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J O U R N A L
of THE
PROC EEDINGS
*
of THE
LATE EMBASSY TO CHINA;
COMPRISING
A CORRECT NARRATIVE OF THE PUBLIC TRANSACTIONS
OF THE EMBASSY,
OF THE VOYAGE TO AND FROM CHINA,
AND () F
THE JOURNEY FROM THE MOUTH OF THE PEI-HO TO THE
RETURN TO CANTON.
BY HENRY ELLIS,
THIRD COMMISSIONER OF THE EMBASSY.
It is a strange thing, that in sea voyages, where there is nothing to be
seen but sky and sea, men should make diaries; but in land travel, wherein
so much is to be observed, for the most part they omit it; as if chance were
fitter to be registered than observation: let DIARIEs therefore be brought
in use.—Lord BAcon.
SECOND EDITION. -
*º-
IN TWO WOLUMES.
WOL. I.
LONDON :
JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE-STREET.
1818. Sw
103
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ADVERTISEMENT.
AN Embassy to China is so rare an event
in the history of Europe, that a correct
narrative of the occurrences attending it
possesses a degree of interest, almost inde-
pendent of the mode in which the narrative
itself may be executed. This considera-
tion has induced the author to give his
Journal to the public, and has inspired,
he trusts, a well-founded confidence in
their indulgence to deficiencies of style
and arrangement.
In his statement of public proceedings,
the author has received the sanction of
those, whose situations in the Embassy
best qualified them to form a judgment;
and he has applied his utmost powers of
personal observation, to give an accurate
description of the country and of its in-
habitants.
vi A DW ERTISE. M. EN T.
If such be the impression received by
the public, the purposes of the author are
fully effected; and he has only to regret,
that the absence of assistance, perhaps
arising from the want of solicitation on his
part, should have rendered the work less
complete than it might otherwise have
been.
For the Drawings and Geographical Il-
lustrations, the author is chiefly indebted
to his friend the Honourable Charles Ab-
bot; Mr. Mayne, master of the Alceste,
and Mr. Brownrigg, midshipman of the
same ship, have also lent their assistance.
Had the author's intention been known,
or indeed had it existed at Canton, the
value of the work would probably have
been increased, by some efforts of Mr.
Havell's pencil; these will now, however,
be reserved for a separate publication.
An Appendix of Official Papers, chiefly
translations from the Chinese, and an Iti-
nerary corresponding with the text, are
added to the work.
ADVERTISEMENT
TO
SECOND EDITION.
The sale of the first edition of the Journal
has induced the author to prepare a second
Edition in octavo, to meet the continued
demand. Careful revision will, he trusts,
be found to have removed several verbal
errors produced by the haste in which the
work was originally sent to the press; and
if the author has retained certain passages
which have attracted, and perhaps de-
served the censures of critical authority,
he has not been induced to do so, either
by a want of confidence in the judgment
of those who promulgated the censures, or
viii A DVIER, TISE MIE IN T.
by an unreasonable attachment to the pe-
culiarities of his own style, but from a con-
viction that such defects were of little con-
sequence in a work which laid no claims
to literary merit, and which rested its hopes
of success solely upon accurate and im-
partial narration.
The principal events attending the late
Embassy had, previously to the publica-
tion of the work, been detailed in the
newspapers; translations of the Chinese
edicts had been made public, and extracts
from private journals and letters had par-
tially developed the causes and result of
the course that had been pursued; the
author has therefore done little more than
bring the origin, progress, and final termi-
nation of the negotiations under one point
of view, and thus furnished the means of
easy reference to a series of events, rather
interesting from singularity than from po-
litical importance.
ADW ERTISTEMIENT. xi
Where the author has hazarded remarks
upon the polity, religion, and moral cha-
racter of the Chinese nation, the grounds
upon which his opinions have been formed
are usually stated: these may have been
eonfined or inadequate, but they have been
deliberately examined, and the author has
hitherto seen no reason to adopt contrary
sentiments.
With these few observations the author
commits this second edition of his journal
to the public, in the expectation of their
continued indulgence to its numerous and
inherent deficiencies. -
C O N T ENTS
VOLUME I.
CHAPTER. I.
Departure from England—Voyage—Madeira—Rio Ja-
neiro–Observation on the present state of the Brazils
—Cape of Good Hope—Table Mountain—Anjere
roads—Java–Seeram—Batavia—Remarks upon the
island of Java-Departure from Batavia roads. Page 1
CHAPTER II.
Expectations on reaching China—Origin and objects of
the embassy—Probability of success—Arrival at Lem-
ma islands—Communications with Sir George Staunton
—Receipt of Imperial edict—Voyage in the Yellow sea
—Arrival at the mouth of the Pei-ho—Communica-
tions with the Mandarins—Landing of the embassy—
Interview with the Chinese commissioner—Journey to
Tien-sing—Arrival—Occurrences at Tien-sing—Re-
marks on city and inhabitants—Departure—Imperial -
edict respecting the band—Discussion upon departure
of the ships—Communication from Pekin, expressing
the Emperor's dissatisfaction—Discussion with Man-
darins thereupon—Appointment of superior Mandarins
notified—Arrival at Tong-chow. tº e 59
xii CONTENTS.
CHAPTER III.
Occurrences at Tong-chow—Interview with Ho-koong-
yay and Moo-ta-jin—Delivery of address from the Em-
bassador to the Emperor—Communications with Chang
—Appearance of Russians at the quarters of the em-
bassy—Remarks on Tong-chow—Second interview with
the Koong-yay—Night journey to Pekin—Occurrences
at Yuen-min-yuen—Sudden departure o 216
CHAPTER IV.
Commencement of journey to Canton—Reflections on oc-
currences at Yuen-min-yuen—Arrival at Tien-sing—
Departure—Progress—Report of Lipoo received at
, Tong-chow—Remarks upon it—Pekin Gazette—In-
terview with judge of Pe-tche-lee-Arrival at Sang-
yuen. s º e p º º p 289
CHAPTER V.
Embassy leaves Sang-yuen—Departure of Chang and
Yin-Arrangement for the future of subordinate con-
ductors—Arrival at Lin-tsin-chow—Paou-ta of Lin-
tsin–Enter canal—Quit province of Shan-tung—Enter
IGiang-nan—Cross Yellow river—Description of Ning-
niang-miao—Pass Yang-choo-foo—Arrival at Kao-
ming-tze—Change of boats—Leave Kao-ming-tze—
Proceed to Kwa-choo—Delay—Observations on sug-
gested address to Pekin. . º tº e 360
J O U R N A L.
CHAPTER I.
Departure from England—Voyage—Madeira—Rio Ja-
neiro–Observation on the present state of the Brazils—
Cape of Good Hope—Table Mountain—Anjere roads
—Java–Seeram—Batavia—Remarks upon the island
of Java-Departure from Batavia roads.
EIGHT H of February, 1816–We em-
barked on board his Majesty’s ship Alceste,
Captain Murray Maxwell; the greater num-
ber, I believe,with less of expectation for the
future, than of regret at leaving England.
The voyage must in fact occupy so many
months, that the most sanguine cannot yet
dwell upon the scene awaiting them at its
termination with any degree of interest; and
those who have perused the accounts of the
former embassy, commenced too as it was
under better prospects, can scarcely anti-
cipate either public success or private gra-
tification from any events likely to occur
during our progress through China.
WOL. I. - B
2 JOURNAL OF AN
We sailed from Spithead in company
with his Majesty's brig Lyra, Captain Ba-
sil Hall, and the Honourable Company’s
ship General Hewitt, Captain Walter Camp-
bell, taken up by the Court of Directors
for the conveyance of the bulkier articles
of the stores and presents.
On the 18th of February we reached
Funchal roads, where we found his Ma-
jesty's ship Phaeton, proceeding to St. He-
lena with Sir Hudson Lowe, and his Majes-
ty’s ship Niger, bound to America with the
Right Honourable C. Bagot, envoy extra-
ordinary and minister plenipotentiary to
the United States. Both these ships had
experienced very bad weather, which we
had fortunately escaped by being delayed
a few days at Portsmouth. We left the
roads the same evening, and proceeded in
company with the Lyra and Hewitt to lat.
20°. 04. South and lon. 31°. 44'. west, where
we separated, they continuing their voyage
to the Cape of Good Hope, while we di-
rected our course to the Brazils, always an
object of attraction, but more particularly
so at the present moment, when the re-
sidence of the Prince Regent of Portugal at
EMBAssy. To CHINA. 3
Rio Janeiro, and the state of the Spanish
provinces, give to South America a high
degree of political interest.
The Embassador and Captain Maxwell
had the less hesitation in thus diverging
from the regular course, as the superiority
in sailing of the Alceste over the other ships
rendered it nearly certain that no prolonga-
tion of the voyage generally would thereby
be produced.
21st of March, 1816.-Anchored in the
harbour of Rio Janeiro. The morning
found us nearly in the centre of an amphi-
theatre of mountains, at the distance of
seven miles. An opening between two
extremes of land marked the entrance of
the harbour; on the right is the fort of
Santa Cruz, on the left that of Saint Lucie.
The ranges presented in most places coni-
cal summits, and although one has espe-
cially obtained the appellation of Sugar
Loaf, it is rather from its superior precipi-
tous height, than from being singular in its
shape. At this distance the beauty of the
scenery is principally derived from the ex-
tent and impressive variety of the forms
assumed by the different ranges. The
B 2
4. J O U R N A L OF AN
entrance to the harbour seemed about
three quarters of a mile in breadth; and
ranges of mountains, whose relative di-
stances were marked by the position of
the clouds resting upon their summits,
formed the back ground. On approaching
nearer to the entrance the scene became
indescribably sublime and beautiful; the
mountains that had formed the amphi-
theatre, on a nearer view divided themselves
into islands and separate headlands; several
were covered with thick though not lofty
woods. Fortifications, detached houses,
villages, and convents, occupied different
positions; the eye wandered over an end-
less variety of picturesque combinations,
presenting a mass of wondrous scenery,
of which, although detached parts might
be within the reach of the painter, the
general effect must equally defy pictorial
and verbal description. In variety of ex-
pression the scene somewhat resembled the
harbour of Constantinople, but the features
of nature are here on a grander scale.
The death of the Queen of Portugal,
which occurred yesterday, has communi-
cated a character of noisy and luminous
EMBASSY TO CHIN A. 5
melancholy to the harbour and environs of
the town; for whilst guns are fired every
five minutes from the ships and batteries,
the convents and churches are illuminated.
Her majesty had an attack of illness six
weeks since, from which period she gra-
dually sunk under the infirmities of age.
The king was much attached to her, and
notwithstanding her unfortunate derange-
ment, never omitted the daily domestic
demonstrations of respect and regard. Her
insanity was not uninterrupted, and it is said
that her remarks during her lucid intervals
displayed ability, and probably produced
the greater effect from the peculiar cir-
cumstances under which they were made.
No decisive line has been adopted by
this court respecting the Spanish revolted
provinces. Neutrality armed, and equal
to eventual hostility, would seem the pre-
sent intention. Artiguez, formerly a smug-
gler, afterwards employed to protect the
revenue, at present master of Monte Video
and twenty other towns, appears one of the
most prominent men amongst the Spanish
patriots. Originally possessed of property
and personal influence, he seems by his
6 JOURNAL OF AN
spirit of enterprise to have acquired and
maintained considerable advantages over
his competitors by a permanency of system
in his administration, a want of which has
been the great cause of weakness at Buenos
Ayres. The inhabitants of the latter place
are represented as well inclined to England,
whose protection and rule they would gladly
accept: they are only united with Artiguez
in a determination to resist Old Spain.
We landed on the 24th of March, and
were most hospitably received by Mr.
Chamberlain, the British consul and chargé
d'affaires. He immediately commenced to
perform his promise of shewing us the most
beautiful parts of the scenery in the vicinity
of St. Sebastian, and we rode with him to
Bottefogo beach, the favourite drive of the
princesses and ladies of Rio. An arm of
the sea is here so completely inclosed by
headlands, that it has the appearance and
name of a lake. We rode along a lane,
not unlike parts of England, with this dif-
ference, that the hedges were formed by
choice shrubs; the brilliancy of the ver-
dure, even at this unfavourable season,
particularly attracted our notice. Mr.
EMBASSY TO CHINA. 7
Chamberlain's house is in the suburb or
vilage of Cateti, deriving its name from
the small stream the Cateti, crossed by a
bridge of a single arch near the village.
On the 25th we visited the Russian con-
sul, Mr. Langsdorf”, who resides during
the hot season in a cottage near the summit
of the Corcovado hill, vulgarly called Lord
Hood's Nose. His object in selecting this
situation is, both to avoid the heat and to
pursue his researches in natural history.
Uniting science to enthusiasm, he never
loses an opportunity of adding to his col-
lection, and in the pursuit of his favourite
studies he defies every species of fatigue
and inconvenience. The whole of the road,
from the commencement of the ascent
to the summit, presented a succession of
beautiful scenery. An immense ravine,
richly and imperviously wooded, occupied
the bottom, and the ascent rose in undi-
minished verdure and fertility to , all the
sublimity of mountain magnificence. The
total failure of the rains this season has
taken much from the brilliancy of the ver-
* Mr. Langsdorf is well known in the literary world
as one of the companions of Krusenstern.
8 JOU R N A L OF AN
dure, and the variety of the flowers, with
which the earth and trees are usually co-
vered; enough, however, still remained to
gratify the unaccustomed eye. The rexia,
mimosa, acacia, and fern, grow to the size
of large trees; and the shrubs, which in
England are the reward of labour and arti-
ficial aid, here swarm in all the wild pro-
fusion of bounteous nature. The air, earth,
and water, are in this country ever teeming
with new productions, the elements are
ever generating, and nature never rests
from the exercise of her creative faculties.
Here and there a house was seen peeping
from the midst of the woody ravine, as if
to show that no place was secure from the
tread of adventurous man.
When near the summit, and on ap-
proaching the stream which supplies the
aqueduct, we observed an European lady,
with her nurse and child, in a recess of the
rock; her dress, appearance, and occu-
pation (that of reading), presented, from
their civilized combination, a most striking
contrast to the uncultivated grandeur of
the scene which surrounded us. The lady
proved to be Mrs. Langsdorf, and she soon
EMBASSY TO CHIN A. 9
joined us at the cottage, where we had the
good fortune to find Mr. Langsdorf just
returned from an excursion, and in his
costume of naturalist, that is, with as
few clothes as the exercise he had to go
through, and the heat of the climate, re-
quired. He gave us a very cordial recep-
tion, and, when we had partaken of some
refreshments, conducted us round the
beautiful woods immediately adjacent to
his retreat. There is a point on the sum-
mit of a hill near his cottage, from whence
the sea was visible on the other side of the
range to which Corcovado belongs; the
city, the bay, and Catete were below, and
around us were all the grandest features of
mountain scenery.
On the road we overtook a boy of the
Bottecoodoo tribe, in the service of Mr.
Langsdorf; he was described as possessing
much of the characteristic untameability
of his tribe, aboriginal in the Brazils.
Faithful to his trust, disposed to service,
but ever ready to resort to the impene-
trable wilds of his native woods for security
against oppression, or attempts upon his
personal freedom. In feature and person
1() J OU R. NAL OF AN
this boy resembled the Malays, and to
judge from the expression of his coun-
tenance, the moral character of the tribe
might also be supposed similar. The Mo-
gris are a more numerous tribe of abori-
ginal Brazilians: they would appear, like
other barbarians, to pay almost equal
adoration to the good and evil spirit. The
few Brazilians to be met with in St. Se-
bastian are employed in the arsenal, or in
rowing the royal barge and a few other
boats. •
We observed some Brazil pine-trees,
which, though not large, were very beau-
tiful; the tops were flat and umbrageous.
Wild pineapples, in places, assisted in
forming the hedges. . The aloe grows to a
considerable height, and is frequently seen
amidst the branches of the mangoe, and
other large trees. * : -
March 26.—Our next excursion was to
Tejeuca, where the object of attraction is
a fine cascade. We breakfasted at Lord
Beresford's, a short distance from the foot
of the mountains. The cultivated grounds
about Lord Beresford's gave a more pleas-
ing character to the landscape, while the
EMIBASSY TO CHIN A. 11
Organ Pipe mountains, with their sin-
gular peaks, seen in the distance, pre-
served enough of the characteristic subli-
mity of Brazilian scenery. The king has
a villa in the vicinity, only remarkable for
the gateway, an exact counterpart of the
entrance to Sion House. The scenery, in
ascending the mountain, did not differ in
general expression from what we had be-
fore seen; the trees were, however, loftier,
but still narrow in girth; the old road
skirted the mountain-streams by which the
great cascade is formed, and the eye is,
in the rainy season, delighted with a suc-
cession of lesser waterfalls: these, from the
unusual drought of the season, were com-
pletely dried up. After having travelled
over a very bad road for at least eight
miles, we reached a house belonging to the
Conde D’Aseca, who is also the proprietor
of the district of Tejeuca, an estate which,
in magnificence of scenery and variety of
production, probably surpasses the posses-
sions of any other European nobleman.
Here we dismounted, and following a rude
path (commanding a view of a fresh water
lake, which receives the several streams
12 J () U R N A L OF AN
forming the cascade), at the distance of
nearly a mile, reached the waterfall itself,
even in this dry season a most beautiful
object. The perpendicular descent ex-
ceeded one hundred feet, and the breadth
was more considerable. The water, after
this descent, at first forms an irregular
basin, from whence it falls over a less pre-
cipitous ridge, and, dividing into streams
through a small valley, finds its way to the
lake. The cascade and basin are overhung
by large trees, and the whole is beautifully
enclosed by woods and projections of the
rock; a hollow in the rock supplies a seat,
and a fragment rudely levelled affords a
table to those who visit the scene. A Por-
tuguese nobleman was drowned not long
since in the narrowest part of the basin,
while his brother-in-law and a servant con-
templated his struggles, either with the
listlessness of indifference, or the stupid
astonishment of fear. - - -
St. Sebastian, viewed from the church of
the same name, appears to be built in
a semicircle; the streets are generally at
right angles. The public buildings are
neither numerous nor deserving of notice
EMBASSY TO CHIN A. 13
in point of architecture. The little state
and splendour belonging to St. Sebastian,
is to be found in the churches: in these
buildings the Grecian cross is the prevail-
ing form: the shrines and altars are hand-
somely decorated, and the service is per-
formed with much magnificence. The
royal garden, whatever it may have been
heretofore, does not now repay the trouble
of a visit. Although the aqueduct forms
a picturesque object at a distance, it is
neither tastefully nor substantially built;
the work, however, must have been raised
at a considerable expense, from the moun-
tainous nature of the ground over which it
is carried; near the town it consists of a
double row of arches: the water-course
commences at a short distance below the
Corcovado mountain. -
To strangers the palace of the sovereign
of the Brazils must appear inadequate to
the dignity of its owner, or even of his re-
presentative: the open space in which it
stands is the only exterior mark of a royal
residence, for otherwise the building itself
might have been mistaken for a barrack,
or a large magazine. The houses of the
14 JOURNAL OF AN
ministers and principal noblemen, though
spacious, are not handsome; and in gene-
ral the residences of the better class of in-
habitants do not denote any attention to
elegance of architecture; and even the more
useful circumstance of adaptation to the
climate is neglected. Shops and ware-
houses compose the streets, which were
certainly less offensive from filth than I
had expected. Slaves in considerable num-
bers, performing the severer parts of labour,
some mulattoes, a few monks and nuns, to
which may be added the officers and crews
of ships in the harbour, constitute the pe-
destrians in the streets: the better classes
of residents in St. Sebastian and its vicinity
apparently avoiding the heat with as much
care as English gentlemen in Calcutta.
Large ill-shaped cabriolets, drawn by two
horses, are the general vehicles, and are
certainly much better conveyances than
their exterior would seem to promise. I
should be led to imagine, from the com-
paratively small number of wealthy in-
habitants, and the want of social spirit,
that the opera-house must be too large for
the audience; the music is said to be good,
BM BASSY TO CHIN A. 15
and the corps de ballet is at present as-
sisted by some French dancers. Were an
opinion to be formed of the Portuguese
drama from the pieces represented at St.
Sebastian, the art must be pronounced in
its infancy: coarse, indecent buffoonery is
the general character; and foreigners who
understand the language, but have been
accustomed to the rational amusement af.
forded at theatres in Europe, seldom fre-
quent the house except on opera nights.
The square in which the opera-house
stands, whenever finished, will be the best
part of the town. Strangers unprovided.
with letters of introduction will find the
public accommodation at St. Sebastian
most uncomfortable. The casas or coffee-
houses are dirty, inconvenient, and ill sup-
plied, and seldom furnish lodging.
I was prevented, by other occupations,
from accompanying the rest of the party
to the botanical garden, which is very
much neglected by the government, and
owes its continued existence to the per-
severing enthusiasm of the gentleman to
whom it is entrusted. The tea plant,
under the management of some Chinese,
16 JOURNAL OF AN
flourishes here, and might, no doubt, with
proper encouragement, be cultivated to an
extent most beneficial to the colony itself,
and the revenues of the state.
The population of St. Sebastian is esti-
mated at one hundred and twenty thou-
sand souls, two-thirds of which are slaves,
and the remainder consists of Europeans
and mulattoes. The agricultural and other
severe labour is almost entirely performed
by slaves; for, until very lately, not only
Europeans but mulattoes considered them-
selves degraded by such employments.
The mechanics were formerly all mulat-
toes; at present, however, the residence of
the court has encouraged not only Portu-
guese, but other Europeans, to establish
themselves as artificers. Slaves are here,
as elsewhere, a most valuable article of
property, a male selling from thirty to forty
pounds. The return to the owners would,
however, seem more frequently to be in a
share of their wages, than in the value of
the commodities produced by their labour.
It is the practice to send the slaves out in
the morning, with directions to bring home
in the evening a certain sum of money,
EMBASSY TO CHINA. 17.
supposed to be a large proportion of their
daily earnings; any overplus belongs to
the slave: deficiency is punished with
more or less severity, according to the dis-
position of the individual; but in general
the treatment is not cruel. Twenty thou-
sand slaves are supposed to have been im-
ported last year, a number exceeding that
of former years, in consequence of the
abolition of the slave trade apprehended
from the interference of England.
The sight of a slave ship, or a visit to
the slave market, must at once destroy the
influence of arguments derived from expe-
diency: beauties bestowed by nature to
adorn the softer sex, and strength to dig-
nify the rougher, are equally exposed to
the purchaser, and enhance the value of
the bargain. Though curiosity may sti-
mulate to the view of such a scene, the
better feelings of our nature will generally
hurry us away in disgust before the baser
motive has been gratified. The danger of
insurrection, that might be apprehended
from the large proportion borne by the
slaves to the rest of the population, is in
some measure counteracted by their be-
vol. 1. - + C
18. JOURNAL OF A N .
longing to nations of Africa differing from
each other in language and habits, and,
possessing no point of similitude or union,
except their enslaved condition. At Bahia,
the former capital of the Brazils, where
the slaves are generally from one nation,
insurrections are frequent. Great varieties
of national character are observed by slave
merchants among the Africans; those from.
the Gold Coast are considered the most
intelligent; it would not, however, seem.
that the differences are as much attended
to, Or as well understood, as in Persia,
Arabia, and India. - -
St. Sebastian, although at present the
residence of a court, and within seven
weeks' sail of Europe, is many degrees in-
ferior, in all that contributes to the com-
forts of civilized life, to the English settle-
ments in India. The state of literature is
sufficiently marked by the total impossibi-
lity of purchasing books, either of amuse-
ment or science; there is indeed a public
library in the city, but as ill supplied as it
is unfrequented. -
Thirty or forty English mercantile houses
are established at St. Sebastian, and the
EMBASSY TO CHINA. 19
export trade is almost entirely in their
hands: their imports consist in English
manufacture, and all the produce of Eu-
rope which can be required in the Brazils;
their exports from St. Sebastian are sugar,
coffee, and hides, the cotton of Pernam-
buco being so superior, that but little of
this commodity is grown in the neighbour-
hood. Rio coffee holds the third rank in
the European market. Portuguese mer-
chants are the growers of the raw produce,
which is conveyed by them to the port,
where it is sold to the English exporter.
It is asserted that the trade of the Brazils
has lately become unprofitable to the fo-
reign merchants, from the excess of ca-
pital employed in it, and that European
produce is at present sold below prime
cost; another opinion would attribute
existing circumstances to a participation
in the general stagnation of commerce,
produced by transitory causes. The cus-
toms at the port of St. Sebastian are stated
to amount to two hundred thousand pounds
per annum. Land, in and near the city,
sells high, as capitalists, from the absence
C 2
20 JOURNAL OF AN
of public securities, employ their surplus
funds in building.
Articles of living are dear and of inferior
quality, arisingentirely from the want of en-
couragement on the part of the wealthier
inhabitants; coarse in their own diet, con-
sisting principally of beef and a very
thick vegetable soup, the richest Brazilian
Portuguese are either too indolent or too
parsimonious to secure improvement in
supplies for the table, by giving a larger
price for articles of superior quality; and
although the climate and exuberant fer-
tility of the soil would admit of combining
*the productions of the east and west, com-
paratively few of the European fruits and
vegetables are common in the market, and
even potatoes, the indigenous vegetable
of America, are not always procurable.
Grapes have lately been cultivated with
SU1CCGSS.
The depth of the soil on the hills, com-
posed chiefly of disintegrated granite and
felspar, is most remarkable; and in the
rainy season, masses have been known to
give way sufficient to overwhelm men and
• EMBASSY TO CHINA. 21
herds of cattle in one common destruc-
tion. An instance of this calamity oc-
curred four or five years since, and was
said to have been caused by a heavy fall of
rain, which lasted only two hours. Though
periodical, the rains are not so regular as
in India and other tropical climates; they
fall in violent showers, seldom lasting more
than three hours in a day. The present
season had been remarkably dry, and great
apprehensions were entertained ofthefailure
of forage for the cattle. Beasts, intended for
the market, are driven from a distance of
"some hundred miles in the interior at a very
smart pace, and as they are not kept any
length of time to be fattened, the badness
of the meat is a necessary consequence.
The climate of Rio Janeiro is so salubrious,
that a naval hospital, established some years
since at St. Sebastian, was discontinued,
from being found unnecessary. In the
month of March the height of the ther-
mometer in the sun was 112", and in a
cool room 78°, in a less favourable situa-
tion it stood at 84°. The water at St.
Sebastian is not pleasant to the taste, but
is said to be wholesome. r
22 JOURNAL OF A N
• Although the protracted residence of
the Prince Regent at the Brazils may have
had an injurious effect upon his European
dominions, it has probably been the means
of arresting the contagion of insurrection
likely to have spread from the Spanish
provinces. By considering the Brazils as
a kingdom in itself, all restraints belonging
to colonial policy have been removed, and
every facility afforded to the natural advan-
tages of the country. The militia, amount-
ing to four or five thousand men, constitute
the usual military force of the provinces;
they are ill disciplined, and would be com-
pletely inefficient against an European
enemy. An army of observation, com-
posed principally of the troops lately ar-
rived from Portugal, has been assembled
on the frontier, and the additional rein-
forcements, daily expected, will be dis:
patched to the same quarter. These pre-
parations are intended merely as a demon-
stration; the government of the Brazils
having hitherto taken no part in the con-
test, but allowing the trade with Buenos
Ayres to continue uninterrupted.
It is impossible to see the chiefs of the
EMBASSY TO CHIN A. 23
party lately driven from the head of affairs
at Buenos Ayres, seeking a refuge in the
Brazils, and still maintaining a connexion
with the infant state, directed to effecting
their restoration to the supreme power,
without being reminded of the civil dis-
sensions of the ancient Greek and more
modern Italian republics, where the great-
est external danger did not check the force
of intestine divisions. Civil commotion
would appear to be one of the elements of
popular governments; and looking to the
history of the Roman republic, it may
perhaps be asserted, that the conflict of
factions, nearly equally balanced, is ne-
cessary to their healthful existence.
To pretend to form an opinion of the
moral character of the inhabitants of St.
Sebastian, from a residence of a few days,
would be absurd; it is only possible to
record the sentiments of others, who may
have had the means of arriving at correct
conclusions upon the subject, and these
would lead to rather an unfavourable view
of the state of society. The refinements
of social intercourse are little cultivated
by the higher orders, who are behind cor-
24 JQURNAL OF AN ·
responding classes in Europe in the habits
and acquirements of civilized life; they
neither like nor encourage communica-
tion with foreigners; court etiquette, and
the superstitious observances of the catholic
religion, are their chief occupations. Their
attention to outward decorum in the con-
duct of women is most strict; a married
lady would be considered guilty of impro-
priety who appeared in public with anygen-
tleman but a very near relation; a brother
is the limit to the qualification of an escort.
The accounts of travellers would, however,
induce a belief that even the forms of pro-
priety are not much attended to by the
ladies of Brazil; such observations, al-
though too often given as general, are
only applicable to the particular classes
that come more immediately under the
notice of strangers; and with respect to
those, country and climate seldom make
any material difference.
The conduct of the government of the
Brazils towards Lord Macartney and Sir
Gore Ouseley naturally led us to expect
similar attentions, and we anticipated with
much satisfaction our immediate establish-
EMBASSY TO CHIN A. $25
ment on shore in some house provided by
the public authorities. Whether the dif-
ference of treatment we experienced is to
be attributed wholly to the stagnation in
all affairs of state, produced by the recent
death of the queen, or partly to any other
cause more permanent in its operation, is
of little importance to determine; it is
sufficient to mention, that the force of the
precedents alluded to was not admitted by
the Portuguese ministers, and a house was
formally refused. The hospitality of Mr.
Chamberlain supplied the deficiency, and
as his house was not large enough to ac-
commodatesolarge aparty with beds, apart-
ments at the houses of two English mer-
chants, in the immediate vicinity, were
obtained for the gentlemen of the em-
bassy.
The body of the Queen of Portugal was
deposited on the 23d in the convent of
Ajuda. Great expectations had been raised
respecting the funeral procession, which
certainly were not realized; the only re-
markable circumstance was the dress of
the chief mourners, described as being the
ancient mourning costume of the Portu-
guese nobility: they were eight in number,
26 JOUR, N A L OF AN
and each was accompanied by a servant in
rich livery, bearing his armorial shield; the
dress, from the distance at which I observed
it, resembled that of priests. There was
a levee on the 28th, for the purpose of re-
ceiving the condolence of the nobles, the
persons attached to the court and govern-
ment, and of the foreign ministers. As it
was arranged that there should be no pub-
lic reception of the embassy, on account of
the event that had just occurred, the king
was pleased to admit Lord Amherst, ac-
companied by the secretary of embassy,
to a private audience on the following day.
The reception took place in the apartment
where the public levee is held, but no of—
ficer of the court, except the chamberlains,
were in waiting.
The failure of the wind did not allow of
our sailing until Sunday, the 31st of March,
when I bade adieu to the Brazils, with those
feelings of regret which the hasty view of a
very interesting country must ever leave in
the mind, when curiosity is less satisfied
with what has been observed, than disap-
pointed at the impossibility of being more
completely gratified. 4 -
We anchored in Table Bay, on the 18th
EMBASSY TO CHIN A. 27
of April. The Lyra had arrived on the
14th of April, and the Hewitt on the 13th
of April: they were both dispatched on the
26th of April, and the Alceste was detained
until the 6th of May, as we were now fully
confident of overtaking them within a few
days, if not hours, after their reaching Java.
Mr. Somerset, son of Lord Charles Somer-
set, went with Captain Hall in the Lyra, it
being the intention of Lord Amherst to
attach him to his guard on his arrival in
China. - -
The land of Africa, bold and barren,
does not want rugged sublimity; and the
Table Mountain, from its form and eleva-
tion, is a striking object. Cape Town it-
self is so completely European that it ex-
cites little interest, at least to those coming
from the west. The recollections, however,
which I retain of my touching here on my
voyage homewards tell me that the impres-
sion is different on coming from India; the
neatness and regularity of the streets, the
invigorating freshness of the air, and the
healthful complexions of the Europeans,
then give an anticipation of what have
long been the objects of anxious expecta-
tion—the aspect and pleasures of home.
28 JOURNAL OF AN
I ascended the TableMountain a few days
after my arrival, and after a tedious and fa-
tiguingwalkofmore than threehours reached
the summit, from whence there is no view
that repays the fatigue. The composition
of the mountain has been a subject of in-
terest and enquiry among geologists, chiefly
from the supposed existence of a mass of
native iron near the summit; of this how-
ever, after the most diligent search, we
could discover no traces. The story,
therefore, of the iron formerly observed,
having been part of an anchor conveyed
to the spot in a frolic, seems well founded.
The immediate vicinity of the Cape,
deriving its principal beauty from the va-
rieties of the flowers and shrubs with which
the ground is covered later in the year, was
seen to great disadvantage at this season,
when the winter is commencing.
I, with some others, made the usual ex-
cursions to Constantia, and to Stellingbosch,
a village, thirty miles from the Cape, where
we were most hospitably received by Mr.
Rynevelt, the landroost of the district. I
went from thence to Parl Berg, so named
from a remarkable mass of granite on the
summit, resembling in shape an enormous
EMBASSY TO CHIN A. 29
pearl, and returned by the Tiger Berg
mountain to Cape Town. -
We sailed from Simon's Bay, whither
the Alceste had gone after landing the
Embassador at Table Bay, and having
passed within sight of St. Paul's and Am-
sterdam Islands, we arrived at Anjere Roads
on the 9th of June, where we found the
Lyra, that had preceded us only two
days; the General Hewitt was in sight,
standing towards Batavia Roads.
10th of June, 1816.-We have received
every possible attention from Mr. Mac
Gregor, the master attendant. On the
11th Lieut. Col. Yule, of the Bengal
army, resident of the Bantam district, ar-
rived at Anjere from Seeram (or Serang),
and arrangements were made for our de-
parture to Batavia on the following morn-
ing. The majority of the party travelled
in carriages to Seeram, while Messrs. Abel
and Havell, the physician and artist of
the embassy, proceeded in doolies, for the
purpose of following their respective pur-
suits with greater facility than the more
rapid mode of conveyance would permit.
These doolies are somewhat longer than a
palankeen, with a raised penthouse roof,
30 Jou RNAL OF AN
built of bamboo; they take little time in
constructing, and though sufficiently ca-
pacious, are not heavy; the poles are fixed
at the side, and not in the centre, as in a
palankeen, and are either an entire piece
or separate, according to the number of
bearers employed. g
The road to Seeram was through a wild
picturesque country, with the ground of
various declivity. The cocoa-nut tree pre-
dominated near Anjere; as we advanced
into the interior the trees were of different
species. Great varieties of the palm grow
on the island; the sugar-tree, from whence
the Java sugar is expressed, is amongst
them. Plantations of bamboo were large
and frequent; the uses to which this tree
is applied are so various, that the domestic
economy of the natives can scarcely be sup-
posed to exist without it; the house which
protects them from the weather, and al-
most every article of household furniture,
are made of bamboo ; and they have at-
tained 'so much excellence in the work-
manship, that the most perfect civiliza-
tion could scarcely supply an advantageous
substitute.
We reached Chilligong, half way to See-
EMIBASSY TO CHIN A. 31.
ram, at the time of the weekly market,
where the different articles for sale, chiefly
such as were intended for immediate con-
sumption, were arranged with much neat-
ness. Fish, ready dressed, sweetmeats,
cooling beverages, the areca-nut, and
beetle-leaf, were the principal commo-
dities. Some common cloths, intended
for kubayas, or other parts of the native
dress, with articles of coarse jewellery,
were also exposed for sale. The kubaya
is a cloth rolled round the body, and hang-
ing down between the legs. The bridges
were universally built of bamboo, and co-
vered with mats; their lightness and elas-
ticity give them the appearance of being
insecure; this is, however, by no means
the case, unless they are suffered to re-
main too long without repair: the sudden
and frequent swelling of the small streams,
from heavy showers, would undermine
bridges of more solid construction, which,
from being of expensive materials, would
not be so readily or so attentively re-
paired. Local tradition says, that the
sea formerly came up as far as Palabooler
Boolang, a village, about three-fourths of
32 JOURNAL OF AN
the distance between Anjere and Seeram.
The city of Bantam, formerly the prin-
cipal place to which Europeans resorted
in Java, is now in ruins: the remains,
however, attest its ancient splendour; and
if the accounts of those who visited it are
to be credited, the form and general cha-
racter of the buildings belong to Indian
architecture. It is still the residence of
the sultan, who has ceased to be an inde-
pendent prince, having ceded his territory
to the British government, and accepted a
stipend in return. - -
The reigning sultan died during the stay
of some of our party at the Residency,
distant six miles from the city; he was
succeeded by his son, a minor, and the
regency was entrusted to the late sultan's
uncle. The latter chief is a man of sin-
gular character, and eccentric habits: he
professes a great contempt for the out-
ward trappings of dignity, and, indeed,
for worldly possessions. In the simplicity,
and almost meanness, of his dress, the
former was exhibited; and the careless
profusion with which he expends his sti-
pend, sufficiently evinced the latter; in
EMBAssy to CHINA. 33
this respect he very materially differed
from his nephew, who was extremely ava-
ricious. Much persuasion was necessary
to procure his acceptance of the regency,
as he preferred the less laborious superin-
tendance of a village lately established in
the limits of the Bantam district, to the
comparative splendour of a stipendiary
COurt. .
There was much land under the plough,
in the immediate vicinity of Seeram, but
the district in general exhibited, from the
absence of cultivation, the effects of the
internal disturbances to which the pro-
vince has been subject of late years.
Aware that the pepper was the great ob-
ject of interest to the Dutch, and that the
mode employed to secure its monopoly
was the great source of oppression, the
natives destroyed all the plants throughout
the district; and although their sentiments
towards the English government are, from
the totally different character of the admi-
nistration, extremely favourable, the local
authorities have not succeeded in effecting
the restoration of the pepper culture. How
dreadful must have been the system of that
VoI. I. D
34 JOURNAL OF A N
government, which rendered the bounteous
gifts of nature an object of detestation to
their possessors! Accounts agree in de-
scribing the inhabitants of the hilly coun-
try in this district, as a different race from
people of the plains; they are smaller in
stature, and speak a peculiar language.
The Ingabi of the Javanese districts is
a municipal officer answering to the pa-
tells, or heads of villages, in Southern In-
dia: he is chief of the police, collects the
revenue, and is annually elected by the
inhabitants. The reports of those em-
ployed in the administration of justice in
this district, describe crimes as neither fre-
quent nor of great enormity. Adherence
to truth appears to be so distinguishing a
feature in the native character, that it has
been found difficult to induce prisoners,
on their trial, to act upon the principle of
pleading not guilty, established in English
jurisprudence. Imprisonment for debt was
extremely rare; and, indeed, civil actions
in general were unfrequent. Allowed to
plead their own cause, the natives are said
to exhibit considerable ingenuity, more
especially in the examination of witnesses.
EMBASSY TO CHINA. 35
The punchayet, or native jury, is univer-
Sally established; and, indeed, the inter-
nal economy of every village presents an
interesting similarity with those of southern
India. - *
The first part of the road from Seeram
to Chikandee, where we breakfasted, had
nearly the same appearance as the im-
mediate vicinity of the Residency: a part
skirted the Kalee river, and at the distance
of ten miles from Chikandee we crossed
the Inderado, a wide stream, by a ferry;
we travelled afterwards to the village
through a jungle, always an interesting
scene to those who have seldom witnessed
the wild luxuriance of nature, unclaimed,
and therefore unchanged by the hand of
man. We were met at Tangerang, nearly
twenty miles distant from Batavia, by
Captain Watson, the governor's aid-de-
camp, who had prepared refreshments for
us in the house of a Dutch gentleman.
After leaving Tangerang, we crossed, by a
ferry, the Chidanee river, which, if I have
not been mistaken, is the same that flows
from Buitenzorg, the country residence of
the governors. From the last stage to Ba-
D 2
36 JOURNAL OF AN
tavia we at first had the canal, or sloken,
on our right, and a range of villas on our
left; afterwards passing through a quarter
entirely occupied by Chinese, and another
quarter, the name of which I do not re-
collect, we reached Ryswick, the residence
of the governor. The muddy canals, and
the quantity of vegetation in the vicinity,
give, even to the suburbs, an appearance
of insalubrity, which, however, is now only
considered as belonging to the town of
Batavia itself. Ryswick House, although
at a distance of less than three miles from
the city, is considered perfectly healthy;
and the cantonments at Welterwreden ex-
hibit, in the state of the troops, an instance
of uninterrupted health, scarcely equalled
by any other part of the British army on
foreign service.
Of late years Batavia itself has ceased
to be the residence of the wealthier Euro-
peans, who all occupy villas in the suburbs
and vicinity. The houses originally built
for this class are spacious, but wholly de-
void of architectural taste. The Staadt
House appeared the handsomest build-
Ing.
E M BASSY TO CHIN A. 37
Mixture with the English would not
seem to have materially changed the ha-
bits of the Dutch. The apartment over
the canal is still the favourite resort of the
Hollander, and the cheroot his most usual
companion. The figures of birds, beasts,
and occasionally heathen gods or god-
desses, surmounting the walls of a Dutch
villa, are as remarkable for number as
want of selection. External air is the
great object of dread to the Dutch in Ba-
tavia. A stranger observing their glass
windows and closed blinds, can scarcely
believe himself within six degrees of the
equator, or admit that any class of persons
could continue to act in defiance to the
most obvious suggestions of common sense.
The principle upon which the Dutch ex-
clude the external air, is the danger arising
from checked perspiration, and the conse-
quent necessity of maintaining an equal
degree of heat; not aware that the loaded
atmosphere which they breathe in their
closed apartments, is in itself destructive
of health, and that by reducing the tone
of the system generally, they render them-
selves more susceptible of disease, and
38 JOURNAL OF AN
more sensible of changes in the tempera-
ture, the effects of which their utmost pre-
cautions cannot totally exclude.
In Batavia the middling classes, includ-
ing mechanics, are generally Chinese”, the
descendants of former settlers; they are
of course a mixed race, as no women, I
believe, ever leave China. It is a general
practice with the wealthier Chinese in Ba-
tavia, to send their children to China for
education, and there are several instances
of Chinese returning finally to their coun-
try, after an absence of several years. To
speak from my own observation I should
say, that there was not a sufficient dif-
ference of features to strike the eye of a
stranger, between the Javanese and Ma-
lays, certainly not equal to mark any sup-
posed difference of origin. Few African
slaves were to be seen in the streets.
Caleches, drawn by four or two ponies,
clumsily built, but not ill adapted to the
* The island of Formosa has been the great seat of
emigration from China to Batavia. The natives of this
island, and of the province of Fo-kien, surpass the rest of
the nation in enterprise, engage more generally in distant
navigation, and more frequently establish themselves in
foreign countries.
EMBAssy To chi N.A. 39
climate, are generally used throughout the
European possessions in Java. Relays of
horses, at the distance of nearly a French
post, are stationed upon all the great
roads. The ponies, though small, are
active and hardy : probably here, as else-
where, the latter quality depends upon the
mode of treatment. Ponies of the Beema
breed are most esteemed, and are im-
ported, I believe, from the island of Sum-
bawa. - -
On the 15th Mr. Griffith and I left
Batavia, with the intention of proceeding
to Chanjore, the nearest regency across
the mountains. On our arrival at Buiten-
zorg, the country residence of the go-
vernor, distant thirty-two miles from Ba-
tavia, we found that all the horses on the
road were held in readiness for the go-
vernor, who was hourly expected from his
annual visit to the Batavian regencies* ;
we were therefore compelled to abandon
our excursion, and to content ourselves
with the environs of Buitenzorg. The
house is spacious, handsomely built, and
well situated : the village and district bear
* The chief native officers of districts are styled regents.
40 JOURNAL OF AN .
the same name. No part of the road from
Batavia, except the immediate vicinity
of Buitenzorg, presented any beauty of
scenery; here, however, the country is
highly picturesque; lofty mountains oc-
cupy the background, and happy combina-
tions of wood and mountain-stream, resem-
ble the most beautiful scenes in Britain.
From Buitenzorg is seen a conical-shaped
hill, standing alone, from whence are ob-
tained large quantities of the celebrated
birds' nests. The village is chiefly inhabited
by Chinese mechanics, who exchange manu-
factured articles for rice and other produce
of agricultural labour. The Geedee moun-
tain, one of the highest in the island, is
visible from the house, and was ascended
by Mr. Raffles and the gentlemen of his
family, who passed some hours on its sum-
mit, and fixed there a marble tablet com-
memorative of the conquest of Java by the
English. * - -
On the 17th the whole party breakfasted
at Siserooa, the residence of the adipattee,
or chief native officer of the district of
Buitenzorg. The scenery throughout the
ride was extremely romantic; the mean-
EMIBASSY TO CHIN A. 41
dering of the Chidanee, and the light hang-
ing bamboo bridges, in which habit alone
can produce confidence, joined to the va-
rious foliage and forms of the trees, left
nothing to desire in the landscape imme-
diately round us; and the various tints of
the mountains gave equal interest to the
distance. Much of the road lay through
an estate belonging to four of the principal
Dutch inhabitants of Batavia, and the fer-
tility and various productions of the soil,
together with the beauty of the country,
must render it a most delightful possession.
Scarcity of water, and difficulty in apply-
ing it to purposes of irrigation, are never
obstacles to the productiveness of the soil,
in the part of the island which we have
seen; on the contrary, a supply is con-
stantly at hand: and nature does not here,
as in northern climates, sparingly reward
the industry of the farmer, or leave him in
tedious suspense as to the result of his la-
bour; vegetation is almost immediate, and
the number of crops proportionably in-
creased. The fields were laid out in ter-
races, for the purpose of facilitating the
irrigation: great varieties of rice are pro-
42 JOU R N A L OF A N
duced on the island, and two or three
species, independent of an artificial sup-
ply of water. All accounts agree in esta-
blishing the superiority of the eastern
over the western districts of the island, in
soil, productions, and beauty of scenery.
The thermometer was some degrees lower
than at Buitenzorg, and the climate ge-
nerally very like that of a fine summer
morning in England.
We were informed that in the adipattee
of Buitenzorg we saw an instance of manly
beauty, according to the native notions
upon the subject. His figure, like that of
all the Javanese and Malays, was muscular
and well proportioned; he was taller than
most of his countrymen, though scarcely
of what we should call a middle height;
his face, though not absolutely deficient
in approach to pleasant expression, exhi-
bited a combination of ugliness seldom
witnessed in the western world; his flat
nose, and enormous mouth, garnished with
teeth blackened either by art or the im-
moderate use of the betel, rendered his
countenance disgusting, if not hideous,
and totally excluded the possibility of
E M BASSY TO CHIN A. 43
good looks. His mounted attendants
were dressed in scarlet, with bowl-shaped
coverings of basket-work on their heads,
worn principally by coachmen and horse-
men, but occasionally by all classes. The
adipattee had European boots, the rest of
his dress was national, consisting of a hand-
kerchief tied round the head, a tunic, and
a cloth wrapped round the loins and lower
parts of the body, under which trowsers, or
short drawers, are generally worn. Malays
or Javanese are seldom seen without their
kris, or dagger; they are of various forms,
from the narrow waving blade, to a dagger
in shape not unlike the ataghan of the
Turks. It is the national weapon, and,
from its size, is characteristic of men more
inclined to attack their enemy than defend
themselves. Krisses are valued for their
antiquity, they are the great heir-looms of
families, and are the last possessions which
the Malay stakes upon the hazard of the
cock-fight. The daring spirit of this people
is sufficiently marked by their mode of
combat: the handkerchief is unbound
from the head, and wound round the arm,
which it serves to protect; thus barehead-
44 JOURN A L OF AN
ed, and guarding only the limb employed
in attack, they rush upon their foe, re-
solved to overcome or be destroyed. It
is impossible to look at the kris, retaining
its poison for years, and avoid an impres-
sion, that the asserted vindictiveness of
the Malays is not wholly without founda-
tion. *
It must require some time to reconcile
the European eye, even though accus-
tomed to the dark countenances of India,
to the female face in Java; the ugliness of
the male is somewhat softened down in
the women, but more than enough re-
mains, I had almost said, to disgust: the
filthy, discoloured state of the teeth is per-
haps the worst part of their appearance.
In the situation which places them in the
most intimate relation with Europeans,
they display better qualities than those of
the same class in India; they are more
faithful and attached; indeed their jea-
lousy is a proof of the superior value they
place upon the regard of their protectors.
Kambang, or Rose, is not an unusual name
among native girls, to which, however,
their appearance bears nearly the same
EM BASSY TO CHIN A. - 45
relation, that the smell of the dooriyan
fruit * of Java does to the perfume of the
flower whose name they bear. I shall re-
serve my general remarks upon the na-
tional character, collected, from the con-
versation of those who had resided some
time on the island, for the concluding part
of this sketch.
The ropes used in the ferries where great
strength was required, were madeeither from
rattans joined together, or the fibre of the
sugar-tree, differing only in colour, being
black, from the coyyar, used in India for
the rigging of ships. The natives of this
island generally select places remote from
the great roads for their habitations; the
feudal services to which they were sub-
ject under the former government, suffi-
ciently account for this practice; and the
facility with which their dwellings and
household utensils are manufactured, ren-
ders them in a great measure independent
of shops or markets. The common clothes
worn by the lower orders are woven by the
women, and, as has been observed, they
obtain iron tools, &c. from the Chinese,
* This fruit is remarkable for a most offensive smell.
46 J O U R N A L OF AN
in exchange for rice and other agricultural
produce. -
On the 17th we returned to Batavia,
much pleased with our excursion, and with
very high ideas of the beauty and fertility
of the island. On the road we passed the
site of the lines of Cornelius, which were
destroyed soon after the capture of the
island. The house, surrounded by a small
fort, called Maister Cornelius, that gave
its name to the position, still remains.
Tradition says that it was built by the
Dutch gentleman who first ventured to
establish himself at the distance of some
miles from Batavia; he did not, however,
feel himself secure without a fortification,
in which, with a sufficient garrison, he
might probably have defied the Soosooha-
nen, or Emperor of Java, himself. Though
these formidable works are no longer to
be traced on the surface of the country,
the trees still wear the marks of the de-
structive fire from the Dutch batteries.
Marshal Daendels is said to have selected
and fortified this position in anticipation
of attack from the English, hoping that
the time required to carry the works
EMBASSY TO CHIN A. 47
would, from the proximity of the situation
to Batavia, prove fatal to the health of the
assailants, and, consequently, to the suc-
cess of their enterprise. The cantonments
at Welterwreden are extensive and well
situated ; on one side stands the palace
commenced by Daendels. Had we re-
tained possession of the island it would
probably have been finished, as the build-
ing is in a very advanced state. In spa-
ciousness and external appearance it would
be a fit residence for the representative of
sovereign power in Java.
The administration of Marshal Daendels
was conducted in the true Bonaparte spirit:
bold in his conception, he never was de-
terred from carrying his plans into effect by
alleged difficulties, or asserted rights; the
feelings and possessions of individuals were
made to yield to his wishes, either private
or public; and he preferred maintaining
his authority by the fears, rather than the
affections of those whom he was sent to
govern. Although he must have been
aware of the obvious tendency of the sys-
tem adopted by the Dutch to destroy the
resources of the island, it neither entered
48 JOURNAL OF AN
into his own character, nor into the policy
of the government which he represented,
to ameliorate the condition of the natives
by a communication of civil liberty. Whe-
ther natural, or assumed for the purpose
of intimidation, his manner was ferocious
to an unparalleled degree. An anecdote
is related of his arriving late at night at
one of the regencies, and ordering some
eggs to be prepared for his supper; the
native chief unluckily had none in the
house, and had the temerity to inform the
marshal, that no eggs were procurable at
that late hour. Taendels seized one of
the pistols, that were always placed near
him, and discharged it at his head; the
ball passed near his ear. The regent, a
man of some humour, says that the whizz-
ing of the bullet had a most wonderful
effect, all the hens in the village begin-
ning to lay their eggs immediately: the
fact was, that a second search, under the
fear of death, overcame the difficulty. It
is said that the removal of Daendels from
the government arose from a suspicion en-
tertained of his intending to render him-
self independent. Is it not in the nature
EMBASSY TO CHINA. 49
of usurped and new authority to dread
imitation in its instruments? Under Daen-
dels the character of the administration of
Java was changed; the commercial spirit
had yielded to the more energetic action
of military despotism. The substitution
would certainly have been advantageous
to the natives, for no oppression is so un-
feeling and unbending as that founded
upon the calculations of mercantile mo-
nopolists. -
On the 18th the party went to Chillin-
ching, about sixteen miles distant from
Batavia, the place where our troops dis-
embarked in 1811. The country is here
low and swampy, and must have given a
most unfavourable idea of the island of
Java; the appearance would, indeed, seem
to promise all the calamitous effects that
had been attributed to the climate; and
the necessity which compelled the troops
to halt two nights amidst the swamps,
while the bridge on the high-road was re-
pairing, produced sufficientillness amongst
them to justify the worst apprehension. The
narrow raised road, not admitting more
than four men abreast, that leads from the
vol. 1. Tº
50 JOURNAL OF AN
beach to the village, and the low grounds
on either side, must have rendered the ad-
vance even of infantry difficult, and pre-
sented great obstacles to the landing, had
the position been defended. In the event
of political changes placing us again in a
state of hostility with the possessors of
Java, experience will point out the eastern
parts of the island as the quarter for at-
tack, both from their superiority in climate
and facility in obtaining supplies, as well
as with a view to the certainty of receiving
co-operation from the natives.
