U s >
. peared to be a -leading object of the negotiation: A't the- lame t'ime,-
however,' he fhotilcl be ever attentive, to the real interefts of his own-
fubjedts,f an atom' of which- ’ he would never facrifichfand fhould,.
therefore,- withdraw his favours to- any foreign nation whenever it
■'< rhtgM-appear"f djbelricbnhpatihle with the-interdjs'of
the EhgBh ftiould, by ttieir concha St in frade^^fcp^hfeif pretensions-,
to any advantages^which might ibe granted them tn pareference^ra^ther-'
rialionS trading “to China.-“ Thfefe 'wore,- the - declarations o f th6 Jim-
pefor -on’the bceafiefi, which did’ not, 'ins- nisb-offinkai,' --require - anyf
Written inftrument otefignature'td induce hiroto-tedlile? and’ fulfill1'
• At the*fame’time-jJ to prove the high regard a^fcefteeih the'Emperori
o f Chiha entertakfed-for the Ring o f Great Britain.^is Imperial* Ma*
jefiTdeMyereH, from-his own hand, into-that-df d^A^MfiaEoff-a-
vety vflihiable box, containing the miniature oi&ures-of ^all-th^nfe-
ceQirfg erhperdrsf ' to which rsterinekedf dEefcViprian^fverfe by ‘each
etrfpefb?jJ -defcripti^etef himfelf, and-thejteffrci j&I features of'his'gcM-
vemment, as-wellhs- a line ofcondnSt recommended, to "theirJ f&vBral •
, iuceeflors. ,* g
'■'•The Emperor,- oh preferifing 'this gift*foffhe Amti&fladofyvfjilfke-1d
the following purport:
Jo “ Deliver this calket to the King your mafler, with your own hand,
and tell him, though the prefent may’appear to-be fmall, it is, in-rny
eftimation, the moft valuable that l ean give, or iiiy empire can fur-
nifli-j for it has been tranfmitted to me through a- long line of my
ptedeceffors, and is the laft token; .of affedtion which I had referved
to bequeath to my fon-and fucceffor; as a tablet of the virtues of his
anceftors-, which- he had only to perufe,: as' I fhould hope?;'to- infpire
him with the noble refolution tp. follow fuch bright examples j and, as
they had done, .to make it the grand objedt of his life-to exalt the
■ honour of the Imperial throne, and advance --the -happinefs and prof-
perky, of his.people.” '
Such
| m |
- Such were .the words delivered by the'Emperor on the bccafion,' as
communicated by Mr. Plumb, the'interpreter, and which occafioned, September,
as may be imagined, no fmall degree of fpeculation among the gentlemen
of the retinue.
T h e Ambaflador returned to dinner, and 1 foon after repaired again,
to. the Imperial palace, with his whole fuite and; attendants, , to fee a
play which was expreflly performed as a particular mark of r-efpedt jap
ithe
v.fTkj-5 c^rappatic:; entertainment way- ^epcefpn^ed in one,-of the inner
;60urts^|?Agjp3.1aG£, jj§n, a tempprapy;J;aggyqredtedt fqr-thg,gprpofe. It
wa§,decorated with a profufiqn of-.filk^ ribbons, and dreamers,, .-and
i^qmipatfd- writ h, grearilplendpur,and e]egai\ce;T
- The performance confided, o f a great variety-of ^rpdfc.k'battles 4-and
military. engagerrients--r fpftytymb|mg,> as,it^is,.e5cpreffed with.usyand
dancing: both^onyjthje^tigl^ mdrilaqk ropes j «ajhdpn,. all tljtefq,jxerci|es .
tJaat.agditM^as-dtfpIayed^',,which would haye.tdpnd no-chfcredit tp t]he
, gymn^fl^o ^lifements *df' Sadler’s Wells or Afpey>|; amphitheatre y
but thq’ fl^ill of'the performers'was** more particularly aftonifliing in
the ■ artfhf..balancing;'• .in-which, they excelled,, any thing of the kind
I had eyerTefenJ By an,imperceptible appeared, o f the
"joihts of their arms £nd?.teste fhey^g^ej ^batons, jugs, rfaflea, &c.
an apparent "jtowef o f - loco-motion, and produced a progrellive equili-
brium, - b y which the|g velfcls .changed their pofitions.frprn, one part to
anqther pfj.the bodies pf the balancers, in a_manper*fi* extraordinary^
that I almofl; fufpedled die corredtpefs pf my own Tenfes.
Si The. fuccdfion of entertainments pWeS -f^jnclii^d ,a
ourious 'dpGeptippst,by flight, p f hand, .which the almofl: magical adi-
v it^ p f Breflaw- on,Cornu's has neyer exceeded: - and,,.as a.proof qf.my
j^er’f ’on, I fhall mentiop pn^pf them^wbichi I ipufl own,, aftoniflied.
me, and feemed to have an equal effedt on the reft .of the fpedators. '
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