for the eels,of the lake and other goods things they had taken
care to provide than for botany, had no notion o f being detained
by a buih or a flower.
The next day Lieutenant Colonel, now General, Benfon,
Dodo r Gillan, and myfelf, accompanied by a military officer
and his orderly, rode over the neck o f land to look at the
yachts that were preparing for our future journey. As itwas rather
late before we returned, I propofed that we fhould pafs through
the city as 1 had done the day before with our condudor Van,
which would fave us half the diftance. The officer perceiving
our intention endeavoured to draw us off to the right, but findin
g us perfevere he whifpered the orderly, who immediately
pufhed forward towards the gate. Aware that the intention
o f tbis meafure was to fhut the gate againft us, we fpurred our
horfes and followed him, upon which the officer and his orderly
fet up fuch a hue and cry that the whole fuburbs were prefently
in a ftate o f commotion The gates were inftantly fhut and
furrounded by a crowd. Within all was confufion. Meffage after
meflage was difpatched to the Governor, the gongs were beat
and the guards were drawn out in every part o f the city. I
affured them there was nothing to fear ; that we were only
three, and had no other defign but to pafs to our yachts.
During this time our mandarin o f war, in prefence o f the whole
populace, was down on his knees in the dirt, firil before one
and then another, intreating us to give up the point; fo mean
and defpicable have the maxims o f the government made thefe
people. A t length our friends Van and Chou, with the interpreter
and a numerous train o f foldiers and attendants, made
their
their appearance, and pretended to enjoy the joke o f three
Englifhmen having caufed fo much alarm to one o f their ftrongeft
cities, which at that time had a garrifon o f three thoufand men
within its walls. On expreffing our furprife at fuch unnecef-
fary precaution, Van obferved, that our condu&or did not know
us fo well as he did, and, as he was refponfible for our fafe return,
he would rather have travelled us all night through the
country than brought us among the crowd in the ftreets.
When the new viceroy o f Canton (who travelled with us from
hence) heard o f this affair, and underftood from our condu&ors
that the Englifh found great pleafure in walking and looking
about them (a pleafure o f which a Chinefe can form, no idea)
he immediately gave orders that the gentlemen in the train o f
the Embaffador fhould walk whenever they pleafed without any
moleftation.
In the city o f Hang-tchoo-fbo, being particularly famed for its
filk-trade, we were not furprized to meet with extenfive fhops
and warehoufes; in point o f fize and the flock contained within
them they might be faid to vie with the beft in London. In
fome of thefe were not fewer than ten or twelve perfons ferving
behind the counter; but in pafling through the whole city not
a finge woman was vifible, either within doors or without.
The crowd o f people, compofed o f the other fex, appeared to
be little inferior to that in the great ftreets o f Pekin. Here;
though moftly narrow they had in other refpefts much the advantage
o f thofe in the capital, being paved with broad flag-
ftones, refembling the Merceria o f Venice [or courts o f the
Strand; Cranburn-AUey is rather too wide for a Chinefe ftreet,
but