478 C H 
they are the only weavers in the country. Yet their 
hutbands tyrannize over them, keep them in the greateft 
fubjeClion, and occalionally make them attend behind 
their table as fervants. The old refide with the young, 
to temper their impetuofity; and obedience to them is 
enforced as well by habit as by moral precepts. Moral 
maxims are inculcated by the aged to the younger off¬ 
spring ; and plain Sentences of morality are hung up in 
the common room, where the male branches of the fa¬ 
mily affemble. A tablet of ancellry is in every lioufe, 
and references in conversation are often made to their 
a&ions. By their periodical vifits to the tombs of their 
forefathers, the moil remote relations become colleCled 
and united. Even the moll diftant relative, if in ill 
health, or in mifery, has a claim on his kindred for cha¬ 
ritable affiilance. This is the reafon why no mendicants, 
nor Spectacles of real diilrefs are to be Seen in China. 
The prefents, and baggage, which hitherto had come 
by water, were now to be conveyed by land to the em¬ 
peror’s autumnal palace. Such as were liable to receive 
damage by the jolting of vehicles without Springs, were 
deftined to be carried by men; and it was found, that 
about ninety Chinefe waggons, forty hand-barrows, two 
hundred horfes, and nearly three thoufand labouring men, 
w'ould be wanted for this employ. The ambaffador, and 
three gentlemen of his Suite, travelled in Sedan chairs; 
the other gentlemen, and all the mandarins, on horfe- 
back. They were preceded by Chineie Soldiers on foot, 
who cleared the way. His excellency’s fervants and guard 
were conveyed in w'aggons. The road to Pekin from 
Tong-choo-foo is perfectly level, the middle of which is 
paved with granite, bordered in many places with trees. 
On the road, and over a rivulet, is a liandfome marhle 
bridge, wide, fubftantial, and but little elevated, as the 
banks of the river are never overflowed. After taking 
a breakfall at a fmall village on the road, they arrived 
loon before the walls of the city of Pekin. The am- 
baffador’s arrival was notified by the firing of guns. 
Refrelhments were prepared at a relting-place within the 
gate, over which was a watch-tow'er, having, in the dif¬ 
ferent (lories, port holes for cannon. Near the gate were 
extenfive ftorehoufes for depofiting rice; and a lofty 
building, at no great dillance, faid to be an obfervatory, 
built in the reign of the emperor Yong-loo, to whom the 
city was indebted for its principal ornaments. A funeral 
proceflion was met in this (Ireet, which, from the white 
colour of the mourners, was taken for that of a wedding ; 
but the lamentations of young men attending the corpfe, 
incloled in a Square coffin, (haded by a gaudy painted ca¬ 
nopy, Soon undeceived the travellers. The female rela¬ 
tives followed, behind, in Sedan chairs, covered with white 
cloth. Soon after, a nuptial proceflion offered itfelf to 
view, in which it would be as prepofterous to appear in 
white, as it w’ould in Europe to be dreffed in black. The 
lady, whom the bridegroom had not yet feen, was carried 
in a gaudy chair, decorated with feltoons of factitious 
flowers, attended by her relations, friends, and fervants, 
Supporting the paraphernalia, the only portion the Chi¬ 
nefe give to a daughter in marriage. 
The embaffy halted a little wdiile oppofite the treble 
gates on the northern fide of the palace wall, which en- 
compaffed a conliderable Space of ground. Befides a few 
Mahometan Spectators, recognifed by their red caps, were 
Several women, natives of Tartary, or of Tartar extrac¬ 
tion, whole feet were not diftorted like thofe of the Chi¬ 
nefe. Many of them were genteelly dreffed, and of deli¬ 
cate features ; but their complexions were afliffed by art. 
