duced by long ftraight lines, were adorned with a variety of figures, either in imitation of real objects, or .nore commonly as mere works of fancy; the whole fhining like gold under a brilliant fun, immediately caught the eye with an appearance of grandeur in that part of buildings where it was not accuftomed to be fought for. Immenfe magazines of rice were feen near the gate and looking from it to the left, along the city-wall, was perceived an elevated edifice, defcribed as an obfervatory erected, in the former dynafty, by the Emcror Yong-loo, to whom the chief embellishments of Pekin are faid to be owing.

In front of most of the houfes in this main-street were hops painted, gilt, and decorated like thofe of Tong-choo-foo, but in a grander ftyle. Over fome of them were broad terraces, covered with fhrubs and flowers. Before the doors feveral lanterns were hung, of horn, muflin, filk, and paper, fixed to frames in varying the form of which the Chinese feemed to have exercised their fancy to the utmost. Outfide the fhops, as well as within them, was difplayed a variety of goods for fale.

:

Several circumftances, independently of the arrival of strangers, contributed to throng fo wide a freet. A proceffion was moving towards the gate, in which the white, or bridal colour, according to European ideas, of the perfons who formed it, feeined at firft to announce a marriage-ceremony; but the appearance of young men overwhelmed with grief, fhewed it to be a funeral, much more indeed than the corfe itself, which was contained in a handsome fquare cafe,

fhaded with a canopy, painted with gay and lively colours, and preceded by ftandards of variegated filks. Behind it were fedan chairs cover. ed with white cloth, containing the female relations of the deceased; the white colour denoting in China the affliction of those who wear it, is feduloufly avoided by fuch as wish to manifeft fentiments of a contrary kind: it is therefore never feen in the ceremony of nuptials (met foon afterwards) where the lady (as yet unfeen by the bridegroom) is carried in a gilt and gaudy chair, hung round with feftoons of artificial flowers, and followed by relations, attendants, and fervants, bearing the paraphernalia, being the only portion given with a daughter, in marriage, by her parents.

The crowd was not a little increafed by the mandarins of rank appearing always with numerous attendants; and still more by circles of the populace round auctioneers, venders of medicines, fortune-tellers, fingers, jugglers, and ftory-tellers, beguiling their hearers of a few of their chen, or copper money, intended probably for other purpofes. Among the ftories that caught at this moment the imagination, the embaffy was faid to furnish no inconfiderable share. The prefents brought by it to the Emperor were afferted to include whatever was rare in other countries, or not known before, to the Chinefe. Of the animals that were brought, it was gravely mentioned that there was an elephant of the fize of a monkey, and as fierce as a lion; and a cock that fed on charcoal. Every thing was fupposed to vary from what had been seen in Pekin before, and to poffefs qualitics different from what had been

there

there experienced in the fame fubftances. The fight of the ftrangers bringing fuch extraordinary curiofities, difturbed, as they paffed along, the feveral occupations of the people. They preffed forwards in great numbers. Chinefe foldiers, who were employed like conftables to keep them off, ufed long whips, with which they feemed to aim at the foremost rank; but with a mildnefs, which difpofition and the long habit of authority that takes, fometimes, away from any enjoyment in exerting it, had infpired. They generally, in fact, only ftruck the ground.

As foon as the perfons belonging to the embaffy had arrived at the eastern fide of the yellow wall, they turned along it to the right, and found on its northern fide much lefs bustle than in the former ftreet. Inftead of fhops, all were private houfes, not confpicuous in the front. Before each house was a wall or curtain, to prevent paffengers from feeing the court into which the street-door opened. This wall is called the Wall of Refpect. A halt was made oppofite the treble gates, which are nearly in the centre of this northern fide of the palace-wall. It appeared to inclofe a large quantity of ground. It was not level, like all the lands without the wall fome of it was raised into hills of steep afcent: the earth taken to form them left broad and deep hollows, now filled with water. Out of these artificial lakes, of which the margins were diverfified and irregular, fmall iflands rofe with a variety of fanciful edifices, interfperfed with trees. On the hills of different heights the principal palaces for the Emperor were erected. The whole had fomewhat

the appearance of enchantment. On the fummit of the highest eminences were lofty trees furrounding fummer-houfes, and cabinets contrived for retreat and pleasure. One of thefe was pointed out as the laft flocking fcene of the exiftence of that race of emperors who had built and beautified the whole of this magnificent palace. A man, whom fortune feemed for a while to favour, as if deftined to become the head of a new dynafty in China, availed himself, towards the middle of the last century, of the weaknefs and luxury of the court, and of that indolence which, more than even luxury, had brought the former dynafties to ruin. With an army of Chinefe, first collected under the hope of bringing about better times, and kept together afterwards by the tempting bait of plunder, he marched to the gates of Pekin. The ill-fated monarch, too flightly fupported, and poffeffed of too little energy to refift; but with fentiments too elevated to brook fubmiffion to an enemy who had been his fubject, and determined to fave his offspring from the danger of difhonour, ftabbed his only daughter, and put an end to his own life with a cord, in one of thofe edifices abovementioned, which had been erected for far other purposes. The plate (No. 29) in the folio volume, is a view of the mount which was the fcene of this melancholy event.

