ACCOUNT 
there experienced in the fame fub- 
ftances. The fight of the ftrangers 
bringing fuch extraordinary curiofi- 
ties, difturbed, as they paffed along, 
the feveral occupations of the peo- 
ple. 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 foremoft rank ; but witha mild- 
nefs, which difpofition and the 
jong habit of authority that takes, 
fometimes, away from any enjoy- 
ment in exerting it, had infpired. 
They generally, in fact, only {track 
the ground. 
As foon as the perfons belong- 
ing to the embaffy had arrived at 
the eaftern fide of the yellow wall, 
they turned along it to the right, 
and found on its northern fide much 
lefs buftle than in the former ftreet. 
{nftead of fhops, all were private 
houfes, not confpicuous in the 
front. Before each houfe was a 
wall or curtain, to prevent paffen- 
gers from feeing the court into 
which the ftreet-door opened. This 
wall is called the Wall of Refpedt. 
Avhalt was made oppofite the tre- 
ble 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 raifed in- 
to hills of fteep afcent: the earth 
taken to form them left broad and 
deep hollows, now filled with wa- 
ter. Out of thefe artificial lakes, 
of which the margins were diverfi- 
fied and irregular, fmall iflands rofe 
with a variety of fanciful edifices, 
interfperfed with trees. On the 
hills of different heights the prin- 
cipal palaces for the Emperor were 
erected. The whole had fomewhat 
e 
OF BOOKS. 4yi 
the appearance of enchantment. 
On the {ummit of the higheft emi- 
nences were lofty trees furrounding 
fummer-houfes, and cabinets con- 
trived for retreat and pleafure. 
One of thefe was pointed out as 
the lait fhocking fcene of the exift- 
ence of that race of emperors who 
had built and beautified the whole 
of this magnificent palace. Aman, 
whom fortune feemed for a while\ 
to favour, as if deftined to become 
the head of a new dynafty in Chi- 
na, availed himfelf, towards the 
middle of the laft 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, firft colleéted un- 
der the hope of bringing about bet- 
ter times, and kept together after- 
wards by the tempting bait of plun- 
der, he marched to the gates of Pe- 
kin. The ill-fated monarch, too 
flightly fupported, and poffefled 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, {tabbed his only 
daughter, and put an end to his own 
life with a cord, in one of thofe edi- 
fices abovementioned, which had 
been ercéted for far other purpofes, 
The piate (No. 29) in the folio vo- 
lume, is a view of the mount which 
was the fcene of this melancholy 
event. 
The route was continued weft. 
erly through the city. The dwell- 
ing-houfe of fome Ruffians was 
pointed out; and what was moré 
fingular, a library of foreign manu- 
{cripts, one of which was faid to be 
an Arabic copy of the Koran. Some 
Mahometans were feen, diftinguith- 
Gg ed 
") 
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