476 CHI 
tree, and which had been treated with unmerited ridi¬ 
cule. In nations, which have not acquired the common 
art of printing, the arts, which they have difcovered, are 
generally preferved and explained by paintings and hie¬ 
roglyphic reprefentations. In Chinefe drawings are to 
be feen the hiltory of manufacturing porcelain, of culti¬ 
vating rice, as well as collecting and preparing tea; in 
gathering which that irafcible animal the monkey is 
Ihewn to advantage. Dr. Letfom mentions drawings, in 
which monkeys are reprefented gathering the branches 
or leaves of the tea-tree., without exhibiting any menac¬ 
ing attitude. They appeared rather to be fulfilling an 
office to which they had been regularly trained ; and the 
more fo, becaufe others were walking and fitting by the 
people, as if tamed and domefticated, whilft they were 
quietly gathering the branches upon the trees. This 
tame ltyle of painting led to the vulgar error. 
The number of junks employed upon the Pei-ho, ap¬ 
peared to be incalculable. Exclufive of thole bulled in 
the ordinary courfe of commerce, not lefs than a thou¬ 
fand, of a large fize, were employed in the fervice of the 
government between Tong-choo-foo and Tien-ling, for 
the purpofe only of gathering fuch taxes as were paid in 
kind. It is ufual for the wives and families of the offi¬ 
cers and l'ailors to live conffantly upon the water. Chil¬ 
dren, are born, brought up, and l'pend their whole lives, 
on-board ; every land is foreign to them ; and the water 
may be called their native element. Each velfel, on an 
average, contained fifty perfons; and, eftimating the to¬ 
tal of the boats at two thoufand, it will appear that a 
hundred thoufand fouls move and live daily upon the 
furface of the waters of that river. 
The travellers, in their How progrefs up the river, of¬ 
ten quitted and rejoined the yachts, in order to infpeCt 
objeCts on Ihore which ftruck their fancy. This conduCt 
was watched with extraordinary jealouly; and they were 
given to underhand, that this freedom was difpleafing to 
the legate. In Ihort, the interpreter communicated, by 
feveral intimations, occafionally let out in converfation 
with the ambaflador, that fome recent diffatisfaClion had 
been conceived at the court of Pekin againft the Englifh 
nation. Great circuml'peCtion had been obferved by the 
interpreter, in acquiring this important information ; nor 
was it without much addrefs that he extorted from the 
mandarins the following particulars: In the year 1791, 
the emperor of China lent an army into the country of 
Thibet, to drive back the rajah of Napaul, who had made 
predatory excurfions thither ; and, in the contell, his ar¬ 
my met with more obltacles, greater refinance, and heavier 
Ioffes, than had been forefeen, or ever before experienced, 
from fo feeble an enemy. Some of the Chinefe officers, 
mortified at their ill fuccefs, fancied they law oppoled to 
them not only European taftics, but European foldiers ; 
and reported at court, that they perceived hats, as well 
as turbans, among their enemies ; and they concluded 
the former mull have been Englifh. Thus it had been 
politically reported among the people of China, that the 
Englifh had, in the above inllance, aClually afforded af- 
fiitance. Though the ambaflador gave no credit to either 
faft, he was induced to believe, that the bare affertion 
would have the power to alienate any previous favour¬ 
able difpofition of the country towards the government 
of Great Britain. 
It had long been a policy pra&ifed in the eall, prior to 
a meditated attack on the territories of a foreign prince, 
to fend an embaffy thither, under the mafk of friendfhip, 
the better to difcover its real fituation and flrength. The 
Britifh government had been apprifed with what a jea¬ 
lous eye the Chinefe viewed their acquifitions in Bengal, 
and the prejudices which might be raifed on the fcore of 
ambition ; and the ambaflador was furnifhed with argu¬ 
ments to allay their lufpicions on that head. But it was 
not within the compafs of human wildom to forefee, and 
prepare againft, an imputation of having interfered liof- 
tileiy with the arms of China, which had never taken 
N A. 
place; nor was it till the following year, when his excel¬ 
lency arrived at Canton, that he was informed, from 
England and Calcutta, what were the circumttances upon 
which an affertion fo groundlels had been founded. It 
was notorious, that the governor-general of Bengal con¬ 
ducted himfelf, in this bufinefs, with ftriCt neutrality, 
and with great propriety and attention towards the em¬ 
peror of China; declaring to the rajah of Napaul, that 
the only affillance he fhould give, was to endeavour to 
extricate him from a ruinous war, by means of concilia¬ 
tory negociation between the commanders of the Thibet 
and Chinefe forces. 
