.November.
| 20* |
fupports an apartment. The houfe itfelf is painted o f different
colours, with a ftone gallery in front, and covered with, a roof o f the
fame material.
The mandarin, who refided here, had given to his holpitality the
moft-elegant appearance. He had caufod a temporary ftage, o^ platform
to be ereétéd, from the palace to the fide. "of thé river, in cafe
the. Ambaffadory 0 and the maridarmsy footdd find1 ifelc#®^ènièhi to>;
land. The roof o f this building was covered with filk o f every ^’ófdur;
a great number ó f lamps were, fufpended from, it, fancifully adorned
with gauze and ribbons, and thé- floor was covered •with afihe, variegdted
matting. - But this was rifetr the whole ó f the 'efegaht attentions which
were exerted by thé. mödarin on the oedïfiöfif'aé he^h'adftdaufed a
large fcreen, or curtain,of this matting, to be fixed.on .the'dppoflte^tdjï
o f the water, in order to hide fome" ruinous, buildings, jjjat- would
otherwrfe have disgraced the gay picture he had contrived,'/by; thèir
deformity. -
the .comm^d o f th|s;m^id^i^, aJgye&ytfLbftra
rent appearance from my we had feen. They wfore red ha^s, Jykh, a
yefy high and pointed crown j on the fide o f which was a brads,plate,
that appeared to beTaftened wdth.yellow ribbonen».; .
Towns, locks, bridges, and pagodas ftill continued .to appear in. an.
hafty and aftonifliingfuccpflion. In the afternoon, a very large country
refidence was feen atfome diftance, with a very lofty pagoda rifing,
as it perfpe&ively appeared, from -the center of it.. The tower iters-
minated in a cupola'j with a fpiral ornament rifing from-the. top,
crowned with a ball, from each fide o f .which ayhairalaung down till,
it touched the upper ftory of the building. ■>;
Soon after we had palled this ftrudrure, the hasiks o f the river were,
for a confiderable diftance, fohigh, as to obfcure all view o f the adjacent
country.
When
( 2°5 )
, Whentfhe fleet cam© to .anchor, the grand mandarin, vifited all’ the f J93i
junks, iH CQnfequenceddfi'a. agteiplaint.-t-hat had been made againfi: fome November-
'Jh^'feaptkins o f‘them, folft^hefzhbg the provisions which were
daily fupplicd for the ufc of the embafly. After a fevere examination
into this bufinefs, the mandarin was fo convinced ot the truth of the
charg-e, that the pcrfons accufed were immediately fentcnced to be
bambooed : they. were accordingly ft retched on the ground, and
being held down by two loldiers, were ftruck, in a very violent manner,*
afcrofs. the,,hipf9, till t h e ^ l ^ ^ ^ v e a; Signal for the gumfhmenfc
tcyCeafe.
Jt hid-' beefr a'very foggy nighty and the*l'W.e-8ther continued, to Tuefday 35-
hdzy Mlt when'-nefet-foy-eftared» a.wSyy’ arid« a fine city fire- r
c^eded SSwh'ich fthijt View ta charming/ ansi ferifle-fcfountryy
feouridtfH'«by:h illsM & ^ fummits werecra&mfid witlrpkgpdas* ^
«*?P, this flay, caught' aefikitfient; vidw of,the practical hufbandry of fire '
’IbutoyV» a® ths differsfi^offerafiBhsjof'<Eij^og,^aim&wg,, and ploughing'
w tae in fields vot the 'ri/p ^y n p e .^ "' And'Slough
th(?*-1plr?ncf£Tifrhcfs ceitainly prods e*aY fine imps' of graiVi as-any;I
havSr^Sf* ’feemki .Europe,- this ckcumftaace muft arifefrdm/tffejfble
efforts fofe'perfevering labour* asi their agricultural-,"uienftls- are: of 3
very-clumfydformlindjiricon^nienfefopcdfahifin^
this cfay.we pafled through a-,rioSfe -arbhi’ and :enteri
ed&! a - very large t©>vn/-;.whofe- ^ u fe s, .'which are, many of- them, fo
kifty «.re a ch ’to three ftories^ dre covered- with' pktifter,.andlufikter^
fally painted black..| After a.'courfe of at leaft two miles through this
town, we pafled beneath another, ar.ch of. dimenfions equal-to that
through which we had entered it.
- Another town, of the fame fize and appearance,. foon fticcecdedh
where as a part of the houfes, on the fide of the river, projected a. a
I ' l' f