“ Soon after we came in, the Emperor fent for Sir George
“ Staunton and me to attend him, and told us, with great
condefcenfion o f manner, that we ought not to be furprized
“ to fee a man o f his age at the theatre, for that he feldom
“ came there except upon a very particular oceafion- like the
“ prefent, for that, confidering the extent.qí his dominions-
and the number o f his fubjeds, he could fpare but little time
“ for fuch amufements. I endeavoured, in the turn o f my
anfwer, to lead him towards the fubjed o f my embafly, but
“ he feemed not difpofed to enter into it farther than by deli—
“ vering me a little box o f old japan, in the bottom o f which,
were fome pieces o f agate and other ftones much valued by
the Chínele and Tartars ; and at the top a fmall book written
f! and painted by his own hand,-which he defired me to prc-
“ fent to the king my matter as a token o f his friendihip-
“ faying, that the old box had been 800 years in his family. H e ,
“ at the fame time, gave mea book for myfelf alfo written and
“ painted by him, together with feveral purfes for Areca nut. H e
“ likewife gave a purfe o f the fame fort to Sir George Staunton,
“ and fent fome fmall prefents to the other gentlemen o f the
“ embafly. After this feveral pieces o f filk or porcelain, but
“ feemingly o f no great value, were diflributed among the Tar-
“ tar princes and chief courtiers, who appeared to receive them
“ with every poffible demonftration o f humility and gra-
“ titude.
“ The theatrical entertainments confifted o f great variety, both
“ tragical and comical; feveral diftind pieces were aded infu c-
“ ceffion, though without any apparent connexion with one an-
“ other.
other. Some o f them were hiftorical, and others o f pure
“ fancy, partly in recitativo, partly in finging, and partly in
plain fpeaking, without any accompaniment o f inftrumental
mufic, but abounding in battles, murders, and moft o f the
“ ufual incidents o f the drama. Laft o f all Was the grand pan-
“ tornime which, from the approbation it met with, is, I pre-
fume, confidered as a firft-rate effort- o f invention and ingenuity.
It feemed to me, as far as I eOuld compfehehd it,
“ to reprefent the marriage o f the Ocean and the earth. The
“ latter exhibited her various riches and produdions, dragons,
“ and elephants, and fygers, and eagles, and oftriches, oaks’
“ and pines, and other trees o f different kinds. The Oceaii
“ was not behind hand, but poured forth on the ftage thé
“ wealth o f his dominions, under the figures o f whales and
“ dolphins, porpeffes. and leviathans, and other fea monfterS,
I befides ihips, rocks, Ihells, fpunges, and corals, all performed
“ by concealed adors, who were quite perfed in their parts,
“ and performed their charaders to admiration. Thefe two
“ marine and land regiments, after feparately parading in a cir-
“ cular proceffion for a confiderable time, at laft joined to-
“ gether and, forming one body, came to the front Of the ftagé
I when, after a few evolutions, they opened to the right and
“ left, to give room for the whale, who feemed to be the com-
gj «landing officer, to waddle forward; and who, taking his
“ ftation e xad ly oppofite to the Emperor’s box, fpouted out o f
his mouth into the pit feveral tons o f water, which quickly
difappeared through the perforations o f the floor. This eja*
culation was received with the higheft applaufe, and two or
“ three o f the great men at my elbow defired me to take par-
1 D 2 1 ticular