( >
i793. country?;, which, fieing fubjedt to pccafional inundations .from them,.
,is frequently in the fituation that I have defcribed.
In the evening, we faw a very.fine ,palace: belonging-to the mandarin
of a town, through which we afterwards gaffed in the night,,
an d ;neither knew its form or character:, iior fhould yver^y^»ie^en>
difcernedtthe grandpi^pffthe-mandarin’s.-refideneej'ihf he had nqt.jhn--
minated it in honour of the AmhaUiidor. and his brethren on:Wtfi.tb p
junks;,»and jprdeipd put jhjs^guard^ confiding, qf at.leaft five, b unded
menp to.enlightqjj with their pager lanterns, the hanjfs^of-thp. river.
Sunday 3. This morning was very, keen, and frofiy- -The fleet^gpfioijed oggq-
fite to a large lake, which appeared to communicate ty
fiderahle. riyer<p .T h e cpuntty ^ condnuea^its,, flat ando fwarnpy,, apr
pearance. I haye this day taenfiiffomned thatfihe^
g^Gq^^gjd^called the Yellow river, which may probably be
pwfiig. t° (the, commimication§ it may haye with;the:Y;eIlqsy
is a oopfiderahle tdwnditgated .between .the Jake and. ti^isidyeiurf!'j
The junks remained at anchor no longer than w&psecgflflty to receive
the. ufual sfi»pply ,of .groyifiqas- and? wine/, Im a fh®lT
puffed another lake /.-and,' -without enumerating the, canals^^i^hj^jl
ftgne and Wpoden bridge^ well, as, the villages ap q to g^ tjiat,claimed
our tranfient attention, 1 fhall come at once to another lake that appeared
to, be much .larger than any of tho fe which have been,already, mentioned.
.A great .number. of junks. were failing acrofs it in.diffeient di-
•reftions, and feveral hundred filhihg-boats were employed-on it, in
their neceffary occupations. It is faid to abound in m h ; thofe we
procured were fmall, of the-fize of a fprat,, but in tafte and fhape je -
fernbling an haddock. ■ Nor .was out river deficient in its produce, as.
- plenty of fine trout were taken in it.
* At fome difiance from the river, on the fide oppofite to the lake, is a
very large, and, as far'as we coul.l judge, magnificent city, furrounded
P- -T^9'3'
November*
( H 1 , )
jby a wall», named Chun-foong. -The fuburbs which extend towards
she water,. am alfo very confiderable, and the houfes of which» they
ednfiff are^uisfeofia dark ftotie;,roofed1 with tilesi.0f the, fame colour; 1
fiitheysare; onlfii.of sonegffoty1 and riaeir,windows fire circular and 'grated
with ifconv whifcfefgifieithem*»veryfiifagreeable appearance.« -The wall
ofShi® town is not Jfcthigbast .thofe we havcAithertOxfeenc and, as far
a^ri coriidfipdge by^the tetefcope, does• nofofife above foiirtefemor fifteen
'feet. -„5 The part* o f it .which .we paffed c’ould hot be lefs 'than1 two mile's
in extent»' whiohmay le.ad ushgfihe plaufiblp epnjerilure that .the city i t -
fe lf’is atsleaft eight miles in circumference. Frdrn-.fis general appearance
and laCGeffaryr circuniffeiees/ naidpubtcouldi be entertained afjfits>|
extenfive. commerceif anfip from? thhdrefs, andi ipariners, ofiits inhabitants,
a fimilar ®pinion>mightjbaentertainecl of theij.urbanity, and opulence.
A&; foufiofiffoeki the fleet anchored* at the extremity-of "the wall, of
this. city','*and received.a.frefh fupply of, wapgiand pr<tyi’% W thefe,
jildfeedfi'-were nowipf ovided j.inffueh plenty,,' that ,the poorpebple who I
* navigated the junks foufiH tbemfelvestin a ftate, o f . unexpected and
»inpYa-mplFdhiyiityf'froirgthe,'fugerabundance'cff.them.-/ f
Several of thp geAfemgn % m the atherigunks did us the KofiWtft£>>
gay>uS»atyifit', which' produced anpveriipg of great mirth arid feftivjty.
Tfie Weath<t<,Wa^. extremely- {CofeWi W^rpafied, two: large lakes,
whicfe,*.hyf 1 heil.reigedtiye branchesunite witfi tfie rivef,, At nOoqwe
failed through a cpnfiderable, town, and.pbeyond,ih . feYe®l^finall
Ctoals on-either fifie gf t|ie river,, with many boats oh the'm employed
mv fifhin-gs: 'fiFh’e coirntty^isfiab and .marihy, and.whemvdr the rbadlon.
thp>fide offihdtivef gaffes over fhampy.-dfiSs or, vaffies*. wbpd^iplatforms
are^eteSed to preferirg thetlevelp and kroid the inconvenience.o£
r finking into them.-
A large walled; city,. -vyhbfe.'-name is-vh-iangfbuj, n'ext’ clainfed our
' attehtiqri. At the entrance., o f it a.mandarin. and his guards appeared
Monday 4.