EMBASSY « ■ « «
liquor^ y b u t prirtcip'all^ito fruit an^^weetmeatsr-which
thus may'be justly < termed' 1 refreshments-; In fewls'f
which are^genfeally useebin China dnstea’d-'of^dishes, alternate
layers were'placed;of ice, tdgethekwith kernels of
apricots »and walnuts, or the seeds and slices of the hairy
root of the KetPwha, or nymphaa^ nelumbo; p ro b ab l^ tte
lotus: of the ^E g y p tia n sm idw ife frequently presented
to the7 Ernhassadpr and his'suite at breaKfasifS^’given fby
some of the principal mandarinssf&l
Thq tea-’ be the'general beYeiSgSaohall- the Gmries'e|
tho they drink it between riieSfs,'- afld'qjresehiMtfeto ’tfeeir
guests oh visits at all hours, yet- stihw^^ntBpatticul'aily
spirituousTirquors are sometimes .relished' b y ’ the:m?cs|fe-
cially in the northern provinces. ’ When tliGt company
begins to' be exhilarated, and ^ome of -thertpSrtyKarfe %te£
sirous of retiring, the same compulsoiy dev<kJsdaieid'oft
scribed to be practised for prevehtingltheffi'rdepartufef
or ’reililing them, if already goingdaway;. affeaye:soiaalefe
times been used on similar occasions of conviviafetherri-
ment in Europe.'
As to eating, the mandarines did indulge^feslashyetr.
in habits of luxury. They ate severaft hmealssiheateH
day, of animal food highly? seasoned ;deach meal-,con-,
sisting of?several courses. T h e y employed part of their
intervals of leisure in smoking tobacco mixed with odorous
substances, and sometimes a little opium,; or in
chewing the arelw nut. Tho books of entertainment,
such as h isti^ ’es',' plays^ and novels, abound in China*
reading'^vhsfinot the n ^ f^ e omefeG^Universah an amuse-
mbnljda^l isf rioivi in ^ k ’th^s,p^abn4^Pa^t^ljPfir-P'UrQ.pe"
Se;^^^any;gra^ifica|dd|iS^f 'the.Jjnses^ rather-, thai^ege^
, ^ ^ ' ° f the Irn ^ ^ o r plyasu-rc-s^o,! t>ho|mmd sepned to hp
|h ^ iT)rincijpafarth^ ^ ^ » f 'in yllfcfffot hquisteA
V a n , T ^ h ir i^
Pj^Sd^nueJh; _tirr\e in ,lh%dt|n]^s$ador
and Mfegfentlemofe-of»the,-Embassw..jwith the W m S sB
oftjiv in.tei pul^rs.i dixcIamiestas kt d. lrult ctf le^cr
q ^ stio nM i^n t b ^ y ^ ^ e ; ; ^ ; Thf-Chinese ^ eiperhaps
of anV peeplep, the|.mest-.-^£-ex-t -ii^ th§hm|rjosit.yabput
l l r i IAL%ls c«mingy dgnjji^gst, 11 u$n ; u f# ^ if tg ^ ^ g h t'.s o !
'Canton. But aihgut^h^teanhfaj|J|ghf■«1 \qh,
^ ^ |n e rs -,ti^ e ^ |f^ ^ jr^ in d fffo re n t. They-haye been
a^ i if e in . the .habit i ^ s onhnfeg their klg^’s?jh)j.ln.'ir owjp
^ f e i R t r y l e g i ^ g Np £j!hi-
^tggj^vpr thinks of quitting Jiteex^ept ^.feyy; of desnemfo
foituntfes£icsiding ndm;the];sea^>ast, or;oh|eafaring men,
whoyform g §Wf||apart, in?gjj||tjt?n ^ |u rf e irom sogifty.
E'Ye^ f e rej g.m Icommodide^lsfeumed in China remind
them onlj|p&fsCan|cyr, from w ^ ^ f ^ ^ ^ J B p ^ P i e m as
if prddu§e^in«J| Rggipns#oi^fc ot Asidj aie^sgp c el\ mentioned
in.their'bo*olgs0pit n ^ g c d fM j^uduclastotled maps-.
T^beyhave, indeed , som^ ^ id descript ion is qj Hindostan;
and the ^ame story is. mentioned, hy^Chinese'fy iiteijg)
whicbfig inserted; in the. Abbe RaynS« relation of bqth
the Indies. The stpry^rglatesdR a district in Hindostan,.
Passage up
the Pei-ho.