A ball was given on the 18th, the an-
niversary of the battle of Waterloo, by
the English officers to the Dutch. The
occasion was well chosen for a public en-
tertainment; the hosts and their guests
could have no discordance of feeling as
to the great event they were about to
commemorate. If the result was more
glorious to Britain, it was more important
to the Netherlands; to that country it
was peace, independence, and political
existence. In the company was not to be
observed that colonial aspect in dress and
appearance which struck the members of
EMBAssy to chin.A. 51
the former embassy to China on a some-
what similar occasion. The elder Dutch
ladies, however, by retaining the kubaya”,
reminded the spectator of Java, while
their younger countrywomen were scarcely
more behind the latest European fashions,
than bad taste and the tardiness of com-
munication would account for.
The history of the colonial policy of
Europeans can scarcely present an in-
stance of greater mismanagement than the
administration of Java by the Dutch East
India Company. Their character of sove-
reigns was merged in that of monopolists;
the sole object was to obtain the annual
investment at the lowest prime cost, and
their policy never looked beyond the year.
In this they manifested a want of mer-
cantile wisdom; for their system of con-
tingents had a direct tendency gradually
to annihilate the sources of supply, and
consequently to destroy the capital itself.
Jāva, from its fertility, natural produc-
tions, and geographical situation, would,
* The kubaya is a loose dress worn by the native women e
ef Java. -
D 2
52 J O U R N A L OF AN
well managed, yield a large interest, in
the shape of revenue, to its possessors;
but the inordinate commercial avidity of
the Dutch, not satisfied with even an
usurious interest, annually deducted from
the real capital of the country. Indif.
ferent to the rights and the happiness of
their subjects, and to the general pro-
sperity of the island, they left the internal
government of the provinces entirely in
the hands of the native chiefs, whom in
return they compelled to supply them
with coffee, pepper, and other exportable
produce, at a much lower rate than the cul-
tivator could afford. Provided the chiefs
or regents, as the native chiefs were de-
nominated, made good their engagements,
the Dutch were indifferent to the mass of
human misery by which the object was
effected. It is generally admitted, that
the system of oriental governments, by
declaring the sovereign the proprietor of
the soil, takes as large a share of the pro-
duce from the subject, in the shape of re-
venue, as its continued cultivation will
allow; but under the Dutch administra-
tion of Java, it may be estimated that the
EMBAssy TO CHINA. 53
whole amount of their commercial invest-
ments was added to this proportion, for it
is not to be supposed that the native chiefs
would, from motives of compassion, dimi-
nish the funds, upon which they depended
for the maintenance of their rank, and for
their personal enjoyments, by deducting
the contingent from the ordinary revenue.
Oppression, however, beyond a certain
extent, becomes political suicide, and the
increasing financial difficulties in Java had
rendereditaburthen to the mother country;
and though Marshal Daendels had doubled
the revenue of the island, the disbursements
still exceeded the receipts. -
If the Dutch were unwise in the ad-
ministration of Java, they were not less
unjust in their estimation of the moral
character of the natives. The pirates who
infested their coasts, probably differing
but little from persons of similar occupa-
tions in other parts of the world, are the
originals of the pictures which they have
given of the Javanese. A consciousness
of meriting the severest retaliation from
their oppressed subjects, by exciting their
fears, inclined these commercial tyrants to
54 JOURNAL OF AN
attribute to them a ferocity of disposition,
which British experience for the last five
years has completely disproved. Dutch
officers, or public functionaries, never
moved through the country without a
guard; and the unexpected appearance
of a native on such an occasion, was con-
sidered sufficient to justify his being put
to death, as only wanting opportunity to
become a murderer. .
Malays and Javanese have often been
confounded by travellers: the former ge-
nerally inhabit the sea-coast, and are said
to be more impetuous in character, and
more dissipated in their habits, than the
latter. I was not, however, able to collect
that the difference of their moral merits
was such as to require a different ad-
ministration. The Javanese esteem them-
selves a superior race, and consider it an
affront to be called Malays: to the latter
belongs chiefly that spirit of desperate
gambling, which, under the influence of
bad luck, produces such acts of insane
barbarity. No European gentleman can
surpass a Malay in his sense of the ob-
ligation of debts of honour; he will even
EMBASSY To CHINA. ; 55
have recourse to theft, with the certainty
of detection and capital punishment, to
satisfy them. Veracity, I was informed,
belongs both to Javanese and Malays, to
a degree that must surprise all acquainted
with the general deficiency of oriental
nations in this quality; an instance has
been already given of their almost per-
tinacious adherence to truth. Our ac-
quaintance with the natives of Java, al-
though short, impressed us with a very fa-
vourable opinion of their character and dis-
position; they appeared intelligent, cheer-
ful, and kindly disposed, without any re-
serve in their manners, or prejudice against
strangers. Difference in religion does not,
as in India and othereastern countries, be-
come a restraint upon mutual intercourse;
the natives invite intimacy, and while they
readily adopt some European usages, do
not stigmatize as abominations those which
their inclination or religious tenets reject.
The separation between the natives of this
island and the British will be matter of
mutual regret; the enlightened policy,
which dictated the amelioration in the re-
venue and judicial systems, introduced by
56 JOURNAL OF AN
Sir Thomas Raffles, had begun to find its
reward, in the improved finances of the
colony; the substitution of a moderate
revenue, derived directly from the land,
and calculated on the species of produce
most generally and naturally raised, at
once liberated the commerce and agri-
culture of the island from the fetters of
mercantile oppression; and the colonial
government, under his administration, ap-
peared as the sovereign, claiming a fair
proportion of the resources of the country,
to defray the exigencies of the public
service; and not as the owner of a planta-
tion, coercing his slaves to labour beyond
their physical strength, for the gratifica-
tion of his insatiable avarice. Such was
the character of the former Dutch go-
vernment; it is to be hoped that the more
liberal notions of the duties of sovereigns,
and the rights of the people, forced upon
the monarchs of Europe by the tremendous
vicissitudes of these latter times, will extend
their influence to Java, and that the system
of government introduced by the British
will not be abandoned, nor the inhabitants,
now accustomed to better days, be thrown
EMBAssy. To CHINA. 57
back to the miseries of political and com-
mercial oppression. .
The researches of Sir Thomas Raffles,
and of other gentlemen employed in the
British administration of Java, will af.
ford much valuable information respect-
ing the antiquities and literature of the
island. The ancient religion was certainly
Hindoo, and the remains of temples, and
the works extant in languages now obsolete,
attest a considerable degree of civilization
and advancement in the arts: to the perusal
of these researches I look forward with
much delight, as it is impossible to visit
this island without feeling a deep inte-
rest in all that relates to its former his-
tory and actual condition.
21st of June.—Sailed from Batavia
roads. I had omitted to mention that
the Lyra was dispatched from Anjere
roads on the 12th of June, to announce
the approach of the embassy to Sir George
Staunton; an opportunity had fortunately
occurred of writing to Canton by an Ame-
rican vessel on the 10th, of which Lord
Amherst had availed himself; we may
therefore look forward to meeting with
58 JOURN AL OF AN
Sir George, and the gentlemen of the
factory who are to accompany the em-
bassy, at the appointed rendezvous ; that
such may be the case is highly desirable,
as we shall thereby avoid the impediments
which the jealousy of the local government
of Canton might present to the immediate
progress, if not to the reception, of the
embassy. -
EM BASSY TO CHIN A. 59
&
CHAPTER II.
Expectations on reaching China—Origin and objects of
theembassy—Probability of success—Arrival at Lemma
islands—Communications with Sir George Staunton—
Receipt of Imperial edict—Voyage in the Yellow sea—
Arrival at the mouth of the Pei-ho-Communications
with the Mandarins—Landing of the embassy—In-
terview with the Chinese commissioner—Journey to
Tien-sing—Arrival—Occurrences at Tien-sing—Re-
marks on city and inhabitants—Departure—Imperial
edict respecting the band—Discussion upon departure.
of the ships—Communication from Pekin, expressing
the Emperor's dissatisfaction—Discussion with Man-
darins thereupon–Appointment of superior Mandarins
motified—Arrival at Tong-chow. -
SixTH July, 1816.-The scene of action
is now so near, that it becomes an inte-
resting occupation to take a short view
of the origin and objects of the present
embassy; feelings and prejudices will arise
in the progress of the negotiation, if not on
our very arrival within the Chinese domi-
nions, which will probably influence our
opinions according to the occurrences of
the moment, and remove from our con-
60 J O U R N A L OF A N
sideration the principles that determined
the adoption of the measure. *
Nor perhaps in a journal like the pre-
sent, intended for the eye of private friend-
ship, can it be deemed irrelevant to trace
the hopes and feelings of the individual,
on approaching a country and a nation
at least interesting from novelty, and re-
markable for singularity of character and
habits. - - •
To those who, like myself, have passed
years of their lives in absence from their
native country, and have visited some of
the principal courts of Asia, the mere dif-
ference of manners, customs, and court
pageantry, from the European world, will
be less striking; and perhaps the same
comparative indifference will extend it-
self to the political conduct and moral
habits of the nations. I shall be less sur-
prised with the exhibitions of squalid po-
verty among the great body of the people,
and with the arrogance and at the same
time meanness of the higher orders. Nor
will it excite my indignation or astonish-
ment to find that the civilization of the
west is in the east either disbelieved or
|
EMBAssy TO CHIN A. 61
despised; or to observe a nation, satisfied
with the hereditary mediocrity of ages,
resisting the introduction of foreign, but
superior knowledge.
Had I the capacity, I much doubt the
possibility of collecting any new informa-
tion respecting China or its inhabitants.
The more modern works of our country-
men Sir George Staunton and Mr. Barrow,
of De Guignes and Vanbraam, have sa-
tisfied curiosity up to the date of the re-.
spective embassies to which they belonged,
and as centuries have produced less change
in China than a generation in Europe,
variety is not now to be expected; in
fact, at an earlier period the labours of
the missionaries had almost exhausted in
detail every possible subject of popular
inquiry: the satisfaction however remains
of seeing that of which we have read or
heard; but such satisfaction will be pro-
portionate to the interest of the subject,
and on this I must confess that China has
always appeared tome eminently deficient.
China, vast in its extent, produce, and
population, wants energy and variety; the
chill of uniformity pervades and deadens
62 JOURNAL OF AN
the whole: for my own part, I had rather
again undergo fatigue and privations among
the Bedouins of Arabia, or the Eeliats of
Persia, than sail along, as we may ex-
pect, in unchanging comfort on the placid
waters of the imperial canal. *
But whether the view just taken be just
or otherwise, ignorance of the language,
and the state of surveillance under which
we shall probably travel, will be com-
plete bars to enjoyment and research ; the
highest satisfaction will consist in return-
ing to England, and being able to say,
with Mr. Barrow, “Non cuivis homini con-
tingit adire Corinthum.” - .
Early in the year 1815 the increasing dif-
ficulties which the supercargoes at Canton
represented themselves as experiencing in
the conduct of the trade, from the oppres-
sions of the local government, induced the
Court of Directors to contemplate the
measure of an embassy to China, and they
accordingly submitted their views upon
the subject to his Majesty's ministers.
The President of the Board of Control, to
whom their communication was addressed,
suggested the expediency of deferring the
EMBASSY TO CHINA. 63
adoption of any specific measure until fur-
ther and more detailed information had
been received from the committee of su-
percargoes ; for although an appeal to
the imperial government might be recom-
mended or resorted to by them, while suf-
fering from actual oppression, it by no
means followed that they would retain the
same opinion, if measures of resistance,
already pursued at Canton, should prove
successful: in this reasoning the directors
concurred. - • ,
Possessed of the requisite information,
and supported by the renewed recommend-
ation of their supercargoes, the chairman
and deputy chairman of the Court of Di-
rectors, in a letter dated the 28th July,
1815, solicited the aid of his Majesty's
ministers to the proposed measure, and
the appointment, by the Prince Regent,
of some person of high rank, as his Em-
bassador to the Emperor of China.
It may not be inexpedient here to take
a brief review of the nature of the alterca-
tion between the Chinese authorities at
Canton, and the committee of supercar-
goes; and to clear the subject of violent
64 JOURNAL OF AN
feeling or prejudice, it is right, on the
very outset, to recollect, that the British
trade at Canton has never been guarded
by rights or privileges publicly granted,
or mutually stipulated, between the two
nations. There are no capitulations, as
in Turkey; nor commercial treaties, as
amongst the civilized nations of Europe.
Alterations of port duties, or of the num-
ber of Chinese allowed to trade with for
reigners, may be injurious, but are not
matters of complaint; upon these points
we may solicit amelioration, but cannot
demand redress.
Guided, however, by these principles,
we shall not hesitate to pronounce the in-
terference of the Chinese authorities, in
1813, with the appointment of Mr. Ro-
berts to the situation of chief of the fac-
tory, to be unjustifiable, and utterly in-
admissible; not so the appointment sanc-
tioned by the Emperor in the same year,
of a cohong, or diminished number of
Chinese security merchants. The right
of the Chinese government to make the
alteration is complete, and the only ques-
tion for the consideration of the super-
EMBAssy. To chin A. 65
cargoes and their employers at home is,
the expediency of continuing the trade
undeſ such circumstances. Successful re-
sistance to both these attempts, and some
minor circumstances, were considered, by
the committee, as the remote causes of
the disputes which assumed so serious an
aspect in 1814. -
* The immediate, and certainly not un-
reasonable, cause of the hostility of the
Canton government, was the violation of
the neutrality of the port, by the seizure of
an American ship within the undisputed
limits of the Chinese dominions. This
act was committed by the captain of his
Majesty's ship Doris. Other seizures of
American ships by that officer, although
justified by the acknowledged principles
of maritime law in Europe, were also com-
plained of by the Canton government, who
called upon the chief and select committee
of supercargoes to exert their authority in
redressing the injury, and preventing its
recurrence. The mode insisted upon was,
the immediate dispatch of his Majesty's
ships to Europe; and to give weight to
the demand, the supply of provisions was
vol. 1. F
66 JOURNAL OF AN
forbidden, and demonstrations were made
of an intention to expel them by force.
In vain did the committee represent
that they had no control over his Majes-
ty's ships, and that therefore they could
not, and ought not to be held responsible
for the conduct of their commanders. The
Viceroy of Canton, as might have been ex-
pected, refused to admit the separation of
authority, naturally preferring, as bearers
of the responsibility of all acts committed
by British subjects, a body of merchants re-
sident on the spot, and therefore tangible,
to superior authorities, placed at such a
distance, that, an appeal to them seemed
almost nugatory. - -
It is perhaps to be regretted that the
supercargoes were so tenacious of official
forms, as to hesitate making an apology,
in the name of their nation, for the ac-
knowledged irregularity that had been
committed, and immediately offering such
explanations respecting the other seizures,
as were best calculated to remove the mis-
apprehension, or to allay the increasing
irritation of the members of the Chinese
government. . .
EMBAssy to china. 67
The Viceroy of Canton endeavoured to
force compliance with his requisition for
the removal of the men of war, by a series
of acts all more or less embarrassing to the
supercargoes. Chinese of all descriptions
were prohibited from serving in the En-
glish factory; the addresses of the select
committee were returned unopened; and
the use of the Chinese character in such
documents, from which much advantage
had been derived in the conduct of public
business, was forbidden for the future.
The Chinese linguist, Ayew, who had been
employed by the factory to carry the por-
trait of the Prince Regent to the minister
Sung-ta-jin, at Pekin, was seized, impri-
soned, and beat, on the ground of his
connexion with foreigners; and it was in-
directly asserted, that he was engaged in
treasonable practices with the same per-
sons. This man was also accused of an
illegal attempt to purchase rank, for which
he was, by his former occupation of a
servant, disqualified. -
Three of these acts, as involving the
very existence of the trade, were certainly
fair subjects of remonstrance to the local
F 2
68 Journ AL or AN'
government, but with respect to the last,
doubts may be entertained : unjust accu-
sations preferred, and tyrannical punish-
ment inflicted upon a native of China,
might be matter of private reprobation, or
even abhorrence, but remonstrance upon
such points approaches to the nature of
interference with the judicial proceedings
of an independent government. A dif-
ferent, and certainly a more generous
view, was taken by the select committee;
and in the discussions which ensued, the
alleged ground of the seizure of the lin-
guist was made the principal head of com-
plaint, and its retractation the sine qué non
of amicable adjustment. - -
The inflexible determination manifested
by the Viceroy to persist in the acts just
enumerated, compelled the supercargoes
to have recourse to the measure of stop-
ping the trade; a measure pregnant with
injury to both parties, with an immediate
loss of revenue to the local government, and
with the greatest commercial and financial
embarrassment to the East India Company,
should it fail of success. The very despera-
tion of the measure required the utmost
EMBAssy. To CHINA. 69
firmness in carrying it into effect, and in
this the supercargoes were not wanting
A regular negotiation upon the points at
issue was allowed by the Viceroy. Man-
darins of rank were appointed to meet Sir
George Staunton (deputed from the select
committee for that purpose), on a footing
of equality, and the result was the removal,
and satisfactory explanation, of the sub-
jects of complaint. -
In the course of their discussions with
the local government, the select committee
had great reason to be dissatisfied with
the conduct of the Hong merchants; the
commercial interests of the chief merchant
were deeply engaged in the security of
the American ships, and the intrigues of
another extending to Pekin, were supposed
to have for their object the complete sub-
jugation of the trade to Chinese control.
The difficulties of the supercargoes were
naturally much increased by the failure of
support where they had most right to ex-
pect it; and their success has completely
established the vital importance of the
British trade to the government and pro-
vince of Canton. To that importance
70 JOURNAL OF AN
alone can be attributed the surrender, on
'this occasion, of national and personal
prejudice to the demands of foreigners,
however supported by reason, or justified
by usage. -
The question of these disagreeable alter-
cations might have been considered as set
at rest, were it not for the knowledge sub-
sequently obtained of the report addressed
by the Viceroy to the Emperor, in which
language similar in spirit to that com-
plained of, and retracted, was renewed:
this act of falsehood and treachery neces-
sarily diminished, if not destroyed, con-
fidence for the future.
Although this last proceeding of the
Viceroy was the limit of the information
possessed by the directors when they came
to the determination respecting the em-
bassy, it will give more connexion to this
narrative to anticipate their knowledge,
by bringing under notice the imperial
edicts relating to the occurrences at Can-
ton, received subsequent to the termina-
tion of the discussions with the local go-
vernment. Apprehensions are expressed
in one edict of the designs of the Chris-
EMBASSY TO CHINA. 71
tians in different parts of the empire; full
power is given to punish undue intercourse
with foreigners, and a rigorous inquiry is
directed into their conduct. Another edict,
addressed to the Viceroy, and founded upón
a report.transmitted from Canton, cen-
sures the mode in which the foreign trade
is conducted: a removal of the junior mer-
chants from the Hong, on the ground of
their insufficiency of capital, is pointed
out; and Sir George Staunton is person-
ally mentioned and described, from his
knowledge of the Chinese language and of
the country, acquired during the former
embassy, as a dangerous person, who ought
to be placed under the jealous surveillance
of the local authorities. One of the chief
merchants was supposed to be the author
of the report, and the principal mover
of the intrigues at Pekin, for the esta-
blishment of the cohong. It would ap-
pear, that on a review of these several oc-
currences, the supercargoes felt by no
means secure of their continuing unmo-
lested in the conduct of their commercial
affairs; and the directors represent them
as stating their conviction, “that had they
72 JOURNAL OF A N
succeeded in avoiding the disputes of 1814,
the strong measures they were then obliged
to adopt must still have been recurred to,
in a year or two more: and it was their
decided opinion, repeatedly expressed in
their minutes and letters, that it had be-
come highly expedient to send a mission
to the Emperor, either from Bengal or
England, in order to obtain due protection
and security for the British trade.”
The directors themselves entertained an
W opinion that the truth was concealed from
the Emperor, and therefore concluded
that a redress of grievances might be ex-
pected from a direct application to his su-
preme authority. Much stress was laid,
by the directors, upon the indisputable
importance of the British trade, not only
to the province of Canton, but to the im-
perial revenues; and they thence inferred
the certain disapprobation by the Emperor
of any measures that endangered its re-
gularity and continuance. -
Although the solicitation of additional
privileges was generally disclaimed by the
directors, their views on this occasion ex-
tended to two objects of new and im-
EMIBASSY TO CHIN A. 73
portant concession. First, the employment
of such Chinese merchants as the super-
cargoes might think fit; and, secondly, the
establishment. of a direct intercourse with
Pekin, either by means of a resident mini-
ster, or by written addresses to some tri-
bunal: a confirmation of the several points
contended for and gained by the super-
cargoes, in their recent negotiation with
the Viceroy, embraced all the otherexpecta-
tions of the directors from the proposed
embassy. They also suggested that this
opportunity might be taken to make suita-
ble explanations respecting the seizure of
American vessels by his Majesty's ship
Doris. -
The directors recommended that the
embassy or mission should consist of three
members; the first, a person of rank, to
be appointed by the Prince Regent; and
the other two, to be Mr. Elphinstone, the
chief of the factory at Canton, and Sir
George Staunton, one of the members of
the select committee, distinguished by his
abilities, and peculiarly qualified from his
knowledge of the Chinese language. All
expenses attending the embassy were to
74 Jour NAL of AN
be defrayed by the East India Company,
for whose interest, and at whose solicita-
tion, it was to be undertaken.
His Majesty's ministers concurred ge-
nerally in the propositions and views of
the directors; the only exception was the
composition of the mission, to which they
deemed it more advisable to give the ex-
ternal character of an Embassy Extraordi-
nary, rather than that of a Commission of
Embassy. Considerations of a general and
special nature probably influenced his Ma-
jesty's ministers in forming this opinion.
Impression was the great instrument by
which the objects of the embassy were to
be obtained ; this impression was to be
produced by the eclat of an embassy from
the Crown of England, and it was to be
apprehended that the introduction of per-
sons, however respectable or qualified, but
known only in China as servants of the
East India Company, into the ceremonial
branch of the embassy, might have an in-
jurious tendency. It was also felt that a
renewal of the discussions with the Canton
government, and their possible existence
on the arrival of the intended mission,
EMBASSY TO CHINA. 75
might, from the opposition to be appre-
hended under such circumstances by the
local authorities, prove fatal even to the
reception of the embassy. At the same
time the important benefits to be derived
from the assistance of Mr. Elphinstone
and Sir George Staunton, in all substantial
intercourse with the Chinese, were fully
appreciated. The appointment of an Em-
bassador Extraordinary, furnished with
general full powers to negotiate separately
or conjointly with one or both these gen-
tlemen, seemed to meet the object of their
selection by the directors, and to guard
against all general objections and possible
embarrassment. -
This modification of the original pro-
position being admitted by the directors,
Lord Amherst was appointed Embassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, by the
Prince Regent, and I was named secretary
of embassy, and furnished with dormant
credentials as minister plenipotentiary, to
be used only in the event of the death or
absence of the Embassador. My name
was also introduced into the instrument of
full powers, and it was understood that in
76 JOURNAL OF AN
case of the absence of Mr. Elphinstone or
Sir George Staunton, I was to succeed to
the vacancy in the commission.
The principal objects of the embassy
have been already stated; and in the in-
structions to the Embassador, while they
were detailed, and the relative importance
assigned to each, much was necessarily
left to his discretion and the judgment he
might form of the aspect of affairs at the
moment. Permission to trade with some
port to the northward, favourable to the
increased diffusion of English manufac-
tures, was the only addition to the ori-
ginal views of the directors. • ' '
It was impossible, with a knowledge of
the circumstances attending the dismissal
of the Russian embassy in 1805 from the
Chinese territories, to overlook the possible
contingency of a similar dispute, upon the
extraordinary ceremonial of reception at
the Chinese court, occurring on the pre-
sent occasion; for although the precedent
of Lord Macartney's embassy gave us in
some degree a prescriptive right to require
its renewal, there was reason to apprehend
that the more general usage of the empire,
EMBASSY TO CHINA. 77
to which in fact Lord Macartney’s em-
bassy formed an exception, might be en-
forced. - *
The ceremony, consisting of nine pro-
strations, though not formerly without ex-
ample in Europe”, was certainly repugnant
to individual feeling, and to the practice
of modern European courts; at the same
time, viewed as an usage belonging to
oriental barbarism, it could scarcely be
deemed advisable to sacrifice the more im-
portant objects of the embassy to any sup-
posed maintenance of dignity, by resisting
upon such a point of etiquette, in such a
scene. . But as this was a question most
especially dependent upon the circum-
stances of the moment, and the disposition
of the Chinese court in other respects, it
was left by his Majesty's ministers to the
discretion of the Embassador, aided, as his
judgment would be, by the opinion of Mr.
Elphinstone and Sir George Staunton.
To all who have considered with atten-
* Prostration, or a ceremony nearly resembling it, was
the established usage even of the last age of the Byzantine
empire, and it was actually complied with by several of the
independent princes among the crusaders.
78. JOURNAL OF AN
tion the proceedings and result of the for-
mer British embassy to China, the com-
plete success of the present embassy must
seem almost impossible; some even enter-
tain doubts of its reception; my appre-
hensions do not, however, extend so far;
usage, and a certain degree of satisfaction
at the compliment intended, will probably
induce the Emperor to receive the em-
bassy; unless, as in the case of the last
Russian embassador, Count Golovkin, a
dispute in limine upon ceremonial should
prove fatal. The directors themselves,
who are to be considered as the authors of
the measure, almost disclaim the hope of
new concessions; and although redress of
grievances enters into their contempla-
tion, yet as that involves complaints against
persons possessed of influence at Pekin,
success is scarcely to be expected, and
ought not to be attempted without the ut-
most caution. Secure enjoyment of what-
ever privileges now exist, or more pro-
perly, stability in the regulations for con-
ducting the trade, is the limit of all pro-
bable calculations. Should the result of
the embassy be confined to a bare recep-
EMBASSY TO CHIN A. 79
tion, the measure cannot be considered as
having wholly failed; access will be ob-
tained to the Emperor, and unless com-
plaints be preferred, and redress refused,
the local government of Canton cannot
acquire the certainty of impunity.
The recent success of the decisive, if
not desperate, measures pursued by the
select committee in their disputes with the
Viceroy of Canton, will, in the opinion of
many, recommend a similar tone being
adopted in the approaching intercourse
with the court of Pekin. A striking dif-
ference in the two scenes ought not to be
overlooked; at Canton the weapon wielded,
the threat of stopping the trade, was at
hand, and the enemy within reach; the
injury inflicted, a diminution of revenue
was immediate, and the tranquillity of the
province might be endangered by the loss
of livelihood to the numerous persons now
employed in the trade. Whatever, there-
fore, might be the ultimate result of the
contest between the factory and the Chi-
nese government, the ruin of the Viceroy
under whom it occurred was inevitable.
Very different, however, are the circum-
80 Journ AL OF AN
stances under which a similar policy would
be adopted at Pekin. Neither the instruc-
tions of his Majesty’s ministers, nor the
views of the court of directors, contem-
plate the reception of the embassy being
compelled by threats of resenting its re-
jection. The principles laid down are
conciliation and compliment: indeed the
sole chance of success to the ulterior ob-
jects of the embassy exists in producing a
favourable impression upon the mind of the
Emperor; and this can only be effected by
complying with the particular usages of
the court and nation, as far as a due sense
of our own dignity, combined with consi-
derations of policy, will permit. It would
be neither decorous nor politic to render
the continuance of the Ordinary com-
mercial intercourse dependent upon the
proceedings of the embassy; the hands of
the Embassador are therefore unarmed ;
and while indefinite threats might pro-
voke, they would certainly fail of intimi-
dating. Ceremonial observances required,
as in the case of the Dutch embassy, for
the obvious purpose of reducing us to a
level with missions from Corea and the
EMBASSY TO CHIN A. 81
Lew-chew islands, should be refused, not
only as degrading but inexpedient; how-
ever, should the reception or rejection of
the embassy depend upon an adherence,
on the present occasion, to the mode ob-
served in the case of all former European
embassadors admitted to an audience, ex-
cept Lord Macartney, I should have no
hesitation in giving up the maintenance of
the single exception as a precedent, from
a belief that the dismissal of the embassy,
without access being obtained to the im-
perial presence, would be a confirmation
to the present and future Viceroys of Can-
ton, that their own interest is the only
check to their extortion and injustice.
9th of July.—This evening Captain Cla-
well, of his Majesty’s ship the Orlando,
came on board, and informed the Embas-
sador that the intelligence of an intended
embassy had been well received by the
Foo-yuen. Captain Clavell had commu-
nicated with Captain Hall of the Lyra, the
day before; and as Lord Amherst's dis-
patches by the American schooner have
reached Sir George Staunton some days,
there is every probability that we shall
WOL. I. * ... G &
82 . JOURNAL OF AN
find the reinforcement from the factory
assembled at the Lemma island, the place
of rendezvous appointed by Captain Max-
well. -
10th July, 1816–Arrived at the Lem-
ma islands, where we found the Lyra and
the Company’s cruisers Discovery and In-
vestigator; Sir George Staunton, and the
other gentlemen of the factory, were in
the latter vessels. When we anchored, Mr.
Toone came on board the Alceste with
an apology from Sir George Staunton, who
was prevented by indisposition from pay-
ing his respects to the Embassador. Mr.
Toone was also the bearer of several docu-
ments and communications, of which the
following is the substance:–The select
committee did not, on receipt of the first
intimation from the court of directors in
January of an embassy being in contem-
plation, deem it advisable to make any
communication to the local government;
and indeed, the delay that occurred in the
expected arrival of the Orlando, (the pass-
age having occupied seven months) in-
duced them to entertain doubts as to the
measure being persisted in. Private ac-
EMBASSY TO CHIN A. 83.
counts, however, by the way of India,
rendered the embassy matter of public
notoriety, and moreover gave the Portu-
guese at Macao, and other interested per-
sons, an opportunity to circulate reports
of a malicious tendency. Under these cir-
cumstances, therefore, the supercargoes
lost no time, immediately on the arrival
of the Orlando, to make an official com-
munication to the government of Canton
on the subject *. The letter from the Pre-
sident of the Board of Control to the Vice-
roy, in which the embassy was officially
announced, did not reach them for a few
days, that document having been sent by
the Thomas Grenville, which had separated
during the voyage from the Orlando. Sir
Theophilus Metcalfe was dispatched to
Canton to deliver the letter to the Foo-
yuen, the Viceroy himself having pro-
ceeded to Pekin. Sir Theophilus was
accompanied by Captain Clavell of the
Orlando, and was received with more than
ordinary graciousness; an express was dis-
patched to Pekin on the 9th of June with
* Wide Appendix C, No. 1.
84 - JOURNAL OF AN
a report, and the answer was expected
this day.
Two of the Hong merchants, through
the medium of Sir Theophilus Metcalfe,
have endeavoured to dissuade Sir George
from accompanying the embassy; one of
them even suggested the possibility of a
personal objection being made to him, and
both concurred in recommending that his
departure and the nature of his situa-
tion should be publicly announced. In-
fluenced by this and other considerations,
Sir George * addressed a letter to the
Viceroy, announcing his appointment as
commissioner, and stating the necessity
of his immediate departure to join the
Embassador, the advanced state of the
season rendering it certain that His Ex-
cellency would proceed, without touching
any where, to Tien-sing. The exact point
to which Sir George might proceed was
concealed from the Chinese, which was
the more easy from no communication
having taken place between the Lyra and
the shore. Alarm, to judge from the re-
* Wide Appendix C, No. 2.
E M BASSY TO CHIN A. 85
inforcements sent to the different military
posts, would seem to be the predominant
feeling: this must be attributed in some
degree to the misrepresentations of the
Portuguese. On the whole, however, the
manner in which the intelligence was re-
ceived at Canton, and the tranquillity with
which the trade has been carried on for
the last fourteen months, must be consi-
dered a favourable state of affairs.
In the evening the ships weighed, and
proceeded to the island of Hong-Kong for
the purpose of watering. We hope that
we shall be enabled to pursue our voyage
on the morning of the 12th. The situation
of the watering place is picturesque. A
stream of water falls down the mountains
forming the island, and the casks may be
filled when the tide serves, close to the
beach. Surrounding projections of the
land enclose a small bay, the resort of
fishing vessels.
After breakfast, Sir George came on
board the Alceste, and had his first inter-
view with Lord Amherst: the principal
point which occupied their attention was
86 JOURNAL OF AN
the difference in the constitution of the em-
bassy, a difference which, in Sir George's
opinion, made it somewhat doubtful whe-
ther the station which he was called upon
to fill in the embassy was consistent with
what was due, in the eyes of the Chinese,
to his previous situation of President of
the Select Committee. The explanations,
however, which were made by Lord Am-
herst removed these objections, and it was
finally determined that he should accom-
pany the embassy. Written communica-
tions between Lord Amherst and him were
exchanged on the subject. Sir George
did not appear to consider the present
moment favourable to the objects of the
embassy; the personal alarms of the Em-
peror, produced by the attempt to assas-
sinate him, and the impression generally
existing, that the late disturbances were
fermented by religious sectaries, among
whom the Christians are included, were
considered by him calculated to increase
the usual jealousy of foreigners, forming
such a peculiar feature in Chinese policy.
A catholic bishop was executed six months
EMBASSY TO CHINA. 87
since in one of the provinces, and an-
other missionary continues under sentence
of death.
On the 12th in the morning, Sir George
transmitted a communication just received
from Sir Theophilus Metcalfe, enclosing
a letter from Mr. Robarts, informing Sir
Theophilus that two of the Hong mer-
chants had just been with him, stating
from the Foo-yuen, that the departure of
Sir George to join the embassy without
communicating the names and ranks of
the persons composing it, was highly irre-
gular; and further requiring a strict con-
formity to the precedent of Lord Macart-
ney, who had not proceeded up the Yellow
Sea until the Emperor's answer had ar-
rived. In reply the lateness of the season
was pleaded, and the impossibility of con-
trolling the actions of the Embassador.
Under these circumstances, and looking
to the possibility of an attempt being
made to detain us, it was resolved to get
under weigh at two o'clock. The deter-
mination had scarcely been formed when
a fast sailing boat arrived from Macao
\
88 JOURNAL OF AN
with a copy of the Emperor's edict” in
answer to the report from the Foo-yuen,
containing a declaration of his satisfaction
at the arrival of the embassy, and his dis-
position to honour it with a most gracious
reception. Mandarins had been dispatched
both to Tien-sing and Chusan to await the
disembarkation of the Embassador, and
to conduct him to court. An arrange-
ment suggested from Canton, respecting
the dispatch of two linguists to act as in-
terpreters, was also agreed to by his Im-
perial Majesty. This truly satisfactory
communication removed the most serieus
of our apprehensions that the embassy
might not have been received, and it was
determined not to delay our sailing be-
yond the following day; it still being
deemed advisable not to run the hazard of
receiving an official communication from
the authorities at Canton, who might pos-
sibly have received secret instructions to
effect the disembarkation of the embassy
at that port. - -
Messrs. Toone, Davis, Pearson, Morri-
* Wide Appendix C, No. 3.
EMBAssy To chi N.A. 89
son, and Manning, all more or less ac-
quainted with the Chinese language, ac-
companied Sir George Staunton from Ma-
cao, and became attached to the embassy
at Hong-Kong. Sir George Staunton and
Mr. Morrison embarked in the Alceste,
the rest of the gentlemen were accommo-
dated in the Hewitt and Discovery. The
intimate knowledge of the Chinese lan-
guage possessed by Mr. Morrison, naturally
pointed him out as the principal medium
of future communication with the Chinese,
and he was immediately employed in the
translation of the Prince Regent's letter
and other documents, which he executed.
with a facility much beyond any idea I
had formed of European acquirement in
this most difficult language.
We sailed at twelve o'clock on the 13th,
and after beating out of the bay, stood to
sea with a fair wind; passed Pedra Blanca
in the morning. -
The little intercourse we have hitherto
had with the Chinese, gives us the impres-
sion of their being an active, lively, and in-
telligent people, not alarmed at strangers.
The fishermen at Hong-Kong appeared
more surprised at the appearance of Eu-
90 JOURNAL OF AN
ropeans than their vicinity to Macao, only
twenty-five miles distance, would have led
us to imagine. So many European vessels
were probably never before collected to-
gether in this bay, and the whole scene
from the shore was highly animated. At
night the number of fishing-boats, each
with a light, presented the appearance of
a London street well lighted, and at times
the sound of the gongs accompanying the
offerings to the tutelary deity of each vessel
had not an unpleasant effect. It is re-
markable that the dislike of Europeans is
confined to Canton, and that on other
parts of the coast communication is by no
means discouraged. At Tinpak the chief
magistrate, who had become slightly ac-
quainted with the English from residing a
short time in the house of a Hong mer-
chant at Canton, was remarkably atten-
tive to the officers employed on the survey
in the China seas, and even offered them
his assistance in their particular pursuits.
Chinese” are said to be luxurious in their
* It will be readily supposed that general observations
upon Chinese manners thus early introduced can only be
derived from the communications of the gentlemen of the
Canton factory, who accompanied the embassy.
E M BASSY TO CHIN A. 91
mode of living; eating and drinking are
their great pleasures. The dinner lasts an
unreasonable time, and the conversation
is generally confined to the important busi-
ness in which they are engaged. Drunken-
ness, unaccompanied with exposure, is
considered a venial offence, and it is not
unusual to compliment a man upon the
hardness of his head or the capacity of his
stomach, by saying he has a large wine
measure. The more symptoms of reple-
tion manifested by the guests after dinner,
the higher the satisfaction felt by the host.
The left is the place of honour, and on oc-
casion of a dinner given by the Hong mer-
chant Puan-Ke-qua to Sir George Staun-
ton and the Mandarin Foo, he availed him-
self of the different notions entertained by
Europeans and Chinese in this point, to
give each the place of honour according
to their respective customs, combating
Foo's hesitation to take the left, by saying
that if Sir George took the right, both
would think themselves in the place of ho-
nour. It is said that the Hong merchants
who amass fortunes, are anxious to make
Mandarins of their children, exhibiting in
92 JOURN ATL OF AN
this instance a striking similarity with per-
sons of the same class in our own and
other countries; although in China the in-
security of official honours, and the dan-
gers of degradation, would seem sufficient
to check their ambition. Feature, com-
plexion, dress, and religion, may be va-
rious and opposite in different countries,
but the great springs of human action re-
main the same ; and though the eye may
be struck with apparent opposition, the
understanding will be more surprised,
and oftener called upon to notice simili-
tudes.
Our course was too far from the coast
to enable us to judge of the nature of the
country: we stood near enough to the
coast of Corea to give us a view of the ex-
tremity of the land *, which was named
Cape Amherst. The hills near the pro-
montory of Shan-tung were very fantas-
tical in their shapes, and some cultivation
was traced in the valleys.
On the 25th, having fairly entered the
* It turned out afterwards that this was not the coast
of Corea, but an island lying upwards of one hundred
miles west of its southern extremity.
EMBASSY TO CHINA. 93
Gulf of Petchelee, and being within forty-
eight hours sail of Ta-koo, the expediency
of dispatching the Lyra for the purpose of
announcing the embassy was taken into
consideration, and the measure was finally
adopted, both to prevent unnecessary de-
lays, and as a mark of proper attention to
the Chinese authorities. The letter to the
Viceroy communicated our approach, and
transmitted a list of the persons compos-
ing the embassy", and a general sketch of
the presents, accompanied by an applica-
tion for the same number of boats as had
been supplied on the former occasion, viz.
ten for the accommodation of Lord Am-
herst and his suite, and twenty for the
presents, baggage, and attendants. The
* Right Hon. Lord Amherst, Embassador Extraordi-
nary, Minister Plenipotentiary, and First Member in
the Commission. -
Hon. Mr. Amherst, Page to the Embassador.
Sir Geo. Staunton, Second Member in the Commission.
Henry Ellis, Esq. Third Member in the Commission.
Henry Hayne, Esq. Acting Secretary of Embassy, and
Private Secretary to the Embassador.
F. Hastings Toone, Esq. J. F. Davis, Esq. Thomas
Manning, Esq. Rev. Robert Morrison, Chinese Se-
cretaries.
Rev. John Griffith, Chaplain.
94 Jour NAL of AN
number of persons in the present embassy
amounts only to seventy-five, being twenty
fewer than accompanied Lord Macartney;
the boats will probably be more than suf-
ficient”. Mr. Toone, who has been sent
in charge of the letter, has been instructed
to avoid, if possible, going on shore, as it
is apprehended, that the number and insi-
dious character of the questions likely to
be put to him may prove embarrassing;
Clarke Abel, Esq. Physician to the Embassador.
Dr. Alexander Pearson, Physician to the Factory.
William Havell, Esq. Artist.
Lieut. J. Cooke, Royal Marines, commanding the Em-
bassador's Guard. -
Lieut. Charles Somerset, attached to the Guard.
Mr. James Marrige, Superintendant of Presents, Ac-
countant, and Comptroller.
Mr. Zachariah Poole, Assistant to Mr. Abel.
Dr. James Lynn was also attached to the embassy, and
without salary promised his medical assistance.
Mr. Charles Abbot, Mr. W. B. Martin, Midshipmen of
the Alceste. - -
Servants, Musicians, Guards.
* In describing the relative ranks of Lord Amherst,
Sir George Staunton, and myself, Mr. Morrison used
the terms Ching-wang-chae, middle deputed person from
the king; Tso-wang-chae, left hand deputed person;
and Yew-wang-chae, right hand deputed person: the
middle, left, and right being in the gradation of our
situations.
EMBAssy To CHINA, 95
he is, however, cautioned not to assume
any appearance of mystery as to the ob-
jects of the embassy; and in the event of
his being interrogated upon the subject
by individuals of sufficient rank to merit
an answer, to represent it as complimen-
tary on the part of the Prince Regent to
his Imperial Majesty. Should the Vice-
roy not be within reach, and the subor-
dinate authorities be inquisitive as to the
contents of the letter to the Viceroy, Mr.
Toone was authorised to state generally
its contents, and verbally to apply for the
required number of boats. Questions
as to the contents of the Prince Regent's
letter, or the more detailed objects of
the embassy, were to be met by a sim-
ple declaration of his ignorance on those
points.
On the 26th, saw the islands of Mea-
tau, and several others that had been no-
ticed in the former navigation.
On Sunday the 28th, Lord Amherst di-
rected the gentlemen, servants, musicians,
and guard of the embassy to be assembled
on the quarter deck, and there read to
thern an address calling their attention to
96 JOURNAL OF AN
the importance, and indeed the absolute
necessity of conducting themselves with
sobriety and decorum during their resi-
dence in the Chinese dominions; the sub-
ject of abstaining from trade was also ad-
verted to, and the former prohibition was
repeated. At two o'clock we came to an
anchor in five fathoms, the Lyra in sight
at anchor to the westward. . By signal we
learnt that no communication had taken
place with the shore. The coast of China
and several junks were visible; good eyes
could distinguish a building. We suppose
ourselves some miles nearer in shore than
the spot where the Lion anchored with
Lord Macartney, but I do not apprehend
that we are satisfied of our exact position
with respect to the mouth of the river.
Monday the 29th.-In consequence of
a signal made for a lieutenant to the Lyra,
Mr. De Warris came on board the Alceste
while we were at breakfast; he was the
bearer of a letter from Mr. Toone to Sir
George Staunton. No communication, it
appeared, had taken place with the shore;
but Captain Hall and Mr. Toone had
boarded some fishing vessels, and had suc-
EMBAssy to CHINA. 97
ceeded in stating to them in writing the
arrival of the embassy, and the necessity
of giving immediate notice to the Manda-
rins of Tong-koo, a town somewhat nearer
than Takoo. Mr. Toone did not, how-
ever, place much reliance upon their
promise to comply with his wishes. It
was accordingly determined to order the
Lyra to join the Alceste, for the pur-
pose of making further arrangements as to
the best mode of communicating the actual
arrival of the Embassador to the Chinese
authorities. Our conjectures lead us to
conclude that we have outstripped the ex-
pectations of the Chinese, who have not
probably calculated upon our arrival for
some days; indeed our passage having
only occupied fifteen days, would justify
their not being prepared to receive us.
It must be a source of no ordinary satis-
faction to Captain Maxwell, that the squa-
dron should have reached the anchorage,
through seas of difficult and uncertain na-
vigation, without accident or delay. We
have not experienced such heavy fogs as
prevailed during Lord Macartney’s voyage;
but the atmosphere has been generally
WOL. I. . H
98 JOU R N AL OF AN
hazy, and loaded with moisture to a most
uncomfortable degree. During the last
week the weather had been so pleasant,
that we began to flatter ourselves with the
hope of being within the influence of a
northern climate; but the oppressive heat
of the anchorage has restored us to the
miseries of constant liquefaction and lan-
guor; the difference in the thermometer
has been ten degrees, and this increased
temperature is rendered more sensible by
the denseness and moisture of the air.
Tuesday the 30th.--Captain Hall and
Mr. Toone came on board, from whom we
had the satisfaction of hearing that two
Mandarins, the one with a white and the
other with a gold button, had been on
board the Lyra the preceding day, that
they had taken charge of the letter for the
Viceroy, to which an answer could not be
received sooner than in two days. His
Excellency was not at Tien-sing, but at
Pao-ting-foo, the seat of government. Ac-
counts had been received of the embassy,
but they were not prepared for so early an
arrival. No difficulty was anticipated in
procuring the required number of boats.
E M BASSY TO CHIN A. 99
Chang-oo-ay, who held an office of im-
portance in the province of Tien-sing”,
was said to be the Mandarin appointed to
conduct the embassy to Pekin; his button
is blue, and his rank is quite equal to that
of Chou-ta-jin, the civil Mandarin em-
ployed on the former occasion. The Man-
darins inquired whether we had the Em-
peror's picture on board, a proof that the
most minute circumstance relating to the
former embassy had not been unattended
to. Mr. Toone had principally recourse
to the Chinese character as the medium
of communication both with the Manda-
rins and the boatmen; the former brought
a native of Canton on board with them,
and seemed surprised that Mr. Toone did
not understand his dialect; more wonder
appeared to be excited by persons not un- .
derstanding, than by their speaking Chi-
nese. -
July 31st.—Four Mandarins, one with a
crystal, one with an ivory, and two with
* I afterwards ascertained that his office was that of
Tao-tai, or Tao-ye, answering to a governor of two
towns; and that he was also charged with the superin-
tendance of the river police.
H 2
100 JOURN A I, OF AN
gold buttons, came on board. The object
of their visit was chiefly complimentary ;
they were also anxious to ascertain the
number of persons composing the em-
bassy, and the nature of the presents. It
was judged right not to admit them im-
mediately to the presence of the Embas-
sador, and they were accordingly detained
a few minutes in Captain Maxwell's cabin,
where refreshments were offered to them.
Their dresses were common; and certainly,
their general appearance was neither re-
spectable nor elegant: comparing them
with persons of correspondent rank in
Persia, Arabia, or Turkey, I should say
they were inferior in outward respecta-
bility. The most remarkable part of
their dress is the straw conical bonnet,
with hair dyed red, hanging over it. Their
complexions were dark, and their features
coarse. In the course of conversation we
learnt that Nay-in-ching, the Viceroy of
Pechelee, had been displaced, and a Man-
darin of the same name as the late Viceroy
of Canton was appointed his successor;
should he actually be the same person,
the circumstance may prove embarrass-
EMBAssy to chi N.A. 101
ing, as he will probably be disposed to
connect the present embassy with the late
discussions at Canton in which he was so
actively engaged. The Mandarins observed
that the new Viceroy was absent in a dis-
tant province, and that a reference to
Pekin would occupy ten or twelve days:
these statements were possibly made as
pretexts for future delay. We were given
reason to expect a visit from Chong and
another Mandarin of rank to-morrow. In
compliance with their wishes that two gen-
tlemen should be sent on shore to return
the compliment intended by their deputa-
tion, Mr. Morrison and Mr. Cooke were
directed to accompany them in the boat
of the Discovery. The Emperor was not
to leave Pekin for Gehol until the 10th of
September.
Not having the means of serving tea
round according to the Chinese fashion,
cherry brandy was substituted, by no
means to the dissatisfaction of the Man-
darins; they rose to drink, and held the
cup with both hands. Lord Amherst, at
the suggestion of Mr. Morrison, gave the
signal for retiring, and they departed appa-
102 J O U R N AL OF AN
rently pleased with their reception. The
boat that conveyed them was large and
decked: the sails of these Chinese boats
are, in proportion to the size of the vessel,
large; and though flat-bottomed, they sail
fast and work well to windward; there was
no cabin, but a sort of well in which the
Mandarins were seated; the place for cook-
ing was in the stern.
The delay in the Emperor's departure
for Gehol may possibly shorten our stay
in China, as his Majesty may desire us
not to take the trouble of accompany-
ing him ; this course would, however, pro-
bably not be adopted, unless the feeling
towards the embassy was unfavourable;
and in this case would equally be followed,
if we only arrived at Pekin three or four
days before the removal of the court: it
would seem, therefore, desirable to expe-
dite our journey to Pekin by every means
within our power.
1st of August.—Mr. Morrison and Mr.
Cooke returned this morning; they had
seen the three Mandarins appointed to
take charge-of the embassy. As on the
former occasion, a Tartar named Kwang
E M BASSY TO CHIN A. 103
held the principal situation: he wore only
a crystal button, but as Chin-chae”, or im-
perial commissioner, he took precedence
of the others. Chong had a blue button,
and Yin, the military Mandarin, a red
button; his rank is that of inspector ge-
neral of the troops of the province. The
gentlemen were conveyed in carts drawn
by horses to the temple, where the Man-
darins received them : they were polite
and agreeable in their manners ; and Mr.
Morrison, making the usual deduction for
Chinese hauteur, was satisfied with his re-
ception. Nothing of much importance
occurred at the interview; the principal
questions related to the number of per-
sons, and an objection was made to the
guard and to the number generally ºf ; fifty
* Chin-chae, or Kin-chae, which I have employed in-
differently, both being in use, literally signifies “sent from
the court,’ and should perhaps be translated “Envoy.’
The duties of the office, and the circumstance of their
being performed in commission, induced me to adopt the
term Imperial Commissioner. The Mandarin styled Le-
gate by Lord Macartney was a Chin-chae, which in Latin
was rendered by Legatus.
+ A similar obj ection was made to the number of per-
sons who accompanied the Portuguese Embassador Don
Antonio Metello Souza Menezez in the last century, and
an actual reduction took place before he left Canton.
104 .JOURNAL OF AN
af
was said to be the limit fixed by the Em-
peror. Mr. Morrison met this objection,
by observing that twenty or thirty more
persons could not be of any consequence
to so great a monarch. A military Man-
darin of high rank, who was present,
readily assented to this remark. Mr.
Morrison learnt incidentally in conversa-
tion that it was the intention of his Im-
perial Majesty to receive the Embassador,
and give him his audience of leave before
he set out for Gehol. It was arranged
that Chang and Yin should pay their re-
spects to the Embassador the following
day, when supplies would also be sent to
the ships. The Chin-chae expressed his
intention of receiving the Embassador on
shore. -
On reference to the Pekin Red Book”,
it was found that the Chin-chae is con-
nected with the imperial family; his rank
as a Mandarin is low, but his present
commission gives him very high temporary
dignity, as was manifested by his sitting
completely separate at the conference:
the other Mandarins were placed on his
"A calendar is published every year by authority,
containing the names and offices of the several Manda-
rins. -
E M BASS Y TO CHIN A. 105
left hand, the place of honour, and the
English gentlemen on the right hand, at
some distance; they dined, a la Chinoise,
with the inferior Mandarins, who had ac-
companied them to the shore. The ac-
commodations of Mr. Morrison and the
other gentlemen at night in the temple
were uncomfortable, nor was much dispo-
sition shewn to attend to their convenience.
They did not land at the usual place, but
were carried to some distance, in order to
avoid taking them through the village of
Tong-koo. The weather has been so un-
favourable, that the Mandarins have not
kept their engagement. .
2nd August.—As the continued failure
of the Mandarins cannot be satisfactorily
accounted for from the state of the wea-
ther, the expediency of addressing them
upon the subject has become matter of
consideration; remonstrance would not
probably have any effect, and might lead
to future embarrassment: it seems, how-
ever, difficult to leave the neglect wholly
unnoticed; and as the lists of persons and
presents have not yet, in consequence of
the Mandarins breaking their engagement,
106 JOUR N A L OF AN
been transmitted, a letter might be ad-
dressed to them for that purpose, and an
expression of Lord Amherst's anxiety to
proceed without delay to the presence of
his Imperial Majesty be introduced, so as
to convey to them his sense of their want
of attention in forwarding this obviously
important object: this measure would seem
the more advisable, looking to the possi-
bility of their being desirous to detain
us here for the purpose of unreasonably
shortening our stay at Pekin, and the con-
sequent necessity on our part of having
recourse to strong remonstrances to pre-
vent a proceeding so injurious, if not of
fensive. In conformity with these views
a letter was prepared, and it was at first
proposed to dispatch it by Mr. Craw-
ford, of the Investigator, in the morning;
the weather, however, promising well for
the morrow, at the suggestion of Sir George
Staunton and Mr. Morrison, it was subse-
quently resolved to give another twenty-
four hours grace to the Mandarins. Mr.