The route was continued wefterly through the city. The dwelling-houfe of fome Ruffians was pointed out; and what was more fingular, a library of foreign manufcripts, one of which was faid to be an Arabic copy of the Koran. Some Mahometans were feen, distinguish

ed by red caps. Among the fpectators of the novel fight, fome women were obferved. The greatest number were faid to be natives of Tartary, or of a Tartar race. Their feet were not cramped, like thofe of the Chinefe; and their fhoes with broad toes, and foles above an inch in thicknefs, were as clumfy as thofe of the original Chinefe ladies were diminutive. A few of the former were well dreffed, with delicate features, and their complexions heightened by the aid of art. A thick patch of vermilion on the middle of the lower lip, feemed to be a favourite mode of ufing paint. Some of them were fitting in covered carriages, of which, as well as of horfes, there are feveral to be found for hire in various parts of the town. A few of the Tartar ladies were on horfeback, and rode aftride, like men. Tradefinen with their tools, fearching for employment, and pedlars offering their wares for fale, were every where to be feen. Several of the ftreets were narrow, and at the entrance of them gates were erected, near which guards were ftationed, it was faid to quell any occafional difturbances in the neighbourhood. Thofe gates are fhut at night, and opened only in cafes of exigence. The train of the embaffy croffed a ftreet which extended north and fouth, the whole length of the Tartar city, almoft four miles, and is interrupted only by feveral pai-loos, or triumphal fabrics; and paffing by many temples, or other capacious buildings and magazines, they reached, in little more than two hours from their entrance on the eastern fide, to one of the western city gates, of which the plate (No 20) of the folio volume is a view. Near this

gate, and along the outfide of the weftern wall, ran the fmall rivulet (here widened into a confiderable ditch) which, after almoft furrounding Pekin, runs toward Tong choofoo, and falls into the Pei-ho. The fuburb beginning at this weftern gate, being more extenfive than that through which they had entered into the city, took to traverse it upwards of twenty minutes.

Pekin bears not in fize the fame proportion to China that moft capitals do to their refpe tive countries. The principal part of it is called the Tartar city, being laid out in thethirteenth century, during the first Tartar dynafty. It has the form of a parallelogram, the four walls facing the four cardinal points; including an area of fourteen fquare miles, in the centre of which is the imperial palace, occupying at least one fquare mile. The Tartar city is about one-third larger than London; and adjoining to it is another, called, by way of diftinction, the Chincfe city, including within its walls a fpace of nine miles fquare: but only a small part of this latter is occupied by buildings. Much of it is in cultivation; and hither the Emperor repairs, every fpring, to perform the exemplary ceremony of directing the plough with his own hand through a fmall field, thus doing honour to the profeffion of the hufbandman.

In China there are properly but three claffes of people: men of letters, from whom the mandarins are felected; cultivators of the ground; and mechanics, including merchants. The highest degrees of literature are conferred in the capital; and among fuch graduates the principal civil offices are diftributed by the Emperor. The

candidates

candidates for fuch degrees are thofe who have already fucceeded in the provincial cities; and the candidates for degrees in the latter are thofe who have fucceeded in the inferior towns. The examinations are everywhere carried on with great folemnity and apparent fairness. A fuccefsful competitor is always rewarded by offices of dignity proportional to that of the clafs in which his fuccefs has been attained. Military rank is likewife given to thofe who are found, on competition, to excel in the military art and in warlike exercises. The fupreme councils of ftate are always held in the capital: which, according to the beft information given to the embaffy, contains about three millions of inhabitants. The low houfes of Pekin feem fcarcely fufficient for fo vaft a population; but in thofe houses there are no fuperfluous apartments. A Chinese dwelling is generally furrounded by a wall, fix or feven feet high; and within this inclosure a whole family of three generations, with their refpective wives and children, will frequently be found. One fmall room is made to ferve for the individuals of each branch of the family, fleeping in different beds, divided only by mats hanging from the ceiling. One common room is ufed for eating. With the poor, marriage is a measure of prudence, becaufe the children are bound to maintain their parents; and, to corroborate filial obedience, the laws of the empire leave a man's offspring entirely within his power.

