vegetable market. -Visit to the Braganza shore. -Sugar Loaf Mountain. Musical instrument of the negro slaves. -Importation of slaves. -Remarks on the slave trade. -Second visit to the Sugar Loaf Mountain. -Scenery of the mountain. -Visit to the Botanic Garden. -Cultivation of the Tea-plant. -Its preparation. -Plants cultivated in the Botanic Garden. -Ipecacuanha plants of the Brazils and of New Spain. -Fire-flies. -Islands in the harbour. -Their geological structure. -Fruits. -General remarks

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... its inhabitants. -Stacks of salt. -Approach to Tien-sing. -Appearance of the people. -Arrival at Tien-sing. -Description of the city. -Hall of audience described. -The screen. -Mandarins. -Performance of the ceremony discussed. -In what manner performed. -Chinese feast. -Play. -Presents to the gentlemen of the Embassy. -Chinese salutation. -Ice. -Plants of Tien-sing. -Chinese houses. Villages. -Visit to a Chinese Colonel. -Chinese encampment. -Soldiers. -Arrival at Tung-chow Page 58 CHAPTER IV. Tung-chow. -Ho, brother-in-law to the Emperor. -Muh, president of the Le-poo. -Ambassador and suite visit the Commissioners. -Chinese carts. -Roads. -Interview at Tung-chow. -Interior of the city, its walls, gates. -Note from the Ambassador to the Duke. -The Duke visits the Ambassador. -Preparation to leave Tung-chow. Description of Chinese carts and horses. -Litters for the sick. -Journey to Yuen-minyuen. -Bridge. -Road to Pekin. -Halting place. -Refreshment. -Distress of the sick. -Suburbs of Pekin. -Yuen-min-yuen. -Scenery. -Nelumbo. -Ambassador's carriage stopped by Mandarins. -Soo-tagin. -Quang. -Ambassador urged to enter the Imperial Palace. -Enters. -Description of the apartments. -Ambassador urged to enter the Imperial presence. -Refuses. -Is insulted. -Mandarins' solicitations. -Brutality. -Ambassador quits the Palace. -Reaches the quarters prepared for the Embassy. -Visited by the Emperor's Physician. -Haiteen. -Breakfast. -Prepares to return to Tung-chow. -Message from the Governor of Pekin. -Humane conduct of a Chinese. -Application on behalf of the sick. -Departure from Yuen-min-yuen. Pekin. -Its walls. -Arrival of the Embassy at Tung-chow. -Joy expressed by the boatmen at our return. -One of the Ambassador's servants nearly killed. -Emperor deceived by his ministers. -Arrival of Soo and Quang. -Presents from the Emperor CONTENTS. xiii to the Prince Regent. -Selection of presents for the Emperor. -Mandarins disgraced. -Remarks on Tung-chow and its environs. -Cheating propensity of the Chinese. convent inhabited by a native priest. -Description of convent and its inhabitants. -Hot springs. -Temperature. -Vapour baths. -Hot stream. -Sonnerat's statement. -Woods. -Trees. -Plants. -Cordage plant. -The nippis. -Arrival of the Ambassador at Los Bagnos. -Return to Manilla. -Alceste leaves Manilla Bay. -Is wrecked. -Ambassador and suite land on Pulo Leat. -Ground cleared. -Scenery. -Want of water. -Excessive thirst of the party. -State of the Alceste. -Cask of water staved. -Ambassador and suite leave Pulo Leat for Batavia in two boats. -Sunken rocks. -Point of Banca. -Short allowance. -Fall of rain. -Dead calm. -Breeze. -Approach land. -Exhaustion of the men. -Anchor near Krawang Point. -Fresh water discovered. -The Krawang river. -Princess Charlotte transport. -Arrival in Batavia roads. -Ternate and Princess Charlotte dispatched to Pulo Leat. -Arrival at Batavia. -At the Dutch Governor's. -Transaction at Pulo Leat after the departure of the Ambassador and suite. -Heavy fall of rain. -Musquitoes. -Captain Maxwell addresses his men. -Malay prows attack the wreck. -Malay boats. -The party chased by Malays. -Two of the Alceste's boats appear. -Malays make for the wreck. -Plunder it. -Picquets stationed at the landing place. -Party retires to rest. -Encampment alarmed by a large monkey. -Scolopendras. -Scorpions. -Alceste fired by the Malays. -Garrison again alarmed by a monkey. -A party dispatched to the ship. -Twelve sail of Malay prows appear. -A well dug. -Fortress. -Two canoes laden with plunder. -Malay prow attacked by Alceste's barge. -Commander of the barge kills two Malays. -Barge's grapnell sinks the prow. -Malays fight in the water. -Three dragged on board the barge. -Two die. -Third made prisoner. -Employed to cut wood. -Makes his escape. -Fourteen Malay prows appear off Pulo Leat. -Captain Maxwell gives orders to prepare for a voyage to Batavia. -Captain