mention one anecdote that happened during my abode in tbe
palace of Yuen-min-yuen. This gentleman, then about five-
and-twenty years o f age, having no oftenfible employment,
came almoft daily to the hall o f audience, where we were arranging
the prefents for the Emperor. He had frequently defired
to look at a gold time-piece which I wore in my pocket: one
morning I received a meflage from him, by one o f the miflion-
aries, to know i f I would fe ll. it and for what price. I ex-,
plained to the miflionary that, being a prefent from a friend
and a token o f remembrance, I could not willingly part with it,,
but that I would endeavour to procure him one equally good from
our artificers who I thought had fuch articles for fale. I foon
difcovered, however, that his. Royal Highnefs had already, been
with thefe people, but did not like their prices. The following
morning a fecond miflionary came to me, bringing a prefent
from tbe prince confifting o f about half a pound o f common
tea, a filk purfe, and a few trumpery trinkets, hinting at the
fame time, that he was expedcd to carry back the watch in return
as an equivalent. I requefted the miflionary immediately
to take back the princely prefent, which he did with confider-
able reludance, dreading his Highnefs’s difpleafure. The poor
fellow happened to have a gold watch about him,' which he
was defired to ihew ; and the fame day he had a vifit from
one o f the prince’s domeftics to fay, that his mailer would do
him the honour to accept his watch; which he was not only
under the neceflity of fending, but was obliged to thank him,
on his knees, for this extraordinary-mark o f diflindion. He
told me, moreover, that this fame gentleman had at leaft a
dozen watches which had been procured in the fame honourable
way.
In.
In the lift o f prefents carried by the late Dutch Embaflador
were two grand pieces o f machinery, that formerly were a part
o f the curious mufeum o f the ingenious Mr. Coxe. In the
courfe o f the long journey from Canton to Pekin they had
fuffered fome flight damage. On leaving the capital they difcovered,
through one o f the miffionaries, that while thefe
pieces were under repair, the prime minifter Ho-tchang-tong
had fubftituted two others o f a very inferior and common fort
to complete the lift, referving the two grand pieces o f clockwork
for himfelf, which, at fome future period, he would,
perhaps, take the merit o f prefenting to the Emperor in his
own name.
Thefe examples but too clearly illuftrate the great defed in
the boafted moral character o f the Chinefe. But the fault as
I before obferved, feems to be more in the fyftem o f government
than in the nature and difpofition o f the people. The
acceflion o f a foreign power to the throne, by adopting the language,
the laws, and the cuftoms o f the conquered, has preferved
with the forms all the abufes o f the ancient government. The
charader o f the governors may differ a little, but that o f the governed
remains unchanged. T h e Tartars, by afiuming the
drefs, the manners, and the habits o f the Chinefe, by being
originally defcended from the fame ftock, and by a great re-
femblance o f features, are fcarcely diftinguiihable from them
in their external appearance. And i f any phyfical difference
exift, it feems to be in ftature only, which may have arifen
from local caufes. The Chinefe are rather taller, and o f a more
flender and delicate form than the Tartars, who are in general
i ihort,