; m 3-, C- . . y )
September.
Saturday 14.
( 146 )
flip. Ixnperjal palace. The fervants were ordered to dreis in their green
fgSfd liveries, and to wear white flik, or cottpxjujfegkings, with
lhoes; boots, @f any kind being abfolutqly prohibited qp this occafiop.
It was, at the fame time, intimated, that neither the foId^rs^.^r tHe
fervants,. ware to remain at the palace' for the return of; |he Am-
haffa4or M but when they had,attended him there, they were je^uefted
« r e tu r n immediately to Jehol, without presuming feLhajt at any
=®Iace whatever for. a fingle piament t . f v p r j r - w a -
fqnto expert that, in a few days, the prefent ref^^ion^,"which'^'ere
fÓ4irkfcwnp; to, the retinue o f the ejnhalfy,.. wquldyafo removed,, and
every in|ngepce granted them which. ,^heys oquld, rea^nably,Jpfire;
arid as any,deviation from tljis order .wpyfd^end..tpr;Hj^ue ^ ^ pis o f
that meditated, favour. His Excellency ferioufly exppéteu Jt ^-“meet
with a general and willing obedience..
This rhorningV ut fb early an hoiür as three o’clock, the AmbaflMaf
and his fuite proceeded, infufl uniform, to the Emperors court.’1* -
His Excellency was dreffed in a fuit o f Ipafipd mulberiy. velvet,
with a diaimaid-fiar, atid hisJTibbon; over which hê.Hrorè -the dull
habit of. the order o f f he Bath, with the Jiat, and plumb o f feathers,
w h ich .form a part.-of it. Sir George Staunton was alfbi^ajfufl
cquiFArefe,'* öVef which he wore the robe ~«f £ in
ihe Engjifh univerfities, with the black velvet c^belehjpng to'that
dë|jfëêï' '
' Though the' morning Was fo dark that we~ eqifld'not dlflin^uilfe'
«ach other,-. Lieutenant-Cóïonel Berifoft made ‘"aft attempt "TÓ form X
proceflionl/tp .prpceed the palanquin.' of.. the Ambafladqr. But this
mancettyre5 was £<5f very‘ïhort duration, as the hearers óf it moved
rather too fail for the folemnity ó f a flow march j and; iriftead of proceeding
it with a grave pace, we were glad to follow it with a qqick
ope. „ Indeed, whether it was the att’raftiorf^f qur mijfic, h r affp Jp-
ciden'-al circumftance, I know not, we found ’ourfelvés intermingled
.4 . * with
Ip r
( H i >
With a Cohort o f pigs, afles,,and dogs, vyhif h ttroke opt ranks, fuch
as they were,, and put us into irrecoverable c o u p o n . All formality 's q S j^
o f proceflion, therefore, was at an end j, and the Ambaflador’ s palanquin
was fo far advanced, before us,as,to make a little fjppt running
' necóffaiy vtQj-'ovèrtïke' it.
After aconfufed cavalcade, 'i f it qa»hdtfeA?e that nan*, ;we arrived:
at the palace1; ;o£ the-Emperor* in ihe; fame ftateofeonfuflon in, which
we had proceedéd-^-'the pedeftfian part!'óf the fine heing a little out
of breath with running; 3 and thë^ptlerfien on borfebaok, - not alto- !
gether infenfible to the rifk o f accidents from the dark honf of .'the; ■
morning. In fbort, it appeared, to the greater part o f Ae fe ^Wtio- ww
concerned in it;, to be rather ridiculous in attempt to make a parade
that no one could fee»
A t about' fly? o?ólopk .the-AmbalTackir alighted from his palanquin,
amidfb an immenfe concoyrfe ,0£ people •, 'Sjr, George-and Ivjr. §taun-
ton bearing his train, and followed by the gentlemen attached to the.
embaflyfT
The fervants, &C. returned .according to order, and the fqldieys
marched backrwith tfifê and drum. our-return |ya£ by (fay-light*
we had fame .opportunity of examining the appearance of .the city
where wé'refidedS|||l
It'ds a-large and populous place, .built without a$,yjattqq|iqq, fjvhat-
..feVer'tó-regylarity^qf .de%n, and lies in an hollow.^, fopped by,.two
large m<^JnrSni^* The'houfes ' are' lp^, o f a ' fti&ai appearance^ and
built chiefly of'.wbdd: the' ftreets are hot paved ihany'part^qf the
city, - but in that quarter o f it which is moft contiguous fq -t-he Emperor's
palace ; the road to which -isdaid with large flat ftqpes- -
As this place- is not watered by, any river, it cannot hè {uppofed to '
fnjoy a- large'portjon ©f commerce.. Iis trade, however, is not ah
U 2 - ' together ■