PEKIN. 
484 
they carry fi(h, vegetables, eggs, and other flmilar arti¬ 
cles. There are alio great numbers of hawkers and ped¬ 
lars, who go about with bags (trapped on their (houlders 
like a knapfack, which contain various kinds of ftuff- 
goods, the folds of which areexpofed to view. In felling 
thefe fluff’s, they ufe the cubic meafure of fixteen inches. 
Barbers alfo are feen running about the ftreets in great 
plenty, with every inftrument known in this country for 
(having the head and cleanfing the ears: they carry with 
them for this purpofe a portable chair, a portable ftove, 
and a fmall veflel of water; and whoever wifhes to under¬ 
go either of thefe operations, fits down in the ftreet, 
while the operator performs his office, for which he re¬ 
ceives a mace. To diftinguifh their profeffion, they carry 
a pair of large fteel tweezers, which they open with their 
fingers, and let them clofe again with fome degree of vio¬ 
lence, which produces a (hrill found that is heard at a con- 
fiderable diftance; and fuch is their mode of feeking em¬ 
ployment. That this trade in China is a very profitable 
one may be pronounced, becaufe every man muff be 
fliaved on a part of the head where it is impoflibleto (have 
liimfelf. 
“ In feveral of the ftreets I faw perfons engaged in fell¬ 
ing off goods by auftion s the auctioneer flood on a plat¬ 
form furrounded with the various articles he had to fell: 
he delivered liimfelf in aloud and bawling manner; but 
the fmiling countenances of the audience, which was the 
only language I could interpret, feemed to exprefs the 
entertainment they received from his harangue. 
“There are no carriages (landing in the ftreets for the 
convenience of the inhabitants, like our hackney-coaches 
in London : the higher clafles of people keep palanquins, 
and others of lefs diftinCtion have covered carts drawn 
by a horfe or mule. 
“The opinion, that the Chinefe women are excluded 
from the view of ftrangers, has very little, if any, founda¬ 
tion, as among the immenfe crowd affembled to fee the 
cavalcade of the Englifli embafly, one-fourth of the whole 
at lead were women; a far greater proportion of that fex 
than is to be feen in any concourfe of people whom cu- 
riofity aflembles in our own country : and, if the idea is 
founded in truth, that curiolity is a peculiar charadter- 
iftic of the female difpofition in Europe, I (hall prefume 
to fay, from the eagernefs which we obferved in the 
looks of the Chinefe women as we palled by them, that 
the quality which has juft been mentioned is equally pre¬ 
valent among the fair ones of Afia. The women we faw 
on our pafi'age through Pekin poffefled, in general, great 
delicacy of feature, and'fair (kins by nature, with which, 
however, they are not content, and therefore whiten 
them with cofmetics; they likewife employ vermilion, 
but in a manner wholly different from the application of 
rouge among our European ladies, for they mark the 
middle of their lips with it by a ftripe of its deepeft co¬ 
lour, which, without pretending to reafon upon it, cer¬ 
tainly heightened the effedt of their features. Their 
eyes are very fmall, but powerfully brilliant, and their 
arms extremely long and (lender. The only difference 
between the women of Pekin, and thefe we had already 
feen, as it appeared to us, was that the former wear a 
(harp peak of black velvet or filk, which is ornamented 
with (tones, and defeends from the forehead almoft be¬ 
tween their eyes ; and that their feet, free from the ban¬ 
dages which have already been mentioned, were fuffered 
toattain their natural growth.” 
Pekin is merely the feat of government of the empire. 
