ACCOUNT 
€olours ; by the proper diftribution 
of which, and fometimes by their 
contratt, it is the particular object 
of an art among the Chinefe to 
produce a gay and pleating effect. 
The infide of the theatre was ma- 
naged, in regard to decorations, 
with equal fuccefs; and the com- 
pany of actors fucceflively exhibit- 
ed, during the whole day, feveral 
different pantomimes and hiftorical 
dramas. The performers were ha- 
bited in the ancient drefles of the 
Chinefe at the period when the per- 
fonages reprefented were fuppofed 
to have lived. The dialogue was 
{poken in a kind of recitative, ac- 
companied by a variety of mufical 
inftruments; and each paufe was 
filled up by a loud crafh, in which 
the loo bore no inconfiderable part. 
The band of mufic was placed in 
full view, immediately behind the 
ftage, which was broad, but by no 
means deep. Each character an- 
nounced, on his firft entrance, what 
part he was about to perform, and 
where the fcene of a¢tion lay. Uni- 
ty of place was apparently preferv- 
ed, for there was no change of {cene 
during the reprefentation of one 
piece. Female characters were per- 
formed by boys or eunuchs. 
One of the dramas, particularly, 
attracted the attention of thofe who 
recollected fcenes fomewhat fimi- 
lar upon the Englith ftage. The 
piece reprefented an Emperor of 
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{pair naturally refulting from the 
lof of her hufband and of her dig- 
nity, as well asthe apprehenfion fot 
that of her honour. Whilft he is 
tearing her hair, and rending the 
fkies with her complaints, the con- 
queror eriters, approaches her with 
refpedt, addreffes her in a gentle © 
tone, foothes her*forrows with his 
compaflion, talks of love and ado- 
ration, and, like Richard the Third 
with Lady Anne, in Shakefpeares 
prevails, in lefs-than half an hour; 
on the Chinefe princefs to dry up 
her tears, to forget her deceafed 
confort, and yield to a confoling 
wooer. The piece concludes with 
the nuptials and a grand proceflion. — 
When paffing through Tien-fings 
the veffels conveying the ambafla- 
dor and fuite had an cpportunity of 
obferving that great city, which ap- 
peared to be nearly as long-as Lon+ 
don. The account given by the 
mandarins of the place, made its po- 
pulation amountto700,000 perfons. 
The houfes of Tien-fing are of brick, 
of a leaden blue colour} and many 
of them are, contrary to the com- 
mon mode of building, two ftories 
high. In confequence of the pa- 
triarchal cuftom, retained by. the 
Chinefe, of having all the fucceed- 
ing generations of the fame family 
under a fingle roof, it is computed 
that nearly ten men fit to béar arms 
are commonly found in evéry Chi- 
nefe houfe. The junks, covering 
China and his Empreis living i: the waters which divide this com- 
fupreme felicity, when on a fuddea 
his fubjects revolt, a civil war en- 
fues, battles are fought, and at laft 
the arch-rebel, who was a general 
of cavalry, overcomes his fovereign, 
Kills him with his own hand, and 
routes the imperial army. The cap- 
tive Emprefs then appears upon 
the fiage in all the agopics of de- 
Vou, XXXIX. 
mercial city, contained many thou- 
fand inhabitants: for the wives and 
families of the failors refide with 
them conftantly om board; and 
there many of them are born, and 
all of theta {pend their lives. Eve- 
ry fhore is to them foreign, and the 
earth an element with which they 
are only occafionally connected. 
Gg Kew 
