186 
SOLDIERS. 
There was nothing very remarkable in the village of Choong- 
chun. It consisted of a long narrow street of sheds, for the accom- 
modation of the coolies employed in transporting goods across 
the mountain, and of the usual proportion of public houses of 
retirement. 
Leaving this place, we entered an extensive undulated plain, 
dreary and barren, and in about four hours reached the suburbs of 
Nan-hiung-foo. Within a short distance of the city we fell in with a 
large body of military, who exhibited a solitary instance of some- 
thing martial in China, even to the eyes of Europeans. 
I have not given any account of the different military posts which 
we passed in our progress through China, because details of this kind 
may be found in various authors, and because they afforded me no 
opportunity of estimating the probable amount of the military force 
of the empire. I may, however, hazard the general observation, 
that in discipline and costume the Chinese soldiers seemed better 
adapted to grace the representations of a theatre, and in many in- 
stances a mountebank stage, than for the defence of the empire. 
This observation, indeed, applied less to the body of men who waited 
the arrival of the British Ambassador, at the suburbs of Nan-hiung- 
foo, than to any other that we had seen in China. They were gene- 
rally fine athletic men, and had a soldier’s port. Their arms and 
uniform were simple, clean, and effective. The cavalry, whom I 
saw dismounted, were armed with bows and arrows, and wore 
white linen jackets faced with red. The infantry, armed with 
match-locks supported on cross sticks, wore red, faced with white. 
But however complete the appointment of Chinese soldiers, they lose 
all their imposing character in the eyes of a European during their 
degrading salute to an officer of rank. Let my reader imagine a 
whole regiment in line, at the word of command, clapping their hands 
to their sides, falling upon their knees, and uttering a dismal howl, 
and he will have some idea of this august ceremony. 
On approaching the city we passed through a succession of tri- 
