their conftant refidence in the capital, gave them more opportunities
o f obferving the manners and the amufements o f the
court than occurred to the Britiih embaffy, I ihall here avail
myfelf o f that part o f a journal relating to this fubjedt, which
was kept by a young gentleman in the fuite o f the former,
and whofe accuracy o f obfervation may be depended on. The
account given by him o f the New Year’s feftival, added to
Lord Macartney’s defcription o f his introduction and the
birth-day folemnities, which his Lordihip has obligingly permitted
me to extradt from his journal, together with my own
obfervations at the palace o f Yuen-mtn-yuen, will ferve to convey
a tolerably exadt idea o f the ftate, pleafures, and amufements
o f the great Monarch o f China.
“ On the 14th September,” obferves his Lordihip, “ at four
“ o’clock in the morning we fet out for the court, under the
“ convoy o f Van-ta-gin, and Chou-ta-gin, and reached it in little
“ more than an hour, the diftance being about three miles
“ from our hotel. We alighted at the park-gate, from whence
“ we walked to the Imperial encampment, and were condudted
if to a large handfome tent prepared for us, on one fide o f the
“ Emperor’s. After waiting there about an hour, his ap-
$ proach was announced by drums and mufic, on which we
“ quitted our tent and dame forward upon the green carpet.
“ He was feated in an open palankeen, carried by fixteen
“ bearers, attended by numbers o f officers bearing flags, ftan-
“ dards, and umbrellas; and as he pafled. we paid him our
“ compliments, by kneeling on one knee, whilft all the Chi-
“ nefe made their ufual proftrations. As foon as he had
“ afcended his throne I came to the entrance o f his tent, and
“ holding
“ holding in both my hands a large gold box, enriched with
“ diamonds, in which was enclofed the King’s letter, I walked
“ deliberately up and, afcending the fteps o f the throne, deli—
“ vered it into the Emperor’ s own hands, who, having re-
“ ceived it, pafled it to the Minifter by whom it was placed
“ on the cuffiion. He then gave me, as the firft prefent from
“ him to his Majefty,- the Eu-Jhee, or fymbol o f peace and
■ profperity, and exprefled his hopes that my Sovereign and
“ he ffiould always live in good correfpondence and amity.
“ It is a whitiffi agate-looking ftone, perhaps ferpentine, about
“ a foot and a half long, curioufly carved, and highly prized
“ by the Chinefe; but to me it does not appear in itfelf to be
“ o f any great value.
“ The Emperor then prefented me with an Eu-Jhee o f a
“ greeniih-coloured ferpentine ftone, and o f the fame emble-
“ matic character; at the fame time he very gracioufly
“ received from me a pair o f beautiful enamelled watches, fet
“ with diamonds which, having looked at, he pafled to the
“ Minifter.
“ Sir George Staunton (whom, as he had been appointed
“ Minifter plenipotentiary, to aft in cafe o f my death or de-
“ parture, I introduced to him as fuch) now came forward,, and
“ after kneeling upon one knee, in the fame manner as I had
“ done, prefented to him two elegant air-guns, and received from
“ him an Eu-Jhee o f greeniih ftone nearly fimilar to mine.
Other prefents were fent, at the fame time, to all the gentle-
“ men o f my train. W e then defcended from the fteps o f the
3 “ throne,