•Emperor alone, from every point, pf his wide' dominions',
with a celerity scarce!^ exceeded'eyen by the latest im-
provements-sof that kind in Europe. Dispatchedoarej
in one day^ carried oneshundred andiftfty ipilesf.
messengers- are employed for the ordinary ^purposes of
government, and the meofthse-mandarines. Ehese^ai«
charged "sometimes, through particular fayowEV with the
packets of individuals. But the provident attention o f
the Chinese government preserves'carefully the eWdu-
sive radvantage of giving ■ informatian^ta-,?0r?wi.tUh'dldt-
as i t may deem expedient, from, the body fjjfe the
people, j
jThe letterSi broTight-isecretly to the, Embasshdor were
from onetof the.-principal.vmissionarife;sfof Pekin, whose
attention appeajred.not to>be>confinedteepiri^uahaffairsl
In the first of- these letters-,-datedtat Pekin, rthe^seventh
of May, 1 the writer ihformsT his ; Excellency-; that
“ the account of the„intended Embassy had re’acbed the
“ Emperor on the third of theopreceding --DefceniHer>
that he shewed marks of great satisfaction at the ihtel1
and -gave immediate: orders Tthaththe-p'ortcof
“ Tien-sing should beopen for the-reception of th© ves-;
ff ?sels 3 employed iteponijthe o c c a sio n th a t heo(ttae>fefej
s& writerwdsi happyat, t-h® rfeport heihad that day^beard
‘‘-(which, howeveriwas prexhatelej o^^his Excellences
‘‘■approach to Ti'en-.sirig jrand begged to:assure, him of
“ his personal respects, and of his deter minationto exeiWcufe'
the promise he had given to Messieurs, Cox and PM^eup
“ Miemp afeCantons that Ihwouldr?embraces with' zeal - —
.O-jeyeryjopporfeu’nity thati-shoUld offer JofUrenderingi ser-
“ vijop^tb thefEn^lisfo; Cb.tnpbny'cn^fiation; that upon
“ t-hfo first acfco-uapit-of an English Embassy he had taken
j/'paiiisLto prepsarefm^n’sfmindsf'vas much ’^kirdhirnday,,
‘‘ and pot, heisHoped, !unpyofit>aiblyi Jbr!it-s|favourabltaire-
‘/‘J-Ceplion ;n and th at fcp ishauldyb^rfeadyl, during* his Ex-
jJccellfencyrs, stay, toi rendernhim all- therSs@EVice:iin his
In thefs.eiondfetter Aom thetegane!person, datecbthe
sixjth o f Aiagnstta^few days! onl-yfefoie- kbecepp-pfeion of it,
he actjuainthdjt'he Embassador that?-?t; the: Cbines.e:governi
“ ment had appoinfed.a Portugal fese> missionary'(whom
“ he^namedjdto holdfEimself in'feajdihesisjtXg© f®-Zhe^
‘ ‘ holj inforder .totperformf thd officelfeherejofi interpreter
rj ^ 0i£thes E mb as styjyand 4ft%guidef«the, Embassador in all
il 'm'Hfeers - o-fffejy^OMy^ind^tfifeeif that th e (t{the * letter
‘‘ writers) jth’ough t 1 it^riJlitj *loop ufc !>hi# .E-X'oe fl enjg y .tipon
“ his » guard, (againstvsfche >ev^^Jfispositihir< antis adverse
‘ Vde.signW towards ?thef,-Engli^h nation 4 ^ thmpterson so
11 appointed; and vs^h(^e^c4nr%«irsations had-alreadyrbe-
‘I rfilyed how- iniihical herwMs 'to* the the. pre-
‘}‘3§enj);EmbaSs'y ;( tHafeftf>;\1jhfe^o|uirl hadwfe^^iat Pekin,
“ «he (<tht letter« writ-ti:)>sh©'uld hqpfh'4ovpi8evail infObun-
;‘>itpra'e|spg“*the iinjurious im^Iessionsh^hiphcthe rash
“ arid ill-founded discourses ©flthe intended, interpreter