Mao? Ever)? morning he received fc message, to know wbethef
h©®h«se tugo, Aat Sjay fo f k k e i t y . * :
The/different machines and instruments being, at
length, mounted and put in proper order, and, -together
withother presents, arranged totfebest advantage, ihdiff-
ferent parts of the hall of audience-, and on bbth tidies of
the throne, every-persoinbelonging tothe Embassy, ’then
agt Yuem-minr-yuen, was ready ;$a;3retumi from tefaiemfces'
when it occurred to the principal eunuch bfthatpalace,
to;declaw ±hatan ordferwasi eomer^iom thfe 'Emperor <6@
chapge the disposition of tbepaieserrfs, aind to plaeethem
all at one end. of the hall of audience, ‘ ‘ the this- Imperial’
“ Majesty might be able to view them from the-throne,
“ without being "at the trouble oftiirnsmg ’his bead.”
Such was the motive-alleged for this: new arrangement.
On account of. which, as a matter oil'importance, The
ustel custom of suspending all kinds of work abont any
of the palaces, for three days before,. arid three idays
afie^^the Emperorsfbirthday, was ordered! tO)be?dis|iEn-
sedwith.
Very shortly after, the Embassadors* return to;Pekin,
the Emperor;s. approach, to Yuen-minryuen wasj announced,
with an intimation to his Excellency , that it
would be expectedras the usual etiquette,- that He should
go some miles ;upon the road to,meet his Imperial Ma-
jesty. The Embassador was at this time considerably
indisposed with the rheumatism, which indeed haddre-
^i«n,dy iiorm^Ptfe<ktlaa m sift.ee his arrival in 'China. The
mandarines,, whopEgeeLyed how much his Excellency
suffered a tTte fimH' -and- hdw litri6 :qUalilfied>lhe .was to
make any .unusual'exertion,s proposed to-him, in order
.to diyideThe fhiguenfhtbe journey;, tobe&out the-evening
prey ions to thd Emperor :sfexpsctedr dxdtv^lvdndstb
(deep that might at his pld vviUanjiear^Y:ueBAiMh%yum^-
•from .whence! he would haye&hutj a -little why$:®ggp4 next
morning.' This plan rendered' 'itpracticable for the Embassador
ito pay the intended ‘-compliment. •.He'-jaGGQrfl»-
ingly, withhis; usual suite,of^nglish and-Ghisnelfe^slept
at,thcivj|lla the; following night. The riextrmbtoing, iafltl
w-mpumddwbefore the risingofth&surig They'wem*
tafottgra^rbad;, parallel to -that which' was^excluMvityifei--
tendedifor sthe Emperbrsius©. A shalloWA'itch divided
fheitwojroads. iBoth*w.ere iihimihated,by*variegated -lanterns,
,each suspended^byithe.junction of -three poles
fixed triangularly into the ground. The party - arrived
y hlilti. twh hnuts. ait -the .p/lace/of{geoeraliiendez^us.
.They {were conducted into a.spacipus saloon, -where;refreshments
were provided ; after partaking/.of which,
-they..proceeded-ito the spot wKbre gEe.EmpSeror. was to
pass, and could «fc^rvie -:dus:ijnaFk..®f*.ithek respectful
attention. Theif station1 was'upon agr£eiss bank to fchfe
left .of the mad. Qn each side of them, werejaftainltkude
■ of mandarines, guards, and/standard-.bearers ; manybf
the; latter had their standards knifed'and laid across the
Pekin.