expressing bis,regret th a t he had it'not;in^his power to v is it^ e in person,
but that his two cplfeagUesPwould wait on me whenever at
tenure; to receive them |g | returned my acknowLedgpentS) and.appointed
the following day.
It is customarymmong nations eastward of^engal, whea$,public deputation
is sent to-ajoseign court, to nominate.,thtee ipembers^who c o $ $ r
tute-a council; although the president or Ghief ,of these is^ipy^stfd with
all proceedings of the .rgst* jet.^e,,distinction
between them fe not so wide as to preclude the juniors, frpjp^a high „degree
bf consequence being attached to their station^; and:.m ca&e^pf;,tJag,demise
o f thfe;priffeipM,*he s ^ ^ s tf irv iy s r ^ e c n t e s all d^lpmgtic fppotions, thus
wisely guarding against any impediment which & c p u ^ y , might .throw }P
the way of negotiation.
The two junior members of the Chinese ■ ifi1? jg$f
pointed hour, accompanied by seven of eight attendants. There is
no personage on earth so solemn and ceremonious as - a Chinese officer
of state; his dignity is preserved by profound silence, unless when occasion
renders it necessary to exercise the faculty of speech, which is always
slow, monotonous, and d u ll; even gentlemen in the familiarity of private
life, seldom depart from their gravity, or relax into a smile. , On entering
a room where there is company, good breeding is evinced by a modest but
pertinacious refusal to sit down till the master of the house is first seated,
which would be an equal violation of decorum on his part. This custom,
I was told, sometimes produces'a very ludicrous scene, and the guests are
not unfrequently obliged to be dragged to their chairs, and placed- in them
almost by compulsion. My house being about to undergo some alteration,
I had caused a suite of tents, which I had brought with me, to be pitched
for our^Jhpbrary sfe'eommodhtioh'jhiBtihes.hllmadeiaFijangements to'fceceiYQ
m y ^ i ’t-oks,' Whwwerh e^afet-to tMeir time., «©«frffermgitKe.door of the
ll^ -q h e e r tieyAbfel?fctMa#/al®-kbi5upts stop^-afad-'1 reaishMK alfr.siolitatation to
||lj|^W e (t^hafrs- ithafrfhadfilieen Ifreparcfcha^hem-, .until I sjiQuld first be
seated (J St* tliis- ( li l em ^ ^ l ^ r tp l f r ^ eH 'a r r a n ,.'w h o r iu td .- .^ d v i s e d
meH#ia;t*!waat tjae fofeemost, whilst »the
■ifobtor himself’ g r a p ^ d ^ h A f is h n a n d ? i,lfiusJ^p&6-j(ftrf^d',t'hpm in the,if
XsW , both parties,^durirlg^he4a^§^MdtEa^datiBg ,f j||h ^ h i|i,
'ffid ®hkte&t‘^ * a ilf tll r tttj^ .'? ^ ^ H V « is a ta o f rw a ‘s,iB^at 41]h y |^ '9?
ihfer'esting-j'fotidhdulgh I sfa^iMl^e©Slth^m;‘:®.up^0i’4‘si‘h^}^O make a -.wids
iMehfcdkeaoh 'athe&vearhiprelietisiofL, 4 ’sp§^/-«gffip
Ite g u ag e ofrHiridbstan to a Mussofraam, who-uudersrogd BjrtG^bfi&.dgltj
wered ffl to a Birman who «poke, Chinese, this tQ khsi first
offieialh-doittesti^ who i repeated. ^ n e ^ t j jg g j J e i
Our port, claret, and Madeira, >.alli&kcallent of thefrikiod,; W P
served u p ; these,howeverywere£a& coldforijChiftesB palates; rnyvisitants
d i i hot-seem -to- relish themvbbutswHeh» ah's^rJaEa,iadyova& in jrg d iw fi
thlfei ifp.fd'bat'M' was'manifested '-by the'-satiifaetfto With iwhfcKtlaebf^
thefc swallowed a larger-glass full of the liqqdrj;, theyrtasted Ouwlfea.vand^
feeferefthey departed,-politely - presented me with some; fanf,1 two -or .three
%gees of Silk, two'sraall-boxes of tea, andthreehutties. tfs^uehouya-very
fieky spirit distilled from rice, of which the Chinese a re ^ tem 6% fe lii|. I
returned the visit on theC'fOllowingtda'y, and* was- retieiyed^ witfeas, much
pomp and ostentation as- oipouriistapeeS would admit: ih'fronfif^fjsthe
%ouse a* sip: ensign Waved, on which was em'bj'qid&rJdOthe.imperiai'cdtag.oh
of China, and at their gate were shkp&nded'WhipsJ-a-nd ^chaiBs^d'im^&Mng
the power which the owner possessed to inflict corporisl punishment. 1% .