Morrison on this occasion stated, that the
great object of Chinese politicians was to
compel their adversaries to act, that they
E M BASSY TO CHIN A. 107
might thereby shape their own proceed-
ings, and that the common rules of de-
cency and civility would, after a certain
time, oblige them to quit this apparent
system of inattention, if we had sufficient
patience to await that period, which could
not be far distant. He further added, that
they were more reluctant to incur the re-
proach of breach of politeness than of
truth. It must be confessed that the de-
lay looks inauspicious, and probably arises
from some change or hesitation in the high-
est quarter. Mr. Morrison was led to
argue a want of favourable disposition
from what he had collected in the course
of private conversation with persons on
shore. -
3d of August. — Weather stormy; no
hopes of a visit from the Mandarins. -
4th of August.—Received a visit from
Chang and Yin, the two Mandarins who
are to accompany the embassy : they were
both preceded by their visiting tickets,
composed of slips of red paper, eighteen
inches long by six wide, on which their
names and titles were inscribed. Yin ar-
rived first, and was received by Captains
108 JOURN A L OF A N
Maxwell and Hall, in their full uniforms,
upon deck: he would not be presented to
the Embassador until his colleague arrived.
When Chang reached the ship, they were
conducted to Lord Amherst's cabin by Mr.
Morrison, where they were received by his
Excellency and the two Commissioners.
After the usual compliments they pro-
ceeded to make inquiries as to the number
of boats that would be required for the
embassy, presents, and baggage. Copies
of the lists that had been transmitted to
the Viceroy of Pe-che-lee were then put
into their hands, and with the exception
of an attempt to reckon the amount, fifty-
four persons, the number passed unno-
ticed. They next asked what were the
objects of the embassy; to which it was
replied, that the intention of the Prince Re-
gent was to manifest his regard for his
Imperial Majesty, and to confirm those
relations of friendship that had subsisted
between their illustrious parents. On their
demanding whether nothing else was in-
tended, they were apprized that the ob-
jects of the embassy were stated in the
Prince Regent's letter, and would be com-
EMBASSY TO CHIN A. 109
municated to To-chong-tong, the principal
minister, who was, as we had been in-
formed, to meet us at Tien-sing. It was
further explained, that a Chinese transla-
tion would be made of the Prince Regent's
letter, that a copy would be given to the
minister, and the original delivered to his
Imperial Majesty: with this they seemed
satisfied. They then adverted to the cere-
mony of ko-tou, or prostration, and ob-
served that previous practice would be
required to secure its being decorously
performed before the Emperor; to this it
was answered, that every mark of respect
would on the present, as on the former
embassy, be manifested towards his Im-
perial Majesty. Upon conferring together,
it seemed that they were not really aware
of what had then occurred; as the subject
was however again renewed by them, it
was judged advisable to cut short this pre-
mature discussion by informing them that
whatever was right would be attended
to. The probability of our being allowed
to accompany the Emperor to Gehol was
then noticed, and, as we had apprehended,
it was said that the Emperor proposed
11() JOURNAL OF AN
terminating all that concerned the em-
bassy before his departure from Pekin;
in reply it was simply remarked, that the
longer our stay near the person of the Em-
peror the higher would be our gratifica-
tion, and that we hoped to remain the
same number of days as the former em-
bassy; to this no direct answer was re-
turned, and it was asked how we pro-
posed to return, by land, or by water; the
latter mode, the Mandarins said, had been
adopted by some of the former embassy;
it was answered that the road by Canton
had been contemplated. We collected
from their questions and insinuations that
the intention was to dispatch us with suf-
ficient celerity to secure our return to Tien-
sing before the ships were compelled to
quit the coast, or, at all events, before
they had left Chusan, with a view, no
doubt, to shorten our land journey. The
sending of To-chong-tong * to Tien-sing
looks as if some propositions of import-
ance, more especially touching the cere-
* Chong-tong signifies Minister. I am inclined to think
the term is properly Tchong-tching, signifying a faithful
Mºhister.
EME ASSY TO CHIN A. 1 11
mony, were to be made there; the absence
of the Viceroy of the province may in some
degree account for the measure, but it is
much to be feared that mere provincial
arrangements could scarcely require the
presence of the first personage in the con-
fidence of the Emperor: much time will
evidently not be allowed for negotiation,
and it is therefore desirable to effect
a simultaneous discussion respecting the
ceremonial and the ulterior purposes of
the embassy. The tempest is gathering,
and it is difficult to say whether we should
carry through it, or strike our masts and
make every thing Snug.
The dress and appearance of Chang and
Yin were not much superior to our first
visitors; their manners were however more
refined, and their general demeanour pleas-
ing. One of the attendants of Chang took
a very active part during the more material
part of the conference; in fact, suggesting
answers to his principal. In the course of
conversation Chang remarked that the Em-
peror entertained a much higher opinion of
the English than other nations, in fact, that
he deemed them of importance; this was
112 - Jou RNAL OF AN
modified by Yin, who added as a reason
for this consideration, that they came from
a great distance to manifest their respect.
Presents of provisions were brought to the
ships, consisting of the same articles as on
the former embassy, but less in quantity.
We were all much struck with the dexterity
of the Chinese in managing their boats,
which from their heaviness and great length
did not seem convenient. The deck was
crowded with persons from the shore, who,
although anxious to examine every thing,
were easily restrained in the gratification
of their curiosity. Our first visitors occu-
pied a very inferior situation, being entirely
employed in superintending the safe de-
livery of the presents. Orders seemed to
be deliberately given and punctually obey-
ed; we had an instance of this regularity
in the necessity of a reference to the Man-
darin to procure a trifling change in the
original distribution of the provisions to
the ships. Charcoal, plumbago, and wood
for fuel, were supplied in abundance. The
Chinese are well sized, but those we have
seen do not seem muscular. Both the
Mandarins are advanced in years, the
EMBAssy to chin A. 113
youngest being fifty-five. Yin brought
his son, a fine boy of eleven years of age,
on board with him, who readily made ac-
quaintance with young Amherst. The boy,
on being presented by his father to the
Embassador, knelt down with much grace
and modesty: this is the usual salutation
of children to their parents, and of inferiors
to superiors. We have all had reason to
concur with Mr. Barrow's description of
the Chinese as a frouzy people: the stench
arising from the numbers on board was not
only sensible but oppressive; it was the re-
pose of putrifying garlic on a much used
blanket. - -
5th of August.—Received a message
from the Mandarins, (who had not been
able to get on shore,) that boats for re-
ceiving the presents and baggage would
be sent to the ships immediately. The
greater part of the presents were accord-
ingly, owing to the exertions of Captain
Campbell of the Hewitt, transhipped in
the course of the day. It is proposed
that the boats should all proceed toge-
ther, and that two Europeans should be
attached to each. Mr. Morrison visited
114 jou RNAL OF AN
the Mandarins on board their boats, and
invited them to dinner. Yin was inclined
to accept the invitation, but Chang felt
himself too much indisposed; it was there-
fore declined. Mr. Morrison appears more
satisfied with the language of Chang than
of Yin; the latter affects, like other mi-
litary in China, rather a boisterous, coarse
IIla.IIIl CI’.
6th of August.—As little confidence can
be placed in the accuracy of Chinese re-
ports, Mr. Davis has been sent on shore
with Mr. Cooke to ascertain whether the
boats to convey the embassy up the river .
are really, as the Mandarins state, in readi-
ness; if so, we shall probably disembark
on Friday. Mr. Davis returned in the
evening, having had an interview with a
Mandarin, whose button was light blue;
from him he learnt that To-chong-tong
was not, as had been proposed, to receive
the embassy at Tien-sing, his presence
being required at Pao-ting-foo, the pro-
vincial capital; that Soo-ta-jin, a former
Hoppo of Canton, was to be substituted.
This Mandarin described the Emperor as
desirous of seeing the Embassador without
EMBAssy. To CHINA. 115
delay. All the river boats were ready,
and well adapted for accommodation; of
these three had been assigned to the Em-
bassador and the Commissioners. The in-
terview took place afloat; the gentlemen
did not therefore go into the village; in-
deed no disposition was shewn to gratify
curiosity. Mr. Davis was satisfied with
the reception; he was saluted with three
guns; the Chin-chae was not present, and
as Mr. Davis had obtained all the informa-
tion required, he did not deem it advisable
to delay his return to the ship for the pur-
pose of seeing him. The change in the
person who is to receive us at Tien-sing
is perhaps desirable, as we would readily
commute the eclat of a personage of To-
chong-tong's rank being employed, for the
probability of no discussion, involving the
very admission of the embassy, being now
intended. .
7th of August.—The two mandarin junks
came alongside to receive the private bag-
gage, and the gentlemen of the embassy;
we commenced transhipping the baggage,
but wereinterrupted by a change of weathel.
the wind blowing strong from E. by N. they
I 2 ...
116 Journal of AN
refused to receive any more packages, and
stood in shore. The owner of one of these
boats, who was in the habit of navigating
the gulf of Leo-tung, said, that he usually
made five trips in the year. They go up
in ballast, and return loaded with rice;
the crew have all shares in the cargo, and
receive in addition one tael, and a half per
man (about nine shillings), and provisions.
It appeared that the payment for the service
in which the boat was now employed de-
pended upon satisfaction being given, in
which case the owner would be rewarded,
otherwise he would be punished. On the
former embassy the owners were liberally
remunerated by Kien-Lung. Millet and
some vegetables dressed with soy, were
the principal food of the boat's crew. The
praises that all travellers have given to the
Chinese for regularity and arrangement are
well deserved: though there be noise in
their mode of loading and unloading boats,
there is no confusion; every man seems to
know his duty, and to execute it cheerfully.
The lower orders, though curious, are by no
means intrusive or impertinent; and the
complaints made of their treatment of Eu-
EMIBASSY TO CHINA. 117
ropeans would seem confined to Canton;
here, the men in the boats, and others of
the same class, appear aware of the con-
duct required to persons of superior station.
8th of August.—Two inferior Mandarins
came on board with a visiting ticket, and
a polite message, from the Chin-chae;
the message contained an expression of his
anxiety to receive the Embassador on
shore, as the shortness of the Emperor's
stay at Pekin rendered any further delay
inexpedient. Some inquiries were added
on the part of his Imperial Majesty, re-
specting the age of Lord Amherst's son,
and an expression of his intention to in-
vite him to a play. The inferior Man-
darins, with the usual Chinese indifference
to the comforts or station of others, pressed
the immediate disembarkation of the Em-
bassador, and proposed that the baggage
should follow. The distance from the shore,
the uncertainty of the weather, and the con-
sequentinconvenience,aresufficient reasons
for adhering to our original arrangement.
The delay, in fact, rests with the Chinese
themselves, in not keeping a sufficient
number of boats within reach. Some
118 JOURNAL OF AN
packages were sent in a small boat, and
if a sufficient number of vessels be fur-
nished to-morrow, the final departure will
probably take place.
The expediency of the contemplated
survey of the Mea-tau islands was taken
into consideration, and the probability of
thereby giving just ground of umbrage to
the Chinese led us to incline to its being
relinquished. Open letters, in Chinese,
addressed to any Mandarin on the coast,
were given to each of the captains of the
ships, to secure them a favourable recep-
tion, in the event of their touching any
where for supplies. ..
To prevent mistakes, a note was ad-
dressed, by Lord Amherst, to the Chin-
chae, explaining the causes of the delay
in his disembarkation, and expressing his
anxiety to have the honour of a personal
interview. The Embassador further re-
turned his thanks for the kind notice, by
his Imperial Majesty, of his son. . . .
Lord Amherst having requested the opi-
nion of Sir George Staunton upon the sub-
ject of compliance with the Chinese cere-
monial of ko-tou; Sir George put a letter
EMBASSY To chINA. 119
into his hands, declaring, in very distinct
terms, his opinion of the injurious effects
upon the company's interests at Canton
likely to arise from the performance of
the ceremony; incompatible, as he ver-
bally expressed himself, with personal and
national respectability. Sir George was dis-
posed to consider the mere reception of the
embassy as not worth being purchased by
the sacrifice. He, however, adverted to the
possibility of conditions being required by
us, which, if complied with, would remove
the objections; but such compliance on
the part of the Chinese was, in his opinion,
extremely improbable. - -
9th of August.—We left the ship at
twelve o’clock, in the Embassador's barge,
accompanied by the boats of the squa-
dron, in two lines; between four and five
we reached the small fort of Tong-koo,
from whence the Embassador was saluted
with three guns. Three or four hundred
soldiers were drawn out on the beach ;
they seemed divided into companies of ten
by a large flag, each soldier carrying a
smaller; their dress was uniform, and at
that distance their appearance respect-
120 JOIJ R. NAL OF AN
able. The river here makes a complete
elbow, winding round which we came in
sight of Tung-koo, consisting of mud
houses, and certainly not giving a high
idea of the celestial empire. Lord Am-
herst proceeded to his boat, and imme-
diately received a visiting ticket from the
Chin-chae, in return for that which had
been dispatched in advance. After the
lapse of an hour the Chin-chae himself
came; and if lively, affable manners be
grounds of favourable augury for more im-
portant concerns, we have every reason to
be satisfied. The Chin-chae confirmed the
inquiries of the Emperor respecting young
Amherst's age, and he himself seemed to
wish to give a foretaste of the honours
that awaited him, by the extreme atten-
tion which he paid him. Whether this was
in consequence of the imperial inquiries,
or designed as an irresistible attack upon
Lord Amherst's good will, I am not pre-
pared to determine. The Chin-chae had
already informed Mr. Morrison that he in-
tended to avoid entirely the discussion of
business at this interview, and that his sole
object was to pay his respects to Lord Am-
EMBASSY TO CHIN A • 121
herst, and become personally acquainted
with him. . With the exception of general
inquiry respecting the Prince Regent's
letter, and the expression of a hope that
both parties would be mutually accom-
modating, he adhered to this intention.
The conversation consisted of an inter-
change of civilities, and appeared to leave
a mutually agreeable impression. Some-
thing that fell from him in the course of
the interview led Sir George and Mr. Mor-
rison to anticipate an imperial banquet at
Tien-sing. The Chin-chae was to proceed
thither this evening, where he and Soo-ta-
yin * would await the arrival of the Em-
bassador. Lord Amherst deemed it right
to return the Chin-chae's visit immediately,
otherwise his civility must have remained
unnoticed until our arrival at Tien-sing.
Soo-ta-yin had been formerly Hoppo of
Canton, and the Chin-chae himself ap-
pears to have been there. After dinner
* Ta-jin, or Ta-yin, literally signifies Great Man; it
may be rendered by Excellency: Laou-yay answers to
our Esquire or Gentleman. Chang was properly en-
titled only to Laou-yay, or Ta-laou-yay, although fre-
quently complimented with Ta-yin.
122 JOURNAL OF AN
we had a visit from Chang and Yin, like
the Chin-chae's, merely complimentary.
10th of August.—The boats returned to
the ships this morning, and left us in a state
of extreme confusion: those acquainted
with Chinese could neither from their si-
tuation or number be present every where,
nor were the Mandarins particularly active
or attentive. The presents and stores had
been sent on to Tien-sing, contrary to the
mutual understanding; probably for the
purpose of compelling us to expedite our
departure. Sir George learnt accidently
from a Chinese of inferior rank, unac-
quainted with his person or situation, that
the day of our arrival at Pekin had been
fixed, allowing an unusually short period
for the journey: the audience was fixed
for the 22d. *
I have certainly not yet observed that
exuberant population usually assigned to
China: the principal part of the inha-
bitants, including males, children, and a
few females, were probably spectators of
our passing, and the numbers did not ex-
ceed those of India in a similar extent.
The women were in general ugly; the old,
EMBASSY TO CHIN.A. 123
of course, constituted the first row of spec-
tators, and it was only occasionally that
we caught a glimpse of the younger. I
observed one pretty girl, and particularly
admired the simplicity and good taste in
which her hair was dressed; it was gathered
into a knot at the top of her head, with a
single flower as an ornament.
See-koo is the next town to Tung-koo,
and extends some distance on the right
bank of the river. A shop, where clothes
and eatables were to be sold, had the sign
of a junk erected on a pole before the door.
The temples are poor-looking buildings,
and the houses universally covered with a
ridge of tiles to carry off the water.
The Mandarins, Chang and Yin, have
declined a visit intended them by Lord
Amherst, possibly from the necessity of
immediate departure.
I was surprised with the size of the
Chinese horses, having been led to expect
that their height did not exceed that of
small ponies; on the contrary, they were
not inferior in that respect to the gene-
rality of Arab horses: they are, however,
coarse and ill-shaped, and promise neither
124 Journ AL or AN
strength nor action. The infantry are
armed with swords, and the cavalry add
a bow and arrows to their equipment:
their saddles are heavy, but did not look
inconvenient to the rider; they are not
unlike the Turkish. The Chin-chae tra-
velled in a green sedan-chair, wider than
ours, but not so high : green is the colour
appropriated to the chairs of men of rank.
The carts on two wheels justify the com-
plaints that have been made of them.
Both banks of the river are covered with a
large species of rush, and the country, as
far as the eye reaches, is perfectly flat.—
Three o'clock. The country improves; as
we advance trees and cultivation begin to
appear, and the windings of the river give
an interest to the flat, which it would
otherwise want. We passed about noon
some tumuli, which we are told are burial
grounds. The Mandarins have joined the
squadron, and the number of boats, flags,
and the occasional changes in their rela-
tive position, enliven the scene. -
We witnessed this morning the punish-
ment of face slapping, inflicted with a
short piece of hide, half an inch thick;
EMBASSY TO CHINA. 125
the hair of the culprit was twisted till his
eyes almost started from their sockets,
and on his cheeks, much distended, the
blows were struck: his crime was said to
be robbing from the baggage-boats: the
executioner, and those concerned in the
punishment, seemed to delight in his suf-
ferings.-Four o'clock. Town of Tung-
jun-koo, with several mounds, containing
salt, on the bank of the river. wº-
11th of August.—The appearance of
the country improves; the villages, millet
and garden cultivation, are more frequent,
and the small inclosures in places remind
us of England. A curious effect is pro-
duced by the serpentine windings of the
river; junks are seen at some distance on
both sides, as if growing in the midst of
the fields. My good opinion of the ordi-
nary habits of the Chinese increases; they
are orderly and good humoured to each
other, and to strangers; not a single dis-
pute has yet occurred. Most of the vil-
lages are still called Koo (Mouth), from
one of the names signifying, “anciently
under water;” and from the appearance of
the banks we may reasonably conjecture
126 JOURNAL OF AN
that the whole has been alluvial deposit.
Chinese children must have a peculiar sa-
tisfaction in being dirty, as we observe
them every where either sliding down the
bank, or rolling themselves in mud. The
hair of the women is braided into a knot,
looking like a trencher-cap. They have a
hobbling gait, but I have not been near
enough to judge of the compression of
their feet. # -
12th of August.—We are informed that
there are five hundred trackers attached
to the boats, who have all come from Ta-
koo, (which seems to be another name for
Tung-koo, the one signifying Great, the
other Eastern-mouth; See, means West);
they receive one hundred and fifty cash per
diem, equal to one shilling English: the
number of boats is twenty. In my “opi-
* My impressions upon this point are, I believe, dif-
ferent from those of my companions; I attribute the
difference to the standard with which we compare the
country and its inhabitants; they may possibly look to
Europe, while I carry in my recollection the parts of Asia
with which I am acquainted. The absence of clothes is
particularly striking to an European eye; if the heat of
the climate however be considered, it will scarcely be con-
sidered a want. On the other hand, the winter in these
EMBASSY To chin A. 127.
nion the appearance of the people hitherto
does not exhibit that squalidness of look
naturally expected among an exuberant
population with scanty means of subsist-
ence. - - -
Were there even partial elevations the
scenery on the banks would not be de-
ficient in beauty. The houses, though still
built of mud, are regular, and the roofs
are at least singular, if not in good taste.
Every spot is cultivated, and the millet
occupies the place of the rushes to the very
water's edge: their gardens are particu-
larly neat. We passed several docks for
repairing junks; the boats actually in
progress on the river are not numerous.
Distance from Tien-sing to Takoo, two
hundred and forty lees, or eighty miles.
I have not yet observed any rice grounds.
No personal communication with our
conductors has taken place since we left
Tung-koo. I forgot to mention that the
Chin-chae, in the course of conversation,
had observed that he was prepared to over-
northern provinces is so severe, that the possession of
clothes by the inhabitants may be inferred from the con-
tinued existence of so numerous a population. º
128 JOURNAL OF AN
look any erroneous expressions that might
possibly arise from the Chinese language
not being familiar to the Europeans; he
had also expressed to Mr. Morrison his
consciousness that the expression tribute *
was not acceptable to us. . .”
I yesterday evening put into Lord Am-
herst's hands, for his and Sir George's
perusal, a memorandum respecting the
ceremony. My great object in these ob-
servations has been to bring our minds to
view compliance or refusal as matters of
expediency, and to clear the question of
all personal feelings, which might lead us
into a course of proceeding not quite in
unison with the sentiments of the autho-
rities at home. I have, however, such
perfect reliance on Sir George Staunton's
judgment and local experience, that I shall
* In the instance of the Portuguese Embassador already
mentioned, the Regulo or Prinee—to whom the affairs of
the embassy were entrusted suggested to the missionary
translating a public document, the substitution of some
word for Tsin-koong or tribute-bearer, adding, that al-
though the absurdity of supposing Europeans tributaries
to the Emperor rendered the expression unmeaning, it
was liable to give offence: the matter was referred to the
Emperor, who decided, that the term, as being the official
designation, should be retained. * |
EMBASSY.TO CHIN A. 129
not hesitate in giving way on every point
connected with Chinese usages and feel-
ings, where my individual opinion might
lead to a different conclusion. . . .
Whatever may be the notions of the
superior ranks in China respecting the ex-
posure of even the shape of the limbs, the
lower orders are more indecent than any
other class of people I have ever known:
this cannot wholly arise from poverty, for
the clothes they possess are a sufficient
proof that they might, like the natives of
India, attend to the requisite observances
of decency. &
It is very difficult to describe the exact
impression produced on the mind by the
approach to Tien-sing. If fine buildings
and striking localities are required to give
interest to a scene, this has no claims; but
on the other hand, if the gradual crowding
of junks till they become innumerable, a
vast population, buildings though not ele-
gant yet regular and peculiar, careful and
successful cultivation, can supply those
deficiencies, the entrance to Tien-sing will
not be without attractions to the traveller.
The pyramids of salt, covered with mats,
WOL. I. - K
130 JOURNAL OF A N "
the dimensions and extent of which have
been so ingeniously estimated by Mr. Bar-
row, are the most striking objects. We
were two hours and a half in passing from
the beginning of the line of houses on the
right bank of the river to our anchorage.
A salute was fired from a small fort; and
nearly opposite, troops were drawn up.
Among them were matchlock men, wear-
ing black caps. We observed some com-
panies dressed in long yellow and black
striped garments, covering them literally
from head to foot; they are intended to
represent tigers, but certainly are more
likely to excite ridicule than terror; de-
fence, from the spread of their shields,
would seem their great object. A short
distance from our anchorage, we passed
on our left the branch of the river leading
to the canal, and thence to Canton. The
excess of population was here most strik-
ing. I counted two hundred spectators
upon one junk, and these vessels were in-
numerable. The pyramids of salt were so
covered with them, that they actually be-
came pyramids of men. Some crowds of
boys remained standing above their knees
EMBASSY to cIIINA. 181
in the water for near an hour, to satiate
their curiosity. A more orderly assem-
blage could not, however, I believe, be
presented in any other country; and the
soldiers had but seldom occasion to use
even threatening gestures to maintain
order. I had not before conceived that
human heads could be so closely packed;
they might have been by screws squeezed
into each other, but there was often no
possible vacancy to be observed. All these
Chinese spectators were exposed, bare-
headed, to the rays of the mid-day sun,
when the thermometer in the shade stood
at eighty-eight. Females were not nu-
merous in the crowd, and these generally
old, and always of the lower orders. The
Chinese are, to judge from the inhabit-
ants of Tien-sing, neither well-looking nor
strongly made; they are rather slight, but
straight, and of the middle height.
Lord Amherst had scarcely anchored
when he was invaded by a party of Man-
darins, among whom were, I believe,
Chang and Yin, to announce that Soo-
ta-jin and the Chin-chae intended to visit
him. Lord Amherst requested that they
R 2
132 JOURNAL OF AN
would wait a few minutes, until he had
arranged his dress; to which they as-
sented, but subsequently sent word that
they would defer their visit until the mor-
row, not having their proper dresses at
hand; they further requested that the gen-
tlemen who understood Chinese might be
sent to them. After dinner, Messrs. Toone,
Davis and Morrison went to the Koon
Kooan or public hall, where the Manda-
rins were assembled. The gentlemen con-
sidered themselves as having been politely
received. The nature of the presents, the
contents of the Regent's letter, and the
probable stay of the embassy at Pekin,
were adverted to in the conversation : a
confident expectation was expressed by
the Mandarins that they would be furnished
with a copy of the letter, and they at-
tached no importance to the observation
that it had not, on the former occasion,
been given till the Embassador arrived at
Gehol. The expectation of our remaining
any length of time at Pekin was almost in-
stantly combated; the mode in which the
five or six days were to be employed was
mentioned, and a return by the way of
EMBASSY TO CHIN A. 133.
Tien-sing was alluded to. In speaking of
the presents, they described them as what
they call tribute, and we presents. A re-
mark relating to the incivility of hurrying
us away after so long a voyage, was met.
by pointing out the honour conferred upon
the embassy, by having such great men.
appointed to attend us. Soo-ta-jin and
Kwang-ta-jin having again changed their
minds, sent to inform Lord Amherst that
they proposed paying their wisit imme-
diately. They accordingly came, and after
some general conversation and mutual
compliments, Sou-ta-jin, who had been
Hoppo at Canton when Lord Macartney
arrived there, having observed that a
young gentleman had also accompanied
the former embassy, Sir George Staunton
took that opportunity of recalling him-
self to Soo's recollection, and a pleasant,
friendly recognition took place.
Kwang then addressing Mr. Morrison,
requested to see a copy of the letter. Lord
Amherst in reply desired Mr. Morrison to
say, that it had always been his intention
to present a copy to the minister, some
days before its actual delivery to the Em-
134. JOURNAL OF AN
peror. They then observed that in all pro-
bability the Embassador would have no
communication with the minister, as they
themselves had been expressly commis-
sioned to conduct all the affairs of the
embassy, and that they had a special edict
from the Emperor to transmit a copy of
the letter. This statement certainly ex-
cited some surprise from the circumstance
of the minister being the natural, and
having been, on the former occasion, the
actual medium of communication. Lord
Amherst, however, resolved to defer giving
an answer till to-morrow, when he pro-
posed to return their visit. The Manda-
rins said that the Emperor had been gra-
ciously pleased to order an entertainment
to be given to his Lordship, and nine
o'clock was fixed upon as the most con-
venient hour. -
An allusion having early in the inter-
view been made to a speedy departure for
Pekin, Lord Amherst declared his readiness
to proceed, and said that he only awaited
the arrival of the junks, containing some
part of his baggage absolutely indispen-
Sable. The conduct of the Chinese in
EMIBASSY TO CHIN A. 135
sending on the junks with the presents and
stores to Tong-chow was highly uncivil,
and would have justified a serious remon-
strance. On taking their leave, Kwang-
ta-jin said that he would in the morning
furnish Lord Amherst with a written state-
ment of every thing connected with his
reception at Pekin, his stay, and the mode
in which his time would be employed.
The propriety of complying with the
wishes of the Mandarins respecting a copy
of the Regent's letter being put into their
hands, was now taken into consideration.
Although they had, with the usual Chinese
contempt for truth, asserted that on the
former occasion a similar proceeding had
been adopted, reference to Lord Macart-
ney's journal soon confirmed our recollec-
tions of the contrary being the fact. As
far, therefore, as precedent was concerned,
they had no claim ; and indeed their early
requisition on this point ought perhaps to
be viewed as an important branch of that
system of indecent hurry with which they
seem resolved to treat the embassy. The
appointment of Soo-ta-jin may, on the
other hand, be said to give them only a
136 J () U. R. NAL OF . A N .
claim somewhat less than the minister
himself would have had. He is a Man-
darin of very high rank, is styled Shelang”,
and is a president or superior of the tri-
bunal of public works, and having been
formerly Hoppo, may, from his supposed
knowledge of European affairs, be really
intended to superintend the affairs of the
embassy throughout. Although their as-
sertion of their having such appointment
may be totally unfounded, and only made
with a view of deceiving us into premature
confidence, yet as no real injury can arise
from compliance, it was finally resolved to
accede to their request. -
The next question was, whether an of-
ficial note, which had been prepared, ex-
plaining shortly the principal points con-
nected with the trade which we had to
propose, should also be confided to them.
If the minister had met us at Tien-sing, it
had been resolved to put this note into his
* She-lang signifies a President; Sheou-see-ang is the
President of the Council in the confidence of the Em-
peror. I am not quite certain which of these two titles
belonged to Soo; if President of one of the great tri-
bunals, he is of the same rank as the Mandarin appointed
to conduct the Portuguese embassador. . . . .
EMBASSY TO CHIN A. 137
hands, as much to explain the last para-
graph of the Prince Regent's letter, as to
gain time for negotiation. Unless the
description of their own powers were cor-
rect, it would not seem politic voluntarily
to put ourselves into their hands; and yet,
if the particular paragraph was liable to
misapprehension, it did not seem advisable
to delay explanation to persons who were
certainly, for the time, the principal au-
thorities with whom we had to commu-
nicate. Our decision was, therefore, to
comply with their wishes respecting the
letter, to give verbal explanations if re-
quired, and, finally, if their conduct or
further information should justify con-
fidence, either personal or official, to en-
trust them with the note intended for the
minister. - - -
... The palace of the Emperor, on the op-
posite bank of the river, if not a magni-
ficent, is certainly a picturesque building.
The surrounding colonnade of wooden pil-
lars, gives it an elegant appearance, and
the roofs, though singular in shape, being
arcs of circles with the extremities turned
upwards, have an effect not unpleasing. .
138 JOURNAL OF AN
13th of August.—At a quarter before
ten we left our boats and proceeded in
chairs to the Hall, where we were to be re-
ceived. The band and the guard, with
Lieutenants Cooke and Somerset, preceded
the Embassador's chair, Mr. Morrison and
his Excellency’s son followed, then the
Commissioners, and afterwards the other
gentlemen; the order was most regularly
kept, and we arrived without interruption
at the Hall, a long building supported by
light wooden pillars. At about one-third
of the room, before a skreen, a table with
yellow silk hanging before it met our eyes,
a symptom of the discussion that awaited
us. The Mandarins were all in their robes
of ceremony, principally of civil orders.
After a few polite expressions of their
hope that we had met with no obstruction
on our way thither, Kwang-ta-jin opened
the subject of the ceremony by saying, that
the entertainment which we were that day
to receive was expressly commanded, and,
indeed, given by the Emperor; that, there-
fore, the same ceremonies would be per-
formed by them, and expected from us, as
if we were in the Imperial presence. Lord
EME ASSY TO CHIN A. 139
Amherst replied, that he was prepared to
approach his Imperial Majesty with the
same demonstrations of respect as his own
sovereign. They then specifically men-
tioned the ko-tou as the ceremony that
would be required. Lord Amherst de-
clared his intention of following, in every
respect, the precedent established by Lord
Macartney. -- -
The Chinchaes argued in reply, that in
fact our former Embassador had done
every thing in point of ceremony that had
been required of him, and especially had
performed the ceremony of the ko-tou, as
well in the presence of the Emperor as at
other times; Soo-ta-jin said, he himself
remembered his having performed it when
at Canton; and they then both appealed
to Sir George Staunton as having been
present, and able to give evidence of the
facts which they had asserted. - -
To such a falsehood it would have been
easy to have given a very short and de-
cided answer; but as it was sufficiently
obvious that the question was not put to
Sir George with any view of really ascer-
taining the truth, but evidently for the
140 . JOURNAL OF AN
purpose of making it a personal question,
which could only lead to mutual irritation
and offence, it was deemed most advisable,
both by Lord Amherst and myself, that
Sir George should avoid the discussion into
which they were desirous of drawing him,
by observing that the Embassador's in-
formation of what had taken place on the
occasion of the former Embassy was de-
rived from the authentic records which had
been presented to our Sovereign by Lord
Macartney on his return, and on which
records our present instructions were also
grounded ; but that as to his (Sir George's)
opinion or evidence respecting a fact which
had occurred twenty-three years ago, when
he was a child of twelve years of age, it
was quite improper and absurd to ask it,
or to suppose it could be of any weight in
deciding a question already settled upon
much higher authority. - . . . .
A haughty tone was here assumed by
the Mandarins, who said, that they sup-
posed it was the intention of the Embas-
sador to please his Imperial Majesty, that
the ceremony was never dispensed with,
and that it was not becoming that they
EMBASSY TO CHIN A. 141
should perform a ceremony on this occasion
which the Embassador refused. Lord Am-
herst had no hesitation in expressing his
anxiety to shew every respect, and give
every satisfaction to his Imperial Majesty,
consistent with his duty to his own So-
vereign; and that from this feeling it was
his intention to approach the Imperial pre-
sence with the same demonstrations of vene-
ration as he would his Britannic Majesty;
that such had been the conduct of Lord
Macartney, and such were the instructions
of his Sovereign on the present occasion.
Some expression here fell from them, tend-
ing to convey an opinion that the Embassy
would not be received. It was then said
by Lord Amherst, that however mortifying
it might be to his feelings, he must decline
the honour intended him by the entertain-
ment, and that he should be prepared, on
his arrival at Pekin, to submit the reasons
of his refusal, in writing, to his Imperial
Majesty. What reject the Emperor's
bounty? observed the Mandarins. His
lordship again repeated his regret and his
Jast proposition, which was positively re-
jected by them. - • .
142 JOURNAL OF AN
An appeal was then made to Lord Am-
herst's paternal feelings, and it was asked,
whether he would be so wanting in affec-
tion, as to deprive his son of the honour of
seeing the Emperor. Much of the same
ground was repeatedly gone over on both
sides. The certain displeasure of the Em-
peror, and the actual compliance of Lord
Macartney, were repeatedly urged by the
Mandarins; the latter position was again
strenuously denied by Lord Amherst, and
the commands of his Sovereign were
pleaded and pressed as the ground of re-
fusal. -
Finding that nothing was to be gained,
a disposition to yield was manifested by
the Mandarins, and they rested their case
upon the great personal responsibility they
should incur by acceding to the Embassa-
dor's proposal; they asserted that they
dared not report such a circumstance to
the Emperor. Lord Amherst observed in
reply, that he could not possibly anticipate
the Emperor's being dissatisfied with the
same demonstrations of respect that had
been accepted by Kien-Lung, his illustrious
father. They then declared, that the Em-
EMBAssy. To chin A. 143
peror Kien-Lung had been much dis-
pleased, and that the princes and nobles
had considered it most extraordinary that
they should prostrate themselves, while the
English remained standing. His Lordship
answered, that his object was to combine
a proper manifestation of respect to his
Chinese Majesty with the duty he owed his
own Sovereign, and the positive commands
he had received upon the particular point;
that whatever might be the particular ce-
remony performed, the respect he felt in
his heart for his Imperial Majesty could
not be thereby augmented. The Man-
darins observed, that the feelings of the
heart were best shewn by actions, and that
Lord Amherst's refusal evinced a deficiency
in proper sentiments of veneration.
Soo-ta-jin, who had hitherto only inter-
fered to assert positively, from his own
knowledge, the compliance of Lord Ma-
cartney with the ceremony both at Pekin
and Canton, now entered fully into the
whole question, observing that our trade at
Canton might materially suffer from the
displeasure of the Emperor: another re-
144 . . , JOURNAL OF A N
mark was made respecting the possible
anger of his Imperial Majesty towards the
king of England; this observation Mr.
Morrison very properly refused to inter-
pret. At length they said, that they would
not insist upon the performance of the
ceremony on the present occasion, but that
they threw the responsibility of the con-
sequences upon Lord Amherst, and that
they could not pretend to say whether the
embassy or presents would be received,
adding, that it would be well to consider
the discredit among other nations which
such a dismissal would reflect upon our
own country. Lord Amherst declared,
that the consciousness of obeying his So-
vereign's commands would relieve him
from all uneasiness; that what he proposed
to do, namely, to make a bow before the
table, was the same honour that was paid
by the members of the Chief Council of
the nation, to which he belonged, before
the vacant throne of the Sovereign, and
that more ought not to be expected from
him. .. . . . . . . . . . . .
The point was here finally given up; and
EMBASSY To CBINA. 145
Lord Amherst, in expressing his satisfac-
tion, said, that to evince the sincerity of
his disposition to conciliate, he would, al-
though it was customary only to bow once
before the throne of his own Sovereign,
not hesitate to make as many bows, on the
present occasion, as they did prostrations:
the Chinese, with characteristic illiberality,
endeavoured to graft upon this voluntary
concession a demand that Lord Amherst
should kneel upon one knee; this pro-
position was, of course, resisted, and the
discussion seemed about to be renewed,
when they abandoned their position, and
we proceeded to the hall of reception, the
conference having taken place in an inner
apartment, Lord Amherst, his son, the
Commissioners, and Mr. Morrison, being
present. When at the door, Kwang in a
friendly manner entreated us to reconsider .
the consequences that might result. It
was observed that there was no necessity
for reconsideration or consultation, as we
had no option. -
On entering the Hall we placed ourselves
before the table, the front of which was
covered with yellow silk, and a lighted
VOL. I. L
146 Jou RNAL OF AN
censer placed upon it. We" bowed nine
times, in unison with the prostrations of
the Mandarins: Soo-ta-jin, Kwang-ta-jin,
and six others, went through the ceremony.
The upper part of the Hall was raised a
step, and in this compartment the two
chief Mandarins, Lord Amherst, his son,
and the Commissioners seated themselves;
the two Mandarins being on the left, all
the other Chinese were seated below them
on the same side, and the gentlemen of
the embassy opposite: a handsome dinner,
in the Chinese style, was then served, ac-
companied by a play; but of these here-
after. - - -
When dinner was over we returned to
the inner apartment. After taking our
seats, Kwang-ta-jin observed it was not
well, and declared his fear of the Emperor's
displeasure. Lord Amherst again repeated
his conviction that the Emperor could not
* The ceremony of prostration was dispensed with in
the instance of the Chevalier Le Roque, commanding the
French frigate Amphitrite, at an imperial banquet, given
by the Viceroy of Canton; the Mandarins performed the
ko-tou, and the Chevalier only bowed profoundly. This
occurred in the year 1669. -
EME ASSY TO CHINA. 147
be dissatisfied with his having paid the
same homage that he addressed to the
throne of his own Sovereign. The cere-
mony to be performed in the presence of
the Emperor was now brought forward by
the Mandarins: Lord Amherst then di-
stinctly stated his intention to kneel upon
one knee, and make his obeisance in that
posture; he added, that the practice at the
English court was to kiss the Sovereign's
hand. At this latter circumstance they,
as was expected, shook their heads, and
made some faint attempts to renew the
general discussion; the determination that
was manifested, however, induced them to
desist, and they merely affected not to un-
derstand the ceremonial proposed by Lord
Amherst, which was again explained, but
without effect. They then proposed that
his Excellency should at the moment go
through it; he replied that it could not
be performed by him before any other
person but the Emperor; they observed
that their wish was not that he should then
perform it to any one, but merely that
from seeing it actually gone through, they
might be able to make a more accurate
L 2
148 JOURNAL OF AN
report to his Imperial Majesty. Sir George
Staunton then happily suggested, that
Lord Amherst's son should perform the
proposed ceremony before his father.
Chinese usage was so completely in ac-
cordance with this manifestation of respect
from a son to his father, that every difficulty
or objection to any previous practice by
Lord Amherst was removed, and the pro-
position was instantly admitted. The
Chinese did not appear dissatisfied with
the appearance of the ceremony thus per-
formed, but said that kissing the hand
would not be allowed. Tord Amherst, of
course, did not object to the omission. The
number of times was then discussed, and
Lord Amherst stated that once was the
usage of the English court; that he had
been induced to bow nine times before the
table from a feeling that his remaining
standing, while they were in the act of
prostration, would not have had a good
appearance: but that his demonstration
of respect was not, in his opinion, increased
by the repetition; should however they, or
other high officers of state, be present at
the audience with the Emperor, he should
EMBASSY TO CHINA. 149
not hesitate to repeat his bows as often
as they did prostrations. The Mandarins
said, that none but his Lordship, and the
gentlemen then present, would be called
upon to perform the ceremony at the au-
dience, and that a repetition of nine times
would be expected. Lord Amherst re-
plied, that to shew his disposition to gra-
tify the Emperor he was ready to consent
to his wishes in this respect; although he
must again repeat, that the respectful cha-
racter of the ceremony was not, to his
feelings, in the least heightened. The
Mandarins then proposed that Mr. Am-
herst should practise the ceremony nine
times before them; to this Lord Amherst
objected, considering it too serious a busi-
ness to be trifled with: the precise mode
of the ceremony having been again di-
stinctly stated, the discussion closed. Lord
Amherst then took an opportunity of ex-
pressing his satisfaction at its termination,
and his personal gratification at the kind-
ness and attention they had shewn him.
They replied, that they had merely obeyed
the orders of his Imperial Majesty.
The Mandarin, who apparently held the
150 JOURNAL OF AN
office of secretary, and who had taken a
principal share in the conference, here al-
luded to the Regent's letter, and renewed
the request of having a copy submitted to
them. Lord Amherst, as had been pre-
viously determined, delivered the copy, in
a sealed envelope, to the Imperial Com-
missioners. The seal surprised them, till
informed that the cover was addressed in
English to their Excellencies; they did
not proceed to examine it at the time,
which was certainly fortunate, as it ren-
dered any explanation unnecessary.
Thus closed these two conferences; that
before dinner highly important in its im-
mediate result, as we had the satisfaction
of having successfully resisted the very de-
mand which mainly contributed to the
failure of the Russian Embassador, and to
his return from the frontier. Whatever
might be the opinion entertained respect-
ing the expediency of complying with the
Chinese usage in the presence of the Em-
peror, either with or even without equiva-
lent, there could be none as to the cere-
mony this day proposed; the only precedent
of compliance was that of the last Dutch
FM BASSY TO CHIN A. 151
embassy; the treatment throughout ex-
perienced by the members of that mission,
and the innumerable causes of repetition,
under the most degrading circumstances,
and on the most trifling occasions, that
were devised by the Chinese, must suf-
ficiently establish the expediency of resist-
ance. With this view the minds of Lord
Amherst and those who acted with him
were made up, to have hazarded the re-
ception of the embassy upon the point;
and the expression of inflexibility com-
municated by this previous resolution to
their countenances and manner, had, no
doubt, considerable influence upon the
Nſandarins. The Chinese are great phy-
siognomists, and there is therefore no. class
of people with whom it is more advisable
to put a good face upon a business. A
certain advantage in the second conference
was derived from a misapprehension by the
Mandarins of the general objects of Lord
Amherst's reasoning in the previous dis-
cussion; they considered that all the ob-
servations then made, and the substitu-
tion of bowing for prostration, applied
equally to the ceremony to be performed
152 JOURNAL OF AN
in the presence of the Emperor, and they
were naturally led into this error from the
fact that they themselves make no distinc-
tion; they were therefore agreeably sur-
prised when informed of the real inten-
tion; and a remark made by Lord Am-
herst, that the mode in which he pro-
posed to manifest his respect to the Em-
peror of China was one which he would
not adopt towards any Sovereign in Eu-
rope, appeared to have great weight with
them. On the whole they seemed sa-
tisfied, and although they did not ex-
press any hope of the Emperor accept-
ing the proposed ceremony, or retract
their dread of the consequences of Lord
Amherst's refusal, their manner justified
favourable conclusions; indeed their re-
newed request of a copy of the Regent's
letter was an important circumstance, as .
it marked their belief that the progress of
affairs had not been interrupted by the oc-
currences of this day. -
We had an instance of the unblushing
effrontery and falsehood of the Chinese in
their appealing to Sir George Staunton for
the truth of their assertion that Lord Ma-
EMBAssy to chin A. 153
cartney had complied with the ceremony
both at Pekin and Canton, although they
must have been perfectly aware of the con-
trary. The probable motives of the Man-
darins have been already stated, and they
were perhaps anxious to obtain a direct
contradiction from Sir George, that they
might be enabled to attribute our resist-
ance entirely to his suggestions; indeed
some insinuations of this tendency were
thrown out: at last, however, they were
particularly satisfied with Sir George, to
whom they appeared to think themselves
in some measure indebted for such con-
cessions as were made by the Embassador.
In passing through the streets it was
impossible not to be struck with the si-
lence and regularity of the crowds of
spectators; although every countenance
expressed curiosity, scarcely an observa-
tion was made; there was no pointing
with fingers; and though the streets may
be said to have been lined with soldiers
at inconsiderable intervals, the exercise
of their authority did not seem necessary
to maintain tranquillity. The streets were
narrow, regular, and paved with large stones,
154 JOUR, N AL OF AN
brought from some distance. Whatever
taste belongs to Chinese architecture seems
chiefly directed to the roofs; the pediments
are in general elegant and highly decorated.
Dwelling-houses were of one story, built of
solid brick work. We crossed a bridge,
over the river, the surface of which was
scarcely visible from junks. .
In the Hall of reception itself there
was little to remark; indeed it had alto-
gether the appearance of a temporary
erection. We dined at the upper end,
and the lower was occupied by the stage.
Chinese dinners, with the succession of
dishes served upon trays, one of which
is placed before one or two persons, ac-
cording to their rank, have been so ac-
curately described, that I shall not pre-
tend to enter into any detail. The cus-
tard, and the preserved fruits with which
the dinner commenced, were very pa-
latable: I cannot say that I much liked
the bird-nest's soup, it was too gelatinous
and insipid for my taste; nor did the va-
rious additions of shrimps, eggs, &c. im-
prove the compound: the shark fins were
not more agreeable. The Chinese eat as
E M BASSY TO CHIN A. 155
well as drink to each other; and a Man-
darin, who stood behind us, regulated the
times of commencement, both in the dishes
and cups of wine. The wine was heated,
and had not an unpleasant flavour; it is
not unlike Sherry. The dresses of the
actors, and the stage decorations, were
very splendid, and there was noise and
bustle enough to satiate the eyes and
ears; even those who understood Chinese
were not able to trace any story in the
performance, which seemed to be more
of the nature of a melo-drama than comic
or tragic representation. The part of a
stag was the best performed in the piece,
and when in front of the stage, from the
shelter afforded by a group of flag-bearers,
and the consequent concealment of the
boy's legs, illusion was sufficiently per-
fect. The instrumental music, from its
resemblance to the bagpipes, might have
been tolerated by Scotchmen, to others
it was detestable. Of the same descrip-
tion was the singing. Our admiration
was justly bestowed upon the tumblers,
who yield to none I have ever seen in
strength and agility; their feats were
156 JOURNAL OF AN
executed with particular neatness. In
splendour of appearance, the Mandarins
did not stand any competition with the
actors, who were blazing with gold; it
was suggested that their costumes were
the ancient habits of the nation.
The dress of ceremony of the Man-
darins, consisting of blue gauze or crape
with some flowered satin beneath, is plain,
and not unbecoming; an embroidered
badge, marking their rank, whether civil
or military, is fixed upon their robe before
and behind. The peacock's feather, or
more properly tail of peacock’s feather,
answering to our orders of knighthood,
is worn behind; two of these decorations
are equivalent to the garter. The mo-
mentary rank of the person is not to be
ascertained from his mandarin ornaments.
A Mandarin with a white button sat next
to the Chinese commissioners with only
the intervention of a pillar, while one in
a clear blue button sat below him, and
one with a peacock's feather walked about
the court the whole time of the conference.
The commission of present office would
seem to fix the immediate rank.
leMBASSY TO CHINA. 157
There was no sign of extreme poverty
among the people in the streets; on the
contrary, the majority were clean and de-
cently dressed, and their appearance be-
spoke them to be well fed; some of the
younger were not ill looking.
As usual, the provisions remaining from
the feast were sent after us, certainly more
tempting than the varnished cold meats
that had been supplied the day before.
Presents of silks and cloths were given to
the members of the embassy, the attend-
ants, and soldiers, according to the rank
of each individual, in the Emperor's name.
The description of Lord Amherst's son in
the list of those present, styling him the
Embassador's heir, combined with the at-
tentions that are paid to him, he being
evidently considered the second person
in the embassy, convinced me that the
Chinese have a very high notion of here-
ditary rank. -
In the evening we went over the build-
ing near our anchorage, where the Man-
darins were collected yesterday; it had
been a public library, but was now used
as an inn for officers of government; the
158 Journ AL of AN
exterior of the roof, particularly the pi-
lasters at the extremities, were richly or-
namented with carved work. There were
two columns”, oblong shaped, in the small
enclosure, one of which rested upon the
figure of some animal resembling a tortoise;
the purport of these columns we could not
learn, it only appeared that they had been
erected by individuals. On our way to the
hall we passed under some gateways, which
I conclude are the triumphal arches so
pompously described by travellers.
Lists of the number of officers and men
on board the ships were required by the
Chinese for the probable purpose of mak-
ing the customary presents. In the state-
ment of persons composing the embassy,
the Chinese word Peeteshee, used for se-
cretary, was objected to, as being appro-
priated to an office under the Tartar go-
vernment, and a word of nearly the same
signification was substituted. Our good
opinion of Kwang-ta-jin has not dimi-
mished; he certainly did not aggravate
* These stones are called She-pi in Du Halde, and are
commemorative either of Imperial favours conferred, or of
individual worthiness.
EMBASSY To CHINA. 159
the disagreeable nature of the discussion
by any unpleasantness of manner, but af-
fected to employ friendly persuasion.
14th of August.—We left Tien-sing at
day-light. There was rather a handsome
stone bridge over a branch of the river to
the left, the other bridges we saw were
wooden. This day's journey has been re-
markable for the prodigious number of
junks at anchor which we have passed;
the line has literally extended, without in-
termission, from Tien-sing; they are loaded
with grain, from the different provinces,
which forms part of the Imperial reve-
nue. Some are said to come from a great
distance. The devices on the stern look
like escutcheons. Villages and guard-
houses are situated at no great intervals
upon the banks; and as the junks are all
inhabited, there has been no chasm in the
continuous population: the general ap-
pearance and looks of the people cer-
tainly improve as we advance towards the
capital. Fields cultivated with hemp have
been frequent. The guard-houses are in
general small square brick buildings with
embrasures. One which we passed was
160 JOURNAL OF AN
circular, with low abutments; the walls
were white, and adorned with grotesque
representations of animals. All the junks
are anchored in regular lines, the stern-
most having its head just before the poop
of the foremost ; the whole line resembles
an echellon. A large town where the line
of corn junks commenced is called Pe-
tsang”, or the northern granary. The
capacity of these vessels is not actually
more than one hundred and eighteen tons,
though their hull, above water, is as large
as a ship of three hundred tons. I re-
marked several large projecting frames,
and on inquiry was informed that they
were used for drying clothes; if so, the
‘Chinese must be more cleanly in their
dress than I had given them credit fort.
The distance has been fifty-six lees, or
nineteen miles.
Mr. Morrison, in the course of the day,
had visits from the Mandarins who assisted
* The first syllable Pe is north, and is said to be the
appellation of the river hitherto called Pei-ho or White
river. -
+ In Persia as well as China, it is not unusual to wear
cotton clothes unwashed, till they fall to pieces.
EMEASSY TO CHINA. 161
at the conference yesterday; their inquiries
seem to have been directed to the persons
composing the embassy. They appeared
surprised that Sir George's christian name
Thomas (being that which he bore on the
former embassy) had not been mentioned.
Mr. Morrisonexplained to them that'Thomas
was the name which he had borne in his
childhood, and that the other was his pre-
sent appellation; as this agreed with Chi-
nese notions, they were satisfied. They
mentioned a report from Canton, that Sir
George was not the second person in the
embassy, and that the other commissioner
was next in rank to the Embassador. Mr.
Morrison of course informed them that the
statement was incorrect. -
In the evening Soo-ta-jin and Kwang-
ta-jin paid Lord Amherst, Sir George, and
myself, separate visits: the leading points
of yesterday's discussion respecting the ce-
remony were gone over by the Mandarins
with Lord Amherst, in a more confidential
manner; they expressed strong doubts as
to the Emperor's being satisfied, and talked
much of what had been his gracious inten-
tions towards the present embassy; they
WOIL. I. •. IM
162 Journ AL of AN
noticed the appointment of Soo-ta-jin as a
proof that his Imperial Majesty had been
disposed to treat Lord Amherstwith greater
consideration than the former Embassador.
