occafion to take notice o f hereafter, in fpeaking o f the ftate
o f their architedure. It was built by the late Ho-poo, or Cok-
ledor o f the cuftoms at Canton, from which fituation he was
preferred to the colledorihip o f fait duties at Ti-en-Jing ; where, it
feems, he was detected in embezzlingthe public revenues, thrown
into jail, and his immenfe property confifcated to the crown. The
officers appointed to attend the embaify told us, that when it
was propofed- to the Emperor for the Engliih Embaffador to occupy
this houfe, he immediately replied, “ Moft certainly, you
“ cannot refufe the temporary occupation o f a hoüfe to the
“ Embaffador o f that nation which contributed fo very amply
“ towards the expence o f building it.” The inference to be
drawn from fuch a remark, is, that the court o f Pekin is well
aware o f the extortions committed againft foreigners at Canton.
T h e Emperor being at this time in Tartary, where he meant to
celebrate the feftival o f the anniverfary o f his birth-day, had given
orders that the public introdudion o f the Britilh Embaffador
Ihould be fixed for that day, and ihould take place at Gehol, a
fmall town i j 6 miles from Pekin, where he had a large palace,
park, gardens, and a magnificent Poa-ta-la or temple o f Budha.
Accordingly a feledion was made o f fuch prefents as were the
moft portable, to be fent forwards into Tartary; and the Embaffador,
with part o f his fuite, feveral officers o f the court, and
their retinue, fet out from Pekin on the fécond o f September.
Some o f the gentlemen, with part o f the guard and o f the
fervants, remained in Pekin, and Dr. Dinwiddie and myfelf,
with two mechanics, had apartments allotted to us in thé
palace o f Tuen-min-yuen, where the largeft and moft valuable
loable o f the prefents were to be fitted up for the infpc61 ion o f
the old Emperor on his return from Tartary.
Having already acquired fome. little knowledge o f the language
on the paffage from England, by the affiftance o f two
Chinefe priefts who had been fent by their fuperiors to Naples,
for the pUrpofe o f being inftruded in the Chriftian religion^ I
hoped to find this temporary baniihment lefs irkfome, particularly
as I had previoufly ftipulated with the officers belonging to that
palace for an unconditional leave to vifit the capital whenever I
ihould find it neceffary or proper, during the abfence o f the
Embaffador; and, it is but fair to fay, they kept faith to their
engagement in the ftrideft fenfe. A horfe and one o f the little
covered carts were always at my difpofal.
The gentlemen left in-the city were lefs agreeably fituated. At
the outer gate o f their lodgings a guard was ftationed with orders
to allow none o f them to pafs, and all their proceedings and
movements were clofely watched. Sometimes they were a little
relieved by occafional vifits from the European miffionaries ;
but fo fufpicious were the officers o f government o f any communication
with thefe gentlemen that they were invariably accompanied
by fome o f them to a d as fpies, notwithftanding
they could not comprehend one Angle word that was exchanged
in the converfations they held together. - A Chinefe has no
knowledge whatsoever o f any o f the European languages. But
he watches the adions, and even the motions of- the eye, and
makes his report accordingly. The courts o f the houie were
conftantly filled with the inferior* officers o f government and
i* their