110 
SUBURBS OF PEKIN. 
find, recommended me strongly to the care of its driver, and during 
the journey brought me refreshments, when no exertion of my own 
could have procured them. 
Before leaving Yuen-Ming-Yuen, a request was once more made 
in behalf of the sick, whom it appeared quite hazardous to subject to 
the inconveniences of another night-journey, that they might remain 
behind under the care of their medical attendant till the next day. 
This application being made to our conductor Chang, he readily 
answered, that “ as they would only have to travel twenty lees, less 
than seven miles, that night, they had better go with the other 
persons of the Embassy.” This answer is a good illustration of 
the falsifying disposition of the Chinese. They seldom directly 
refuse a request which they do not intend to grant, but evade it by a 
lie which is not immediately palpable. Chang knew that the Em- 
bassy were to be hurried as fast as possible to Tung- Chow ; but by 
speaking the truth, he could not have freed himself so easily from 
our importunity. Another attempt to obtain litters having no better 
success than that made at Tung-Chow, the invalids were put in pos- 
session of the carriage of His Lordship, who determined to return 
to Tung-Chow in a chair. 
As soon as the Ambassador entered his sedan, the different vehi- 
cles containing the persons of his train were hurried off at a rapid 
pace. The pomp of imperial favour no longer attended us. The 
confusion and haste of a forced journey took place of the slow move- 
ment and orderly arrangement of a procession. The crowd of Man- 
darins and soldiers that had hitherto attended us, disappeared, and 
were not replaced by a single responsible person. 
We reached the city of Pekin at the close of day, stepped from 
our carts to steal a piece of its walls, had just time to observe that 
they were built of a sun-dried brick of a blue colour, resting on 
a foundation of blocks of granite, and were hurried round them 
to its suburbs. It was dark when we entered them. A num- 
berless mob again surrounded us, thrusting their lanterns, hanging 
from the ends of short staves, into the carts, to obtain a view of our 
