Preparations largest and most commodious ships in their sexmesi
for the ® , / . . .
Embassy, under the command of an^experienced and .judteious
offideT, Captain Maekint osh, to-' carry* cmt those presents;
Mother with sueh perMns, belorigitfg^tOtfbej-Embassy^
as Could not he t'onvenientlyc-accommodated on board
the Lion. A smaller vessel was, <alsop provided asria
tender. Intelligence being frequently conveyedtifeojm
foreign portstib;lG5Mna, an- account dSrihesesprepar#ii|p.
could not fail of reaching it before the Embassador. tv
It became proper,htherefore, to take-raft» early op^ps-
tumity of announcing the Embassy, *..regul*arly&£.to $he‘
Chinese) government rlthus^securm^ tbehesffiessts ofisfet
impressions; lest, otherwise, the undertaking might,
through error or design, be made to assume: a_warlike ory
suspicious appearance, and the Embassador^arhegfpidh),
thereby; be- rendered<idubious: Threer „commissioners
had lately been selected by'the East. India Company,
among their most approved- servants,regfirlat&_ their
affairs at Canton. To these it was entrustedsto epm-nan-
nicate, there, with due solemnity* the intendedjhiission
of Lord Macartney, and to deliver adfetter^expressiye of'
this intention, from Sir Francis Baring, then Chairman
of the Court of Directors,» in so public a manner tf&t-he
Viceroy of Canton, as M, prevent the possibility .of its
being kept from the knowledge of the Emperor, if such
should be the Viceroy s inclination.
In this letter Sir Francis stated that, “ his most graheard
? that it had b&ni£s» pr^ ^ ons
‘.‘;pected his' sufgraefs,g settled^ , Canton, should have
Ws&nt',a^depuTtat»ht?.Mi%hie eo%rt<c$.'Pekin, intorder.to
‘ congrkthlate^^&t^^pjiperof« oh--rMisc-- entering, linto'i die
^eightieth* j-yeariof his fBg|; bufe that sueh deputation had
4‘prio.t been immediatfelysidiap.ateihed^ 'expressedhgreat
'fi dispIeasHre^thereafe-;. and,',beiri^^#iteus of cultivating'
Irkheisftiendihip ofKthdiEmperor^ofjjCMu^ and^df ,im-
“ >pr@ving iHe,'Gon®e’etmfo4iiuMrGQurse;iaa^^^Q,d(eoEres-
^pxondc nc 0 , between the co'uEfe^of London! ,an>d, Pekin,
Jit-rid: of inoreasirigi.aridi e ^ te n d ip ^ ^ '^ e ti^m eF c e lb e -
‘Mwe-en their ,-i^jSpeQfavrisubjept4%j;hacl‘r-EeipiYedS$(:^^Pn(i
‘1 .hisiEWollHbeKve^e^usijxs anA^purisell^r .Lord. Macart-
,.Vm’ey,^a nohlemau'ipfigreajbxirtiao-jf wisdom, and ability,
4 ^ s.‘ his Embassadpr^ExIjraordinary' and Plenipotentiary
“ to thevEmperor of China, to represent his\pei$ong, and
“ to express, in the strongest terms, the satisfaction hdE
iV should- feellifrihis' mark-of his' attention and regard
“ should-&erV0|as} a foundation to ^iabHsh-aipfjpftpal
“ harriionyp arid’salliangf^between them,; and, that'the
“ Embassador, with his*.attendants, should soon set out
^ffupon' tfi'ervoyage; and-,- haviftgr#y&al jp|eseptS/s fpr
,‘S the) Emperor, front; his Britannic Maje§ty-,f?which,
i ‘rfrom thei^size$. and nitqfy’pf mechanism) cpuldjnot
„V be -.cohy^ed/ through? they-Jnterior .of China, to so
,r.great a distances as-from,Canton to Pekin, without the
“ risk of damage;-he should proce e ^ directly^ in one of