no great degree o f population ; the dwellings that floated on the
water were numerous and crowded with inhabitants. We ob-
ferved feveral plots o f young wheat rifing in drills a few inches
above the ground. Buck-wheat was in full flower and feveral
plantations o f the cotton plant, gojjypium herbaceum, were in
pod, fome o f them perfectly ripe. Fahrenheit’s thermometer on
the 14th, 15th, and i6 th o f this month flood at 520 and 530
in the morning, and about 70° in the middle o f the day.
On the 17th, befide a great number o f towns, villages, and
military pofts, which are regularly placed at intervals o f about
three miles, we palled two cities o f the third order, one' o f
which, from the length o f its walls, appeared to be o f very
coniiderable importance. No true idea, however, can be formed
o f the population and magnitude o f a Chinefe city by the extent
o f its enclofing walls. Few are without large patches o f
unoccupied ground within them which, in many inftances, far
exceeds the quantity o f land that is built upon. Even in that
part o f the capital called the Chinefe city, feveral hundred acres
are under cultivation. The Imperial city, containing the
palace and buildings for the officers o f ftate, the eunuchs and
artificers, occupies very nearly a fquare mile, more than two-
thirds o f which is a kind o f park and pleafure grounds; and
under the north wall o f the Tartar city there is a pond or
fwamp covered almoft with the Nelumbium, which appeared to
be fully twice the dimenfions o f Lincoln’s-Inn-Fields, or four
times their Ipace, namely near fifty acres. Such fpaces o f
unoccupied ground might perhaps have been referved for the
ufe o f the inhabitants in cafe o f liege, as the means o f fupplying
ing a few vegetables o f the pungent kind, as onions and garlic, for
the befieged, which are the more neceflary for a people who
ufe fo fmall a portion o f animal food, and little or no milk.
Thus the cities o f Babylon and Nineveh, which were fo frequently
expofed to the calamities o f war and fiege, had gardens
and corn-lands within their walls.
On the 1 8th we palled two cities and a great number o f
towns and villages. The face o f the country ftill level and entirely
open; not a hedge-row appearing on any fide and very
few trees. Almoft all the veflels that we met in the courfe
o f the day were laden with facks o f cotton wool. This being
the night of full moon, we were allowed to enjoy very little
reft. The obfervance o f the ufual ceremonies, .which confill
o f firing their fmall petards, beating at intervals the noify
gong, harlh fqualling mufic and fire-woiks, required that
our veflels fhould remain ftationary, and thefe no£turnal
orgies ceafed only with the appearance o f the fun. There
was, however, another caufe o f detention at this place. In
failing again ft the ftream o f the Eu-ho, it was neceflary the
barges fhould be tracked by men and thefe men were to be
prefled or forced into this laborious fervice from the villages
bordering upon the river. The ufual way o f doing this was
to fend out the foldiers or attendants o f the officers before the
veflels, in the duik o f the evening; to take the poor wretches
by furprize in their beds. But the ceremony o f the full moon,
by retarding their ufual hour o f retiring to reft, had put them
on their guard; and, on the approach o f the emiflaries o f government,
all that were liable to be preffed into this fervice had
abfconded,