and
foreign princes.

" Among

3,5.2’ trams”.

, Among the many inﬁanees of "civilitylon'
thepart of the Emperor was an invitation
to the Embaﬂador and {nite‘to viﬁt the gar,
den and pleafure grounds of Zhe—hol. WTh’is,

like many other tranfaétions- at the Imperial *

court, begane'arly in the morning. .111 go;-
' ing thither they met the Emperbr, who, after
being greeted by the Ernbaﬂador, informed
him; he was proceeding, to his devotions
in the temple: of Poo-ta-la; that ‘as they did
not worfhip. the‘fame gods, he ﬂiould for-
bear to folicit his Excellency to join. him;
but that he had given directions to his
miniﬁers to accompany him through the
gardens.

“ His EXcellency was not lefs furprifed than
pleade to ﬁnd that Ho-choong-taung, the
prime miniﬁzer, had been ordered' for this
purpofe, in the hope of it‘aﬁording a far-

vourable opportunity of contracting, an in-

timacy, and refuming the topic which was‘»

the chief object of his miﬂion. But this
pleafurable idea was foon repreﬂed by the

appearance of the Thibet general, who
joined-

T0 CHINA.. 35’3/

joined the Colao, as if hé dreaded the Em-
balTador’s gaining any afcenden'cy over him,
or that any. explanation might take place
between them relative to the Thibet war;
and. left no opportunity of entering on either
fubjeéts. The general's brother, and ano- .; .
ther Chieftain of rank were alfo prefent. '

' His Excellency and fuite were conducted
by them'through a valt inclofure of pleafure
. grounds, forming a portion only of the exten-
ﬁve gardens ; the remainder, appropriated
for the ufe of the female part of the Impe-
rial family, was inacceﬂible to thefe minif—
ters as well as to the Engliﬂ1.-—— Riding
through a verdant valley, in which were wil-
lov‘vs whofe trunks were of vaf’c magnitude,
they arrived at a lake, upon which they
failed in yachts till [they could proceed no
farther for a bridge. The fpreading leaves
and fragrant ﬂowers of the lien-wild, a {pe-
cies of the lily, covered the furface of the
water. ' v ,

A a 1 Near

315.4 EMBASSY

1 Near the borders of the lake were feveral
finall palaces. In each was a public hall,
having a throne 1n the middle, and a few
ﬁde rooms chieﬂy furnifhed with European
works of art, and rare natural productions
of Tartary. Upon a marble pedeftal, placed
in one of the pavilions upon the lake, was
an agate of unique beauty and ﬁle, of which
a correct plate is given. , This agate, which
by art is made to reprefent a landfcape, is
four feet long, upon which 18 cut a copy of

verfes compofed by his Imperial Majeﬁy.

, Various kind of ’quadrupeds and birds
were difcovered in the gardens, but no me-
nagerie of wild beaﬁs. There were alfo
forge monitrous varieties of gold and ﬁlver
ﬁfhes {porting 1n ponds of clear water, whofe
beds were covered with agate, jafper, and
other precious ﬁones. The walks were not
covered with gravel, nor were the grounds
enriched by belts of trees, nor clumps of
lfhrubs: art had lent but little aﬁiitaneeto
nature in the diﬁribution of its objects. _ .

i One

To: CHINA. 3‘55

/ One of the 'eurio‘ﬁtiesg‘repmted td‘Bé in
the garden of" Zhe- ho], was inadmiﬂible to .
the party, the town in miniature; being 111'-
clofed within thofe limits fet apart for the
ladies of the palace. It 13 faid, by a 1111f—
ﬁonary, to be an exaét reprefentation of: the
tranfaétions of common life; as well as the
11111116" and *conﬁiﬁon'of' the Capital; -~The
fatne’ ’miﬂi‘onary,“ in "quality of ‘artif’c, ‘ had
been engaged in the éembelliﬂin'ient of'a
fimilai" work, in theladies" garden at Yue'ﬁ;
min‘éyuen. Something of this kind is: new
in one of the Imperial palaces of Peterfburg.

The general deportment of the Celao,
during the excurﬁon through the gardens,
Was that of an experienced courtier; his
politenefs and attention to the Embaﬁador
were unremitting. The other minif’cer Was
aﬁ’able and courteous , but the manners of
hisbrother, the general, were formal and
ungracious ; nor was it in the power of the
Embaﬂhdor, by ﬂattering his" talents 'a's‘a
warrior, to diﬂipate ' "his'ill' humour.” 'The
prime minifter, in the courfe of converfa-
’" ‘ A a 2 tion;

356' EMBASSY ,

tion, mentioning the arrival. of the Lion
and Hindoﬂan at Chu-fan, his Excellency
.ﬁeiied that Opportunity of requel’cing that
Captain Macintofh might now be permitted.
"to join his fhip, having. paid his obeifance
to the Emperor; but the Thibet general,
who kept clofe; to the Colao, immediately
interpofed, and exclaimed, it was highly
impoliticto fuller him to traverfe the Chi-
nefe dominions. Nothing deciﬁve was de-
termined on for the prefent; but the Em-
ballador prelled the Colao to give him an
opportunity hereafter of renewing the fub-
jeét ~

Ho-choong—taung, from the multiplicity
ofﬁate buﬁnefs, and the great fatigue of
that day’s exercife, was taken ill, and he
, lent to requeﬁ the Embafiador would allow
his Englifh phyﬁcian to viﬁt him. Doctor
Gillan follOwed’ the meflenger to the COlao’s
hbufe, where fome of the faculty were af-
fembled. Tea, fruit, and fweetmeats fol-
lowed the ﬁrft ceremonies of introduction;
when thefe were removed, the patient pre-
' £311th

T0 CHINA. 35.7

fented ﬁrft his right arm, then his left; and.

the doctor, to comply, in fome degree,
with the prejudices of the country, and that
he might give no offence either to the pa-
tient or his phyﬁcians, very gravely felt the
pulfe in both arms, and for fome continu-
ance. He told them, however, that Eu-
ropeans did not deem it at all necefrary to
feel the pulfe indifferent parts, as they well
knew that the pulfation was ﬁmultaneous in

every part of the body; which doctrine be- ‘

ing new, land as amazing to the phyﬁcians
as to the- Colao himfelf, he applied the fore
ﬁnger of the Colao’s right hand to the left
tempOral artery, and the fame ﬁnger of his
left hand to the right ankle, when, to his
‘ utter aftonifhrnent, he found the" pulfe beat
at the fame i-nftant of time at each part.—.'
' By the anfwers to the qucﬁions which Doc-'-
tor Gillan put to him, he found two d-iitin&
complaints, ,Rhcumatifm, and Hernia. The
doctor’s explanation of the nature of the
diforders, and propofed method of cure,
were put down in writing , the Colao was}.

perfectly fatisﬁed with the doctors ideas,-
.

A213 _ and

3.58 'EM‘BXS sit?

(and made him a" prefent of 1a piece of filfk.
Note VIII. ‘ ‘

' As 'no interVieW Could be'vobtaincd with
the ‘Colao for. fome time; notwithi’canding
he ‘was {oon eafed of his rheumatic «pains,
the Embaﬂador determined to write 'to him
on the ﬁlbjCCrt of Captain Macintofh, torre-
iqueﬁ'his' fpeedy departure to rejoin hiS‘ﬂliP
‘at Chu-fan; and as no Chinefe- could be
/ 'found hardy- enough‘to carry a letter with-
out'deavegfrom the Legate, (who, by the
by, had? been degraded by the Emperor for
not going on board the Lion with the two
mahdarineS-Van-ta-zhin and Chow-ta-zhin,
and? now were in «his bonnet the opaque
White, inﬁead’ of the tranfparent-blue but-
tOn, and, pendent from his cap, a erow’s
tail feather inﬁead of a peacock’s, though" he
ﬁill retained his authorityand ofﬁces, being
proteéted by‘Ho—choong-taung) the inter-
preter to; the Embaffy, not without great
riﬂi, and much perfonal infuit‘ from the rab-
1316-7 on the road\,v-undert00k the buﬁnefs,.and
'- ‘ ’ ‘ ~ ~ ' ' ;:-s,put
.- \

To. swarm. , \ 23915.9.

put the letter into a proper channel for its
fpeedy delivery. 43 n

- The Embaﬂador and his fuite were called
before fun-rife, on the morning of a the «fe-
venteenth of September, to be preﬁmtat
the celebration of his Imperial Majefty’s ane-
‘ niverfary ;. a ,feﬁival which laﬂed‘ many

days, though the feaﬂ'was exprefsly devoted
forv‘rendering .Tolemn and devout homage to ’
the-fupreme Majeﬁy of theEmperor. The
ceremonial. paged in, a vaﬁ hall, in which
were ailembled the princes, tributaries, em—
baiiadors, great ofﬁcers of ftate, and princi- i
pal mandarines. ———To the found of cylindric
' bells, {ufpended 1n a line from ornamented
frames of wood, and gradually diminiﬂiing
’ in ﬁze ;—-—and alfo to that of triangular pieces
of metal, placed in, the fame order naszthe
bells, as well, as to the muﬁc of: vari-
ous other inﬁruments, a ﬂow, and 7; folem-n
hymn was- {1mg by,eunuehs..; Duringgthe
chaunting of ; this encomiaﬂic; :fong, . which,
accompanied by the muﬁc, produced a
grand effect, —— at particular ﬁgnals, nine
5 A a 1 times

3,59, EMBASSY 3

times repeated, every perfon preterit-prev
ﬁrated himfelf nine times, except the Em-v -
baffador and his fuite, who made only one
profound obeifance.—~He to whom this awful
aft; of adoration was made, in imitation of
the Deity, kept Ihimfelf the whole time in»
viﬁble.

The inﬂuence intended to be wrought
upon the‘minds of men by this devout vene-
ration of a human being, was not to be ;
effaced by an, immediate. fucceﬁion of fport
or merriment: fcenes of this kind were den ‘
ferred till the morrow. In the mean timethe ‘
Embaﬂador, accompanied by Sun—ta—Zhin,
a Tartar chief, lately promoted to the rank of
Colao, vifited, among other places, the grand
temple of Poo—ta—la, compriﬁng one vaft,
and feveral {mall fabrics. The principal was
a grand cathedral of a fquare form, each of
whofe ﬁdes was two hundred feet. It con-
tained eleven rows of windows, one above
another, having as many ranges of apart-
ments. The front was plain and uniform,
but well ﬁnifhed, The apartments of. the
quadrangle were, united together by aQa~

Clous

 

To‘ cums? ' 331$

cious: corridor below; and «an op‘en‘igall‘ery
above. A éfpace railed oflC in the middle of.
the chapel, 'raifed above the ﬂooi", 'prefented
three’altars 'fuperbly‘ decorated; and three "
coloffean ﬂatues of F 0, his wife, and child;
and inan obfcur-e recefs, at the back of thefe
altars Was the {acred tabernacle, with a ﬁn- A
gle glimmering light, as if intended to im-
prefs the mind with rCllgiOUS'thI‘fOf.—-NO
lefs than eight hundred lamas or prieﬁs were
attached to this temple, fome of them from
their infancy ; but all ofﬁciated in the exte-
rior ceremonies of religion, which greatly ,
contributed to its magniﬁcence. This ex-
penﬁve devotion of the Emperor towards
F0, was fuppofed‘ to have arifen from this
eirCumﬁance; that in contemplating his long
andfelicitous reign, he had wrought himfelf
_ up to the belief, that his favorite deity had '
condefcended to become incarnate in his
perfon. ' V i

The next day, upon the lawn before'the’
Emperor’s great tent, were exhibited a va-
riety of entertainments; and ‘hisilmfierial'

7’ - , Majeliy," '

3’62 .~ .EMB‘ASSY‘

iMajeﬂy, furrounded by his ‘court,»igraced
them with his prefence. The fpeétacles
were entirely Chinefe ;. and every perfon
who excelled in any particular talent,
whether for ﬁrength, dexterity, or in the
performance of any extraordinary feat of
agility, were alTembled on the occaﬁon, in
the prefence of innumerable fpeétators.
Some were famous in the art of balancing;
others at legerdemain, tumbling, wrei’cling,
dancing, and various other exercifes. ‘ There
was alfo fome vocal, and a great variety» of
inﬁrumental mufic. After the muﬁcians,
were performed fancied ballets, by 'many
hundred perfons, habited in tunies; in which
{uch Chinefe characters were reprefented as,
difcovered by the aid of lights in tranﬂucent
lanterns of various colours, reﬂected much
commendation on his Imperial Majeily.

Next to the ballets, various kinds of ﬁre-
works were lanched of}; which difplayed
great {kill in the pyrotechnic art. Several
of the ’conceits were new to: the :Englilh
fpeétators, among which was the following.
" ' ' A large

To: .'_C,HIN<A. 3’53

A“? large *box'being "fent' up high" in the air,
its boﬁomr-feemed' accidentally to . drop ' out,
fromewhich aperture ilfued a vaf’c: number of
papers wrapped up in a ﬂat form, - Thefe pa-
pers unfolded themfelves from «each'other '
by degrees, and were tranSformed intor-e-
‘gular. lanterns, in. each of‘which'a burning
.lightwas fuddenly perceived, rwhofe ﬂame
was vivid and beautifully coloured g—r—Cﬂbﬁ-
edwithout any communication from with-
out which could produce the ﬂame that was
‘within.——But what was molt extraordinary,
this devolution and developement were rei-
terated, with a‘change of ﬁgure every time,
as well as a change of 7 colours. Smaller
correfpondent boxes were afﬁxed to each ﬁde
of- ‘the large one, which unclofed in. the
fame way, and expofed to View a kind'of
net-work of ﬁre, with partitions of various
forms that glittercd like burniﬂaed copper;
and,with every gull: of wind, produced co-
‘rufcant' ﬂalhes refemblinglightning; The
whole concluded with a volcanic eruption
of artiﬁcial ﬁre, in the grandeﬂ: {tile 1magin-
able. ' .

' A {elect

3-04 -EMBASSY

A .feleét party was invited to. a pantomi-

mic entertainment in the theatre belonging
to the ladies of the palace; a {mall hand~
'fome, building, three ﬁories high, ﬁtuated
' between their pleafure grounds and the Em-
peror’s. garden. It contained three open
ﬁ‘ages, one above another. The gueﬂs,
among which were the Embaffador and
a part of his fuite, {at in deep boxes, oppo-
fite the loweit ftage; over them were the
ladies, in latticed galleries, who could vfee
what was doing upon any of the ﬁages,
though they were inviﬁble to all. It ap—
peared that the Emperor was willing. to
gratify their curioﬁty with a ﬁght of one
belonging to the EmbaﬂZv, the page being
conducted out of the Embaﬂhdor’s box, by
an eunuch, uponva platform within View of
the ladies. .

The aétors, who were. numerous, and
ﬁlled thethree Rages, in-{tead of appearing
in the human fhape, allumed tlie likenefs
not onlymof animals, but likewife of a va-

riety of inanimate productions of {ea and
‘ land;

TO CHINA. , 365

land; intended, perhaps, to repreferit an epi-
tome; of the World. The pantomime was
divided into fever‘al acts, and laf’ced a conﬁ-'
derable part of the afternoon—Duringthe
performance, the EmperOr called the Em-
balTador to him, and faid, “ It was only on
particular occafions, like the prefent; that
he alﬁﬁed at fuch fpeEtacles’; the care of
watching over the fafety of his people, and
enacting laws for their welfare, neceﬂ‘arily'
demanded every moment of his time.”

Notwithftanding this unremitting atten-'
tion to the public weal, his Imperial Majeﬂ’y
had found leifure to cultivate fome of the.
polite arts.- He had written poems; fomc“
thing like the epics of Voltaire, which fhewa
ed taﬁe and fancy. A few ﬁanzas were
conﬁgned. to the Embaﬂador for his Majefty;
as Were fome rare gems, highly prized from,
having been eighticenturies in the family;
and they were prefented as a pledge of per-V
petual friendlhip. «

wk,"

36.6 EMBASSY

It had been the cu‘ftom of the Emperor,“
after the celebration of his birthday to fol"
low the greatchafe of wild beaﬂs in the fa:
reﬁs of Tartary; but this {port was now
declined on account of his advanced age.
He generally paired the fummer-in’hisTM-
tar, and the winter in his Chinefe territo-
ries; and as his Imperial Majeity had re-
folved on a fpeedy return'to Pekin, it was
fettled that the Embailador {hould leave
Zhe- hol before him. ——-The latitude" e£ this
place was afcertained to be forty one degrees
ﬁfty eight minutes north.

Previous to his Excellency’s departurerfor
Pekin, he received an anfwer from the Co-
lao to his letter, 'ﬁgnifying, that the Hin—
doﬂan {hould be allowed to fell goods and
purchafe a cargo at Chu-fan, under the pro-
teé’tion of the mandarines, who ﬂlould take
care that» the natives did not exaét; and
that, as {he had come from Europe chieﬂy
laden with prefents for the Emperor,” no
duties ﬂapuld be taken on her return; but
that Captain Macintofh could not be allowed

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TO CHINA; 367.

to. join his {hip—This difappointment was
do‘ubtlefs owing to the illibe-rality and um:
friendlinefs of the Thibet general.

CHAPTER XI.

