Thieicentinel obeyed, and admission being demanded by
tfee travellers, he jnetohded that th e goverhot of the city
had the keys. As it Wats not neat the usual hbur e f shut«-
ting the ligates at night* the mahdiUine’s order, when
bommunicatod to the offieebs within side, oceaisioffled
seine confusion 5 and a part o f the numerous garrison
vra4 4 uitk lj finder arms. The noise ioun reached;:th|$.
ears of Van-ta-Zhin, who laughed hfiartily at the idea
of ihiefi-EwglishhLeh ereatiiig afi alarm in oa^fiEthe
largest and strongest cities ofthe ChineSe^enapdre/ ;Ls
The party goingto Chu-san being the fewest in nfim-
ber, and the sootiest ready, took their leavfeof the others
on the thirteenth of November* r? 9 I^wThey had at their
head the respectable Sun-ta-Zhifi, who bisfra?.iprdisif
farewell to the Embassador and his th ief coihpaniobs.
His conduct, indeed, from the time of his fif^t knowledge
of them at Zhe-hol* was constantly so kind towards
them, and his representations concerning ^thefti were
of sb much weight with his Imperial Mijesiyythat had
thlff Embassy happened to be put under his ca%-|nsfcead
of that of the Legate, at their first entf artce into China;
with the charge of corresponding with thegpvernmerit
respecting them, it is highly probable that the Embassador
would have met with little difficulty either in,the
objects of his mission, or in thfe duration of it.
Sun-ta-Zhin was attentive likewise to the party how
under his protection. Finding that the barges on which
Colonel Benson, CaptainMackintosh, and the other gentlemen,'
were carried on a-small canalrdurihgOthd'.’firSt
day’s journey, were inSconvenient, hetook cafre«that they
should be accommodatedcimich bett-erjafterwardsr«! In
their'first day;s-.<epurse, they passed . through a^cham-
paign: country, of which the fi el is? wfetofasi chi y and conf-
pletely.ouhivalted.yCaptain Mackintosh “ cdmpafes them
.“ 'to the garder^groiinds near London, and-fHbught them
“ if possible moire.’ fertile; with much Ids«’ mixture.of
“ land lying unemployed., Hekfobsebved,x>imstead; sof a
“ quarry below .the!soil, atsol^hill olrfbhk three hun-
“Mred feet; at least,'in height; whJc-hwoS'hewn into plain
■‘rfiMdes or faces, from whenc^sveam*out stonedsor blocks
“ ofanyshapedrsrze. This stupendous: rock was in the
-“ ’’neighbourhood of adaigfejcity^towhds'e^best buildings
“ it must haVe^no’ doubt,Silintributed1. "instead tais&df
** turning arches far-some of the bridges thereabouts; up-
“ right GolUmns wereietected, and ■ connected, by stones
“ from this superterrene quarry;" spine -of/wh^ah were
“ thirty feet in length jM-he; uprights of otheisi#ge stone
“ buildings were also- carried, from. thenbedio.1 different
places.”
Among the instill ces of theipe‘eiiliar\attention of the
Chinese to leave not the'smallest spot of grouii|p unoc-
cupiedkthat can be applied#’' to a n y usey Captain Mackintosh
observes, “ that thergrape- vin%|vast quantities
“ of which were produced in this country for food, tho Hi
.Journey to
Chu-san.
VOL. r r .