Tong-choo- Vessels, shows that it could never-have beep intended
9'- — for human, jdr indeed any animal sacrifices,- as Has been
erroneously conjectured. '
While the gentlemen of the Embassy >were,,for the
last time, examining the temple an^yisiting.the city»,,of
Tong-chooToo; their attendants, Chinese and English:.,.
wérê?en^a|éd in preparing all things for embarkation.
The yachts were ready at the water side ; and the Embassador
had the satisfaction of observing^e? same care
and attention exerted in providing-for his accommodation
and that of his suite, down the river, which he had experienced
in ascending it. As the-presents made byShis
Imperial Majesty, were not of a nature cumbersome,
in the package, as those which had been brought;
to him, it took but little time to embaik the whole bag-
gage. in the proper vessels.' One ^pgssel was taken up
with the several parts,.taken asunder, of his Ex^flency’s
carriages. One of them was an elegant.'state chariot,
which, when he first understood that it was usual
make some offering to his Imperial Majesty|oii his own
behalf, he intended for that purpose; and he inserted it
accordingly in the list he delivered to the'mandarines.
Finding afterwards the, propriety of presenting something
with his own hands, he chose a pair of watches
enriched with diamonds. Thé chariot was, however,
already at Yuen-min-yuen, which when the Emperor
found out, .1®e sent back with a. civil message, as not
accepting'presents tiMce from any private hand. The
EmbassyMa-Sfmdt'-oîêfei'riëdpabdvë a -day at Ton^ohooi
- pgif. «The waters, indeed, of the Peivhd were already
fewvdnd fcontihuirig tordeeréaséj> In a.few daylimbhe,
they ^erejfUkelyjto. be ftoos shallow t& float the yachts:?
and it wouldobave been equally uncomFdrtéblertóïtr&Vel
by.^ndy or in.srtiall cfedpbö; Bbats.1 - \
The yachts/iSOW' u$ed, wereBF a .construction „a&dight
a Si possible, consistentlÿ'^vith .thé corivehiencë/of the pas-
i They had no' upper" ■ ran^§il®apartmeiits.’!.fbr
the people, and. admitted ver^'littLe 'MgglgBibilo.w the
%«p>j They were about .seventy Tee t^iMaength" and fifteen
jiff w-idth,t;flat-botto;mdd]iahdvdrawing scarcely ten
inèhejswatér. Nbt^th standing which, -they were drag-1
gp,d<byjînaih;is'trehgth. over sdmc’sh allows in the river,
on thfe ! second g day Kif" the Embassyis ^embarking ,órt it.
Beside tjhfe cause of the> -diminutiöüiiof thetriveivmen-
tioned in the>bbginnihg?-bf'ffhis cMpterjiahother not sd
c|pst|ht,r; é®ntributed id this -seksdni towards THfi
wéafhghhadlbeëii remarkably d ry for somemonthé pash
not above a shower or two had felled to supply the, loss
by.eyaporpion sinçèjthe, month of Jùlyât Fromthàfcpè-
riod'it,w,as taré tq,seeia\cloud. The tinte,of harvest? is so
little: subject herei to. rain,, that fheceorn . is, frequently
thrashedj- ör thg stravf.,separated from.the grain,upon an
open floor in the middllùof the, field in which it had
been reaped. The! thermometer of Fahrenheit, which in