This journalift obferves that, on approaching the capital o f
the empire, they were not a little aftoniihed to find that the
farther they advanced the more miferable and poor was the apparent
condition o f the people, and the face o f the country;
the clay-built huts and thofe o f ill-burnt bricks were crumbling
to dull; the temples were in ruins, the earthen gods were
demoliihed, and their fragments ftrewed on the ground ; and
the diftriit was thinly inhabited. The following day they entered
Pekin, but were turned out again to take up their lodgings
in the fuburbs, in a fort o f liable. From this place they were ordered
to proceed to the palace in their old travelling dreffes, as
their baggage was not yet arrived. The y were drawn in fmall
carts as crazy and as much out o f order as their own drelfes. Sitting
in the bottom of thefe carts, without any feats, they waited
within the walls o f the palace a full hour, while an empty room
was fwept out for their reception. Having remained here for
fome time, a few planks were brought in, on which were arranged
a number o f dilhes o f meat and filh, Hewed in different
ways. Having finilhed their repaft, thus ended their firft day’s
vifit.
The following morning, at five o’clock, they were again
fummoned to court, and uihered into a fmall room like that o f
the preceding day, without any kind o f furniture. The weather
being extremely cold, the thermometer many degrees below
the freezing point, the Embaffadors prevailed on the people
to make a little fire which after fome time was brought in, not
however without letting them underftand that it was an extraordinary
ordinary mark o f favour, it being the cuftom o f the Chinefc
to let all Embalfadors wait the arrival o f the Emperor in the
open air.
A t length the Emperor made his appearance, carried by
eight men in a yellow fedan chair. On his approaching the
place where the Embafiadors and their fuite were Handing, they
were direfted by the mafier o f the ceremonies to fall down on
their knees, and in this poHure the firft Embalfador was in-
ftrudted to hold in both his hands, above his head, the gold
box in which was contained the letter for the Emperor: the
fecond minifter then Hepped forwards, and took the letter out
o f his hands, which he delivered to the Emperor ; and, at the
fame time, they were direfied to bow their heads nine times to
the ground, in token o f acknowledgment' for the gracious
reception they had met with from his Chinefe Majefly.
This ceremony being ended, they were defired to follow the
Emperor’ s chair, which was carried to the fide o f a pond or
bafon in the gardens, then frozen over. From this place the
Emperor was drawn on a fledge to a tent pitched on the ice,
whilft the Embalfador and his fuite were conduced into a dirty
h o v e l little better than a pig-fiye, where they were defired to
fit down on a fort o f bench built o f Hone and mortar ; for, like
the room they were put into on a former day, it was deHitute
o f the leaft furniture; and they were told that fomething pre-
fently would be brought for them to eat. On complaining to
their conduftors that this was not the manner in which they
were accuftomed to fit down to meat, and that they did not cone
b eeire