C FI 
was three miles long, and nearly as many broad; and 
was populous and well cultivated. From this report it 
was determined, by fir Erafmus Gower, to fend an offi¬ 
cer, previous to the fquadron’s failing to the gulf of 
Pekin, to furvey the mouth of the river which fell into 
it from Tien-iing, that its fafety might be afcertained. 
The Jackall was no fooner difpatched for this purpofe, 
than a-new pilot was recommended, well acquainted with 
the fpot in queftion. He did not helitate to.affirm there 
was a commodious harbour within fix miles of the Pei-ho, 
or White River, flowing from Tien-flng, with water deep 
enough for the largelt veffels; and he drew a fketch of 
the place. As this man appeared to be more fkilful in 
nautical affairs than the other pilots, much confidence 
was placed in him, and it was refolved to enter the gulf 
without farther delay. The fquadron therefore got un¬ 
der way in the afternoon of the 23d of July, keeping the 
Mi-a-tau iflands on the right. The weather moderate 
and clear, and the wind eallCrly; foundings through 
the day from fifteen to nine fathoms. In the morning 
of Friday the 26th, were violent fhowers of rain, and in 
the evening tremendous claps of thunder, with conti¬ 
nuous vivid flalhes of lightning. The Jackall was dil- 
covered returning from the weltward, environed with 
numerous Chinefe junks; and from lieutenant, now cap¬ 
tain, Campbell’s report, who had been lent to explore, 
St appeared that no fecure harbour was to be found on 
the fliores of the river Pei-bo. The Jackall, in going up 
the river, was hailed by feme Chinele foldiers in a boat, 
who defired her to call anchor. Soon after a mandarin, 
with feveral attendants, came on-board ; and, being al¬ 
lured (lie belonged to the embafly, enquired after the am- 
baffador, and what prefents he had brought for his im¬ 
perial majelty. When he had obtained all the informa¬ 
tion he could as to the number and fize of the fliips, and 
how many guns they carried, he clofed his interrogato¬ 
ries by declaring, that the emperor had given fpecial 
orders for the reception and accommodation of the em¬ 
bafly, and that he would provide whatever might be 
wanted. In the mean time the gentlemen of th£ Jackall 
accepted an invitation, and were hofpitably entertained 
on (liore, but Itrifitly re-examined on the former points. 
The mandarin alfo inquired refpefiting the merchandize 
brought for fale at Pekin, and offered to get them de- 
pofited in the four Chriftian churches. Trade and an 
Englilhman were, in the minds of the Chinefe, lo affo- 
ciated, that nothing could exceed his furprife on being 
told that they had no goods for fale ; that the perfons of 
the embaffy were not merchants; and that men of war 
never carried out, nor dealt in, any kind of merchant 
dize. The mandarins, being informed that the Ihips 
were too large to crofs the bar, gave orders for a fuffi- 
cient number of junks to be got ready, to bring the pre¬ 
fents, and paffengers, and baggage, on (bore. An exten- 
five building, near the river’s mouth, had been prepared 
for the ambaffador’s reception, fuppofing be would have 
remained there feme days to recover himfelf from fatigue; 
and his excellency had the choice of travelling to Pekin 
in a l'edan chair, in a two-wheeled carriage, or in a com¬ 
modious veffel by water. 
Soon after the Jackall’s return, a prodigious quantity 
of live-ftock, fruit, and vegetables, were brought to the 
fquadron in junks; and, not being able to How away the 
whole, the i'urplus was neceffarily returned. The fol¬ 
lowing is a lift of the articles : twenty bullocks, a hun¬ 
dred and twenty (beep, a hundred and twenty hogs, a 
hundred fowls, a hundred ducks, a hundred and lixty 
bags of flour, fourteen chefts of bread, a hundred and 
fixty bags of common rice, ten chefts of red rice, ten 
chefts of white rice, ten chefts of fmall rice, ten chefts 
of tea, twenty-two boxes of dried peaches, twenty-two 
boxes of fruit preferved with f’ugar, twenty-two chefts of 
plums and apples, twenty-two boxes of ochrus, twenty- 
two boxes of other vegetables, forty bafkets of large cu- 
VoL.IV. No. 2ia. 