RETURN TO PEKIN; OBSERVATIONS AND-
OOOURRENCES THERE, AND AT‘YUEN-‘t
MIN—YUEN. DEPARTURE FROM PEKIN.‘
JOURNEY TO HAN-CHOO-FOO, PARTLY

.' UPON .THE IMPERIAL CANAL. -

H E Embaﬁ'ador, his fuite, guards,‘

and train of domeﬁics ‘quitted Zhe-
hol on the morning of the twenty ﬁrft of
September; and halting, In the evening, at
’ one of the Emperors palaces, one of the
guards died there. _This event was kept fe;
cret, it being contrary to rule to fuller any
one to expire within the Imperial precinéts.
The next morning his body was conveyed,

as

3";5‘68 EMBASSY
as ifalive,l- in a :palaﬂquin, and; at a; few
'- ~ mikes diita'nce, his death was formally an-
'~riouneed. .. z ., ,4; M.-.
539--The-- Embaﬂ'y arrived atgi;Pekin onthe
' ~7evening~ef ~ the twenty "ﬁxth of; ﬁeptemher,
"1'; tolthe i‘ineérpreﬁible; joy of their? (If-their, fel-
~‘5'i'oW-‘traVC11ers‘as had neceiTarily been left he-
" hind there, Whoslha‘d’ remained - ever. fmce
4"94mmuredvaau-IS ina ﬁatelitﬂe better than as:-
‘3 tuaheaﬁiﬁtya Some ”(of the; miﬂimrieg
‘Tsiﬁiithe‘ﬁrft days, had paid them 'occaﬁonal
”viﬁtS'; Ibut this friendly intereourfe arouﬁng
“the jealoufy of the Chinefe, they were
5’; 016%er to be difc’ontinued, and the; 39911-
”‘duﬁ‘ 6f- bath, in future, narrowly watched.
——-The Embaﬂ‘addﬁs entrance, however, igto
the City was marked with the ufual honours,
wand he recewed the accuﬁtomed viﬁts of the

mandamus; egg; V. :

,-A...

I ‘ *7 - iHis-‘Ehcdiency being,» among other;cir-
'44vehmﬁ2t'nee3, aware; that a" fyﬁem 10f precau-
'Ltien originating.- if; jealouf) had Ibeengron-
anttyadepted with regard to the Embeﬂ'y,

r: , .. , forefaw

To cmr’m. 359

forefaw the expediency of ﬁxing fome future _
day for his departure, and he had underﬂood
that fuch a propofal was expected. No per—
manent re’ﬁdenee had ever yet been eﬁab-
liﬂied in China for any foreign miniﬁer;
and the government of the country. conﬁ-
dering embaifadors as gueﬁs, whof e charges
were defrayed out of the public purfe, the
unbounded hofpitality, and fumptuous treat-v
ment already afforded to the Englifh, were
powerful arguments againl’c the prolongation
of the viﬁt. The Embaffador, therefore, .
refolved to aﬂc leave to depart in the‘begin-
ni-ng of February, before which time he
might hope to effect fomething towards the
eﬁzabliihment of a more frequent and fﬁmd~

ly commercial intercourfe.

Exterior ceremonies performed in honour
of the Emperor, which tend greatly to ino
{pire the people with fentiments of refpeét‘
and duty towards him, are praétifed gene:
rally throughout the empire. On his 1111‘
perial Majeﬁy 3 birthday, all the manda—
rines at Pekin, dreﬂ'ed in their ceremonial

B b , robes,

3770 EMBA‘SSY-

robesgs. aﬂcmbled together- ét noon»; in the»
gmt palace Of thatcity, and each, before
the:;throne,ﬂup’on which incenfe was bum,—
ingproﬁiratedA himfelf nine times, and made
'oﬂiirings of viand-s and liqgors, as ifhe Coulcf
‘ partake of themythough .abfent. In the
fame general manner is incenfe burned, and
oerings, made, every new and full moon,
Before the throne :of the feveral palaces, by
all:the. ofﬁcers offthe Emperor’s. houfehold;

."f'Ehentgmnplestof Pe'ki'nhave no claim to.
elegance: {when compared,.~with its palaces..
Theirraligion- of the Emperor is performed
Witltiamuch magniﬁcﬁnbe in Tartary, but
if: China iris new. ;~ The mandarines‘ and-
men of letters venerate. Confueiusy and af-
femble‘in halls of ﬁmple conﬁrué’cion ; and
the loxiver elaﬂes'ef-the‘people areunabIe to
contribute to the ‘creétion ref, fplendid edi-
ﬁcesafOr public worﬁl’ﬁpi. ‘ ~*Beﬁ§les,7' their re-
ligious fatte'n'tion ris mueh'v-étaken. up, with:
their heufehold gods. ”Every-houfehas its
altar and' its‘ deities; :{Their mythological
beetles 'eontain ﬁ—militudes of thofe whom
‘ they

 

     

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T0 CHINA. ' 371

they imagine preﬁde over their performs and
properties, as well as over external objects
likely to affect them. In the reprefentation
of Lui://zz'7z, or fpirit which commands
thunder,——the Violence of that meteor which
nothing can Withﬁand,——the velocity of the
lightning which nothing can (furpafs,—and
the effects of both united, are deﬁgned by
the monftrous ﬁgure in theann‘exed plate.
The beak of an eagle terminates his chin,
Emblematic of the devouring effects of thun-
der; and the wings, denote itsfamazing Ve-
locity, He grafps‘ lat thunderbolt in one
hand, and a trunche‘on in the" other. for
{triking the kettledrurns With‘ which he is
environed. Sometimes the eagle’s talons
aref‘reprefented 'as placed upon the axis of a
Wlieel,.upon which he darts through the
clouds With increafed rapidity. ,

' Afterthe monftrous ﬁgure above defcrib-
ed, it may not be conﬁdered malia propos
to give a reprefentation of another,—-—-a crea-‘
ture of the imagination among the Chinefe,
but by them called a» lion. '4 Two large

B b 2 bronze

1372 EMBASSY

bronze ﬁgures, fuppofed likeneﬁ'es of that
animal, are placed upon two marble pede-f-
tals, before one of the gateways, leading to
the hall of and ience at Yuen-min-yuen.
Each. ﬁgure was originally compofed of at
leaf}: a hundred different pieces of that me-
tal, caﬁ: feparately, but adapted to each
Other in {o ingenious a manner as to form a
whole. It will, be feen by the annexed
plate, as the learned author of the original
work has very properly obferved, that thefe
ﬁgures, to unlike to What they were meant
to reprefent, might almoil: be miftaken for
Knights in armour with periwigs fuch as
were worn in the time of King Charles..

The lion is neither bred in that country,
nor has any one ever been tranfpoi‘ted thi-
ether, either as a public fpeé’tacle for proﬁt,
or as a prefent to the Emperor. -—-—Thofe {la-
1 tues mutt therefore have been bad imita-
tions from incorreét drawings of the lion,
.rw'hofe fuperior ﬁrength and i111p‘1tedeene-
reﬁt ty have gained him notice and intimacy

_beyond the extent of his travels 1 .
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To" errINix, 373

That huge animal the elephant, remark?
ziblc‘ for its ﬁrength and doeility, was feen‘
about the palaces of the Emperor. \ Several,
beth male and female, have beenbrought
to China from the Vicinity of the equator, -
and fame few of them were bred to the
'nOrthward of the tropic. They are of a
lighter hue and fmaller than thofe at Cochin-
china. The elephant is the only quadruped
that has a probofeis, though inﬁanccs of it
are frequent in the infecl tribe.

To qualify pcrfons as ofﬁcers of the houfe- .
hold, and other departments in the Impe-
rial palaces, it is necellary to become eu—,
nuchs; and the operation for this is gene—
‘rally performed before the age of puberty;
though it is done from childhood to forty
‘years of age. Such as are deﬁrous of quit-
ting plebeity, and willing to become eu~
nuchs, are immediately received into one
of the palaces, and invef’ccdlwith an em-
ployment that gains him the advantages and
importance of a gentleman; and fome few
of them have been digniﬁed with a ball upon

‘B b 3 their

374‘ EMBASSY"

their cap, the badge of ofﬁce of Both cwil
and military mandarines.

But {imple caﬁration is not fuﬂicient for
V thofe vxho are entruﬁfed‘ With the care"? of
the ladies of the court; They undergo en—
tire emafculation, all traces of {ex {uttering
complete exciﬁon. The heard of an adult,
thus formed into a black or complete eunuch,
foon begins to fall off, and in a fhort time
the whole difappears. His frame alfo wi-
thers like a blighted” plant, and his face, like
the wrinkled hag, is full offurrows. F rem
menial fervants "at the commencement, by
degrees they creep gradually into fayour and
power, adminiﬁering to the potentate’s pri-
vate pleafures and amufement; and their
inﬂuence has been able, froma fuppofed in?
dignity, to eﬁ‘eé’t the difmiilal and 'difgrace
of r'nandarines of eminence." , The miﬂiona-
ries who, from their principles of convert—
ing to their faith, {land on a precarious
footing, are more afraid of giving oﬂ-ieince ,
to an eun‘uch than to a mandarine, ‘4 and

knowing they have the ear of the Emperor,
they

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they endeavour by meeknefs of. behaviour;
and acts of civility, taxoncilia‘te theirgood
wifhes. ~ ‘

i . When an Emperor dies, all his wornen
are, removed 'to‘an ediﬁce called the Palace
9f Clz‘qﬂigy, ﬁtuated within the walls of the
palace , in which they are {but up fbr the
remainder of their lives. », 4 .

There are in China a few Pagan nuns
who make a vow to remain virgins. , Though
the laws of the country do. not admit of 176‘,
ligious convents, thefe women are admired
ﬂor perfevering in an effort which 18 difﬁcult
to accompliﬂi. -—Thc adultery of women is
Punifhed, but not capitally.

When a new Emperor aecedes to the
throne, it is {aid that very refpeétable per—
fonsof the. country taketheir daughtersto
theipalace for. his choice ;, and the families
of fuch as are accepted think themf’elves
highly honoured. Others are prefented to
the princes of the blood either for wives or

i B b 4 . concu—

37p _ ‘ Bis/1:114:55? _

concubmes The latter,in China, are
loolged upon in the fame light as handmaids
in the old teftament .-—In the lower elaﬁ'es ;
of life, however, beauty mutt be very rare,
if. what has been aferted be true; that young .
girls of good ﬁgure, with handfome features, ,
and delicate complexions, are taken or pur- _
chafed. from their, parents at. the age of- four—
teen; for the ufe‘of therich. and powerﬁul. .

'Intimation was , given, to the Embaﬂ‘ador'
of: the Emperor’s approach to Yuen-min-
yuen, -and that the etiquette of the court
requi3;;d he ﬂiould go fome miles on the
road to meet him. e—Though much indif-
pofed with rheumatifm, his Excellency went
early [in the morning to the rendezvous-
pomtcd out. The Emperor came with re—
gal pomp and dignity; and perceiving the,-
Embaflador, ﬂopped to deliver a gracious-
meﬂ'age of civility, which ended in deﬁring
him to return {peedily, as the dampnefs 017
tbs; morning might increafe his complaint.

The.
ill-fl:

Torah-m: 3 95 ‘

" The?- Embaﬁadoﬁ with infdi'mediibydhhiei

oft-he great mandarinésj friend's to" tildel Efi‘ik
b’a’ﬂ'y,“ that a council had beenhOldé'n' to
take 'into conﬁde-ration the lettez‘ bro‘ixght by

him from the King of Great Britaiti, and“:

the mode pr0per to be ufed tow ards his {uh-‘4‘”
jeéts On this occaﬁon the prime minift’er'

. had {um-monedr the Thibet general, Viceroy

of Canton, anda’former Hop-poof the fame
place, a declared enemy of the Engliﬂi,

then a {tate prifoner, conviéted of” embez—
zling the public treafure to an immenfci
amount, .and of exaétions from' the 'Enghfh'~ 7
While at Canton, to give their t‘eftiﬁibnj
and advice, as being competent tb judge‘ht'
the conduét and difpoﬁtion of the fdreig’hersi
trading to that port; but, without doubt, to.
ﬁrengtlien the Colao againﬁ the more fa?
w‘oura’ble inclinations of‘ his Imperidl Mat-i"

. jeﬁy.- ' Nothing'aufpicions could be expat};

ed from the -fuggei’tions of- fuch perfons: and
the Embatfador notiﬁed his dcﬁre to‘ the
piime hammer, to leave Pekiii early 1n the
month of February.

1

The

378 EMB’A‘S 91':

z The Elnbafla'dor,"inftead ofaii anfwter to
thiIS'mefTage, received an invitation to ‘*c‘6’me
to Yu‘en-minayuen; where‘he.;had Englirlh
letters to deliver to him. His Excellency
‘went thither, and found a few letters,‘ dated
Chu—fan, from the Lion and Hindoﬁan.
The Colao wiﬂied to know. their contents,
He {was told, ’the Lion Would foon put to,
fea, but that the Hindoﬂan would wait for
her commander; and his Excellency put
the letters into his ‘hands.———The Colao
hoped the fhip WOuld wait to carry back
the Enibaﬂy. He obfcrved, that the Empe—
ror, on hearing of the Ern'baffador’s i’rllnefs
21nd the death of fome of his fuite—,—nndap-
prehenﬁVe that they might materially {utter
in their healtl‘is'by a"- continuance, imagined
ittrnight be " deﬁrahle to depart before the
' rivers; were frozen up, as travelling by land
was very' inconvenient—”The Embaﬂador
difcovered that other motives were conceal;-
cd under the pretended 'fol-icitude for'the
Embaﬂy’s health, and made a proper an-
fwcr; which was replied to by the prime

miniﬁer

 

TO- CHINA. .379

minifterx as before :: and his Excellency. was
{affered to take leave without being inform-a:
[ed that the Emperor’s anfwer to his »Majef,i
ty’s letter was ready, and would be delivered
the next day. ~ '
. [The Legate haying Waited on theEmﬁe i
baﬂador, to fay the Colao deﬁred to'fee him '
fpeedily: at the great hall of audience in the
palace of Pekin, he went thither; in. the
midﬁ: of which was. placed upon vachair of
ftate, the Emperor’s anfwcr. It waseoma‘
prifed in a large roll, covered with yellow-
ﬁlk, and was to be fent that evening, in
form, to the Embaffador’s hotel. - VVhatg
ever favour it might contain, could. not be
attributed either to the Colao or his compar'
nions, whofe unfriendlinefs was demon-4
ﬁxated by their pertinacity in refuﬁng'the
preferits ufual fromforeign minifters- Ina
converfation, however, with the miniﬁer
onthe points 'deﬁrable to be procured: for the
EngliﬂrEaﬁ India Company in China,;,he
afked for a brief abi‘traé’c; and without
pledging himfelf to fupport them, promifed
they

mo , was“

they .ﬂmuld have antsimmedaiatc co’nﬁécrau
tion. His Excellency, in confcquencey {91%
no time in fdmrarding fuch a ﬁatcmcnt.
4Tb: Emperor’s anfwcr,_w~hich Wash'fcm
the fame awning, was accompanied'with
fcvcrak ‘chcﬁs 0f prefcnts for his Majcﬁy;
E fomr: for [the Embaﬂ'ador and his fuite’z; andi
even tokens of his bencﬁ'ccnce Were 'cxtend~.
chi tolthc ofﬁcers and men of thcviﬂxips of
the Embaﬂty, as well as to the moﬂ: memal
‘ fer-vant prcfcnt. - ' '

~ As no poﬁbivc direéiioms had been "given
Iorhis Exc-cllcncy’s departure, 'it was infer»
{61, from the Emperor’s laﬂ: declaration: at
¥umvmin-}Kuen, that rccourfc» would not
he had touéﬂhte command; His Excellen-
cy had to regret the little progrefs, made as -
to. the purport of his miiuon; though he,
{aw the inutility of a wifh to prolong his
‘ ¥r¢ﬁdcncc againﬂ the Colao’s inclinatibn.
’Hc: had," bcﬁdc, .. b’cén .4 privately , informed,
that the ~ Chiﬁcfcxhad;'*no..uthcn ‘ idea» bf- ’ an
Embaﬂy thangxth‘at; of La: "Kit with Ipmféntfs

on

maven m}. . " 88

on fame {okmn feﬁivai, and to laﬁ: only
dul'tmg its continuance:- '

At this juné’ture, one of the Neapolitan .
Gh‘inefq gwho hwdz quittcd “the "Lion~ near
' Macao, broughtthe Embaﬂador» lettczzs from
one of'thc Eaft’ India Companyfs'sCommif—
{30,11ch at Canton, Rating ther'cxpcé’tation
cf; an immediate rru'pturc with thaizepubli-
cansof'ance‘ and Brabant. . Underélltheﬁ:
.circumﬁanccs,‘and having'an eye toethc fafet'y
of the ,Britiﬁl {hips homcward- bound the
cnfuing feafon from Canton, his Excellency
ﬁgniﬁcd to Ho-choomg-taunglﬁs. intcnﬁon‘
oﬁjoining Sir «Eraﬁmus Gowcryattflhuﬁhﬁ
with ,all poﬁible (peed; and , requeﬁzcd :a., kt-
ms from himv might be immediate-Wiri—
Wardcd «containing fuch informationgznai in”?

This- dctermination; vslzhir'ch‘was€ plcaﬁng
to the Colao, was ape-rf'céﬂyconﬁﬁent: with,
Chinefa decorum, ‘Which dtmandcd’witaml
cc-ifation of the Embaﬂynftcr-ihé re'ceiptf'rﬁf
the-Emperor’s anfwcr, and thcfamweliprc-
(cuts; neither Could any pcrfonal commu- _

nication

882 EMBASSY

nicatio‘n afterwards be .obt-ain'ed with his
Imperial Majelty. Anintercourfe more fa-
vourable to the views of the Embaﬂador
unexpectedly took place on the route to
Chn- fan, through the means‘of oneof the
ﬁx gran-d Colaos, appointed to accompany
the Embaﬂ‘y thither. v -

- The fudden removal from Pekin threw the
Embaffy into great confuﬁon, from the «fh‘ort
time allowed to prepare: for it; but it was
forced to yield to imperiousl necefﬁty. 'The
route Was directed through Han-choo—foo ;
and beﬁdes its two old and refpeé’table ‘compaa
ni-ons, ChOW-ta-zhin, and Van-ta-zhin, an-
other perfon of the ﬁrft rank, Sun—ta-zhin,
,one of the grand Colaos, mentioned in page
360, who was in the conﬁdence of the court;
was appointed to accompany the ﬁrangers,
anti to watch and report their conduct.

