glad to hang a fort of a Hammock over them, which is made of Cords or Ratans; it is not much unlike the Girths or Sacking used in Europe for the support of their Beds.

In the Morning every thing of this kind is taken away, and they put Carpets or Matts in their room, on which they fit: As they have no Chimneys nothing can be more convenient; the whole Family work upon thefe, without feeling the leaft Cold, and without being obliged to wear Garments lined with Fur; at the opening of the Stove the meaner fort drefs their Victuals, and as the Chinese drink every thing hot, there they warm their Wine, and prepare their Tea. The Beds in fome of the Inns are much larger, that there may be room for feveral Travellers at a time.

Of the Magnificence of the Chinese in their Travelling, and in their Publick Works, fuch as Bridges, Triumphal Arches, Towers, CityWalls; and in their Feafts, &c.

TH

'HE Magnificence of the Emperor and his Court, and the Riches of the Mandarins furpass whatever can be faid of them; one is greatly furprized to fee nothing but Silks, China-ware, Furniture, and Cabinets, which tho' not more rich yet ftrike the Eyes more than things of the fame fort do in Europe : But it is not in this that the principal Magnificence of the Chinese Nobility confifts, for they commonly neglect themselves at home, and the Laws banish Luxury and Pomp from thence; it is only allowed when they are feen in Publick, when they make or receive Visits, or when they appear before the Emperor.

I have already spoke of the Mandarins numerous Attendants, and the prodigious Train of their Offi

L 4

cers:

cers: The Soldiers, who travel commonly on horfeback, are very fond of appearing great in the fame manner; to fay the truth the Horses are not very beautiful, but their Harness is magnificent, the Bits and the Stirrups being either Silver or gilt, the Saddle is very rich, the Reins of the Bridle are made of ftitch'd Sattin two Fingers broad; from the upper part of the Cheft hang two large Tufts of fine red Hair, the fame as that with which their Caps are covered; thefe Tufts are fufpended by Iron-Rings either gilt or filvered: They are always preceded and followed by a great number of Horfemen, who make up their Retinue, without reckoning their Domesticks, who, according to the Quality of their Mafters, are cloathed in black Sattin, or dyed Callicoe.

But the Chinese Magnificence is in the highest Splendor at the time the Emperor gives Audience to Ambaffadors, when fitting upon his Throne he beholds at his Feet the Great Lords of the Court, and all the Chief Mandarins in their folemn Robes, paying him Homage. It is a Spectacle truly auguft to fee a prodigious number of Soldiers under Arms, and an inconceivable multitude of Mandarins habited according to their Dignity, and placed according to their Rank and Precedence in exact Order, with the Minifters of State, the Heads of the Supreme Courts, the Reguloes and Princes of the Blood; all this performed with a great deal of Pomp and Splendor, gives the highest Notion of the Sovereign to whom fuch profound Reverence is paid. There is no difpute about Precedence, every one knows his Place very diftinctly; the Name of every Office is engraved on Copper-Plates faftened into the Marble Pave

ment.

People in Europe are not fond of Pomp when they go a Journey, but on the contrary are very negligent and carelefs about it; but they have a contrary Method in China, where a Chief Mandarin never tra

vels but with Pomp and Splendor: If he goes by Water his own Bark is very fuperb, and he has a large Train of other Barks to carry his Attendants: If he travels by Land, befides the Domefticks and Soldiers which precede and follow him with Spears and Enfigns, he has for his own Person a Litter, a Chair carried by Mules, or eight Men, and several led Horfes; he makes ufe of these Vehicles one after another, as occafion and the different Weather require. I have already said that China is full of broad and deep Canals, and often cut in a strait Line; there is commonly in every Province a great River, or broad Canal, with Causeways on each fide cafed with flat Stones or Marble that ferves for a Highway : That which is called the Great Canal croffes the whole Empire from Canton to Peking, and nothing can be more commodious for the paffing 600 Leagues from the Capital to Macao, without travelling by Land but one Day's Journey, in order to crofs the Mountain of Mei lin, that feparates the Province of Kiang fi from Quang tong, and even this may be avoided by continuing the Journey by Water, especially when the Waters are high.