It is not a port, nor a place of inland trade or manufac¬ 
ture. No reprefentative diet, nor general (fates, with 
numerous retainers, afl'emble there to affift, or check, or 
examine, the meafures of the crown. It forms no ren¬ 
dezvous for pleafure and diffipation. Pekin owes little 
of its extent and populoufnefs to the various circumftan- 
ces that contribute to aggrandize and enlarge European 
cities. Moll men there have ftations regularly allotted 
them, or are occupied in attending or providing for thofe 
who have. The governor of Pekin, who is a Manchoo 
Tartar, is ftyled Governor of the Nine Gates ; his jurif- 
didtion extends not only over the foldiers, but alfo over 
the people in every thing that concerns the police. No 
police can be more adtive. It is rare in a number of 
years to hear of houfes being robbed, or people being af- 
faffinated ; all the principal ftreets have guard-rooms, 
and the foldiers patrole night and day, each having a 
fabre hanging from his girdle, and a whip in his hand, to 
corredt, without diftindlion, thofe who excite quarrels or 
caufe diforder. The lanes are guarded in the fame man¬ 
ner, and have latticed gates, which do not prevent thofe 
from being feen who walk in them; they are always kept 
(hut during the night, and feldom opened even to thofe 
who are known : if they are, the perfon to whom this in¬ 
dulgence is granted mud carry a lanthorn, and give fuf- 
ficient reafon for his going out. ’ 
The emperor’s palace (lands in the middle of the Tartar 
city. It prefents a prodigious affemblage of vaft build¬ 
ings, extenfive courts, and magnificent gardens, and is 
(hut up on all fides by a double wall; the intervening 
fpace being occupied by houfes belonging to the officers 
of the court, eunuchs, and by different tribunals. To 
fome of thefe is affigned the care of providing neceflaries 
for the ufe of the emperor; others are for determining 
difputes, and punilhing faults committed by the domef- 
tics of the imperial family. The exterior circumference 
of this immenfe palace is reckoned a league and a half. 
Although the Chinefe architedfure has no refemblance to 
that of Europe, the imperial palace of Pekin does not fail 
to (trike beholders by its extent, grandeur, and the re¬ 
gular difpofition of its apartments. The royal hall, called 
Tai-liotien, or the Hall of the Grand Union, is built upon 
a terrace about eighteen feet in height, incrufted with 
white marble, and ornamented with baluftrades of ex¬ 
cellent workmanffiip. Before this hall, all the mandarins 
range themfelves, when they go on certain days to renew 
their homage, and perform thofe ceremonies that are ap¬ 
pointed by the laws of the empire. This hall is alrtioll 
fquare, and about 130 feet in length. The ceiling is 
carved, varniffied green, and loaded with gilt dragons, 
covered with coarle carpets, after the Turkifli manner; 
but the walls have no kind of ornament, neither tapeftry, 
luftres, nor paintings. The throne, which is in the 
middle of the hall, confifts of a pretty high alcove, ex¬ 
ceedingly neat. It has no infeription but the character 
Citing, which fignifies holy, perfect, excellent. It was 
here that the famous Britifh embafly, condudted by lord 
Macartney in 1793, had its audience of Ttchien Lung, 
then emperor of China. For the particulars, fee the ar¬ 
ticle China, vol. iv. p. 478-486. 
The eftimated population of Pekin, fays fir G. Staun¬ 
ton, was carried in the laft century, by the Jefuit Gri¬ 
maldi, as quoted by Gemelli Carreri, to fixteen millions. 
Another miffionary reduces, at leaft that of the Tartar 
city, to one million and a quarter; according to the bed 
information given to the embafly, the whole was about 
three millions. The low houfes of Pekin feem fcarcely 
fufficient for fo vaft a population ; but very little room 
is occupied by a Chinefe family, at leaft in the middling 
and lower clafles of life. In their houfes there are no fu- 
perfluous apartments. A Chinefe dwelling is generally 
furrounded by a wall fix or feven feet high ; within this 
inclofure a whole family, of three generations, with all 
their refpedlive wives and children, will frequently be 
found. One fmall room is made to ferve for the indivi¬ 
duals of its branch of the family, (leeping in different 
beds, divided only byi mats, hanging from the ceiling. 
One common room is ufed for eating. ' 
The temples and the towers of this city are fo nume¬ 
rous, that it is difficult to count them. We have alrea¬ 
dy, under the article Observatory, mentioned the fa¬ 
mous obfervatory in this city, of which we (hall give this 
further account from the Univerfal Hiftory. “ The Chi¬ 
nefe had thought nothing in the univerfe could equal in 
magnificence 