‘On the morning of therfeventh of Oé’to-

. her, Ho-Choong-taung, and other miniﬁers,
came to a pavilion Within the gates of Pe-
k-in, to take leave of the Embaﬂador, and
delivered

TQ‘ QHINA. 3834

delivered fome gnacious meifagcs on the part
of ,his'Imperial Majefty. , Trhieyfhoped the
treatment his Excellency had met.with was.
confonant to , his wiﬂles ;, and-bat the fame
time aifurcd, that. due attention, ;ﬂiou1:d~;‘bc
paid to him and his-( mite, in order to ren-
der their jdurney pleafant to the port of cm-‘
barkation‘ Upon- a table wefe placed ytwo
tubes of Bamboo Wood; covered. with yelzLow
cloth, containing. two "rolls [of ‘ yellow papeg'.
Upon one waia..-Wri~tten an enunieratidn (if;
the Imperial: 'pre'fents, and upon the ethos;
--an anfwer to the recent requiﬁtiongmade ,
by the Einbaﬁhdor rcfpeéting the Engjifhi.~
factory at Cantbny {A mandarine of‘the' ﬁfth
order was appointed to carry them aSvfaWkS,
the riVer upon which his Excellency was to»
embark. ‘

His Excellency, with his _,:En,g1iﬂ1 and
'Chinefe retinuc, {ct out immediateiy for
Tong-choo-tbo, in order totemb‘ark upon
the‘Pei-ho; andpafﬁng through: one of the
eaﬁern gates of Pckin, he was honoured with
the ufual falutes. ‘_

011:

384' ' EMBASSY

On their return from Pekin, a gentleman
of the Embaﬂ‘y Went into an open temple on
one tide of theiicaufeway, Where he defcried
a curious ﬁgure, which he imagined was
meant to reprefent the lingam .of the Him
doos, or heathen god'of ' gardens. ‘ It was,
however, nothing but a fhort column, reit-
ing upon the back of an animal, of the li—
zard kind, but of rude fculpture, as Will be
feen by referring to the plate. ' It is proba-
ble thercolumn wasrintended as a menu-
ment for Chinefe inferiptions, with which
one, face was nearly ﬁlled. ' "

The Embaﬂfy was received in a refpeétful
manner at Tong-choo-foo. The temple,
. its former reﬁdence, was prepared for its ac-
commodation, and in the eVening the city
was illuminated. Before the deities in this
temple, which have already been defcribed,
were placed one or more bronze veflels for
burning perfumed. matches and tinfoil pa-
,per, of which'an engrairing is. given.

The

   

M ON'TUM EN T .

 

C !l ‘11 11W: 3 1H

(1 T! i! jl NE 8 "11‘; B R T :1 D Gil“? .

 

 

TO CHINA. ' '3‘85

The next day, the yachts being ready,
and the’pr’efents all fhipped, the Embaﬂ')r
embark-ed'up‘on the Pei-ho, whofe waters
were decreaﬁng {o falt that; the fecond day,
the boats were forced to be dragged. along.
Very little progrefs. had been madejwhen
the Colao, Sun-ta-zhin, came to inform
the Embaﬂador, '(whom- he received 'with
every mark of refpec’c, and to whom his
Excellency reiterated his acknowledgments
for the civility ﬂiewn him at Poo-ta-la‘, and
in the gardens of Zhe-hol) that he had juﬂ:
" received a letter from the Emperor: an ex-
traé’c of it, which he read, purported that
“ he” (Sun-ta-zhin) fhould take the Em-
balry under his particular care, that eVery pro-
per diﬁiné’cion {houldrbe ﬂiewn,and attention _ ‘
paid to the Embaflador and his fuite in their
route to Chu-fan, and that he fhould fee them
fafely embarked on board their fhips; but
that if thofe ﬁlips {hould be failed from
thence, to proceed in the fame manner;
and for the like purpovfe,_i to canton.” .

C c :Sun-ta-zhin,

‘g z.

386 EMBASSY

0|

Sun-ta-zhin, beﬁdes being a Colao, was
honoured with the yellow mantle, worn
over his other garments ;——the higheft dif-
tinétion known in China. He was elegant
in‘manncrs, but tenacious of his rank and
dignity. Without difcloﬁng his private in—
ﬁruétions, conveyed, probably, in the fame
difpatch, he gave the EmbaffadOr to under-
ﬁand, that his letter to Sir Erafmus Goiver
had not been forWarded; having been kept
back through the fufpicions of Ho-choong-
taung, Sun-ta-zhin, however, was foon
convinced, by the candid explanation which
the Embaﬁhdor gave him of that letter,
of the necefﬁty offending it; and he wrote
concerning it to his Imperial Majefty. He
held frequent communications with the
Embaﬂador; and his inquiries were lefs iti-
mulat‘ed by perfonal curioﬁty, than by the
deﬁre of conveying to the Emperor the bell;
information he could collect, refpeéting the
Englilh and other Europeans trading to
China; {0 that his Excellency difcovered
that, though he. was receding. from the
court, he was advancing more the object of

his

 

 

   

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”W - .
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., 1/,

        

r

T0 CHVFNA. 387

his million, through the medium‘of the pre-
fent liberal‘conduétor of the Embaﬂy, than
when he was really prefent, by removing
the' prejudices which the Chinefe, under
falfe reprefentations, had imbibed, againﬂ:
the Englifh character. V '

The gentlemen of the Embaﬁy were not,
as before, reﬁrained from little excurﬁons up-
on the ﬂiore. In this part, the ﬁelds were
parched up by long drought; and the fol.-
lowing is the method taken for'watering
them. Two men ﬂood, upon projecting
banks, oppoﬁte to each other; each held in
his hand a rope faﬁened to a bucket,
which when ﬁlled with water from the ri-
ver, after {winging it to and fro feveral

times, was thrown with rapidity into a re—’" ,.

fervoir, made near the river’s bank ; and
from this, by mean of {mall channels, the
water was conveyed over the adj oining ﬁelds.
At other'times, a long pole, whofc length
was unequally divided, is made to turn upon -
a‘lpivot'acr‘ofs an upright poﬁ. A bucket
ﬁxed’to the Ihorteit end is lowered into the

C c 2 river,

388 EMBASSY

river, which when ﬁlled is hoiﬁed by the
longefl: leaver, and its contents poured into
the refervoir. A {ketch of both methods

is given upon one of the copperplates.

A few fheep were feen grazing upon frnall
fpots; but the greateﬁ number come from
Tartary, as well as'the larger cattle. The
chief food of the latter is corn-ﬁraw .Cut
fmall. .Milk, cheefe, and butter are little
known amongthe Chinefe; 'and the com:-
nion people rarely taf’te of animal food, un-
lefs of fuch as die by difeafe or accident, in
which cafes they are equally re'liﬂied; and
even the verminpicked of? their ﬁlthy per-
1.0115- fall a prey to their depraved appetites.

After their crops of corn are got in, which:
was the cafe at this time, and the'ﬂubble
taken off the ground, it is ploughed with a
ﬁngle buffalo. Their plough was of ﬁmple
conﬁrué’cion ;, and in parts where the foil is
very light, it was drawn by men and wo-
men. There is no coulter to the plough. :
The {hare which penetrates, being made to

terminate

To an m. Egg

"terminat’eiin a curve, performs the OfECC of;
a mould-board for turning back the earth.
It is fometimes made of iron,,but more fre-
quently with a timber which, from. itshai‘d—l
nefs, is called iron wood. A ﬁgure of this
plough is given in a copperplate. V

Their rice and corn ﬁelds are all On an
even furface, not, as in Europe, divided into
ridges and furrows ; and fown neatly in drills;
or dibbled. Much feed~ is waited in foWing
by hand or broad-calt; neither is the crop-
{o‘ abundant as when drilled. The rows for:
fetting or dibbling are, by the fociety of
agriculturaliﬂts, direéled to be from north to
fouth ; for which reafon - the hufbandman'
{lands with his face towards the fouth, in
directing the plough.

At a few miles dii’cance from each other "
were military poﬁs, with foldiers ﬁationed-
to protect the internal trafﬁc of the pro-'3
vinees, as well as travellers from pirates and
robbers, Chinefe foldiers wear their {words '
0n the left'fﬁdeyha‘ving the point-before):

- ‘ C c 3 them;

3'90 EMBASSY

Athemigsaand they are draWn by turning their

right hand behind them.

Though {everal of their villages were as
large as fome European cities, they are held
in little eftimation, unlefs encOmpaﬂed by a
Wall ; and thefe walls, which always fur-
round towns, were generally higher than
the tops of their houfes. Every town is
imagined to be-under the proteé’cion of cer-
tain {tars or conﬁellations; of which laft
. the Chinefe numbered twenty eight: they
have ﬁars, alfo, which anfwer to the twelve
ﬁgns of the Zodiac, called the twelve man-
ﬁons of the fun.

In China, no legal tax has been impofed
for the maintenance of priel’cs in any reli—
gion; yet there is {omething contributed
to defray the expences of facriﬁces made at
every new and full moon,——in fpring and
autumn,-——and at the commencement of the
new year. No fuch day as Sunday is known;
nor is the week divided in that manner.
The temples are open for the free vingrefs of

devotees,

TO CHI-NA. 23g}

devotees, fome of whom have bedueathed
benefaétions for the fupport of priei’cs. -, ,.

During the reign of the left Emperor a
land tax was fubﬁituted for a poll tax ; and
though .moi’c of the imports, and all kinds
of luxuries are taxed, yet as the duty is add-
-ed to the original price of the commodity,
the conﬁrmer can feldom diﬁinguifh the one
from the other. There is, likewife, a tranﬁt
duty on goods paﬂing from one province'to
another, Which is a great fource of revenlre.
.And the public treafury is net 3. little en-
riched by prefents from tributaries, and {uh-
jeé’cs of the empire, as well as by conﬁfca-
tions of afﬂuent criminals. But the fevera‘l
fpecies of grain, including wheat, \ upon
which the poor principally fubﬁft, are ex-
empt from taxation.

= . A {mall {pot of ground is allotted to every
Cottage for. raiﬁng efculent vegetables; and
r'hogs v» and poultry, efpecially“ ducks, were
feen about each dwelling: the latter are
ofiequently hatched by artiﬁcial heat.1h
C c 4 . _ the

3

§C

LIN

W l?! A 5 5X

the Villages women were feen at their doors

fp1nn1ng cotton With rocks and reels; and

here, as Well as at every town throughout
the empire, were pawnbrokers, Who are
allowed, by laW, an exorbitant intereﬂ on
the 'money advanced upon pledges.

i The ‘ Eriibafly “entered the province of
Shan-tung on the 18th of October, which
being the day of full moon, the whole night

Was occupied 1n the performance of religi-,
ous rites. _Thcre was an inceﬂant noife of,

guns ﬁring, muﬁc playing, loos beating, .,

ﬁreworks launching, and matches burning
from the hour of midnight till the fun-

riﬁns ‘

«The annual cotton. plant is muchlculti7,.
vated in this province as well as in that of;

Kiang-nan; ,3 and {0 is indigo,;tor dying: ,
blue being the general colour of cottons,

2.4 e.

worn by the common people, The. quail-1;;
tity of cotton, however, preduced 111 China,.,

is infufﬁcient for the internal confumption,

cotton being univerfally worn by both fexes.
Conﬁder-

.a

To " c 111N111 . 393

)j‘l '11
Conﬁd‘erable quantities are therefhre i111

ported annually from Bombay, whlch 13:
paid for at Canton 1n dollars; thefe, in the:
courfe of trade, are given for bills of ex—‘:
change upon England; and the dollars re-
cur again to the Chincfe merchants 111 pay-
ment for ﬁlks, teas, and porcelain imported
from thence into Europe.

a.

':1“;

On the twenty fecond of Oé’tober, the
yachts arrived at Lin- ﬁn- choo, a city Of the:
{econd order, near which 15 erected a mag-j
niﬁcent pagoda nine ﬁorics high, intended, :
it was conjectured, to commemorate either i
the commencement or completion of this
grand canal; which extends from hence toL
Han- choo- foo, in an irregular courfe, ﬁ1e
hundred miles, through heights, over val-
leys, and acrofs lakes and ri1crs. Thefe
pagodas, called by the nati1cs Ta, are gee-i:
ne’xally from £1 hundred and twenty to :1.“
hundred and ﬁxty feet high; the diameter";
of their bares being about a few th or ﬁfth oi
théir altitude ’ i

f? T; 2;; vi :1-1'11111)

O11

394 EMEASSY

i on the twenty ﬁfth of Oftober the yachts

reached the higheﬁ part of the Canal, Where
the river Luen, the largeft which feeds the

Canal, defeends into it, with a moﬁ rapid

Current, in a line perpendicular to the courfe
of the canal. The oppoﬁte weﬂern bank

‘is therefore {trengthened by a ﬂrong bul-

wark of’ftone, againﬁ which the waters of
the Luen {trike with fueh Violence as to
divide, and follow—a part the northern,
and a part the fonthern courfe of the ca-
nal. Proceeding a little farther, they ar-
rived near the place where the Leu-tze, the
renowned ﬁfhing bird. of China is bred, and
taught the art and pfaétiee of furniﬂring his
owner with abundance of fifh. _ It is a {pe-
Cies of the pelican or corvorant.

A prodigious number of rafts, and {mall

. boats, built exprefsly for this kind of ﬁﬂlery,

are conﬁantly employed upon a lake elofe
to this canal. Ten or a dozen birds are put
to each raft or boat; and on a ﬁgnal being

made by the owner, they dive intothe wa— -
‘ter and bring up fifh, for‘netifnes of‘an'e’nor-

In 0113

TO CHINA. 395

mous ﬁze, between their bills. ‘ They feemed
fo well trained as to require neither ring nor
cord to be put round their throats, to pre—
vent them from devouring or {wallowing
any part of their prey; they were content ‘
to wait for what their matters chofe to give
the-m.—The boats, built for this purpofc,
were fo light, that two men often carried
one, with the birds, to the lake, as appears
by referring to the engraving.

This part of .the canal was {trongly em-
.bande on both ﬁdes; for the water was
brought into a narrower channel, and raifed
feveral yards above its former bed. The
lands below were overﬂowed feveral months
in the year, and cultivated with that fpecies
of rice which requires to be immerfed in
water till it be nearly ﬁt for the ﬁckle.—
Two crops were raifed annually: the one
was ripe in May or June ; the other in'Oc-
tober or November. ’

The procefs of fhelling or hulking rice
was performed by putting the grain into a
i ' {trong

396 E M-BA'S SY'

thong earthen vell‘el, or large {tone mortar
fixed: into the: ground, and {hiking it with
a conicalpeftle adapted to the end ofra lever;
Thispeﬁle is often wrought by a perfon
treading upon the end of the lever, as will
be.feen by the annexed engraving—Ano-
thervmode of effecting this is, by placing
the grain between two ﬂatﬁones, of ‘a cir-
cular form, of which the uppermoﬁ is made
to turn round ; ,but at Inch 21 diﬁance from
the undermoit, as not to crufh the rice
placed between them. It is alfo done, on
a largerfcale, by water mills.

: The yellow river, which the yachts had
now to crofs, was {0 rapid in its current as
to induce- the Chinefe to. think‘:it 11ecelTary ,
to make {acriﬁces to the. fpirit of the river" ‘=
to infurea fafe :pall‘agea ,The: matter. of the 1-:
yacht, attended by the crew, aﬂcm:bled_
uponithe forecaitle ;. and holding :1ka i112”
his hand as a victim, wrung oﬁchis head,
and threw it into the {tream He then
confecrated the veﬂel by fprinkling its blood

upon the deck mails s) anchors, unduidoors
of

    

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liu‘r, Jig/2!; /, 79/, [y//. J'I/vﬁh/L, Bron/{[105

 

To CII'I’NA. 397

of the cabins“; upon‘ eaeh‘of iwhichi'werle

{tuck fome- of-the cock’s feathers; ‘ Afteii' .

this, bowls of meat were ”brought? and
placed, in a line, acrofs the deck ;“and be?
fore thefen—cups, containing oil, tea, ‘falt;
and ardent fpirits. The captain nOW‘mad’e’?
three low, folcmn bows, lifting up his hands;

and uttered a few words as if addr‘eﬂ‘ed to

the deity. During this time the [00 was-
forcibly beaten; matches were lighted and:

held towards heaven ; tinfel paper was-kept:E

burning, and abundance "of crackers let‘oﬁ“;
Libations were made by him to the "river,
by throwing into it the cups ofliqui‘ds ;_ af-
terwards, that which held the falt'. The

ceremonial being ﬁniﬂied, the people made
a hearty repaﬁ‘ of the boWl-s of meat. * They 4
then launched the yacht, with conﬁde’ne‘eg“
into the ﬁrea-m; and having reachedthe"i
oppoﬁtes‘fhore; the captain offered thanks‘

to heaven with '1 three inclinations Of body.

During the Embaffy’s progrels’tOWards

the yellow' river,‘letters "frequently paired

between the Emperor and Sun-ta4yliin; and '

the

c a ,
' SW?

398 EMBASSY

the latter often paid friendly viiits to the
Embalfador.~—Quotations from the Impe-
rial difpatches were cited at different times,
by Sun-ta-zhin, containing not only an ac-
count of the letter to Sir Erafmus Gower
having been forwarded to Chu-fan, but alfo
gracious expreﬂions towards his Excellency
and ‘fuite ; which he was informed were in
confequence of Sun-ta-zhin’s favourable re-
ports of the Embaﬂ‘y. He had declared to the
Emperor, that he was perfeftly convinced;
the Embaffador had no other views than that
of procuring for his country advantages in.
trade, which Europeans conﬁdered as an
object of the utmoft importance ; and that
he had difcovered nothing in their manners
or fentiments which could create the fmalleft
alarm to the nation with whom the Englilh .
might be deﬁrous of ‘eﬁabliﬂiing a friendly

or commercial intercourfe.

As teftimonies of the Emperor’s perfonal
regard, his gracious meifages were often
aCcompanied with prefents of dried meats
from his table, preferved after the Eaftern
manner.

