wis ffie'n cöndu£ted to the great hall of audience, where he found
thé Viceroy fèatèd under a rich canopy in the Emperor’s chair of
State, with all his Council o f Mandarines attending. Here there
•was a vacant feat prepared for the Commodore, in which he was
plaèëd on his arrival. He Was ranked the third in order from the
Viceroy, there being above him only the two Chiefs, of the Law,
and o f the Treafury, who in the Chinefe Government have precedence
of all military officers. When the'Commodore was feated,
he addreffed himfelf to the Viceroy by his interpreter, and began
with reciting the Various methods he had formerly taken to get an
audience j adding, that he imputed the delays he had met with,
to the infirtcerity of thofe he had employed, and that he had therefore
no other means left, than to fend, as he-had done, his -own
officer with a’ letter to thé gate. On the-mention o f this, the Viceroy
interrupted the interpreter, and bid him affine Mr. Afon,' that
the firft knowledge they had ó f his being at Canton, was from
that letter. Mr. Anfon then proceeded, and told him, that the
fubjeéts o f the King of Great-Britain trading to China had complained
to him, the Commodore, of the vexatious impofitions
both Of the Merchants and inferior Cuftom-houfe officers, to
which they were frequently neceffitated to fubmit, by reafon of
the difficulty o f getting accefs to the Mandarines, who alone could,
grant them redrefs: That it was his, Mr. Anftm’s, duty, as an
officer o f the King of Great-Britain, to lay before the Viceroy
thefe grievances of the Britijh fubjeéts, which he hoped the Viceroy
Would take into confideration, and would give orders, that
hereafter there ffiould be no juft reafon for complaint. Here Mr.
■ Anfon paufed, and waited fome time in expectation of an anfwer j
but nothing being, faid, he alked his interpreter i f he was certain
the Viceroy underftóod what he had urged; the interpreter told
him, he Was Certain it was underftood, but he believed no reply
would be made to it. Mr .Anfon then reprefented to the Viceroy
the cafe of theffiip BLaflitigfield, which, having been difmafted on
the cöaft of China, had arrived in the river o f Canton but a few
days before. The people on board this veffel had been great fuf-
ferers by the fire; the Captain in particular had all his goods burnt,
and had loft befides, in the confufion, a cheft of treafure of four
thoufand five hundred Tahel, which was fuppofed to be ftolen by
the Chinefe boat-men. Mr. Anfon therefore defired that the Captain
might have the affiftance of the Government) as it was apprehended
the money could never be recovered without the inter-
pofition of the Mandarines. And to this requeft the Viceroy made
anfwer, that in fettling the Emperor’s cuftoms for that (hip, fome
abatement ffiould be made in confideration of her Ioffes.
And now the Commodore having difpatqhed the bufinefs with
which the officers of the Eaft-lndia Company had entrufted him,
he entered on his own affairs } acquainting the Viceroy, that the
proper feafon was already fet in for returning to Europe, and that
he wanted only a licence to (hip off his provifions and (lores,
which were all ready ; and that as foon as this ffiould be granted
him, a’nd he ffiould have gotten his neceffaries on board, he intended
to leave the river o f Canton, and to make the beft of his
way for England. The Viceroy replied to this, that the licence
ffiould be immediately iffued, and that every thing ffiould be ordered
on board the following day. And finding that Mr. Anfon
had nothing farther to infift on, the Viceroy continued the conver-
fation for fome time, acknowledging in very civil terms how much
the Chinefe were obliged to him for his fignal fervice's at the fire,
and owning that he had faved the city from being deftroyed :
Then obferving that the. Centurion had been a good while on, their
coaft, he clofed his difcourfe, by wiffiing the Commodore a prof-
perous voyage to Europe. After which, the Commodore, thanking
him for his civility and affiftance, took his leave.
As foon as the Commodore was out of the hall of audience, he
was much preffed to go into a neighbouring apartment, where there
was an entertainment provided; but finding, on enquiry, that the
Viceroy himfelf was not to be prefent, he declined the invitation,
G g g and: