104 
YUEN-MING-YUEN. 
dresses of ceremony, who from a crowd of others advanced to 
meet it. Several of these, amongst whom were Soo-ta-jin and 
our conductor Quang, immediately requested His Excellency to 
enter the imperial place. His Lordship at first refused, plead- 
ing fatigue and illness, and begging to be led to the quarters 
prepared for him ; but after repeated solicitations and assurances 
that he would only be detained to partake of refreshment, he 
alighted, and, accompanied by his son, Sir G. Staunton, Mr. Ellis, 
and a few of the gentlemen of his suite who chanced to be about his 
person, passed through a multitude of Mandarins to the palace. 
Repeated attempts appeared now to be made to separate His Lordship 
from his attendants, by carrying him rapidly forward ; obliging them to 
use considerable exertion to keep up with him, by pressing through a 
host of opposing Chinese. At length the whole party reached the 
palace, and were pushed into a room, which, if a fair specimen of 
other parts, might induce the supposition that His Chinese Majesty 
was king of the beggars. On entering, it was impossible not to 
be reminded of Van Braam’s exclamation under similar circum- 
stances, Nous voila done a notre arrivee dans la celebre residence 
imp'eriale logis dans une esp'ece d'ecurie. Nous serious nous attendus 
a une pareille aventure. This room was perhaps twelve feet in 
length and seven in breadth, and was surrounded on all sides by win- 
dows, or rather openings furnished with shutters in the same manner 
as the port-holes of a ship. Its roof was a tattered paper sky-light. 
The shutters were thrown open, to gratify the curiosity of the lower 
class of Chinese, whilst crowds of Mandarins and Princes of the 
blood satisfied their’s by filling the room almost to suffocation. 
As soon as His Excellency entered, he threw himself upon a 
bench, much exhausted by fatigue, watching, and agitation of mind. 
All followed his example, and pretended to sleep in the hope of 
avoiding the ceaseless importunity of the Chinese. But they would 
in no respect suffer our repose. In a few minutes after our arrival, 
came Soo-ta-jin, stating to the Ambassador the desire of the Emperor 
to see him and the other Commissioners. Lord Amherst replied, that 
