and departed, attended in the fame manner as at his arrival; only
on his leaving the city he was faluted by three guns, which are as
many as in that country are ever fired On any ceremony. Thus
the Commodore, to his great joy, .at laft finiihed this troublefome
affair, which, for the preceding four months, had given him much
difquietude. Indeed he was highly pleafed with procuring a licence
for the fhipping off his ftores and provifions; as thereby he was
enabled to return to Great-Britain with the firft of the monfoon,
and to prevent all intelligence of his being expecfted : But this
though a very important point, was not the circumftance which
gave him the greateft fatisfaftion ; for he was more particularly attentive
to the authentic precedent eftablifhed on this occafion, by
which his Majefty’s fhips of war are for the future exempted from
all demands of duty in any of the ports of China.
In purfuance o f the promifes o f the Viceroy, the provifions
were begun to be fent on board the day fucceeding the audience j
and, four days after, the Commodore embarked at Canton for the
Centurion. And now all the preparations for putting to fea were
purfued with fo much vigilance, and were fo foon compleated,
that the 7th of December, the Centurion and her prize unmoored,
and flood down the river, pafling through the Bocca Tigris on
the xoth. On this occafion I muft obferve, that the Chinefe had
taken care to man the two forts, on each fide of that paffage,
with as many men as they could well contain, the greateft part
o f them armed with pikes and match-lock mufquets. Thefe
garrifons affeded to fhew themfelves as much as poffible to the
fhips, and were doubtlefs intended to induce Mr. Anfon to think
more reverently than he had hitherto done o f the Chinefe military
power: For this purpofe they were equipped with extraordinary
parade, having a great number o f colours expofed to view ; and on
the caftle in particular there were laid confiderable heaps of large
Hones j and a foldier of unufual fize, drefled in very fightly armour,
ftalk’d about on the parapet with a battle-axe in his hand,
endeavouring to put on as important and martial an air as poffible’
though
though fome of the obfervers on board the Centurion fhrewdly
•iufpeCted, from the appearance of his armour, that, inftead of fteel,
it was compofed only of a particular kind of glittering paper.
The Centurion and' her prize being now without the river of
Canton, and confequently upon the point of leaving the Chineje
jurifdidtion, I beg leave, before I quit all mention of the Chinefe
affairs, to fubjoin a few remarks on the difpofition and genius of
that celebrated people. And though it may be fuppofed, that
obfervations made at Canton only, a place fituated in a corner of
the Empire, are very imperfeft materials on which to found any
general conclufions j yet as thofe who have had opportunities of
examining the inner parts of the. country, have been evidently
influenced by very ridiculous prepofleflions, and as the tranfadlions
o f Mr. Anfon with the Regency of Canton were of an uncommon
nature, in which many circumftances occurred, different perhaps
from any which have happened before ; I hope the following reflections,
many of them drawn from thefe incidents, will not be
altogether unacceptable to the reader.
That the Chinefe are a very ingenious and induftrious people, is
fufficiently evinced, from the great number of curious manufactures
which are eftablifhed amongft them, and which are eagerly
fought for by the moft diftant nations; but though fkill in the
handicraft arts feems to be the moft valuable qualification of this
people, yet their talents therein are but of a fecond rate kind;
for they are much outdone by the faponefe in thofe manufactures,
which are common to both countries j and they are in numerous
inftances incapable of rivalling the mechanic dexterity of the Europeans.
Indeed, their principal excellency feems to be imitation;
and they accordingly labour under that poverty of genius, which
.conftantly attends all fervile imitators. This is moft confpicuous
in works which require great truth and accuracy; as in clocks,
watches, fire-arms, & c. for jn all thefe; though they can copy
the different parts, and can form fome refemblance of the whole,
yet they never could arrive at fuch a juftnefs in their fabric, as was
G g g 2 neceflary