pairs of ancient blue porcelain vases, a few volumes of manuscripts, and a table placed at one end of the hall, on which stood an old English chimney-clock, made in the seventeenth century."

It was at a place called Hae-tien, in the immediate vicinity of these gardens, that the strange scene occurred which terminated in the dismissal of the embassy of 1816. On his arrival there, about day. light in the morning, with the commissioners and a few other gentlemen, the ambassador was drawn to one of the Emperor's temporary residences by an invitation from Duke Ho, as he was called, the imperial relative charged with the conduct of the negotiations. After passing through an open court, where were assembled a vast number of mandarins in their dresses of ceremony, they were shown into a wretched room, and soon encompassed by a welldressed crowd, among whom were princes of the blood by dozens, wearing yellow girdles. With a childish and unmannerly curiosity, consistent enough with the idle and disorderly life which many of them are said to lead, they examined the persons and dress of the gentlemen without ceremony; while these, tired with their sleepless journey, and disgusted at the behaviour of the celestials, turned their backs upon them, and laid themselves down to rest. Duke Ho soon appeared, and surprised the ambassador by urging him to proceed directly to an audience of the Emperor, who was waiting for him. His Lordship in vain remonstrated that to-morrow had been fixed for the first audience, and that, tired and dusty as they all were at present, it would be worthy neither of the Emperor, nor himself, to wait on his Majesty in a manner so unprepared. He urged, too, that he was unwell, and required immediate rest. Duke Ho became more and more pressing, and at length

forgot himself so far as to grasp the ambassador's arm violently, and one of the others stepped up at the same time. His Lordship immediately shook them off, and the gentlemen crowded about him; while the highest indignation was expressed at such treatment, and a determined resolution to proceed to no audience this morning. The ambassador at length retired, with the appearance of satisfaction, on the part of Duke Ho, that the audience should take place to-morrow. There is every reason, however, to suppose that this person had been largely bribed by the heads of the Canton local government to frustrate the views of the embassy, and prevent an audience of the Emperor. The mission, at least, was on its way back in the afternoon of the same day.

The previous embassy of Lord Macartney, in 1793, attended the Emperor's court at Jě-ho (sometimes written Zhehol), or the hot-springs," at some distance north of the Great wall, in Manchow Tartary. The elevation of this place, at some thousand feet above the plain in which Peking is situated, renders it a cool summer retreat during the excessive heats which prevail at the capital. The gardens and residences of the Emperor, though considerable, are described as inferior in extent to those of Yuen-mingyuen. Still, however, the accommodation of such a suite as the Sovereign carries with him requires a town in itself. Peking, in fact, is chiefly supported throughout its vast bounds by the residence of the court and the supreme government. Being neither a seaport, nor a place naturally suited to inland trade and manufactures, it derives nearly its whole importance from being the dwelling-place of the "Son of Heaven."

His vast establishments are chiefly supported by the surplus revenue, both in money and stores, re

mitted by the way of the grand canal from the provinces. An imperial relative of the first rank receives, according to P. Serra,* 10,000 taëls annually from the exchequer, with a large allowance of rice, and as many as three hundred and more servants. As the multiplication of these expensive idlers would soon ruin the Government, their rank descends by one degree in each generation, until after five descents their heirs retain the simple privilege of wearing the yellow girdle, with a bare subsistence. From this degradation a few have been excepted by especial favour, as it happened to a grandson of Kien-loong, to whom that Emperor granted the first grade for ten lives. The expense to the state of a wâng of the first rank is about 60,000 taëls, or £20,000 annually, and this diminishes through the several grades down to the simple inheritors of the yellow girdle, who receive only three taëls a month, and two sacks of rice. But they are allowed 100 taëls when they marry, and 120 for a funeral; from which (says Serra) they take occasion to maltreat their wives, because, when they have killed one, they receive the allowance for her interment, as well as the dowry of the new wife, whom they take immediately! In 1825 appeared the following order from the Emperor :- "The wâng (or regulus) Chun shan has presented to us a petition, entreating our imperial favour in the advance of some years' salaries, wherewithal he may be enabled to repair the tombs of his family. We permit to be advanced to him the amount of his money allowances for ten years ensuing, and direct that his pay be annually deducted until the whole shall be repaid." This title of Wâng is the one by which the Chinese Emperor styles the King of England, whose representative (consistently enough * Royal Asiat. Trans. vol. iii.

with such a broad assumption) is expected to beat his head nine times against the ground, on being admitted to the presence of the universal Sovereign.

It is at Peking chiefly, and in its neighbourhood, that the privileges of Tartars, in contradistinction to Chinese, are most broadly marked, and most openly asserted. It must be sufficiently clear to a sagacious government, as that of the Manchows has always proved itself, that, being so enormously outnumbered by the original inhabitants of China, the wisest policy must be to display a tolerable partiality in the administration of the provinces, and especially the distant ones. An examination of the Chinese red-book gave the following results. Of the eight Viceroys, having each two provinces, or one of the largest, under his sway, there are no less than six Chinese; and of the fifteen Lieutenant-governors, ten are Chinese. On the other hand, the highest and most responsible military commands are always intrusted to Manchows. The probability is, that the genius of the Chinese is better adapted to fitting themselves for civil offices, the qualification for which is an adequate proficiency in that learning which is entirely founded on the ancient literature of the country; while, for military commands, the Manchows are not only more likely to prove faithful to the present dynasty, but at the same time are better suited by nature and education. In the neighbourhood of the capital, very distinct ideas of local claims and jurisdictions appear to be entertained by the Tartars. When Lord Macartney had passed just to the north of the Great wall, on his way to Je-ho, one of the attendants, who was a Tartar, having been ordered for punishment by a Chinese mandarin, immediately resisted with great vehemence, exclaiming against the authority of the latter on that side of the national barrier.

The strict system of police, by which such an immense population is kept in due order, is essentially the same through the different cities and towns of the empire. Its efficiency arises in a great measure from the principle of responsibility, which forms so marked a feature of Chinese rule, and is carried among them to an extent quite beyond our notions of equity. Every town is divided into tithings of ten houses, and these are combined into wards of one hundred; or, as the Chinese term it, " ten houses make a kea, ten kea make a paou," or hundred. The magistrate is responsible for his whole district, the hundreder and tithing-man each for his respective charge, and the householder for the conduct of his family. From this gradation of authority all strangers and foreigners are rigidly excluded. So summary is the mode in which the objects of the police are effected, that it is no light matter to be once in their hands. The Chinese emphatically express their sense of this unfortunate condition by the popular phrase, “The meat is on the chopping-block."

The gates of all Chinese towns are shut soon after it is dark, when the first watch is sounded by a huge bell, or drum, in some commanding station. At the end of every principal street is a strong barrier of timber, which is closed at the same time with the principal gates. These are only opened to such as can give a satisfactory reason for their being allowed to pass, or for being out at night; as, for instance, to call a midwife on a sudden emergency. Every one is expected to carry a lantern, and is punished for being found without it. When the particular watch of the night has been indicated by a certain number of strokes on the drum or bell at the principal station, this is answered by all the rest; and a police-soldier walks from one corps de garde to another, repeating the number of the watch (and thereby marking