It would require a more familiar acquaintance with the
people and a longer reiidence among them; than was allowed
to us, to explain the true reafon o f fuch real poverty among
the peafantry in the vicinity o f the capital. Perhaps, indeed,
it may be owing, in a great degree, to the proximity o f the
court, which in all countries has the eft eel o f drawing together
a crowd o f people to confume the pròdudls o f the foil, without
contributing any portion o f labour towards their produdtion.
The encouragement that is here given to idlenefs and [diffipa-
tion is but too apt to entice thè young peafantry in the neighbourhood
from their houfes, and thus rob the country o f its beft
hands. The foil, likewife, near the capital is barren and fandy,
producing few fupplies beyond the wants o f thefeveral tenants;
and all other neceifaries o f life not raifed by them muli be pur-
chafed extravagantly dear. It is, indeed, furprizing how this
immenfe city, faid to contain three millions o f inhabitants, is
contrived to be fupplied at any rate, confidering the very fterile
and unprodudtive ftate o f the country for many miles around
it. It might not, however, be a matter o f lefs aftoniihment to
a Chinefe, nor lefs difficult for him to conceive, in what manner
our own capital receives its daily fupplies, efpecially after
he had obferved that there is not a fingle road, by which Lonpart
o f the embafly, which Doitor Gillan did not heiitate to afcribe to the great impurity
o f the water. But the Chinefe argued the point with the Dotftor with regard
to taking it cold, aiking him why all the fluids o f the body were warm, i f nature
had intended us to drink water and other liquids in a cold ftate ! They feemed
to have forgotten that all the warm-blooded animals, except man, muft neceflarily
drink cold water.
don
don can be approached, that is not carried over vaft traits o f uncultivated
commons and wafte grounds.
The vallies o f Tartary furnifh beeves and broad-tailed ffieep
for Pekin, and grain is brought by water from every part o f
the country, o f which the government takes the precaution to
lay up in ftore a fufficient quantity for a twelvemonth’ s con-
fumption. O f animal food, pork is moftly confumed. Few
peafants are without their breed o f hogs ; thefe animals, indeed,
are likewife kept in large cities, where they become public
nuifances. Bad beef in Pekin fells for about fix-pence the
pound ; mutton and pork eight-pence ; lean fowls and ducks
from two to three fhillings; eggs are generally about one penny
each; fmall loaves o f bread that are boiled in fleam, without
yeaft or leaven, are about four-pence a pound ; rice fells ufually
at three-halfpence or two-pence the pound; wheat flour at
two-pence halfpenny or three-pence ; fine tea from twelve to
thirty fhillings a pound ; that of the former price, at lead fuch
as was procured clandeftinely for us, not drinkable, and the
latter not near fo good as that o f about fix fhillings in London
*. There are, indeed; plenty o f tea-houfes in and near
the capital, where the labouring people may purchafe their cup
o f tea for two fmall copper coin (not quite a farthing) but it is
miferably bad. A tolerable horfe and a man-flave are ufually
about the fame price, being from fifteen to twenty ounces o f
* As thefe teas however were purchafedby Chinefe, I have no doubt they referved
to themfelves a very large profit on the commiflion, for it is fcarcely-poflible that this
article, the growth and produce o f the middle provinces, ihould bear a price fo far
beyond what the very beft fells for in London*
2 filver.