The embaffy left Pekin on the 2d of September, 1793, Lord Macartney travelling in an English poft-chaife, which was probably the first that ever rolled on the road to

Tartary, and which was drawn by four Tartar horfes, conducted by two perfons of his Excellency's guard, who had formerly been accuftomed to that occupation. He took occafionally fome of the mandarins into his carriage, who were at first fomewhat startled, fearing left it fhould overturn; but, being affured of its perfect fafety, they became inexpreffibly delighted with its eafinefs, lightness, and rapidity.. About twenty miles from the capital, the country towards Tartary began to rife. A few miles farther on, the travellers ftopped for the day at one of the Emperor's palaces, furrounded with a park and pleafure-grounds. Beyond it, fome of the rifing hills were planted, and fome left naked. The different objects feemed in their natural state, and as if affembled here only by a fortunate chance: for a Chinese. gardener is the faithful painter. of. nature. In the progrefs of the third day's journey, the population feemed confiderably to diminish; and on the morning of the fourth, a prominent line was defcried, which, on a nearer furvey, affumed. its real form of a wall with battlements. This was the famous wall of China,: which is not fo remarkable for its antiquity, remounting to three cen- turies beyond the Chriftian æra, nor for its extent of 1500 miles, as for the wonderful appearance of the mountains over which it is carried, and which are apparently inacceffi ble.

As the travellers advanced into Tartary, the roads became more rugged, the mountains lefs richly clothed, and the trees (befides different forts of pines of no great fize) were chiefly ftunted oaks, afpin, elm, hazel, and walnut-trees dimi

rifhed to the fize of fhrubs. During the feventh and laft day's journey, the mountains, receding a litde from each other, opened to the view of the travellers the valley of Zhe-hol. Here his Imperial Majefty retires in fummer from his Chinefe dominions, to a palace and pleafure-grounds; the former called the Seat of grateful coolness, and the latter the Garden of innumerable trees. The road near to Zhehol is perceptible from an eminence in the Emperor's gardens; and from that fpot, as was afterward learnt, his Imperial Majefty had the curio fity to view the proceffion of the einbally. It was received with military honours amid a crowd of ipecators on horseback and on foot. The fuite of edifices deftined for the embaffy was fituated on the gentle flope of a hill, at the fouthern extremity of the town of Zhe-hol. On the north fide of that town, whịch, except the houfes of mandarins, confifted of miferable hovels, the imperial gardens, the palaces, and the temples, difplayed much grandeur; magnificence and wretchednefs knew no medium. Two mandarins of rank waited on the ambaffador foon after his arrival, with compliments from his Imperial Majefty, and from the Colao, or firft minifter. The ambaflador being indifpofed, Sir G. Staunton, as Minifter Plenipotentiary in his abfence, waited on the Calao, whom he found in a small apartment of the imperial palace, ftated on a platform covered with filk, between two Chinese and two Tartar mandarins of ftate. A chair was brought for the English minister. The Colao demanded the object of the English embafly, which demand was eafily fatisfied by delivering to him

a copy of his Majefty's letter to the Emperor, in Chinefe. Difficulties arofe about the ceremony of introduction to the Emperor, which were probably heightened by the Viceroy of Canton, an enemy to the English, and who was now come to court; and alfo by the Tartar Legate, who from the beginning had attended the ambassador, and who from prejudice and intereft had been hoftile to his views. Inftead of the fervile ceremony of proftration, it was finally fettled that the Emperor fhould be fatisfied with the fame form of respectful obeifance from the English which they were accustomed to pay to their own fovereign. It was whifpered that the good fenfe and liberality of the Emperor himself rendered him much more inclined than any of his advisers to difpenfe with a formality from which no deviation had ever been before made, even in a fingle inftance. This was a triumph for the embaffy: and it confirmed the conclufion that the mere pleas of cuftom, however ufually and ftrongly urged by the Chinese, would not always ftand against reafon, accompanied by temper and perfeverance. The 14th of September was fixed for the reception of the British embassy.

On the day of the ambaffador's prefentation to the Emperor, most of his family attended. No marked preference was perceptible, or extraordinary refpect fhewn to any of them above the reft. On that morning the ambaffador and gentlemen of the embaffy went before day. light, as was announced to be proper, to the garden of the palace of Zhe-hol. In the middle of the gar den was a fpacious and magnificent tent, fupported by gilded, or paint-"

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