It is probable, that if the embafly previoufly intended 
for China, in the year 1787, had not failed through the 
premature death of colonel Cathcart, then appointed mi- 
nifter to the court of Pekin, any miflmderflanding might 
have been prevented; or, if even the circumftances con¬ 
nected with the Thibet war had arrived at Canton before 
the prefent ambaflador quitted its vicinity to proceed to 
Tien-fing, it is poffible it might have been in his power 
to refute the calumny. His excellency did convince the 
principal mandarins, and Chinefe officers of Hate, that 
the flory was unfounded ; but he was not able to effeCl 
fo much with the Tartar legate, over whom the others 
had no influence; who alone was allowed to correipond 
with the government, and who evinced no diipofition to 
make a favourable or juil reprelentation of the matter 
to the emperor. The legate, either from niiltruft or ma¬ 
levolence, even refufed to fend the ambafi'ador’s letters 
to firEralmus Gower, by the meflengers of government, 
though he knew his excellency had the honour of re¬ 
ceiving a packet from the emperor. Without the legate’s 
permiffion, there was no mode of conveying any intelli¬ 
gence whatever; of courfe, he was fecluded from corre- 
fponding with the company’s commillioners at Canton. 
Thus the moll neceflary intercourfe was obltruCled, with¬ 
out the lead profpeCl of redrefs ; inafmuch as the legate 
was the intimate creature of the colao or prime minifter 
of the empire, whole fentiments were, doubtlefs, in per- 
feCl unifon. It may be proper to obierve, in this place, 
that the government of China has not eltablifhed any 
mode of conveying letters of correlpondence for the con- 
veniency of the people. The emperor only receives and 
fends exprefles, which are conveyed on horfeback to and 
from every part of his extenfive dominions, at the rate 
of a hundred and fifty'- miles a-day. For the ordinary exi¬ 
gencies of government, as well as for the uie of the man¬ 
darins and officers of itate, there are flower couriers ap¬ 
pointed, who are fometimes, though rarely, permitted to 
carry letters or packets for individuals. But information 
is conveyed to, or with-held from, the body of the peo¬ 
ple, juft as the government may deem it expedient. 
The perverle circumftances above-mentioned augured 
an unfavourable fuccefs to the embaffy, which was pro¬ 
ceeding, but (lowly, towards the capital. The river be¬ 
ing (hallow, much mud, or diluted clay, was dilturbed 
from the bottom; and this, added to what was occaiion- 
ally walhed down into it from the mountains, rendered 
the water turbid and fcarcely potable. The Chinefe, 
however, have an eafy mode of refining it. A fmall 
quantity of alum is put into the holiow joint of a bam¬ 
boo, in which leveral perforations are made. A conve¬ 
nient quantity of water being taken from the river, it is 
to be ftirred about three or four minutes with this bam¬ 
boo; by which means the alum unites with the earthy 
particles, and precipitates them to the bottom of the 
veflel, leaving the water pure and tranfparent. But the 
Chinefe of rank ufe dilhlied water for their own con- 
fumption; and even the lower claffes never drink water 
till tea, orYome other falubrious herb, has been infufed 
in it. Not only is this infufion drunk hot, as common 
beverage, but even wine and every other liquid, is made 
warm befoie taken. The fame mode prevails in the hot 
climate of Hindoollan. The Chinefe, however, enjoy, 
in the heat of lummer, the grateful coolnefs of ice; but 
