Visit 'to 'iÜfc
Emperor*s
court. ...
whiéh Is about two hundred feet. It differs from etffiy
Other Chinese building; the outside Ye®f much ïfesejfcb
bling the froftt o f an European edifice. It whs of great
height, containing eleven rows of windows, iaAplying as
many stories, arranges of apartments, oneabove another.
The ’front was handsome and well finishedi bust plain
and uniform. The plate, No. 2«i'©f the folio volume,
contain s ft • plan, section, and elevation of P o ó ^ ta d a and
p&kte 27, is a’view ’of it, and of the town of Zhediol,
taken-from a hill in the E mperor’s park- Th e square, or
Jfiinbipal 'building o f Boo^ta-la, include^ai qnadrkngffé,
in thé centre o f which is the golden chapel, so-termed
from the materials in which it, apparently at feast,
abounds. A^spacious corridor below; and open' galleries
above, connected the apartments o f the quadrangle.'' In
the middle of the chapel there was h space railed off,
and elevated aboverhe; floor, presenting three altars richly
adorned, and ttyee feolossal statues ofoTo,dffs.wife,
and child. Behind these altars,dn a daik reèdss,was:the
Sacred1 tabernacle, dimly lighted by a solitary lamp, as if
-meant Co Inspire religious horror. As: the strangers approached,
the curtain, part of which had< been drawn
-aside, Was closed, to shut out the shrine from the curiosity
of the profane. They immediately^ ascended to' the
: top o f the5chapel,’ to see the roof and broad projection
covered with plates; whiefeas well as the statues on the
altars below, were said to be of solid gold. No expence
seemedi;andeed1i;tffiH»3B6gfeeen,;s|fereddn the construction
and decorati?B.Mof.thisjtempleiiyy6ghfc» EhrperccB!,', who, in
ether udspedts-, was, rah tv Considered] as! p fo b ^ d T h e rd
wene-lrietffeker.’ than eight .‘hundred lamas attached [t&
Bod- ta | la'jjj ilj bl@ yiait'or^tfeund manp'ofcthemi sittings cro$si
legged .in,rows upon ,t;he chapel.floor ,tsifg y g in ddow
k?ey frdm papers, am .which;were feW5eo1lu>m^.^®6jfifeat
Writing in the’<Tprtar languages Some .wefe-fbdxisejbrtfted
to Abe teraplb from . thefenfeild hood.- A ll WOrafemploy Od
in.-the performance of the :extea»ior deremonafes .ofTpsLigioir,
and conlributed, no doubfc,"to its magni&ense^ blit few
of them were described as having! .either by ,th~eislrict-
hess of their conduct, .or tfep superiority wf fheir^educar
t ion, acquired t h at influ'e Uee overI tjh emu 1 titii de ,* w h l ch
might ibe made subservient to bhejifnaintenance fbfjthe
<pea:ceandgoddorderidf,sbtneiy-j3thus]fulfillinglheciyii;Qr
tempqral purposes o|^eligious?institutionsc ' Ipwcrairir
dfied. riot idifficult * tol account dostlyl devotionjsf
the Emperor towards JT®$f «an; the tsnippOption,. which: was
credited by some about Ihlmvi :tha6^fiomak{e^templatit^
qf< the tgieat#3eiigth! ddd tiuitparadfeled^ s|h®Sp^£ty!dQf his
reign^ hu hadigiaduallytbroiigBt himself to imagine, "that
his favourite deitydiad vouchsafed) to hebotrredncarnate
in his person. Enthusiasm, I t is^true, jsfohemknoWn to
accompany fke mosffehibihg lAenfs.s-| A^ffifefovebimay;be
ffie ground .foraattfibutii^(feKthi®^ctii^p®iadeftso whim-
sical a fanicyphe hasicebtdinily displa|4d much vigour and
VEi§^it^; e>jrt(q) rt’hs e* GgUj^k,