Lord Amherst repeated the several argu-
ments that had been before used, and
added that a single bow would be the
obeisance which he should have paid on a
similar occasion to the Emperor of Russia
or to any European sovereign; in point of
fact, therefore, the ceremony that had been
proposed was confined to his Chinese Ma-
jesty. This observation seemed to have
some weight with them; the allusion to
Russia, however, gave them an opportu-
nity of remarking, that the last Russian
embassy had returned without an audience,
in consequence of the Embassador refus-
ing compliance upon this very point. Lord
Amherst, on this occasion, complied with
their request to see the box containing the
Prince Regent's letter; and although they
evinced all the outward signs of childish
gratification at the sight of a splendid
bauble, they did not commit themselves
to any expression of admiration. Much
friendly conversation on indifferent subjects
EMBAssy. To CHINA. 163
ensued between the Mandarins and his
lordship, during which they seemed to
have lost no opportunity of pressing their
principal object; they remarked that the
probability of the Emperor's assenting to
Lord Amherst's proposition was as one to
ten thousand. The copy of the Prince
Regent's letter was returned by the Man-
darins, who declared that they dare not
read it with its present address of Sir, My
Brother; we indeed might venture to do
so, but that they recommended the expres-
sion being omitted altogether; there were
some other verbal alterations proposed of
little importance. -
In the interview of Sir George Staunton
with the Mandarins, the question of the
ceremony was also alluded to, and they
asked Sir George Staunton what he would
say, if the Emperor called upon him for
his evidence, as to the fact of Lord Ma-
cartney's compliance. Sir George very
judiciously replied that he was a child at
the time, and that his recollection could
be of no value. He took this opportunity
of conveying to them his private opinion,
that the commands of his Sovereign were
M 2
164 JOURNAL of AN
too positive to admit of Lord Amherst's
complying with the ceremony, and that
perseverance in pressing the point must
be ineffectual; he also dwelt upon the con-
cessions already made, and expressed his
hope of the Emperor's being satisfied. The
Mandarins, in their communication to Sir
George, held out a greater probability of
the Emperor's assent than they had done
to Lord Amherst, and returned their per-
sonal thanks to him for his assistance the
preceding day, to which they were dis-
posed to attribute whatever concessions
had been made by the Embassador. Their
visit to myself was very short, and passed
in mere complimentary expressions. The
omission of the address in the Prince Re-
gent's letter appears to me of little conse-
quence; it does not occur in the original,
but in a translation; and as no substitu-
tion of less respectful expressions is pro-
posed, the dignity of our Sovereign does
not seem anywise committed. !
I cannot but regret this inevitable mul-
tiplication of subjects of ceremonial dis-
cussion, for I consider every victory upon
these points as a diminution of the chances
EMBASSY TO CHINA. 165
of success upon the more material objects
of the embassy. Whether any negotiation
upon these would ever be allowed, is cer-
tainly doubtful; but the time employed in
contending for the manner in which the
embassy is to be received, and the temper
generated by even successful inflexibility,
are not calculated to dispose the mind of
the Emperor, or of his ministers, to listen
favourably to propositions in which they
do not see any reciprocal advantage.
In considering the question of ceremony,
I must still distinguish between prostration
in the actual and in imaginary presence:
the treatment of the last TXutch embassy,
and the facility of its repetition, upon the
most trifling occasions, are sufficient argu-
ments against the latter; but my mind will
feel far from satisfied, should the fate of
the embassy be decided by a refusal of
the former. *.
The number of large junks which we
have passed may be estimated at between
fourteen and fifteen hundred; and I should
say, that next to the exuberance of the
population, the amount of vessels em-
166 JOU R N A L OF AN
ployed on the rivers is the most striking
circumstance hitherto observed, belonging
to the Chinese empire.
Chang, in a conversation with Mr. Mor-
rison, expressed an opinion, that we held
the military in higher estimation than civil
employment. He probably has acquired
this notion from the frequency of our Eu-
ropean wars, for no circumstance has arisen
which could have led him to form the con-
clusion from his own observation. We
anchored at night, as it is no longer an
object with our conductors to hurry us,
they being naturally desirous to receive
the answer to their report of the occur-
rences at Tien-sing, before the embassy
makes any considerable progress. Af
15th of August.—The breakfast hour
found us at Yang-soong, or Yun-tsin, men-
tioned in the former embassy; the distance
is ninety-one lees from Tien-sing. Chang
and Yin sent a message to Lord Amherst
saying, that they would call on him at
eleven o'clock; they did not, however,
come till near two o'clock, when a con-
versation respecting the ceremony took
EME ASSY TO CHIN A. 167
place. They admitted, on this occasion,
the fact of Lord Macartney, having been
received, at his first audience, according
to the European manner; but asserted,
that on the Emperor's birth-day he had
performed the ko-tou. Lord Amherst de-
nied the latter part of their assertion, and
observed, that he proposed to do as much
at his first audience as Lord Macartney
had performed on the Emperor's birth-
day; and that, in fact, there being so
little difference between the ceremonies,
he was not surprised at the belief enter-
tained that Lord Macartney had gone
through the Tartar obeisance. Kwang
and Soo shortly after arrived, and the com-
missioners having joined Lord Amherst,
the Mandarins requested that the room
might be cleared, and with much formality
they informed us that an edict had that
day arrived, in which objections, written
in red ink by the Emperor's own hand,
had been made to the band, and that con-
sequently they must be sent back, adding,
that in fact they were not necessary. Our
surprise was excited by this unaccountable
objection to a part of the suite, which on
168 Journ AL of AN
the former occasion appeared to have ra-
ther given satisfaction to the Chinese them-
selves; and it was impossible not to sup-
pose that it was only the first in a series of
trivial exceptions, that were about to be
taken to the embassy. Lord Amherst,
therefore, in reply, expressed his astonish-
ment that this objection should, only now,
have been made to persons whose occupa-
tion was perfectly innocent, and for whose
good behaviour he was himself responsible;
that a band had accompanied the former
embassy, and, indeed, constituted an es-
sential part of the splendour required on
such occasions. Kwang-ta-jin then said,
that his friendly disposition towards us had
led to his committing himself in the first
instance; that the number of persons to
accompany the embassy had been limited
by the Emperor to fifty, but that he had
taken upon himself to permit the disem-
barkation of seventy-five ; that he should
have had no difficulty in obtaining the
Emperor's pardon for having exceeded his
powers in this instance, had the Embas-
sador been more complying on the sub-
ject of the ceremony; but under a doubt
EMBASSY TO CHINA. 169
of what might be the Emperor's deter-
mination upon that point, and a dread that
his Imperial Majesty should be offended
with our resistance, he could not but feel
extremely uneasy for the consequences
to himself. Lord, Amherst expressed his
regret that any personal inconvenience
should arise to the Chin-chae from his
friendly conduct, but declared the impos-
sibility of his consenting to abandon per-
sons of perfectly good conduct, to the
mortification and discomfort of being se-
parated from their countrymen at this
advanced period of the journey; had the
objection been made before the disem-
barkation, the same difficulties could not
have existed to compliance. g -
The Mandarins then sent for the edict,
from which it appeared that the objection
was made specifically to the band, and not
to the number of persons. The edict was
addressed by the nine counsellors”, whose
office is to superintend military affairs, but
* I am inclined to think that the council here alluded
to is the nui-yuen, represented, by Du Halde, as com-
posed of the ko-laos, or ministers, the assessors to the tri-
bunals, and the Emperor's secretaries.
170 JOURNAL OF AN
who are frequently summoned on transac-
tions relating to Europeans, to Soo-ta-jin,
and took very serious notice of the expres-
sion “peeteshee,” and directed its altera-
tion; the manner of the reception, and
the number of persons to be admitted to
the audience, was also stated. Only four
persons, the Embassador, his son, com-
missioners, were to be admitted to the
audience: twelve other gentlemen were
allowed to be present at the entertain-
ment. The remark written in red ink
was, “The band may be spared; let them
therefore return to the ships, and wait
the Embassador's arrival.” Kwang-ta-jin,
after the contents of the edict had been
communicated, said, that there was no
possibility of disobedience, the commands
of the Emperor were specific, and must
be acted upon : he added, that if the Em-
bassador was tenacious of the orders of his
Sovereign, he was not less so of the edict
of the Emperor; and that the refusal to
perform the ceremony had rendered it im-
possible for him to take any further re-
sponsibility upon himself. Lord Amherst
could not conceive, that when the circum-
EMIBASSY TO CHIN A. 171
stances were fairly represented to his Im-
perial Majesty, the objection would be
persevered in. Much of the former rea-
soning was gone over on both sides, and
the Mandarins, recollecting that it was
our dinner-time,' rose to depart.
At one o'clock this day we passed a very
prettily situated pavilion of the Emperor's
on the northern bank. The roof was co-
vered with yellow tiles, and had a dazzling
effect in the sun. The river here divides
itself into branches, and there appeared an
embankment across that to the north-east.
In the evening we were again sum-
moned by Lord Amherst to a conference
with the Mandarins. They commenced by
inquiring from Lord Amherst what had
become of the ships, and said that a sup-
ply of provisions had been sent to them, but
that, by the last accounts, it appeared that
they were not visible from the shore. Lord
Amherst replied that he could not possibly
pretend to say whether the ships had left
the coast; that the captain had received
specific instructions from his own go-
vernment, which he would of course obey.
They then inquired whether Lord Amherst
172 J O U R N A L OF A N
had given him any orders; the Embassador
said that he had not, and therefore applied
to them for information. They answered
that the ships must have left on the 20th
of the moon, that the Embassador must
have been aware of their intention, and
that his not having communicated it was
highly improper. Lord Amherst said,
that since his landing no question had
been put to him upon the subject; on
board ship indeed, the deputed Man-
darins had inquired by what route he in-
tended to return from Pekin; his answer
had been, that it was of course his in-
tention to return by whatever route the
Emperor might direct, but that he na-
turally looked to the same as had been
taken by the former embassy; from that
time till now, the subject had not been
revived. The Commissioner Kwang de-
clared that the Emperor would be highly in-
censed at the departure of the ships with-
out his permission, and that they would
be held personally accountable. Lord Am-
herst informed them that the captain of the
frigate had received orders from his own go-
vernment to return to Canton as soon as
EMBAssy To ch1NA. 173
the embassy had disembarked, and that
he had probably sailed with the first fair
wind. The Mandarins remarked that our
concealment of the intention had been
highly improper; that though they had
often alluded to the ships remaining at
the anchorage, we had never given them
any reason to suppose the contrary. Lord
Amherst asserted that he had never heard
any such allusion, for that if he had, as
there was no motive for concealment, he
should have informed them of the fact;
they were also asked why, if the point
was of such consequence, they had not
made specific inquiries. Here for a mo-
ment the commissioner Kwan g-ta-jin lost
his temper, and, turning to Mr. Morrison,
said, “ the Embassador is not to blame, it
is your fault in not faithfully communicat-
ing our observations.” Mr. Morrison very
properly said, that if such was his opinion
he must decline any further interpreta-
tion. Lord. Amherst requested Sir George
Staunton to express to both Mandarins
his sense of the injustice done to Mr.
Morrison, and to inform them that he
considered such observations personally
174 JOURNAL OF AN
offensive to himself. Kwang, without much
hesitation, apologized to Mr. Morrison, and
the discussion was continued in a more
friendly manner.
Soo-ta-jin readily assented to the ob-
servation made by Sir George Staunton,
that the occurrence was much to be la-
mented, as it seemed likely to displease
the Emperor, though in itself it could not
be considered of much consequence. It
was further observed to them, that the
ships which brought the last embassy
had sailed on the second day after Lord
Macartney's landing; that the anchorage
was notoriously unsafe for large ships, and
that we had even while on board expe-
rienced weather which led the captain to
apprehend the necessity of our quitting
the coast. Kwang then proposed that
we should furnish them with some reasons
to the Emperor, and finally suggested that
a paper should be written by us upon the
subject to confirm the report. This was
promised to be done immediately, and we
parted on good terms. .
The objection made by the Emperor
to the band is only so far important as
EMBASSY TO CHINA, 175
it marks the capricious weakness of his
character, and shews that he may be ex-
pected to adopt measures without any
apparent, or indeed assignable reason. We
could not be surprised at the dissatisfac-
tion shewn by the Mandarins at the de-
parture of the ships, and still less at our
silence upon the subject. Such in fact
had been the course pursued; for very
soon after our arrival at the anchorage,
we learnt the intentions of the Emperor
respecting the shortness of our stay, and
our direct return by the same route that
we had arrived. Under these circum-
stances, and independently of considera-
tions connected with the safety of the
ships, their immediate departure became
desirable, in order to deprive the Chinese
of an opportunity to request their deten-
tion for our conveyance; in this we suc-
ceeded. Kwang was naturally vexed at
his own want of foresight, and not a little
alarmed for the consequences to himself.
His subsequent moderation arose from a
conviction of the inutility of taxing us
with evasion, for he must have felt that
the Emperor, however dissatisfied with the
176 JOURNAL OF AN
occurrence, could only view the course
pursued by us as natural, if not justifiable;
our readiness, therefore, to diminish his
responsibility, by taking some portion of
censure upon ourselves, tended to his ex-
culpation, and might not unfairly be ex-
pected to obtain a return of good offices
on his part. - -
A paper was that night transmitted to
the Mandarins, assigning certain reasons
for the departure of the ships, derived
chiefly from the unsafe nature of the an-
chorage, and the precedent of the former
embassy. Although Chang had reminded
Lord Amherst of the alterations proposed
in the translation of the Prince Regent's
letter, so much new matter had since
arisen that it was not deemed necessary to
give that point any immediate attention.
16th August.—We were called soon after
daylight to Lord Amherst's boat to meet
Soo and Kwang, who, it appeared, had
last night received a communication from
Pekin. Instead, however, Qf coming them-
selves, Chang and Yin were sent. They
immediately alluded to the edict just re-
ceived, which they said contained a strong
EMBASSY TO CHINA. 177
expression of the Emperor's displeasure
at the occurrences at Tien-sing; that he
severely blamed the Mandarins Soo and
Kwang for having allowed us to proceed;
and finally, that he was determined not to
receive the Embassador unless the ko-tou
was complied with. Chang and Yin were
sent by the two superior Mandarins to
obtain a categorical answer, upon receipt
of which, they themselves would visit the
Embassador. Lord Amherst in reply,
while he endeavoured to convey to them
an impression that he was not disposed to
yield, wished to avoid giving the categorical
answer required; and therefore said, that
these were high matters of state, and were
not to be dismissed with a mere yes or no;
that the discussion upon this particular
had been hitherto conducted by Soo and
Kwang, and that it was better it should
continue in the same hands; though at the
same time he could assure them, that his
refusal to communicate his answer to them
did not arise from any want of regard or
respect. Chang observed that this refusal
rendered them nugatory, and Yin said, that
he could not go back without an answer.
WOL. Is IN
178 JOURNAL OF AN
Finding, however, that Lord Amherst was
inflexible, they retired, and in a few minutes
Soo and Kwang arrived.
Their countenances shewed much un-
easiness, and they commenced by express-
ing their regret at our want of disposition
to please the Emperor. As it was of im-
portance to receive an official intimation
of the contents of the Emperor's edict,
Lord Amherst, without noticing their ob-
servations, formally requested information
upon the subject. Kwang replied, that
their conduct in allowing the embassy to
proceed beyond Tien-sing was severely
censured ; that the edict asserted Lord
Macartney's compliance with the ko-tou,
and called upon Sir George Staunton as
a witness of the fact; and, finally, that
the presents were ordered to be sent back,
and that the Emperor could not receive
the Embassador unless he performed the
Tartar ceremony; for their own part they
had only to request a simple answer, yes
or no. Lord Amherst said in reply, that
his object had been to combine demon-
stration of respect to his Imperial Majesty
with obedience to the commands of his So-
EME ASSY TO CHINA. 179
vereign, and that he had flattered himself
the readiness evinced by him, to approxi-
mate the ceremony which he proposed to
that required by Chinese etiquette, would
have proved satisfactory to the Emperor;
that the difference was scarcely perceptible,
and was made in compliance with orders
which he dare not disobey. Kwang said,
that no doubt the Embassador was obliged
to obey his Sovereign, as they were the
Emperor. It is to be observed that the
word Whang-te” was applied by the Com-
missioner to both Monarchs.
Some discussion then arose upon the
general question, in the course of which
the Mandarins observed that the ko-tou
was required from all foreign Embassa-
dors; and the Siamese and Japanese were
instanced. It was answered, that these
nations could neither be classed in point of
civilization nor of power with the English.
This was readily admitted by the Manda-
rins; who said, that the treatment of their
Embassadors was by no means so honoura-
ble. They then proceeded to describe the
* A title generally confined to the Emperor.
- N 2
180 JOURNAL OF AN
pleasant mode in which his Imperial Ma-
jesty had arranged that the stay of the
Embassador should be employed at Pekin.
Lord Amherst could only, of course, ex-
press his regret, that circumstances should
prevent him from availing himself of the
Emperor's intended kindness. They then
asked whether Lord Amherst's son came
by the Prince Regent's orders. Lord Am-
herst said, that he came with the Prince's
knowledge; but the principal object in
bringing him was, that he himself might be
enabled to superintend his education. They
then remarked the extraordinary kindness
of the Emperor, in admitting him to the
honour of an audience, when it did not
appear that he held any official situation.
Lord Amherst said, that he could not be
considered wholly without official station,
acting as he did in the capacity of his
page, an office always held by young gen-
themen of rank, and not unusually attached
to embassies. The Mandarins now ob-
served, that the admission of his son's
tutor to the entertainment, must also be
considered a proof of his Imperial Majesty's
favour.
EMBASSY TO CHIN A. 181
Lord Amherst terminated these observa-
tions, by calling the attention of the Man-
darins to the subject immediately before
them ; and said, that under the present
refusal of the Emperor to dispense with
the ko-tou, he had a proposition to make,
which, he trusted, would completely evince
his anxiety to bring the discussion to an
amicable termination: the commands of
his Sovereign were too precise to admit of
a departure from them, without some re-
ciprocal concession; that he therefore had
to propose, that a Tartar Mandarin, of
equal rank with himself, should perform
the ko-tou before the picture of the Prince
Regent, in which case he was prepared to
comply with the Emperor's wishes. The
Mandarins said, that this proposition was
inadmissible, for that the ko-tou would in
this case be performed by the Mandarin
before a shadow; there would be a differ-
ence if the proposition had been made in
our own country, but brought forward
under actual circumstances, it was wholly
inapplicable; though pressed upon the
point, they would not admit any similarity
between Lord Amherst's equivalent and
182 Journ AL or AN
the ceremony before the curtain at Tien-
sing. The Embassador then observed, that
he had made the proposition in conförmity
with the example of Lord Macartney, who
had proposed a similar equivalent to the
ministers of his Imperial Majesty's father,
with whom it had probably operated as a
proof of Lord Macartney's sincere disposi-
tion to pay him every reasonable mark of
respect, for that he had finally consented
to receive his Lordship with the European
ceremonial.
The Mandarins still refusing to consider
the proposition as admissible, Lord Am-
herst said that matters of this high import
were not to be dismissed so hastily, and
that he should put into their hands a me-
morial upon the subject, for transmission
to the Emperor. They declared that they
dared not transmit any paper containing
such a request. i
Lord Amherst then, claiming their most
serious attention, said, that he had still an-
other proposal to make, which he trusted
would prove more consistent with Chinese
usage; that his reason for declining com-
pliance with the ko-tou, being an appre-
EMBASSY TO CHIN A. 183
hension that it might derogate from the
dignity of his own Sovereign, it was neces-
sary that he should obtain some document
to prevent any such inference from being
drawn, and therefore he had to request,
that in return for his performing the ko-
tou, his Imperial Majesty would issue an
edict, declaring that any Chinese Embas-
sador, who might hereafter be presented
at the English court, should perform the
Tartar obeisance before his Britannic Ma-
jesty. The Mandarins both exclaimed,
Impossible! this is more objectionable than
the other. Lord Amherst then said, that
he would commit both propositions to
writing, to be by them transmitted to the
Emperor : to this they gave a decided ne-
gative. Lord Amherst suggested that they
themselves should submit the two pro-
positions, in whatever mode they deemed
most expedient. The Mandarins having
also objected to his suggestion, Lord
Amherst said that all access being thus
denied to the Emperor, he had only to
declare his readiness to return. The Man-
darins expressed their regret; and added,
that they saw no alternative between com-
184 J O U R N A L OF AN
pliance and return, but that they would
report what had occurred to his Imperial
Majesty, and in the meantime they would
move a short distance down the river, to
a more convenient situation. They were
evidently much distressed at the turn af-
fairs had taken, and incidentally said, that
probably other persons would be sent to
reconduct us. Soo-ta-jin concluded by
repeating several times the words Teen-
ye! “ the will of Heaven P' I must con-
fess that I was most anxious to bring the
transmission of the memorial to an issue, as
the refusal is a sufficient proof of the hope-
lessness of any attempt at negotiation, and
in my view of the subject, is the best reason
for withdrawing. -
We moved, as the Mandarins had said,
about a mile down the river, to a very
pleasant situation, near a small village.
In the evening we indulged ourselves in a
walk, before the boats, a pleasure which we
have scarcely enjoyed since we left Tung-
koo. The inhabitants soon began to bring
fruits and vegetables for sale, and I have
no doubt if we remain here a few days,
that a market will be established. We
FM BASSY TO CHIN A. 185
have been informed that the Mandarins
object to persons walking before their
boats, as privacy is considered essential to
the comfort and respectability of a Chinese
gentleman. Barbers’ stools are already
regularly established on the bank; and I
only fear that Chinese jealousy may be
alarmed at this appearance of domestica-
tion. Our situation is not unlike that of
Tantalus; the blue mountains of Tartary
are in sight, Pekin is only eighty miles
distant, and yet our heads may be finally
turned in two days to the south. The
name of the village is Tsae-tsung.
Whatever may be the result of the pre-
sent discussions, we must consider our-
selves fortunate in the Mandarins with
whom we had to transact business: they
are both good-tempered, and Kwang is a
man of much liberality of sentiment. If
the ceremony should not be dispensed
with, the rupture must be attributed to the
personal character of the Emperor, who is
capricious, weak, and timid, and the com-
bined effect of these qualities will account
for his pertinacity. It is not impossible
186 J O U R N A L OF A N
that the late civil commotions”, which en-
dangered not only the safety of his throne,
but of his life, may render him averse to
dispense with a ceremony that has so di-
rect a tendency to maintain his dignity in
the eyes of his own subjects. *
17th of August.—We had an early visit
from one of the Mandarins who assisted
at the conference at Tien-sing, accom-
panied by Chang and Yin. The object
was to communicate the result of the de-
liberations of the superor Mandarins. It
was impossible, they said, to state either
of the propositions made by the Embas-
sador, as they would certainly prove more
offensive to the Emperor than the refusal
to perform the ceremony; that therefore
Soo and Kwang suggested the expedient
of their addressing the Emperor to the fol-
lowing effect: First, on the part of the
Embassador himself, that, having received
positive orders from his Sovereign to ad-
here strictly to the precedent of Lord
* An account of these occurrences is to be found in the
translations from the Pekin Gazette made by Mr. Mor-
rison, and published at Macao.
EMBASSY, TO CHINA. 187
Macartney, however disposed to shew
every respect to his Imperial Majesty, he did
not dare to disobey the commands of the
King of England, and that therefore he
humbly solicited the Emperor's permission
to perform the European obeisance nine
times. Secondly, from Sir George Staun-
ton, that he should represent his extreme
youth at the time of the former embassy,
and his imperfect recollection of what oc-
curred respecting the ceremony, but that
he had heard, the ko-tou had not been per-
formed by Lord Macartney. The Man-
darins said, that his Imperial Majesty
might possibly be induced to dispense with
the strictness of the ceremonial, in con-
sideration of such a solicitation. This pro-
posal was prefaced by a long harangue,
addressed by the Mandarin Secretary to
Sir George Staunton, in which he noticed
the Emperor's disappointment that Sir
George had not exerted his influence with
the Embassador in favour of the ceremony,
as a return for the gracious notice taken
of him by Kien Lung during the former
embassy. Sir George took this oppor-
tunity to point out the impropriety of his
188 JOURNAL OF AN
being separated from Lord Amherst and
the other Commissioner, their acts and
opinions being in truth identified. Lord
Amherst added, with a view to prevent
the recurrence-of similar observations, that
however much he was disposed to attend
to Sir George's opinion in general, upon
this point he was guided by the commands
of his sovereign. As the proposition of
the Mandarins was evidently only an ex-
cuse for their retracting, and as no ob-
jection could be made to the contents of
the intended representation to Pekin, Lord
Amherst expressed his assent.
The particular manner of performing the
proposed ceremony was next discussed.
Lord Amherst declared his willingness to
render the arrangement as agreeable as
possible to the Emperor, preserving always
its distinct character. It was finally set-
tled, that in number of genuflexions and
bows it should correspond with the ko-
tou"; that is, one genuflexion with three
* The Tartar ceremonial has perhaps improperly been
rendered by the Chinese word ko-tou, which more strictly
signifies three simple genuflexions, a mode of salutation
practised even in private life. The court ceremony has
EMIBASSY TO CHIN A. 189
bows, thrice repeated. The Mandarin Se-
cretary said, that this very circumstance
(which he affected to consider entirely
new, although it had been promised at
Tien-sing) would justify the Mandarins in
making the representation to the Emperor.
Thus the business rests. If the proposition
has been made in consequence of a more
moderate communication from Pekin, we
may expect a favourable termination of
this disagreeable discussion, otherwise it is
only a proof that we shall have the aid of
Soo and Kwang in forwarding our views;
and as they must be considered persons of
some consequence, this is an advantage
quantum valeat. - - -
At one o'clock we were summoned to a
conference with the secretary Mandarins
attached to Soo and Kwang, accompanied
by Chang. The Secretary who had been
with us in the morning, opened the con-
versation by communicating the contents
of an imperial edict just received. In this
the Emperor directed the Embassador to
proceed to Tong-chow, where he would be
a different name, implying thrice kneeling and nine
times bowing the head, San kwei keu kou,
190 J. O'U.R. NAL OF AN
met by two Mandarins of still higher rank
than Soo and Kwang, whose names were
Ho and Moo; the former a Koong-yay *,
* The nobility of China may be divided into two
classes, personal and official: the title of Koong-yay be-
longs to the former, of which there are five degrees, esta-
blished by the founder of the present dynasty, who, at
the same time, assumed the title of Tai-tsou, or Con-
queror. In their original institution these degrees of no-
bility were confined to the family, or more properly clan,
of the founder. The three higher degrees were conferred
upon the elders of the different branches of the family;
and the two last upon younger, but distinguished mem-
bers. The titles themselves are Tsien-van, Kiun-van,
Pei-lee, Pei-tse and Koong-yay. The three first may be
said to be still confined to the agnati of the Emperor, and
comprise the Regulos, or Princes, so often mentioned in
the accounts of the Missionaries; the two last would not
seem to suffer the same limitation, for the eldest male de-
scendant of Confucius bears the title of Koong-yay: and,
in the instance of Ho, we had reason to believe that the
marriage of the Emperor with his sister produced his
affiliation into the Imperial family. Pensions, and even
servants, either Tartars or Tartarized Chinese, are as-
signed to these princely nobles; their usual residence is
within the precincts of the palace, and their duty at-
tendance upon the person of the Sovereign, more espe-
cially upon all great public festivals and ceremonies. All
affairs relating to the Imperial family, collectively or in-
dividually, are discussed in a tribunal composed of the
princes. The title and pension cease with the death of
the prince on whom they have been conferred, and it
rests with the Emperor whether they be continued to the
son: even the servants or slaves abovementioned revert
EMBASSY TO CHIN A. 191
or Duke, and connected with the Emperor
by marriage, and the other President of
to the Emperor, and are disposed of as he may think ex-
pedient. It may therefore be inferred, that with the
exception of the family of Confucius, there is strictly no
hereditary nobility in China; there is rather an hereditary
eligibility to the five degrees, possessed by the members
of the Imperial family, dormant till called forth by the
edict of the Emperor. I was unable to ascertain whether
the title Haou-yay, usually translated Comte by the
Missionaries, and applied by Mr. Morrison in describing
Lord Amherst, is the same as the fifth title, Pei-tse, or
an inferior and additional degree. The possessors of
these titles of personal nobility all take precedence of the
official nobility or Mandarins.
The divisions of the Mandarins, the distinction by the
buttons on their caps, and the relative rank of civil and
military employment, are sufficiently known to render an
enumeration unnecessary. Of Mandarins, however, there
may be said to be two classes: Mandarins of office, and
titular Mandarins. To the latter description the Hong
merchants, who wear buttons, belong: vanity, and a se-
curity from corporal punishment, are the motives of their
purchasing, often at a high price, honours, unaccompanied
with real distinction or authority. Their security from
corporal punishment is but partial; for although a Man-
darin must be degraded from his rank before such chas-
tisement be inflicted, the Viceroys have the power of
breaking any Mandarin within their jurisdiction, being
responsible for the act to the superior tribunal at Pekin.
When the term of official employment expires, the
Mandarin often returns to a private station in his native
province, and may be said no longer to form one of the
official nobility. Courtesy, however, usually continues
192 Jourt NAL OF AN
the tribunal of ceremonies. Before these
Mandarins he would be required to practise
the Tartar ceremony; and that on condition
of his also performing it in the Imperial
presence, he would be admitted to the
honour of an audience; or, secondly, that
the Emperor would be equally satisfied
with the Embassador's practising before
Soo and Kwang. The Mandarin pro-
ceeded to say, that Kwang and Soo, aware
of the Embassador's determination upon
the subject of the ko-tou, were anxious to
be able to add to their report, that he would
be ready to practise the ceremony as he
had proposed, either before Kwang and Soo
here, or at Tong-chow. Lord Amherst,
conceiving that the demand of previous
practice might arise from a desire more
completely to understand, by ocular demon-
the tribute of personal distinction during his life, and, in
many cases, even extends it to his family. -
It is a remarkable circumstance belonging to titles of
Chinese nobility, that although not conferred in here-
ditary succession, they have sometimes, by special decree,
a retrospective effect, ennobling the ancestors, and not
the posterity of the honoured individual. One of the
Missionaries, in the reign of Kang-hi, was the object of
this extraordinary act of Imperial favour.
EMBASSY TO CHINA. 193
stration, what he meant to do, was at first
disposed to consent to a private exhibition
before Soo and Kwang, as under all cir-
cumstances, he would naturally prefer per-
sons with whom he was acquainted, to
strangers. It being, however, necessary
to understand the exact drift of the pro-
posal, several questions were put to the
Mandarins, directed to that object. It
first appeared, from their answers, that a
pledge was required in this form, from the
Embassador. To meet this motive, Lord
Amherst solemnly declared, that he would
most conscientiously adhere to the strict
letter of the proposed arrangement. It
struck me from the first, that something
more than mere pledge was meant, and
that possibly a repetition of the yellow
curtain scene, with increased ceremony,
was intended; or that, as the previous
practice was, in every point of view, more
discreditable than even the performance of
the ko-tou, it was thus demanded from a
conviction, that, if complied with, there
could be no danger of the Embassador
hesitating at the audience. My surmise
proved correct, for on being further ques-
VOL. I. O
194 Journ AL of AN
tioned, it appeared that the practice was
to take place before the figure of a dragon,
the Imperial emblem. Lord Amherst, on
becoming acquainted with this latter cir-
cumstance, declared, that after this expla-
nation he must refuse his assent altogether:
that the practice, if meant as a pledge, was
nugatory, as there could be no certainty
of how he might act on another occasion ;
and that the circumstances under which it
was proposed, rendered it wholly inad-
missible, for there was no probability of
his doing that at Tong-chow, which he
had refused at Tien-sing; Kwang and Soo
were in possession of his sentiments upon
the subject, and that whoever might be
the Mandarins deputed to Tong-chow,
they would produce no change in his deter-
mination; he had already given a solemn
promise to adhere strictly to the ceremonial
he had proposed, and that he should have
no hesitation to make a written declaration
to the same effect. The Mandarins caught
at this last proposal, which they said was
perfectly satisfactory, and complimented
Lord Amherst upon his acuteness and wise
conduct, - -
EMIBASSY TO CHIN A. 195
The Mandarin who had taken the prin-
cipal share in the discussion seized Sir
George's hand, saying, “So then, if twenty
Mandarins were to come to Tong-chow,
the Embassador would not do more than
he had promised to Soo and Kwang.” Sir
George having answered in the affirmative,
he said, with earnestness, “ This is im-
portant, this is essential.” The satisfaction
thus expressed by the Mandarin had of
course no connexion with the interests of
the embassy; it merely referred to the
effect that the failure or success of the
intended negotiation at Tong-chow would
have upon Soo and Kwang: should the
other Mandarins obtain the compliance of
Lord Amherst upon the disputed point,
the difficulties that had occurred would
necessarily be attributed to a want of
ability on the part of Soo and Kwang;
but if, on the contrary, the Embassador
persisted in his determination, the written
pledge now obtained was the last conces-
sion that could be made, and they there-
fore would have the merit of having done
the utmost. In compliance with the wishes
of the Mandarins, the written declaration
- O 2
196 J O U R N A L OF AN
contained an exact description of the pro-
posed ceremony. -
I omitted to mention, that in the con-
ference of the morning, the Mandarin had,
in describing the ceremony, used gestures,
which led us to imagine that some Man-
darin would actually lay his hands on
Lord Amherst to mark when the genu-
flection should be performed. Under this
impression, Sir George informed him, that
touching the person, according to our
notions, was highly offensive; the proposal
was readily withdrawn, and injunction by
voice was substituted. To this no objection
was made, although probably the words
“San kwei ken kou,” (thrice kneel, nine
times bow) will be used. It is not quite
clear, however, whether signals by action
will not be finally adopted. Even before
the conference commenced, the boats had
been ordered to advance, and we have
again our heads towards Pekin.
My time has been so taken up with
conferences, and my mind so engaged in
reflections upon the present uncertain state
of affairs, that I have had little leisure, and
I had almost said inclination, to examine
EMIBASSY TO CHIN A. 197
the scenes through which we are passing.
I have only observed a gradual rising in
the banks, and a greater frequency of
wood ; the cultivation seems much the
same. Despotism in China, as elsewhere,
presses with least weight upon the lower
orders; our trackers have at different times
struck for wages, and refused to proceed
until their just demands were satisfied.
They are said to be a separate class of men
from different parts of the empire, who
have no other occupation : their labour
must often be severe, and is accompanied *
with a song, both to encourage their exer-
tions and to render them simultaneous.
Mr. Morrison has obtained a copy of it.
The village where we halted on the 16th
was the residence of a military Mandarin
of the rank of colonel, who had distin-
guished himself in the late rebellion; he
had been wounded in the thigh, and had
received a peacock's feather” as a reward.
His appearance was formidable in point of
size, and if his courage equalled his strength,
he must have been most useful on the
* The peacock's feather may be considered equivalent
to European orders of knighthood.
198 J O U R. NAL OF AN
occasion. With the vanity common to
human nature, he inquired whether we
had not heard of the particular occurrence
in which he had borne a part. Although,
from Mr. Morrison's regular perusal of the
Pekin Gazette, the fact was really so, he
did not think it prudent to avow his
knowledge. - -
I was much amused by seeing the game
of guessing the number of fingers, called in
Chinese Tsoee-moée, played last night by
two of the inferior Mandarins: one of the
party was the Mandarin of our boat, who
is certainly le Mandarin le plus bete de Sa
paroisse, and though laughter threw more
expression into his countenance than usual,
it was still so mixed with dulness, that the
effect was altogether more ludicrous than I
think I ever before witnessed ; it was the
expanded radiance of silliness, and would
have formed a capital subject for a painter.
The loser drinks the cup of wine or spirits,
and would therefore, in the opinion of
many, be considered the winner. •
Our boat has been this day infested by
a most diabolical stench, proceeding from
a choice preparation of stinking fish, which
EMBAssy To China. 199
is eaten by the boatmen with their rice."
Eating is looked upon by the Chinese as a
most important concern, and would seem
to be going on all day, but they probably
eat little at a time; their principal meal is
in the evening: the character of their
dishes is greasy insipidity, and they are
prized by them in proportion to their in-
vigorating effects.
Some of the large junks we have passed
seem handsomely fitted up, and their in-
habitants have been observed to be of
respectable appearance. Junks on which
officers of government are embarked have
placards to distinguish them; the cha-
racters inscribed are generally cautions to
the people to preserve tranquility, and
not to obstruct their passage. The soldiers
employed to drive away the crowds by
whom our boats, when at anchor, are con-
stantly surrounded, seem to have quite an
understanding with the spectators; for the
soldier pretends to strike them, and they
pretend to go away, but return imme-
diately to their position. The symbol of
authority and the instrument of punish-
ment is often only the stalk of the Kaou-
200 JOURNAL OF AN
leang" or millet. Villages have not been,
I think, quite so frequent near the bank
the last twenty-four hours; though I can-
not say that we have had fewer spec-
tatorS.
We all breakfast and dine on board the
same junk, and return immediately after
the meals to our respective boats. From
the separation of our European stores, and
in some degree from the scantiness of the
Chinese supplies, our fare has not been
very agreeable; and were it not for the
occupation of business, the tedium and
uniformity of the life would be terrible;
yet such must be our fate during the jour-
ney to Canton. Some of the party have
secured a walk almost every evening; I
have been deterred by the crowds who
constantly followed. My health, however,
is suffering so much from confinement, that
I must make a desperate effort to obtain
exercise. - •
The bank of the river is in places arti-
ficially formed with earth and straw mixed,
* Kaou-leang means high grain, and the millet well
deserves the appellation; the stalks often exceeding twelve
feet in height. .
E M BASSY TO CHIN A. 2OI
and the materials for repairing it are col-
lected in heaps at small intervals. During
the night we crossed a large shoal, but
have not yet observed any of the islands
mentioned by the former travellers. We
passed this morning before breakfast a
pretty-looking building, which is conjec-
tured to be a temporary edifice where a
Mandarin has received some entertain-
ment. Rectangular-shaped gateways, call-
ed by the Chinese Py-loo, but by Euro.
pean exaggeration, triumphal arches, were
near it. -
The Chinese are so illiberal in their prin-
ciples of action, and so unblushingly false
in their assertions, that the soundest argu-
ments are thrown away upon them. De-
nying both your general principles and
your facts ad libitum, the Chinese defies all
attempt at refutation; yet, though aware
that duplicity and deceit are with him
habitual and invariable, he has no hesi-
tation in assuming the language of offended
integrity when concealment is used by
others; and it must be confessed that the
constant practice of these vices gives them
a wonderful aptitude for detecting the
202 Journ AL of AN
slightest semblance of them, in those with
whom they are dealing. -
Our friend Chang affects a taste for
literature, and we are told writes verses;
this is the case with most men of education
and fashion in China, and impromptu com-
position is an usual occupation at their
convivial meetings. • .
18th of August.—The progress is but
slow, probably on an average not twenty
miles a day: there are no villages imme-
diately on the banks, but the crowds of
spectators are not much diminished; the
women generally station themselves at the
opening of the paths leading to the villages.
Various species of millet and the castor oil
plant still continue the principal objects
of cultivation. The system of drill seems
general in Chinese agriculture. In draw-
ing their carts they combine yoke and
harness. ,
I succeeded with some others in obtain-
ing a walk this day of nearly five miles,
not, however, unaccompanied by crowds.
While waiting to join our boats, we were
obliged to take up separate positions, for
the purpose of dividing the attention of
EMBASSY TO CHIN A. 2O3
the Chinese, and thereby inhaling less of
the horrid effluvia proceeding from their
persons; the stench is certainly sui generis,
and if excess in this quality be a source of
the sublime, the Chinese have every claim
to that quality. We have had no commu-
nication from Pekin. Mr. Abel and Mr.
Amherst passed several hours on board the
Chinese colonel's boat; he accompanies us
to the limits of his command, and appears
anxious to cultivate our acquaintance.
The river has this day become very
shallow in places, and it is said that great
delays are in consequence often expe-
rienced by the large grain junks in their
progress up the river. These vessels” are
private property, taken up on the account
of government; their lading is six hundred
measures of grain, and the owner is at
liberty to dispose of the remainder of the
* The establishment of these junks dates from the
Yuen dynasty, when the Grand Canal was formed. The
crews of these vessels, called Kan-kia, were originally
composed of criminals, in whose case this particular service
was substituted for exile. ,They were permitted to take
their families on board, and to trade free of duties: this
privilege, and the peculiar mode of composing the crew,
have ceased to exist.
204 Journ AL of AN
tonnage, and all the accommodations, on
his own account; he generally resides on
board with his family. They return loaded
with merchandize, exclusively private pro-
perty. The central provinces, which we
hope to go through on our journey to
Canton, are the granaries of the empire.
19th of August.—Some spots on the
banks have been very prettily wooded, not
unlike park scenery in England. We are
not to reach Tong-chow till to-morrow, the
distance being more than fifty lees. The
difference in temperature between the
morning and noon is at present 16 de-
grees; seventy in the morning, and eighty-
six at the latter time. The nights are also
cool, and, on the whole, I am disposed to
think the climate the most favourable point
of our situation. -
• We have been compelled to address the
conducting Mandarins upon the inade-
quacy of the supplies of provisions; from
the first they have never been abundant,
have gradually diminished, and to-day they
failed altogether in some essential articles.
This negligence may arise either from our
doubtful fortunes, or from deficiency in the
Tel MBASSY TO CHIN A. 205
arrangement; I am inclined to think the
latter, more especially when I reflect that
the imperial commissioners are under some-
thing like suspension. I collect from Mr.
Morrison, that the mode of furnishing sup-
plies to the embassy is similar to the
“Seeyoorsat’ ” in Persia; in both coun-
tries Embassadors are considered the guests
of the sovereign, and the magistrates of the
district through which the road to the
capital passes are called upon to provide
the requisite supplies; the adequacy or
scantiness will, unless previous arrange-
ment has been made, depend upon the
nature of the country passed through. In
our case, I should apprehend this has been
neglected. The Mandarins went through
the form of making exertions, but did not
remove the inconvenience.
It appears that the offence for which
Na-yin-ching, the late Viceroy of the pro-
vince, has been disgraced, is an excess in
his public expenditure of twenty thousand
taels or six thousand five hundred pounds,
which has not been sanctioned by the tri-
* The Seeyoorsat somewhat resembles the ancient
ſº ... • sº
práctice of purveyance in England. . . ; •
206 JoJR NAL OF AN
bunals, and he continues in confinement.
The government believes him able to re-
fund, but the contrary is the opinion of the
Mandarins with us. This appears ex-
traordinary, as he was formerly Viceroy of
Canton, generally supposed to be a lu-
crative situation. Although the office of
Hoppo at Canton requires some commercial
knowledge, it would not seem that any
attention is paid to qualification in the
selection; on the contrary, the Hoppo is
usually some favourite servant of the palace,
and the office is given as the means of
amassing a large fortune. .
The Mandarins Soo and Kwang do not
correspond with the ministers or tribunals;
their appointments as Chin-chaes, or im-
perial commissioners, authorize them to
communicate directly with the Emperor.
Such is the extent to which the principle
of responsibi"ty is carried in this govern-
ment, that there is no doubt that Soo and
* Kwang will be held accountable for Lord
Amherst's refusal to perform the ko-tou,
and their failure be possibly visited with
severe punishment. "Information received
from other quarters induces Mr. Morrison
to give credit to the account of their sus-
EMTBASSY TO CHIN A. 2O7
pension: and indeed the cessation of in-
tercourse with us renders it not unlikely.
We have remarked that the people, as
we advance, are inferior in personal ap-
pearance to the inhabitants of Tien sing
and its vicinity; their countenances ex-
press a worse disposition, and their dress
bespeaks greater poverty. The men more
generally wear hats.
20th of August.—We passed another
fleet of imperial junks: the tonnage on this
river must be prodigious; in number of
vessels it would probably yield to none in
Europe. The shallows become more fre-
quent: this is, I suppose, the height of the
dry season, as the banks, when not arti-
ficially constructed, exhibit the marks of
extensive inundations.
. A halt of our boat, opposite a party of
soldiers, drawn out to do honour to the
Embassador, gave me an opportunity of
examining them with a little attention.
They were, to use a military phrase, of
all arms—matchlocks, bows and arrows,
swords, shields, and quilted breastplates.
Their bow is shaped like the Persian bow,
that is, not a continued arch ; but, unlike
208 O U R N A L OF AN
the latter, it requires little strength to draw
them: their arrows are deeply feathered,
more than three feet long, with a pointed
blade at the end not barbed. Chinese
matchlocks are the worst that I have ever
seen; originally of ill construction, they
are kept in such bad order, that they must
become perfectly useless. The swords are
shortand well-shaped, beingslightly curved,
and do not seem bad weapons. The bow-
string rests against the thumb, and for that
purpose a broad ring of bone, or some hard
substance, is worn to protect the skin.
The appearance of the strangely drest sol-
diers already mentioned, who may becalled
the monsters of the imperial guard, is most .
ludicrous: the colours of the dress are such
as I before described ; the dress itself is
divided into a loose jacket and trowsers;
some of the party had a coloured cloth
wrapped like a scanty clout round their
heads; they hold their capacious shields in
front, close to their breasts, and allow a
few inches of their rusty blades to appear
above it. The principal officer on duty
wore a blue button. Such is the supe-
riority of civil over military rank in China,
E M BASSY TO CHIN A. 209
that a civil Mandarin with a white button
often takes, precedence of the military
coral. - . -
The mountains have been in sight these
two days, still retaining the blue tinge of
distance: they seem divided into ranges,
the highest of immense elevation.—Half
past one o'clock. I saw the lofty pagoda
of Tong-chow, which has before excited our
attention as a great topic of incitement
in the song of the trackers; their labours
here terminate, and so may possibly ours;
if they have toiled against the stream of
the Pei-ho, we have worked our way up
against the current of prejudice and unjust
pretension; to them it will certainly be a
place of rest, and if the cessation of con-
flict produced by defeat be called repose,
we have also a prospect of that enjoyment.
—We anchored at five o'clock. The walls
of the town are visible from the tops of the
boats at the anchorage, which is covered
with vessels, much less numerous, however,
than at Tien-sing. Troops were drawn
out, and the usual salute fired, accom-
panied by the detestable noise of their
musical instruments. ..
VoI. I. - P
210 JOURNAL OF AN
Mr. Morrison was immediately carried
on shore to see the quarters intended for
Lord Amherst. He described them as
forming part of a building apparently em-
ployed to accommodate public officers;
they were tolerably furnished, and had
evidently been prepared for the occasion:
they were inadequate to the accommoda-
tion of the whole party, but Mr. Morrison
was of opinion that the Chinese would feel
dissatisfied if Lord Amherst did not occupy
them, as the preparation of them was con-
sidered an act of attention on the part of
the Emperor. The distance was about one
hundred yards from the boats.
After dinner, Soo and Kwang visited
Lord Amherst; and after shortly men-
tioning the accommodation that had been
provided, and arranging that Lord Amherst
should establish himself there to-morrow,
they entered upon the question of the ce-
remony, observing that all looked well but
this unfortunate difference; the Emperor's
disposition was most favourable, and it
would be much to be regretted if this also
could not be arranged to the mutual satis-
faction of the parties: they were not, it
EMBASSY To chrNA. 211
seemed, removed from their charge. This
latter circumstance gave Lord Amherst an
opportunityofcommencing his reply, by ex-
pressing thegratification whichhe felt in their
stlil continuing the medium of communica-
tion. He then proceeded to state, that the
circumstances attending Lord Macartney's
reception having been admitted by both
parties, he begged leave to repeat to them
his former statement; that the commands
of his Sovereign directed him rigidly to
adhere to that precedent; that however,
from an anxious desire to gratify the
wishes of his Imperial Majesty, he was
prepared to perform the Tartar ceremony,
on one of two conditions; either that a
subject of his Imperial Majesty should
perform the same before the Prince Re-
gent's picture, or that a formal declara-
tion should be made by the Emperor,
that any Chinese Embassador, who here-
after appeared at the English court, should,
if required, perform the ko-tou before
our Sovereign: the object, Lord Amherst
added, of these conditions was, to pre-
vent the proposed ceremony being con-
P 2
212 JOURN A L OF A N
strued into an act of homage from a de-
pendent prince *. -
Kwang replied shortly to this state-
ment, remarking that the fact of Lord
Macartney's not having complied with the
Chinese usage was by no means generally
admitted, and that the imputation of con-
sidering his Britannic Majesty a dependent
prince was sufficiently disproved, by the
employment of persons of their rank to
* This second condition does not materially differ from
the final arrangement of the question of ceremony de-
scribed by Bell of Antermony in his account of Ismailoff's
embassy, which he asserts was proposed by Kang-hi: the
following are his words—“That the Embassador should
comply with the established customs of the court of China,
and when the Emperor senta Minister to Russia, he should
have instructions to conform himself in every respect to the
ceremonies in use at that court.”—If this declaration on the
partofthe Emperor wereverbal, and communicated through
his minister, it was of little value, and only gave Ismailoff
a decent pretext for withdrawing his opposition. A si-
milar might possibly have been obtained on the present
occasion. The account of the arrangements with the
Russian Embassador, given in the Lettres Edifiantes, is
different: it is there said, that the Emperor Cang-hi
proposed that a Mandarin should prostrate himself be-
fore the Czar's letter on condition of the Embassador
performing the court ceremony. The alternatives pro-
posed by Lord Amherst may be said to have embraced
both these statements. r
EMBASSY TO CHIN A. 213
conduct the Embassador to court. Lord
Amherst answered, that he should never
have brought forward the precedent of
Lord Macartney, unless the circumstances
attending it had been too well authenti-
cated to admit of the least doubt; that
though much flattered by their appoint-
ment, he could not have expected less from
the gracious disposition of his Imperial
Majesty. “Well,” said they, “the object of
the embassy is to strengthen the friendly
relation between the two countries, and
surely a single circumstance should not
prevent its attainment.” Lord Amherst
strongly stated his anxiety to, make every
effort, consistent with the commands of
his Sovereign, to effect this desirable
end. They then regretted that there was
so little prospect of persuading the Em-
bassador to comply with the Emperor's
wishes, and communicated the dismissal
of the officer at Ta-koo, for allowing the
ships to depart: Soo-ta-jin added, “such
also will be our fate.” The Embassador
expressed his hopes that their apprehen-
sions would prove groundless, and assured
them that if they did not succeed, no others
214 Journ AL of AN
would; in fact, had strangers been sent
that night, he had not intended to have
been so unreserved in his communications.
In the course of the conference the
Mandarins very fairly stated the difficulties
in which both parties conducting the ne-
gotiation were placed, by the commands
of their respective superiors, and hinted
that even if Lord Amherst complied here,
he might make any report he pleased on
his return to England. Lord Amherst re-
plied, that were he base enough to falsify
the account, he had seventy-four witnesses
with him who would state the truth. This
proposition is a tolerable instance of Chi-
nese notions of the conduct of men in pub-
lic situations. Ten o'clock was fixed for
Lord Amherst's disembarkation, and the
Mandarins proposed to visit him soon -
after. Mr. Morrison, on inquiring what
some tents pitched near Lord Amherst's
quarters were intended for, was incau-
tiously informed by Yin, that an entertain-
ment, similar to that at Tien-sing, was to
be given in them to the Embassador. The
principal. Mandarins had not alluded to
any such intention. Mr. Davis learnt from
EMTE ASSY TO CHIN A. 215
some inferior person, that Ho, already men-
tioned, and Moo, the President of the Lipou,
or Tribunal of Ceremonies, had been ap-
pointed to negotiate with the Embassador.
I had omitted to mention two observa-
tions, which did not at the moment at-
tract much attention, but which, as since
related by Mr. Morrison, are not unde-
serving of notice. The first was, that the
Ring of England himself, were he in China,
would' consider it his duty to comply with
the wishes of the Emperor; and secondly,
that the Embassador must feel himself the
minister of the Emperor, and therefore
bound to obey his commands. These
two suppositions may be viewed by those
who attach high importance to the conse-
quences of compliance as a commentary
upon the temper with which the ceremony
is required.
216 J O U R N A L OF A N
CHAPTER III.
Occurrences at Tong-chow—Interview with Ho-koong-
yay and Moo-ta-jin–Delivery of address from the Em-
bassador to the Emperor—Communications with Chang
—Appearance of Russians at the quartersofthe embassy
—Remarks on Tong-chow—Second interview with the
Koong-yay—Night journey to Pekin—Occurrences at
Yuen-min-yuen—Sudden departure.
Twenty-FIRST of August.—Lord Am-
herst and the two Commissioners pro-
ceeded to the quarters provided by the
Chinese, principally to receive the visits
of Soo and Kwang, as had been proposed,
but it was not determined finally to esta-
ºblish ourselves till to-morrow ; prepara-
tions for dinner on shore were however
made. At two o'clock we were visited
by Hung, the Mandarin Secretary, and
Chang, to announce a mission of Ho, a
Koong-yay, or Duke, and Moo-ta-jin, the
President of the Lipou, to discuss the
question of the ceremony; they did not
exactly state whether Lord Amherst or
these Mandarins were to pay the first
visit. Hung described the Koong-yay as
E M BASSY TO CHIN A. 217
a young man of few words, remarkable
for severity of manner and inflexible cha-
racter. The President was advanced in
years, and of great experience. To-morrow
was fixed as the day of interview, and the
object was described to be a discussion
with his Excellency of the Tartar cere-
mony. Lord Amherst simply expressed
his readiness to meet the Duke. The
interview here ended, leaving us no pleasant
contemplations for the future. The allu-
sion to the Koong-yay’s character, if meant
to intimidate, was highly offensive; if in-
tended as a caution, absurd. | §
We had scarcely finished dinner when
we were informed that all the Imperial
Commissioners were waiting to be re-
ceived; arrangements were accordingly
made, but we were soon after informed
by Chang, that only some Mandarins,
deputed by the Koong-yay, were coming.
They soon followed, six in number; and,
as usual, the Commissioners advanced to
pay the first compliments. I was in front,
and my salutation was not only unre-
turned, but almost by gesture repulsed.
