106 
YUEN-MING-YUEN. 
availed at first, was now too late. Defeated in his purpose, the 
Duke left the room in high displeasure. 
It was now that His Excellency appealed to us, as witnesses of 
the violence which he had suffered ; and looking to the probability 
of its recurrence, cautioned those who were armed, against using 
their weapons in resisting it. Our reflections at this period were 
not of the most pleasing nature. We could not but be sensible, 
that we were in the hands of a despotic and capricious government, 
whose ministers had been repulsed in an attempt to carry a point of 
the deepest interest to themselves, and who were obviously free 
from the restraint of courteous feeling. Indignation, however, was 
our predominant emotion ; and was in no small degree increased by 
the annoyance that we experienced from the number of eunuchs, 
mandarins, and princes who infested the apartment. Notwith- 
standing the strongest appeals made by Mr. Morrison to their sense 
of propriety and civility, they continually pressed upon us ; examin- 
ing our persons with the most unceremonious closeness. They 
even wished the Ambassador, who was reclined on the bench, to 
rise, that they might the better view his person. It was plain that 
they looked upon us as a strange species of animal, whom it was 
curious to observe, but as beings without the pale of civilised 
treatment. They also seemed to suspect that we might not be 
perfectly harmless. Had they again attempted to carry their first 
intention into effect, they would probably have discovered that 
Englishmen had not been trained in the habits of non-resistance 
to tyrannical insult. 
Our speculations were soon interrupted by the arrival of a mes- 
senger from the Duke ; who acquainted His Lordship, that his visit 
to the Emperor would be dispensed with, and invited him to the 
Duke’s apartments, that he might be free from the pressure of 
the crowd. His Lordship, looking at this invitation as a mere feint 
to draw him into the Imperial presence, at once refused it ; observ- 
ing, that if he were well enough to visit the Duke, he could have 
no reason for refusing to see the Emperor. On receiving this reply, 
