YUEN-MING-YUEN. 
105 
fatigue, illness, and the want of the necessary attire, rendered his com- 
pliance with the Emperor’s desire almost impossible ; and requested 
that His Majesty would allow him that day to recover himself, beg- 
ging at the same time to be conducted to the dwelling appointed for 
him. His Lordship’s excuses were not received. The Emperor’s 
wish was again and again urged, as not to be rejected ; but His 
Excellency adhered to his former remonstrance. Soo-ta-jin was 
strongly supported in his solicitations by the legate, Quang. Find- 
ing, however, that their entreaties were unavailing, they retired ; 
but were immediately succeeded by the Duke, who entered the 
room with a determined air, and going up to the Ambassador, 
repeated the Emperor’s desire to see the Commissioners; adding, 
that they would only be required to perform the English ceremony. 
On receiving the same answer that had been given to Soo and 
Quang, he caught His Lordship rudely by the arm, beckoning at 
the same time to some surrounding Mandarins to assist him. They 
obeyed the signal, and stepped forward ; but before they reached 
the Ambassador, we started up, and advanced towards him, when in 
the act of shaking off his unmannerly assailant. This sudden move- 
ment stopped the Duke, and alarmed his attendants ; the former 
quitted his hold, and the latter fell back, with countenances full of 
astonishment. His Lordship, freed from the grasp of the Duke, 
protested, with great firmness and dignity of manner, against the 
insult which he had received, and claimed to be treated as the 
representative of a great and independent Sovereign ; declaring, 
that force alone should carry him into the Imperial presence. The 
Duke at once altered his tone, endeavouring to make it appear, 
that what we had considered as an attempt to force the Ambassador 
from the room, was only the Chinese mode of assisting a person 
unable to walk ; adding, that a sick man had no will of his own ; 
and in the most persuasive manner, entreated His Lordship to 
wait on the Emperor, who, he said, merely wished to see him on 
his arrival, and would not detain him. Persuasion, if it could have 
p 