These Mandarins held on their insolent
218 JOU R. NAL OF AN
course to the chamber of reception, and
availed themselves of our polite retiring
to usurp the first seats. As might be ex-
pected, the conversation was short; on
their part a formal communication was
made that the Koong-yay and Moo-ta-
jin had been deputed to instruct the Em-
bassador in the performance of the Tartar
ceremony. Lord Amherst, in reply, with
much dignity and moderation restraining
the feelings which their conduct was cal-
culated to excite, confined himself to re-
marking that he should be ready to dis-
cuss that and other points when he met
the Koong-yay. The second in rank here
abruptly said, that they were sent to know
his sentiments upon the point now at issue.
Lord Amherst repeated his assertion, that
he should communicate his sentiments to
the Koong-yay and Moo-ta-jin. The same
person observed, that affairs connected with
the ceremonies of the celestial empire
were weighty, and of primary importance:
the first speaker added, that twelve to-
morrow would be the hour, and with a de-
gree of unparalleled insolence quitted the
room, accompanied by his companions,
EME ASSY TO CHIN A. 219
totally neglecting Lord Amherst and those
whom they had come to visit.
This conduct needs little comment: the
policy of making the ceremony a vital ques-
tion may be doubtful, but we have thrown,
and must stand the hazard of the die. At
all events, that which is refused to con-
siderations of expediency could only be
granted to violence, by the unwise sugges-
tions of timidity: the former would have
had great and deserved weight with me,
but to the latter my sense of public duty,
and every feeling belonging to my nature,
would oppose the most unbending, deter-
mined resistance. Wisdom will grant much
to policy, but nothing to fear: for fear is
a passionate, and therefore a dangerous
counsellor.
The conduct of Chang and Yin, at an
interview which we had late in the evening,
was a perfect contrast to that which has
been just described ; they came all inti-
macy, friendship, and humility, in order to
persuade Lord Amherst to sleep on shore.
that night, alleging that they had thus re-
ported to the Emperor, and that a change
in the arrangement might injure them most
22() Journ AL or AN
seriously; they added, that it was only forty
lees to Pekin, and that his Imperial Majesty
had long ears. After some conversation as
to the utter indifference of the point, Lord
Amherst, to oblige them, promised that
he would, unless something unforeseen
occurred, sleep on shore to-morrow; he
refused, however, to make any positive
engagement: with this they remained satis-
fied. Occasion was here taken to convey
our sense of the rude behaviour of their
immediate predecessors; their neglect of
my salutation was particularly adverted to.
Chang said, that they had by no means
behaved well to himself, having taken but
little notice of him, and refused his offer to
conduct them: he added, “unlike Yin,
who has been forty years, and I, who have
been twenty years in the provinces, they
have never been absent from court.” His
inquiries as to what had occurred in con-
versation were not answered.
To quit these disagreeable subjects.
... Our arrival has excited quite a sensation
in Tong-chow. A scaffolding has been
erected opposite to the boats, divided not
unlike the pit, boxes, and galleries of a
EMBASSY TO CHIN A. 221
theatre, and it is crowded from morning till
evening; if this has been a speculation, it
must have certainly answered. Our present
quarters are denominated koon-kooan, or
building for the reception of public of.
ficers, and though inadequate to accom-
modate so large a party, have evidently
been prepared with some care and atten-
tion, principally displayed upon the door-
ways. -
22d of August.—After the interchange
of various messages, we left our quarters,
at twelve o'clock, to meet Ho, Koong-yay,
and Moo-ta-jin, at the public building,
which, to get rid of the point of etiquétte
between Lord Amherst and the Koong-
yay, had been fixed upon as the place of
interview. A letter*, addressed to the
Emperor, containing a short exposition of
the leading topics of argument, justifying
the line adopted respecting the ceremony,
and accompanied by strong expressions of
veneration towards his Imperial Majesty,
had been prepared, to be delivered in the
event of no opening being left to further
* Wide Appendix C, No. 4. A.
222 J Olú R N A L OF AN
*.
discussion with his ministers. Lord Am-
herst took this document with him. The
walls of the city were nearly midway be-,
tween our quarters and the public hall;
the whole distance was about two miles,
but appeared much longer, from the bad-
ness of the weather, and of the road, or
rather slough, through which we passed.
Chairs had, after some discussion, been
furnished for the Embassador, his son, and
the Commissioners; the remainder of the
party proceeded in the carts.
We were received by Ho (Koong-yay),
Moo-ta-jin, Soo, and Kwang : our visitors
of yesterday evening were ranged, among
others, on the right hand. There being no
appearance of offering chairs, Mr. Morrison
observed, that his Excellency would con-
verse when seated ; to this the Koong-yay
replied, that he intended to stand, and that
the Embassador must also remain stand-
ing: to this Lord Amherst did not object.
The Koong-yay then informed his Excel-
lency, that he and Moo-ta-jin had been
dispatched to see him perform the Tartar
ceremony. To this Lord Amherst not
having immediately returned an answer,
EMBASSY TO CHINA. 223
the Koong-yay inquired what was his in-
tention; Lord Amherst replied, that he
had been deputed by his Sovereign to the
Emperor of China, for the purpose of
manifesting the sentiments of regard and
veneration entertained towards his Impe-
rial Majesty, and that he had been in-
structed to approach his Imperial presence
with the ceremonial which had proved
acceptable to Kien-Lung, the illustrious
father of the Emperor. The Koong-yay
answered, “what happened in the fifty-
eighth year belonged to that year; the
present is the affair of this embassy, and
the regulations of the celestial empire must
be complied with ; there is no alternative.”
Lord Amherst said that he had entertained
a confident hope that what had proved
acceptable to Kien-Lung would not have
been refused by his Imperial Majesty.
The Koong-yay, with vehemence, asserted,
“That as there is but one sun, there is
only one Ta-whang-te; he is the universal
sovereign, and all must pay him homage.”
Lord Amherst, with great moderation,
overlooking this absurd pretension, de-
#.
224 Jou RNAL OF AN
clared that he, entertaining the utmost
veneration for the Emperor, and looking
up to him as a most potent sovereign, was
prepared to approach his presence with a
demonstration of respect which he should
have refused to any other monarch; that
he had delivered an official paper describ-
ing exactly the particular ceremonial which
he proposed to perform; this, he concluded,
had been submitted to his Majesty, and
his Excellency conceived it would have
satisfied his Imperial mind. Kwang, to
whom Lord Amherst looked, declared that
he had not dared to transmit the docu-
ment. -
The Koong-yay resumed, by saying that
the Tartar ceremony must be complied
with, and that as several years had elapsed
since the last embassy, they were sent to
see the Embassador” perform it correctly;
that the estimation in which our country
* An attempt was made by the Chinese to induce the
Portuguese Embassador, Souza Menezez, to practise the
ceremony before the Li-poo; he very properly refused,
but pledged himself to the exact performance of the
prostrations in the presence of the Emperor.
EMBASSY To CHINA. 225.
was held by his Imperial Majesty was suf-
ficiently shewn, by his having sent persons
of the rank of Soo and Kwang to conduct
the Embassador to court; that as we read
Chinese books, we must be aware of the
greatness of the Emperor, and of his being
sovereign of the universe, and that he was
consequently entitled to this homage. For
himself he had nothing further to say ; but
as the Embassador might not perfectly
understand him, Chang and Yin would
explain to him what was right to be done,
and the positive necessity of compliance.
The Koong-yay here looked as if he meant
to break up the conference, Lord Amherst
therefore asked if he was not to see him
again. The Koong-yay replied that he
never paid visits, and that the present dis-
cussion was the same as if it had been held
in the Emperor's presence: he added, that
the Embassador must either comply with
the Tartar ceremony, or be sent back: his
lips were quivering with rage at the instant.
Lord Amherst then asked if he was to un-
derstand, that he was not to have any
further discussion; and as this appeared
WOL. I. Q
- 226 JOURNAL OF AN
to be the case, Lord Amherst put the let-
ter addressed to the Emperor sealed into .
his hands, and requesting it might be
delivered to his Majesty, withdrew. The
letter was transferred by the Koong-yay to
Moo-ta-jin. This measure had certainly
considerable dramatic effect at the mo-
ment; the Koong-yay seemed surprised,
and much cooled in manner and look.
He vouchsafed to follow his Excellency a
few steps towards the door, thus evincing
more civility than on our entering. Ho
Roong-yay is said to be in high favour
with the Emperor. He distinguished him-
self during the late rebellion, and has
been frequently commended in the Pekin
Gazette.
23rd of August.—Chang called in the
morning on Mr. Morrison, charged with a
demi-official communication from the prin-
cipal Mandarins. The letter to the Em-
peror had been opened by them, and it
was their intention to return it. Chang
privately informed Mr. Morrison that the
name of the Embassador not having been
mentioned, gave them a legal pretext for
EME ASSY TO CHIN A. 227
refusing to deliver it, the Chinese law
enacting that no anonymous address *
should be preferred to his Imperial Ma-
jesty. Chang seemed ready to admit that
this objection was in a great degree pre-
text, and that they would not have ven-
tured to have returned the letter, unless
sure of the Emperor's sanction to the pro-
ceeding. Chang was instructed to ascer-
tain the Embassador's final sentiments
respecting the ceremony. Mr. Morrison
said that the Embassador was in expecta-
tion of receiving some formal communi-
cation, in consequence of the letter to his
Imperial Majesty, and until that had taken
place he could have nothing further to
urge. They parted with this understand-
ing. Mr. Morrison also learnt that the
letter itself had been considered very pro-
perly expressed. It would evidently seem
* The superscription, stating the letter to be an address
from the English Embassador to the Emperor of China,
placed the quarter from whence it came beyond the pos-
sibility of doubt, and therefore virtually exonerated the -
document from the charge of being anonymous. In fact,
there is so much difficulty in adapting English names to
Chinese pronunciation or even characters, that the Man-
darins themselves made use of Lord Amherst's official
title to designate him upon all occasions.
- Q 2
228 Journ AL of AN
the intention to make Chang the medium
of communication; and as Mr. Morrison
is the person to whom the Mandarins
propose addressing themselves, there can
be no objection to the arrangement; on
the contrary, it becomes highly desirable.
Lord Amherst and the commissioners
had a long conversation soon after the
communication just received from Chang,
directed to the effect of the arrangement
upon their future proceeding; and in this
view, the expediency of availing them-
selves of this extra-official medium, to
ascertain the probability of gaining the
ulterior objects of the embassy, in the
event of compliance with the ceremony,
was considered. This aspect of the ques-
tion had been before occasionally con-
templated, rather, however, as matter of
speculation than of action. The bearing
of my mind, uninfluenced, and unaided by
local knowledge, being to regret that the
reception or dismissal of the embassy should
entirely turn upon the question of cere-
mony, I was most anxious to recal the
subject to our consideration, although
aware, that the turn our discussions had
EMBASSY TO CHIN A. 229
taken rendered it extremely difficult to
give the Chinese a hope of our yielding,
even under an assurance of reciprocal con-
cession. Reasons of sufficient weight were
assigned to establish the expediency of
persevering in the course hitherto adopted,
and the idea was abandoned. The pro-
priety of concluding our intercourse with
this government with the proposal of leaving,
a. Charge d'Affaires at Canton, avowedly
to maintain the friendly relations of the
two countries, and to transmit communi- .
cations upon these subjects, but really to
effect partially one of the great objects of
our instructions, was canvassed, and pro-
spectively determined in the affirmative.
Chang returned about one o'clock from
the Koong-yay, bringing with him the
letter to the Emperor, and a declaration
from the Mandarins, that with a few slight
alterations which he was instructed to
state, they would undertake to transmit it
to his Imperial Majesty. These alterations
were first to be made in the letter now
returned, and submitted to them, a fair
copy then transcribed with the Embas-
sador's name affixed to it; and that this
230 JOURNAL OF AN
latter document, in an unsealed cover,
would be forwarded to its address. One
alteration amounted to a substitution of
“Kien-Lung's having amicably treated the
King of England,” for “his Majesty having
cultivated relations of amity with Kien-
Lung;” the other alluded to the description
of the intended ceremony, and the Man-
darins called upon us to consider the neces-
sity of compliance; an alteration in this
respect was not, however, pressed by
. Chang. The substitution in the other point
was willingly acceded to, and unless the
Mandarins retract, the letter will find its
way to the Emperor to-morrow.
My mind has been much harassed lat-
terly by the transactions in which I have
been engaged. Entertaining originally a
different opinion upon the ko-tou itself,
and upon the consequences of compliance,
and considering that were the other cir-
cumstances connected with the treatment
of the embassy not unsatisfactory, re-
sistance upon this point was by no means
essential to the support of our national
respectability, I have naturally felt deep
regret at the prospect of being denied
EMBASSY TO CHINA. -231
reception from a continued refusal to com-
ply with the wishes of the Chinese, and
yet I do not in the least blame myself for
having surrendered my opinion to the
experience of Sir George Staunton. I am
ready, when called upon to act, to yield
crude notions to experienced opinion, but
regarding the question as matter of specu-
lation, my sentiments remain unchanged;
and I have even ventured, notwithstanding
our determination had been taken on board
ship, to bring an opposite view under
consideration, and this too before any dis-
cussion upon the point had arisen. If,
fortunately, we should be received, this
difference will be of little importance; but
I shall feel, if compelled to return without
an audience, a doubt, whether a contrary
result would have been too dearly bought,
by sacrificing the distinction between nine
prostrations of the head to the ground upon
two knees, and nine profound bows upon
one knee. Even if received, but not al-
lowed to discuss the ulterior objects of the
embassy, I shall still consider myself jus-
tified in believing that the irritation pro-
duced by protracted contest has been, in
232 JOURNAL OF AN
some measure, an obstacle to their favour-
able consideration. r
The assertions of the universal sove-
reignty of the Emperor, in which the Koong-
yay indulged himself, may be brought
forward as an additional reason for refusing
to perform a ceremony, in its form and
intention expressive of homage and infe-
riority. In my opinion, these absurd pre-
tensions and hyperbolical declarations of
universal supremacy are too ridiculous to
require immediate notice; and certainly to
influence a public proceeding. The best
reasons against compliance with the pro-
posed ceremony, are derived from con-
siderations of expediency. It may be said,
that we make a sacrifice without a specific
return, and that the character of the reign-
ing Emperor, and the disposition of his
court, give little prospect of obtaining any
concession hereafter. These arguments are
conclusive, unless the reception of the
embassy, in a mode not less creditable
than that of other European missions, be
deemed a case of sufficient expediency to
justify the proceeding. It however is dif-
ficult for persons arguing from general
EMBAssy To ChiNA. 233
principles, to appreciate the exact effects
of impression in a particular scene; that
impression being probably made up of cir-
cumstances with which they are unac-
quainted, or to which they do not assign
their proper importance : the only safe
course, therefore, on such an occasion, is
to defer to local experience.
I had forgotten to mention that an ex-
tract from the Imperial Records, contain-
ing a statement that Lord Macartney had
performed the Tartar ceremony, was trans-
mitted through Chang to Lord Amherst,
accompanied by an assertion that the Em-
peror declared his personal recollection of
the occurrence. With this imperial as-
sertion before us, however false or erro-
neous, it will be difficult, in the event of a
renewed discussion, to press the precedent
of Lord Macartney.
24th of August.—Mr. Morrison received
a communication from Chang, who had
been directed to return the letter to the
Emperor, with a declaration that it could
not be transmitted, unless a promise to
perform the Tartar ceremony was added
to it. The document, Chang said, had
234 Joup NAL OF AN .
been submitted privately to the Emperor,
who had returned no specific answer to it;
but had remarked, that while the Embas-
sador professed great respect, he required
an alteration in the usages of his court, and
refused to perform a ceremony which he,
the Emperor, had witnessed from a former
English Embassador to his father Kien-
Lung. Chang himself had received orders
to proceed to Tien-sing to use means to
detain the ships, as very contradictory re-
ports had reached Pekin respecting them.*.
Mr. Morrison had some conversation
with Chang upon the ceremony, and sug-
gested that the circumstances under which
we were placed might be compared to one
friend sending his servant with a com-
plimentary message to another; that these
friends might have different domestic
usages, but that the one who received the
message would not insist upon the other's
servant complying with the peculiar regu-
lations of his family. Chang observed, that
he was aware our resistance arose from a
*The Alceste was at this time at Chee-a-tau, and con-
sequently quite within reach of communication from
Tong-chow. -
EMBASSY TO CHINA. 235
belief that the ko-tou was an admission of
political dependence, but in this we were
mistaken ; that if he met a friend of supe-
rior rank, he went upon his knees to salute
him ; that, however, he neither considered
himself a servant, nor did his friend pre-
tend to be his master; the ko-tou was
merely a court ceremony, and the Emperor
considered it rude in the Embassador to
refuse compliance. Chang himself further
called upon Mr. Morrison to suggest any
possible answer for the Emperor. Mr.
Morrison said, that his Imperial Majesty
might either from feelings of kindness ad-
mit the Embassador as he proposed, or if
he persisted in his refusal, still maintain a
friendly connexion, by sending one of his
ministers to confer with the Embassador,
upon any other points that he might have
to submit. No observation was made by
Chang in reply.
The only answer that could possibly be
given to the last communication from the
superior Mandarins was a declaration of
the utter impossibility of making the re-
quired addition to the letter, which would,
in fact, nullify the remainder. Mr. Mor-
236 JOURNAL OF AN
rison was accordingly directed to state this
to. Chang. Lord Amherst was also de-
sirous that he should endeavour through
the same channel to represent to the su-
perior Mandarins, that the ceremony he
proposed to perform so nearly resembled
the ko-tou, that it was extremely probable,
his Imperial Majesty might, in the instance
of Lord Macartney, have mistaken the one
for the other; more especially as from his
elevated rank he must have been at some
distance, and the crowd might have par-
tially intercepted his view. Chang, in
conversation alluding to the letter, said,
that its expressions were so respectful,
they were equivalent to the performance
of the ceremony.
Our interview with the Koong-yay gave
us an opportunity of seeing part of the
town: the road by which we were taken
was circuitous, and probably chosen to
bring us through a very substantial arched
gateway, in good repair, and of respectable
masonry. There was a piece of ordnance
near the entrance, with five mouths, and
bound round with iron hoops; the em-
brasures at the summit of the walls were,
EMPASSY TO CHIN A. 23
from their situation, evidently never used
for cannon; the height of the wall was
about thirty feet, with a foundation of
stone, and the remainder of brick-work: a
wet ditch covered one face. There were
no buildings deserving any notice, and all,
except one, either a temple or a station
for soldiers, were of one story. As usual,
we passed under some py-loos: the shops
were highly decorated with gilding and
carved work: the signs were so fantastical
that I could not in passing along trace
their connexion with the merchandize sold
within ; an inscription on a tavern was ex-
plained to be, “Here come persons from
a thousand lees distance.” Butchers’ shops
seemed well supplied: there were also
many furriers. Streets, imperfectly paved,
narrow, and saturated with bad smells,
small houses, and dirty ill-clothed inha-
bitants, are the leading features of Tong-
chow, which in rank is one of the secondary
cities * of the empire, and is, in fact, the
* The cities of China are divided into three classes;
Foo, Chow, and Hien. Poo signifies a hamlet; Chin, a
military post, where there are also dwellings; Tang is
applied to the post itself. . . . . . .
238 JOURNAL OF AN
port of Pekin. The country between our
quarters and the city would, under more
favourable circumstances of weather, not
have had an unpleasing aspect. I ob-
served near the walls some slabs of stone,
and other fragments of masonry, indicating
the former existence of a considerable
building: a large bell, of apparently good
workmanship, lay partly buried in the
sand. On the whole there was little to
remark, and nothing to interest about the
town or its vicinity. Pawnbrokers’ shops
are as numerous in Chinese cities as in
London, and are marked by a very high
pole, with a cross-piece of wood, not un-
like a junk.
It is somewhat singular that what I yes-
terday, in a conversation with Lord Am-
herst, anticipated, has this day actually
occurred; the Chinese government have
accused Sir George Staunton of having
concealed the real facts relating to Lord
Macartney's reception, and of having ad-
vised the Embassador to resist the rea-
sonable demands of the Emperor. Chang
was the bearer of a communication to Mr.
Morrison, requesting an interview with
EME ASSY TO CHIN A. 239
Sir George, for the purpose of putting cer-
tain interrogatories, founded upon a report
received by the Viceroy of Canton from
the foreign officer at Macao, and trans-
mitted by him to Pekin: the report from
Canton contained a statement of the gen-
tlemen composing the embassy, and as-
serted that it consisted principally of com-
mercial persons from that city, and was
therefore not fitly constituted; that Sir
George himself had been many years at
Canton, had amassed a large fortune, lived
in a fine house, with an aviary, and had
purchased his present situation *. The
authorities here would, from Chang's ac-
count, seem to infer, that Sir George had,
of course, been appointed to his present
*Sir George Staunton remarked on this occasion, that
“it seemed superfluous to notice these ridiculous inven-
tions of the Chinese, otherwise than by observing that
they were particularly unhappy in their application to
him individually. Indeed not one of the six persons who
accompanied the embassy from Canton could be con-
sidered as taken from commercial situations, otherwise
than as having been connected with the management of
the affairs of the East India Company, whose servants
the Chinese government has expressly acknowledged in
one of its edicts as holding public official situations of a
similar character with those of their own Mandarins.” . .
240 Journ AL OF AN ·
office from having accompanied the former
embassy; and that, it being his duty to
have stated the facts as they had really
occurred, he had on the contrary ma-
liciously advised the Embassador to adopt
a course of proceeding wrong in itself, and
offensive to the Emperor. Chang had been
instructed by interrogatory to ascertain the
truth of the statement from Canton.
. It required little deliberation to deter-
mine the line of conduct to be adopted
under these circumstances. Mr. Morrison
was directed to inform Chang, that it was
impossible that Sir George should alone
discuss such a subject; that the communi-
cation must be made to Lord Amherst and
the Commissioners; the measures alluded
to had been persisted in under instructions
from the Prince Regent, issued before Lord
Amherst had ever seen Sir George; that if
this irritating message were a mere pretext
to dismiss the embassy, it would seem un-
necessary, as the Embassador was prepared
to return whenever the Emperor would
graciously signify his wishes. We also
learnt that Chang had inquired from Mr.
Morrison whether Sir George intended to
EMBASSY To chin A. 241
resume his situation as Chief of the Factory;
and said, that the government was by no
means satisfied with the mode in which the
trade had been conducted of late years.
We had shortly afterwards a visit from
Chang, who evidently with great reluctance
entered upon the communication he had
been instructed to make, which he stated
to be a series of interrogatories, founded
upon a report transmitted by the Viceroy
of Canton: he touched with moderation
upon Sir George's supposed knowledge of
the transactions during Lord Macartney's
embassy, and of the expectation conse- .
quently entertained, that he would have
correctly informed the Embassador upon
the points in dispute, for that such must
have been the object of his appointment:
he then alluded to the persons composing
the embassy, and inquired whether all the
trade of our country was under the manage-
ment of the King. Lord Amherst, in reply,
said, that all Englishmen engaged in trade
were equally subjects of the King, and
therefore under his royal protection; that
he had never ventured to ask what were
the reasons which induced the Prince
vol. 1. IR,
242. Jou Bn AL OF AN
Regent to appoint Sir George to his present
situation, nor was he prepared to answer
any questions respecting who or what the
persons belonging to the embassy might
be, and that he had only to state, they were
all approved of by the Prince Regent.
Lord Amherst added, that he had never
made any inquiries regarding who the per-
sons were, communicating with him under
the Imperial commission, and that the cases
were exactly parallel; if the object of these
inquiries were to find a reason for dismiss-
ing the embassy, Lord Amherst could
assure Chang that he only waited for a day
to be fixed, and then his remaining wish
was to part on good terms. Chang endea-
voured to enter into a detail of the Canton
report, but having been interrupted by Mr.
Morrison, and informed that the whole had
been already stated to Lord Amherst, he
said, “then I must report that these ques-
tions are deemed improper, and will not
be answered.” This being assented to, he
quitted the subject. The ceremony was
then adverted to, and Lord Amherst re-
peated many of his former arguments,
particularly dwelling upon the similarity
EMBASSY to CHINA. 243
in exterior appearance between the two
ceremonies, and the possibility of the Emi-
peror's eyes having been deceived. Chang
seemed ready to admit this view of the
question, and said, that the pertinacity of
the government was to be attributed to
Tartar feelings, which were very deter-
mined upon all points of ceremony; that
although the Emperor might at our request
remove either a Viceroy or a Hoppo, he
could not dispense with the ceremonial of
his court: he deplored the importance at-
tached by both parties to a trifling differ-
ence; hinted slightly at the possible bad
consequences to the trade from the return
of the embassy under such circumstances,
and earnestly hoped some mode of amicable
adjustment might be devised: his language
was throughout so moderate and concilia-
tory, that the character of his original com-
munication, (which indeed could not in any
degree be attributed to him), was quite lost
sight of, and nothing could be more friendly
or intimate than our parting. The Portu-
guese judge at Macao is supposed to be
the author of the report to the Viceroy;
the badness of his character, and his deter-
- R 2
244 JOURNAL OF A N
mined hostility to the English, are suf-
ficiently known to justify the suspicion.
In the evening Chang was the bearer of
a request from the superior Mandarins,
that the promised letters to the captains
of the ships, ordering them to be detained
at the nearest possible point, should be sent
for immediate transmission; the Koong-yay
having said that the place was indifferent,
whether Chusan or Canton. Letters were
accordingly written by Lord Amherst to
Captain Maxwell, addressed to him at those
ports or elsewhere: Chusan is, however, the
probable point where he will be found.
Two Russians”, and a Frenchman in the
service of Russia, have been hovering near
our quarters the three last days. The
Frenchman on the first day entered into
conversation with the drummer of Lord
Amherst's band, and informed him that
they had wished to pay their respects to
the Embassador, but had been prevented
by the Chinese guard, who allowed no per-
*The Russians have a college at Pekin for the instruc-
tion of a sufficient number of persons to actisinterpreters
on the frontier. The Senate of Tobolsk communicates
directly with a Tribunal at Pekin.
EMBASSY TO CHINA. 245
sons but those wearing the cap of office to
enter the inclosure: he described himself
as having been nine years in China, Lord
Amherst - having determined not to en-
courage any communication with them,
no further intercourse has taken place.
They were dressed completely as Chinese.
25th of August.—Some idea has been
entertained of sending a message to the
Koong-yay, expressive of Lord Amherst's
anxiety to ascertain the day fixed for the
departure of the embassy; and as, notwith-
standing the difference of opinion with the
Chinese upon a particular point, there had
been no absolute rupture, it has been pro-
posed to deliver the presents from the
Prince Regent, to any person whom the
Emperor might authorize to receive them.
The purport was previously stated by Mr.
Morrison to Chang, whom it was intended
to make the bearer of it. He, in answer,
recommended that we should be quiet,
and not give way to agitation; that no
doubt the presents would be received; and
that we were not to conclude the Emperor
would finally act in the same spirit as the
“Kwan-hwa,” or haughty mandarin tone.
246 JOURNAL OF AN.
Although much importance is not to be
attached to Chang's remarks, there is some
justice in his suggestion that we should
remain quiet, for in the present crisis, when
every argument has been repeatedly urged,
and every concession made, which adhe-
rence to the general principle adopted will
permit, it is scarcely possible to devise any
measure which is not either nugatory or
dangerous. Chang gave it as his opinion
yesterday that a letter to the King of Eng-
land was in preparation; if this be the case,
the Emperor must have come to a deter-
mination. - º:
Our quarters have in their immediate
vicinity a large village or suburb of the
town; my excursions have been so limited
that I have not yet ascertained whether it
be the one or the other. I went on the
second evening after our arrival into some
of the furriers' shops, and should have
found no difficulty” in purchasing any
article I might have wanted: the furs were
principally bear and goat-skin, and I did
* This circumstance is mentioned from the difficulty
experienced during the former embassy, in making pur-
chases. -
EMBASSY TO CH IN A. 247
not see any of superior quality; the best
were made up into jackets, and the lining
and outside were usually of different kinds
of fur. The business of the eating-house
seemed to be carried on in the streets: tea
and other liquors, soups and different pre-
parations of meat, were divided into small
portions, and ready for immediate con-
sumption; this must be a great accommo-
dation and saving of time to the labouring
classes, although it may be considered a
proof of the absence of domestic habits
among them. It is impossible not to remark
the neatness of the Chinese in their tubs,
baskets, and boxes: it is said, that in
presents the outward package not unfre-
quently exceeds the value of the contents.
The front yard of all their houses is set off
by some flowering shrubs or dwarf trees,
and not seldom a bower of treillage work,
with beautiful creeping plants, adds con-
venience to ornament. No dislike is shewn
by the people in general to our natural
inquisitiveness; on the contrary, our mo-
mentary intrusions have been met by in-
vitations to sit down. . . . . .
248 JOURN A L OF A N .
The Miao, or temple, occupied by Lord
Macartney, is now the residence of the
Koong-yay, and we have not therefore
been able to visit it, though at a very short
distance from our quarters. I went yes-
terday morning to a smaller temple, which
had nothing remarkable on the outside;
in a small apartment, on the left of the
entrance, there were four figures, two male
and two female, all gorgeously drest, the
male as warriors; in the hands of one of
the female figures there was a leaf of a
plant: within the inner and larger hall
there were several figures ranged on each
side, some with crowns and others with
fillets. The principal objects of adoration
were two figures standing in a recess,
fronting the entrance of the hall, a male
and female, the latter holding the fruit of
the water lily in her hand; these were still
more richly dressed than the others. Some
bundles of feathers were hanging before
them, and pots for incense were placed on
a table. The male figures were short and
thick; this may therefore be considered
the Chinese standard of beauty, man being
EMBASSY To ch INA. 249
usually disposed to attribute his notions of
perfection to the form under which the
Deity is pourtrayed.
Chang came to Mr. Morrison just before
dinner, in a state of considerable alarm,
produced by a communication from a
friend of his at Pekin, whom he had. re-
quested to ascertain the feelings of the
Emperor. His correspondent described
his Imperial Majesty as so incensed by the
resistance of the Embassador, and the
departure of the ships, that it was quite
impossible to convey some representation
which Chang seems to have wished to make,
respecting his own intended mission to the
coast. Chang, to describe the state of his
mind, put his hand, literally chilled by
alarm, into Mr. Morrison's. This latter
communication proves that Chang was
mistaken in his anticipation of any favour-
able disposition having yet shewn itself.
An extract from the Viceroy of Canton's
report was sent by Chang to Mr. Morrison,
which, so far from containing any injurious
expressions towards Sir George, was rather
complimentary; it is, however, stated, that
the motive (approving of the same) for his
250 JOURNAL OF AN
appointment to his present situation, was
his knowledge of the usages and ceremo-
nial of China; from this the members of
government at Pekin have drawn the un-
just inference, that Sir George has not
done his duty, in correctly representing the
subject in dispute to the Embassador; the
names of all the gentlemen from Canton
are also specified. There would seem reason
either to suspect that there is another
report, or that the remaining alleged facts
have been scraped together on the spot.
Late in the evening a paper was trans-
mitted by Chang to Mr. Morrison, which
purported to be an edict issued by the
Governor of Pekin, directing that theguards
should be doubled round our quarters, and
that all communication with Chinese should
be strictly watched : these orders were
founded upon a statement, that foreigners
who resided long at Canton became ac-
quainted with the Chinese language, and
there was no answering for the consequences
of traitorous Chinese corresponding with
them. This edict must be considered as
differing only in degree from those issued
at Canton in 1814, and whether deserving
EMBASSY To chi N.A. 251
the serious impression which it was at first
calculated to excite, it is no doubt evidence
of a bad spirit being afloat, highly adverse
to the probability of any good arising from
our continued stay. Moreover, the lapse
of three or four days without any strictly
official communication from the superior
Mandarins, combined with the refusal to
forward Lord Amherst's memorial to the
Emperor, requires we should address them -
respectfully, but firmly, upon these points,
and, further, request to be apprised of his
Imperial Majesty's determination in regard
to the period of our departure. Mr. Mor-
rison was accordingly requested to prepare
an official note to this effect, for transmis-
sion, in the morning.
26th of August.—Mr. Morrison had his
usual visit from Chang, who said, that the
- Mandarins. appeared anxious to receive
some communication from the Embassador,
It has been suggested, that in the event of
no accommodation taking place, they may
be disposed to accuse us of having unfairly
delayed our departure, and thereby put
the Emperor to unnecessary expense. The
intended note was prepared, and dis-
252 JOURNAL OF AN
patched, in charge of Mr. Hayne and Mr.
Davis, who, although they did not see Ho,
returned with a message acknowledging
its receipt. We received two messages, in
the course of the day, from Ho ; the first,
that he did not propose answering the
note immediately, as he was desirous that
the Embassador should have full time for
deliberation, before an irrevocable decision
was passed; the second, proposing an in-
terview in the morning, for the purpose of
an amicable discussion, and adding, that
in the event of this arrangement taking
effect, Ho would be happy to pay his
respects to the Embassador.
Two opinions were elicited from Chang
in the course of the day; the one, that we
might be confident of being received, but
that compliance with the ceremon y would
make the difference of an angry or a gra-
cious reception; the other, probably col-
lected from the superior Mandarins, that
the question was now come to a point of
honour between the Emperor and the En-
glish Embassador, and that it was impos-
sible, under such circumstances, that the
Emperor should submit.
EMBAssy. To CHINA. 253
Ho's proposition for an interview was
readily accepted, and ten o'clock fixed as
the hour. Lord Amherst called the atten-
tion of the Commissioners to the circum-
stances under which we were now placed,
more especially with a view of determining
whether the conduct of the Chinese govern-
ment, in the latter part of the discussion
at Tong-chow, had not given us reason to
anticipate evils from the rejection of the
embassy, which would require a modifi-
cation of the principle adopted on board
the Alceste, and whether this modification
should only proceed to the extent of ob-
taining an honourable pretext for retract-
ing, or require some specific act of favour
from the Emperor, as the condition of
compliance. The conduct of the Chinese
government here alluded to, as calculated
to influence the decision, was the personal
attack which appeared to be aimed at Sir
George, with its possible consequences to
the Company's interests at Canton; and
the specific act of favour resolved itself
either into a gracious edict respecting the
embassy and the persons composing it, or
into the admission of a direct communi-
254 . . . JOURNAL OF AN'
cation between Canton and Pekin. An
edict publicly asserting the Emperor's own
recollection of Lord Macartney having
performed the Tartar ceremony, might
furnish a decent pretext for withdrawing
resistance. A long discussion ensued, which
was adjourned till the morning, when Sir
George proposed to give a decided opinion.
Viewing, speculatively, the rejection of the
embassy as a serious evil, and attaching
considerable importance to the possible
effects of the Emperor's irritation display-
ing itself in the repetition of personal
attacks upon the individuals conducting
the Company’s affairs, I am strongly dis-
posed to avail ourselves of the opportunity
afforded by the interview with Ho, to open
a door to conciliation, and if we still found
the Emperor inflexible, finally to comply
with his wishes; being moreover inclined
to think, that we may thereby look forward
to proposing the ulterior objects of the
embassy, with some prospect of success.
27th of August.—Sir George submitted
a sketch of his deliberate opinion to Lord
Amherst, in which, while he stated his
adherence to the opinion given on board
EMBASSY TO CHINA. 255
the Alceste, respecting the consequences
of performing the ceremony, and his con-
viction, that no permanently injurious ef-
fects would result from the rejection of the
embassy; added, that upon a fair expect-
ation being held out of obtaining the
ulterior objects of the mission, reasons
might be found for taking a different view
of the question, especially with reference to
the instructions on this point from our
own government. Some discussion then
arose as to what would constitute a fair
expectation, and it seemed to be agreed
that a solemn assurance on the part of Ho,
of the Emperor's favourably considering
our requests, would be sufficient. With
these sentiments we proceeded to the con-
ference. - - . . . .
Ho received us most graciously, and
after some civil inquiries from him, Lord
Amherst took occasion to mention the
note of yesterday, and to request an answer.
The answer not having been specific or
satisfactory, Lord Amherst proceeded to
state the grounds of his resistance, dwell-
ing upon the commands of his Sovereign,
who had pointed out the particular cere-
S.
256 JOURNAL OF AN .
mony with which he was to approach the Im-
perial presence, and requesting the Koong-
yay to suggest some motive for his depart-
ing from such positive orders, and thereby
incurring most heavy personal responsi-
bility. The Koong-yay dwelt upon the
propriety of compliance, from a considera-
tion of the exalted rank of the Emperor,
who must be esteemed infinitely superior
in dignity to a King, and whose gracious
condescension and favour might in other
respects be fully relied upon. Lord Am-
herst, observed that it was impossible for
him to lose the habits of allegiance pro-
duced by a life of forty-three years, and
that he must again press the Koong-
yay to reflect impartially upon the diffi-
culty of his situation. Ho repeated his
former observations, and added in an under
tone, that our King himself might get into
an embarrassing situation; this Mr. Mor-
rison, with his usual good sense, declined
communicating. Lord Amherst then pro-
ceeded to state the necessity of the Em-
peror justifying him to his Sovereign, by a
statement of his Majesty's own knowledge
of the Tartar ceremony having been per-
EMBAssy To CHINA. 257.
formed by Lord Macartney, and also of an
Imperial edict being issued, containing
gracious expressions respecting the em-
bassy. These two points the Koong-yay
assented to. Lord Amherst next adverted
to the direct communication between the
chief of the factory at Canton, and some
tribunal at Pekin, founding the request
upon the inexpediency of such vast con-
cerns being dependant for security upon
the personal character of the local officers,
and bringing forward the example of the
Russian trade. Ho, in answer, said that
he could not venture to pronounce any
opinion upon the view the Emperor might
take of this latter request; he admitted
that it did not appear unreasonable, and
concluded by saying, “Comply with the
Tartar ceremony, and I am your friend at
Pekin.” Lord Amherst terminated the
discussion by expressing his intention of
taking the subject again into consideration.
The Koong-yay talked of our all going to
Pekin to-morrow, and said that he should
expect to hear the result of Lord Amherst's
deliberation in a few hours, when he pro-
ºt
VoI. I. S
258 Jour NAL or AN
posed to return his lordship's visit. The
Koong-yay's manner was throughout most
gracious, and his expressions were of the
more consequence, as there were several
persons present. Moo-ta-jin, Soo, and
Kwang, assisted at the conference, and our
six impudent visitors were in waiting:
they prove to be Tartars, confidential at-
tendants of the palace, who are much con-
sidered, on that account, by all public
officers.
On our return, the discussions upon the
expediency of compliance were renewed,
and Lord Amherst gave an opinion, that
unless Sir George still considered com-
pliance under present circumstances inju-
rious to the Company's interests, he was
disposed, with a view of averting the pro-
bable evil consequences of rejection under
irritated feelings, and contemplating the
prospect held out of effecting the ulterior
objects of the embassy, to comply with the
Emperor's wishes to the extent of perform-
ing the ceremony in his presence. I ex-
pressed my complete concurrence with
Lord Amherst. Sir George, previously to
\
EMBASSY TO CHINA. 259
giving his opinion, said that he should wish
to consult the gentlemen who accompanied
him from Canton, as he was anxious to
assist his own judgment with their ex-
perience. To this Lord Amherst readily
acceded, stating that he conceived all
questions connected with the possibility of
personal or national degradation from per-
forming the ceremony, to have been decided
by Lord Macartney's conduct, in proposing
even conditional compliance, and by the
instructions of his Majesty's ministers;
and, therefore, the probable effect at Can-
ton of the measure, was the only point upon
which he could require an opinion. Sir
George having consulted the gentlemen of
the factory separately, found, that with the
exception of Mr. Morrison, they considered
compliance as highly injurious to the Com-
pany’s interests; the maintenance of the
respectability of the factory at Canton,
and consequently of their efficiency, rest-
ing entirely upon a belief entertained by
the Chinese of their inflexible adherence to
principles once assumed; a belief, which
must necessarily be subverted by conces-
S 2
260 JOURNAL OF AN
sion on so weighty a point, and on such
an important occasion*. Sir George added,
that these had been, before the consulta-
tion, and were still his sentiments. Lord
Amherst and myself withdrew our sugges-
tion, and a note was prepared to Ho,
stating such to be our final and irrevocable
determination. At this moment a visit
from the Koong-yay was announced, and
we were informed that they were landing
the presents: immediate measures were
taken to stop the Koong-yay, by informing
him, that a note communicating our deter-
mination would be transmitted without
delay. The note was accordingly sent by
Mr. Hayne and Mr. Davis, who delivered
it to one of his attendants.
They had scarcely returned, when the
Koong-yay himself arrived, and after taking
his, seat, requested that Lord Amherst
would lose no time in making his prepara-
tions, as the Emperor had fixed to-morrow
* Mr. Morrison also was adverse to compliance with
the ceremony on general principles, but thought that the
immediate interests of the East India Company might
justify a different proceeding in the present instance.
EMBASSY TO CHIN A. 261
for his departure, and Friday for his first
audience; the house of Sung-ta-jin, at Hai-
teen, was to be prepared as his residence,
Lord Amherst expressed his readiness to
proceed as soon as the necessary arrange-
ments could be made. The presents, Ho
said, were landed, and there would be no
difficulty in all being ready as proposed.
Lord Amherst then distinctly requested an
answer to his last note. The Koong-yay
bowed significantly, saying that there was
no difficulty, all was arranged, and that he
knew what were the feelings of the Em-
bassador's heart. He here rose to depart,
leaving Kwang to continue the discussion.
Lord Amherst, feeling the importance of
not subjecting himself to the imputation
of holding out a delusive prospect of com-
pliance, earnestly inquired whether the last
note had been thoroughly understood ; its
object, he said, was to state distinctly the
impossibility of his compliance with the
ko-tou; and to express his hope that the
Emperor would receivehim in themode pro-
posed. Kwang observed in reply, “Both
parties in the discussion had done their
262 JOURN A L OF AN ·
duty, but that now the affair was settled,
and we might be perfectly easy; the cere-
mony would not be again mentioned, and
that we might rely upon the Emperor's
kindness, whose heart was truly liberal and
expanded.” Sir George had no doubt that
the point was conceded, and that we might
be perfectly satisfied. Although it was
scarcely possible to contemplate our de-
parture to-morrow without serious inconve-
nience, Kwang was so urgent on the ground
of the Emperor's positive orders, that Lord
Amherst promised to make every exertion,
although he could not, and would not,
pretend to fix the precise hour.
Chang and Yin came in the evening to
press Lord Amherst to set off in the morn-
ing. They repeated on this occasion the
account before given to Mr. Morrison, that
the Emperor considered Soo and Kwang
responsible for the whole expenses of the
embassy from Tien-sing, in consequence of
their having taken upon themselves to
allow us to proceed; that their trial was
actually in progress before the tribunals;
that Kwang had been removed from his
EMBAssy To eBINA. 263
lucrative situation in the salt department—
a successor appointed—and, finally, that
the most fatal consequences to him might
be apprehended, if Lord Amherst did not
actually arrive to-morrow. However Lord
Amherst might regret these occurrences,
he did not feel it right to set off at the risk
of not making a suitable appearance on the
day of the audience. The inconvenience
already experienced from the improper pre-
cipitation of the Chinese was a sufficient
warning, and he declared his resolution not
to quit Tong-chow till every thing con-
nected with the public appearance of the
embassy had been dispatched to Pekin.
Chang was obliged to be satisfied, and
promised every exertion on his part; in
fact, the Chinese have already been so
active, that we shall probably be enabled
to obey the Emperor's orders. ~. .
28th of August.—The exertions of the
Chinese have been so unremitting, that the
presents and great part of the stores were
sent off last night, and every thing will
leave this evening. The carriage has been
unpacked. It will convey Lord Amherst,
264 you RNAL or As
the Commissioners, and his son. We have
all been much struck by the extreme regu-
larity with which the Chinese have con-
ducted the transport of the numerous
articles; each package has been marked
and numbered by them; and to judge
from former experience, we may be con-
fidentofeverythingarrivingin safety. They
have been much surprised at the quantity
of our private baggage *, and not without
reason; the habits of perfect civilization
generate so many artificial wants, that they
must either be wholly abandoned, or pro-
duce the inconvenience complained of.
The larger waggons are covered with matt-
ing, and are not unlike a tilt cart; they
are drawn by five mules or horses, in
general the latter. The carts for personal
accommodation are much smaller, drawn
by single mules; hold one person without
difficulty, but are extremely inconvenient,
* The amount was nominally increased by all the pre-
sents for the Mandarins being included in the statement
of Lord Amherst's private baggage, which was done to
avoid the disagreeable suspicions that might have been
excited, by the destination of these articles becoming
public. .-
EMBASSY TO CHINA. 265
from their being without springs. The
mules are particular y fine”, and the better
sort of horses resemble the smaller sized
Turkoman.
We left our quarters at five o'clock, and
took the same road as on the day we first
visited Ho. After having skirted the walls
of the city, in many places out of repair,
we came upon the paved granite road
leading to Pekin. One mile from Tong-
chow we crossed a long bridge, with a
single arch, just large enough to admit a
small barge then passing through: the
view from the bridge was exceedingly
striking; the pagoda and watch-tower
formed beautiful objects in the distance,
while the banks were prettily diversified
with cultivation and clumps of trees. Near
sunset we passed a wall of good masonry,
which seemed to inclose a handsome park;
small pavilions near the road, open on all
sides, with highly decorated roofs, arrested
our attention, as characteristic of Chinese
architecture in their best style, and in
* I attribute the fineness of the mules to the quality of
the asses, which are large and well shaped; their colours
are very remarkable; some have been seen piebald.
266 JOURNAL OF AN
almost good taste; they are said to be
commemorative of individual worthiness.
I could not determine all the animals repre-
sented by the sculpture; some were cer-
tainly lions. We halted in a large village
half way, which consisted principally of
houses for the accommodation of travellers,
well adapted to their purpose in fine wea-
ther. Here we were received by the Im-
perial Commissioners, Soo and Kwang,
who had graciously provided some broken
victuals for our refreshment: they had tra-
velled so far in chairs”, but Kwang's rank
did not authorise him to proceed thus any
further; Soo, however, continued to use
his: four had been provided for the ac-
commodation of the party in the carriage,
which had been transferred to the sick.
A hint was here thrown out, that our au-
dience was to take place on the morrow ;
this was, however, little attended to, from
its obvious impracticability.
Three miles from the halting place we
entered the large suburb, which continues
to the gate of Pekin: the crowd was im-
4 These chairs have a particular name, kwan-hiao;
green is the privileged colour.
EMBASSY TO CHINA. 267
mense, but, as usual, orderly. I remarked
that the soldiers were more decisive in
asserting their authority as we approached
the capital. Most of the spectators carried
a paper lantern, to prevent their curiosity
being disappointed by the darkness of the
night: the carriage, as might have been
expected, was the great object of attrac-
tion, and notwithstanding the badness of
the road, of the cattle, and the hurry under
which it had been put together, performed
its part very well. Our eyes were dazzled
by the splendid decorations of the shops;
the gilded carved work is really handsome;
and it is extraordinary, that the profits of
trade should allow of such an unproduc-
tive expenditure. We reached the gate
by which Lord Macartney entered Pekin
about midnight, and having been informed
that the Emperor, in his special favour, had
ordered the gates to be kept open, contrary'
to the usual practice, were not a little dis-
appointed at finding the cavalcade defile
by the wall. Our eyes anxiously looked
for the next gate, only to be again disap-
pointed, when it clearly appeared that we
268 JOURNAL OF AN
were to be taken round the walls to our
destination.
29th of August.—Daylight found us at
the village of Hai-teen, near which the
house of Sung-ta-jin, one of the principal
ministers, intended to be our quarters, is
situated; here, however, we did not remain,
but were carried directly to Yuen-min-
yuen, where the Emperor is at present.
The carriage stopped under some trees,
and we ourselves were conducted to a small
apartment belonging to a range of build-
ings in a square. Mandarins of all buttons*
were in waiting; several Princes of the
blood, distinguished by clear ruby buttons
and round flowered badges, were among
them: the silence, and a certain air of
regularity, marked the immediate presence
of the Sovereign. The small apartment,
ºrnuch out of repair, into which we were
huddled, now witnessed a scene, I believe,
unparalleled in the history of even oriental
diplomacy. Lord Amherst had scarcely
* The buttons in the order of their rank are as follows:
ruby red, worked coral, smooth coral, pale blue, dark
blue, crystal, ivory, and gold. -
EMBASSY TO CHINA. 269
taken his seat, when Chang delivered a mes-
sage from Ho (Koong-yay), stating that the
Emperor wished to see the Embassador, his
son, and the Commissioners, immediately.
Much surprise was naturally expressed;
the previous arrangement for the eighth of
the Chinese month, a period certainly much
too early for comfort, was adverted to, and
the utter impossibility of his Excellency
appearing in his present state of fatigue,
inanition, and deficiency of every necessary
equipment, was strongly urged. Chang-
was very unwilling to be the bearer of this
answer, but was finally obliged to consent.
During this time the room had filled
with spectators of all ages and ranks, who
rudely pressed upon us to gratify their
brutal curiosity, for such it may be called,
as they seemed to regard us rather as wild
beasts than mere strangers of the same
species with themselves. Some other mes-
sages were interchanged between the
Koong-yay and Lord Amherst, who, in
addition to the reasons already given,
stated the indecorum and irregularity of
his appearing without his credentials. In
his reply to this it was said, that in the
270 Jour NAL of AN
proposed audience the Emperor merely
wished to see the Embassador, and had
no intention of entering upon business”.
Lord Amherst having persisted in express-
ing the inadmissibility of the proposition,
and in transmitting, through the Koong-
yay, an humble request to his Imperial
Majesty, that he would be graciously
pleased to wait till to-morrow, Chang and
another Mandarin finally proposed that his
Txcellency should go over to the Koong-
yay's apartments, from whence a reference
might be made to the Emperor. Lord
Amherst having alleged bodily illness as
one of the reasons for declining the audi-
ence, readily saw, that if he went to the
Koong-yay, this plea, which, to the Chinese
(though now scarcely admitted), was in
general the most forcible, would cease to
avail him, positively declined compliance:
this produced a visit from the Koong-yay,
who, too much interested and agitated to
heed ceremony, stood by Lord Amherst,
and used every argument to induce him
to obey the Emperor's commands. Among
• It is remarkable, that a proposal not very dissimil
was made to Ismailoff.
EMBASSY TO CHIN A. 271
other topics he used that of being received
with our own ceremony, using the Chinese
words “ne mun tih lee,” your own cere-
mony. All proving ineffectual, with some
roughness, but under pretext of friendly
violence, he laid hands upon Lord Amherst,
to take him from the room; another Man-
darin followed his example. His Lordship,
with great firmness and dignity of manner,
shook them off, declaring, that nothing but
the extremest violence should induce him
to quit that room for any other place but
the residence assigned to him; adding,
that he was so overcome by fatigue and
bodily illness, as absolutely to require re-
pose. Lord Amherst further pointed out
the gross insult he had already received, in
having been exposed to the intrusion and
indecent curiosity of crowds, who appeared
to view him rather as a wild beast than the
representative of a powerful Sovereign : at
all events, he entreated the Koong-yay to
submit his request to his Imperial Majesty,
who, he felt confident, would, in considera-
tion of his illness and fatigue, dispense with
his immediate appearance. The Koong-
yay then pressed Lord Amherst to come
272 Journ AL of AN
to his apartments, alleging that they were
cooler, more convenient, and more private:
this Lord Amherst declined, saying that he
was totally unfit for any place but his own
residence. The Koong-yay having failed
in his attempt to persuade him, left the
room for the purpose of taking the Em-
peror's pleasure upon the subject. -
During his absence an elderly man,
whose dress and ornaments bespoke him
a Prince”, was particularly inquisitive in
his inspection of our persons and inquiries;
his chief object seemed to be to communi-
cate with Sir George Staunton, as the per-
son who had been with the former embassy;
but Sir George very prudently avoided any
intercourse with him. It is not easy to
describe the feelings of annoyance pro-
duced by the conduct of the Chinese, both
public and individual: of the former I shall
speak hereafter, of the latter I can only say,
that nothing could be more disagreeable
and indecorous. -
. A message arrived soon after the Koong-
yay's quitting the room, to say that the
They are distinguished by round badges.
EMBAssy to chi N.A. 278
Emperor dispensed with the Embassador's
attendance; that he had further been
pleased to difect his physician to afford
to his Excellency every medical assistance s
that his illness might require. The Koong-
yay himself soon followed, and his Excel-
lency proceeded to the carriage. The
Koong-yay not disdaining to clear away
the crowd, the whip was used by him to
all persons indiscriminately; buttons were
no protection; and however indecorous,
according to our notions, the employment
might be, for a man of his rank, it could
not have been in better hands. There were
colossal figures of lions in the court, which
appeared to me not ill executed, and in
bronze. -
We returned, by the same road, to Hai-
teen, where we found the remainder of the
party, who, we conjecture, had been inten-
tionally separated from us by the Chinese; -
indeed we have reason to believe it was
their design to have carried only the four
persons who were to have been admitted
to the Imperial presence, to Yuen-min-
yuen ; and that, consequently, Messrs.
