478 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1497. 
his modeft countenance, or manner, 
was fo pleafing to his Imperial Ma- 
jefty. that he took from his girdle a 
purfe, hanging from it for hold- 
ing areca nut, and prefented it to 
him. 
Throughout the day, the Empe- 
ror’s attention’ te his European 
guefts did not abate. A banquet 
Being ferved, he fent to them feve- 
ral difhes from his own table. Soon 
after the Ambajlador’s return, he 
received from the Emperor pre- 
fents. of filks, porcclaine, and tea, 
for himfelf and all the gentlemen 
of his fuite. The next example of 
civility was an invitation to his Ex- 
cellency and his fuite to fee the 
pleafure-grounds of Zhe-hol. The 
appointment of any courtier of 
rank to attend the Ambaffador in 
his tour might have appeared a fuf- 
ficient honours but his Excellency 
was not a little furprifed when he 
found that the prime minifter him- 
felf had been ordered to give up 
fome portion of his time from the 
calls of government, to accompany 
a ftranger in a tour of pleafure and 
curiofity. The grounds of Zhe- 
hol included the utmoft variety of 
furface ; fome parts bearing the 
hardy oaks of northern hills, and 
others the tender plants of fouthern 
vallies. . The whole feemed calcu- 
lated to exhibit the {triking contraft 
of rugged wildnefs and cultivated 
foftnets.”’ 
The return of the embaffy is faid 
to have been haftened by the defire 
of bringing fafe from China, under 
convoy of the Lion, the fleet of In- 
diamen, which was endangered by 
the breaking out of the war with 
the French Republic. With this 
purple, the following obfervations, 
uggefted by a friendly perfon who 
was thoroughly acquainted with the 
court of Pekin, powerfully co-opes 
rated. : 
“© The Chinefe had no other idea 
of an embafly than that of a vifit 
with prefents on fome folemni fef- 
tival, and to laft only during the 
continuance of the latter ; that ac- 
cordingly, of the many embaffies 
fent to them in the paft and prefent 
century, none of them were fuffer-. 
ed to pafs that period; that in the 
prefent reign the ambaffador of the. 
Portugueze, the moft favoured na- 
tion, was difmiffed in thirty-nine, 
days; that the Chinefe had little 
notion of entering into treaties with 
foreign countries; but whateverbun 
finefs it might be defirable to tranf- 
act with them, muft, after a favour- 
able foundation for it, laid by the 
compliment of an embaffy, be af- 
terwards profecuted to effect by 
flow degrees; for that much might 
be obtained from them by time and 
management, but nothing fudden~ 
ly. That it was true the oppref- 
fions’ by the inferior officers and 
others who had to deal with ftrang- 
ers at Canton, had been augment- 
ing gradually; and, unlefs curbed’. 
by power, muft in the courfe of 
time become fo heavy, as to leave 
noalternative but that of giving up 
the trade entirely, or of fending at 
laftan embafly to remonitrate againft 
them; that the fooner, therefore, it 
had been undertaken, the better ; 
that had the prefent arrived fooner, 
and before the troubles in France 
had indifpofed the Chinefe miniftry 
and tribunals againft the fmalleit 
innovation, it would have had few- 
er difficulties to encounter in the 
outfet; but that the prefent mif- 
fion had made fuch an impreflion 
throughout the empire, as muft lead 
to beneficial confequences in favour 
of the Englifh, notwithftanding any 
monientary 