11111, 1121111111. '399

manner. . His Imperial Majeﬁy, in a recent
aniwer to Sun- ta— zhin 3 letters, aﬂhred him,
that he entertained his- {elf a high eﬂieem
for the EmbafIador and his nation, notwit h-
ﬁanding the various furmifes which had
been made concerning them; that he had
refolved to protect their trade, about which
his Excellency had interefted himfelf {o
warmly; that he had, indeed, refutedto
comply with certain requeﬁs, as, at his ad—
vanced, period of life, he could not reconcile
himfelf to any innovation ; that with regard
to the buﬁnefs of Canton, it had been left ,
to the difcretion and management of the
Viceroy, who would not readily give orders
to abolifh practices which he his~felf had
fanélioned; but as a particular mark of his
Imperial Majefty’s attention to the deﬁres of
i the Engli-Ih on this. fubjeét, he had recalled
the former, and appointed anew-4r Viceroy,
e—one who was related to him by'blood,
and’endued with fentiments of juﬁice and
benevolence towardsﬁrangcrs; and thathe
had received inﬁtruélions to examine and re?-
1rifethe regulations of the port, of ”Canton,
and

4.7% EMBASSY

and to put an eﬁeﬂual ﬂop to the vexations
and grieiances of which the Engliih come
plained. ~Sun-ta-zhin, in addition, {aid to
the Embaﬂador, that it might be fuppofed,
perhaps, out of delicacy to his Excellency,
he had put too favourable a conﬁruclion on
his Imperial Nlajefty’s difpatches, but that
he might reﬁ atlured they were the Empe-
ror‘s "own words; and that as the newly
appointed Viceroy was {till at Han-choo-
foo, he would introduce the Embaflador to
him there, who would conﬁrm the allur-

ances he had juf’c given.

Proceeding farther on, they perceived
plantations of mulberryltrees, fome of which
bore white, others red, or black fruit. _ The:
boughs being frequently lopped of, young
felons rhoot out abundantly, the leaves of
which are tender and more nutritious for
ﬁlkworrns. than thofe gathered from V older
brimches. The raurelias of the ﬁlkworm, as
well as the white earth—grub, and the larva
ofthefphinx moth, are accounted, among
the Chinefe,” a, delicacy/for the table. ,. In

this)

’ To Cniﬁn“. ' ‘ 46:?
this, rhotvv’ev‘c’éi“, they’are ndtfihg'iﬂar ;‘~ for-viii
the VNeﬁ~ Ihdies, a large catei‘piﬁar, which
feeds upon a palm, is eﬁeemed a delicioﬂS’”
morfei, ' ‘ ' - ‘

Bridges of a reddii‘h granite, and ﬂame of
_‘a’ cearfe, grey marble, were thrown Over the
canal, the arches of which were variOuﬂy
conﬂruﬁed, To pafs under theft: bridges,
one of which, ﬁtuated in the fuburbs of
SOu-choo-foo, ‘we have given in‘an .engravi
ing, it was rieceﬁ'ary to {trike the yacht's
mai’c, and to ereét, in' its Read, a pair of
{heel-s, conﬁﬁing of two poles, one from
each ﬁde' of the veﬂel; v'éhich uniting at the
top formed two legs of ﬁn ifofceles triahgle.’
Bﬁt'the arches of fome 'of the bridges were-
'lofty enough to admit the veiTels to pafs un‘
der in full fail. ‘ The vai’c height of there:
arches, render Preps neceﬂ'ary to them front
the extremity of the bridge , of coutfe, they ’
are not paii‘able for Wheel carriages. " -

The city of Sou-choo-fOo, in the vicinity
of Nan—kin, termed the Paradife of China, 1'
D d is

510.2 ' EMBASSY

is large and, very populous ; y the houiksﬁfe
z‘ntiaitsand well built ; andithe. inhabitants r61-
fpeétable, dreﬁed moitly inyﬁlk. ,Thc W9:-
arrienwere fairer than thofe .in‘the inorth;
‘many, of whom wore a {mall Cap of black
sfatin, adorned with jewels, upon-the fore-r
head, brought down to a peak between the
eyebrows; and they had ear- -pendents of
gold or cryﬁal. '

. ‘In the vicinity of this city ‘isfound that
remarkable tree which produces. tallow, the
"wcraton ﬁbgﬁ‘rum of.Linnae1is. ; This: tree
Agrowsto the height of a common cherry-
‘tree ; its beautifnl‘white‘bloﬂ‘om is followed
by. its fruit, growing in bunches, which1s
contained in} a hard, brownifh. huﬂgwhich,
when ripe, feparates in the middle liketga
'ichcfnut. Each huﬂ: contains three {mall
‘kernels, about the ﬁze of a hazel-nut ,_ and
exery kernel is covered with a hard, White,
oleaginous {ubﬁanee, (in like manner as. the
pulp of a Cherry round its ftone) which has
the properties of tallow, but in ﬁnppmd it
oﬂ it does not foil the; hank \Vith this

tallov.

1011111111. 21113

anew 11120111111216 m‘ake *eeﬁdtégz;~ 1116111511,.
'to harden them‘, they are genei‘aIIy dipped
in the wax produced by the 1rifeé’c’ aE de-
{bribed at page 197. -—From the 1111511511111
kernel is extracted a gOOd deal of O1I To
that this tree prOduces taIlow for candIes
and oiI for lamps " ‘ ' “ 1 , “
The yachts {topped at a Village, rieairithe
city of Han—choo-foo, to ‘receive the new
Viceroy of Canton. ' He came in a" barge to
pay 111511111 viﬁt’to Sun-taszhin,‘and td'th'e
~Embaﬂ‘a‘dor. He conﬁrmcd'the. aﬂiiranées
Which had been given of the Emper'drs
“friendly difpoﬁtion towards his Excellency,
and the Ehglifﬁ, to which, in the moi):
"pleating manner he added his owri good—
"‘m 1H. ‘ ‘ '

'In addition to the honour [conferred‘by
the} Empetror'on' Chaung-ta-zhin, the Vice”;
’roy‘, 'theiinhabitants of: the ’Chééﬁiang; the
government of which" he. had juﬁ huiitted,
' and ' where he ' had 'adniiiiiﬂered{'i’niﬁartial‘
njuﬂice, gave him the moﬂ ﬂattering of ti-

D d " ties:

404 ' EM'EASSY

168, by calling hlm “ the fecond Conﬁh
(21:11:23,. He accompamed Sun—ta-zhin and
the Embaﬂador mto Han—chocafbo, at which
place they arrived on the ninth of Novem-
ber; 1793

I! .

a".

I». :7 _ CHAPTER XII

HAN-CHOO- FOO. JOURNEY FROM THENCE
To CHU- SAN; AND ALso T0 CANTON.
:»PA$SAG.E COFVTI‘IEALIQN ANT) HINDQS-
ELAN TECMTHE FORMER .TC THEWIIAT-

,TER- _ RESIDENCE . C}? THE EMBASSY
SAT; CANTON, AND MACAO. PASSAGE
.‘ETo: ,ST.» HELENA; NOTICES OF THAT
I'SAND. RETURN HOME.

HE City of Han-chooéfoo, neatly equeif

in population to Pekin, is the grand
enriporium for mercharidife and all kinds of
attlcles NVhiCh pafs between the northern
and fouthern pI'OYinGZCS. The highef’c hdufes
have

.In

TO CHINA. 405,.

have only two ﬁories; the ﬁreets are name
row, but well paved; in the pr1nc1pal 6f
Which the Ihops are as fplendid as any 111
LOndon. The manufaéture of lilks and fa,-
tins, for which there' is a brifk demand is
done by women; and furs and Engliﬂi
broad cloths form no inconﬁderable part of
their trade. The ladies, in lien of' linen,
.wear next them a ﬁlk netting ; over this a
waiﬁcoat and drawers of ﬁlk,\lined, inrcold
weather, with furs , and a fatin robe above
all, neatly gathered round the waift, and
retained by a faih. -

InfOImation was received here that'Sir
'Erafmus Gower had failed from Chu-‘fan;
bnt'as he had ﬁated in a former letter that
he fliOuld proceed to Canton to get a fupply
of medicines which he could not obtain elfe—
where, a difpatch was immediately fent to
the Company’s Commiﬂioners at Canton to
ﬂop the Lien. From this place the new
,Vieeroy permitted Captain Macintofh anil‘ a
part of the Embaffador’s fuite to go to, €111}?
fan, where the Hindoﬁan was taking'in a
D d 3 cargo.

4’66 1 11111 11115511“

cargo Sun ta-zhin, Who took a friendlv
leave Of the Embaﬂ'ador, accompanied this
party They {eat out on‘ the thirteenth arid
ar’rivéd there oh the nineteenth of NovemL
her ; at which place their conduﬂm’,‘ after
making prefents to them on behalf of the
Emperor, {hook the Captain heartily ybLthe
[band and bad him a cordial adieu ‘ '

The Embaffador and the Viceroy ﬁt out
the fame day fOr Caﬁtoh, the route to Which
Was upon the river Chien-tanchhaung
Two bodies of Tartar troops, {uperblyL Ldreﬂl
a? were drawn out upon the beach, and ﬁt—

sluted his Excellency as he paired to his
barge Aﬁ immenfc CrOWd of bOats Were
aﬁ‘embled on the occaﬁon, and am’0ng the
1 expenenced boatfmen Was orré who roWe'd,
ﬁeered held the ﬂieet, arid fmoked at the '
fame time. '

“B‘é'é‘xéééh *‘Hani‘ 1:112:11 1611-11111 i’Ye'rih-‘ehbb-
100 were fome rich and piéturefque valleys,
which prefentcd to \‘iCVV the large ltafed
eheﬁmt and puﬁplc ‘lt‘akﬂ*falldw trees ,

k

’ ‘ 1 - alfo

gro , CH} N11. {1974;

alfo the towering. larch, .‘andithe glittering
leaves of the thick, fpreadingi camphor tree ,
and nearer to the latter place, a great num-
ber of the thuya, or arbor vitae tree, which
grows to an amazing height.

During a ﬂrorttemporary obﬂruétion to
the progrefs of the boats, two young-men
overtook them, who were anxious to have

a ﬁght of the Embalfador. They were digni-

ﬁed with the fame ofﬁce from the King of the

. Lequefe iflands, and were going to pay tribute

and do homage from their fov ereign to the
Emperor. Their drefs, beﬁdes {ilk turbans,
conﬁﬁed of a ﬁne brown ihawl, the manufac-

ture of their country, lined with the furs of

fquirrels. They were of dark complexion,

_well bred, and communicative, No Euro-

h

pean veirel, it feems, had ever been at any cf
their iﬂands, (at the principal of which was
a commodious harbour) though they are not
prohibited, and would be ”well received.

The tea tree, feldom cu1t1vatcd more
northerly than thirty degrees, was difcqvered
D d 4 ‘ ' about

4082. {5MB‘A‘455Y :

about ~ this part :thinly ,fcattered; hut-git.
abounds in theprovinee of Fochen. This;
plant, as-«well. as. its properties, is. In well:
known, that we {hall pafs it over in ﬁlenee,
and {peak-of another, very much like, and,
often fubﬁituted for it, the camellia f ﬂmqua,
of which the annexed engraving is an exact.
reprefentation '

{IThe petals of this plant, called ,by. :the
Chinefe, cha-whaw, , or ﬂower. of tea, from‘
their refemblanee to each other,mandrlike-r
wife the ﬂowers of - the Arabian jeﬁ‘amine,~
aregfometimes mixed among the teas, in or—
der to increafe their ﬂavour. The camellia-
Tefanqua, which‘ grows upon the! tops and
ﬁdes of mountains, is alliduouﬂy cultivated.
It bears a nut from which is expreﬁ'ed an
edible oil, equal to the beﬁ imported from,
Florence, . . , i , H

i Several excavations were perceived in the;
(idea of the contiguous hills, whence had
been obtained a fpecies of ﬁne granite, called
pie-tun fr, ufed in .manufaéturing porcelain.-

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//
CANIELLHA S'IF'ASANQUAu

 

 

To Carma; 401}

This with sawinga kinder clay,-‘-evhafﬂzé,‘
ﬁmilar to the Engliﬂl -f0ap¥rOCk,~s-‘ﬂz~e.kmi,»7
the gypfum, and, it is reported the income»
{umable q/erﬂos foﬂile ﬁone, famed ‘ its-prim:
cipal materials. A village in the neigh‘c‘i
bourhood contained three thoufand‘furnacea
for baking porcelain ; but the manufaé’rurin‘g‘
of it is, with them, rendered uncertain ; in;-
afmuch as, for want of fuch a thermometer
as Wedgwood’s to afcertain the degree of
heat, the contents of whole furnaces have-
been baked'into one folid, ufelefs mafs.

The Embaﬂy had now reached Ch‘a'n-fanéi
chen, where the river was no longer navi-i
gable. During their route, as well as on
their arrival here, there were feveral inter-o
changes of viﬁts between the Viceroy and the.
Embaﬂ'ador, while preparations were mak-
ing for their journey by land. He bade}-
moﬂ: a daily correfpondence with. the Era--
peror, from whom his Excellency continued;-
to receive expreﬁions of perfonal . eliteemwm?
The oppreﬂions, to which foreigners; and
particularly ‘ the Englifh, were ‘ expOfed. at

1 Canton

41.0 EMBA‘SSY’

Canton frequently iarofel in the courfe of
oonverfation. w The benevolence of the Vice-r
my difpofed him to liﬁen to fuch comp.
plaints ; and Chow-ta-zhin, 'a ﬁaunch'frie'nd
to? the Embally, Whom he had honoured
With his conﬁdence, undertook to urge the
buﬁnefs to him in private. .

Everything- being ready, the Embaﬂ‘y
purfued their journey towards. Canton. - On
their route they perceived Rages upon the
ﬂoping {Ides of hills, in which were culti-

' vated rpu1fe, grain, yams, fweet potatoes,

onions, carrots, turnips, and other culinary
vegetables. Upon the top of the mountain
Was a refervoir to catch rain water, which

“was 'conveyedthence, by channels, to irri—

gate thefe cultivated terraces.

‘ The collecting of compoﬁ for thexlandg—is,
withthem, an object of the greateﬂ; atten-

tion; in which :buﬁnefs are employed-old

and young; incapable of any other, kind-of
labour. They rummage every ﬁreet, road,
jakes-pots,.vriver5 and canal; and alfo pick

“P

To ' CHINA. 41!

up Withtheir hands, in baﬂtets, the ordui'e
“of-animals," and offals of every kind which
can aanver the .purpofe of manure. . Where»-
ever this iS‘ deﬁcient,~ they unite various
kinds of earth together; if the earth be' too
cOmpaét or adheﬁve, they mii with it fand:
if too' loofe,-—clay or loam ; and they are
attentive in adopting the nature of the plant
tot-the foil ; and often, to adVanta'ge, change
the earth from one {pot to another. ,

ﬁBeﬁdesthe modes already pointed‘out fdr
railing water from rivers for irrigating their
lands, the Chinefe make ufe of a chain:—
-pump, the chambers ofwhich, inﬂead of be-
:e’ing cylindrical, are univerfally fquaire. The
"inﬁde of a' hollow WOOan trunk is divided
in the middle by a board, into two com—
partments; a chain, made to turn over a
{mall wheel or roller at each eXtremity of
the ttréunk, is faf’tened to ﬂat and” {quare
75pieees F'ofgw‘bod, nicely ﬁtted? to the :eapa‘eity
'oflthe' cavity. Thefe, Called lifters, move
With the chain round'rtherolle’ris, and raife
a volume of water! proportionate 'to jthe di—

menﬁons

 

' where the efforts of labour could av:

412 EMBASSY"

gnenﬁons of the hollow trunk. The power
to Work this machine may be applied diffe-
rent ways. When it is intended to raife a
great quantity of water, fets of wooden
arms, in the form of the letter T, are af—
ﬁxed to the lengthened axis of the rollers,
and fmoothed for the foot to ref: upon.
The axis is made to turn upon two wood
uprights, rendered fteady by a piece of tim-

‘ her ﬁretched acrofs them. Men, by tread—

ing upon the projecting part of the WOOElen
arms, fupporting themfelves at the fame
time by a crofs beam, give a rotatory mo?-
tion to the chain; and the lifters, being at»
tached to it, raife up a conﬁant, and alums
dant ﬁream’ of water. See the; annexed
copperplate. H ‘ is V p ~ , j

I E

In the conrfe of this fhort Journey by
land, no ﬁngle {pot was feen uncultlvated
\J‘In
places where the loil was poor, or'ﬁtenl I
every mean was employed to render it fer- a
tile. The Chinefc are as neat in hufhandry

as

 

 

FEW

(CLI‘IIENIBSIE. C EI'AlN-‘PUMP.