Morrison, Abel, Griffith, Cooke, Somerset,
VOL. I. - - T
274 JOU R N A L OF AN
and Abbot, owed their being with Lord
Amherst to accident. The house of Sung-
ta-jin, selected for our residence, was ex-
ceedingly commodious, and pleasantly si-
tuated, with flowers and trees near the
principal apartments. Its aspect was so
agreeable, that we could not but look
forward with some. satisfaction to remain-
ing there a few days. Such, however, was
not to be our fate; before two hours had
elapsed a report was brought, that opposi-
tion was made by the Chinese to unloading
the carts; and soon after the Mandarins
announced, that the Emperor, incensed by
the Embassador's refusal to attend him ac-
cording to his commands, had given orders
for our immediate departure. The order
was so peremptory, that no alteration was
proposed: in vain was the fatigue of every
individual of the embassy pleaded; no con-
sideration was allowed to weigh against the
positive commands of the Emperor. Chang
at one time said, that even compliance with
the Tartar ceremony would now be unavail-
ing; in the course of the day, however, he
somewhat altered his language, saying all
this annoyance had arisen from our perti-
ISM BASSY TO CHIN A. 275
nacity upon the point at issue, and hinted,
that submission might still be of use: he
had the audacity to deny that the Emperor
had ever signified his consent to receive us
on our own terms. -
The officer of government most urgent for
our immediate departure was a messenger
from the commander in chief of the Pekin
district, into whose hands it would seem the
execution of the Emperor's orders had been
put. This officer entered upon the question
of the ceremony, using, as might be expect-
ed, the most absurd language; asserting the
Emperor's claim to it from his superiority
of rank over all monarchs; the consequent
impropriety of our conduct in pertina-
ciously refusing obedience to his commands;
and concluded by saying, that the Emperor
would, of course, write a friendly and ex-
planatory letter to the King of England,
who would, no doubt, be highly offended
with the Embassador. These observations
being by chance addressed to me, I re-
quested Mr. Morrison to inform him, that
the point of ceremony had been set at rest
by the Emperor's promising to receive us
on our own terms; and that we were under
- - Tº 2
276 Jou RNAL of AN
no alarm respecting the sentiments of our
Sovereign upon our behaviour. The officer
urging our instantaneous departure, I as-
sured him that he need not apprehend
delay on our part, as the only circumstance.
that could render our stay in the Chinese
dominions agreeable was the goodwill of
the Emperor, of which we were now de-
prived. We experienced shortly afterwards
a solitary act of civility in a handsome .
breakfast, sent by the Emperor, which was
most acceptable, as many of the party had
tasted nothing since the preceding day.
At four Lord Amherst got into his chair;
and thus to all outward appearance has the
embassy terminated.
I have forgotten to mention that the
Emperor's physician actually visited Lord
Amherst immediately on his arrival at
Sung-ta-jin's, and to his report of the al-
leged indisposition being a mere pretext,
the Emperor's sudden ebullition of rage
may partly be attributed; for my own part,
I cannot refrain from thinking, that the
promise given at Tong-chow was a mere
deception, and that the real intention was
either to bring us into the Emperor's pre-
EMBAssy to chi NA. 277
sence, under circumstances so inconvenient
and indecorous, as to render it perfectly in-
different what ceremony we went through;
or by confusion and personal violence to
compel the performance of the ko-tou; or
else the Emperor, anticipating Lord Am-
herst's refusal of immediate attendance,
may have proposed it as a pretext for his
dismissal: if this latter supposition be cor-
rect, the success has been complete, for the
proposal was so unreasonable, and the man-
ner in which it was pressed so insulting,
that neither public duty nor personal ho-
nour would have allowed Lord Amherst to
act otherwise than he did. The English
gentlemen who were witnesses to these
transactions must have found great diffi-
culty in restraining their indignation from
proceeding to action, when they saw the
brutal rudeness and insulting demeanour
with which the representative of their
Sovereign was treated; and there could
have been but one feeling, a hope that
hereditary rank and official dignity might
never again be placed at the mercy of the
caprice of a despot, exasperated by resist-
ance. The audience having been called
278 Journ AL of AN:
private, it has been also conjectured, that
the Emperor's object might have been to
insist in person upon the performance of
the ko-tou, at the public reception of the
embassy; and, in the event of continued
resistance, at once to dismiss the Embas-
sador: this is certainly a more favourable
explanation of his sentiments, but I con-
fess, that a disappointment in this design
will scarcely account for his subsequent
violence.
It is of importance to state, that Lord
Amherst never positively refused to attend
the Emperor, if his Majesty should have
persisted in his commands when informed
of his indisposition and fatigue; in fact,
the decided opposition was to personal
violence, and to visiting the Koong-yay's
apartments. These probably were situated
so near the room where the Emperor actu-
ally was, that Lord Amherst might have
been easily hurried from them into the
Imperial Presence. No good under the
circumstances in which we were placed
would have resulted from the proposed
audience; and although the occurrences
at Yuen-min-yuen were most unbecoming
EMBASSY TO CHINA. . 279
and disagreeable, any violence actually
offered in the Imperial Presence, and the
consequent resistance, might have led to
insults more embarrassing and offensive.
Yin was active in his attentions during this
boisterous day, and therefore stands much
higher in our estimation than his colleague
Chang. Yin pretended to say, that it was
never the intention that we should have
really departed ; this, however, it is difficult
to believe, as the orders were so precise and
peremptory. ... " - . . .
We had a good view of the walls of Pekin
on our return ; like those of Tong-chow,
they are built of brick, with a foundation
of stone; they are of considerable thick-
ness, the body of them being of mud, so
that the masonry may be considered a
facing; there is not, however, sufficient
strength at the top to allow of guns of
large calibre being mounted in the embra-
sures. At all the gates, and at certain in-
tervals, there are towers of immense height,
with four ranges of embrasures, intended
for cannon: I saw none actually mounted,
but in their stead there were some imita-
tions in wood. Besides the tower, a wooden
280 Journ AL or AN
building of several stories marked the gate-
ways; one of these buildings was highly
decorated ; the projecting roofs, diminish-
ing in size according to their height, were
covered with green and yellow tiles, that
had a very brilliant effect under the rays
of the sun. A wet ditch skirted the part
of the walls round which we were carried.
Pekin is situated in a plain ; its lofty walls,
with their numerous bastions and stupen-
dous towers, certainly give it an imposing
appearance, not unworthy the capital of
a great empire. On the side near Hai-teen
we crossed a large common, wholly uncul-
tivated; a remarkable circumstance so near
Pekin. There are large tracts of ground
covered with the nelumbium, or water-lil y ,
near the walls, which, from the luxuriant
vegetation of this plant, are extremely
grateful to the eye. The Tartarean moun-
tains, with their blue and immeasurable
summits, are the finest objects in the
vicinity of Pekin: to many of the party
the streets of Pekin might be the great
points of attraction, but to myself a visit
to this stupendous range would be a source
of much higher gratification,
EMBAssy To CHINA. 281
Having given up my chair to an invalid,
I returned in one of the carts: the motion
was bearable till we came on the paved
road, when the jolting became intolerable;
it was a repeated dislocation of every part
of the frame; each jolt seemed sufficient to
have destroyed life, which yet remained to
undergo the dreadful repetition. The ele-
ments combined with the imperial displea-
sure to annoy us; the rain fell in torrents;
not, however, so violently as to deter the
spectators from indulging their curiosity
by thrusting lanterns into the chairs and
carts to have a fuller view of our persons.
I certainly never felt so irritated in my life.
To be exposed to such indecent curiosity
while suffering considerable pain from the
jolting was too much for the best tempers
to bear patiently, and produced in me
something not far removed from phrensy.
The darkness, holes in the road, and heavy
rain, rendered walking almost impractica-
ble, which, however, I attempted, and
should have persisted, had I not appre-
hended being separated from the rest of
the party. Although Soo had asserted that
our march that night was to have been
282 JOURNAL OF AN
limited to twenty lees, we were carried
without halting to our boats at Tong-chow,
which we reached at three o'clock in the
morning on the 30th.
30th of August.—One of the linguists,
formerly mentioned, Achow, whom we saw
for the first time at Hai-teen, had preceded
us to announce our approach. The quarters
we had occupied before our departure have
been shut up, and the triumphal gateway
taken down, marking our fallen fortunes.
The boats, however, are by no means,
à pis aller, to be rejected; indeed it was
more in compliance with the urgent en-
treaties of Yin and Chang, than with our
own inclination, that we had moved our
quarters before. The baggage, stores, and
presents, are gradually arriving, and every
preparation continues to be made for our
departure. Chang late in the evening
came to Lord Amherst, hinting that some
presents from the Emperor to the Prince
Regent had been received by the Chin-
chaes. They soon followed, bearing with
them the intended presents, consisting of
a large joo-yee or sceptre, formed of a stone
allied to agate, greenish-white in colour,
EMBAssy. To CHINA. 283
and symbolically expressive of content-
ment; the handle of the joo-yee is flat and
carved, not very unlike that of a ladle; the
top is of a circular shape, something like
the leaf of the water-lily: there was also
a Mandarin's necklace, of green and red
stones, and a few beads of coral, with a
red ornament, set round with pearls, at-
tached to it; to these were added a few
embroidered purses. The Imperial Com-
missioners, in delivering these presents,
communicated the Emperor's wish to have
a few articles in return. The articles
selected were the pictures of the King and
Queen, a case of maps, and some coloured
prints”. As it was desirable, with refer-
ence to the interests of the East India
Company, to part on good terms, the pro-
posal was readily assented to.
Lord Amherst requested to be informed
what account he was to give of his dis-
missal to his Sovereign : the only reason as-
signed was his refusal to obey the Emperor's
* The court etiquette is, not to receive the whole of
the presents; and the Portuguese Embassador had great
difficulty in inducing the Emperor to depart from this
usage. -
284 Jou RNAL OF AN
commands respecting his immediate at-
tendance, which was described as a mark
of peculiar favour: in reply, the circum-
stances that had occurred were adverted
to, but the discussion was not protracted,
the Mandarins being more anxious to ex-
culpate themselves from having had any
share in the transactions of which we com-
plained, than to examine the causes or
justice of our dismissal. This proposed
exchange of presents may be considered a
proof of the Emperor's rage having par-
tially subsided, and certainly, looking to
our return, is not to be regretted. The
sceptre or joo-yee* is of equal value, but
somewhat inferior in workmanship to that
presented to the King by Kien-Lung.
31st of August.—The shipment of pre-
sents and stores continues; some few arti-
cles of private baggage are still missing.
We learn from the linguist Achow, that our
dismissal is attributed to the pretended
rudeness with which we treated the Princes
and other persons of distinction that came
* The stone from which the joo-yees are made is found
in the Yn-yu-shan, a mountain in the province of Kiang-
Ilall.
EMBAssy to chi Na. 285.
to visit us; they made an unfavourable
report to the Emperor, and probably as-
signed the worst motive for our reluctance
to attend him immediately. I must con-
fess this does not seem improbable. . . . . . .
In passing the walls of Tong-chow, and
other places on the road, we observed an
imperial edict, prohibiting women from
appearing in the streets, and exposing
themselves to the gaze of the English Em-
bassador and his attendants. In vain—
female curiosity was not to be overcome
even by the apprehensions of incurring
the displeasure of the Son of Heaven; and
the red flowers were not unfrequent in the
heads of the spectators: they certainly
had the advantage over us, their appear-
ance having nothing to attract the eye or
flatter the vanity in being the objects of
their attention. * - -
The portraits of the King and Queen
having been taken out of the packages,
that the Chinese might see them placed in
the proper point of view, Lord Amherst,
to mark the respect he entertained towards
his own Sovereign, made a point of publicly
saluting the portrait of his Majesty in the
286 JOURNAL OF AN
same manner as had been practised by
him to the yellow curtain at Tien-sing,
much to the dissatisfaction of Kwang, of
whose good disposition some begin to en-
tertain doubts. .
Although the demonstrations of respect
have diminished, those of apprehension
and jealousy are still attended to. My
walk this evening through the millet fields
was accompanied by soldiers, who seemed
more disposed to regulate its duration and
direction than before.
1st of September—Some missing arti-
cles of our baggage are not arrived, and a
strong remonstrance has been made upon
the subject: our departure will, therefore,
probably not take place till to-morrow or
next day. Chang informed Mr. Morrison
that the Koong-yay and the judge of Pekin
had followed us to Tong-chow; whether
this be connected with diplomatic negotia-
tion or police is uncertain; the former
would probably lead to a return to Pekin,
the latter only signifies absurd suspicion.
I have heard that the indecent curiosity
expressed by the Princes in the anti-
chamber at Yuen-min-yuen was not un-
EMBASSY TO CHIN A. 287
/
usual; such is their conduct to all stran-
gers, who are literally made the lions of
the court. On comparing accounts, we
have all agreed that there was a striking
change in our cortège on the return from
Pekin: no soldiers attended to clear the
way, no men with lights to point out the
road; we were literally abandoned to our-
selves, the darkness, and the elements.
The flags, announcing us as bearers of tri-
bute, have been taken from the boats; no
others have been yet substituted.
I this day examined the wooden collar
galled kang”, which is fixed on the necks
of convicted felons as a punishment: it
is a square board, thirty inches wide, with
an aperture for the head; it is worn dia-
gonally, which enables the bearer to rest
the corner upon a stone while sitting.
When two Chinese quarrel they gene-
rally seize each other by the tails, which
they twist violently ; both often fall to
the ground, and it is surprising to see
how long they can endure such acute
pain; their eyes seem bursting from their
• These collars are of various sizes and weights, ac-
cording to the crime for which the punishmentis inflicted.
288 J O U R N A L OF AN
sockets, the whole countenance is dis-
torted, and I am convinced that pu-
gilists of the best bottom must yield in
such a contest from utter incapacity to
bear the dreadful suffering: though violent
to madness in gesture and language, they
seldom proceed to action, and I have seen
a smart tap from a fan satisfy extreme
rage; when, however, they actually have
recourse to blows, they fight most foully,
and death has been known to ensue from
a kick. ‘. . ;
The present disposition of the Chinese
was shewn yesterday on the occasion of
a beggar standing up when Lord Amherst
passed by him ; the man was instantly
ordered by a Mandarin to sit down, the
British Embassador not being now con-
sidered deserving of respect even from
the lowest class of society. Unless these
feelings subside as we recede from the
capital, our journey will not be very
agreeable.
EMBASSY TO CHINA. 289
CHAPTER IV.
Commencement of journey to Canton—Refléctions on
occurrences at Yuen-min-yuen—Arrival at Tien-sing
—Departure—Progress—Report of Lipoo. received at
Tong-chow—Remarks upon 'it—Pekin Gazette—In-
terview with judgeofpe-tche-lee—Arrival at Sang-yuen.
Second of September.—There would now
seem no chance of reprieve. We com-
menced our journey to the coast after
breakfast. Canton is said to be the place
of our destination: our past experience
will not, however, allow us to place much
reliance upon Chinese assertions, and if
the ships should be still at Chusan when
we arrive in the vicinity, I shall not be
surprised by our being dispatched from
thence. Several little comforts have been
taken from our boats, and we shall pro-
bably have frequent reason to complain
of neglect during our journey. We are
again among a crowd of junks, which
are only interesting from giving us oc-
casional glimpses of Chinese women of a
better description than those seen in the
streets; they are very chary of themselves,
vol. 1. - u
290 J O U R N A L OF AN
scarcely allowing our profane eyes to dwell
upon them for a moment. The dark com-
plexions of labouring men (of the same hue
as East Indians) prove that the sun must
be more powerful in this province of
China, than in other countries within the
same parallel of latitude. Is this cir-
cumstance connected with the flat na-
ture of the country, and the general want
of shade? A complete change must be
made in the dress of the inhabitants
during the winter. In this season a shirt
and trowsers, often only the latter, com-
pose the dress of all classes within doors,
and of the lower and middling orders
throughout the day. -
The treatment of the embassy at Yuen-
min-yuen still forms a frequent subject of
conversation amongst us. New incidents
arise confirming a belief in the Chinese
having deceived us, by a pretended com-
pliance upon the point of ceremony: the
party was purposely separated, and all the
Mandarins employed in conducting the
cavalcade were in an unusual bustle as we
approached the scene. Soo and Kwang,
to remove the suspicions or objections
BMIBASS Y TO CHIN A. 291
which Lord Amherst might have enter-
tained as to alighting at any other place
but the residence appointed for him, as-
sured his Lordship at Yuen-min-yuen, that
it was only proposed to take some refresh-
ment with the Koong-yay, although they
must have been perfectly aware of the real
intention. All were, more or less, parties
to the assertion made at Tong-chow, that
we were to be received on the 8th of the
moon with our proffered ceremonial. I
must confess that Ho cautiously avoided
at Tong-chow stating specifically the Em-
peror's consent to dispense with the Tartar
ceremony ; he however said enough to
convey a decided impression that the busi-
ness had been settled to our satisfaction,
and the fact was stated in the most de-
tailed manner by Kwang, who was left be-
hind by the Koong-yay apparently for this
express purpose. The Canton linguist,
Achow, has reported that Soo has been
degraded to a blue button; the Koong-yay
has also incurred the Imperial displeasure,
and Kwang is dismissed from his office in
the salt department. This trip to Canton
is probably an additional punishment. It
- U 2
292 JOURNAL OF AN
is understood that the duties hitherto per-
formed by Chang and Yin will, after leav-
ing Tien-sing, be transferred to the officers
of the districts through which we pass.
Chang, who had been at Canton early in
life, would have preferred, under other cir-
cumstances, to have accompanied us.
3rd of September.—There is not the dif-
ference I expected in our progress down-
wards. The stream is not rapid, and the
trackers to the large boats being very few
in number, and those not always employed,
the present scarcely exceeds our former
rate. Our supplies have been diminish-
ing, and to-day they entirely failed; re-
presentations have been made, and articles
privately purchased. Our situation is most
unpleasant; the affectation of Imperial
hospitality forbids purchasing, while the
indifference to our comforts, produced by
the circumstances under which the embassy
is returning, exposes us to inconvenience,
and indeed to real privation. It is still
said that Soo and Kwang are to be fined
to the full amount of our expenses, and if
this be true, we cannot be surprised at the
inadequacy of the supplies, the district
EM BASSY TO CHIN A. 293
officers very naturally not feeling sure of
repayment. -
Mr. Morrison's conversation with Chang
this day has thrown much light upon the
causes of our sudden dismissal from Yuen-
min-yuen. The apparent consent at Tong-
chow was a deception of Ho”, Koong-yay,
whose great object was to get the Embas-
sador to Pekin. The hints thrown out at
the conference on the 27th of August gave
him reason to believe, that Lord Amherst
might be induced by certain concessions
to perform the ko-tou; these concessions
appearing to him reasonable, he was not
without hopes of prevailing on the Em-
peror to accede; at the same time he did
not feel justified in entering into any posi-
tive engagement; this, however, was re-
quired by Lord Amherst. The Koong-
yay, therefore, had recourse to deception,
and by asserting the Emperor's consent to
receive the Embassador on his own terms,
secured his removal to Pekin. The Em-
peror's resolution to see us on the 7th de-
* Although the Chinese have generally two or more
names, the first is the one used; their usage in this as in
m any other instances, directly opposed to us.
294 JOURNAL OF A N.
feated this plan, which was in some degree
favourable to our views. Whether it was
intended that we should have been barely
seen by his Imperial Majesty from his chair
in passing, or whether we were to have
been called upon for the ko-tou, is not yet
clear; it is, however, certain that no re-
gular audience without that ceremony was
to have been granted. The Emperor's de-
termination to receive us on the 7th was
taken without a reference to our being all
night on the road; whatever, therefore,
was to have been the mode of our recep-
tion, the aggravation of its occurring under
circumstances of fatigue was not inten-
tional. Ourimmediate dismissal was caused
by its being reported to the Emperor, that
the plea of illness was a mere pretext, and
his being thereby highly incensed. His
Majesty was also much offended by Ho
not stating the fact of the Embassador
having travelled all night, which appa-
rently would have been considered the
most reasonable excuse for his wishing to
avoid an immediate audience. The Koong-
yay has been removed from some of his
employments, and even Moo-ta-jin, who
EMBASSY TO CHINA. 295.
has literally only lent his person to the
conferences, having throughout maintained
an invincible silence, has not escaped de-
gradation. -
Mr. Morrison paid Chang at his request
another visit in the evening, to meet the
Ngan-chatsze or Judge of Pe-chee-lee, who
has accompanied us from Tong-chow to
superintend our supplies and general pro-
gress. This Mandarin is well versed in all
the accounts published by the missionaries
of Europe, and lost no time in displaying
his knowledge to Mr. Morrison: the ge-
neral seope of his statement, besides the
exhibition of his own acquirements, was
to lower the relative importance of Eng-
land with respect to the other European
nations, and to establish the absurdity of
our Sovereign pretending to compete with
the Emperor of China. Though acquainted
with the name and situation of the Ghoor-
kas”, and asserting that his judicial au-
thority extended nearly to their confines,
he did not advert to the late war in Nepaul,
a proof that the interest taken by the Chi-
“I was not at this time aware of the occurrences on
the Nepaul frontier. . . . •,
206 JOURNAL OF AN
nese government in the affairs of that coun-
try has been exaggerated. The Judge
considered the Ghoorkas as tributary to
the Emperor.
Our friendly intercourse with Chang was
renewed by his calling while we were yet
at table; habitually he abstains from wine
for reasons of health, and on this occasion
infinitely preferred raspberry vinegar and
water. The Chinese in general like our
sweet wines and cordials better than those
more usually consumed by ourselves.
Whatever may have been the assertions of
former travellers, my experience leads me
to consider them scarcely less addicted to
the use of spirituous liquors than Euro-
peans; it is only their superior sense of
decorum that prevents them from exhibit-
ing themselves as often in public under the
influence of intoxication. Glass ware of
all descriptions is much sought after by
them, and our common wine bottles are
not unacceptable. - *
Those who have talents for observa-
tion, or powers of description, may pos-
sibly find wherewithal to occupy the eye
and the pen. Millet fields, willow-groves,
EMBASSY TO CHIN A. 297.
junks, half-clothed inhabitants with little
eyes and long tails, women with prettily-
dressed hair but ugly faces; these are the
daily and unchanging objects, and from
these I cannot eke out anything like in-
teresting description. With respect to
the moral qualities of the people, it would
be presumption to form any opinion
founded upon actual experience; we have
little private communication with the na-
tives, and even that, to those like myself
who are ignorant of the language, is
carried on by gestures; on the other
hand it would be unfair to form any esti-
mate from our intercourse with the Go-
vernment. Points of importance to both
parties have been brought to issue; the
Chinese have employed intimidation and
deceit to effect their object; they have
failed, and disappointment has produced
rudeness. Those who landed with an im-
pression that the Chinese were to be
classed with the civilized nations of Eu-
rope have no doubt seen reason to cor-
rect their opinion; those, on the con-
trary, who in their estimate ranged them
with the other nations of Asia, will have
298. . J.O.U. It N A L OF AN
seen little to surprise in the conduct either
of the Government or of individuals. The
leading characteristic feature is the in-
fluence of established usage. The every-
day behaviour of individuals, whatever be
their rank, is fixed by rules seldom in-
fringed. The despotism of the Sovereign
is subordinate to the despotism of manner;
the highest degree of civilization that has
ever prevailed is nearer nature than the
artificial system, certainly far removed
from so exalted a standard, that regulates
the daily habits of this people; and the
only positive conclusion at which I have
yet arrived, is that the Chinese are a most
uninteresting nation. They are described
as courteous in their mutual intercourse,
and their rudeness towards strangers is
attributed to a belief of their inferiority,
and a distrust of their good conduct.
Such is certainly the policy of the Go-
vernment, and such, from the prevalence
of the same principles, throughout every
branch of the community, are probably
the sentiments of individuals. Chinese
children, above the lower orders, are like
other Asiatics, grave and manieré. The
EMBASSY TO CHIN A. 299
mind would seem to be treated here like
the feet of the women, cramped by the
bandages of habit and education, till it
acquires an unnatural littleness. But here
I catch myself running into the very error
I wish to avoid, substituting conclusions
for observation; so reluctant is the human
understanding to remain in suspense.
4th of September.—The weather still con-
tinues hot; in our boat the thermometer
stands at eighty-five degrees throughout
the day. I was not before aware that the
ko-tou is to be viewed as an act of religious
adoration, which, though paid to the Em-
peror, is refused to some of the inferior dei-
ties. The judge, in the course of his lecture
yesterday evening upon European affairs,
observed to Chang, that possibly our re-
ligion forbad our performing the ko-tou;
this admission was not, however, made
apologetically, but rather to reprehend
our erroneous notions upon the subject.
Our boats stopped at one o'clock to
purchase provisions; the best grapes we
have yet seen have been procured here;
it is really surprising, that with abundance
of grapes, the Chinese should remain sa-
300 J O U R N AL OF AN
tisfied with the liquor made from rice. A
rough estimate gives from five to six hun-
dred as the number of persons connected
with the embassy proceeding together down
the river; it must therefore require some
arrangement to secure a regular supply
of provisions. The name of the village
where we stopped is Khu-shee-yoo, and
I collected from the boatmen, that there
is another large village within a short
distance. Some troops, including a small
detachment of the monsters, were drawn
out, probably in honour of the judge, and
a salute fired on his departure. He is of
sufficient rank to correspond directly with
the Emperor. - .
5th of September.—We anchored yes-
terday at dinner-time for the night, on
account of the weather, which looked
threatening; this gave us an opportunity
of taking a walk, the only amusement
afforded in this dreadfully dull journey.
Regular watch is kept from sunset to sun-
rise; in going their rounds some of the
watchmen strike an oblong piece of wood
hollowed with a round stick, and others a
small gong or loo: the sound of both is
EMTBASSY TO CHIN A. 301
most melancholy, the former much louder
than the appearance of the implement
would seem to indicate. There was a heavy
fall of rain during the night, and the
climate had undergone a complete change
by daylight; it felt like the close of autumn
in England; the height of the thermo-
meter was fifty-nine degrees at sunrise,
and at four o'clock it had not risen to
more than sixty-seven. We did not quit
our anchorage till eleven, and as the whole
of this delay cannot be attributed to wea-
ther, we have begun to form various con-
jectures; all our wishes are against a re-
turn to Pekin, from which our determined
resistance to the ceremony would prevent
any public advantage, or probably indi-
vidual enjoyment, being derived; the slow-
ness of our progress may, however, arise
from the arrangements making at Tien-
sing for the future transportation of the
more bulky articles. It is proposed to
send them by sea.
I visited a small miao or temple, dedi-
cated, as I was informed, to the God of
- Fire; the idol was a short figure seated on
a throne, holding a drawn sword in one
302 Jou RNAL OF AN
hand, and a serpentine ring in the other;
two dwarf-like figures stood near him, each
with rings: there were three other figures,
less perfect, on the side of the building.
This miao was under repair, and the work-
men were cooking their victuals in the very
sanctum. Religion seems to sit very easily
on the Chinese. In their feelings on this
head they resemble the ancient Pagans;
the worship of the gods forms part of their
civil institutions and daily habits, but
never deeply influences their passions. It
would be wrong to attribute the late edicts
against Christians to religious persecution;
they arose from an alleged connexion with
the malcontents, not, I understand, with-
out foundation. .
I had a visit from Chang, partly to
apologize for the deficiency of provisions
complained of some days ago: he re-
quested that in future none should be pur-
chased, and in the event of the supply
being inadequate, application should be
addressed to him, that he might make the
required disbursement, which he was au-
thorized to do, on account of Kwang, who
was ordered by the Emperor to defray the
EMBASSY TO CHINA. 303
expenses of the embassy. He took occa-
sion to inform me of his being superior in
permanent rank to the imperial commis-
sioner, and described himself as having a
large extent of country under his jurisdic-
tion. Common rumour among the Chinese
says, that the Emperor has been much in-
censed with those who concealed from him
the circumstance of the Embassador's hav-
ing travelled all night, and being thereby
too much fatigued to attend him immedi-
ately. About four o'clock we passed Tsay-
tsung, where we halted on our way up-
wards, while Soo and Kwang made their
reference to Pekin. We are to reach
Tien-sing to-morrow ; our stay there will
be probably two days.
6th of September.—The weather is
something warmer than yesterday; ther-
mometer in the morning sixty-five degrees.
About nine we passed a building said to
be a Mahomedan mosque; there are se-
veral of this religion in the province: they
are not regarded with any jealousy, and
are, I fancy, eligible to all offices. They
eat beef, from which Chinese in general
abstain, considering it cruel to slay so use:
304 JOURNAL OF AN
ful an animal for food. Buildings with
handsome roofs, and the increasing throng
of population, mark our approach to Tien-
sing. A long line of soldiers with flags
near some py-loos were drawn out to do
honour to Ching-ta-jin the Ngan-chatzse
—for alas! we are now shorn of our beams,
and dare not take these military honours
to ourselves. The soldiers knelt as the
boats passed. Chinese gunners would
seem much afraid of their own deeds :
they immediately retreat upon applying
the match, squatting down at a short dis-
tance with their backs turned ; the iron
tube is always placed upright, so that
every possibility of danger from the wad-
ding is guarded against. -
The timber trees for general use in house
and boat building are cut into spars of
from seven to eight feet long, as it is said,
for the convenience of transportation. I
had forgotten to mention that we anchored
last night near a large village where there
was a temporary building with a stage
carried out into the water, lights, and
other preparations indicating a public
meeting: under other circumstances we
EMBASSY TO CHINA. 305
might have flattered ourselves that some
good awaited us; all was, however, in-
tended for the accompanying Mandarins,
who had a long conference on shore.
We may infer that the mutual suspicion
of the Mandarins is considerable, from the
Ngan-chatzse not venturing to accept a
small present offered to him by Lord Am-
hert, lest it should come to Kwang's know-
ledge, and through him to the Emperor,
who is most severe against the semblance
Öf bribery in public officers. His Lord-
ship has, however, hinted, that on leaving
us he may probably overcome his fears.
We reached Tien-sing soon after twelve,
and we anchored exactly in the same spot
as before: the crowd of spectators is
equally great, and their heads as closely
packed. Men wearing conical caps * have
been most active in keeping a space clear
near the boats; they are not, like the
soldiers, satisfied with striking the ground,
* These, I afterwards learnt, were the public execu- *
tioners, and that the shape of their caps was one of an-
cient form, which the Chinese, at the Tartar conquest,
were most anxious to retain. The sanctity of the tombs
of their ancestors, was another and more reasonable ob-
ject of their anxiety.
VOL. I. sº X
306 Journ AL of AN
but apply their long whips most lustily to
the shoulders of the gaping multitude.
At night we observed a ceremony said to
be in honour of the full moon ; a boat
moved along the shore, and dropped, at
certain intervals, small paper lanterns of
various colours, which were suffered to
fall down the stream; the light reflected
through the brilliant colours of the lanterns
had a very pretty effect. I have been
struck with the vividness of the crimson
dye of this paper (also used by the Chinese
in their fruit-baskets) which surpasses, I
think, any that I have before seen. An-
other illumination, and the horrid din of
instrumental music, led us to conjecture
that a marriage or a funeral (for the noise
is said to be the same) is carrying on in
the vicinity. I can only regret that our
situation precludes all hope of seeing any
of these domestic ceremonies.
I find that some of my companions are
much struck with the wretched appearance
of the lower orders, and thereby disposed
to accuse former travellers of exaggera-
tion. Compared with other countries of
Asia, I should, on the contrary, say that
EMBAssy. To chINA. 307
China presents an aspect of great pros-
perity; the season has as yet required little
clothing, and, on the approach of cold
weather, our boatmen have not seemed to
want suitable apparel. I am disposed to
give great credit both to the older and
more modern writers for accuracy of de-
scription in every thing that strikes the
eye. The missionaries in general extol the
moral character of the people and the
political resources of the empire: of the
latter, they were probably little qualified
to form an opinion ; and of the former,
kind personal treatment will lead men
to take very different views. Like other
Asiatics, the Chinese are affectionate in
the treatment of their children, and their
civil institutions enforce reciprocity of
good conduct. A son in China is never
of age : the act of begetting inflicts servi-
tude until the death of the parent eman-
cipates him. To judge from a trivial cir-
cumstance that came out in the course of
conversation with Chang, ladies have their
full share of influence in Chinese families;
for on inquiring from Chang whether his
son, a lad of eighteen, was still with him,
x 2
308 Jourt NAL of AN
he answered in the negative, saying, that
he had been obliged to send him back to
his mother, who could not endure being
separated from him. -
7th of September.—The design of send-
ing the presents by sea appears to be given
up, and none of the boats will be changed
till we reach Shan-tung; our delay here
arises from Kwang having to deliver over
charge of his office in the salt department
to his successor. Chang's situation of
Tao-tai must be of some importance, as
the number of visits from subordinate
officers compelled him last night to take
refuge in his boat. He is superior to a
governor of city or Foo. I had a short
walk through the quarter of the town
nearest to us, but did not succeed in get-
ting across the water, the soldiers ordering
one of the boats forming the bridge to slip
as we approached. The druggists’ shops
were well furnished; too extensively, I
should suppose, from the low state of
medical knowledge in China, for the health
of their patients. Butchers’ shops were
remarkably clean, and the meat looked so
good, that I suspect our supplies must be
EMBAssy. To CHINA. 309
of a very inferior quality to what might be
procured. Exterior appearance is so ex-
clusively the object of attention, that the
axes carried before police officers are
merely painted wood: indeed, the whole
paraphernalia of magistracy resemble gin-
gerbread ornaments, or masquerade deco-
ration. The streets of Tien-sing are nar-
row, and the dead walls of all the dwell-
ing-houses facing the street give them a
most gloomy appearance; in wet weather
they become a perfect slough. Our olfac-
tory nerves will have been so saturated
with stench, that the absence of smell will
probably overpower us when restored to
a pure atmosphere: there literally pre-
vails a compound of villanous stenches,
and this constitutes one of the principal
inconveniences of the crowd that gather
round us. - -
A second walk through the suburb did
not afford much additional amusement or
observation: a funeral passed us, accom-
panied by mourners, male and female,
whose grief was so violent and regularly
timed, that I concluded them to be hired ;
the women were in chairs covered with
310 Journ AL of AN
white cloth, the mourning colour in China;
the caps on the heads of the mourners
were shaped like the working caps of me-
chanics in England: I was disappointed
in the coffin itself, which was quite plain;
the frame that supported it was gilt, and
made of immense beams of timber; some
figures of women, nearly as large as life,
and full drest, were carried in the front;
on the outside of the bier I remarked a
gilt head-piece of wood, probably indi-
cating the profession of the deceased.
In a cabinet-maker's shop we saw some
handsome chairs of carved wood, deco-
rated with peacocks; the plumage was
real, and only the bodies artificial; the legs
hung down from the top, not unlike fowls
in a poulterer's shop. I could not succeed
in purchasing a large glass-case, filled with
gilt toys, representing Chinese ladies and
gentlemen, boats, bridges, and all the fea-
tures of the country residence of a man of
rank. sº
The occupations of mealman and miller
seemed joined here, as we observed all.
kinds of grain grinding in a mill turned by
an ass, in the shops where the original ar-
EMBAssy. To CHINA. 311
ticle was sold : the upper millstone is large
and cylindrical, and to its extreme ends
ropes are fastened, by which the ass draws;
the flour thus ground was coarse. We
shall in future, in making purchases, be
particularly on our guard against the
soldiers who accompany us; they always
encouraged, and in some instances sug-
gested, the impositions of the shopkeepers,
for the purpose of having a larger booty to
share. A Chinese dwelling-house is, as I
have already said, shut towards the street
by the outward wall; and even when the
gate is opened, a skreen of masonry front-
ing the entrance, and considerably exceed-
ing it in width, intercepts the view : these
houses are divided into courts, each form-
ing a range of apartments; a large hall,
and small rooms leading from it, is the
most usual distribution. Great variety of
articles were sold in every shop, and, ex-
cept the druggists, I observed few shops
appropriated to the sale of one commo-
dity only. A black mass, looking like
caviare, proved to be soy mixed with salt,
with something to give.the mixture con-
sistency. In examining the tools of the
312 JOURNAL OF, AN
mechanics, and the interiors of the shops,
I was struck with the extreme correctness
of all the accounts I have read of China.
Scientific researches may be scanty, but
every thing that meets the eye of the mere
traveller in China has been described with
the utmost accuracy. -
8th of September.—Our keepers (for
we are literally conveyed through the
country with as little volition on our
parts as wild beasts) moved us this morn-
ing: after rounding the bank in the di-
rection of the walls of the city, we entered
the Eu-ho river, the boats being tracked
against the stream. The suburbs con-
tinued for two miles, and the shops and
buildings here had a much better ap-
pearance than on the opposite bank:
among the rest were several small Miaos
or temples. In the crowd of spectators I
observed more women than on any former
occasion; the feet of several were fine
specimens of distortion: as far as the
instep they are left of the natural size,
and the compression there brings them
suddenly to a point. In Chinese crowds,
the pipes held over the heads of the men
EME ASSY TO CHIN A. 313
•
have a very peculiar effect. After an in-
terval of millet fields, we passed another
suburb or village; there was a raised road
a few yards from the path, worn by the
trackers, which may possibly be the com-
mencement of that described by Sir George
Staunton. A small py-loo, open on all
sides, with a highly decorated roof, and
an inscription dedicating it to the river
Nan-yuen Ho, (i. e. Southward carrying
river), stands on the right bank, about
three miles from the city. " This build-
ing was an interesting object, as fixing
the name of the river, and connecting
the superstitions of the Chinese with those
of India and of ancient Europe. \
While at dinner, another funeral passed
along the bank; the bier the same as that
at Tien-sing: among the figures carried
before it were those of a tiger, marking
the military profession of the deceased,
an armed man on horseback, and a lady
mounted on an ostrich. H have reason
to believe that the mourners, so loud in
their grief, are the relations of the de-
ceased person, who are expected to at-
tend the funeral. At a short distance
314 J O L R N AL OF AN
f
from the river I saw some curious brick
buildings, shaped like a vase, narrowing
at the base and top, of the height of
a village church steeple, said to be the
tombs of distinguished Hoshungs, or priests
of the god Fo; the brick-work near the top
was very ornamental. We soon after passed
a modern pagoda or paou-ta, with small pro-
jections or stories: these modern structures
are very inferior to the more ancient
towers, now very rare in the country,
from their being suffered to moulder away.
A watch-tower, in ruins, gave us an op-
portunity to examine its structure: the
brick-work was about four feet in thick-
ness, with an opening in the interior suf-
ficient for a staircase, leading to the plat- .
form; on the top there were embrasures, but
the parapet wall was not of sufficient thick-
ness to admit of cannon being mounted; the
form is a square. The banks of the river are
in most places cultivated with vegetables,
and the grounds are laid out with par-
ticular neatness; the stalks of the kao-
leang, employed to form a treillage for
supporting a species of French bean, give
to the humblest spots of the kitchen
EMBASSY TO CHIN A. 315
garden an elegant appearance. I fancied
that the grounds of individuals, or of
villages, were separated by the groves of
willows and poplars that occurred at re-
gular intervals. ſº - s
We continued our journey after sunset,
and when the moon rose in her full silvery
brightness, the scene was highly beautiful;
her beams tinged the darkness of the groves
with light, while her image in the water
varied, every moment, with the eddies of
the stream. As we advanced, the long
line of lanterns, hung at the mast-heads
of the boats, changed its direction with
the frequent windings of the river; the
red lanterns, from the judge's boat, closing
in the line, marked the limits of the fleet:
all around was tranquillity, and yet the
objects were ever changing; it was a
scene to harmonize the most disturbed
mind. To me a fine night has ever been
an object of the highest enjoyment: I could
sometimes fancy, that one then might
hold converse with natures of a higher
order: it would be unnatural, at such an
hour, to allow an unworthy thought to
cross the mind; all without is pure and
316 JOURNAL OF AN
tranquil brightness, and the best feelings
of man's heart rise to welcome the beauty
of the universe. We passed several villages,
and anchored for the night at the town of
Yang-leu-ching, thirty-five lees, or twelve
miles, from Tien-sing; there was a re-
spectable looking house near the anchor-
age, belonging to a Mandarin: this, pro-
bably, is the ordinary stage, as there were
several boats at anchor. The river is con-
siderably wider here. - .
9th of September.—In the course of a
walk after breakfast, I visited a temple
dedicated to the Eternal Mother, or prin-
cipal Chinese female divinity. The figure
of the goddess had a white cloth thrown
over it, and a crown on the head; in her
hand she held a leaf: there were two at-
tendant figures, of smaller size, in the same
shrine; some other figures were placed
near the wall on one side of the temple.
If we were to judge from the state of the
temples we have hitherto seen, we should
conclude that religion was on the decline
in China, as all these buildings are going
to ruin. Chang has received information
to be relied upon, of his appointment to
EMBAssy. To chi NA. 317
be judge of the province of Shan-tung, and
I suppose the presents sent this day to the
Embassador and to the gentlemen of the
embassy were made in consequence: his
conduct in general has been so kind, that
all are pleased with his elevation. &
The reaping-hook used incutting the kao-
leang has a very long handle and shortblade,
rather resembling a scythe than a reaping-
hook. Irrigation is employed to the garden
cultivation near the banks: a simple wheel
and axle is used to raise the water from
the well, dug a few yards from the river ;
the water is not thrown in sheets over the
ground, but poured from a large earthen
jar. Some men were employed, in another
place, flattening rushes with a heavy roller,
probably to be used in the embankment.
Towards evening the banks on both sides,
covered with villages, had the appearance
of being a continued town; they belong to
the districtor arrondissement of Too-lee-ya,
extending for ten lees, with little interrup-
tion, of habitations. We anchored at the &
further extremity. Our trackers, whether
driven to it by being overworked, or un-
derpaid, were here very insubordinate,
3.18 Journ AL of AN
and the disturbance was not quelled till
some of them were punished with the
bamboo. The number to each of the
larger boats is from twenty to twenty-five,
to the second class twelve, and to the
lesser seven. • .
10th of September.—The country much
the same. We breakfasted near Shing-shi-
heen, a considerable town. We passed,
during the day, some fields cultivated with
tobacco. *
A military Mandarin, with a clear blue
button, observing Abbot and myself walk-
ing on shore, invited us on board his boat,
for the usual purpose of looking at us.
Abbot, as the youngest, was the principal
object of his attention, and he amused him-
self by dressing him in Chinese clothes:
he seemed to live in great familiarity with
his servants, and put my hat on to excite
their merriment; I, in return, took his cap,
and the buffoonery was complete. There
was some difficulty in getting away from
his kindness, and I was obliged to cut short
the interview by an abrupt departure. We
had, I believe, seen our friend before at
Tong-chow. - e
EMBASSY To chINA. 319
In the evening Lord Amherst and the
Commissioners visited Chang, to congra-
tulate him upon his appointment: his boat
was extremely well arranged; in the first
apartment two secretaries were employed
with a great appareil of business: some
trifling articles that had been sent to him
by the Embassador were disposed in dif-
ferent parts of the cabin. Chang himself
took the lowest place, and received us alto-
gether with real politeness: a preparation
of pounded apricot kernels, tasting some-
thing like emulsion, was handed round.
As this is often called by us almond-milk,
it led to an inquiry respecting the milk-tea
which was to have formed part of the cere-
monial at the audience. This milk-tea, it
appears, is simply milk; chaya, or tea,
being affixed to the names of many bever-
ages besides that made from the tea plant.
The milk is given as a record of the Tartar.
origin of the reigning family. Another
instance of the anxiety to preserve these
recollections is, that the Emperor, on state
occasions, uses a knife to divide his meat,
instead of chopsticks. Though placed on
32O J O U R N AL OF AN
the throne of one of the greatest empires
in the world, and surrounded by every
concomitant of imperial greatness, the
Mantchoo conquerors of China still profess
to prize the simple manners of their ances-
tors higher than all the forms and grandeur
of civilization and luxury; and wisely too,
if their respect or estimation went beyond
mere profession; but they, like other con-
querors, have lost, after victory, the habits
and energy of character which gained it.
The judgeship of Shan-tung is considered
the second in rank in the empire. Tong-
quang-tang, our anchorage, is mentioned
in the account of the last embassy, and
will be remembered by me from the horrid
vocal and instrumental noise, with which
the Chinese soldiers attending the embassy
thought proper to signify their satisfac-
tion at Chang's appointment. Our rate
and time of progress has increased, but I
have not been able to form any correct
estimate of the day's journey; from twenty-
eight to thirty miles may be near it.
11th of September-Lord Amherst put
into my hands this morning at breakfast a
EM BASSY TO CHINA. 32.É.
translation made and just delivered to him
by Mr. Morrison, of a document * received
at Tong-chow with some others from Chang,
containing an official description of the
ceremonies to be observed at the public
audience of the Embassador. The extract
from the records of the Lipoo, in which
Lord Macartney’s performance of the ko-
tou was asserted, accompanied this docu-
ment; neither were attended to at the
time, the one being merely an incorrect
account of what was already known, and
the other being supposed to contain a de-
scription of entertainments which were not,
under existing circumstances, likely to take
place. The reception, according to this
official paper, was to have taken place in
a hall, at the upper end of which the Em-
peror was to have been seated on an ele-
vated throne. An altar to the moon is
represented as occupying the opposite ex-
tremity. The Embassador was to have
been brought in at this end of the hall,
and kneeling near the altar, he was to have
delivered the Regent's letter to a Mandarin
of rank, by whom it was to have been car-
* Wide Appendix, Nos. 4 and 5.
VOL. I. Y
322 JOU R. NAL OF AN
ried to another named Méén-Gan, whose
place was on the level area upon which
the throne itself rested : this last Mandarin
was to have ascended the steps and pre-
sented the letter to his Majesty. The Em-
bassador was then to have been conducted
by the Mandarins to the level area, where
kneeling, he was to have received the joo-
yee intended for the Regent, from the
hands of Méén-Gan, by whom some ques-
tions were to have been put to him in the
Emperor's name: he was next to have been
conducted to the lower end of the hall,
where, facing the upper part (probably
the throne), he was to have performed the
ko-tou with nine prostrations; afterwards
he was to have been led out of the hall,
and having prostrated himself once behind
the row of Mandarins, he was to have been
allowed to sit down; he was further to
have prostrated himself with the attendant
Trinces and Mandarins when the Emperor
drank. Two other prostrations were to
have been made, the first when the milk-
tea was presented to him, and the other
when he had finished drinking. From the
translation we may conclude . that these
IEMEASSY TO CHIN A. 323
latter prostrations were to have been
made out of the Emperor's sight, and at
all events not to his person. If this docu-
ment contains a correct description of the
ceremonies which the Emperor would ac-
tually require, they certainly go far beyond
what was in contemplation when the ques-
tion of the ko-tou was considered. Com-
pliance with the ko-tou was supposed to
include merely a single performance of
that ceremony in the actual presence of
the Emperor, and at a reasonable distance
from his person: the other four prostra-
tions were, therefore, an addition of essen-
tially a different character. From this
account the arrangement of the place
of reception would have rendered it
impossible for the Embassador to have
had a direct view of the presentation
of the letter, and more persons were to
have been interposed between him and
the Emperor, than even in the case of the
Dutch embassy. One prostration was to
have been performed behind a row of per-
sons, consequently out of view of the Em-
peror, and merely upon sitting down.
Under a supposition that this document
• - - Y 2
324 J O U R N A L OF AN
was final upon the subject, the reception
of this embassy would have been less ho-
nourable than that of any other European
embassy whatever, and no proper disposi-
tion to conciliate would have gone the
length of submitting to it. I must confess
that could I bring myself to admit, and
many will say that the pertinacity of the
Chinese upon the ko-tou calls for the ad-
mission, that the paper was communicated
as the Emperor's final determination, I
should deeply regret that it was not no-
ticed at the time of its delivery. Had I
then seen the translation which I this day
read, I should have had no hesitation as
to the line of conduct to be adopted. I
should not have required any opinion as
to the injurious effects of compliance upon
the interests of the East India Company
at Canton. The point for consideration
would have been, whether any advantage
could have arisen from the English nation
making, in the person of the Embassador,
a less respectable appearance at the court
of China than the other nations of Europe,
and to this the most obvious and ready
“answer is in the negative; for I can
EMBASSY TO CHINA. 325
scarcely contemplate any concession on
the part of the Emperor, which would have
justified such unlimited submission. I am,
however, inclined to think that this docu-
ment, although it related to future pro-
ceedings, had as little regard to what might
actually take place, as the account of the
embassy published in the Pekin Gazette,
would probably have borne to the fact.
The ceremonial here stated was such as the
Chinese would have wished ”, but not,
therefore, what they would have insisted
upon ; nor indeed was the document itself
represented to us at the time, as requiring
* Some of the circumstances mentioned in this report
are, we learn from the accounts of the Portuguese and
Russian embassies, the established usage of the court.
The Portuguese Embassador entered by the western door,
and knelt when speaking. Both Embassadors, howcver,
delivered their credential letters into the Emperor's hands,
the Portuguese by agreement, the Russian by accident,
and contrary to previous arrangement. The customs of
China direct the credential letter to be placed on a table;
and, accordingly, Bell says, Ismailoff, as had been pre-
viously agreed, laid the letter on a table placed for that
purpose, when the Emperor having beckoned him to ap-
proach, he judiciously availed himself of the opportunity
to deliver the letter into his Majesty's hands. It is re-
markable that the Lipoo Tribunal have been uniformly
inimical to foreigners. -
326 JOURNAL OF AN
our consideration with a view to any other
ceremonies but that of the single perform-
ance of the ko-tou : the impression, on the
contrary, conveyed to us was, that the
document, as containing a description of
the several entertainments, was communi-
cated for the purpose of producing com-
pliance upon the specific point at issue.
Whatever be the value of the document,
as it was not noticed, considered, or trans-
lated at the time, it had no influence
upon our proceedings; and when resist-
ance to the ko-tou was recommended and
adopted, no part of the additional cere-
monial, more expressive of inferiority and
consequently more objectionable than the
ko-tou itself, was known, and therefore
could not have been taken into account.
It may now be brought forward to dimi-
nish the regret at our dismissal, but even
in this respect it can only have real weight
with those, who consider it as an irrevoca-
ble arrangement of the ceremonial. I
have only another observation to make;
a consent to comply with the ko-tou did
not necessarily involve submission to the
other ceremonies described in the docu-
EMBASSY TO CHINA. 327
ment, and resistance upon these would
have as good an effect as upon the ko-tou;
to my mind, better, for they would have
been upon stronger grounds—the impossi-
bility of an English Embassador submit-
ting to a reception less honourable, than
had been given to the representatives of
the other crowned heads of Europe.
Soon after breakfast we passed a small
hexagonal temple of three stories, in pro-
portions, and style of architecture, the
handsomest building I have yet seen. The
projecting roofs were covered, but not
overloaded, with ornamental carved work;
the top was shaped like a bishop's mitre;
a group of fine willows near it varied the
different views of the building, and height-
ened the effect. The temple was said to
be dedicated to Kwae-sing, and called the
Devil Star's Temple. The clumps and
groves of willows are the only beautiful
features of the scenery. About twelve I
observed a long wall apparently enclosing
the grounds and residence of some Man-
darin. I regret much not having yet had
an opportunity of visiting any of these
328 JOURNAL OF AN
residences, to judge of Chinese taste in
laying out their grounds. .
It is difficult to reconcile the respect
felt by this nation for the dead with the
not unfrequent instances of corpses float-
ing down the stream, affording certainly
most disagreeable spectacles. The light
quivering aspen is occasionally added to
the more abundant foliage of the willow.
I have remarked that most of the Chinese
matchlockmen have two cross sticks, of
about twenty inches in length, attached to
their pieces, for the purpose of a rest;
among this unwarlike nation, celerity in
the use of arms is not of much conse-
quence. -
At four o'clock we arrived at Tsing-
heen, mentioned in the former embassy.
This is a walled town, the best houses and
shops are in the suburbs; the walls and
the town itself are falling to decay. By
pushing boldly forward, some of the party
succeeded in getting through the gates,
an object seldom effected, from the jea-
lousy of the Chinese respecting the in-
terior of their towns. A Miao in the
EMIBASSY TO CHIN A. 329
suburbs contained several curious idols,
which, however, we were able to examine
but imperfectly, from its being the dusk
of the evening. A bystander was kind
enough to light one of the small tapers, -
which gave us a glimpse of the principal
figures; amongst these, the first was called
by the soldiers Chung-wang-hai; the mean-
ing of the name, or the nature of the deity
the figure represented, I have not been
able to learn. He was seated on a throne
with another male figure placed some steps
below him, before whom was a table or
altar. A female figure in a mantle, that I
have often before remarked, was on his
right hand. The male figures with full
beards. The principal and the female had
something in their hands, which, from
being of the same shape and colour, I have
hitherto considered as a leaf. Near the
entrance, on each side, were two figures
of men in armour standing by horses ready
accoutred; the men seemed stone. A
large censer, of a composition like bell-
metal, was placed on one side of the inner
temple. These temples, like the dwelling-
houses, are divided into courts, and there
330 JOURNAL OF AN
are generally idols in each. I believe that
the Chinese need not yield to any nation
in the number of their gods, or in their
real indifference upon religious subjects.
We may conjecture that the Miaos on the
banks of the river are chiefly dedicated
either to the great God of Water, or to the
Dii Minores of rivers. -
It would not seem to be ascertained
whether the machine we observed in the
grain junks be used for merely husking the
rice, or for reducing it to flour. It con-
sists of a plank four or five feet long, loaded
with a heavy stone at one end, at the other
a man stands, and raising the plank by his
weight, the opposite end falls upon the
grain placed in a trough; the weight of
the stone is too great, to have no other
effect but that of separating the grain from
the husk. The distance from Tien-sing is
something more than two hundred lees, or
sixty miles.
