aya. ANNUAL REGISTER,” f797. 
nifhed to the fize of fhrubs: Dur- 
ing the feventh and laft day’s jour- 
ney, the mountains, receding a lit- 
tle from each other, opened to the 
view of the travellers the valley of 
Zhe-hol. Here his Imperial Ma- 
jeftv retirés in fummer from his 
Chinefe dominions, to a palace and 
pleafure-grounds ; the former call- 
-ed the Seat of grateful coolnefs, and 
the latter the Garden of innumera- 
ble treés. The road near to Zhe- 
hol 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 
embafly. It was received with mi- 
litary honours amid a crowd of 
fpectators on horfeback and on foot. 
The fuite of edifices deftined for the 
embaffy was fituated.on the gentle 
flope of a hill, at the fouthern ex- 
tremity of the town of Zhe-hol. 
On the north fide of that town, 
which, except the houfes of manda- 
ins, confilted of miferable hovels, 
the impecial gardens, the palaces, 
and the temples, difplayed much 
grandeur; magnificenceand wretch- 
ednefs knew no medium. Two 
mandarins of rank waited on the 
ambaflador foon after his arrival, 
with campliments from his Impe- 
rial 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 fmall apartment of 
the imperial palace, feated ona 
platform covered with filk, between 
iwo Chinefe and two Tartar man- 
darins of ftate. A chair was brought 
for the English minifter. The Co- 
Jao demanded the objet of the 
Englith embafy, which demand was 
eafily fatished by delivering to him 
acopy of his Majefty’s letter to the 
Emperor, in Chinefe. Difficulties 
arofe about the ceremony of intro« 
duéiion to the Emperor, which were 
probably heightened by the Vice- 
roy of Canton, an enemy to the 
Englith, and who was now come to 
court ; and alfo by the Tartar Le- 
gate, who from the beginning had 
attended the ambaffador, and who 
from prejudice and intereft had 
been hoftile to his views. In- 
ftead of the fervile ceremony of 
proftration, it was finally fettled 
that the Emperor fhould be fatisfi- 
ed with the fame form of refpectful 
obeifance from the Englifh which | 
they were accuftomed to pay ta 
their own fovereign. Jt was whif- 
pered that the good fenfe and libe- 
rality of the Emperor himfelf ren. 
dered him much more inclined than 
any of his advifers to difpenfe with 
a formality from which no deviation 
had ever been before made, evenin 
a fingle inftance. This was a tri- 
umph for the embafly: and it con- ° 
firmed the conclufion that the mere 
pleas of cuftom, however ufually ’ 
and ftrongly urged by the Chinefe, 
would not always ftand againft rea- 
fon, accompanied by temper and 
perfeverance. The 14th of Sep- 
tember was fixed for the reception 
of the Britifh embafiy. 
On the day of the ambaffader’s 
prefentation to the Emperor, moit 
of his family attended. No marked 
preference was perceptible, or ex- 
traordinary refpect fhewn to any of 
them above the reft. On that morn- 
ing the ambaffador and gentlemen 
of the embaffy went before day- 
light, as was announced to be pro- 
per, to the garden of the palace of’ 
Zhe-hol. In the middle of the gar-" 
den was a {pacious and magnificent 
tent, fupported by gilded, or — 
i € 
eee 
