With regard to the architecture and gardening o f the Chinefe,
it may be expeded that I ihould give a more detailed defcrip-
tion, or offer fome opinion on thofe fubje&s. The little I
have to fay on the former will be referved for another place;
and, with refpeCt to the latter, I regret that I had not an opportunity
o f feeing fo much as I could have wiihed, and particularly
the Emperor’ s great park at Gehol, which, from the de-
fcription o f the Embaffador, feemed to be almoft unrivalled for
it« features o f beauty, fublimity, and amenity. But my own
deficiency will be amply filled up with an extract or two from
the Journal o f his Lordfhip, whole tafte and ikill in landfcape
gardening are fo well known. I have indeed much to regiet
that I could not enrich the prefent work with more extrads
from it, but as it makes a complete pidure o f itfelf the partial
feledion o f detached parts might have been injurious to it, by
conveying wrong impreffions, when unconneded with the reft.
I am, therefore, the more obliged (and gladly embrace this opportunity
o f expreffing the obligations I feel) to his Lordihip, for
what little he has allowed me to tranfcribe.
Speaking o f the route from Pekin to Gehol in Tartary, Lord
Macartney obferves : “ Our journey, upon the whole, has been
“ very pleafant and, being divided into feven days, not at all
“ fatiguing. A t the end o f every ftage we have been lodged
“ and entertained in the wings or houfes adjoining to the Em-
“ peror’s palaces. Thefe palaces, which occur at ihort dif-
“ tances from each other on the road, have been built for his
“ reception, on his annual vifit to Tartary. T h e y are con-
4< ftruded upon nearly the fame plan and in the fame tafte.
“ T he y front the fouth, and are ufually fituated on irregular
“ ground near the bafis o f gentle hills which, together with
“ ther adjoining vallies, are enclofed by high walls and laid
“ out in parks and pleafure grounds, with every poffible atten-
“ tion to pifturefque beauty. Whenever water can be brought
“ into the view it is not negle&ed ; the diftant hills are planted,
“ cultivated, or left naked, according to their accompaniments
“ in the profpedL The wall is often concealed in a funk fence,
“ in order to give an idea o f greater extent. A Chinefe gar-
“ dener is the painter o f nature, and though totally ignorant o f
“ perfpedtive, as a fcience, produces the happieft effects by the
“ management, or rather pencilling, o f diftances, i f I may ufe
“ the expreffion, b y relieving or keeping down the features
“ o f the fcene, by contrafting trees o f a bright with thofe o f a
1 duiky foliage, by bringing them forward, or throwing them
I back, according to their bulk and their figure, and b y intro-
1 ducing buildings o f different dimenfions, either heightened by
(i ftrong colouring, or foftened by fimplicky and omiffion o f
“ ornament.
“ T he Emperor having been informed that, in the courfe o f
« our travels in China we had ihewn a ftrong defire o f feeing
“ every thing curious and interefting, was pleafed to give di-
“ re£tions to the firft minifter to ihew us his park or garden at
“ Gehol. It is called in Chinefe Van-Jhoo-yuen, o rP a rad ife o f
“ ten thoufand (or innumerable) trees. In order to have this
“ gratification (which is confidered as an inftance o f uncom-
“ mon favour) we rofe this morning at three o clock and went
“ to the palace where w e waited, mixed with all the great of-
. “ 'ficers