Directory_and_Chronicle_1841 — Page 535

518

Six Months with the Chinese Expedition.

SEP.

extraordinary thing in this visit, that everything was apparently done by mandarins-none of their servants being admitted. The meal consisted of numerous little plates, piled one upon the other, contain- ing birds'-nest soup, sea-slugs, sharks' fins, hard-boiled eggs, whose iuteriors were far advanced to chickenhood, and dressed fish; these were the greatest delicacies. This is but a small portion of the supply; for at the table where I had the honor to partake of the good fare, there were no less than_thirty of these little saucers. These break- fasts were spread in the different tents, and each was intended to stay the ravenous appetites of five barbarians. So afraid were the mandarins of our seeing their weakness, that they had not only plac- ed the before-inentioned screen around their encampment, but had thrown up a mud embankment, which, however, failed in its inten- tion; for, although we were soon brought back by the watchful guards, we managed to get a glance of the forbidden land. The forts had been repaired since our last visit, and were now crowded with soldiers; a few outworks had been thrown up, but they were ex- tremely paltry, and indeed the whole thing, as a military position, was quite ludicrous. With two six-pounders and a couple of hun- dred marines, they might have been ours at any moment. We were, nevertheless, much struck at the immense bodily strength and power of these northeru Chinese, particularly of the men who were employ- ed tracking the boats upon the river; who, although seemingly a wretched class, more like beasts of burden than human beings, are possessed of such physical powers, that six or eight of them will drag against the stream, and with apparent ease, a boat of considerable tonnage. In the course of the day some of the Tartar body-guards went through the sword exercise and other mauœuvres for our amuse- ment. These, consisting rather in grotesque antics and ludicrous faces than in the use of the weapon itself, are supposed to be as ef- fective in frightening an antagonist, whilst, for the same reason, many of the troops we saw farther to the south at Chusan and Ning- po, wore a tiger uniform, a dress cut and painted to resemble that animal. These Tartars were dressed in a white cotton garb and black cap, and their weapons were swords and matchlocks, or bows and arrows. They were considered the élite of the Chinese troops belonging to the emperor's body-guard, and believed to descend from the same tribe as the sovereign himself. After a conference of six hours, during which period the loud voices of the plenipotentiaries in high argument had often struck upon our ears, the British plenipo- tentiary came forth, and the rest of the party having performed thej'