12th of September.—We breakfasted
at Shing-tchee, a town with some ap-
pearance of walls round it. Having left
Tsing-heen some hours before daylight,
my intention of again visiting the Miao
EMBAssy. To CHINA. 331
was thereby defeated. The ploughs I
have observed in the fields are very rude
in their construction; the share, of wood,
does not penetrate to any depth in the
soil, which indeed appears to require but
little assistance from this part of agricul-
tural labour. Manures * are, however,
generally used in China, and heaps are
here, as in England, collected of the scrap-
ings of the road. There were some small
orchards interspersed among the garden
cultivation. Thermometer eighty degrees
at three o'clock.
Sir George Staunton suggested to me
in conversation, the best explanation of
the document mentioned yesterday; he
conceives that it was a report prepared
by the Lipoo, which it was intended to
bring upon the records, for the purpose
of handing down the statement of the
reception most gratifying to Chinese ar-
rogance and usage. This seems highly
* Great careis taken by the Chinese in collecting human
excrement, and that of other animals for this purpose: the
former is most used in gardens, and is preserved, together
with urine, in large jars generally sunk in the ground. The
mixture is sometimes diluted with water. The hair of
animals is also employed for manuring rice.
332 JOURNAL OF AN
probable, and fixes the value of the paper,
in estimating the propriety of the course
pursued, at a much lower rate than its
mere contents would at first sight establish.
The principal parts of the ceremony were
to have been accompanied by music; the
very tunes were regulated, and, from their
names, intended to convey an expression
of tranquillity effected through subjuga-
tion *. It is considered not improbable
by those most acquainted with the present
state of China, that the Emperor's perti-
nacity upon ceremonial may fairly be at-
tributed to an opinion, that the late in-
ternal commotions demand a more strict
adherence to every point connected with
the personality of the Sovereign than
would be necessary in more tranquil times.
At night we anchored at Tsong-chow,
the largest town since Tien-sing. It is a
walled city, of the second order, and ex-
tends for some length on the left bank
of the river. The distance from Tsing-
heen is eighty lees, or about twenty-four
miles. wº
13th of September.—Weleft Tsong-chow
* Wide Appendix, No. 5.
EMBASSY TO CHIN A. 333
at daylight, having been much disturbed
by noises of all kinds during the night.
At these two last towns there have been
several stages * carried into the river for
the convenience of landing from the boats.
At Tsing-heen the Embassador's boat
having been brought opposite to a stage
with decorated poles near it, led some to
imagine that public honours to the em-
bassy were about to be renewed; the
delusion vanished when several others
were observed along the bank. I am
informed, that the soldiers drawn up oc-
casionally on the bank belong to an esta-
blishment of river police ºf : some to-day
had yellow facings instead of red, the
usual uniform. It is curious to remark
how the conceit of individuals in all
countries displays itself in strutting: the
Chinese are perfect masters of this art,
* These stages are called Ma-tou.
+ In the cities a species of military police is established,
under an officer called the Chou. A particular tribunal
at Pekin, separate from that for crimes and punishment,
has the general superintendance of the police of the em-
pire; a very important duty in a country like China,
where the very essence of government consists in a rigid
attention to forms.
334 JOURNAL OF AN
of which we had a ridiculous instance
two nights since at Tsing-heen, in a Man-
darin with a yellow button, whom we
had seen before as an attendant to the
principal Mandarin; emboldened either
by our fallen fortunes, or excited by full
dress, he strutted by us with an air that
would have suited our visitors at Tong-
chow, known to our party as the lads
of Moukden.
There are spots occasionally most beauti-
fully wooded, with, however, little variety
in the trees: the willow, aspen, and a few
trees resembling ash, are all that have
been hitherto noticed. On these points
I am compelled to trust the eyes of others;
no cockney was ever more ignorant re-
specting trees than I am ; indeed my
powers of observation of visible objects
in general are very limited, principally
from shortness of sight, but partly from
negligence. About two we passed a flood-
gate on the right bank, constructed for the
purpose of carrying off any sudden increase
of water in the river. It may be said of
this stream, that the quantity of mud
held in suspension almost equals the fluid :
EMBASSY TO CHINA. 335
and yet the trackers drink the water with-
out any purification. We observed near
the floodgate, a large building situated
in an inclosure, with fine woods, which
some said belonged to the Emperor, and
others called a temple. Several of the
corn junks here have four masts; the two
additional are a small fore and mizen. I
remarked a reaping-hook, used to the
kao-leang, longer and less curved than
OUITS.
We reached Tchuan-ho while at dinner.
To judge from the crowd of spectators it
would seem a considerable place; curi-
osity, however, is so universal, and heads
are packed so close in a Chinese crowd,
that this would not always be a correct
mode of estimating the population. The
town extends nearly one mile along the
bank. -
14th of September.—We passed this
morning a very numerous fleet, probably
one hundred sail, of large corn junks.
We learn from the inscriptions on these
vessels that they are distributed into divi-
sions: from their number, and the im-
portance of a regular supply of the more
336 J O L R N A I, OF AN
nutritive grains to the northern province,
their superintendance and navigation must
be one of the most important concerns of
the empire.
The women not unfrequently are em-
ployed in steering the smaller boats, and
I have been much struck with their active
interference in the management, when
any difficulty occurs. Their hair is differ-
ently dressed in this part of the province;
it is gathered less formally into a knot
upon the top. Chinese women hold them-
selves remarkably upright, and I have
scarcely yet seen even the oldest with a
stoop. Cramping the feet seems general,
at least I have observed no exception;
perhaps the smallness of the base on
which they stand is the cause of their up-
rightness. -
There was a very large temple in ruins
on the left bank; the front had nearly
fallen down, and the gods were exposed
to all the pitiless pelting of the storm. I
do not fancy that the trade of a local
deity can be a respectable occupation just
now in China. This Miao was dedicated
to Lao-ku-shung. .
EMBASSY TO CHINA. 337
I had a visit from Chang, to take leave,
as he had received a summons to attend
the Emperor at Gehol without delay. Yin
is also soon to leave us, and then the
superintendance of our supplies will pass
into the hands of the district officers.
Chang called Moukden *, Moulin ; but
the latter may be the Chinese pronuncia-
tion of the name. The Emperor goes
there to hunt. Chang expressed some
alarm lest he should be called upon to at-
tend the imperial chasse. He informed
Sir George Staunton, that he had seen the
Pekin Gazette, announcing Ho's dismissal
from his offices, which was distinctly stated,
to be in consequence of his having con-
cealed from the Emperor, the fact of the
Embassador having travelled all night, and
having made a false statement respecting
the sickness of Lord, Amherst. Chang
promised to shew the Gazette itself to Sir
George. He also said, that the Emperor,
when informed of Lord Amherst's indispo-
sition, desired that the two Commissioners
should be sent to him. If this be the fact,
* The Chinese name of Moukden is Chin-yang.
WOL. I. Z
338 J OU HR N A L OF A N
it was wholly suppressed by Ho. I am
not aware that any good could have arisen
from Sir George and myself having obeyed
the summons; we might have been called
upon to perform the ko-tou, and as com-
pliance or resistance would have been
equally embarrassing, we have reason to
be obliged to Ho for the suppression.
The general tenor of both Chang and
Yin's observations upon our sudden dis-
missal, is certainly to remove the feelings
of resentment that it was calculated to
produce, and to throw the blame from the
Emperor upon the Koong-yay. From
Chang's account, the statement of some
eunuchs of the palace, who among the rest
came to examine us, impressed the Em-
peror with a disbelief of the alleged illness
of the Embassador, and led to his Ma-
jesty's anger, and orders for our immediate
departure. -
The laws of China prohibit the employ
ment of eunuchs by a subject; those in
the imperial palace have considerable in-
fluence, and Mandarins of the first rank
find it useful to court their favour. They
are never raised to a higher rank than a
EMIB ASSY TO CHIN A. 339
gold button, and not frequently to that.
It is said not to be unusual for parents
among the lower orders, from poverty, to
castrate their children, as a qualification
for service in the palace. -
At dinner we were at Pu-hien, belong-
ing to Nan-pee-hien. The houses were on
both banks of the river, and the population
seemed fully equal if not to exceed that of
Tien-sing. Our day's journay has been
eighty lees. Thermometer eighty-three.
The proportion of women among the crowd
increases. Throwing dust upon the mob
is frequently practised by the Chinese
soldiers to disperse them. The multitude
seemed less orderly and obedient than
elsewhere. In saluting we remark that
the soldiers kneel down, exhibiting no bad
criterion of the tameness and, unwarlike
character of this nation.
15th of September.—We reached Tung-
quan-hien at twelve o'clock. The chief
town of the district was on the right bank:
we probably only saw the suburb, in which
was a large temple. I remarked, for the
first time, a figure of a stork on the roof
of one of the smaller temples: on the ex-
Z 2
340 JOURNAL OF AN
tremities of the roofs were some orna-
ments, shaped like tridents. A plough
was here in use, of a much better construc-
tion than that before noticed; the share
was of iron, broad, and shaped like a
shovel; there was a handle placed nearly
over the share : the cattle, an ox and an
ass, were harnessed abreast, nearly as in
England. The furrows were particularly
wide and deep. More variety in the
species of trees has been observed to-day.
Chang performed his promise of sending
a copy of the Gazette to Sir George
Staunton, by whom it was translated *.
The paragraph respecting the embassy
began by censuring Soo and Kwang, for
bringing the Embassador beyond Tien-
sing, without his having complied with the
required ceremonies. Ho and Moo were
also blamed, for allowing him to proceed
from Tong-chow without his having prac-
tised the ceremony; and for sending con-
fused reports. The Emperor then remarks
upon the occurrences at Yuen-min-yuen,
and severely reprehends Ho, for having
* Wide Appendix, No. 6.
EMBASSY TO CHIN A. 341
concealed the truth from him; and for
not stating the fact of the English Envoys
having travelled all night, and being un-
provided with their dresses of ceremony.
Had this been communicated, the Em-
peror asserts, “ that he would not have in-
sisted upon their attendance till the next
day; thus the ceremony would have been
complete, and a return made correspond-
ing to the feelings that had brought them
from a distance of ten thousand lees to his
court.” Ho is said to have lost his senses,
and the officers of government are blamed
for not having set him right; or, if he had
proved obstinate in error, for not commu-
nicating the truth to the Emperor. His
Majesty also mentions, that all the great
officers of state were waiting in the anti-
chamber to assist at the audience. The
account concludes with some general re-
flections upon the evils attending such
concealment and neglect of duty in the
officers of government. This document is
satisfactory, inasmuch as the Emperor.
thinks it necessary to offer some explana-
tion to his people (for to them only is it
addressed) of the sudden dismissal of the
342 . Journ AL of AN
British embassy. His Majesty's object is
evidently to throw the blame of so hasty
and harsh a measure upon Ho, with what
degree of injustice it is impossible to say :
we may, however, reasonably hope, that
the spirit which produced this explanation
is contrary to the adoption of any pro-
ceeding decidedly hostile to our interests
at Canton, in consequence of our refusal to
perform the ko-tou; and that the em-
bassy, therefore, will in its result, at least,
prove innoxious. In short, we may infer
from the regret expressed for a specific act
of violence, that others of a similar cha-
racter will not be resorted to. It is still
to be remarked, that no prospect what-
ever of the ceremony being dispensed with
is held out, nor does such dispensation
ever seem to have been contemplated ;
that must continue, therefore, to be con-
sidered the rock upon which the embassy
was wrecked. The sudden gust at Yuen-
min-yuen may have hastened our sinking,
but the end must have been the same ;
and perhaps many of our crew rejoice
that it occurred, as an opportunity was
thereby given to display their daring
EMBASSY TO CH IN A. 343
energy and determination. For my part,
as I undertook the voyage to these dis-
tant seas more for profit than reputation,
I cannot but regret that I have lost the
opportunity of bringing my venture into
the market *.
Lord Amherst having consented to
Chang's proposal of meeting Ching-ta-jin,
the judge of Pe-chee-lee, his Lordship and
myself went to Chang's boat as soon as it
anchored for the night at Lien-hien. We
were prepared for the judge's loguacity,
and he certainly did not disappoint our
expectations. Little was said by Lord
Amherst, Ching-ta-jin seldom making a
pause even for breath. He observed that
unfortunate mistakes had occurred ; that
* This passage has, the author believes, been misun-
derstood, and therefore calls for explanation. On com-
paring it with the preceding sentence, it will readily be
perceived, that both are figurative. The word “profit”
alludes to the commercial objects of the embassy, and
the word “venture” to the proposition of them conse-
quent to its reception. With respect to “reputation,”
it was not unnatural that the author should have antici-
pated but little increase, either to his colleagues or to
himself, from ceremonial intercourse, which was the pro-
bable limit of the public proceedings with a nation so
jealous and impracticable as the Chinese.
344 Jou RNAL OF AN
the business had been ill managed ; and
that the blame rested with Ho: the Em-
peror was too reasonable, and much too
graciously disposed to have dismissed the
Embassador so suddenly had the facts
been truly stated to him. He allowed
that there was much improper hurry
throughout. Ching-ta-jin maintained the
absolute necessity of the ko-tou being
performed ; there were, he said, reasons
that rendered it impossible for the Em-
peror to dispense with it. His Imperial
Majesty, he said, was not greater, nor we
lower, by the performance; that the ko-
tou did not constitute us tributaries; and
that there was a material difference in the
treatment of Envoys from tributary states,
particularly in the point of sitting upon
cushions *. Of seven presidents of tri-
bunals, three had been removed from their
situations, in consequence of their miscon-
duct on this occasion. The judge assured
us, that we might, notwithstanding all that
|
* The privilege of sitting on cushions before the
throne of the Emperor is only possessed by the Princes
and highest Mandarins. It is not unlike the honour of
the Tabouret, conferred in the court of France.
EMBASSY TO CHIN A. 345
had occurred, remain confident of the
Emperor's gracious protection; and need
feel no uneasiness respecting our treat-
ment during the continuanceofourjourney.
He frequently reminded us that these ob-
servations were not to be considered
official. -
Lord Amherst having mentioned the
precedent of the Russian embassy in the
reign of Kang-hi, who had himself pro-
posed an alternative of the same nature
as that which Lord Amherst had sug-
gested, Ching-ta-jin, after much irrelevant
discourse respecting the Russian empire,
said that the Chinese account was very
different; that the Emperor Kang-hi had
directed a Mandarin of the fifth rank to
prostrate himself before the altar of the
God of Heaven, that is, the God of the
Christians” ; in return for which the Rus-
sian Embassador performed the ko-tou.
In no part of this conversation did the
judge admit the possibility of the cere-
mony being dispensed with: he indeed
allowed that the Embassador's reasoning
* This statement is not inconsistent with the superiority
possessed by the Emperor over some of the Dii Minores.
346 JOURNAL OF AN
might not have been fairly stated to the
Emperor; but he could not help thinking
that the obvious necessity of compliance
had not been clearly explained : he at one
time jocosely said, “is nothing to be done
to get you to Tartary P. There was so
little seriousness in his manner that the
observation was not noticed ; he took oc-
casion to display his knowledge of Europe,
collected from a work in the Chinese lan-
guage, probably composed by some mis-
sionary. His notions of France and Italy
were tolerably correct, not so those re-
specting Great Britain, which he sup-
posed was not under the rule of one sove-
reign. The judge's manner was, on the
whole, civil, but the result of the interview
did not repay the discomfort of bearing
with his loguacity for near two hours.
As he is to quit us on the frontiers of
Shan-tung, he took his leave of Lord Am-
herst. The presents which had been sent
to him by the Embassador, he felt him-
self, under present circumstances, com-
pelled to decline, although he honestly
confessed that they would have been most
acceptable. An imperial entertainment
EMBASSY TO CHINA. 347
he informed us would, according to esta-
blished usage, have been given the Em-
bassador on his entering the province of
Shan-tung; this, however, would now be
dispensed with. -
There were several landing-places with
decorated pyloos prepared along the bank
at Lien-hien, and a temporary hall of re-
ception prettily illuminated with variegated
lanterns was erected a little beyond the
boats. Some of these lanterns had a
constant rotatory motion, and from the
variety and brilliancy of the colours, pro-
duced a very good effect; comfortable
sentry-boxes made of poles and matting
were placed at regular distances, also
decorated and illuminated; the whole
looked more like a scene in a pantomime
than sober reality: the profusion of lights
give all night scenes in China a charac-
teristic brilliancy and gaiety of appearance.
16th of September.—The climate in
the morning was extremely agreeable,
influenced by a strong northerly wind,
and we succeeded in an unmolested walk
before breakfast. At twelve our attention
was excited by the figures of two horses
348 J O U R N A L OF AN
in warlike trappings, executed in stone,
standing in a stubble field. We landed
to examine them, and found the sculpture
of the horses themselves extremely rude,
but the saddles and housings in better
style; the material seemed to be a por-
phyritic granite. We could not obtain
any correct account of them upon the
spot; they were supposed to belong to
the monument of some person buried
there. I this day saw the pan-tze in-
flicted upon one of the boatmen, and was
surprised at the comparative lenity of the
punishment; the strokes, twenty-five in
number, were inflicted on the back part
of the thighs with a half bamboo, six feet
long and two inches wide; so little force
was used, that the suffering did not cer-
tainly exceed that of a tolerably severe
flogging at school. The culprit, accord-
ing to the established usage, returned
thanks when the punishment was over
to the Mandarin by prostration; this
practice, absurd in appearance, and un-
natural in reality, arises from the patri-
archal theory of the government, which
supposes that judicial punishments are
EMBASSY TO CHIN A. 349
the corrections of paternal affection, and
therefore reluctantly inflicted. We an-
chored in the evening at Sang-yuen, the
last village in the province of Chelee.
The judge, Ching-ta-jin, expressed,
through Chang, his wish to see Sir George,
who had not accompanied Lord Amherst
the preceding evening; it was also hinted,
that he had some observations to make of
importance, which had been omitted on
that occasion. Chang was very anxious
that Sir George should comply with his
request, in order that the favourable report
which he himself intended to make to the
Emperor should be supported by the judge,
which could not be expected, unless his
vanity were gratified by an appearance of
deference. It was accordingly arranged
that Sir George should meet him at Chang's
boat. Although Ching-ta-jin's language
was polite throughout the long conversa-
tion that took place, the matter was by no
means satisfactory, and with a prospect of
further official intercourse, would have re-
quired more serious contradiction. The
Poo-ching-tze, or treasurer of Shang-tung,
who is to superintend the supplies of the
$50 J O U R N A L OF AN
embassy, having unexpectedly arrived soon
after the conversation commenced, the
judge took Sir George aside, and the
greater part of what past was therefore
confined to themselves. Ching-ta-jin un-
reservedly asserted the vital importance of
the trade with China to England; its in-
difference to China; the pre-eminent great-
ness of the Emperor; the inferiority of the
King of England, and the superiority of
the French in arts and manufactures to
our nation: he considered the English as
the carriers of other nations: great mis-
takes he said had been made by Ho, and
the business had altogether been misma-
naged ; the evil might, however, still be
remedied by our compliance with the cere-
mony, which he described as indispensable.
Sir George having strongly'stated the pre-
cedent of Lord Macartney, the judge as-
serted that he himself had witnessed the
performance of the ko-tou by that noble-
man. In vain did Sir George, at several
stages of the conversation, endeavour to
introduce observations directed to the re-
futation of his absurd positions as they
arose, his loquacity was not to be stopped,
EMBASSY TO CHINA. 351
and Sir George was compelled to content
himself with attacking the last, whatever
might be its importance. When the con-
ference was breaking up, Sir George, to
avoid the possibility of Ching-ta-jin pre-
tending that he had given him reason to
infer that our determination respecting the
ko-tou had undergone the slightest change,
stated to both him and Chang, that it
would answef no good purpose to call us
back half-way from Canton, or from Can-
ton itself, as we could not possibly return
under any idea of compliance with the
ceremony. Sir George was the more
anxious to make this statement, from an
apprehension that the silence which he
had observed on several parts of the judge's
harangue, from a wish not to offend his
vanity by contradiction, and thereby defeat
the object of the visit, should be miscon-
strued into assent or concession. Chang
treated a recal from Canton as utterly im-
probable, on the ground of expense. Sir
George's propositions arising out of the
judge's allusion to the intended report to
the Emperor, were confined to an extended
acceptance of the presents and the pro-
352 Jou RNAL of AN
mulgation of a favourable edict; these
were not deemed unattainable by the
judge.
Soon after Sir George's return, a mes-
senger came from Chang, to request an
explanation of the remark respecting our
unwillingness to return, observing, that he
could scarcely report us perfectly respect-
ful while we refused to return, if summoned
by the Emperor: the meaning in Chinese
of the words “perfectly respectful,” being
well understood to imply complete sub-
mission, Sir George lost no time in per-
fectly undeceiving Chang, if he was either
really mistaken, or pretended to be so: he
therefore went to his boat, and repeated
the statement, that our sentiménts regard-
ing the ko-tou were unaltered, but that we
were ready to obey the Emperor's sum-
mons, if his Majesty were graciously pleased
to receive us on the terms proposed. Chang
said that this explanation was quite satis-
'factory, and that he had never understood
Sir George to have expressed any change
in our opinion. Chang's, it seemed, was
to be the only report; and I must confess
that I do not expect any important result
E M BASSY TO CHIN A. 353
from it. Sir George was much pleased
with the Poo-ching-tze of Shan-tung, who
expressed his desire to render our journey
through his province agreeable and con-
venient. Chang mentioned Kwang's in-
tention of renewing his personal intercourse
with the embassy to-morrow, and earnestly
recommended our receiving him as if no
difference in his conduct had been ob-
served. I find that a note written at
Tong-chow upon the subject of the miss-
ing baggage is supposed to have offended
him. - -
17th of September.—This has been a
halting day, and although Sang-yuen is
only a village, and cannot therefore afford
much for observation, the time did not
hang heavily. A walk though the street
along the river, containing some tolerable
shops, and a visit to two Miaos, furnished
sufficient occupation: the principal shops
were furriers, with goods of better quality
than at Tong-chow: I observed some pieces
of cloth with the East-India Company’s
mark. Dollars, being our smallest coin,
have an immediate effect in lowering the
vol. 1. *. A A wº
354 Journ AL OF AN
exchange against the copper Tchen” from
eight hundred, which may be considered
par, to five hundred, and thus raising the
price of every article: the shopkeepers
readily distinguish the gentlemen of the
embassy from the guard and attendants,
and are proportionately exorbitant in their
demands.
The figures in the Miao were in tolera-
ble preservation. The most remarkable
were the god Fo and the universal Mother,
both seated on the lotus. There was one
representation of the god Fo with eight
arms, exactly similar to the idols of the
Hindoos. Several colossal figures of war-
riors were described as statues of distin-
guished Mandarins; one of these had a
hammer in his hand, which would justify
* The copper Tchen is the only coin in actual eircula-
tion, the precious metals being received according to the
weight and fineness, and rather, therefore, being articles
of barter, than forming a circulating medium. Dollars
have only a fixed value from representing a certain quan-
tity of silver. The Tael, or ounce of silver, valued at
six shillings and eight-pence sterling, is an imaginary coin,
in which public and private accounts are kept. I have
heard, that during the Ming Dynasty a paper circulation
was in existence. , - -
EMBAssy to CHINA. 355
a conjecture, that statues were erected to
the inventors of useful arts; there was a
spherical piece of wood, open at one end,
used as a gong, on the altars. In the
largest Miao, the most remarkable object
I observed was the model of a pagoda, or
Paou-ta, about fourteen feet high, of thir-
teen stories; each story was filled with
small gilt figures, not ill executed in wood.
The principal figures were also wooden,
but imitating bronze; in general the co-
lossal figures are baked clay, and notwith-
standing the coarseness of the materials,
the ornaments of the drapery are repre-
sented with great fidelity and minuteness.
One of these temples was used as a stable,
and the other as a farm-house.
The Café des Aveugles is not confined
to Paris; Sang-yuen presented, in the
evening, a similar place of resort, with a
band of blind musicians. An old man,
who appeared the principal performer,
played on the most complicated instru-
ment I have yet seen in China; it con-
sisted of a box with two bridges, over
which some strings were stretched, whilst
others passed underneath; there were two
A A 2
356 JOURN A L OF AN
circular apertures about the middle of the
box, the length two feet by one: the per-
former played upon the strings with two
small rods; it seemed to me the simplest
form of the harpsichord. We all agreed
that the performance was superior in har-
mony to any that we had before heard:
the other instruments were a guitar and
fiddle. - -
Kwang paid us his intended visit: we
were satisfied with his manner. His con-
versation with Lord Amherst was alto-
gether upon indifferent subjects, such as
the Emperor's personal appearance and
pursuits: he described him as not very
tall, but stout and well proportioned.
His Majesty is fond of hunting and shoot-
ing: the bow is the weapon in which he
excels. A large proportion of the district
of Chelee was, he said, employed in pas-
turage for the government horses *. With
Sir George and myself the discourse re-
* The accounts of the Missionaries represent the
Tartars as excellent horsemen, and that the arts of the
manege are various, and much attended to. I had no
opportunity of verifying the truth of this description;
from the appearance of the horses I should doubt their
being equal to rapid manoeuvre. -
EMIBASSY TO CHIN A. 357
lated more to our immediate concerns:
we learnt that we were to proceed by
Nankin, thereby avoiding two troublesome
land transports. Sir George having re-
marked that the visit to Yuen-min-yuen
had given us a distaste to land journeys,
Rwang begged him not to allude to that
unfortunate occurrence; he added, that
he had originally conducted the negotia-
tion with us, and had endeavoured to
bring the points under discussion to an
amicable arrangement; that he had been
superseded by Ho, who had neglected his
advice, and by hurrying had confused
every thing. Sir George having said, in
reply, that recurring to the past was use-
less; the object now was to place affairs
for the future upon the best footing, and
that it might perhaps be effected by our
mutual exertions; Kwang assented with
much seriousness and apparent sincerity,
adding, that neither parties must be sup-
posed in fault: he apologized for his ab-
sence, saying, that while our friends Chang
and Yin were with us, he was convinced
that nothing was wanted; but that now
we had got among strangers, he felt him-
358 JOURNAL OF AN
self called upon to offer his services. Lord
Amherst returned Kwang's visit in the
evening: notwithstanding his subdued tone
in the morning, his manners were certainly
not improved, as he continued to take the
principal seat in his own boat. The tea"
served round was that used only on occa-
sions of ceremony, called yu-tien ; it was
a small-leafed, highly-flavoured green tea.
In Lord Amherst and Kwang's cups there
was a thin, perforated silver plate to keep
the leaves down, and let the infusion pass
through ; the cups used by the Mandarins
of rank in form resemble coffee-cups, and
are placed in a wooden or metal saucer,
shaped like the Chinese boats. Tartars,
Kwang informed us, were eligible to office
at eighteen ; this is said to arise from the
wish of government to bring them early
into employment: there are four different
races ºf of Tartars in China ; he himself is
* We afterwards learnt that this tea was specially sup-
plied to Kwang as Chin-chae. In Du Halde, the tea
appropriated to the Emperor is called Mao-tcha, and
consists of the young leaves of the plant.
+ The Man-tchoos and Mun-koos are each divided
into eight banners; there are also eight banners of Tar-
tarized Chinese; they are distinguished by the colours
EMBASSY TO CHIN A. 359
a Mongul, or, as called in China, a Mun-
koo.
of their standards—yellow, white, blue, and red, variously
disposed; each banner is subdivided, the lowest division
being of one hundred horse. The Mun-koos have been
long worshippers of Fo; the Man-choos, on the contrary,
have only adopted it since their entrance into China, and
they still consider a pure theism as the basis of their
morals and polity. The devotions to their ancestors are
common to the Chinese and Tartars.
360 JOU R. NAL OF AN
CHAPTER V.
Embassy leaves Sang-yuen—Departure of Chang and
Yin–Arrangement for the future of subordinate con-
ductors—Arrival at Lin-tsin-chow—Paou-ta of Lin-
tsin—Enter Canal—Quit province of Shan-tung—
Enter Kiang-nan—Cross Yellow River—Description
of Ning-niang-miao—Pass Yang-choo-foo—Arrival at
Kao-ming-tze—Change of boats—Leave Kao-ming-tze
—Proceed to Kwa-choo—Delay—Observations on sug-
gested address to Pekin.
EIGHTEENTH of September.—We left
Sang-yuen in the middle of the night.
Chang and Yin have both quitted us, and
no Mandarins are appointed to supply
their places, the Poo-ching-tze being the
district officer succeeding the judge. The
Mandarins of the three principal boats
leave us to-day, having been requested to
accompany us so far, that their successors
might become acquainted with the arrange-
ment for meeting at breakfast and dinner.
Kwang has somewhat uncivilly refused to
send any one of his servants to act as a
medium of communication upon any little
points of difficulty, that might arise.
EME ASSY TO CHIN A. 361
Two of Chang's attendants were before
attached for this purpose to the Embassa-
dor's boat; one of these had been with the
former embassy. Suitable presents have
been made to all the persons of this de-
scription now leaving us.
There would seem to be no scarcity of
wood in this part of the country, though I
have not seen any that can be called trees.
We arrived at Te—tchoo at sunset, distant
seventy lees from Sang-yuen. From the
bank to the walls of the town the space is
occupied by streets, in which were some
tolerable shops. I walked as far as the
walls, which did not seem as high as those
of the towns in Chee-lee: a swamp, or wet
ditch, extended some distance on this face.
Te-tchoo is remarkable for its manufacture
of summer caps. It was the general opi-
nion that salutes were fired as Lord Am-
herst's boat arrived, from which we may
infer that the honours have recommenced.
Several Mandarins, of inferior rank, were
certainly in waiting, and were very active
in clearing away the crowd. A small
look-out tower is added to the larger
quadrangular watch-towers in this pro-
362 JOURNAL OF AN
vince. The reaches of the river approach-
ing Te-tchoo are rather picturesque ; the
willows dropping their branches into the
stream, and the abrupt projections of the
banks, somewhat relieved the ordinary
flatness of the scene. Our band attracted
much notice; and two Mandarins, who
were among the crowd, having been in-
vited into the Embassador's boat, had the
grace to put on their robes of ceremony
before they presented themselves, a degree
of consideration quite unparalleled.
It has been remarked, that the tobacco
in this part of China is of very luxuriant
growth, the leaves being unusually large;
in quality it is extremely mild. The iron
tubes from which the salutes are fired are
not more than eight inches in length, with
a very small bore. I have been informed
that the cones of clay or masonry, already
noticed, at the foot of the watch-towers,
are used as smoke furnaces, to communi-
cate signals to distant parts of the country.
19th of September.—The thermometer
was fifty-eight degrees at seven o'clock;
and though it rises considerably as the day
advances, the climate is throughout tem-
EMBAssy. To CHINA. 363
perate. A large aspen tree, remarkable
for its appearance of age, proved, on in-
quiry, to be one hundred years old, an
age, I believe, seldom attained by trees of
this species. Burial grounds, with groves
of aspens, have become frequent. The
river has been so tortuous in its windings,
that the boats occasionally appeared mov-
ing in parallel lines, and at other times
surround the spectator; at night these
varieties give a pleasing effect to the lan-
terms of the different vessels. About ten.
o'clock we passed Sze-nu-sze, remarkable
for a temple dedicated to four ladies of
singular chastity*; they did not answer
the great object of their existence, but re-
mained virgins. Strange, that the perver-
sion of nature should have obtained honour
in so many different countries and ages!
A short distance from this temple a canal
* Celibacy is enjoined to the Hoshungs, or Priests of
Fo, known better, in European writings, as Bonzes, from
the Japanese Bonzo, a Priest. This ordinance, as for-
merly, among the Monks, does not secure chastity; on the
contrary, it often leads to the employment of violence in
the gratification of their passions. The Priestesses also
take vows of celibacy, with even less attention to their
obligation. -
364 Journ AL of AN
branches off to the left, over which there
is a flat bridge with six arches, and piers
of good masonry. In the town was a large
turreted gateway, which, I apprehend, is
peculiar to the province; the additional
watch-tower, noticed yesterday, has, it is
said, been erected since the late commo-
tions. r
Shan-tung was the principal scene of
the rebellion. Khwo-hien, signifying slip-
pery city, the town that made the longest
and most desperate resistance, is situated
in it. Many lives were lost in the progress
of the revolt, and but for the firmness of
a few individuals immediately about the
person of the Emperor, the present dy-
nasty would probably have been over-
turned. In a country like China, where
not only the more important measures
of government, but the most trifling de-
tails of office, depend for their execution
upon the supposed irresistibility of the
imperial power, the slightest opposition
gives a shock to the whole political ma-
chine, not easily or quickly remedied.
Last evening we observed some troops
on the opposite bank with peculiar flags,
EMIBASSY TO CHIN A • 365
which were described as Man-tehoo Tar-
tars. There did not seem any difference
in their arms or accoutrement, but instead
of jackets they wore long dresses. We an-
chored opposite Koo-ching-hien, a walled
town, with regular gateways and towers:
the best built and most populous part is
without the walls, on the bank of the river.
20th of September.—The air was almost
cold in the morning, and the thermometer
during the day did not in the boat rise
higher than seventy-five degrees; the
direct rays are, however, still powerful;
and I am disposed, from the increased
number of our sick, to consider the cli-
mate unwholesome. The reaping-hook,
used for the kao-leang, is altogether smaller
than I had conceived; the handle does not
exceed two feet, and the blade eightinches,
placed nearly at right angles to the handle.
There is great variety in the progress of the
crops within a short distance; for while in
some places the tobacco is scarcely in
flower, in others I have observed it hung
upon lines to dry in the sun. It is so
mild in this state, that it scarcely gives
the flavour of tobacco in the mouth. We
366 JOURNAL OF A N
anchored for dinner at Chen-ja-khor, and
soon after passed a fine alley of willows,
opposite to which a detachment of soldiers
was drawn up, and a salute fired to the
Embassador. It is not always possible
to ascertain to whom these honours are
addressed, as the salute is sometimes fired
when the boat is opposite, and at other
times, while it is at some distance. The
soldiers "upon occasions where the honours
are decided in their object, kneel as the
boat reaches the left of the line, utter a
dismal shout, and the band of music,
placed on the right, strikes up at the
same moment. Myriads of cracked penny
trumpets give the best idea of Chinese
military music. Our anchorage to-night
is said to be thirty lees from Chen-ja-
khor. Its name, I believe, is Cha-ma-hien.
21st of September.—The country has
been most uninteresting. At twelve o’clock
we passed Woo-chang-hien, a small walled
town. The parapet of the wall had fallen
down in most places; the remaining part
was of mud, and of considerable thick-
ness. There was no village immediately
at our anchorage; the usual pyloos, stages,
EMBAss Y TO CHINA. 367
and temporary stands were, however, placed
on the bank. I did not exactly ascertain
the name of the anchorage; it sounded
like Tsing-keea-khoo.
The badges of some of the soldiers,
drawn up to salute, signify, “robust
citizens,” from whence it is conjectured
that they are a body of militia, more
particularly belonging to the subdivisions
of the district. The troops of each pro-
vince in China are levied within it, the
government assuming as a principle that
men will defend their homes with more de-
termination than strangers * : the banners
of the Tartars may, therefore, be consi-
dered the disposable force of the empire.
Since we entered Shan-tung, mounted
soldiers have accompanied the trackers,
and the whole arrangement has improved ;
our progress has consequently been more
regular, about twenty-five miles a day.
* These provincial troops may perhaps be considered as
a militarypolice, and the circumstance of their being levied
within their respective provinces accounts for the regula-
tion respecting Mandarins not holding office in their na-
tive province, being confined to those of the civil order.
Enrolment in the Chinese army is voluntary, and the
pay is so good that the service is much desired.
368 Joub NAL OF AN
The trackers are seldom less than sixteen
hours employed, during which time they
never stop for meals or refreshment, though
there is a large proportion of old men and
boys amongst them. I now understand
that they are pressed into the service, and
an individual when once summoned must
attend himself, or find a substitute. The
boats in which Sir George Staunton and
myself are accommodated are valued at
eight hundred taels, or two hundred and
sixty-six pounds: they are built in the
southern provinces. *
22d of September.—We arrived at eight
o'clock at Yoo-fang, or Yoo-fa-urh, a small
town, defended by towers. At twelve
o'clock I saw the pagoda or paou-ta of Lin-
tsin-choo, at the distance of fifteen lees. At
thenearestangle of the banksome others and
myselflanded, and found no difficulty in en-
tering and ascending to the top of the build-
ing. It is of an octagonal form, of nine sto-
ries, diminishingtothesummit; the founda-
tion, and nearly the whole of the first
story, are of stone, a porphyritic granite;
the remainder is of brick, glazed on the
surface. Four Chinese words are inscribed
EMBAssy to chINA. 369
on the outside, signifying the relics of Fo;
the building is, therefore, a temple de-
dicated to that god, and is called “ Shay
lee Paou-ta.” We ascended by a wind-
ing staircase of one hundred and eighty-
three steps; the steps and corners of the
walls are of porphyritic granite, highly
polished; there are also several slabs of
the same stone, which by some has been
called marble: the glazed bricks have also
been described as porcelain. With the
exception of the landing-places of some
of the stories, the building is in good
repair, and is certainly an interesting
specimen of this style of architecture.
The roofs of the stories project nearly
two feet, and are highly decorated with
carved work in wood. The whole is co-
vered in with cast iron or bell metal. I
estimated the height at one hundred and
forty feet. We had a good view of the
city of Lin-tsin from the top: there are
so many gardens within the walls that no
buildings were to be distinguished. A
Miao, near the pagoda, with a gilt co-
lossal idol, would, unless eclipsed by its
neighbour, have deserved a visit. There
VO L. I. B B -
370 Journ AL of AN
are two idols in the pagoda itself; one in
the first, and the other in the highest
story: the latter is of baked clay. A
slab on the third story bore an inscrip-
tion, signifying that the pagoda was built
in the thirty-eighth year of the reign of
Wan-li, of the Ming Dynasty, A. D. 1548.
The walls of the city, seen from the top,
appeared about two miles distant.
Our eyes have during this day been
gratified with slight varieties in the ground,
prettily wooded. The large mounds of
earth mark the proximity of the canal,
which we shall enter to-morrow. I am
inclined to think that the raised road on
each side of the river is intended also as
an embankment, and that the heaps of
earth are used in repairing it: I should
have had no hesitation in pronouncing it
at once to be an embankment, if it did
not in many places cut off the windings
of the river, where the stream was strongest.
Some of the grounds bear the appearance
of having been lately overflowed. Towers
of matting, painted to imitate brickwork,
have been observed during the day. The
crowd of spectators was immense, but we
EMBAssy To chin A. 371
were not much molested, in consequence
of the activity of the soldiers and lower
Mandarins. . . . . . . -
At night a space near the boats was in-
closed with ropes, to which at certain in-
tervals bells were hung; any intrusion was
therefore immediately discovered. To the
goodwill of the Chee-chow, or governor of
the city, the Embassador is indebted for
the salutes and other military honours that
have been addressed to him these two last
days: attentions of this nature are said to
depend upon the disposition of the local
officer. I walked into the suburb, which
had nothing remarkable. We learnt that
there are some Mahomedan mosques here;
but we were not able to visit them. Some
temples that we passed in the suburbs,
with summits of rather a peculiar shape,
were probably the buildings alluded to.
23d of September.—We left our anchor-
age at daylight, and immediately entered
the canal, which flows into the river,
through an opening, in breadth sufficient
to admit the largest boats: this entrance
is formed by piers. of stone, in which
grooves are cut for floodgates. After
- B B 2
372 Jou RNAL or AN ·
passing this entrance or lock, the canal
turns to the northward, and at the second
lock finally preserves a south-easterly di-
rection. The banks at the entrance are
of considerable depth, and give a good idea
of the magnitude of the work. The view,
as connected with this last idea, was cer-
tainly imposing; the roofs of the temples,
masts of the vessels, and the junction of
the streams, are the chief features of the
scene. Nearly a mile from the entrance
we passed a watch-tower, of three stories;
the bottom open on the four sides, with
arched gateways. Near it were two square
mounds, faced with masonry, upon the
summits of which guns might be mounted:
they are probably intended to defend the
passage. There were some buildings on
the banks of a conical shape, said to be
tombs of priests. Near the end of the
suburb a hall, open to the river, with a
table and some insignia of office upon it,
attracted my notice: it proved to be the
tribunal of the Mandarin superintending
the police of the river. The canal is called
the Cha-kho, or river with Locks, and it
is in fact a stream, the navigation of which
EMBASSY TO CHINA. 373
has been directed and aided by art. Lin-
tsin-chow is remarkable for dressing furs.
At eight o'clock we passed the first Miao
I have observed of red bricks. As we
advance, the stream is scarcely percepti-
ble, and the banks have no elevation. A
yellow umbrella in a junk leading to in-
quiries, we were informed that it contained
the dragon robes of the Emperor, which
are sent as tribute from some of the mid-
dle provinces to the capital. These two
last days I have seen some fields cultivated
with the cotton” plant.
One of the military Mandarins attend-
ing the embassy through the province,
mentioned yesterday to Mr. Morrison,
that the stay of the embassy at Pekin was
not to have exceeded six days, into which
short space.of time, the reception, play,
and audience of leave, were to have been
crowded. . I do not attach much import-
ance to the statement, as I consider the
actual execution of such a plan nearly im-
practicable, from the time that would have
been required to unpack and arrange the
presents. I however recollect a statement
* Gossipium Herbaceum.
374 Journ AL OF AN
nearly similar, as to the number of days
to be employed in audiences and enter-
tainment, having been made by Kwang at
Tien-sing. A Mandarin with a red button
and peacock's feather, of very good ap-
pearance and manners, is with us; his par-
ticular command does not, I believe, ex-
tend further than this day's journey; he
has made no difficulty in receiving pre-
sents from Lord Amherst. Perhaps as we
remove from the capital, the squeamish-
ness of the Chinese authorities will di-
minish. . . . .
Our boatmen, on entering the Cha-kho,
performed a sacrifice, either to the pro-
tecting deity of the boat, or to the god of
the stream. A cock was killed early in
the morning, and the bows of the boat
sprinkled with the blood; it was after-
wards roasted, and spread with other eata-
bles, consisting of boiled pork, salad, and
pickles, upon the forecastle, before a sheet
of coloured paper: a pot of Sam-shoo”,
with two small cups, and a pair of chop-
sticks, were placed near the provisions.
The son of the master of the boat officiated
* A spirit distilled from rice.
EMBASSY to CHINA. 375
as priest, and the ceremony consisted in
throwing two cups of the liquor and a
little of the provisions overboard; some
gilt paper was then burnt, and two strings
of crackers discharged: the remainder of
the provisions were taken away to feast
upon. While this ceremony was carrying
on, on the forecastle, the women on board
were burning paper and incense before an
idol, which always stands in a shrine, in
the aftermost part of the boat. The
master of the vessel and his son have their
families in the boat, and I apprehend that
they have never any other habitation.
As we advance, the canal frequently ex-
ceeds the Eu-ho in width: in places it bears
the marks of having lately overflowed the
banks. This circumstance, combined with
its frequent windings, give it the appear-
ance of a stream in its natural state. We
passed two sluices, proving that there are
means of limiting the quality of its waters;
at one, the course was north-west. We
anchored at four o'clock for the night at
Wei-kee-wan, a place with so few houses
that it is considered merely a station for
travellers. There were, however, two tem-
376 JOURNAL OF AN
ples here, one of which was dedicated to
individuals of eminent virtue; they ap-
peared principally females.
About ten o’clock at night one of the
men of my boat fell overboard and was
drowned; the body was got out of the
water before a quarter of an hour had
elapsed, but the attempts to restore life
proved ineffectual. The Chinese would
not make the least effort to save their
companion, and seemed to regret that the
perseverance of one of the Embassador's
guard and of our servants had succeeded
in recovering the body. For the sake of
human nature we will hope that their in-
activity proceeded, rather from the re-
sponsibility in cases of sudden death at-
tached to the bystanders, than from real
indifference; for, according to the criminal
code of China, the last person seen in the
company of the deceased is held account-
able for the manner of his death. An in-
quiry, conducted by a Mandarin, took
place on this occasion, which terminated
in his ordering the body to be buried.
The witnesses were examined on their
knees, apparently as culprits. The man
bMBASSY TO CHIN A. 377
had gone to bed drunk, and is supposed
to have slipped overboard in that state ;
he was perfectly naked, and as a cut was
found upon his head, it is probable that
he struck against something in his fall
which stunned and deprived him of the
power of exertion, otherwise these boat-
men are so completely amphibious, that
he would have run little danger of being
drowned.
24th of September.—About eleven
o'clock we passed some large granaries
on the left, which the Mandarin called
Leeang-chah-chin. The watch-towers oc-
cur at short intervals, and are better built;
a soldier on the top beats a gong for some
time, either to salute or to give notice of
the approach of the boats. From sixteen
to twenty feet is the width between the
piers of the locks, and it requires great
care to pass the larger boats through with-
out injury. The masonry of these piers
is very good; the stones regularly cut and
of large size. Grotesque figures of ani-
mals in stone occupy, in some places, the
corners. The waters of the canal appear
to have been recently let out, as there are
378 JOURNAL OF AN .
several spots with trees, which must at
other times be nearly under water. -
We approached the city of Tong-chang-
foo during dinner; the canal winding
through the suburb. I think the houses
were more regular and better built than at
any other, city we have yet seen. I ob-
served some peculiarity in the roofs of the
temples, being still more arched and more
loaded with ornament. When the novelty
of this style of architecture is worn off, one
cannot avoid being struck with the dispro-
portion of the decoration and size of this
part of the building. The banks of the
canal were here much cut down. On
passing through the lock in the suburbs,
we had a good view of two faces of the
city, extending west and northward ; it
stands on the left bank of the canal: the
walls are in good repair, and have lofty
watch-towers at intervals. There were
two conical-shaped buildings with stories,
probably pagodas; their diameter bore, a
larger proportion to their height than in
that at Lin-tsin-chow. We were anchored
completely outside of the suburb, and at
such a distance from the city that we had
EMIBASSY TO CHIN A • 379
not either daylight or time sufficient to
visit it. The stages are so contrived by
our conductors, that we arrive at the cities
late in the evening, and break ground so
early in the morning, that we have no
chance of making an attempt to get within
the walls. Their jealousy of the cities is
equally ridiculous and inhospitable. A
slight variety in the elevation of the ground
on which the suburbs were built, gave them
a less uninteresting aspect than belongs
usually to Chinese towns. Some of the
reaches of the canal, overhung with trees,
mixed with the temples and houses, were
really pretty; the waste of ploughed land
on our left, from its nakedness, made us
regret the stalks of the giant millet. Very
lofty and umbrageous poplar trees, of a
species different from that usual in Eng-
land, are common in this province; there
are also many groves of the Arbor vita”.
Tong-chang-foo, a city of the first order,
is populous, and would, from all accounts,
have well repaid the trouble of a visit.
25th of September.—A range of moun-
tains were visible at sunrise in the south-
* Thuja Orientalis, a tree closely allied to the cypress.
380 J O U R N A L OF AN
east, and the eyes of all were turned to
them with the same interest as to high land
after a sea voyage; indeed, what with uni-
formity of objects and of level, the coun-
try since we left Tong-chow has been as
little interesting as the expanse of blue
water. The scenery altogether improves,
villages are better situated, and the banks
more variously wooded. Not so the ap-
pearance of the trackers, who are really
the refuse of our species; deformed, dis-
eased, emaciated, and covered with rags,
they are at once objects of compassion and
disgust. At half past two we passed the
village of Shee-chee-tee. At eight o'clock
at night we passed the town of Woo-chien-
chin, the wall of which reached to the river;
some houses seemed either to be built upon
the walls or to overtop them: these were
crowded with spectators, furnished, as
usual, with lanterns. The banks of the
canal immediately near these towns are
faced with stone. Soldiers and other per-
sons are stationed upon the pier heads at
night with torches to assist the passage of
the vessels. The groups at these places,
imperfectly lighted by the lanterns and
EMBAssy. To CHINA. 381
torches, were not without picturesque
effect. -
26th of September.—We did not reach
Chang-shoo till three o'clock in the morn-
ing, where we anchored only for two hours,
our trackers having worked twenty hours,
and advanced us ninety lees. Chang-shoo
may be supposed from the remains of
buildings to have been formerly a place of
more consequence than at present; there
is a flat bridge of five arches, if so they
can be called, being merely openings be-
tween piers, near Chan-shoo. The mate-
rials of the top of the bridge were loosely
thrown together, and they probably must
be often renewed. Several sluices are
completely blocked up by embankments.
I am not, however, disposed to think that - -
this has arisen from neglect, but rather
from design: the increased regularity of
the course of the water, and the proxi-
mity of the locks for the last thirty miles,
would indicate that more labour had been
required here to secure the navigation than
near Lin-tsin. In places, I believe that the
raised embankment has a foundation of
brickwork.
382 Journ AL of AN
Soon after eleven we passed the village
of Tee-cha-mee-urh, remarkable only for a
number of watch-towers disproportionate
to its extent; there was a navigable cut on
the right, with a bridge over it, not, how-
ever, communicating with the main canal.
The first stream I have observed falls into
the canal near this village. Some rafts
with masts and large sheds erected upon
them passed us on their way to Pekin from
Hoquang, one of the middle provinces:
there were some Mandarins on board,
marking that the rafts or their contents
were Imperial property. The nearest range
of hills were about ten miles distant, and
we observed some buildings, said to be a
temple and a small town, on the summit
of one separate from the rest. The eastern
range is nearly parallel to the canal; the
hills to the west do not so evidently form
a continued chain. We anchored at Gan-
shien-chin, a military post with a few
houses; our day's journey had been sixty-
one lees. A strong wind from the north-
east has completely changed the climate:
the evening was not unlike the latter end
of October in England: these changes
EMBASSY TO CHINA. 383
must be unwholesome, and from experience
I should say, that disorders in the digestive
powers are particularly to be apprehended
under such circumstances. -
The ignorance of the military in China
is so professional, that Mandarins of this
class, however high their rank, have no
hesitation in avowing it. Bodily strength
and courage are the only qualities required
for advancement, a proof that the art of
war must be in a very low state ; for al-
though force ultimately produces military
results, the application of that force re-
quires as great exertions of the intellectual
powers as any human pursuit whatsoever.
It would not, I think, be difficult to prove
from history, that the mental qualities re-
quired to constitute a great statesman or
a great captain are nearly the same ; both
must possess the higher species of courage
derived from reflection, and the physical
strength of either is of little consequence;
the difference frequently supposed must
be derived from the observation of charac-
ters possessing only in a secondary degree
the qualifications required for either situa-
tion. Sir George learnt from one of the
384 JOURNAL OF AN-
military Mandarins, that very detailed
orders respecting our accommodation had
been issued by the Emperor.
27th of September.—Though the weather
looked threatening at daybreak, I was not
deterred from my morning walk, in which
I persevere, much against my inclination,
as a preventive to bilious accumulation.
The Chinese soldiers, who always keep us
in sight, must be excessively annoyed by
this unseasonable activity; they use all
sorts of pretexts to shorten the walk, by
proposing to stop for the boats, or to cut
off the angles of the canal. In our walk
we passed some threshing-floors: on in-
quiry, I found that the roller threshes as
well as husks the grain. The millet is cut
off a little below the head, and spread on .
the threshing-floor, over which the roller
of stone is drawn by one horse. Some of
these stones appear to be of porphyritic
granite, and are very beautifully veined.
The piers are in places of this material, in
others of compact limestone. At nine we
passed a large village, Chen-cha-kho. The
horses are here of a better kind and in
greater number; indeed, from observing
E M BASSY TO CH INA. 385
several led horses, I was inclined to think
that there might be some horse-market
in the neighbourhood. There has been
greater appearance of traffic on the banks
for these last two days than I have before
remarked ; many of the commodities are
carried in the wheelbarrows peculiar to
China. Their advantage is the situation
of the wheel in the centre of the barrow :
two men, one in front and the other behind,
are harnessed to it. I have not yet seen
any of them under sail. Buck wheat” of
fine growth has been added within these
few days to the other cultivation; the to-
bacco -i- grows to the height of four feet,
and when in flower is one of the hand-
SOmeSt plants: hemp +, the ricinus $, kao-
leang ||, and a small species of bean, are
the general produce of the districts border-
ing on the canal. Soon after breakfast we
passed Yuan-cha-kho. The names of the
villages are also those of the locks, Chah
signifying to lock. At Leu-leu-ko, which
we reached at three o'clock, the river
* Polygonum fagopyrum. # Nicotiana fruticosa.
; Cannabis sativa. § Ricinus communis.
| Holcus sorghum.
VOL. I. C C
386 Journ AL of AN
Wang-ja-kho fell into the canal on the
right bank; it is not a stream of any size,
nor do I see any boats upon it: the op-
posite embankment was formed of mud
and stalks of the kao-leang, of considerable
depth and apparent solidity. At Kei-kho-
chin (Kei-kho signifying commencement
of river, and chin, a military post) there
was a smaller stream with a bridge thrown
over it; it seemed to be soon lost: below
the bridge were several small fishing-boats.
