1837.] Some account of Embassies between Burmah and China. 557 



guard of four or five men came out to receive us, when we arrived there, 

 and fired five guns. At every large town where we were to stop for the 

 night, a party of 5 or 600 armed men came outside of the town to meet 

 us, and tired three vollies with 50 or 60 muskets, and in these towns three 

 guns were fired on our arrival at night, and departure in the morning. 

 At each stage we were furnished with horses, hoats, porters, &c. at the 

 expence of the town, and officers of the government conducted us from 

 one stage to another, as far as their jurisdiction extended. 



" Including the (inner) wall of the palace enclosure, there are three lines 

 of brick wall on the eastern, western and northern sides of the city of Pekin, 

 and four on the southern. The line of wall outermost* is 28,000 cubits 

 square and 20 high, with four gateways on the eastern and western, six 

 on the southern, (apparently including the gateways in the southern wall 

 of the Tartar city) and two on the northern side. In the middlet line of wall 

 there is one gateway on the eastern and western, and four on the southern 

 side (apparently one within the other). In the inner wall of the palace 

 enclosure there is one gateway on each of the four sides. The mid- 

 dle wall is 10 cubits high, and the wall of the palace enclosure 13 

 cubits. There are battlements on the outermost, and on the inner 

 wall of the palace enclosure, but none on the middle line of wall, 

 which is covered with yellow tiles. The gateways in the outermost, and 

 in the inner wall of the palace enclosure are of brick arched, with 

 sheds of three roofs over them; and tho^e of the middle wall have sheds 

 of plain square roofs only over them. There is a tower at the four angles 

 of the outer wall. There is a ditch full of water surrounding the outer 

 wall; another between the outer and middle walls; another between the 

 middle and palace enclosure walls ; and a fourth inside of the palace en- 

 closure wall. 



" The palace of the emperor consists of a brick terrace with posts, over 

 which is placed a double roof, the upper part of which is square and 

 covered with yellow tiles. 



" The age of the emperor is 52 years, of which he has reigned 17 years. 

 He has seven queens, but his principal queen is dead. He has one son 

 eight years old, and another four years old. He has two daughters also 

 by one queen. One daughter fifteen and the other ten years of age. He 

 has two younger brothers by a different mother. 



•' The emperor entrusts the superintendence and direction of public af- 

 fairs to the following officers. All affairs relating to the interior (palace) 

 are superintended by three men, Shyan.ta.yeng, Tshan-ta-yeng, and Shyi- 

 ta-yeng, who reside at the Nue-we-pu brick building. The business out- 

 side of the palace is thus carried on. War and military affairs are under 

 the superintendence of the Pym-pn.ta.yeng. The Li-pu-td-yeng takes 



* Both the Tartar and Chinese city appear to be here included, 

 f This appears to be the external wall of the palace enclosure. 

 4 C 



