o f all the bays arid harbours in' the gulph. H e drew on paper
the {ketch o f a port on the weftern corift to which he undertook
to carry the ihips, Fortunately, however, for us, it was con-
iidered more fafe to fend the fmall brigs a-head to found, than
to place any confidence in men who had already fo often deceived
us. T h e y had fcarcely departed before the fignal o f
danger was made; a new courfe was ffeered for the night, and
early the following morning, the fame fignal was repeated.
No land was now in fight, yet the water had {hallowed to fix
fathoms ; it was. therefore deemed prudent to come to an anchor.
It was a very unufual fituation for fuch large ihips to
ride thus at anchor in the middle o f a ftrange fea, and out o f
fight o f land, yet liable, in cafe o f blowing weather, to ftrike
againft the bottom.
The commanders o f the ihips were exafperated againft the
pilots, and thefe on their part were almoft petrified with fear.
T he poor creatures had done their beft, but they poffeffed neither
ikill nor judgment, or, perhaps, it may be more charitable
to fuppofe that they were confufed by the novelty o f their fituation.
It was in vain to endeavour to make them comprehend
the difference in the draught o f water between their own
ihips and ours, which, in the latter, was as many fathoms as
feet in the former, although they were palpably ihewn, by a
piece o f rope, the depth that was required.
As it Was evidently impracticable to proceed farther with
our own ihips towards the land, which was now from twelve
to fifteen miles diftant, and fo very low as not to be vifible
from
the deck, one o f the tenders was difpatched to the mouth o f
the Pei-ho or white river to report our arrival. Here two
officers from the court had already embarked to wait on the
Embaffador, carrying with them a prefent o f refreihments, confiding
o f bullocks, hogs, iheep, poultry, wine, fruit, and vegetables
in fuch quantities, as to be more than fufficient for a
a w eek’s confumption o f the whole fquadron, amounting nearly
to fix hundred men. It confided in twenty fmall bullocks,
one hundred hogs, one hundred iheep, one thoufand fowls,
three thoufand pumpkins, as many melons, apples, pears,
plumbs, apricots, and other fruits, with an abundance o f culinary
vegetables. T h e wine was contained in large earthen
jars whofe covers were clofely luted. Numbers o f the hogs
and the fowls had been bruifed to death on the paffage, which
were thrown overboard from the Lion with difdain, but the
Ghinefe eagerly picked them up, waihed them clean and laid
them in fait.
T h e number o f veffels they had difpatched to take on ihore
the prefents and the baggage was between thirty and forty,
the capacity o f each not being lefs, arid many o f them more,
than two hundred tons; fo imperfect a judgment had thefe
people fprmed o f the quantity o f articles to be tranihipped.
Thefe vyere the veffels whofe holds w ere divided into thirteen
diftip<3: compartments*, feparated by partitions o f two inch
plank, the (earns q f yihich were caulked vfith a preparation
o f fine lime made from ffiells, and fibres o f bamboo, in order
to repder them water-tight. Their (ails, cables, rigging and
k 2 cordage