For this reafon the Mandarins go to take poffeffion of their Government, and the Meffengers fent from Court most commonly pass by Water: They are furnished with Barks at the Emperor's Expence, which are equal in bignefs to a third-rate Man of War: There are three different forts of thefe Imperial Barks, than which nothing can be more neat, being painted, gilt, and embellished with Dragons, and japan'd both within and without: Thofe of the middle fize are most in ufe, which are above fixteen Foot broad, and twenty-four long, and nine in depth from the Deck; the form is fquare and flat, except the fore-part which is fomewhat round.

Befides the Cabbin of the Mafter of the Bark, who has his Family, his Kitchen, two large Rooms, one

before

before and the other behind, there is a Hall about fix or feven Foot high, and eleven broad, and likewife an Antichamber, and two or three other Rooms, and a by-place without Ornaments, all upon the fame Deck, which make up the Mandarin's Apartment. It is all japan'd with fine red and white Japan, there is alfo plenty of carved Work, Paintings, and Gildings upon the Cieling, and on the fides; the Tables and Chairs are japan'd with red and black; the Hall has Windows on each fide, which may be taken away when it is convenient: Inftead of Glafs they make ufe of very thin Oyfter-fhells, or fine Stuffs done over with fhining Wax, and enrich'd with Flowers, Trees, and variety of Figures: The Deck is furrounded with Galleries, by which the Sailors may pass and repafs without incommoding the Paffengers.

This Apartment is covered with a fort of Plat-form or Terrass open on all fides, fet apart for Mufick, and contains four or five Muficians, who make an Harmony which can ravish none but the Ears of a Chinese. Underneath is the Hold divided into feveral Partitions that contain the Baggage; the Sails are made of Matts, every Sail is divided into feveral oblong Squares, which being extended form the Sail, when it is folded it takes up little or no room. Thefe Sails are very convenient, because they hold more Wind than others, and if a ftrong Wind breaks the Braces no Inconvenience arrifes from thence to the Bark.

To force on the great Barks they make use of long thick Poles in the Shape of a Gibbet, or the Letter T, one end of which goes to the bottom of the Water, and the other is applied to the upper part of the Cheft, that the Sailor may make a stronger Thrust, and force the Bark forward with greater Swiftnefs; or elfe they make ufe of Oars of feveral Shapes, commonly a long Pole with a broad end, and a hole in

the

the middle to receive the Pegs that are fix'd on the fide of the Bark: There are others that are never taken out of the Water; they manage the extremity of the Oar by moving it to the right and left, that it imitates the Motion of a Fifh's Tail, and is kept in ths fame Position as the Tails of Birds of Prey, when they fly without stirring their Wings.

The Convenience of this is that their Oars take up little or no room in the Bark, for they are ranged on the fide upon Planks, and move like a Rudder; they feldom are broken, and tho' they are never taken out of the Water they conftantly force the Bark forward.

There are Barks which are drawn along with Ropes when the Winds are contrary, or when they are obliged to go against the Stream; thefe Ropes are made in many places of the Splinters of Canes; they cleave the Canes into very small long Splinters, and by that means make them into Cords, which never grow rotten by the Water, but are exceeding ftrong; in fome other places they make ufe of Cords made of Hemp.

The Bark that carries the great Mandarin is always followed by feveral others, as we have already faid, among which there is always one at least that bears the Provifions; it carries the Kitchen, the Eatables, and the Cooks; another is full of Soldiers, a third, much more small and light, is appointed to go before to give notice that all things neceffary may be prepared in the Paffage, that there may be no occafion to wait; these Barks have their Rowers, and in cafe of neceffity are alfo drawn with a Rope along the Bank by a certain number of Men that are fupplied by the Mandarins of each City, and are changed every Day: The number of these Men is determined according to the number of Horfes appointed by the Emperor's Patent, viz. Three Men for every Horfe, infomuch that if eight Horses are appointed for an En