visited by the Rajah. -He musters his men. -Malay prows increase to forty-five. -A sail descried in the distance. -Ternate arrives. -The shipwrecked band embarks for Batavia 23/ XVI CONTENTS. England 313 APPENDIX 331 Jhu kiaiu°V u*n,f EMBASSY TO CHINA. CHAPTER I. DEPARTURE FROM PORTSMOUTH. At three o'clock of the afternoon of February 8th, 1816, I embarked with His Excellency Lord Amherst, on board H. M. S. Alceste, then lying at Spithead. Getting under weigh at eight o'clock the following morning, in company with H. M. S. Lyra, Capt. B. Hall, and General Hewitt, Capt. Campbell, we steered with a fine breeze through the Needles. In passing the shores of the Isle of Wight, my imagination dwelt painfully on its white cliffs and verdant slopes, which but three days before I had visited with friends who gave the best value to my existence, and from whom I was separating, perhaps for ever. But the painful feelings excited by such reflections, too intense, indeed, for long continuance, were quickly destroyed by my share of the bodily suffering which attacked, in succession, the greater number of those, who then, for the first time, felt the motion of a ship at sea. Scarcely had we cleared the western extremity of the island, when an intolerable giddiness, languor, and sickness, drove me to my cot, and had but slightly mitigated, when the mountains of Madeira were descried from the ship. Early in the morning of the 18th February, going upon deck, I saw this interesting island bearing S. S. W., distant about six leagues. 2 MADEIRA. A thick white cloud covered its mountains, which gradually dissipating as we advanced, disclosed their snowy summits beautifullv contrasting with the dark foliage of their declivities. The squadron hove to about ten o'clock in the forenoon, off the town of Funchal, at the distance of two or three leagues from the land. Having prepared every thing for collecting objects of natural history, I waited impatiently for the appearance of a boat, to carry me to the fulfilment of my anticipations. Examining with my glass the aspect of the rugged shores, I exulted in the geological interest of their appearance, and collected, in imagination, plants which, from number and rarity, would give a long and delightful employment. What then was my disappointment, when I was informed by His Excellency, that he wished no one to leave the ship, lest any chance of delay should arise to the sailing of the Alceste, as soon as she had obtained the necessary supplies. As Lord Amherst denied himself, for public reasons, the pleasure which he much desired, of visiting the island, no one of his suite had a shadow of right to remonstrate, and I prepared to suffer my disappointment with all possible patience. After the lapse, however, of two or three hours, Capt. Campbell, of the General Hewitt, came on board, and offered to take me on shore ; and, being almost immediately to return, I readily accompanied him. On approaching the beach, where I had hoped to find some specimens of sea-weed, I found the depth of water up to the shore so great, that a vessel might almost anchor with her bowsprit over the land, and consequently, that no marine production was to be met with. The beach is made up of large rounded fragments of lava, generally of a vesicular structure, very ponderous, and of a bluish colour. Landing to the westward of the town, I found a mountain torrent, having its bed sides formed of huge masses of volcanic matter, as far as the eye could follow its romantic windings. I entered its bed in search of plants, but found very few, as the apprehension of losing my chance of returning to the ship prevented my looking very narrowly. The Fumaria Parviflora, which was growing in great when the wing was expanded, were very short, and scarcely distin-i: is, whether the air-bladder has an orifice at this part, which is opened and closed by the separation and re-union of the pharyngeal bones. On the evening of the 4th March we passed the line, and on the following morning shortened sail, to pay the usual homage to Neptune, which being accomplished we proceeded on our voyage. j * Since my return I have examined a specimen of the Exocoetus Mesogaster, preserved in spirit, in which the two large bones were united, but there was an orifice between them and the small ones ; whether it led into the air-bladder or not I was unable to determine. The same specimen had only eight, instead of ten, rays to its branchiae. * B 4 8 CAPE FRIO.