456 EMBASSY TO CHIÏSLA.
Jsduriieyto
Gan torn but the Viceroy chose Eh a t there should be no sort of difference
between them i say irig, that ‘ ‘*|.uch a distinction
41 would be, more discreditable to him than to the Em-
- ‘/hassador.”
The number of craft of all kinds on the part of the
river near the city was immense; but they were all c®n-
ducted without confusion. 'The watermen were unconi-,
mouly expert, and it was not unusual 4ff-^g^aj.dwge boat
entirely mai^gfd by ope man, who rowed, sailed, steered,
and smoked his pipe at theisame time. He held
the sheetittr strong rope belonging to the sail withriSne
hand, he steered the boat with the other, and with his
foot Be pulled an oar, which he feathered-at: every stroke
as neatly as could be done by the hand., A strongs fex-
ample of economy of time and labour, as delineated hi
Elate 4£;;p'f the £ol|&ypJume.
b A brisk axuijavourable breeze enabled the barges to
make no inconsiderable progress, against the current of
the river for some time without tbe aid o f trackers. The
Embassy passed by a military post, neas which were displayed
about a dozeniron guns, from two to four pounders,
of a clumsy and heavy make; the thickness of the
metal at the mouth being equal to the bore of thesgun.
They seemed scarcely fit for service, tho preserved at
that time with great care, each under a wooden roof. -
The river became soon contracted, and was-carried
through a defile formed between ranges of high hills,
EMBASSY TO CHINA. 457
whose sides? wire-indented bydeep>-gkhsi ‘separated from
èafelf%>h-if by hairow and parallel jridtgestof naked rock.
A chain of^gïaTfïth^fil&untains begins, .'indeed,- at Han-
choo-fob, "with*a-diieefei'örttto the* southward. Thé/gates
and pavement? of--the ëitj^feeformed of granite taken
frbmnhMÈê>a^^{Sm>aM^»ttóKenipg(®allies- were rich-
lytc öltivbtfdvand' highly pidtifoesquea jiThbjsucceedmg
§n"Éfet?èxhibke'cbtheV(Eaiati;®stÉa®Én<extfenisive:.plai-n5richly
and va*rib»5fekytiMltivatfed on one* side of theiriKter, and on
the ©th($r# mountains?,' risingfisuddenlyiTom the maëèfc
and a-ppaS&My ■ hi|*hi®ft th ajp any' in- Great 'Britain. Thé.
lat’gddêafed chesnu^andpufple-leafod^hllo5wiït»eê,Igféw
inr*greafcbèndanee^afediweEe:opposed}tOft>hefdeep’gEe'en
of^hy-toWCringlarch, and th ei&hiningkavestpijtbe thick
and spffea^ifiïga öamphoFfitree; y o i|o ^ i|r ia te o f which
h'Sfré$4e'ëk alreadyimeiatipjilèt®f %^'gro-fying in.
tanic' !.gardens?at < Batavia/ It. is;;the onl^pjteies?
laüréf geönsfgrö wingiid^flhaha, Sand «is tlj«^era-.[3prge ^nd,
valuable timber tree/ 'I t is used*inf th'elbestebuildihgs?of
éVëiy kindpatie^eltólstf«Mmasts .of-vessels;->,andfbéarjs:'too
Mghtatptkè to allow iof/any .-parfeiexcept, th.éebrariphes
bëing^GÜb’up for-the safe of thejdrug,-called-.afeo- eaUi-
phorpwhich i©affords/^Th is 'iubstan-fced-s obtained teiïhër
bylboiliftg the branches,vtv4gs,l?yn.ê 1-eayg^ifii water*
up'öü-th ^surface *o# which itrisrfbund swimming, in the«
form of an o il; on adhering, in a, glutinous - form; ‘to n
wööden ïod with which the boiling matteris constantly
V’GL v I I . 3 I