CHINA. 
figned for the principal capital was called the Tartar city. 
It has a paralleiogramic form ; and the four walls, which 
front the four cardinal points, include an area of about 
fourteen fquare miles, of which the palace, fituated in 
the centre, comprifes, within its yellow walls, at leaft 
one Iquare mile. The whole is computed to be one- 
third larger than London. The other part, called the 
Chinefe city , by way of diftin&ion, contains about nine 
Iquare miles, the major part of which is not occupied by 
buildings. Upon that part of it which is in cultivation 
is conftru&ed the fien-nong-tang, or eminence venerable 
for agriculture, on which the emperor facrifices previous 
to ploughing and fowing the grain, as defcribed above. 
The ambaffador, and moil of his fuite, fet out from 
Pekin for Zhe-hol, on the ad of September 1793, accom¬ 
panied by the ufual number of Chinefe. His excellency 
travelled in an Englifh poft-chaife, in which he occafion- 
ally accommodated fome of the mandarins. At firlt they 
were under great apprehenfions for its over-turning; but 
their fears foon fubfided, and gained it a decided pre¬ 
ference over their clumfy carriages. Accommodations 
were previoufly ordered at the lame palaces along the 
road, where his imperial majefty had hopped in his way 
to Zhe-hol. The land, as they paffed, feemed to be 
highly cultivated ; and its produce generally the fame as 
on the other fide of the city. One field, adjoining the 
road, attrafted particular notice; as, from its regularity, 
it feemed to have been planted with a fpecies of the poly¬ 
gonum. The leaves, being macerated and prepared like 
thofe of the indigo plant, imparted a dye of a blue co¬ 
lour, equal, or nearly fo, to that produced from indigo. 
It was faid likewife that a dye of a green colour was ex¬ 
tracted from the buds and tender leaves of a fpecies of 
the colutea; that carmine was feldom ufed, as their finelt 
red was drawn from the carthamus; and that the cups 
of the acorn afforded a dye of a black colour. 
Early in the firlt day’s journey a river was croffed, which, 
though narrow, was navigable for boats. The courfe of 
this, and of the others in this traCt, was to the fouth-eaft. 
Goods of various kinds are brought down thefe rivers 
from the borders of Tartary; and furs, the richeft of its 
produce, as well as charcoal, the chief fuel for culinary 
purpofes at Pekin, are conveyed thence upon the backs 
of dromedaries, animals which are fleeter and ftronger 
than camels. Sheep were defcried grazing upon the 
plains, having fhortflelhy tails, in high eftimation among 
Chinefe epicures. Having advanced about twenty miles 
in the country, the foil, in lieu of rich loam which they 
had hitherto feen, now put on a fandy and more barren 
appearance. A few miles farther the embalfy reached the 
palace which completed their firlt day’s tour. It was fitu¬ 
ated at the bottom of a gentle hill, encompaffed with a 
park and pleafure-grounds. In its neighbourhood were 
fome mineral Iprings, faid to be occafionally retorted to 
,,by the emperor, and thence called his baths. 
During their progrefs oh the fecond and third days, 
the travellers obferved feveral plantations of tobacco upon 
the low grounds. This article in the Well Indies is cured 
in extenfive buildings, here principally in the open air. 
It is hung upon cords to dry, under little apprehenfions 
of its leaves being injured by rain. Smoking is not only 
very prevalent with both fexes here, but this cuftom ex¬ 
tends even to girls of nine or ten years old. The l'moke 
of the tobacco is inhaled through bamboo tubes. Its 
powder, too, Is taken as fnuff, as is likewife pulverifed 
cinnabar; and opium and odoriferous gums are fome- 
tirnes made ule of for fmoking. Approaching the con¬ 
fines of Tartary, there was a perceptible aflimilation of 
manners between the Chinefe and Tartars, which at Pe- 
kin were flrikingly oppofite. The principal difcrimina- 
tion of the Tartar women here, confiited in the fize of 
their feet. Both wore natural and artificial flowers in 
their head-drelTes. This decoration is neither neglected 
by tire poor, nor abandoned by the old; and flowers are 
purpofely cultivated for dvefs by perlons who have no 
s 
other occupation. Many of thefe gardeners, from atten¬ 
tion and experience, have dilcovered methods of heighten¬ 
ing the beauty, and increaflng the fragrancy, of the ane¬ 
mone, the peony, the rnatricaria, and many other flowers. 
