ftarve in the midft of that plenty to which their eyes were every day
witneffes : To this the Commodore added, (though perhaps with
a lefs ferious air) that i f by the delay of fupplying him with pro-
vifion, his men fhould, from, the impulfes e f hunger, be obliged to
turn canibals, and to prey upon their own fpecies, it was eafy to
be forefeen^that, independent of their friendfhip to their comrades,
they would,, in. point of luxury, prefer the plump well-fed Chinefe
to their, own emaciated fliip-mates. The firft Mandarine acquiefced
in the juftnefs of this reafoni-ng, and told the Commodore, that he
fhould that night proceed for Canton ; that on his arrival a Council
of Mandarines would be fummoned, of which he was a Member,,
and that by being employed in the prefent commiffion, he was of
courfe the Commodore’s Advocate; that, as he was himfelf fully
convinced of the urgency of Mr. Anfon’s neceffity, he did not doubt
but on the reprefentation he fhould make of what he had feen, the
Council would be of the fame opinion; and that all which was demanded
would be amply and fpeedily granted : That with regard
to-the Commodore’s complaint of the Cuftom-houfe of Macao, this
he would undertake to redfify immediately by his own authority -
And then defiring a lift to be given him of the quantity of provifion.
neceffary for the expence of the fhip during one day, he wrote a,
permit under it, and delivered it to one o f his attendants, directing
him to fee that quantity fent on board early every morning; which
order, from that time forwards, was punctually complied with.
When this weighty affair was thusinfome degree regulated, the.
Commodore invited him and his two attendant Mandarines to din-,
ner, telling them at the fame time,, that if his provifion,. either in,
kind or quantity, was not what they might expedt, they muft thank,,
themfelves for having confined him to fohard an allowance. One
of his difh.es was beef, which the Chinefe all diflike, ,tho’ Mr. Anfon
was not apprized o f it; this feems to be derived from the Indian
fuperftition, which for fome ages paft has made a great progrefs.
in China. However, his guefts did not entirely fa ll: for the three
Mandarines completely finiftied the white part of four large fowls..
They were indeed extremely embarrafled with their knives and
forks, and were quite incapable of making ufe of them : So that,
after fome fruitlefs attempts to help themfelves, which were diffidently
awkward, one of the attendants was obliged to cut their
meat in fmall pieces for them. But whatever difficulty they might
have in complying with the European manner of eating, they feem-
ed not to be novices at drinking. In this part of the entertainment
the Commodore excufed himfelf, under the pretence of ill-
nefs •! but there being another Gentleman prefent, of a florid and
jovial complexion, the chief Mandarine clapped him on the fhoul-
der and told him by the interpreter, that certainly he could not
plead ficknefs, and therefore infifted on his bearing him company;
and that Gentleman perceiving, thatafter they had difpatched four
or five bottles of Frontiniac, the Mandarine ftill continued unruffled,
he ordered a bottle of citron-water to be brought up, which the
Chinefe ffiemed much to relifh, and this being near finiftied, they'
arofe from table, in appearance cool and uninfluenced by what they
had drank, and the Commodore having, according to cuftorn, made
the Mandarine a prefent, they all departed in the fame veflels that
brought them.
After their departure, the Commodore with great impatience
expedted the refolution of the Council, and the proper licences to
enable him to refit the fhip. For it muft be obferved, as hath
already appeared from the preceding narration, that the Chinefe
were forbid to have any dealings with him; fo that he could neither
purchafe ftores nor neceflaries,, nor did any kind of workmen
dare to engage themfelves, in his fervice, until the permiflion. of
the Government was firft obtained. ! And in the execution of thefeI
particular injundtions, the Magiftrates never fail of exercifing great
feverity: 'Since, notwithftanding the fuftian eulogiums bellowed
upon them by the Romijh Miffionaries refiding in the Eaft, and
their European copiers, they are compofed of the fame fragile ma- •
terials with the reft of mankind, and often make ufe of the authority
of the law, not to fupprefs,crimes, but to enrich themfelves
by .the pillage of thofe who commit them, This is the more eafiiy
' A a a 2 effedied