 

 

 

 

 

w" ”41/

5W1”

(

 

 

To cHINA. 113
as 111 horticulture, and extirpate every nail"1
cent weed, 0r noxious plant,

In 'the evening they arrived at a town,-
wh‘ence they Were next day again to em‘
bark; and though inns are not wantinglon
the road, there Was not one proper to re?-
ceive the Embaflador and fuite , and they 1
were accordingly accommodated with the
public hall, deﬁined fo1 the examinatiCn of
young men previous to taking their de-
grees. V i '

Thefe examinauons are always public; and .
the governor and magiﬁrates who preﬁde,
and the numerous auditors who attend, are
{uppofed able to fupprefs any inclination" to
partiality in the judges. Oral and written
queltions are put to the candidates, as in ,
England, and the fuccefsful one, after be—,
‘ing elected to the 'univerﬁty, is in the road -
and may attain to the higheﬁ: ofﬁces and
digmties of the Rate No perfon IS pre-
cluded from arriving at this honour, it is
open to all claifes of men. The people thus

convinced

 

 

“it EMBASSY"

convinced that authority. has" been obtained
through merit, are prompted to pay‘ it» rea
fpeét and obedience, except in cafes of no-
torious abufe', againf’c which rank and learn—
ih‘g do not always aﬁbrd fecurity. A fyfe
tem’ of gOVernrnent like this holds out mariy
ad‘Vahtages to‘ {Ociety ;' nor can it fail but
when the temptation to do evil prepondei
{rates over the {trength of principle,=and the
hazard of detectiOn in facriﬁeing it; “The
peonand private individuals of China; Who
have no channel through which to impart
the grievanCes they fuﬂ‘hr from the condu'ét
of their 10cal rulers, may be {aid to‘ be left
almoﬁ: at their mercy , and the fame cun-
‘e‘l-uﬁo'n Will apply to‘foreignerswhenfleft in
_ the fame predicamentii—klt Was iunde‘r'hth-is
idea that the Embaﬂaddr "fe’ized everyj 10p;
'portunity of impreﬁ'ing on the“ mind‘iofithie
Viceroy; the expediency" of’ his ~pfdt€€léitig
the ﬁrangers at Canton from the-extortioﬁgs '
of the Colleétor o‘ the Cuﬂoms, aﬁd other
‘fuboi'd‘inate ofﬁcers connected with the coma
theme of that ports—The Viceroy Was c‘éﬁl

ﬂour, in promiﬁng, but ﬁncerely inclined to
do all the good 1n his power. 5 , mif
In the courfe of another viﬁt, the Vice»
my {aid to the Embafrador, that he was
convinced no pains would be {pared bypthe
[perfon‘s he was about to govern, to imprefs
him with ideas inimical to thexBritiﬂi na—
tion ; but that he {aw the neceﬂity oﬁa
change of conduct, as well out of a princi-
pleof juﬁice to the Englifh, as for the. -ho-
nour of his own country. And though, his
inﬂuence was conﬁderable, and his footing
apparently ﬁrm, yet his new ﬁtuation wassnot
free from difﬁculties; that beﬁdes the ofﬁé
cers at Canton intereﬁedin continuing, thojﬁt
woppreﬂ'ions, and..whofe guilty wouldbc im-
plicated in a redrefs, there ~were other pre-
judiced enemies at court, who might, equally
‘conﬁder reform as a eenfure upon them;
.th‘at'exclnﬁve of all there, anothenimportr
rant, V conﬁderation had! occurred- tD'» him,
-which was, the; peremptory manner in
which Hogchoong-taung had refufed the
,reqniﬁtions of the Embaﬂ‘ador ;/ that if in a
I'(’pl'C"

4116 tMﬁAss?

reprefentahoh of thefe faéis to the 601312 of
Great Britain an endeavour Were 1711336 t6 erb-
cite refentment, any fubfequent appearances
of retentment againlt his country Woulti 1n—
volVe him criminally 1n the eyes. of h13 go- ,
vernment, for favours that might be Ihewh
by him to the Englilh in the mean time ,
he was, therefore, anxious to be fatisﬁed on

that head

It was not quite clear to the Embaﬁadw,
whether this apprehenﬁon originated With
the Viceroy or from a higher fource , bu’zt ﬁt
any rate it appeared to indicate, that from
a conviétian of the Engliﬂi armies in Iiidia,
and of their vaft maritime ﬁrength, the Bri-
tifh nation was {ufpeéted of being too pow—
erful not to require fome delicacy of conduét
even from the haughty empire of China.
His Excellency owned that he was duhmus
of the difpoﬁtion of the court or minilt'er
of Pekin towards his country , but from
the explanations which Sun-ta- zhin, as well
as he, the V iceroy, had given of the germ--~

ine fentiments of his Imperial Majelty, hi:
placed

To CHINA. 11;;

placed a ﬁrm reliance on the allurances {97
lemnly made to him, that particular atten-
tion would be paid to the intereﬂs of the
Britiih fubjeEts in China, and “had already
imparted this conﬁdence to the Englilh go;
‘ vernment in the letters he had fent from
Han-choo—foo; which, he did not doubt,
would [conﬁde in their fulﬁlment. ‘The
Viceroy then enquired of the Emballador,
whether he could empower him to certify
a continuance of this amicable difpoﬁtion,
by» the King’s writing, fpeedily, to his Im-
perial Majefty; and by fending again a mi?
niﬁer to China, if the Emperor were in—
clined to admit of fuch, ' not in‘ the expenL
live manner of the prefent Embaify, but
merely as a token of the continued amity of

his Britannic Majeﬁy.

His Ezrcellency, not expecting fuch a
propofal, replied, that “ the King Would
probably have no difﬁculty 1n writing to the 7
Emperor,’ to acknowledge the receipt of;
the prefents, and to exprefs his thanks for
the diﬁinguilhed manner in which he had

E e 7 received

"451% ﬁiﬁﬂsw

“weavedithc‘ﬁmvaﬁfy u-ia circam'ﬁaneam-
~caaaéé1ed=wiahfits ,_.obje?&s, an afﬁrm: are ,
had he‘p‘es “thigh-1: Vibe “eﬁ'eéifedi 3in j{i‘ine ;‘ ’bﬁt /
that} ‘éheiVaﬁ'd’ii’éahEe‘betWEéﬁ the twaic‘aﬁi ,
‘é‘p’i-‘res; " and ‘ the'dlfﬁedl‘éy aﬁd pfe'ca'ﬁéiiﬁiéfs
$1? the na‘vwatlon, 1111de it impﬁﬂible to de-
' termine the advent of a new Embaﬁ‘y. Tiae
Viceroy ended by fayihg, that he would 1n-
'ﬂdﬁtly fend a mefrenger to E'Ou'rt W1th a
Yelation of the conference, togethér With
fueh intimations‘z‘bf his Own “21‘3"Woﬁld' he
hqped, be 1n all points perfeélly {ﬁtmfaélory
‘to the Emperor.

The Embaﬂ‘y’ embarked aﬁeW’i a’aénd’fpio-
{feeding rather in e 'northerlyv' 'coni‘fe'; haﬂ’ed
hyba Vaf’c extent of7"fwampy‘élanmi‘ihr-it‘hc
‘ midﬁ of which Was thelargeﬁ: célléﬂ‘iiénbf
5‘ water in the country, called Pb'yang ”lake

Into this lake many rivers ﬂaw; andmout of
i it fev eral canals have been formed, and in-
Clofed ‘wr’chm ﬁron’g hxvh banks for the fe-
liéurity of Velléls 1n Rormy ér- delugmg Wea-’
1"? then— The billéVis often r1fe as high as
VJthofe at feat; whxeh ﬁnder its paﬂ'age‘dhn-

‘ .. gerous.

9042139719 -- ' @919"

$101111 a 4251111111 Rudy 11111115111112 11W#
in tJ1c 'hk612the {elegy rcﬁdqncc (If. ﬁber,-
men. The pr‘owincc of 1K1ang—fee, which lay
by: the 151V er ﬁde,1ahounded With1plantat10n3
of bamboo The feet cf thqumen hege
Were not crippled, being. left 1:; their natural
ﬁat-c ’ 1 "12:37?
The river became again ﬂiallow; 11111113
3 {111710111d111111111i tour was. unavoidable. The
travellecs fet out in_ the morning, and arriVed
the W day at Nan-{hoo-foo, Where ﬁnall
covered barges, on the river Perklang, Wcte
prepared to carry them to Canton Some
days before they, get to that city, perfons
were heard«to utter bra/ten Engliﬂ} as they
1 ,paﬂjedpr-ga proof cf 1 the inﬂuence of Britifh
13691111616166,;,.:and.im-anyrb0ats Were-,fsepxgo- .
131g down the riVer With, meychcpdize-efor
1. the Enghfh market

This river likCWIfC {warmed With rafts of
umber 191.1111; 91.211112119111111 cmchor
-_.,.: trees; aciticed fab-the middlecnd northern
«9161111661 . iﬁhcfciaftsgwcrgfepplicdawith

. I '7 E e 2 maﬁa

412g EMBAssy

maﬁa and fails, by which in :fair Minds,
they could Item the current ﬁherwife
they were trailed by perfons who lived on
board in cabins built exprefsly for them»
They ufed frequently to ﬁfh and large nets -
were hauled up from them in the manner
reprefented upon one of the copperplates

The Viceroy had judged it expedient to

proceed to Canton before the party, to pro— 0 ’

cure a fuitable reception for the Embaify.
He fent from thence large elegant barges,
in which the Embaﬂador made his entrance
'1nto Canton on the nineteenth of December;
1793. The fplendid manner in which his
Excellency was received, added to the per—
fonal attentions of the Viceroy, Inuit have
convinced the inhabitants that the Engliih
‘were no longer deftitute of proteéhon, nor
unWorthyof eﬁeem.

Molt of the Embaﬂy had the happmefs of
hearing from their friends at home, and of-
ﬁCial accounts Were received, that the go-
vernment of F1 ante had commenced 116111-

litieg

To ' \c’ﬁ'ijﬁi. iii? -

lfties ‘a’gain‘ﬁ Great Britain. "'ThéEﬁIBaﬁai
d’or‘ hadﬁ‘likeWife, ‘ the yfati'sfa‘étion ' of learn:
inggthat the Lion,‘ after Whiehr'ﬂlip the
Company s Commiﬁioﬁcrs had d1fpatched a
meffenger, had been overtaken, and was
then at Boeea Tigris. ‘

The Lion failed from Chu-fan on the
eighteenth of Oé’cob‘er, after having been
'there about {even we;eks during which
tune her crew had entirely recovered frorni
the1r complaints. She paﬂ'ed through the
Chu- fan 1ﬂ’ands and the {traits of Formo:
fa, and anchOr'ed near the Ladrone 1ﬂands
on the twenty- -third of 0&0bcr. ‘ "

As foon as the Company’s Commiﬂioners
had fupplied Sir [Erafmus'with the medi?
cines’and other articles he wanted; he again
ihaped h1s courfe for, and failed through
the {traits of Formofa; but having, in a
gale of Wind, fprung her fore and hmain
- topmaﬁs, the Lion returned to the Ladrones
to reﬁt. '

” " About
E e 3 '

ﬁg §ﬁ¥§ss§7

misbeii’f’ﬁiiéﬁﬁeee‘ 101111111111in11
Weigﬁeﬁjiﬂi‘éé 5112111116111 ChiﬁeﬂThey
had 1211'er feized feveranunks, aﬁdfﬁlunderé
ed the neighbeuring iﬂan-ds. Their praéiice
15', after taking whatever 1s Valuable», to‘i fet
£10 10111:: habitations , to {111k the 31111119;
1611111111113 113st Of 'the ﬂout; rebufé men",
and to put 11111110 1111' to death.

On the twenty ﬁrf’é 0f November, 1he
L101; fell 111‘ with a brig, Whibh; 011.. m1»
nation; prove-d fro-be the identicdlweﬂebggm
which the ﬁVe-{eai catchers 13091191131111.1111

£1112:— Embaﬁ‘y, . i112 the preceding momma-of
*Fébruary, had found" and :xleft3 uppm Amﬁce ‘

dam iﬂand; ancli‘1where~«'it is. probable-£11631
will now 13nd their days, as- Sir Erafmus

'Ge’Wef 'feiZed the brig as 8.23121?wa prizeg‘fhc
‘~‘haVir’1‘g been ﬁtted but £10111 the iﬂe: of
\Fran'ee It. . 1

1 ’Beforei’th‘e dam‘a‘gw were.trép‘airedfiw1ﬁch

iihe'bioh he‘d fuﬁainedih 11101611113111?!qu

weather, Sir Etaﬁnus ZGower: forturiateiy _
r6€0i~Ved the difpatches which had been for-

warded

T9 cﬁgﬁﬁ . I 3%§

wa‘ﬁded QQ ham by. 4&5 g Q , _<;mPnFE5£it§nd
m epnfeqwnge thCHiQf he hhé: eewmﬁst 99
Boeca, Tlgas

 

neg-3'; ‘- ,3: 1 :3; If

The Hmdoﬂan, Captam jgltoﬂl, 31f?
returned to Cantqn earlier than wags egpegta-
ed) Thegvﬁhuefah Hedge. hadizngh $90.81?
fufﬂcient towed; ﬂ} large: :a. 31.1339» 159%!
was it convenient for them to purchafe the
European; cominﬂdiﬁiﬁh T934 and; {1113 were
cheapergrtherQ-tghan at any other place gtcbgt
theyézwaritzedwthﬁ amount in {peeiea [and
Gaptaianaeintoﬁnwas net; @0351de £0!th
Zexigence 43c therefore fet fail; for. Canton,
eab which; pert“: he was alfo 113 be exemted
"from the accudiomedlmpoﬁs, - e

 

{13,1316 city: 0E Canton, 1n Which the Em-
ihaﬂ'yrwasmow IOdgedr,1ike_;;any other. .Laxgc ‘

feaport, has a. number of foreigners mixed
‘ with the natives. The faé‘tories, belonging
atmdiﬁ'cmntih‘zumpean natipng, each of which
hasrits; :peetﬂiar :ﬂag: ﬂying, 4am handfgmc
(building, arranged in afﬁne along. the river,
r-Mthout the city walls , and around the
i5 , - E e 4 neighbour-

4.2.4? amnion

neighbourhood”; ago f warehqﬁfes ifom-v, ﬁber-4’63»
C—Gﬁtim Of‘articlﬁs for; Talc, as walk £13»er Chb
ane gmerchandize .. for.‘ exportatifon; What-r
eye; Burphafcs are made-forgthe EnglifhEaﬁ
India Company, , is done by gagents,.~,whofe
liberal emoluments place them above the
temptation of (fraudulent or“ diﬂaonourablo
prgétipes; and who ,arebred in. thedhabits;
of: {methodh punéiualityand probitygr ",tr‘hCV
charaﬁteriﬁics of agood‘merchantﬁg
V , ‘23 p +~
From a recent regulation threwCommifr:
ﬁoneré had conﬂant reﬁdenceatihe Englifhiv;
faé’cory, excluﬁvc of thevformer; number of
{operCargoes and writers.‘.. Ibex-were dole-e.
gated’by the Company to notifyy in form,
the. appointment of .an Embaﬂy—lfromaGreatu
Britain, .as well as to fuperintendiané ﬁireéb
the Company’s affairs at Macaoand Canton;
Thefe gentleman having furniihed the eEm—i -
baffador with a particular ﬁatement .oﬂ.the
oppreﬁions, and perfonal indignities expe-
rienced by their agents, enabled lhimﬂ-to add
tothes. remonﬂrances before- prefentedito the ~
Viceroy. , In confcquence of this; two- edii‘is‘
' were.

11160115191132.4651?

werejﬁhmedmetely ‘pﬂHhuTghtetT ‘avaIB-‘ftﬁhé‘
112111115 p‘raéﬁfeﬂ 6h foréxgncrb 'ﬁ‘i’ theif‘ 6815111
mereial tranfaétiens, ’as We‘ll ‘a's“ehe mffﬁt’s
oﬁ‘ered to their perfonse 111 17111116 whereui‘
, offenders had almady been pumihed £ ‘

33 If”? _ ;

Amoﬁg the gi‘ievanCCs {fated By the‘C’om- '
m1ﬂ10ners, and Which Was meluded 1711 WE“
remonﬁxanee of the Embaﬂ'adbr, Was that
of the natwés being proh1b1ted ﬁﬁnf" 1n-
ﬂruéting Europeans in the Chinefe lan-

. gu’age The Viceroy Wa's at a 10% to Judtre
011 ’Wha‘é prlhaple {’u'ch a proh1‘b1t1on could
have tak’eh‘ place, Which deprived Fore1gners
of the: mea’ns of tranfaftmg the1r oWn aﬂhn‘s
as We}! as that of acqurrmg a knowiedge 6?;
in" seeder 10160111011111 théimfelves 136',- th’e'hiWé’ if
arid" Cﬁﬁoms; of ' the e'o’iint‘rv. 111 this 'pai'tiif’i
cuiar the Viceroy aﬁ‘hred "his Excellency
that-110 Far-{her obﬁm&ion fho'uld he 011171211
on the part 01‘" go1ernment

.1 \ ) ,, ,.- x ,1 -::-a<:1';s'; ‘

Though a complete re ‘0r‘m OF abufes
could not be fuddenly expeéted yet during
:he Embaifadoﬁs reﬁdence at Canton it was

not

42:6 ZEMMSS‘I‘

‘10"- x likely therEngliﬂx could: ablative angel;
,caufc {of complaint- ~ , His; Excellceey’S-vimie
m‘acy- with the ,Vicer.oy,,,—-y—-the Vieerpyl’s
friendly difpoﬂtiommthe facility ofimpart: ,
ing any injuries committed, throughmthe
medium of a faithful interpreter, Were like-
ly to-infure juttice and tranquillity tozfo-
re‘i‘gnltraders, asilongias he remained; ﬁrm ‘
and inﬂexible to the inimical mifreprefenta;
,tions of the deﬁgning, interel’ced Hopposand
his aﬂ‘ociatesf- ,_ ,

Beﬁdes a frequent interchange» of viﬁts
between the Viceroy and the Embaﬂador,
‘ the fame took place between the latter and
the gentlemen of the- faétorya; ,all- which
mutt tend to convince ,the'Chinefe thatzthe
agents for the Eaft India Company in China
were of refpeétable ia ole-{55¢ and held [fuch
an occupation as didnot render gthemun-
worthy of, the fociety of , perfons ofthe
higheﬁ rank and :diﬁinétionn-rEveng, the
pride and refer-vednefs ofiexaltcd-rankiwwe
not cherix’hcd byathe Viceroy. None ofihis
predeceﬂors, like him, ever permittedwhe

- ‘ native

T‘d‘cmm. 4:2;

native ﬁi’e’r’éhitiité “rto‘é’zﬁtr dawn in: f his; pic;
féiaee‘;"airﬂLJHie’véas'ilthe ﬁ'rﬁ who had ism;
defcend'e’d t6 That an Englifh table‘withftlhe
gifnﬁlemén of the faﬂory’, ’ at an. entertaim
merit ”prepai'ed by them for hie Excellency}
t Agrieuttiure: engage-s mops the attention,
and? iéfth‘e’ chief Occupation of the Chinefe».
N‘e‘arly' the Whole‘furface of the‘empiref is
appropriated» only. for the prdduétion Of
food; nor are there any limits put to the
populoufnefs of the country, but fuch as
drift: fromtshe 'neceﬂity of fubﬁﬁence: They
have no. meadow land, and but little paf-
gture ;' not .aéreoats,‘ beans, or turnips {own
in'ﬁelds fortheiufe of cattle. There are
{camel}? any parks or vpleafure grounds but
thofe appertaining! to the Emperor.- The
”roads“, being narrow, occupy butilittle land;
nthe chief intercourfe is by canals; Com~
”moms, or waﬂe grounds, are unknown in
.China; 1101' do they fuﬂEr their arable‘lands
1:0 lie, fallow; The labour, of man is-‘princiq .
pally applied to the raiﬁng of articles which
'adminiﬂere'to the “comforts; but not to the

luxuries

3“.“ 9. C3 1’ “1
428 EMB’ASSY

luxuries of life TVen fold1ers, when net
On duty, are bufied in hufbandry The
quanuty of ﬂibﬁftence is alfo augmented T)y
their cOnVerting more {peeies of animals as
well as vegetables to their ordinary foOd
than is ufual in other countries, and the
g'reateﬂ economy is attended to in their pre-
paration. By reﬂeéTing On there circum-
ﬁanees, the aﬂertion that every {quare mile
in China averages one third mOre inhablt-
ants than 1n an equal {pace in any other
country of Europe, cannot appear furpriﬁng .