I had an opportunity, this evening, of
observing the mode in which the waters of
the canal are raised and depressed, at the
locks or flood-gates: a certain number of
beams, to each of which ropes are affixed
at both extremities, are successively fixed
in the grooves of the piers, one above the
other; an upright pole or beam is then
placed at each extremity of the pile of
beams, upon which a rope is fixed, and
passed round an axle inserted between the
bent stones or beams fixed on both sides
in the centre of the piers; the axle is then
worked round by short bars, and the up-
right beams are pressed thereby upon the
horizontal, until sufficiently close together
EMBASSY TO CHINA. 387
to overcome the force of the water ; a cross
bar is then twisted into a coil of the rope
wound on the axle, and the end fixed in
the ground, by which the whole is kept in
its position; the axle is also used to place
one end of each horizontal beam in the
groove, the rope at the other extremity is
passed to the opposite pier, and the beam
hauled into its situation: when the water
is left to take its natural course, the beams
rest beside the piers. The whole contriv-
ance is rude, and unsafe to the workmen,
from the danger of the uprights slipping in
fixing them, and the rope that supports
them breaking. The uprights increased
in girth towards the bottom, thereby giving
some security against their slipping. A
shallow beyond Kei-kho-chin rendered this
elevation of the water necessary.
28th of September.—Six miles from
Rei-kho-chin we reached the junction of
the river Wun-kho with the canal; this
junction is said to be the most elevated
point of the canal, the stream taking op-
posite directions. On both sides, but par-
ticularly on the eastern, the country was
covered with water; by some this extent
C C 2
388 Jour NAL OF AN
was called a lake, and the river Wun was
said to flow through it. The banks of the
Wun, near the junction, bore evident marks
of being artificially formed, and I have no
doubt that its course had been altered.
The opposite bank of the canal was strongly
faced with stone, to resist the force of the
waters; in the middle the current was
scarcely to be perceived, but near both
banks it was to be seen in contrary direc-
tions: our course will hereafter be with it.
The earth has been thrown up from the
bed of the canal in such quantities as to
form large hillocks, which are covered with
trees and various vegetation, particularly
the castor oil plant: I ascended the highest,
and the view was more picturesque than
any I have yet seen in China: the wind-
ings of the river and canal, the expanse of
water on both sides, and the mountains,
were taken in at one view. The situation
of a village among the hillocks beneath us
had an air of wildness almost belonging to
mountain scenery. The figures on the
piers were crouching lions much com-
pressed. . . . .
Boats, on reaching this place, usually
EMBASSY TO CHINA. 389
offer up some sacrifice at the Loong-wang-
Miao *, or temple of the Dragon King:
this was the first temple I had seen with
the priests in attendance and the business
of religion going on; it was altogether in
good repair, and looked like a frequented
place of worship. The men from the dif-
ferent boats burnt some incense before the
idol, and prostrated themselves, while the
priest struck upon the gong; a few copper
coins were the fees of the priests. Dra-
gons surrounded the idol, from whence his
name: some models of junks were among
the offerings in the temple. I here learnt,
that the expanse of water on the left and
right are called Ma-chang-hoo and Nan-
wang-hoo: these waters are let in upon
the canal, or discharged, by numerous
sluices on the banks; a considerable body
was let through one of these sluices while
we were at breakfast. At ten o'clock we
reached Ta-chang-kho; there were some
towers very well situated on the low round
hills in the neighbourhood; the direction
of the range of hills was E. S. E. These
* This temple is called by the Missionaries Foo-shwuy-
Miao. - -
300 J O U R N A L OF A N
\-
mountains appear of the same nature as
the stone forming the piers, which probably
was brought from thence; they are con-
jectured to be limestone: I must confess
that I was inclined to call them flint slate,
or grauwacke: the strata were inclined to
the horizon; swamps on both sides. At
one o'clock we reached the village of
Khotsu-wan, remarkable for a tower beau-
tifully shaded by willow trees. A very long
line of troops was drawn up at the anchor-
age, distant from the city of See-ning-
chow about two miles: conchs were added
to the band, and though resembling a me-
lancholy howl, were less disagreeable than
the trumpets. A large proportion of sol-
diers encamped on the bank, either to
watch or protect us. Some of the soldiers,
at all the military posts we have lately
passed, have been armed with a weapon
resembling a short scythe fixed to a long
handle; whether these are used in war, or
only for penal executions, I have not ascer-
tained. On the flags of these soldiers I
observed some characters stating the part
of the army to which they belonged *.
* The provincial brigades, and the Chinese army at
EMBAssy. To CHINA. *
391
The river Wun, I hear, rises from seventy .
springs in the eastern mountains, at the
distance of sixty miles from the junction
with the canal; but whether navigable in
part of that course I know not.
29th of September.—The first part of
this day's journey was through the suburbs
of See-ning-chow: the city itself is on the
eastern bank; the walls are in good con-
dition, with circular gateways protected
by watch-towers. The shops in the sub-
urbs were very handsomely decorated with
carved work and gildings; several good
dwelling-houses, and temples with tiled
roofs of various colours, gave the suburbs
the appearance of a city. As we advance
to the southward, where the cities become
much better worth visiting, our con-
ductors seem more determined to deprive
us of that satisfaction. A few miles from
the city another river falls in from the
westward, and the waters on both sides
extend nearly to the mountains: from the
trees and villages with towers, in the
large, are divided into left and right wings, rear and van-
guard, and van of the main body: the divisions to which
they belong is inserted in their flags.
392 J O U R. N. A.L OF A N .
midst of this watery waste, I should sup-
pose that the present state of the country
is produced by inundation. The lake See-
ning is placed to the eastward in the maps,
but it was impossible to trace its bounda-
ries. Several boats with the birds used
in fishing were observed, but we did not
succeed either in examining the bird it-
self, or in seeing its performance. There
are an unusual number of towers in the
villages, forming striking objects in this
watery expanse; they may perhaps be
places of refuge for the inhabitants in
sudden inundations. In places, the only
land between the canal and the base of
the mountains is the bank or path for
the trackers.
At one o'clock we passed a village with
some remarkable buildings, that were as-
certained to be a college and temple built
in honour of Confucius, or one of his im-
mediate disciples; it had been repaired
by the present Emperor: a certain number
of students are accommodated at the esta-
blishment—the name Toong-koong-tse.
The village where we dined was very
prettily situated at an angle of the moun-
EMBASSY TO CHIN A. 393.
tain: were it not for these inhabited spots,
we might fancy ourselves at sea. The
peeping vegetation, and the stagnant
waters near the villages, give the scene
a most aguish aspect; the complaint has
already shewn itself among the attend-
ants, and I am in hourly expectation of
a visit from this old enemy. We an-
chored for the night at Nang-yang-chin,
a small town with some well-built houses;
the roofs are more loaded with ornament
than in Chelee; and now the novelty has
worn off, we become more sensible of the
defects of this style of architecture, which
entirely neglects the body of the build-
ing, to overwhelm the roof with decoration.
Mr. Morrison was yesterday informed
by Kwang, that it would not be practicable
to continue our present system of meeting
at dinner in the larger junks, for which
we shall change our boats at Yang-choo-
foo, and therefore he recommended our
making arrangements accordingly. Mr.
Morrison had some conversation with him.
upon the occurrences at Yuen-min-yuen.
Kwang censured Ho, and endeavoured to
exculpate the Emperor. An intimation
394. - JOUR N A L OF AN
of our wish to halt at Nankin was not
very favourably received by him ; he, how-
ever, promised to communicate with the
Viceroy of Kiang-nan on the subject. The
Mandarin Puh at present holds this office;
he was formerly at Canton, and his hos-
tility to our interests has been often no-
ticed: on this occasion, however, he would
seem better disposed, as a civil message,
Kwang said, had been already sent by
him respecting the passage of the em-
bassy through the province. .
30th of September.—Some of the of.
ficers of Kiang-nan met us this day to
conduct us through an angle of the pro-
vince, which we cross and then re-enter
Shan-tung. At twelve we coasted the
lake Tou-shang-hoo, which seems correctly
laid down in the route of the former em-
bassy. This part of the province of Shan-
tung has suffered dreadfully from an in-
undation that happened four or five months
since; from the appearance of the country,
whole villages, with extensive tracts of
cultivated country, must have been sub-
merged. A few wretched hovels, with
more wretched inhabitants, are all that
15 MBASSY TO CHIN A. 395.
*
in some places have escaped the watery
destruction; indeed it is surprising that
the canal itself should have survived the
ruin. Boats of some size were crossing
the lake, and smaller boats were passing
oyer the inundation beyond the canal.
The whole scene, when connected with its
cause, was most dreary; boats and corn
junks are the only habitations that pro-
mised security. .
At two o'clock we passed the village of
Maja-khoo, where there were several boats
building. About dinner-time we entered
the province of Kiang-nan. All the trackers
wore an uniform, which is an immemorial
usage of the province: they were in greater
numbers, and were accompanied by de-
tachments of soldiers, principally armed
with spears and scythes. We continued
our journey all night. The banks were
in places so high that, contrasted with
the surrounding sheet of water, they looked
mountainous: these have been formed by
the necessity of successively strengthening
the banks to resist the waters.
1st of October.—We left See-ya-chin,
our anchorage, at seven o'clock. See-ya-
396 J O U R N A L OF A N
chin is a small town, with good houses.
A sheet of water near it is called See-ya-
chin-hoo. The lake Wee-chang-hoo.com-
menced soon after we cleared See-ya-chin,
and continued the whole of this day's
journey. The inundation has probably
much extended its ordinary limits; at pre-
sent they reach to the base of the sur-
rounding mountains. At half past ten we
passed Shee-wan-chin, a military post, with
some well-built towers in an inclosure.
The buildings surrounding the towers were,
I was informed, quarters for soldiers. We
re-entered the district of Shan-tung at
breakfast; and our trackers were disrobed,
their clothes being packed up and carried
off by the soldiers. At eleven we reached
the Shi-tze-kho, or cross rivers, where the
water divides into four streams or cuts:
the banks on our right were cut down to
a considerable depth. The village of Shee-
san, a few miles from this junction, is
prettily situated on the side of a hill, the
principal range of hills to this point being
nearly parallel to the canal; here, how-
ever, they appear to cross its course. From
two o'clock to six a causeway of stone
EMBASSY TO CHIN A. 397
formed at intervals the bank on the right:
no superior pressure of water was to be
observed that required this additional force
of resistance. It is said that the Yellow
river sometimes overflows its banks so aS
to mingle its waters with those of the lake
Wee-chang-hoo; to provide against such
an event this stone embankment may have
been erected. Repairs to the bank were
carrying on; the materials were earth and
the stalks of the kao-leang, with which
strong abutments, confined by piles, were
formed: the same mode is employed on
the banks of the Yellow river. Mandarins
were superintending the work. The earth
was brought from the opposite banks. In
one or two places the inundation had car-
ried away the piers of the floodgates. We
anchored at Han-chang-chuan, our day's
journey having been seventy lees.
2d of October.—The town extended
some distance along the river, and con-
tained several well-built houses. Near to
this place a long range of piers, eighteen
in number, stretching across the canal, by
confining the waters gives considerable
rapidity to the stream, so as to render the
398 Jour NAL of AN
assistance of trackers unnecessary. Our
boats proceed stern foremost, and are
worked down by checking, with anchors
on each side, The banks are high, and
covered with shells and other materials dug
out from the bed of the canal; among
them were several round masses of pud-
dingstone. A cultivated plain extended
on both sides to the mountains: much of
the ground was in fallow: buckwheat was
the most common grain. We observed a
few fields of young wheat. The Chinese
are very careful in cleansing their land,
using for this purpose harrows of various
sizes; one was as fine as a small garden-
rake.
At half past eleven the boats, instead of
passing through the regular floodgate,
rounded a small island, to avoid the vio-
lence of the stream through the piers, from
which, in dropping down, it would not
have been practicable to have kept off the
boats. The same mode was repeated three
or four different times during the day.
The first floodgate was called Leu-Lu-cha.
There is a remarkable peak among the
range to the S. E. by which the direction
EMBASSY TO CHINA. 399
of the canal might readily be ascertained:
the western range has now become very
accurately defined ; our course has been
more to the eastward. At half past one
we reached the junction of two streams
with the canal, another having previously
fallen into it this day. The irregular ra-
pidity of the stream, and the almost total
submersion of the piers, are sufficient proofs
of the violence of the late inundations.
We are told that the Viceroy Puh is on his
way to the frontier, to superintend the re-
pairs that have become necessary. We
continued our journey till eleven o’clock
at night, and anchored on this side of Ta-
ur-chuang, having probably quitted Shan-
tung about half-way of the day's journey.
The southern part of the province of Shan-
tung has suffered so severely from the in-
undation, that it is impossible to form a
correct opinion of the general condition
from its present appearance; the villages,
even where the traces of inundation were
not so evident, had a poor appearance,
and the inhabitants bore evident marks of
poverty and distress. The soldiers, how-
400 JOURN A L OF AN
eyer, were stout men, and generally taller
than those we had before seen.
3d of October.—Lord Amherst was paid
a farewell visit this morning by Ho, the
Poo-chin-tze of Shan-tung: the intercourse
hitherto had been confined to civil mes-
sages and small presents, and I certainly
had apprehended that the compliment of
a visit would not have been paid. His
manners were extremely pleasing, and al-
together more consonant with our notions
of gentlemanly behaviour than any other
of our Chinese acquaintance. The Poo-
chin-tze could not be induced to accept
a present of glass ware, which Lord Am-
herst wished to have sent him: liability to
misrepresentation was his excuse.
I must confess that my daily impression
is not that of the superabundant popula-
tion assigned by most authors to China: I
should almost affirm that the population
was not more than proportionate to the
land under cultivation, a ratio very inferior
to that usually assigned. .
The Poo-chin-tze of one of the divisions
of the province succeeds Ho in the super-
EMBASSY TO CHINA. 401
intendance of the supplies: his name is
Chen, signifying “arrangement;” a very
proper consequence to Ho, “ concord.”
His predecessor gave him a very high cha-
racter. Ho himself had been, within the
recollection of some of our party, judge at
Canton. We left Ta-ur-chuang soon after
breakfast, and only travelled till dinner-
time, when we anchored opposite an in-
considerable village. At a short distance
from Ta-ur-chuang a cut joined the canal.
The country has much improved in ap-
pearance, exhibiting no traces of inunda-
tion; and, as far as the eye reaches, is well
cultivated. The canal has quitted the
eastern range of hills; and about twelve
our course rounded the extremity of the
western. A small lake extended in a S. E.
direction.near the anchorage. The stream
has been less rapid, and we have made
more use of trackers. Our small boats get
on much faster than the larger, their sculls
being sufficient to guide and impel them
down the stream; as it is, our progress
does not exceed three miles an hour.
4th of October.—About seven o'clock
we passed the junction of the Shen-ja-kho,
vol. 1. D D
402 Jour NAL or AN
relatively a considerable stream. At one
o'clock we reached Yow-wan, a town with
several brick houses, situated on the south-
western bank. A small stream fell into
the canal near it. From the number of
boats at anchor I should suppose Yow-
wan to be the regular station. The chief
feature of the country has been the fre-
quency of clumps of trees. About eight
o'clock we reached Wen-ja-kho, where a
stream joined the canal, over which there
was a bridge with stone piers. Near this
was a temple, called Koo-ling-miao, with
a remarkable screen of masonry at the en-
trance. A party of soldiers were drawn
up before a fine row of trees, and the re-
flection of their lanterns on the water had
a pleasing effect. From the crowd of
spectators, compared with the lateness of
the hour, the place appeared populous. We
passed the Loma lake during the night,
on the south-eastern bank. We anchored
after midnight off Shoo-ching-hien, distant
in land three lees, on the western bank.
5th of October.—There were but few
houses near our anchorage, and we left it
at seven o'clock, with a long journey be-
EMBASSY TO CH IN A. 403.
fore us, if we make the same stage as the
former embassy. The embankments on
each side are high ; that on the western
bank must be intended to resist any sud-
den swelling of the Yellow river, sepa-
rated but by a few miles from the canal.
Some part of the country on the right was
inundated. - - .
The respect for the Embassador seems
to increase as we advance to the south-
ward: I have already mentioned two Man-
darins putting on their dresses of ceremony
to visit him, and yesterday a military Man-
darin, with a red button, inquired from
Mr. Morrison the nature of the ceremonies
that were required by his Excellency on
the occasion of a visit; adding, that he did
not kneel to the Viceroy. He was, of
course, perfectly satisfied when informed
that a bow would be sufficient.
At half past eleven o'clock we passed
Seao-quang-kho, a small military post with
a floodgate near it. The banks of the
canal are there of considerable height, and
the stream increased in width. In one
spot the bank was supported by ropes
passed round the layers of kao-leang stalks,
D D 2
404 J O U R N A L OF AN
and fastened to a strong stake driven into
the ground. A short distance from the
canal on the western bank there is a na-
vigable cut, which may be mistaken for
the Yellow river, flowing towards the same
point, but more to the westward. The
country has been well cultivated, and wears
an appearance of prosperity, and the whole
scene has lost that aguish aspect belong-
ing to the southern parts of Shan-tung.
We halted late in the evening at Tsong,
or Choong-ching-chin, and all the boats
immediately began their preparations for
celebrating the autumnal full moon. Pro-
visions and wine were as usual placed
before the deity, and the libation being
made, crackers and burnt paper concluded
the ceremony. These sacrifices are fol-
lowed by a feast, the votaries partaking of
the remaining provisions: an offering is
also made on these occasions to the evil
spirit. I could not, however, distinguish
any separation in the object of their devo-
tions. Some ceremony of more complica-
tion and importance would seem to have
been performed on shore, as we observed
two soldiers returning to the guard-house
EMBASS Y TO CHIN A. 405
in dresses * studded with brass knobs to
imitate armour; they had cuirasses of steel,
their helmets were also of polished steel
with inlaid work of a darker colour: in
these were fixed plumes two feet long, red
and brown, the former hair, as on the
Mandarins’ bonnets, and the latter fur:
their arms were swords, bows, and arrows;
the dress was altogether handsome and
martial. Choong-ching is merely a vil-
lage with some strong embankments on
each side. -
6th of October.—The banks of great
height, and the canal about two hundred
feet wide. At nine the course of the
Hoang-ho, or Yellow river, was visible from
the boats to the westward. A river, called
the Salt Water river, flows on the eastern
bank, in a direction nearly parallel to the
canal. At twelve we arrived opposite
Yang–tcha-chuan, the point of junction
with the Hoang-ho, situated on the western
bank of the canal.—Two o'clock. We left
our anchorage to cross the river, which
* It will be hereafter observed, that this dress and
equipment became frequent. The jackets and helmet
are the ancient war habiliments of China. -
406 Jour NAL of AN
here flows to the N. E.: we were pre-
vented by the current from crossing di-
rectly, and as we approached the opposite
shore to that which we had left, we opened
the stream flowing in from the lake Hoong-
tse-hoo, up which we proceeded through
a passage or floodgate formed by strong
abutments of kao-leang and earth, the
whole held together by ropes fastened as
mentioned yesterday. , *
An additional track rope was made fast
to the forecastle, which was hove in by a
capstan fixed on the bank, until the boat
had passed completely through. The cur-
rent here in the middle runs at least five
miles an hour; close to the bank, how-
ever, it is slack water, if indeed there be
not a slight current in the opposite direc-
tion. The water in several places near the
piers is thrown up in whirlpools, and the
descent is above two feet. I estimate the
breadth” of the passage across from the
canal at two-thirds of a mile, and that of
the lake stream at half a mile. We pro-
* The missionaries state the breadth to be four hun-
dred and fifty toises, or nine hundred and seventy-five
yards, something more than half a mile. •,
EMBASSY to citin A. 407
ceeded about two miles up the latter to
Ma-tou, where we anchored. There is a
handsome looking temple of red brick,
called Fung-shee-miao, dedicated to the
God of Winds, near this spot. The cross-
ing of the Yellow river is considered a
service of danger by the Chinese, and I
can imagine that when the several streams
meeting at this point have been swelled by
rain, there may be some ground for alarm;
in our instance the security was complete.
Although the junction of the Yellow
river and canal may not equal the descrip-
tion of some travellers, it is from the ex-
panse of water, and the labour that must
have been required to confine the different
streams meeting here, and to convert them
to the purposes of general navigation, an
interesting scene. Errors have been attri-
buted to the map of the former embassy in
therelative positions of the Yellow river and
lake stream, which has not been sufficiently
separated from the former. As far as my
own observation goes, the position, as re-
presented in the map accompanying Van-
braam's account of the Dutch embassy, is
tolerably correct: the only error is not
408 J O L RN A L OF AN
placing the stream turning off from the
lake stream sufficiently to the southward.
Kwang having sent a message to Lord
Amherst proposing a meeting on shore in
the morning, his lordship, in reply, ex-
pressed his readiness to meet the Chin-
chae if the object of the interview were
business, otherwise the want of reciprocity
on his part, in always taking the place
of honour when his lordship visited him,
compelled him to guard against similar
occurrences in future, by declining inter-
views under the circumstances proposed.
This produced an explanation from Kwang,
who disclaimed any intention of pretend-
ing to personal superiority: he said that,
in assuming the first place on all public
occasions, he acted from a similar neces-
sity to that which directed Lord Amherst's
refusal to perform the ko-tou, the positive
order of his government. In proposing
an interview, his object was to induce
Lord Amherst to remain in a tent on shore
during the passage of his boat through the
lock, which was attended with some dan-
ger from the sudden and rapid descent of
the water. Kwang pointed out the draw-
EMBASSY..TO CHIN A. 409
ing up of the different divisions of junks
on the canal, to clear a passage for our
fleet, as an instance of respect not even
paid to Viceroys. He also explained the
irregularity that might have been noticed
in the salutes, observing that they were
always omitted on days marked for mourn-
ing in the Chinese calendar. With respect
to his temporary rank, he observed, that
he had declined the visits of some of his
most intimate friends, as they would have
been obliged to kneel in his presence,
from his holding the high office of Chin-
chae. The Poo-ching-tze was to be pre-
sent at the proposed interview. Lord
Amherst deeming this explanation satis-
factory, conveyed to Kwang an expression
of his willingness to meet him; this was,
however, now declined, Kwang alleging
that he should be obliged to visit a temple
at some distance. - -
7th of October.—Soon after daylight
we left Ma-tou, and about two hundred
yards from the anchorage turned to the
southward, out of the lake stream called
the Tai-ping-ho, the current here suddenly
becoming in our favour; our course then
410 JOURNAL OF AN
took a complete circuit, and the boats
brought to close to the first floodgate, called
Tien-pa-cha, with a small temple near
it, in front of which a tent was erected, in-
tended for Lord Amherst's accommoda-
tion on shore during the passage of the
boats. The simall neck of land, round
which this last navigable stream flows, is
intersected by spacious embankments: in
one place a basin is formed with a hand-
some sluice. I could not trace any spe-
cific purpose either of this or of the em-
bankments. I can only conjecture that
they are intended to resist the sudden dis-
charge of water from the lake stream and
the Yellow river. If the materials have
been (which is extremely probable) dug
up from the bottom of the canal, great
changes must have been made in the level
over which it flows.
Lord Amherst went on shore after
breakfast, and had scarcely seated himself
when Kwang and the Poo-ching-tze en-
tered: it not exactly appearing whether
they meant to sit down, Lord Amherst
privately signified to Kwang, that he was
prepared to allow him the place of ho-
EMBASSY TO CHIN A. 411
nour; this decided the Chin-chae, who
immediately took the left of the two cen-
tre seats, and was followed by the Poo-
ching-tze, who evidently wished to get pos-
session of the second place. Lord Am-
herst having shewed his determination not
to submit to this presumption, the Poo-
ching-tze pretended sudden business and
retired.
The descent of water through the flood-
gate was not less than three feet, and was
sufficiently precipitous to justify appre-
hension: the ascent, from the use of the
ropes and capstan on shore, is so regulated
as to be quite secure. All the boats got
through safely, the smaller shooting the
passage, and the larger being eased through
by ropes wound on stone columns. The
projecting blocks of stone supporting the
windlass at the floodgate were of pure
granite, the first that I have seen; the
upper stones of the pier were of coarse
black marble: the second lock is a quarter
of a mile from the first. Near the village
of Koo-khur a large temple, consisting of
several buildings, with roofs of yellow tiles,
was said to have been either erected by or
412 JOURNAL OF AN
dedicated to the Emperor's mother: it was
named Ning-niang-miao. -
A floodgate looking newly built was
observed a short distance from the first
lock, with embankments near ; no water
was seen between them. There are so
many banks, and apparently navigable
cuts in all directions about this part of the
canal and yesterday's journey, that it is
extremely difficult to form a correct opi-
nion as to their respective directions.
Junks are frequently seen all" round at
opposite points of the compass, and Chi-
nese names and descriptions are so inac-
curate and various, that persons under
the most favourable circumstances could
scarcely arrive at certainty. There is no-
thing striking in the scenery, nor is the
population of the villages as numerous as
the situation had led me to expect.
A longer delay than was expected having
taken place between the second and third
floodgates, I availed myself of the op-
portunity to visit the temple of Ning-
niang on the opposite bank, and I was
certainly well rewarded for my trouble.
Though neither the architecture nor the
EMBASSY TO CHIN A. 413
decorations differed from those we had
already seen, the temple was in such per-
fect repair, that it enabled me to form a
good idea of the comparative merits of
these buildings. It was, as usual, divided
into courts, four in number, the two inner
appropriated to the priests. The first con-
tained two square pavilions with richly
decorated roofs; on the several pinnacles
were small figures of animals: the frieze
looked like green enamel, and had a very
pleasing effect; the tiles were of bright
yellow. In these pavilions were large
slabs of black marble placed upright on
pedestals on which were inscriptions*.
Galleries on each side contained the usual
figures of civil and military Mandarins.
At the very extreme of this court was a
colossal statue of the Dragon King. Having
passed through the first court, we entered
that containing the divinity representing
the Emperor's mother, to whom the miao
is dedicated; she was seated with two at-
tendants standing near her, a yellow robe
was thrown round the body, and on her
head was a crown or large bonnet: the
* The Shee-pee before mentioned.
414 JOURN A L OF AN .
figure was richly gilt. The cross beams
of the ceiling were decorated with golden
dragons on a bright blue ground. Round
the roofs of the temple were ornaments
resembling spears and tridents. A lustre,
composed of horn lanterns and strings of
coloured glass beads, hung from the centre:
two large horn lanterns were on each side
of the altar, with polished metal skreens
near them, used as reflectors to increase
the brilliancy when the whole are lighted.
Every part of the roof was richly carved
and gilt, and surrounded by a frieze va-
riegated with green, red, and black de-
corations. In the open area of the court
a metal vessel shaped not unlike a Ta or
Pagoda was placed, where incense is kept
burning; the gongs, drums, and other in-
struments belonging to the temple, cor-
responded to the superiority of the rest
of the edifice. We found the priests very
well disposed to do the honours, and they
were perfectly satisfied with an offering
of a dollar, º
We anchored for dinner a little beyond
the third floodgate, through which the
descent was not less rapid than the first.
EMIBASSY TO CHIN A. 415
Some of the party who had walked from
the entrance of the lake stream directly
across the country on Sunday evening,
recognized the numerous tombs near this
spot as having been the limit of their
walk; the distance they did not suppose
to be a mile, from which an estimate may
be made of the circuit taken by the canal,
and of the difficulties that must have been
found in directing the course of the waters.
Two rivers, or branches of rivers, flowing
round this isthmus are called the Li-ho
and Yun-ho. After passing two villages,
one on each side, we anchored about one
mile from Tsing-kiang-poo, a distance of
twenty lees from the first floodgate. Tradi-
tion among the Chinese says, that the
Yellow river is not to be resisted, and that
in maintaining this inland navigation they
are compelled to humour the wanderings
of its powerful stream. According to
Chinese accounts, the canal itself has been
the work of several ages; begun about the
christian era, it was not completed until
the present dynasty, and requires con-
stant attention to maintain it. . . -
8th of October.—Tsing-kiang-poo, a
416 JOURNAL OF AN
considerable town on both sides of the
river. We here entered, through a flood-
gate, what may be considered the con-
tinuation of the canal, which assumes
the name of the Li-kho * or Interior
river: it flows to the eastward. There
was a floodgate at a small angle to the
north-westward, not however appearing
to lead to any other navigation. The
town contains many temples and good
houses, and the view from the pier was
not uninteresting. A bridge was visible
in the distance. The number of Man-
darins in attendance upon the progress
of the embassy has much increased, and
the circumstance may fairly be attributed
to a better disposition in the local au-
thorities. Near the town there was much
stagnant water with strong embankments.
Population, which during our journey
through the southern part of Shan-tung
and commencement of Kiang-nan had
lost its overflowing aspect, now re-assumes
its former character, but certainly not to
* This syllable signifying river would be more ac-
curately written ho: the insertion of a k arises from
the strong aspiration of the initial h.
EMBASSY TO CHIN A. 417
the excess which we were taught to expect.
A military Mandarin observed that in times
of peace the supply of food became scanty,
and that wars were absolutely necessary
to maintain the proportion between the
supply and the consumers. It is some-
thing singular to meet a disciple of Mal-
thus on the Imperial canal |
The country, though perfectly flat be-
tween Tsing-kiang-poo and Hwooee-gan-
foo, is not unpleasing to the eye, from its
being well cultivated and partially wooded.
The stream is with us, but our progress is
but slow, the wind being contrary; the
larger boats have been lashed together,
and are dragged broadside to the stream.
At twelve we passed a building with a
wooden portico in front, said to be the
office and dwelling of the Chin-chae,
(Imperial Commissioner) charged with
the collection of the customs: we here
entered the district of Hwooee-gan-foo.
The course of the canal” from the last
* Du Halde states that the principal works of the canal
are near Hwooee-gan-ſoo to guard against the violence
of the Yellow river and the Hwooee-ho, probably about
Tsing-kiang-poo. • * *" . . .”. &
V O L. I. E E
418 JOURNAL OF AN
floodgate to Kho-choo-ya, the principal
suburb of Hwooee-gan-foo, is nearly
straight. These cities are said to be join-
ed, and in places we observed a triple
wall. The city stands on the eastern bank,
and occupies a large area, in which are
included gardens and cultivated grounds;
within the first wall there was either a wet
ditch or a swamp; the tower over one of
the gates was of such solid masonry that
it would allow cannon to be mounted:
this is the first I have seen of sufficient
strength. for that purpose. Crowds of
spectators gave an idea of the population,
equal if not superior to Tien-sing. The
pagoda of Hwooee-gan-ſoo, first visible
on our right, is of five stories, and very
inferior as an object either to that of Lin-
tsin-chow or Tong-chow; its base was out
of proportion to its height. We passed
some salt+ boats of rather a different
construction; their sterns were less ele-
+ The monopoly of salt, as in India, forms a branch of
the public revenue. I believe an instance is scarcely to be
found where a despotic government has failed to mono-
polize this article of universal consumption; the return is
certain, although the burden presses most heavily on
the poor. ,
EMBASSY TO CHI IN A.
wated, and they seemed altogether more
built for freight than accommodation. The
largest dock-yard, I have yet seen, is in the
vicinity of this city, where several boats
were building. The bank on the left hand
was high, with a good spacious road. Mi-
litary posts are at much shorter intervals,
but built of very inferior materials. A
wooden look-out house is annexed to
some. Swamps extend on both sides for
some distance. Judging from the eye, I
should say that the canal was much above
the eastern bank. Indeed, in any sudden
inundation, the suburbs of Hwooee-gan-
foo, if not the city itself, would incur much
danger of being overwhelmed.
Kwang has become most active in his
apologies: he has thought fit to send ex-
cuses for the want of Py-loos at our an-
chórage last night, which arose from the
wind having prevented us from reaching
our destination, forty lees in advance.
The distance from Hwooee-gan-foo to Pao-
ying-hien is eighty lees. -
9th of October.—No change in the ap-
pearance of the country. About break-
fast-time we reached Pao-ying-hien, a
E E 2
420 Jouk NAL of AN
walled town on our left::it is of considera-
ble extent, but the temples and public
buildings seemed old and out of repair.
The canal was at the same level as some
of the houses, without, however, present-
ing so much appearance of danger as at
Hwooee-gan-foo. A lake is visible from
hence, which bears different names; the
first part called Paa-ying-hoo, afterwards
2Ne-quang-hoo, and latterly Kou-yoo-hoo.
At nine we passed a double floodgate, by
which the water rushed from the canal into
the lake. On the right bank, for the first
time-since leaving the immediate vicinity
of Tung-koo, was a track of uncultivated
ground, abandoned to rushes and briars.
I must confess that my eye was gratified
with this unaltered patch of nature ; for
days nothing, to use a common Irishcism,
has been left alone.—One o'clock. We
passed the village of Fan-shwuy: some
rice grounds near the canal, which is here
narrow, the banks straight, and partially
faced with stone. We dined at the village
of Show-kwuy, the lake here taking the
name of Pe-kwang-hoo. . .
Just before dinner we had an oppor- .
EMBAssy, to chin A. 421
tunity of seeing the fishing birds, called
yu-ying, fish vulture, or yu-ye, fish bird.
Several of these birds are placed on perches
in each boat, and dropped into the water
from poles; the birds dive naturally for
the fish, and are trained to bring them to
the boat. I observed one with a stiff collar
round its throat to prevent its swallowing
the fish ; they seem to be made to dive by
striking the pole into the water; they were
of the size of Muscovy ducks, and resem-
bled the booby bird in appearance, par-
ticularly in the beak.-Late at night. The
bank was supported by strong beams.
The guard-houses have, this day's journey,
given an idea of better accommodation to
their inmates. We continued our journey
all night, and passed Kou-yoo; the bank
towards the lake, even when of considera-
ble breadth, still being uncultivated, the
few who were awake described a pagoda
and other buildings at Kou-yoo. -
10th of October.—The lake still on our
right. After breakfast the terra firma
was merely the bank, the rest of the
country covered with water; facings of
stone are still frequent. At twelve o'clock.
422 Jo URNAL, or AN
we reached Shou-poo, a long straggling
hamlet, part of which, from the white-
washed houses of two stories, and the
chimneys, reminded many of European
towns. The banks were here steep, the
canal being accessible by flights of stone
steps.--Three o'clock. We passed Wy-
ya-poo, twenty lees from Yan-choo-foo,
to which we are all looking as a halting
place, and as affording an opportunity of
making purchases. Near Shou-poo we
passed a long wooden bridge thrown over
three streams, tributaries to the Yang-tse-
kiang. During dinner we observed a
stone bridge on our right.
At seven o'clock we reached the suburb
of Yang-choo-foo, and learnt, with much
disappointment, from our boatmen, that
it was Kwang-ta-jin’s intention to carry us
twenty lees beyond the city, where our
new boats were ready to receive us: the
darkness prevented us from forming any
idea of the city. We were nearly an hour
in passing the wall facing the canal, which
did not appear of any great height: the
principal buildings to be remarked at that
hour were the house of the Hoppo, or col-
EMBASSY TO C IIIN A. 423
lector of customs, and a building sup-
ported by numerous pillars, brilliantly
illuminated; there were some Py-loos, not,
however, to be clearly made out at this
hour. The houses in the suburbs were of
two stories with chimneys, become com-
mon in this part of the province. The
canal seemed to me to be carried round
the town, which must be nearly insulated;
on the opposite bank stands the tower or
pagoda of Yang-choo-foo, of seven stories,
and of nearly the same proportions as that
of Lin-tsin; the canal widened considera-
bly after leaving this tower. g
11th of October.—After travelling nearly
all night, we anchored at Kao-ming-sze,
opposite a temple and tower under the
special protection of the Emperor. Two
hundred priests are maintained on the esta-
blishment, and the annual charge on the
Imperial treasury is ten thousand dollars.
The temple is dedicated to Foº, of whom
* Fo is usually represented as extremely fat; this
may either arise from corpulency being considered a
beauty by the Chinese, or from the tradition of his
enormous size having required his being cut out of his
mother's womb. - . . .
424 J O U R N A L OF AN
there were three colossal figures seated .
representing the god in his trine manifesta-
tion. The present Fo occupied the centre ;
his head-dress was a turban, different in
that from the other two, who wore some-
thing like crowns; immediately before the
figure was placed a tablet, bearing an in-
scription praying for the eternity of the
Emperor's happiness. The general plan
of this temple was like that of Ning-niang-
miao, on a larger scale, but comparatively
much out of repair. We were courteously
received by the high priest, whose silken
robe, cap, and rosary, reminded us of the
priests of the Catholic religion; when
squatted on a chair, he, to me, much re-
sembled the figure, en petit, of the deity he
worshipped. Refreshments were handed
to us, among which there was nothing re-
markable but some yellow balls, with a
small preserved fruit inside, supposed to
possess, when given by the priests, a pecu-
liar virtue. g
This temple is very ancient, and has,
till lately, received constant benefactions*
* As there is no religious establishment in China
maintained by the public revenue, the temples and priests
EMBAssy. To CHINA. 425
from the present dynasty. The steps of
the different temples were composed of a
coarse species of marble. A small brass
figure, representing an old man emaciated
in his appearance, was explained to us, as
a representation of the Western Fo, after
his seclusion in a mountain. This figure
bore evident marks of its connexion with
India. The apartments of the priests were
clean and comfortable. In defiance of the
apprehensions expressed for our safety, we
ascended the tower; it is of seven stories,
and the proportions disagreeable to the
eye, the height not being sufficient for the
base; each side was thirty feet. Any in-
convenience or danger in the ascent was
amply repaid by the view: . it might be
considered a fair specimen of Chinese
scenery. The country, though partially
irrigated, still gave an idea of luxuriant
cultivation; the fields: interspersed with
woods and clumps of trees, the course of
the canal, its different branches, the Yang-
are chiefly supported by voluntary contributions of their
respective sects: in the diminution of maintenance con-
sequent upon conversions to Christianity, may be found
the cause of the inveterate hostility manifested by the
Hoshungs to the Missionaries.
426 JOURNAL OF AN
tse-kiang backed by a range of picturesque
mountains, three towers in striking situa-
tions, the one that of Yang-choo, the other
on the celebrated rock of Kin-shan, situ-
ated in the river, together with the garden
of the temple, laid out in the Chinese style
with artificial rocks, were embraced by
the eye from different points; and the
boats, with their busy inhabitants, gay
flags, and the numerous spectators, gave
great life to the scene immediately under
UlS. s -
In the evening Lord Amherst had a visit
from Kwang; his object was to ascertain
when we should have completed our trans-
shipment, and, if possible, to effect our
departure to-morrow : from this attempt,
however, he was obliged to desist. Some
observations on his change of cap gave
him an opportunity of conveying to us an
idea of his elevated situation as Chin-chae.
He informed us, that before his arrival at
Yang-choo-foo, all the Mandarins of the
city had put on their winter caps, but on
perceiving that he still retained his summer
cap, they resumed theirs: on observing
this, he had, from courtesy, hastened to
EMBASSY TO CHINA. 427
put on his winter cap. It seems that the
time of changing the caps in each district
is determined by the principal personage.
At Pekin the Emperor regulates, and
throughout the Empire his representatives.
Mr. Morrison endeavoured, about this
time, to collect some information respect-
ing the Jews in Honan, from a Maho-
metan, the only person whom he had met
with acquainted with their existence. The
man's knowledge was so confined, that he
threw little light upon their actual condi-
tion. Their numbers are much diminished.
Pere Jozane, in 1704, describes them as
paying the usual Chinese honours to the
temple of Confucius, the tombs of their
ancestors, and to the tablet of the Em-
peror. Their books did not reach lower
than the Pentateuch; they were, however,
acquainted with the names of David, So-
lomon, Ezekiel, and Jesus, the son of
Sirach. Their entrance into China took
place about two hundred years before the
Christian era.
12th of October.—I visited a temple
near our anchorage, connected with a small
tank, in which are some sacred fish: this
428 Jour NAL of AN
water is also said to be infested with evil
spirits; and whatever support the temple
receives from donations, is probably de-
rived from the credulity of the neighbour-
hood upon this point. The priests offered
for sale a small pamphlet, explanatory.of
certain religious terms. It was remarked
by some, that the priests had all an idiotic
expression of countenance * : to me it
seemed rather the consciousness of belong-
ing to a degraded profession. •
In the course of a ramble through the
rice fields, I entered the house of a miller,
attracted by the noise of his machinery;
this consisted of a husking mill: the mill-
stones were placed obliquely; the surfaces
of both had been jagged, and the upper
one was cylindrical. There was a wheel
for cleaning the grain, and some fans for
winnowing. The miller insisted on my
drinking tea, and had the honest hearti-
ness of manner belonging to an English
. s The priests are taken from the very lowest classes,
and it is scarcely possible to conceive a body more de-
graded, and, indeed, more deserving of degradation. In
their indifference to all the decencies of religion, con-
trasted with the multitude of their temples and idols, the
Chinese exhibit a striking peculiarity of national character.
EMBASSY TO CHINA. 429
farmer. On my way back to the boats I
stopped at one of the dykes to observe a
man in a wicker basket, gathering the seed
ef the water lily, which is eaten, both raw
and boiled, by the Chinese; he used his
hands as paddles; and as the basket was
shaped not very unlike a junk, he made
tolerable way through the water. Ma-
chinery is universally employed here to
irrigate the rice fields, consisting of a large
horizontal wheel with projecting handles,
serving as cogs, to which the power is ap-
plied; to this wheel an axle is fixed, with
two small wheels at each end, the one with
trundles catching in the cogs of the larger
wheel, and the other with cogs attached to
it. The remaining division of the machine
is the trough and wooden chain, with flat
boards at intervals: this trough is placed
at a certain angle in the water, and has a
small cogged wheel fixed to its extremity,
corresponding to that at the end of the
axle: the water is successively raised
through each interval, and finally dis-
charged from the elevation of the ground
upon which the larger wheel is placed. '
430 JOURNAL OF A N
13th of October.—Notwithstanding the
hue and cry, that was set up in conse-
quence of two of the party proceeding as
far on the road to Yang-choo-foo as the
Poolin-tze-miao, I effected a visit to the
same place, in defiance of twenty soldiers:
a little stratagem was necessary to conceal
my intention, and this was found in mak-
ing sundry marches and countermarches
through the rice grounds, so that it was
impossible for them on my setting out to
determine the exact direction of my ram-
ble. The temple was in good repair, and
has a large monastery attached to it. The
priest readily conducted us through the
building. Judging from the size of the
hall, and the kitchen utensils, I should
suppose the inmates to be very numerous.
The idols were more colossal than any I
had yet seen: here there was no difference
in the head-dress of the three Fo's. In an
inner temple I saw a figure of an ema-
ciated old man, whom the priests said re-
presented one of their order who had been
canonized. Near the entrance there was
a bamboo grove. I should imagine, from
EMBASSY TO CHINA. 431
having lately remarked these groves near
the temples, that some sacred character
belongs to them. ( ,
Women are employed in the harvest,
particularly reaping the rice. The small
town near the anchorage consists princi-
pally of houses of entertainment, which
just now are crowded with visitors from
Yang-choo, attracted by the halting of the
foreign wild beasts and their conductors.
A report is in circulation of an additional
edict, declaring the wishes of the Emperor
to treat the embassy on its return with
every respect and attention. The governor
of the city, who has had the superintend-
ance of the transshipment, has been re-
markably kind and attentive, and shewed
every disposition to supply horses and
facilitate any excursion we might have
contemplated: the inflexible jealousy of
Kwang, under pretext of anxiety for our
safety, rendered his kindness ineffectual.
s, 14th of October.—We left Kao-ming-tze
during the night, and steered due south.
The wind was high, and the boats lay over
very much ; they are of a more ship-like
construction than the last, being narrower,
432 J Oly R N AI, OF AN
and not so loaded with upper works; the
accommodation is nearly the same, con-
sisting of two large cabins; they have two
masts; their sails of great height, com-
pared to their width. -
We first stopped opposite the gardens
of Woo-yuen, which, after a little hesita-
tion on the part of the Mandarins, we
were allowed to visit. Although now much
neglected, they were interesting as a speci-
men of Chinese gardening. The Chinese
are certainly good imitators of nature, and
their piles of rocks are not liable to the
same ridicule as some modern Gothic ruins
in England; indeed they are works of art
on so great a scale that they may well bear
a rivalship with the original. The build-
ings are spread over the grounds without
any attention to effect being produced by
theirexterior, unconnected with the scenery;
the object seems to be to furnish pretexts
for excursions within the inclosure, which
is so disposed as to appear more extensive
than it really is. Much labour has been ex-
pended upon the walks, which in places re-
semble mosaic work. These gardens were a
favourite resort of Kien-lung, whose dining-
EMBASS Y TO CHIN A. 433
room and study were shewn to us; in the
latter was a black marble slab, with a
poem inscribed upon it, composed by his
Majesty in praise of the garden. The
characters were particularly well executed.
The trees in the garden were chiefly, the
olea fragrans, and some planes. s.
We continued our journey after break-
fast till we reached Kwa-choo, where we
anchored, it not being practicable to pro-
ceed on the Yang-tse-kiang till the wind
becomes favourable. The great object of
attraction in the neighbourhood is the
Kin-shan, or golden mountain, insulated
in the river. There is a tower and other
buildings on the island. The situation at
the entrance of the bay, where stands the
town of Ching-kiang-shien, renders it a
very striking object. There were some
tents or buildings on a neighbouring moun-
tain, said to be quarters for Tartar soldiers.
Ranges of granitic mountains stretch nearly
from the head of the bay, as far as the eye
can reach along it. The Yang-tse-kiang
here much surpasses the Yellow river in
the expanse of its waters. A picturesque
rock near Kin-shan is called the Yin-shan,
VO L. I. F F
434 J O U R N A L OF AN
or silver mountain. The absurd jealousy
and unaccommodating disposition of the
Chin-chae have decided against our visit-
ing these islands: they are fortunately so
near that it has been impossible for him to
deprive us of the contemplation of this
truly beautiful scene: the distance from
the bank to the island is not more than
half a mile. Two navigable cuts branch
off from the Yang–tse-kiang and join at
Nan-kin. The course to Sou-choo-foo is
probably through the mountains forming
the bay. 2 ” *
A short ramble this day in the suburbs
has surprised me, by the extent of the city,
which, from the state of the walls, and the
general air of desolation on the opposite
side, I had supposed to be almost de-
serted. §
15th of October.—I crossed the canal
to-day, and had a long ramble through
the fields, to the great annoyance of the
attending soldiers. We endeavoured in
vain to persuade some Mandarins at a
military post on the bank of the Yang-tse-
kiang to procure us a boat to cross over
to the island: their orders were too posi-
EMBAssy to chINA. 435
tive, and the request excited so much sus-
picion as to induce one of them to follow
us the rest of our walk. -
The continuance of the unfavourable
wind has called forth the devotion of the
Chinese, who have been busy in the pro-
pitiatory sacrifices at the temples of the
deity presiding over the winds and sea,
near our anchorage; the latter has fre-
quently something like a junk in his hand.
Chinese mythology depends so much upon
mere locality, that it is not easy to com-
bine the different objects of worship into
any general system, that might in its ex-
position embrace them all. They have im-
ported Budhism, with its Shanscrit terms,
from India, without, however, I believe,
either understanding their meaning, or the
principles of the belief.
16th of October.—By crossing the
branch of the canal near a bridge above
our anchorage, I got within the walls
of the city of Kwa-choo, which contains
several streets well inhabited, and fur-
nished with numerous shops: the city is
- intersected and partially insulated by a
F F 2
436 JOURNAL OF AN
canal” passing under the walls, over which
bridges of a single arch are thrown ; these,
with the exception of one, are of stone:
the sides of some were adorned with tolera-
ble sculptures. Kwa-choo has every ap-
pearance of having been a place of im-
portance, and is still very interesting from
a picturesque blending of complete desola-
tion with bustling activity. A large por-
tion of the ground within the walls is
covered with tombs: indeed the imme-
diate vicinity of this city is remarkable for
the frequency of burying grounds with
groves of the arbor vitae + tree near them.
We were particularly struck in the city
with the good complexions of the women,
and their approach to our notions of
beauty. Ours is, however, but a hasty
glimpse of their charms, as the soldiers
are most active in enforcing the imperial
edict for their seclusion from the eyes of
strangers. -
The frequent allusion made by the Man-
‘This canal was cut to facilitate the Emperor Kang.
hi's communication with the Kin-shan, or Golden island.
+ Thuja Orientalis.
EME ASSY TO CHIN A. 437
darins in conversation with Mr. Morrison
to the late favourable edict issued by the
Emperor respecting the treatment of the
embassy, and their unanimous expression
of regret at the sudden dismissal from
Yuen-min-yuen, has suggested the idea of
Lord Amherst addressing the Emperor,
both to renew the direct intercourse with
the Chinese government, and to propose
the acceptance on his part of the remain-
ing presents. In my opinion the measure
is extremely questionable: the capricious
violence of the Emperor's character led
to our sudden dismissal, possibly under
a partial misunderstanding; his cooler
reflection has produced an account of
the transaction, exculpating both himself
and the Embassador: this has been fol-
lowed by edicts, directing the observance
of the dues of hospitality to the embassy
during its progress through the Chinese
dominions : none of these documents, how-
ever, have been officially communicated,
nor has any explanation, much less apo-
logy, been made for the flagrant insult
offered to the Embassador. I would ask,
therefore, is the address intended to de-
4.38 J O U R N AL OF A N
precate the consequences of any latent re-
sentment in the Emperor's mind? The
existence of such a feeling I am inclined
to doubt; but even admitting it, I still
should consider the proposed measure im-
politic, as totally inconsistent with the
tone hitherto assumed, and ill calculated,
from its submissive character, to produce
the desired effect upon the ignorant arro-
gance of capricious despotism. Or is the
address meant to encourage the disposi-
tion to repair the wrong committed 2 That
disposition has manifested itself under the
operation of silence on our part, a silence
which, while it was free from the imputa-
tion of being vindictive, was still likely
to keep the apprehension of the Chinese
government alive to the possible effects of
British resentment, at the public rejection
of a complimentary embassy: remove the
apprehension, and the disposition to re-
paration may probably cease. The con-
sent to exchange the few presents at Tong-
choo was, I think, enough for conciliation;
any thing further, with ungenerous minds,
might be mistaken for abject submission,
if not for positive alarm. Should the ad-
EMIBASSY TO CHIN A. 439
dress be unnoticed, or should the proposed
acceptance of presents be rejected, the
ground of dignified silence under unpro-
voked injury would have been lost, the
regret of the Emperor for his conduct
would have been removed, and an exam-
ple would be furnished of the facility with
which the English are satisfied, for the
most serious affront offered to their nation
in the person of his Majesty's Embassador.
17th of October.—The wind still con-
tinues unfavourable, and here we must re-
main, not as much to our dissatisfaction
as to Kwang's: if the report of the Viceroy
waiting for us on the other side be correct,
his patience must be nearly exhausted.
Another ramble through the city has been
my occupation. I could not succeed in
fixing upon any article to purchase as a
remembrance of Kwa-choo.
Wang, the principal military Mandarin
in attendance, having learnt that Lord
Amherst wished to see the Chinese archers
exercise, ordered a few of them out for his
inspection. They shot tolerably well at a
target, about the height of a man, using
440 J O U R N A L OF A N
much gravity and ceremony in handling
their bow and arrow : the distance was
forty yards. This was followed by a few
matchlock men, who kept up a running
fire, round a man, upon whom they wheeled
and advanced as the pivot. The move-
ments resembled those of light troops, and
were not ill executed : they loaded and
fired quicker, and with more precision,
than was expected from their unmilitary
appearance in line. All these evolutions
were performed to the beat of a drum. It
is not unusual at the military posts to have
the places, where each file is to stand,
chalked, to secure their keeping equal
distances. -
Our intercourse with the Mandarins,
particularly in exchanging presents, has
become more frequent; all below the prin-
cipal shew no hesitation in accepting
whatever is offered to them, a matter of
no ordinary gratification to persons in our
forlorn situation. Complaints have been
made of a trifling dispute between one of
the attendants and a Chinese, probably
without much foundation. Wang and the
EMIBASSY TO CHIN A. 441
treasurer had some altercation on the sub-
ject; the latter asserting that the soldiers
who accompany us on our excursions fre-
quently promoted the ill treatment of the
inhabitants. There certainly are grounds
of complaint against the Chinese soldiers,
whom I have myself observed in more
than one instance availing themselves of .
their situation to plunder the peasants.
With reference to the proposed address to
the Emperor, I had forgotten to mention,
that a report has been received of an in-
tended communication from the court on
our arrival at Canton. Should this be the
case, any address at present would cer-
tainly be premature.
18th of October.—We walked round the
town, the jealousy of the Chinese having
this day barred the entrance. The guards
on all the points have been increased, pro-
bably in consequence of the alleged dis-
turbance of yesterday. The scenery of
the immediate environs towards the Yang-
tse-kiang is picturesque. Kwa-choo stands
on an island, from which I heard that the
name is derived; and the circuit of the
vol. I. AG. G.
442 Jourt NAL OF AN EMBASSY, &c.
walls is from four to six miles: in some
Chinese books it is called a Foo. I ob-
served in the course of my walk several
priests with black trencher caps. There
is certainly a most striking resemblance
between the ecclesiastic garb here and in
catholic countries. -
END OF WOL. I.
&
68 61 AA A. 30 - * * *
T. DAVISON, Lombard-street,
Whitefriars, London.
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