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1793. ’ At! half paft, ten, the Atrtbaflador, attended by all his fuite, guards,
Aaguft. &c. in full formality, went on fliore to pay a vifit to the chief
mandarin of the city, whofe palace is 'at a fmall diftance from the
river,,,and ! placed in the center o f a very fine garden: it is a lofty
edifice, built of brick, with a range of palifadoes in the front, fancifully
gilt and painted. The center building has, three, and (he wings
two ftories. The outfide wall is decorated with paintiiigs, and the
■poofis: coloured, with ayeffloyrvarnUh. that produces a very fplendid
ef^Ch j >f This budding- contains feveral interior courts, handfomely
paved: with broad flat ftones.
The Ambaflador, and his fuitc, were entertained with a cold collation^
confiding of,. difhes drelfed in the faihion of the, country,, with
.tpa>3fruit, and a great variety - pf]/ronfeCtionary; a branch , o f ’table
luxury, which, is well underftood by the Chinefe.
j A play was alfo performed on the occafion, as a particular mark o f rfi-
fpeCfc; and attention' to the diflanguilhed vifitor. The theatre is a.fquare
building, built principally ,-of wood, and is 'eroded in the front o f the
mandarin's yralacw^ The ftage, or platform, is ifermtanded; with g a lleries
j and ,the whole was, on this occafion', decorated with* a. pro-
fufion o f ribbons, and filken ftreamers o f various colours: The thea-
, , trical. exhibitions cojlfifted chiefly o f Warlike repreffeutations ; fuch as
imaginary! hattigs^ with fwords, fppars, and. lances; which weapons
•die performers manjged with an' aftonilhing activity. p ^he fcene^Wpie
. ih ^ i f^ t y g d l^ d .p ^ n t f l r and the dreffes o f the n&ois were oraj-
the enrichments .o f the fcenery. The e*hi-
,Q$°t by flight o f
?®acbinery. - Tpere, y$a&. alio df^l^y’o^j>.th'|t
ef agility which ennfifts-in tumbling,, wherein the performers
^ ^ £ecu^e^ their parts with luperior addrefs and aChyity.^'Some of the
, / |fforsweredrefled infemale characters; but I wasinformed at the time,
^that fhey were.eunuchs, as the Chinefe neves filler their women to
**PPear in fuch a date of public exhibition i3S| the flage. The per-
•; formance
m 3-
i w ^
formance was alfo enliyened..jby a,band of mufic, whiohjconfifted entirely
of wind inftrumenfs : flame, of them wereyejy lpng,,an4 refem- YAuguft.
Bled a trumpet; others had the appearance ,ctf jFrench-horns, and clarinets
: the founds p f the latter brought today recollection that of a Scotc b
hag-pip®; and their mtific, being deftit^e bpth, of meloaya^d harmony,
Was of qourfe^very difagreeable to our ears,, wfp'ch are accuflomed to
fuch perfection an, thp% efjential poinf&ofmufic. But we h ad ‘every
reafpnto befatisfied with the,entertainment, the ekcumdances ofwhicjh
replete with novelty apd curioys amufcment.
, T h e drefs/of, the foleflers ya&i withjheir arms and .accoutrements,
the damp as thofe which we have already export in the
colour, which" Was both white.Stjd blue, though equally pound with1 the,
. fame broad, rgd b in d in g fom d of!them, on the.pxefe'nt ocGafion, were"
‘ 1$ long whips. tokeep,pff the crawd,fromprefling on the
ipjocefliop of tpe, AmbafEadcjr and his fuito
His Excellency whs fab)ted, both o^J^Jffiriyal and at mis departure
fmdHpdfianCe *j ^^foonWterWs'Teturn to
the vefld flic fleet fef fail, amidft die gieateft toncouitc 01 bdat md
people I ey.gr behead:—indeed'fl> gfeat was the c r b w d ' o f ,' that I
confidci e,f il to lip impoflible for us to paflron without beingtbe wit-
neflte oE ^fic fe raS e mifehief. One vefy ol^'vjudk that lay at anchor
hajLfiich a numbei of p lb |le o®pfafd®§nd!fe'e the esitfeordina^ttght £
^th eM% ,‘ tbal the ffcromoft'pa#of flf^deck yi#dedto the enormous ,
p r e f l f e i t l ^ fuddenly gave‘yvay, when forty of dbefe curious
pl&plg fell into the river, and feveral, b f 'them V^mnfortundtely
drowned. Some Were, indeed, faved bydhn^lg-tom'%ope'^Which
yvpte thrown out-% the’fri; flbiigh, it wal vi^if&vidpmf'rtQ tbofe who
"Witbeffed the accident,‘ that curiofiiv rather tplh, humanity prevailed on
the',qccafion; and that the people Were more anxious to get a fight o f
the foreigners, than to lave the live’s of their eoupliymen.
We