eeive fuch apartments to be at all fuitable to the iituation they
had the honour to hold, they were ihortly afterwards conducted
into another room, little better however than, the firft,
but partly furniihed with a few old chairs and tables. The
candlefticks were fmall blocks o f wood, to which the candles
were fattened with a couple o f nails. A few dilhes o f Hewed
meat were ferved up and, as a great delicacy from the Emperor’s
table, were brought in, without any diih, a pair o f
flag’s legs, which the Chinefe threw down upon the naked
table ; and for this mark o f imperial favour they were required
to make the cuftomary genuflexions and nine proftrations.
VanBraam, in the journal which he or fome o f his friends
;publilhed in Paris, gives a curious account o f the manner in
which they were fed from the Emperor’s table i “ La viande
“ confiftait en un morceau de côtes fur lequelles il n’y avait
“ point un demi-pouce d’épaifleur d’une chair maigre, en un
“ petit os de l’épaulé ou il n’ y avait prefque pas de chair, et en
“ quatre ou cinq autres offemens fournis par le dos ou par les
“ pattes d’un mouton, et qui femblaient avoir été déjà,rongés.
“ Tout ce dégoûtant enfemble était fur un plat fale et paraiflait
“ plutôt deftiné à faire le regai d’un chien que le répas d’un
“ homme. En Holland le dernier des mendians recevrait, dans
“ un hôpital, une pittance plus propre, et cependant c’eft u^e
“ marque d’honneur de la part d’un Empereur envers un Ain-
•“ bafladeur ! Peut-être même etait-ce le refte du Prince, et dans
“ ce cas, felon L’opinion dés Chinois, c’était le dernier terme
“ de la faveur, puifque nous pouvions achever l ’os que fa Ma-
“ jefté. avait commencé à nettoyer.” — “ T he meat confifted o f a
“ fmall
“ fmall piece o f the ribs, on which there was not half an inch
“ in thicknefs o f lean flelh, and a fmall ihoulder-blade almoft
“ without any upon i t ; and in four or five other pieces o f
“ bones from the back, or the legs o f a iheep, which appeared
“ to have been already gnawed. The whole o f this difgufting
u mefs was brought upon a dirty plate, and feemed much rather'
“ intended to fehft a dog than as a refreihment for man. In
“ Holland the meaneft beggar would receive in an hofpital his
“ allowance in a neater manner; and yet it was intended as a
“ mark o f honour on the part o f an Emperor towards an Etti-
“ baflador.! Perhaps it was even the remains o f the Sovereign,
“ and in that cafe, according to the opinion o f the Chinefe, it
“ was the greateft pofiible a£t o f favour, fince we ihould then
“ have had an opportunity o f finiihing the bone which his Im-
“ perial Majefty had-begun to pick.” 1
T h e Dutch gentlemen, equally difgufted with the meannefs
and filthinefs o f the place, and with the pride ahd haughtinefs
o f the people, became now reconciled to the fhabby appearance
o f their old travelling drefies, which they began to cOnfider as
fully good enough for the occafion.
Having finiihed their elegant repaft, the amufemtents o f the
day commenced on the ice. T he Emperor made his appearance
in a fort o f fledge, fupported by the figures o f four dragons.
This machine was moved about by feveral great Mandarins,
fome dragging before, and others puftung behind.- The
four principal minifters o f ftate were alfo drawn- Upon the ice
in their fledges by inferior mandarins. Whole troops o f civil
e e 2 and