Thefé.fuburbs are very extenfivèj thé houfes are of wood, the greater
part o.f them two ftories in„height,,and . theij: frorits-painted inifarrous
colours. Theihops are notbnly commodious, :£br t-heir refpeétive-pdr-
pofes, but have a cèrtain grandeur in their appearance, that is eri'-
hvened by, the very pretty manner in which the articles of the refpec-’
five magazine^ are difplayed to the view of the,-public* .Sjtfwa -til
diftinguilh the trad ^ó r to tempt the purchafer.
W e proceeded gradually through fgacious'ftmels,. which are paved
on .either fide for,, the Convenience of/ foot paffengers. The .whole
way was lined with faldiers, and,/indeed, without fueh a regulariohi^T
would have been irapoflible for the carriages, to have proceeded-from
the crowd that attended, us,
■ A ^ ^ p ^ ’ciock-we arrived at the gates o f the grand imperial city o f
Pekin, with veryflittle femblance of diplomatic figure or importance/:
in ihort, for I capnot help repeating the fentiment; the appearance’ ê f
the Ambaffador’s attendants, both withrefpeét to the fhablainefs o f their
drefs, and the vehicles which conveyed them, bore a greater refemc
blance to the removal of paupers to their parifhesin England, than the
expeóted dignity ofthe reprefentative o f a great and powerful,monarch:
Pekin,, or as the natives pronounce it, Pitchin,-the-metropolis of the
Chinefe empire, is fituated imone hundred and fixteen degrees- o f eaft
longitude, and between forty and forty-ante degrees of .-north latitude; '
It is defended by a wall that inelofts a fquare fpace .ofr-abd&fStwelTle
leagues in circumference: there is a grand gate in the center' of
each angle, and as many leffer ones- at each comer, o f the w a ll:: they
are ftrongly arched, and fortified by a fquare building, of to ^ e r-o ff
feven ftories, that fprings from.the top of the gateway; the tides 'of
which are ftrengthened' by a parapet wall, with port-hojes' -for ordnance.
The windows o f this building arc of-wood, and painted to
imitate the muzzle o f a great gun, which is fo exactly reprefented,
that the deception is not difcoverable but on a very near approach f
■ there
C
there are ninef^qf^h^' windows tb each ftdry on the front towards the
■fiiburbsy. ^fhbfe gates- g p double; the firft arch of.which is very *—
ifirongly built; of,a kind of¥reéÿftbnd,4i^tiff?($t of marble, as' has been *!
related' by fomo writers : the deptte^d^'is^boüï-i thiky feet, arid" in
the ’middle o f the entrance is a.very ftrang' f e V o f f i r i n g thick,
amk fortified 'withiron %olts?>:,(;this- archway leads td< a large” fAjaite
-which contains the bariacksfor,fôMieïs/,»Èorififi;ing m mean woc^èlf
"houfes of two ftories : on turning to thevleffrM* ffcontf gatë^îyÂ&
feei^; whole* arch is of the>,feme dimenffofis- and appearance as- that
already described, hut without the .tower. . H
A t each-of principal --gâtes there-is'àfïrtaïgsgüaftf o f foKÜèrsv
with/feyeral-piecesiaf ordnancèvplaced on each fidbè'#thé inher-em-'
trance. Thefo gates 'are opened a t the dawn of 'day/ând ftisut'Utnen '
at night,^ after which hour all 'Communication with'-the-' city
from the fiiburbs is impraticable ; nor will .theÿhe-openedon any pretence,
or occafion whatever, without'a fpecial bidfefrom the .principal
rritadarin of the ci ty. |
The four leffer“ gates, are defended by a fmall- fort built on/fhp .walk-
; ' whieh.is always guarded bysa body, of troops.
T h e wall isabout thirty-.feet high, andïf e r in e in' breadrft’&Ahe
top : the foundation is-of ftome,' and'appearS^hôuttWè^féèr-fror® tfe -'
furface of the earth : -the upper part is ©f brick,, -aridigfad&àily, dimi-
nifties from the bottom to the top. Whether ifis-a-.fôlid “ftru&tiraf,
ot only filled up with mortar or rubbith, iS;a.circUmftanGe concerning
which I could not -procure any authentic1 informatiorffe# *
Thls wall.is defended by outworks and batteries, at fitorf diftances
0 from each other j each, of them .being fl lengthened by a finali fort, -
though none of . the fortifications . are garrifcnid fflithoi^whicji ara - !
attached tq. the gates ; and though there is a breafi-yverk of three feet
■ high, with port-holes for cannon, which crowns the whole, length of. *-■
the: 'j