‘ By aftrono‘mical obferVatiOns, Land aEtuaP
r‘neafurement, the {eventeen provinces Of
China were found to contain upwards of
eight hundred and thirty millions of {quare
acres, nearly thirteen hundred thoufand
{quartz miles. The population of the coun—
try within the walls, (for no correéT aecount ’
Of that of China Tartary could be Obtained)
afce‘rtai‘ned 1n the different d1v1f ons Of dif
triét’s, by tithing men appointed by the
go'1‘ ernment‘, amounted to three himdred

and thirty three millions Ofibuls The re-
venue

to. mm #29

venue anﬁng from the whole of the PIQT
vinees was {tated at thirty ﬁx milllons and
a hqlf cf tahels or ounces of ﬁlver, an fQu;
millions ﬁve hundred and ferty eight then-
{and Ineafures of rice and other gram iiiii

Y.

,,,,,

The real daimﬁtion I)f the V1CQIQX ntQ
cherrfh and protect the Enghfh was counte:
nanced by recent difpatches froin the Ern-
perqr, Who therein expreffed the welcome
which would be given at his court to anQ-s

ther Embaﬂjy from the King Of Great Brr-I'
tain, and his deﬁre that notice Inight be I

given of the Miniﬂzcrs arrival at Canth,
that proper perfons might be drfpatehedu
thither to chdth him to quiﬁ -——And by;

an extract erIn another; letter it was Rated .
that as his Imperial Maglelty ﬂlOUld refignﬁ

the reins of government in the ﬁfty fevcnth
‘year of the current cynlei correfpondmg to
the year _1 796 he Wifhcd to feex fuch My

ni1ter at, or as foon as convenient aftCI’ that ,
tirne. I “ Thus, , lays the learned fearetary“

(and furely no one can doubt the faét not;
Withﬁanding the unfavourable appearances
at

g
1 by“

W430 :EMBASSY"

not Zhen-hol and-LPekin) “ Jthe-afE—mhqﬂyﬂ ac-

cording to the ; expeé’cationsiwhieh ledtto the
undertaking, but contrary, to. the proﬁieéts
whiehcloud‘ed it'fometimes in its progrefs,
fucceeded, at length, not only‘in obtaining
~ permifﬁon, but in receiving an invitation, for
a; ﬁmili-ar intercourfe 4 with the court of
China, Whenever the government of Great
Britain and the Company {hall deem expe-
dient to renew it. \-

_,.~As' the, expencqs attending the Enibafi'y

while in the city were defrayed by~his In}:

.pe‘ri'al Majeﬂy, his Excellency was induced
to- remove to, and Wait for the Lion, at,
Macao; where, being out of the Chinefe
territories, they fhould ceafe to be any-Ilen-
A ger at the Charges, of the Emperor. _.-,;The
_attention of the -Emperor was :V‘unifollgm

throughout ;—-—inﬁan‘ced by: his - “paying gtb‘ .

EmbaiTador the fame diftmguifhedhqnqgrs
. at his departure from, as_ he had done” on
,wghi: entrance into, the city of Canton :— See

 

i To 01111311 45311

" *aAniﬁ’aﬁ‘e'étlionate “leave iwas-Xakén’bf Chew /
aﬁd'Van-taa'éhin; "faifﬁfutgwmpanions (ﬁfths.
L’Embaffy, "Who, after-371111111“feparatidnfiféﬂt

on' board the Litin'fpfefents of. refreﬂiméﬁt,
and'other tokens of perfon’al‘veltecm.’ 0n
’the Embaﬁador‘s airival' at Macao, ' he ’was
politely received and e‘ntertai‘n’ed by the go-
verhor 1

This fettlementt granted, under certain
reﬁi‘iélions, to the Portugueze,‘ is conneéted
*‘to’the ‘rejmainde'r bf the "iﬂan‘d by3' along
neck of land, --about a himdred'y’ards acrofs.
Their Whole'tiXtetitlofterritory, bounded by
a wall, is not more than eight miles 1n cit-
mm. In this {mall fpdt, the Portuguem

\ ' éairied: 011,, for a leﬁ-gth of time, almoﬁ: ex—
ediﬁvély; a I‘éoriﬁdcﬁable t‘fafﬁc with v the
C-l’fi’ffefe empire;i'an'd in 'othet»'*countrics"in
‘wqﬁa; particﬁlaﬂy to Japan; Tun quin, "Go-
"himCh1na, and 3121111 Luxury kept pace

‘ mWiléh’the incrcafe of Wealth , the ente’rpr’iz—
""‘Il'ihg fpir-it‘of the Whole nation declined; ' ad
thofe at Macao became enervated by the
iéﬁ‘eﬁs of a tropical climate. Their trade

to

 

432 EMBAss'Y

to Japan Failed; their fpeeulation's to other"
parts were rendered precarious ;: anti this
once, profperous fettlement is defeended al-
moﬁ into a Rate of nihility;

iThe public adiﬁiniftratioﬁ of' Macao is
committed to the vm‘ilitary governor; the
bifhop, the judge; and a few-of the fettlers.
There are thirteen churches and chapels,
and ﬁfty prieﬁss, beﬁdes a French and Ita-
lian clergyman, to minif’cer to the devotions
of between four and ﬁve th'ou’fand of Por-
tugueze laity. The garrifon conﬁﬁs‘of about,”
three hundred privates, blacks and mulat-
. toes, with a very large proportion of ofﬁcers.

Of the two pagantemples at Macao, , be-
longing to the Chinefe, one is curiouﬂy
ﬁtnatcd among a confufed heap of immenfe
males of granite. . This temple is comprifg
ed of three fepa‘rate buildings one over the
other; the only approach to which is' by 'a
Windmg ﬂight of' Reps hewn out of the folid

reek .
Camoen? 9

 

he

 

 

.~ . / 0 .u

*

 

 

To, CHINA. 433

The Cave of Carnoen, {ituated‘ a .little
above the eloftiel’t eminencein the town,
was conﬂruéted, probably; in the fame man-
net as the temple above deferibed, by
bringing together a Valli number of rocks.
This cave, from a tradition current in the
fettlcment, belonged to Camoen, a Portu-
gueze poet, who reﬁded a conﬁderablc time
at Macao; and in which cave, it is faid, he i,
wrote the celebrated poem of the Luciad.
r—See the annexed engraving.

His Ezeellency and tWo of the fuite were
accommodated in a houfe, the garden of
which, inclofed this romantic cave; Soon
after his arrival here, he received letters from
England, and alfo from Batavia. By the
former he learned, that as no ﬂeet had been
difpatched {120m France to the Ball: Indies,
_ government had not thought it neceifaryf to
- ’fend out any {hips of force to convoy the
Chinefe fleet home: but thofe Yrom Bate»?
'via -&ated the arrival of three {hips of war,
from the Iﬂe of France, in the {traits of SUPP?
da; that they had already captured the Prin-

F f cefs

...w>‘

 

 

 

.434 -‘ EMBASSY

eefs Royal_lndiaman ; and that a larger ‘
force was foon expected. This intelligence
determined the Embalfador’s return home,
to protect property amounting to three mil-
lions ﬁerling, belonging to the Company,
,whieh was embarked on board ﬁfteen of
their fhips.

Thefe {hips being all ready near Macao, [the
Einbaflador and fuite embarked on board
the Lion, leaving behind him, ’in China,
Mr. Henry Baring, appointed a ﬁlpercargo
at Canton, and the Chinefeinterpreter, Who
, never quitted his Excellency till the mo-'
ment of his embarkation. After an alien.
tionate parting from his fellow travellers, he
went to a convent to change his Engliﬂl for
a. Chinefe drefs, intending to devote himfelf
hereafter to the ferviee and inftruétion of
his poor fellow ehril’cians in the weltern
provinces of China. '

The Lion, with ﬁfteen of the Company s
lhips, one Spanifh, and one Portugueze In-
diamen, failed troml the iﬂand of bameoek,
' ' near

I."

TO CHINA. 430

near Macao, on the 17thof .Mareh, ,.17g4.~
In the {traits of Banca they fell in With three
armed {hips from Bengal ; and near the
ftraits, a ﬂeet of Malay pirates, conﬁﬂing of
a (now, and ten ‘proas, mounting ﬁx and
three pounders, according to the ﬁze-‘of each
veﬂ‘el. Though it. appeared they were ﬁtted
out for hof’tile or predatory purpofes, Sir
Erafmu‘s Gower had too important a charge
to be diverted from it by any invei’cigation
of their deﬁgns. They were, therefore,
permitted to proceed without moleftation; .

The ﬂeet ﬂopped to complete their wood
and water on the Java ﬁde of the {traits
of Sunda; and when this Wasdone, the
Jackall tender was difpatehed, with the
armed Indiamen, 2to Calcutta; having on
board fome tea, tallow, and ,Varnifh plants
deﬁined for Bengal, under ‘the direé’cion of
Doctor Dinwiddie,

The convoy put to fea again on the nine-
teenth of April, and experienced, after the
ﬁrﬁ month, feveral/gales of wind, partieu‘

F f 2 larl)

436' EMBASSY

Iarly off the Cape of Good Hope, which
difperfed the ﬂeet. They all re-joined at
St. Helena, which iﬂand the Lion made On
the ﬁxteenthi of June, 1794, where 1116‘
found his Majeﬁy’s fhips the Sampfona and
Argo, from Europe.-

1 The iﬂand of St. Helena, whofe’ periphery
is about twenty eight miles;J was 'difcovered
more than two centuries ago by the Portu—
gueze. The Englifh took it from them;
and the Dutch from the Englifh. The laﬂ:
recovered it again, by furprife, from the
Dutch. It now belongs to the Edit India
Company, who have {pared no expence to
render it a convenient, and comfortable
place of refort for ﬂiips in their homewa-rd

Paffagc

The long drought and fcorching winds,
which for three years had defolated the
Tilland of St. J ago, as mentioned in page
'67, extended their baneful inﬂuence to St.
Helena the fame period not had the illand
at that time entirely recovered from the can

i ’ l’nnit3

..- fvf».

To CHINA 437

lam1ty. Upwards of three thoufand horned
cattle perifhed for want of Water and {ub—
iﬁﬁence. '

The valleys, and Tome fpots upon the
higher lands had, however, regained their
prii’cine ~verdure ; . and the garden grounds
Were! in lexeellent condition ; as was alfo a
"bOtanic garden,‘ywhich contained trees and
plants of different climates. An infect had ‘
deﬁroyed molt of the fruit trees, except the
apple, which ever {in-cc had been linduﬁri—
louﬂy cultivated. The plantain and banana
.throve well; and fame good coffee had been
produced; but cotton, indigo, and canes by
:no means 'anfwlered. i 7 'l

The land was principally cultis‘ated by
black ﬂaves, brought into the iﬂand by the
ﬁrft European fettlers. Thefe men were
treated hat-ﬁlly by their owners, till the Eaft
India Company interfered, and put them
under the proteﬁllon of the rnagiﬁracy.
Previous to this regulation, one tenth of
their number died annually; they now in—
greafc 5 though any farthei’ importation of

F f ,3 ,' them

4'33; EMBASSY ‘

them is‘ prohibited. ' "There are alfo 151116
free blacks upon this'iﬂand, who being, like-e.-
wife, oppreﬂed by Have-owners, experienced '
1 the fame humane interpoﬁtion of the COme
pany , and they now claim 'and- enjoy the
privileges of a jury in both en 11 and crimi-J
nal caufes.

I’Having taken what refreihments the
iﬂand afforded, the three men of. war, the
Lion, Sampfon, and Argo,é—the lndiamen
before mentioned, together with three more
from Bengal, tWo from] Bombay, and a
{with-{ea Whaler, failed from St.’Helen’a'on
the ﬁrft of July ; and ﬂeeringa north—welterly
courfe to the equator, they trolled it in
twenty four degrees of weft longitude from
Greenwich. ' ' ‘

Nothing material occurred». tillathe't’Wenty
)ﬁrft of July, on‘Which day 'a'ﬂeet-of eleven
{ail Hwas‘ (ii-{covered ‘iin' the north-eaﬁ ; -‘ﬁVe
of them loomed large: ‘ Thefe had" formed
[a line; of battleabreaft; and weregb‘earing
down toWards the" ‘ConvOyE The private

’ ' , "i : ’ ﬁgnal

TO- CHINA. 43g

fig-rial not being anfwered, .(it had been
changed ﬁnee Sir Erafmus Gower’s depar-
ture from England) the ,Lion, Sampfon,
and Argo cleared for action, while the mer-
chant {hips were directed to remain to lee-
‘Ward. The weather coming on fuddenly
thick, with rain, the two ﬂeets were com I
cealed from each other for ten or ﬁfteen
minutes ; after which, clearing up as haﬁily,
the {hangers proved to be a ﬂeet of India—
men from England, under convoy of the
Aﬁiﬁaneeman of war, of ﬁftyguns, com-
manded by Nathan Brunton, Efq.—-The
writer of- this abridgment was then an ofﬁ-
cer on board her, and is ﬁill in his Majeﬁy’s
fervice ; and he is happy to have it in his
power to teﬁify the handfome mzmmr in
which that brave and experienced comp
mander bore down upon a fuppofed enemy,
in force fuperior to his own, for the protec-
tion 0? his convoy. This ﬂiip, by a writ-
ten order from Sir Erafmus Gower, returr-
ed with: the ﬂeetto England}; and asﬂie was
at that time allowed ltoibe thewhzeﬁ.‘ [manned
,{hip in the Britiﬂr navy, and her crew’in
Perfect health and in high fpirits, the convoy,

' F f 4 in

440 . 1211413115511 ;

in cafe of meetigg w1th £11116§cmy, would
have been ab1y fupported by fuch Afﬂance.-
1*or fome weeks, 11tt11: progreﬁs was made ,
by the homeward bound ﬂeet, by reafon of
calms and; vgiable winds, When 01? the
Weﬂern iﬂands, the Spanifh and Portue
guefe‘ ‘ ' {hips parted compahy, W'L’f’EEeﬂimiﬂhgﬂfEr
their own coaﬁe; \yhiie éthe Engliﬂ1,con-
tinumg their eourfe, found themfelves oﬁ‘“
Scilly on the foﬁrth of September 111 1
{teermg 11p channeir m the 11111111 Gf the ’i'ﬁ‘i’t
the. wincL blowmg 11:er ﬁreﬁg; they felﬁ
Wﬁh: the: grand ﬂeet, under the .;mmmand;eak :-
E3111 ,-;I§IQWe-f, ; Randi-raga (10;an {1911211111131 ; (and
being (111111,. 7211111 upon diﬂexentutacks, {eave— 1
reegyegilaeonﬁdereblo damage. 5171112,.me “
however, anchored fafeiyﬁthe great day, in?
Pogﬁmouth harbour; where the Embaﬂado:
d1fernbarked after an abfeece efjnearbetWo
years, 111 a voyage {pent 1n the f rv1ce Of hie
country, 21nd 11111111119111 of fan: ebjeéi whiEh
1~1e1hcz1mly,,mﬂ1 1111111 11111111111th111 be 9b.“:
tweed“ {:1 ,1 1 ,1 1 1 1-:

.a- «, 7,5‘ ,_ ‘1‘, C 41! (‘ 4»~.1’ 1'1: , . ~.: ., L; 3" .'¢ >J‘*>‘ V.“ / I
4:51.434 .1! 1 1'1). 7.‘r /.,..‘.u,~.¢_)_ “ 4, Q

v

1, - 131131341 *

i "441“ MT. 53'4“?

’ OF THE

NQTES V

WHICH OCCUR; IN ers'wom: "

 

Note I. ‘ Page 14/.
' FATE OF THEGUNNER.

; OTWITHSTANDING every mean!
was ufed to‘ fave the 'gurinerg‘the“
fatal- =circumﬁance being purely accidental;
pnfinquiry; we ﬁnd he was ﬂrangled {om af-
ter he was delivered up; to the ViCeroy ”of -
Canton,.——~—-The Chinefe, in'ﬁring'falutes,‘ a1- ‘
ways- elevate the muzzles’ of their guns ;' and
it was remarked by them, that .if ‘ the =Erig6‘
lifh. had adopted that mode; ' the above’a'eq7
pident would not have happened. ‘ A L

That the accidental killing of a- Chinefe ‘
has not always been attended with the fatal "
confequences to the perpetrator as happened"
to the unfortunate gunner, will be proved

. by

442 NOTES ON THE

by the following Rory, fent us by a gentle-
man who was an eye witnefs to one part,
and had indubitable evidence of the truth
of the other.

