( 90 )
gauze various'cóMw?V'’wMj=|ïj^wiiai* thé lamps are lighted, add
Augü(£ very3muefi è|Lhe pleafing"-e^et^idf thë illutnination. . / T r ^ two prirp-
cipaPwd,ès^of .tbfe court were occupied b\*the gentlemen'of 'the fuite,
whó' flept in jtwqi equal. divifions jrittfcfe, ’ feparatebapartments. Lord
Macartney^ and Sir Qeorge Staunton. £jyere éacb^accpImmQdated^ with
a diftihtTahd fèparatè wingiof ffiehulldingT^
■At two «o’clock 'dinner was férvèd up for the- Ambaffador and his
Company'itconftfte'd of about, one hundred vurious,,dilhes, drefled
- according? loathe cookery ofnhe country; theycorififted principally* of
ftews,' and'were ferved in fmall bafons: 'there were neither table-cloths
orknives and forks j'an d 'IfMonly meriroWtHêie' people have of con-
- ve^ g their meat to the mouth- is by fmall pointed^ lengths of^yood,
or ivory, in the form.-ef -pencils.',- It Js-abffilutely neceffary, therefore,
that their fqlfd fdod fhould be fcuHn fmall pieces.
During the time o f dinner, a great number-of Chinefe, whobelong-
edj -as I Tuppode; to* the mandarin, whole office, it' was to fupcrintend*
the arrangements for aeeominodation of the embafly, ’ uojvdul rbun^*
thé table; when-they not only exprefied their furprifeby*peculiar ac*-
tions and geftures, but frequently Burft into ffiouts
Sunday r$. In order to give all poffible dignity and importance to-ihe embafly^
’ a guard of, Britifh foldiers was ordered to attend on th^^ lib affad oo
apartments; but as they were removed from, p i r b l i o j t h e f e
centinels 'were placed at the outergafe, and th#;entr^be df theiraie'r
court, that they might attract the notice o f ^he* Chinefe, and elevate
the consequence .of the-.diplomatic million,-in the general opinion o f
the people pf the country ; a circumftance. on which the, fuccefs of' it
was fuppofed, in a great meafure, to depend* ■ ’ ' w
In the fevei^Lapartments o f the building appropriated to tbig reft*
dence and ufes of the embafly, Chinefe fervants. were diftributedi to
fypfty fhofe who were difpofed to call for drink, writh the hsvej^e.
o f
, * '
o f the country -: ft|ch as kie figau,.hot tea; liang tigau,(poldtea; with *793/
hang^eey.tol'd.water,;^k|^'|jqe,!;ihpt'water .ypyng fwee, ice water; Auguft.
pna-an^of, thefe ^^e|''rfeady^to^^bmught>Jwhenever they
ihoyld be demanded, from an early-hour.of the'day, till night.
A>^ffis'morning I top k^ q^ p p o jtu n& p viiit theqity of Tong-itchew,
^ayith iM^pburb-s^ apd.with ng flSaljfatigue, and forpe tjroubkipl fra-
■ tvgffed tftfe greateft part of ipL, \
r. It, appears Jta be builtlip a^qffib form,, and is defendedvby a very'
ftrong loftyiwali, yvithfa^d(eep>;dit%|X^'v4hp^dtfidO'bf i t te * tW moft
^cceffible,parts.: + the wall makes,^gircuitpf^abqi|t fix,ipiles, is tliirty
.feet high, and fix broad; it has .three.’gales, which_ are well -fortified;
.each being defended by rampartsi;mqunted,^ jvith .cannon-, ffiere is,
alfo a ftrong guard withiit ffiepr1» towards the'city,- in,’ a ftate o f
regular duty. , Thefe gates are always ffiflt at ten at? night, and opened
at four in’the morning; ihe'keys o f wftiph are always lodged with
the mandarin of the city^af night, ■ and returned ,io the officermfJthe
guard in the morning; on which occafion.’ a. report is made offwhat-
eveirpaay have occurred, and ffich orders, arp iffiied as circumftances
may require. _
. The -houfesjeui this city are like the greater part of.thoie-l^h^t® fefcn
in China, ^and rife *io- higher than one ftofk: they differ, however, in
fame, degree, from the common habitations* o*f other places which
|$ve hayepafled, that they are here almoft upiyerfally bjuilt o f wood; as
(there1 is yery^ rarely a ftone •or’'brick houfe tp be feen, bulffiefras arc
inhabited hythe' mandarins o f iheplace. 1
T h e exterior* appearance o f the houfes is very pleafing from the
crettinefs pf-their decorations; but they are jnoft wretchedly fumiffifed
within, i f that term can he'applied wherethete is v eiy little or no fur- ,
nituf^a? all. ' They have .only .one apartment behind iheir ftiops,
Which i§ without-'floQr. or pavement, and muft ferve them for every
N 3 * domeftic.