1842.
Sketches of China.
89
eastern gate towards midnight. But what was the disappointment and in- dignation of the whole party, when the cavalcade, instead of entering the gate, turned sharp round to the right, and began skirting the city wall on the outside! I was excessively irritated at this moment by the obtrusive curiosi- ty of the people, who had provided themselves with multitudes of little paper lanterns, some of which were thrust forward very unceremoniously towards our persons. I was at length obliged to seize one or two of these and put them out, after which the annoyance in some degree ceased. The crowd, as might be expected, were by no means so orderly as at Tientsin, but partook of the licentious and blackguard character of the rabble of a great capital. The soldiers, however, treated them very cavalierly, and made good use of their staves, whips, and sheathed swords-
4
With many a stiff thwack, many a bang,
Stout crab-tree and old iron rang.'
After a tedious passage round the north side of Peking, we reached one of the western gates, and came upon the high road to Yuenming yuen. The distance was quite inconsiderable, but our average progress was a foot pace, and day began to dawn before we had attained our destination. During the darkness I and several others were separated from the embassador and com- missioners; but after a wretched night we were glad to find ourselves about daybreak at Háuien, close to Yuenming yuen, in the extensive range of buildings intended for our residence.
August 29th.-On issuing from my Scythian plaustrum, more dead than alive, I found two of the gentlemen of the embassy pacing up and down in the open court or inclosure before the building, while a number of mandarins were staring at them. Some of these at length showed us the range of apartments destined for us, and, tired with the night's journey, we threw ourselves down to sleep, as it happened, in the embassador's room. We were presently, however, awakened by the arrival of his lordship, accompanied by a number of the suite, and listened with surprise to the history of their most unexpected adventures at the emperor's palace. It had evidently been the intention of the mandarins to separate as many of the party as possible from the einbassador and the commissioners, in order to effect what now, for the first time, appeared to be the object of hurrying us forward during the whole night. The carriage was conducted beyond Haitien to the immediate vicinity of the imperial residence, and, as soon as it stopped, (which was be- fore five o'clock in the morning,) Kwáng tájin made his appearance and requested the inmates to alight. The embassador naturally desired to be conducted to his hotel, or lodging; but, to the astonishment of all the English assembled, several of whom had by this time collected round the carriage, the mandarins very earnestly urged their immediately proceeding, for a short time, to a conference with duke Ho. The party then were conducted to an apartment on the other side of the court before which the carriage had stop- ped. Here the whole truth broke upon them at once.
From the great number of mandarins in their full dresses of ceremony, including princes of
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