On the morning of the fourth day the travellers came 
in fight of what will ever continue to be the wonder and 
admiration of ages, the great wall of China. The road 
which led to it was by a Iteep afcent, which carried the 
embalfy to the fouthern gate, thrown acrols the road, 
where it paffed over the fummit of a range of hills, inac- 
cefllble almoft in every part. Along this it ran through 
a narrow pafs to a military poll fituated at its extremity. 
Here, as well as at other polls, are placed l'mall bodies 
of troops, who turned out as the embalfy paffed. A loo 
was beat by a man at the top of a tower, while another 
fired a falute of three cannon, placed vertically in the 
ground. The embalfy palling foon after through a gate, 
nearer to the Tartar boundary, arrived at Koo-pe-koo, 
where the (trong garrifon refides, dellined for the defence 
of this part of the outer wall. Concentric works, united 
with the main wall, inclofe the fortrefs. At this northern 
border of China Proper, the ambaffador received mili¬ 
tary honours. The troops were drawn up in two lines, 
facing inwards. A captain was at the head of each of 
the companies, with the Itandard, and five camp colours. 
Mandarins were on each fide of the lane, formed by two 
lines ; then mufic, tents, and trumpets; triumphal gates; 
on each fide twelve companies in fucceflion ; and lallly, 
ten field-pieces. Each of the companies was drawn up 
in the following order: 
The leader, ufually a bowman ; 
the llandards; 
one fword, five fmall colours; one fvvord, 
and matchlocks and fwordfmen, and 
fwordfmen, in numbers nearly equal, fwordfmen, 
five deep. five deep. five deep. 
The whole number amounted to about twelve hundred 
men; and the fpace between the companies was about 
feven yards, nearly equal to the extent of their front. The 
embalfy had hardly palled the Chinefe wall, when a Tartar, 
one of the attendants, being ordered to be punilhed by 
fome of the Chirtefe mandarins, for milbehaviour, the 
man made a vigorous refinance, and exclaimed, ir. a loud 
voice, that no Chinefe had a right to inflibt punilhment 
on a Tartar after having paffed the great wall. An 
inllance of claimed or affected fuperiority of the Tartar 
chiefs over Chinefe, of equal rank, occurred alfo on his 
excellency’s arrival at the next llage ; where, receiving a 
complimentary vilit from a Tartar military mandarin, 
Van-ta-zhin fcarcely ventured to fit down in his prefence. 
On this fide of the wall the leafon appeared to have 
undergone a fudden change. The air was much cooler, 
the mountains were either bare or thinly fcattered with 
verdure, the pine-trees were Hunted, the oalc, afpin, elm, 
and walnut, trees, diminilhed in fize, and the woods, in¬ 
habited by wolves, bears, and tigers, little better than 
thorny Ihrubs. Hares, remarked for the length and 
fpread of their feet and toes, many of which had white 
furs, were not hunted by dogs, but driven into fnares 
by men. The peafants of this part, like thofe about 
Swifferland and the Alps, are fubje£t to a levelling in the 
glands of the neck, called goitres, or craws, fuppofed to 
be fuperinduced by the frequent ufe of fnow water. In 
the feventh or laft day’s journey, the ridges of the moun¬ 
tains, containing immenfe rocks of granite, ran nearly 
parallel to the road. Between the upper ridge and bot¬ 
tom of the valley was defcried a perpendicular rock or 
antique ruin, of a very fingular appearance, two hun¬ 
dred feet high, of an irregular form, or rather of that 
of an inverted pyramid, having tall Ihrubs growing 
upon its furface. The cool temperature of the atmo- 
fphere is coniiderably increafed by the relative eleva¬ 
tion of this part of the country; it having been afcer- 
tained, that the afcent into Tartary is at leaft five thou- 
fand 
