twosjtai'or memberstmet me at the threshold1 of-therr habitation, apologized
for (the- unavoidable ab£,eneefcfo£#he chief personage, and introduced me
into a hall, the walls of which'were concealed by screens-ofesilk, and the
chairsihovered wifhdoose pieces of satin; this - interview was gendered
more interesting-than the-former, by a spontaneous- questionin' the part
o f the'seaior Chinese, to know whether I had heard of the safe .arrival of
Iiord Macartney in England. His lordship haying feft Chipa. only ,the pre-;
ceding year, it was not possible to have had accounts of -his.reaching Eng?
land/and the issue of his lordship’s negotfations was atSjat-time wholly unknown
; consequently, being unacquainted both with-'-the objects and event
of that splendid mission, I felt-myself rather on -delicate- ground, inregard-to
the enquiries which I, on my part, wished to make. In oidefttpjdrav? sopte
conclusion from their discourse, I encouraged them tb'ipurstiif tjie.itopi;^. by
asking how his lordship’s health had home the viys'snudc?- oi climate';
they replied that they only knew-of the embassy'from repo-rtf and"seemed
reluctant to enterfjnto particulars, with which, it is «probable, they
were entirely-unacquainted; I did not, therefore, press, the subject farther
; but I was not suffered to remain long in doubt what thciri|sntiments
were. Chinese vanity scarcely yields to that of tjae- E i r th a if s ir f ^ ^ a s an
opportunity, by exaggeration and misrepresentation, of indulging then own
pride a t the expence o f the English nation, which, in the accounts cn ciliated
by them at Ummerapbora respecting the embassy to China, they did
not neglect. They treated us with tea and sweetmeats, and smoked their
long pipes with unrelaxed solemnity. I repaid-their civilities by giving
them some broad-cloth and brandy, and took-my leave.
. The alterations in my own dwelling, which I -had suggested,' were
quickly carried into effect, and by an order from the Lotoo or grand
council; a-.sma1)“ uldition d ^ ^ b T i g ^ t y . square form, and raised from the
■ p r d , v'.-ni ■ the; re,G®pifjp|j o f
th e ^ pC 'n ts inV iu P ^ 'iQ lh iyX rH lc sn ^ ly 'is g n en to understand that.
ll^ p ljiM in g was meant! as.n^m|KiKbB#4 ^ h a t tl^y^Hpti^t^proper.to
te r® a^p'flg.'thernseUes,t tilbuuvfrom-ihc King ot 1 ngland: bu #as>no
suchcarifo^ants assumptifeiSVaS eq ^b l'io ly -p rp fe s-sed , lkS^]|ld ^ptet’akfe
notice of mere rumour-:; i t wasr 'ho.wdvjer^ri'vaiely'hitim.ated'.^pimL. that
keeping 0111 tenis «puahtd swo1ildlvdbi,consultrrefJvb>')BhcJtftiiEt m the 'light
?of a. reflecticmi4d'ief^dt^feapitfili-ty;i^d»%n---inferpnce;vwould^b|.)driWn
horn it, tlAi-’-nt n a e$d ^ c o n te n te d itlv J jln ^ l^ u T n p n ^ I imitiGdi itely
'Ajdcrcd tlie rnarqmesio-hsdsLruek, nothing being iartiicr fiomjn^f,intend
fioft, than to. giyfi'pmbrage,-or^ipirgssj:diSsatisfactionfor whithjftd.eedy-.in
'the prqgepf ins^p^feq.^gStscpfteiplyjsB^grpvpds.aj..
inte^v-ab ttfaat-.ekpsedi between ;the. timg of huriatyfftal m ffrohiesrg?
'pporaj !;aftd).of;our. ferjnal introduction' it. qourt, - agprded» us; leisure- ;ta
acquire some insjght Jptp the;custpms:,-refigi9iiMfpnet§,.ao(l,ino,raf,ep0§pp;yt
qf;:the Birman nation, lnsti ad. -oliciefoie, of lilliaig. upclhcfolusm by jail
unimportant, -vybifih t hg-act?:of - o n e r , e d but jittleyfrqm
"tijose of ^the^precedingj, l/shsU* dedicate a few pages4 %Ja fnorftgenqialfaO1
- count. o f the.cpunt^yyapdjend-eavour, as fat *as ,0111 owmcnpuinscribed
observation, apdsfhe-tf jufpnpatiqn.pf other? fenftbled., u s ' f - jjljjst-rgte the
-character of this people from their manners, ap4ifk^&4a't6..9,^9^ptye^°n\
thejprogress wliich the arts had .made, and from, the usages of the inhabitants
in common life. '