The feat of beauty was upon the lower lip, in the middle 
of which w'as a thick patch of vermilion. Some of thefe 
•ladies were in covered carriages, and others on horfe- 
back, riding aftride like men. The embaffy now eroded 
a llreet, Situated north and South, in length four miles; 
and, in about two hours more, after having palled by 
Several beautiful temples and other extenfive buildings, 
it -arrived at one of the weftern city gates, whence com- 
I N A. 
mence the Suburbs; to traverfe which took up twenty 
minutes. At length the embaffy reached the villa in¬ 
tended for its reception, Situated between the town of 
Hai-tien and Yuen-min-yuen. The buildings comprised 
Several dillinCl pavilions, conllruCled round fmall courts, 
whole apartments were moftly embellilhed w'ith land¬ 
scapes done in frefco. The whole encircled about twelve 
acres of land, in which was a garden laid out with talle ; 
a rivulet meandering round an illand ; a grove of trees 
with Scattered grafs plots of factitious mounds and cavi¬ 
ties, and craggy artificial rocks rudely piled upon each 
other. 
The governor of this palace, between wdiom and the 
ambaflador the accultomed compliments of civility palled, 
agreed with his excellency, that the moll advantageous 
mode of difplaying the prefents would be to place the 
molt rare and curious on each fide of the throne, in one 
of the halls of audience. The entrance to this hall, whofe 
external appearance was magnificent, was through three 
quadrangular courts, encompaffed by feveral detached 
buildings. It was a hundred feet in length, and forty in 
breadth, and in height about twenty ; and ereCled upon 
a platform of granite. Two row's of large wooden co¬ 
lumns, whofe Shafts were painted red and vamifhed, Sup¬ 
ported its projecting roof; and its capitals, befides other 
ornaments, were decorated with dragons, wdiofe feet were 
armed with five claws. There w'as nothing left in the 
hall but the throne, except a few'large jars of porcelain, 
and a mulical clock, made early in the eighteenth cen¬ 
tury, by George Clarke, of Leadenhall-ltreet, London. 
The throne was afeended by Heps in the front and on 
each fide; and above it w'ere the Chinefe characters of 
glory and perfection. Tripods, and veffels of incenfe, 
were placed on each fide, and before it a fmall table, as 
an altar, for placing offerings of tea and fruit to the fpirit 
of the abfent emperor. Being the period of full moon, 
a feftival with the followers of Fo, it w'as a day of facri- 
fice. .Among the many names given to his imperial ma= 
jelly by thefe idolaters, he has one which correfponds in 
found, as well as in written characters, with that feme- 
times given in China to the Supreme Being: donbtlefs 
as an attribute of power reliding in the perfon of the fo- 
vereign, whofe dominion they conlider as virtually ex¬ 
tending over the w'hole world. Believing the majeily of 
the emperor to be ubiquitary, they facrifice to him when 
abfent; it cannot, therefore, be lurpriling they Should 
pay adoration to him when prefent. The adoration, or 
ko-teou, conliils in nine prollrations of the body, the 
forehead being made each time to touch the floor; which 
is not only a mark of the deepell humility and fubmif- 
fion, but alfo implies a conviClion of the power of him 
towards wdiom this veneration is made. Thefe abjeCl 
prollernations are required not only from the fubjeCls 
and tributary princes of the empire, but alfo from all 
llrangers, however exalted ; and the legate urged the 
British ambaflador to perform them before the throne. 
His excellency had previously received his Britannic ma¬ 
jeily’s inllruClions on this head, and was therefore pre¬ 
pared to anfwer the demand. He well knew the tenacity 
of the court in exacting ceremonies as degrading to one 
part as exalting to the other, and which rendered em- 
v baffles Singularly grateful to the imperial court. It was 
this haughty fpirit which had induced the legate and cc» 
lao to give orders to write, in Chinefe charaClers, not 
only upon the flags of the Chinefe yachts up the river 
Pei-ho, but likewife upon thofe which accompanied all 
the land carriages, provided for the embaffy, the words, 
“Ambaffador bearing tribute from the country of Eng¬ 
land.” 
His excellency, considering that he might probably be 
fuppofed ignorant of the meaning of thofe charaClers, 
-forbore to make any formal complaint; in which, in the 
firfl place, lie augured no fuccefs; and, in the next, that 
it might be the caufe of abruptly terminating the em- 
bafly, Thefe characters, however, had attracted general 
notice; 
