and military officers foon appeared, fome on fledges, fome on
Ikaits, and others playing at football upon the ice, and he
that picked up the ball was rewarded by the Emperor. T he
ball was then hung up in a kind o f arch, and feveral mandarins
fliot at it, in palling on. ikaits, with their bows and arrows.
Their Ikaits were cut off ihort under the heel, and the fore-part
was turned up at right angles. Owin g to this form, or to the
inexpertnefs o f the ikaiters, they could not flop themfelves on
a fudden, but always tumbled one over the other whenever
they came near the edge o f the ice, or towards the quarter where
the Emperor happened to be.
Leaving this place, they were carried through feveral narrow
ftreets, compofed o f miferable houfes, forming a furprifing
contrail with the proud walls o f the palace. T h e y were conduced
into a fmall room o f one o f thefe houfes, almoft void o f
furniture, in order to pay their compliments to Ho-tchung-tang,
the Collao, or prime minifter, whom they found fitting crofa-
legged on a truckle bedftead with cane bottom. Before this
creature o f fortune, whofe fate I lhall have occafion hereafter
to notice, they were obliged to go down on their
knees. Like a true prime minifter o f China, he waved all
converfation that might lead towards bufinefs, talked to them
o f the length o f their journey, was aftoniihed how they bore
the cold weather in fuch fcanty clothing, and fuch like general
topics, which, in fa£l, fignified nothing. From the firft minifter
they paid théir vifit to the fécond, whom they found lodged
in a fimilar manner ; after which they returned to their mean
apartments in the city, more fatisfied on a comparifon with
the
the miferable little chambers in which they had found the two *
firft minifters o f this . far-famed empire lodged, and the mean
hovels which they met with in the very center o f the fpace ihuC
in by the walls o f the imperial palace. T he impreffions that
the events and tranfa&ions o f this day made on the minds o f
the vifitors were thofe o f utter aftonjihment, on finding everything
fo very much the reverfe o f what they had been led to
expedt.
T he following day they were again drawn to court in their
little carts, before. four o’ clock in the motning, where, after
having waited about five hours in empty rooms, fimilar to
thofe o f the preceding day, two or three great men (Ta-gi/i)
called upon them, but behaved towards them in a diftant,
fcornful, and haughty manner. “ We had once more,” ob-
ferves the Dutch journalift, from which I quote, ‘ c .an occafion
,c to remark the furprizing contrail o f magnificence and mean-
“ nefs in the buildings, and o f pride and littlenefs m the per—
fons belonging to the imperial palace.” e
After thefe interviews, they were fuffered to remain a day or
two at home; but on a bag o f dried grapes being brought by a
mandarin from the Emperor, they were required to thank him
for the prefent with nine proftrations, as ufual. Another time
a little paftry from the imperial kitchen demanded the fame ceremony.
In ihort, whether at home or in the palace, the
Chinefe were determined they Ihould be kept in the conftant
pra£tice o f the koo-too, or ceremony o f genuflexion and pro-
ftration.
On