It is leultomary, in China, to fend a petty
ofﬁcer in every boat which pafTes betwixt
the Factory at Canton and the Englilh ﬂlips,
to proteét‘ the property from the depreda—
tions of the natives. In the year 1770 or
I 771, a boat was difpatched from Canton
under the orders of a quartermaﬂ'er, who,
.deteéting one of the'Chinefe boatmen in the
aét of ﬂealing fome .of the goods, gave him‘
a blow, which knocked him Overboard into
the river; and rcpeatinghis blow when in
the water, be either killed the Chinefe, or
.was the caufe of his being drowned. "His
body was afterwards found, and taken up to
Canton; and, being put into a Cofﬁn,‘w was
publicly expofed before the Engliih Factory .
for fome days. The captain of the ihip paid
a ﬁne Of acertain {um of ‘money, 5175(1th
corpfe was then taken away and interred;
and there the matter reited. +—On what prin-
ciple, then, did this quarterrnaiter ef cape pu-

~ nifhment

EMBASSY T0 CHINA. . 443‘

niﬂiment. and' the gunner fuﬁ‘er, if it were
not lawful in that, as in this country, to kill a
highwayman in the aé’t of taking one’s purfe 3'

As it is a well known faé’t that life, in
China, may be fa'ved by a bribe, we hope
and truﬁ: that this country has notto lament
that the gunner’s was not purchafed; or that
propoﬁtions were not made for that purpofe.

Nate II. Page 18.

WHO THE ENVOY WAS.

It was Colonel Cathcart who was ap-
pointed Minif’ter; but dying in the outward ‘
paifage, in the {traits of’Sunda,—and his fe-
cretary not having been invelted with the
fame powers as Sir George Staunton was,
under Lord Macartney, the, Embaﬂy, of
courfe, failed.

Note HI. Page 1 16.

VYHENCE THIS ACCOUNT WAS. TAKEN.

This ﬂatement of deaths was not extraé’t-
gd from the original work, of which this is

an

4’44 icoTEs 0N Inii

an abridgment, but frorn another author,
'Whofe Words are, “ I fhalI only add, that,
within the 1211’: twenty years, no lefs than

ninety eight thoufand deaths appear On the
records of the public hofpital 1n Batama. '

‘ 1 Note IV Page 195. I

DESCRIPTION OF CANTON EXTRACTED'
PRINCIPALLY FROM DU HALDE..

The city of Canton is one of the $1011
populous and opulent in CIi;ii1a arid, ”peril
haps, in this refpeét,‘ defer-veg the ﬁrﬁ place,
ﬁnee to the trade of the newhbounng na— ‘
tioris it has added that of Europe It ﬁands
on one of the ﬁneﬂt rivers in the empire,“
narned Til-110 Or flzé Great szr In its way~
from the province of Quangf, it receives
another 1iv‘ef‘, deep enough to bring up large
veiIeis from the Tea to the town; and by
means of canals extends its waters mto feve—
, Ial provmces Its mouth is iarge, arid Inoi'e
terrible iIi it‘s name (‘Tjgers gate) than itsi
farts, which are built only to keep 01:1“ the
05mg? pirates ' L

The

EMBAssY To CHINA. ' 445

The great quantity of money, brough hi-
ther {mm the molt "diitant countries, draws
the merchants of the ifCVeral provinces to
this. port, vvhere may be found almoft every
thing that is rare or curious in the empire.
The inhabitants are induﬁrious, ingenious,
and expert in the imitative art, and in the
embelliﬂiment of their manufactures; though
thefe are not in eftimation with the people
at Pekin, being under-valued by them, and; _
as they fay, neither fubi’cantial nor well
wrought. They all?) complain that the
materials are either {canty or ill chofen,
and the internal Vvorkmanihip too ﬂight;
Notwrthftandmg, the {ilks at Canton, called /
Sim, 1 are there accounted the beft of that
kind, efpecially the ﬂawered forts, which
are wrought Open like lace, and much
worn in fummer, being cheap and genteel.,

Though the number of artiﬁcers in this
city is almoﬂ: incredible, yet; not being {119
ﬁcient for its trade, they haVe eﬁablifhed a
great many manufaétorles at Eta/12am, which;
have rendered it famous through the whole
province During the troubles in which

Canton

446, ‘ . NOTES ON THE

Canton was 'involved, the trade was carfied
to this borough, diftanti four leagues. It is
at leait three leagues in circumference, is a
place of great refort, and not even inferior
to Canton, either for its wealth or number
of inhabitants; though that city, taken al=~
together, is reported to contain upwards of a
million of fouls, among whom a woman is
hardly ever feen in the ﬁreets.

The Vieeroy reﬁdes at Canton, which has
under its jurifdiétion feVenteen cities, one or
the fecond, and ﬁxteen of the third rank.

There can hardly be a more charming
landfcape than that which offers itfelf to
view on entering the river that leads to
the town. It is various, gay, and animated;
On 'one' ﬁde—meadows of a moﬁ lovely
green extend out of ﬁght; on the other——
groves, or little hills' appear which rife in
form of ‘amphitheatres, afcen‘ded by ‘fteps
made of green fods. Here—Q-mcks are fee-n
covered with mofs ; ‘ thereevillages‘aniong

the copfes. Sometimes canals-prefent therm-
' felves»

EMBASSY T0 CHINA. 447

ﬁl'elves, which form iﬂands; or lofing them-

Ielves in the earth, expofe to View their
beautiful banks : the whole forming an em
chanting profpeét.

Canton unites, as it were, three cities
into one; which are feparated ' by high
walls, but {0 contiguous, that the fame gate
ferves to pafs from one to the other. The
whole forms a ﬁgure almoft fcjuare, and
is not much lefs in eompafs than Paris.
The {treets are long and ﬁraight, and
paved with hard hewn‘ ﬁone ; but moftly
narrow, except a few which are adorned ‘
with triumphal arches, They are wholly

‘ taken up with Ihops, which make a ﬁne
thew; and tradefmen who deal in the fame
articles, reﬁde in the fame quarter ‘of the
town. They are conﬁantly crowded, efpe-
cially with porters, there being no other
mode of conveying goods but on men's
fhoulders. Perfonsvof conditionare carried
in chairs. ' l

The

448 , NOTES ON THE

The rhoufes, though very neat, are far I
from being ﬁately; almoit all of them con-
iiﬁ of a ground ﬂoor, and are built of earth,-
ornamented with bricks, and COVercd with
tiles. The windows, in fummer, are of
cane, to let the air through , in Winter—of ‘
oyﬁer ﬂlCllS fcraped till they are femi-tranf- '
parent. v The walls are covered with thin
white, paper; and charcoal, in winter, is
burnt in the middle of the rooms. There
is a market holden in almoi’t every ﬁreet for
all forts of proviﬁons. Their frogs, of a
black hue, are aﬁeemed a delicacy, and
fetch a greater price than any other meat ,
and viper broth was in reputation here long
before it was in London.

Canton is enriched with many handfome
public buildings. Beﬁdes thirteen trium-‘i
phal arches, there are a great number of
idol temples, furrounded with cells of the
Bonzas, which have fomething ﬁngular , in
them. The Hall of Confucius, and the Aca-
demy, of the literati, are curious ltruéturesa-

The Ya-mm or palaces of the mandarines
are

EMﬁESéiYT we: 1111211111. «0

are‘ $1113 ‘Eéautiiﬁﬂ ah‘ﬁ’gtand; though min a
Meant refp'eé’c £0 what we term 121 m
Europe ’ I

‘ The river is crowded on both ﬁdes with
‘a mu1t1p11C1ty of junks, arranged in rows,
contaimng a prodigious number of peop1e,

" -‘ ""1113 a kind of ﬂoating city. Thefe
Juuks‘ Tying clofe together, form ﬁreets ,1

631111 junk Containing a whole family, 11ke
a’ hohfe, is di'vided into various apartments.
T116: common people Wh'erinhabit them rife
ﬁehmes 1n the morning either to ﬁfh or
Work 1n the net grounds, which yield tWo
.ﬁspétaehnaaﬂy. At the end of each meet
is'a barrier, which ~ is {hut every, evening
foon after ”the gates of the city; f0 that
ieVefy‘hody. 'i-S‘obhged to :be at home by the
"time“ lit V gro'ws‘ dark". ' “This regulation pre-
vents many alforders in China, where the
"greateﬁ orties are as quiet in the night time
"as if they conﬁﬁed‘ but of ﬁngle families.
By Interma'f'nages' the Ch1nefe and Tartars-
here can fCa‘i‘Cel‘y be di‘i’cinguifheﬂ, either
by 1-1181? 111111116, fcaunes; or’ habits - r

G g To

 
 

 

450 , NOTES ON THE ,

To the :ibove account of the cit}r of Can-.
ton, principally extracted from Du Halde,
we have onlyvfarther to obferve, thatceveryr
city 1n China has bells, to ,;diftingui_fh the
ﬁviewatehes of the night. ‘Thatiextraor-
dinary one at Pekin, which weighs a; hung
dred \[and twenty thoufand pounds, being
ﬂortyéfeet wide, is {aid to be the biggeﬁ in
the world, Their bellsare hung-in towers,
and begin to found at {even in the evening,
which being the ﬁrﬁ watch, they {trike
07“; this is repeated a_litt1e-;after,“ undefrvom
time to time till the {econd watch begins,
and then it ﬁrikes two, which is repeated,
~ till the third watch begins, when it {trikes
three, and {0 on till morning. In fome
towns drums are made ufe of in like
manner.

NateV. Page 270.

7810\KE1 S EMPLOYED IN GATHERING THE
BRANCHES OF THE TEA. TREE;

The tea tree often grows upon the {ides
of mountains, and among rocky eliﬁ‘s, to
come

1, 1‘ .7 V

EMBASSY T0 CHINA. 45-1

come at which is frequently dangerous, and
fom‘etimes impracticable. The Chinefe,
that they may gather‘the leaves, make uf'e
of a ﬁngular .l’cratagem. Thofe declivities
are often the habitation of monkeys, whom
they mow at, mock, and imitate, ’till the
animals, to revenge themfe‘lve's, break 01?
the branches, and ﬂiower them‘ down upon
the infulters ; from which branches the Chi—
nefe afterwards {trip of? the leaves.

' When D06t0r Letfom had read the above
paffage, taken from Groiiier’s Defcription -
of China, he wrote to the author, to thank
him for having given an account WhiCh
coincided ﬂ) exaétly with his own which he’
had given in his hiitory of the Tea tree, and
which had been treated with unmerit‘ed ri-
dicule. ln nations which have not acquired
the art of printing, the arts which they have
difcovered are generally preferved, and ex.-
Iplained by paintings, and. hieroglyphic re-
prefentations. In Chinefe drawings are to
be feen the hii’cory of making porcelain, of
cultivating rice, as well as collecting and

G g 2 preparing

452 NOTES ON THE,

preparing tea; in which that irafcible ani,‘
mal the monkey is employed to advantage.
The Chinefe, perceiving thcfe difpoﬁtions in
the monkey, took advantage of the propen-.
ﬁties of the animal, and converted them to
ufe in a domeﬁic {tate which, in that of na—
ture, Were exerted to their annoyance. Dr.
Letfom mentions drawings, in which mon-
keys are reprefented gathering the branches
or leaves of the tea tree, without exhibiting
any menacing attitude. They appeared ra-
ther to be fulﬁlling an ofﬁce to which they
had been regularly trained; and the more
f0, becaufe others were walking and ﬁtting
by the people, as if tamed anddomef’cicated,
whilft they were quietly gathering the
branches upon the trees.

. Note V1. Page 312.

DESCRIPTION OFTHE CITY 01? ‘PEKIN.

In addition to Whathas already been faid (
on the fubjeét above mentioned, we have
confulted the belt authors, fuch as Du Halde,

f 'Ides, and Dionyﬁus Kao, and, occaﬁonally,
' the

EM’BASSY ON CHINA. 453

the original Work'from which our abridg-
ment has been taken ; and by the afﬁﬂance
of all, we have been able to prefent "our
readers with the following authentic, and
intereﬁing extracts.

Pekin is‘the chief of the province of that
name, and the capital of the whole empire.
It has nine great cities fubordinate to‘ it,
with their dependent-diﬁrié’ts, diftinguifhed
by the additional name of F2; or Foo. Thefe
1 nine large cities have ﬁxteen lefs—fubjected
to their jurifdiétion, which are alfo diﬁin-
guifhed from the others by the appellation
of Chen or 0500; and the lefs conﬁderable
places, which are under the government of
the laﬂc, have fuperadded the furnar’ne of
Him.

This extenﬁve poWerf‘ul empire compre-
hends ﬁfteen provinces, which might more
properly be called kingdoms; for before
they Were united under one head, upwards
of three thoufand years ago, each) had its

peculiar King, as, at prefent, every province" ’

G g 3 has

45’4" ' NOTES 'ON THE '

has its Viceroy; all which are 'fubordinate
to one fupreme fovereign, the Emperor.
The province of Leaomng,'though ﬁtuate
without the great Wall, is alfo reckoned
among the reft, and pafles for the ﬁxteenth.

‘Pekin is ﬁtuated in a ﬁne fertile plain,
not far fouth of the great Wall, in the molt
falubrious part of all China, abounding with
corn, fruits, herbs and roots, and all the
neceifaries and comforts of’lif‘e, except that
of tea, none of which grows in that pro-
vince. The froﬂ: is pretty fevere therein
winter; but the heat of fummer is mode-
rate and fupportable. ‘

_When the Tartars conquered this coun—
try, about a hundred and ﬁxty years ﬁnce,
they drove the Chinefe out of the city, but
gave them leave to build a new one, con-
tiguous to the old town, which was then
nearly fquare ; but the additions ﬁnce made
have given it an irregular form. Thefe ci—
ties, called for diftinétion fake Chimyé and
Tartar, independent of the fuburbs, which

- are

EMBASSY T0 CHINA. , 4575“ '

are very- extenﬁve, are tWentyg miles in c137:
cumferenCe. gThe whole were {aid to-eorw
tain two millions-of inhabitants ;~‘ but the
account given to. the Embaﬂy, Rated/the
total at nearly three millions.

The principal {treets are . fpacious, and
three or‘ifou‘rlmilcs long. The {hops of mer-
ichants {Or neatnefs and, perhaps, richesex-
cel moft' in Europe. The name of the
tradefman and the articles he dealsin are;
placed over the {hop door; the entrance to-
which, beﬁdes. beingdecorated with {treamw
ers, is ,embellifhed With gildi-n‘gs, feulpturce; 1
paintings and japannings, in a manner which
attraé’cs and charms the eye. But the prin-
cipal Chinefe. ”$0139 and markets are kept
withdut, in the ‘fuhurbsﬁ Mott of the in:
habitants offPekin are Tartars, the wall-sot1
w-hofeeity are feeentyi feet high,qand pere,
feé’tly cover the town, the‘houfcs in general
b‘ein-g only. of one ﬂoor, on account of earth-
quakes, by which formerly thc. Cit} of Pt:
kin had much {uttered ' ‘

G g 1 The

45p NoTEs ON THE

The {treets are always croWded, though
Chinefe women never appear in them, ex-
cept in covered feats or chairs. The reafon
of this crowding is, that all proviﬁons are
brought thither by land carriage, no river
or canal coming within three miles of the
city; which occaﬁon the {treets to be ﬁlled
With Carts, camels, horfes, and other beaﬁs
of burden With their drivers; inforrmt‘h that
it is difHCult to pafs through the gates in a
morning or evening The artiﬁcers, alfo,
contribute to increafe the (:0de as they
work in the houfes of thofe who employ
them, and are perpetually looking out for
buﬁnefs. The {treets are, likewife, 1n the
day time, filled with inimitable jugglers,
exhibiting for" money; auctioneers felling
their goods; and quack doctors their medi-
cines. The magiﬁrates have alfo theidr
guard Whenever they appear abroad,
perfons of diftinc‘tion a numerous attend-
ance. All thefe circumftances combined,

make the town appear more populous than
it really IS.

I

The

 

EMBA‘SSY TO CHINA. 457i

_ " The palaces of the chief mandarines ecz:
cu‘py a great extent of ground, as they hated
only one ﬂoor. They'conﬁft of feveral open
courts, in which the buildings are not Icon.-
tiguous; and they are f0 fond of priVaey
that they have no windows towards the
ﬁreet, neither will they fuﬁ‘er their neigh-
bours to have any which can overlookthem ;
and there is a fkreen always Within the gate
to prevent {trangers from looking in. The.
furniture of their houfes conﬁfts of pietures,
japanned ’cabinets, chairs, tables, and Var-7
nifhed ﬂcreens; and their beds are very ele-
gant. Theirlcurtains, in the fummer, are
of ﬁlk, and their counterpanes of the fame.
They have no feather beds, ' but ﬂeep upon
quilts or mattreﬂ‘es,

Beﬁdes the buildings before mentioned,
the millionaries have four monaﬂeries; to
which are annexed four Churches : fome of
thefe are within the boundaries of the ‘pa-
Iace.—-—The Jefuits’ cloyfter is encompafled
with a high {tone wall; having two hand-
fome gates. VVithin is a pair of globes of

great

458 NOTES ON THE

great magnitude, being nearly ﬁx ‘feet in
diameter. Their church is a large, beauti-
ful ﬂruéture, of Italian architecture; deco-
rated with a number of images and altars,
and furnifhed with an excellent organ ; and
a large clock with a fet of chimes. There
is likewife a mufeum well ﬁored with Acu-
rioﬁties.

GENIUS, MANN'ERS, and CUSTOMS (3f the
CHINESE.

The Chinefe, who pay the greateﬁ defe—
rence and refpeét to old men, are, ingene-
ral, of a mild arid humane difpoﬁtion, but
violent and vindiétive when oﬂ'ended; al-
ways avenging themfelves in a ﬂow but me-‘
fhodical manner. Some among them are
To litigious as to difpofe of their property'io
maintain a fuit at law, in order to procure
the baftinado to his adverfary. And as it
fometimes happens that the defendant, by
mean of a bribe to the judge, transfers the~
{tripes to the back of the plaintiff, this never
fails to engender hatred and malice, which

end

EMBASSY T0 CHINA. 459

end often in the deftruétion of life and pro—
perty. But though they are Vicious, they

, love Virtue, and honour thofe Who praétife it.
And notwithftanding they are confummate
diffemblers of their hatred, they detelt every
action which feems to betray anger or emo-
tion. The fciences, the foundation of their
nobility and preferments, engrofs all their
ardour and efteem.

Intereﬁ: is one of the grand foibles of the
Chinefe; and the extreme love of life ano- ,
ther. Such as have only ten or twelve pif—
toles in the world will expend them in: a
cofﬁn twenty years, perhaps, before wanted,
and look upon it as the moft valuable move-
ble in their polleﬂion.