: N A. 473 
cumbers, a thoufand fquaflies, forty bundles of lettuce, 
twenty meafures of peafe in pods, a thoufand water me¬ 
lons, three thoufand mu(k melons, befides a few jars of 
fweet wine and fpirituous liquors ; together with ten 
chefts of candles, and three bafkets of porcelain. Not 
only here, but alfo at Turon-bay, Chu-fan, and Ten- 
choo-foo, the fquadron experienced the lame hofpitality; 
and they were gratuitoufly fupplied, without having been 
previoufly demanded. 
Two mandarins of rank, one in the civil, the other in 
the military, department, numeroufly-attended, came to 
the Lion to congratulate the ambaffador in the emperor’s 
name, and in their own, on his lafe arrival, after fo long 
and perilous a navigation ; and informed him they were 
ordered by their l'overeign to accompany him to court. 
The civil mandarin, whofe family name Was Chow, had 
the title of ta-xhin, or great man, annexed to it. He 
bore the honorary diftindtion of a blue globe or button 
upon his bonnet. The name of the military mandarin, 
who had an engaging open countenance, was Van ; but 
he, too, had the addition of ta-zhin, or great man. His 
valour had been confpicuous in battle; he had received 
many wounds, and was not only honoured with the red 
button upon his bonnet, but had alfo fuperadded a pea¬ 
cock’s feather, taken from tire tail. He was celebrious 
for his (kill in archery, the bow and arrow being (till 
there often preferred to fire-arms. Thefe gentlemen 
were received on-board the Lion with every mark of 
attention and relpedt. A third perfon of high rank, of 
a Tartar race, had alfo been appointed by the emperor 
as a principal legate, to attend the ambaffador; but 
being very timid of the fea, he waited to receive his 
excellency on fhore. 
Inquiry was made by the two mandarins, whether the 
letter brought by the ambaffador for the emperor was 
rendered into Chinele, and what were its contents, in 
order that they might be able to tranfinit to Pekin every 
poflible information relative to the embaffy. As this 
queftion was not urged on the authority of the court, 
the anfwer given was, that the original, with its tranlla- 
tion, were locked up together in a gold box, to be deli¬ 
vered into the hands of the emperor. But with regard 
to the prefents, after which they feduloufly inquired, they 
were formally inftrufited to demand a lift of them, to be 
forwarded to the emperor. An ordinary catalogue could 
neither point out their qualities, nor their worth, nor 
be comprehended by any tranflation : they were, there¬ 
fore, defcribed, by circumlocution, in all the pomp of 
oriental ftyle. 
The prefents confifted of an orrery, a refle&ing tele- 
fcope, a pair of magnificent globes, feveral chronometers 
or time-pieces, an air-pump, a machine exhibiting the 
mechanic powers, five pieces of brafs ordnance, mulkets, 
piftols, fword-blades, a complete model of a firft-rafe man 
of war of a hundred and ten guns, ornamented vales, 
various kinds of earthen ware, a large burning-glafs or 
lens, a pair of magnificent glafs luftres, fpecimens of the 
produftions of the manufafitures of Great Britain, in' 
wool, cotton, fteel, and other metals; reprefentations of' 
feveral cities, towns, churches, feats, gardens, caftles, 
bridges, lakes, volcanos, and antiquities; of battles by 
fea and land, dock-yards or places for building fliips, 
ho-rfe-races, bull-fighting, and of molt other objefits cu¬ 
rious or remarkable in the dominions of his Britannic 
majefty, and other parts of Europe; alfo portraits of : 
fome of the molt eminent penbns, including the royal 
family of Great Britain. The defeription of thefe pre¬ 
fents was tranflated into Chinele, and done into Latin 
by Mr. Hiitner, before mentioned ; as had alfo been his 
majefty’s letter to the emperor, for the purpofe of giving 
the nfiffionaries an opportunity of correcting any miftake 
which might have been committed in the Chinele tranfla¬ 
tion, which, however, was underftood fufficiently by the 
two mandarins to excite their admiration of its contents. 
6 E Orders 