The Chinefe, in general, arevlow in ita-
ture, and of brown complexions; though,
in the northern provinces, they are as fair
as Europeans. A perfect beauty among
them conﬁﬂs of, a large forehead, a Ihort
nofe, fmall well-cut eyes, a large and ﬂat

face,

460, NOTES ON THE

face, broad ears, moderate ﬁled mouth, and
black hair.

The Tartar {overeigns have compelled the
men to ﬂiave their heads, leaving only one
lock in the middle of the crown; vThey
have little beards, full Whifkers, and {ome
longhairs at the bottom of the chin. Their
drefs eonﬁﬁs of a veil: with full, long ﬂeeves ;

- over this they wear, {ometimes a loofe, Ihort
coat ; but in paying or receiving Viﬁts, they
have a long ﬁlk gown, and over this a kind
of fpencer, reaching to the knee—They
always wear ﬁlk or ﬂuff boots, and have in
their hand a large fan. They are exceed-
ingly fcrupulous in their ceremonies" and
compliments; the Whole of which may be I
reduced to bowing, kneeling and proﬁrat-
ing, according to the occaﬁOH, and place,
as Well as age or quality of. the ‘perfons.
And though, from'the prejudice of'edlic'a-
tion, we may look upon their cuftoms as

I fmzfq/iic, the Chinefe, in their/turn, may
be tempted to look upon our’s as barbarous.

Their

\
EMBASSY TO CHINA. 461

Their feafts are peCuliarly troublefome to
Europeans, the whole being made up of
ceremonies and compliments. .Their ordiL-
nary feaﬂs require ﬁxteen,~—the more fo-
lemn twenty four ‘difhes upon each table,
as well as more formalities. Sometimes
there are as many tables as guefts, who ﬁt
upon {tools or chairs; but ordinarily tWo
perfons ﬁt at one table, which is not cover~
ed with a cloth, but neatly japanned, at
the front of which hangs a piece of ﬁlk de-
corated with rich needle work. Two
\ pointed {ticks of ivory or ebony, do the of-
ﬁce of knife and fork; their meats are cut
into fmall fquare pieces, and feryed up in
bowls; their foups are excellent, but: they
ufe no fpoons ; fo that after ﬁpping the thin,
the groifer parts of it' are directed to the
mouth by their chopf’cicks. After the ﬁrﬁ:
diih, wine is ferVed in cups to each gueft;
but none is taﬁed till the entertainer has
firft drunk. A comedy is :16th during the
repaﬂz; and when the 'dcﬂert isbrought in,
money is collected forpthe domeftics.

Their

462 NOTES ON THE

Their marriages, already fpoken of, like:
' their feaﬂzs, arecelebrated, for‘feveral days,
with much fplendour and feftiVity. Huf-
bands are allowed eoncubines, but they are
fubordinate to the wife. , Their funerals
have“ already been defcribed in pages 127,
128, and 12g.——The ufual time of mourn-
ing’is three years; but it is commonly re
duced to twenty—{even months. ‘ I

Criminals are puniﬂied, in China, pro-
portionate to the enormity of the crime.
Capital oﬁbnces pafs throughﬁve or ﬁx dif— A
ferent tribunals before a deﬁnitive fentenee
be paired. The women are Kept in pr‘ifon
feparate from the men; neither is the deb-
tor conﬁned in the fame place as the felon.
For ﬂight offences the culprit is baﬂina-I
doed; for others-~he is made to wear, night
and day, a heaVy wooden collar about his
neck, fomething ﬁmilar to an Engliﬂi pil-:
lory. For certain enormities‘ offenders are
marked upon the check with Chineic cha—
racters denoting their crimes; others are

condemned to‘ temporary or perpetual ba-c
nifhment,

EMBASSY. T0 CHINA. _ 463

nifhment, or to drag the royal barks for one,
two, orthree years. Capital puniﬂlment is
inﬂicted three different ways ; by ﬂrangling,
beheading; and, for affaﬂination, by cutting
' into ten thug/21ml pieces. They have, like-
Wife, in China, two kinds of torture to ex-
tort confeﬂion.—-—None are put to death
without the Emperor's exprefs orders; and
‘ thefe executions take place on a certain day
in the year throughout the empire.

Note VII. Page 328.

;DESCRIPTION OF THE GREAT WALL.

Dionyﬁus Kao, anative of China, from
whofe works, publifhed in the year 1705,
the following account is principally ex-
traéted, though we have borrowed from Du.
Halde and. others, fays, This prodigious
Wall was built fame centuries before Chrift’s
time, by the Chincfe Emperor Chien-chu,
Voang, (according to Du Halde by Tﬁn-Shi-
Wang, who makes it two hundred and
twenty one years before the birth of Chriit)
to prevent the incurﬁons of the reﬁlcfs wett-

em

464 NOTES ON THE

crn Tartars. It is extended from the Ori—
“ental- {ea far beyond the middle of Shen-ﬂ,‘
« and includes the provinces of Pekin, and
almoi’c the whole of Shen-ﬁ. ‘ Its length, in
a direct line, is computed at ﬁx hundred
and ﬁfty four French miles; but reckOned
as a Curved line amounts to upwards of one
thoufand. It has three or four lofty toWers
or forts within the compafs of every mile,
many of which are ﬁtuated upon the higheft
mountains; and the Wall is broad enough
upon the top for eight horfes to gallop
abreaﬁ without any dangen

Du Halde, on the fame fubjeét Rates,
that its beginning is a large bulwark ofﬂone,
raifed in the tea to the eaf’c of Pekin; and“
ends when you have paﬂ‘ed the little city of
Chwang-lan. It is well terraced and cafed
with brick, and is as high as, ' and much
brOader than the walls of the empire ufually
are ; that is, from twenty . to tWenty ﬁve A
feet in height. , The top is wide enough for
ﬁve or ﬁx horfemen to ride abreaﬁ.

The

EMBASSY TO CHINA 465

The gates of the great Wall are allee--
fended,- on the ﬁde of China, by pretty large

forts. The ﬁrﬂ: of them, to the eaﬂz, is
7called Shang—hay-Quan‘. It {tands near the
wall which extends, from the bulvvark above
mentioned, the {pace of a league alongIa
country perfeé’tly level, and does not begin
to afcend’ the mountains till after it has
paired that place; It' was the Chin‘efe ge-
neral, COmmanding in‘ this part, who ﬁrtt
called in the Tartars of the province of
Lcao-tung, which lies beyond it; and thus
gave them an opportunity of conquering
China, notwithﬁanding their mural ram—
parts, which the Chluefe thought impreg-
'nable;

Many of the {quare towers are large and
lofty; fome of two {tories high, built of
'brick, upon a foundation ofﬁone, which
rifes‘ about four feet above the ground.
Each tide of the fquare at the bafe meafures
from thirty ﬁve to forty feet, .and their
llt ight is nearly the fame dimenﬁons. The

1"; le of the fquarc at the top is from twenty
' H h eight

466 NOTES ON THE '

eight to thirty feet. The ﬁrf’t Rory is upon
a level with the platform of the wall, in _
which there are embrafures.

The foundation of the wall, formed. of
large fquare ﬁones, which projeét about two
feet beyond the brick work, isabout twenty
ﬁve feet thick at its bafe, and rifes not lefs
than two feet above the furface of < the
ground. The reﬁt is cafed both inﬁde and
.outﬁde with brick work, each of the thick—
nefs of five feet, having the intermediate
'fpace ﬁlled up with earth or tempered clay,
and terraced upon the top with a platform
of fquare bricks. The parapets, about
eighteen inches thick, are a continuation of
the brick work above the terreplain.

‘ Evert nybrant Ides, Embaﬁ‘adorifrom the
Czar, Peter the Great, to the Court of Pe-
kin, an account of whofe travels from Mof-

 

A cow to that city was publifhcd in the year , L

‘ 1705, has alfo given a defcription of the
Great Wall; and that we may be able to.
point out to our readers the particular fpot‘,
‘ let

 

 

‘V

‘EMBASSY To CHINA; 467

let it be remembered, that the lat? fortrd’ilés , ‘
of his Czarifh Majefty’s dorhinions, bordéﬁ ' 4'?

 

 
 

ing upon’the frontiers of China, which his (

Excellency {topped at, was Argue/1:0}. From
this place he proceeded to the ﬁlver river,
called Mongagol, which falls into the river
Argun ; and, having crofTed that, traverfed
the great Tartaria-n wildernefs, and arrived
' at the river Calabu. Paﬁing along the banks
of the river J alo, he came to Xz'xiger, a city
upon the borders of China, where, by order
of his Imperial Majeﬁy, {his Excellency was
_ met by a mandarine, accompanied by eighty
men, who conducted him to Kara Karon,

or Black City, on his route to Pekin. He ,.

then fays, On the twenty feventh of October
we reached forne watch towers on the pin-
nacles of the rocks, from whence we got
ﬁght of the Great \Vall, ~at "which we ar-
rived on the fame day. This feems to be
one of the {even wonders of the world
About ﬁve hundred fathoms from this fan
mous Wall is a valley, having on each ﬁde
a battery of hewn Rome; from one-0f which
to the other a wall about three feet high is

H h 2 . erected,

 

 

r $5

 

“.1“, «M
1/4., , s ‘

' haul 21.3,..-

 

468 :3 NOTES ON THE

ereé’ted, with an open/entrance, as appears
in the annexed engraving. Pafﬁng through
this fore wall, we came to the entry of the
Great Wall, through a watch tower, about
eightiathoms high, arched over with hewm I
ﬂone, and provided with large 'maﬂ’y‘doors
ﬁrengthed with iron. The Wall runs from
cap: to weft acrofs the valley up extraordi-
nary high rocks: and, about ﬁve hundred
fathoms diftance from the other, has, upon
the rocks on each’ﬁde Of it, a tower built,
as reprefented in the engraving. The foot
of this Wall was of large hewn quarry Rome,
for about a foot high, and the remaining
upper part was compofed of brick and lime;
but as far as we were able to difcover, the
whole had been formerly built with the
tame. ﬁon‘e. Within this ﬁrf’t port we came

"into a plain full a hundred fathorns broad,

after which we arrived at another guard»-
port which had a wall: on each. ﬁde, and,

like the ﬁrﬁ: wall, was carried quite aerofs
the vale. This, aswell as the ma port, "
was O‘uardedhyawateh ofﬁfty 1en.Upon
1 {int >3 Great VV all was erected an idol
temple, "

 

 

; I/f-Am

”Writ/j

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EMBASSY TO CHINA. 469‘

temple, with the enﬁgn of the Idol and that
of the Emperor ﬂying upon it. The Wall
was full ﬁx fathoms high, and four thick;
f0 that ﬁx horfemen might .eaﬁly ride abreait
upon it, and was in as good repair as if it
had been ﬁnifhed about twenty or thirty
years ﬁncc.

To raife men for building this Wall,
which is R21th to have been completed in
ﬁve years, the Emperor commanded that
three out of every ten men throughout his
dominions fhould work at it; and after—
- wards—two out of every ﬁve were compell—
ed to labour at this vaﬂ: undertaking. It is
alfo faid, that though the inhabitants of each

province worked as near their own abode as .5

they could, yet, either by the length of
their journey or the difference of climate,
almoit all thofe employed in its conﬂ'ruc’tion
died unexpectedly. This raifed’a tumult in
the empire, which proceeded to the length
of murdering the Emperor, and his fon
Agutzi, in the fortieth year of his reign2

H h 3 VWh'en

 

 

   

” 470 ’ NOTES ON THE

_ When his eonﬁdered, that this ﬂruéture;
upwards of a thoufand French miles in length,
beﬁdes being extended along dreary waftes,
and even furfaces, is’ carried over expanﬁvc
rivers in the fotm of bridges, fome having
two tiers of arches,——and alfo, in the fame
fhape, acroﬁ: deep and wide-extended val—
leys, uniting, as it were, the mountains
which form them ;——-that it afcends the
higheit, and defcends the ﬁeepeft‘ preeipices;
‘-—and, with all this, conﬁdering the im—
menﬁty of labourg—«the ingenuity of the
artifts,——~the difﬁculty oftranfporting mate.
rials,—and the thort time of its completion;
——the imagination, is loft in the contempla’
tion of an obje€t whofe grandeur is not fur-
paﬂed by any of the {even wonders of the
World. =

Nate VIII. Page 358. ,

STATE OF PHYSIC IN CHINA.._

The Rate of phyﬁc is at a law ebb among
the Chinefe. 'There are no public‘fe’hools
nor profeffors of the healing art. They a'rc
totally ignorant of the anatomy of the body,
' and

 

EMBASSY To: CHINA. 471

and hold diffeélion in horror. The whole
fciencc 0f medicine, among them, conﬁf’cs
in the knowledge of the pulfe, (of which
their ideas are exceedingly erroneous). and
, the ufe of ﬁmples. 1n difeafes arifing from
plethora, as well as in many other cafes, a
free ufe of the lancet is often neccﬂary to
preferve life; yet furgery, in China, is to
little underﬂood, that venefeétion or blood-
letting is never performed. If, at any time,
the faculty there think {it neceffary to punc-s
ture any part of the body, to let out what
they call a collection of vapour, it is always
done with a gold or ﬁlver needle,- which
operation gives exquifite pain to the patient,
—-—Emafculation is peformed by ligature.

The following authentic anecdote, on the
fubjeé’c of bleeding with a lancet, was fent
to us by a profeﬂional gentleman, who has '
been twice at Canton.

Some years ﬁnce, at'the requei’c of a Chi—
nefe merchant, this gentleman went to viﬁt
a friend of his who was ill; and ﬁnding his '

H h 4 ' com-

.472» NOTES ON 'rHE

complaint to be a large abfcefs upon: the:
thigh, and in a Rate of maturity, he open~~..
ed it with a common lancet, preﬂed‘ out
the matter, and applied proper‘dreﬂings;
[promifing to reviﬁt him the next day.-—-
The following morning the gentleman-s
Chinefe ferv,ant learning what had been
done, appeared in the greateﬂ: diitrefs, and
exclaimed violently againit the. merchant
for fufering him to cut the ﬂeﬂl, and to
draw blood of a Chinefe with any inﬁru-
ment, as he muft have known that, ﬂiould
the patient die, by the laws of China, he
his-{elf would be put to death; without re?
gard to the motives which {n ggefted the
operation. Though the gentleman Was un-
der no apprehenﬁon for the fate of his pa—
tient, as to What he had done, yet fome
other finifter accident might haVe' fuper~
vened; and he had fome thoughts of return-
ing fecretly on board his Ihip, when a friend
advifed him to remain on fhore, and to keep
the circymﬁance fecret; adding, that Ihould
his patient die from any other Caufe, he
might expiate the deed by paying a ﬁne in

' i ' money

 

EMBASSY TO CHINA, .473

money, and this, being accommodated "in‘
private, Would require a lefs ﬁlm than if the
faét were made public. The'patient, how-
ever, did well, and was grateful to his be—
nefaétor.

Pregnant women are never viﬁted by
male phyﬁcians; neither do they ever aét as
accouclzeurr. The obftetric art is praétifed by
women only, for whofe inﬁruétion books
have been written, in which'the different
periods of the gravid uterus are pointed out,
by appoﬁte drawings, and a multitude of .
prefcriptions drawn up, and dircétions giv en
tor every cafe that can poﬂibly be fuppofed
1to happen.

Inoculation has long been introduced
among them ; but it is performed in a man-
her diﬂ‘erent from, that of Europeans. The
variolous matter is collected from a favour-
able kind, dried, pulverized, and put into
a jar Clofely ﬂopped, which, by excluding
.thc atmofpheric air, will retain its property 7 I

for

 

474 NOTES ON THE

for a length of time. ‘A {mall quantity-of.

this powder, after the patient has been prea

pared by gentle laxatives, and 'aﬂender diet,

being put upon a bit of cotton, and inferted

into the noﬁril, it takes effect about the

fame time as by‘ the method Praétifed 111
Europe.‘

China, likewife, abounds with itinerant
praéiitioners who live by the credulity and
ignorance of the multitude. The virtues
of their noﬁrums are pompouﬂy fet forth in
hand-bills, with, as in other places, a long
lift of furr‘eptitious cures. But in this kind
of quaelgery they have gone a ﬁep farther
than the Englifh mountebanks, in fpite of
whofe medicines, or for want of taking the
other bottle, their patients continue to die.
The Chinefe, however, promulgated a me-
dicine to infure immortality. This grand
fecret was arrogated by a feet called Tau-
»tfe, the difeiples of Lau-kyun, who boaﬁed
they had idifcovered a liquor, by mean
whereof man fhould never die. A great

number

 

EMBASSY TO CHINA. 475

number‘ of mandarines ﬁudied this art, as
well as the diabolical one of magic; and
theEmperor Tﬁn—fhe-Whang-ti, a declared
enemy. to learning and learnedmen, was
perfuaded by tthe impoﬂors that they had
aétually fuch a liquid, and gave it the
name of Chang-feng—you, medicine afghan

91a] lyre.

FIN’I S.

 

'ERRATA FOR THE COCHINEAL INSECTS: >
072 Me plate of the Lacy” of My Prickly Pear.

No. 9. The larva of the ﬂy, 85c. Its length is agree~
able to thisline _ '
11. Chryfalis of the ﬂy. Its length is __

12. Perfeé't ﬂy. Its length is

 

 

 

ERRATA.

Page Line _
5’1 10 for Enﬁancia read Eﬁancia.
58 6 conincal conical.
60 . I, 2 cytitus cytifue.
71 1 maniﬁa. maniota.
'13 1 Africa ‘ America.

115 20 Original or original.

121 1 8 obfets ‘befets.

I 30 1'7 Molucco Molucca.

I 68 8 ﬁlters ﬁlter.

174 4 A number Figures.

1’7 8 5 comple complete.

~— 1 1 his their.

312 2 the palace a palace.

406 8 bad bade.

42.6. 18 refpeélable a a rcfpeétable.

430 1 8 Emperor Viceroy.

Direo‘i‘iom

 

 

 

 

 

(051.5?7'450

 

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