Volume 1

Modern history or, the present state of all nations. Describing their respective situations, persons, habits, and buildings, manners, laws and customs ... plants, animals, and minerals / by Mr. Salmon ; illustrated with cuts and maps ... by Herman Moll.

  • Salmon, Thomas, 1679-1767.
Date:
1744-1746
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Modern history or, the present state of all nations. Describing their respective situations, persons, habits, and buildings, manners, laws and customs ... plants, animals, and minerals / by Mr. Salmon ; illustrated with cuts and maps ... by Herman Moll. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    46/808 (page 24)
    THE PRESEN C H A P. at firfl, if he apprehends juftice will not be done him at home. Notwithflanding what Le Compte and other peror de- writers affirm, that the laws of China are fo plain, termines and their policy fuch, that the Emperor may dii- matters, as patch a]j the bufinefs relating to the empire, by ^ort'them applying himfelf to it but two hours in a day ; cohim. this, to any one who confiders the multitude of people under his government, and, confequently, the great variety of bufinefs here, mud be looked on as impoffible ; neither a few hours, or a whole day, can be fufficient to read over the petitions only, that may be fuppoled to be prefented him in this vaft empire. He mud certainly be in¬ formed of the purport of them by his officers, and determine as they are pleafed to reprefent facts to him. Thus it is in all kingdoms in Europe, and cannot be otherwife in China, which is much larger than any of them. The mod that can be expe&ed of a prince, whofe dominions are not exceeding lmali, is to make choice of able mini- ders, and to preferve his people from notorious oppreffions : as for reading all petitions, and de¬ termining of all caufes which come by appeal to the fuperior courts, himfelf, the Jcfuits may as well tell us he works miracles, which they pretend to in that part of the world themfelves, and they will be equally believed. The date with which the Emperor receives foreign Embafiadors, will give us fome notion of the grandeur of this Monarch, of which we meet with the following defcription. Emperor’s In the middle of one the inner courts of the ft*te,when palace, there is a very large fquare folid bads, on heg'ves the top of which there is a baludrade, over this toEmblf- there is another building fomewhat lefs, and over fadors. that three more, which are lefs in fize as they in- creafe in height, upon the uppermod of thefe there is a large room of date, fupported by four rows of varnifhed pillars, where the throne is placed, and the roof is covered with fhining yellow tiles. Thefe vad bafes, with their baludrades, being dif- pofed in form of an amphitheatre, appear very magnificent, and with their gildings and varnifh dazzle the eye. Here the Emperor, attended by a multitude of the great officers in their robes, the princes of the blood, and tributary kings, who fall prodrate on their faces before him, gives audience to Embafiadors, who are con- duffed to the throne by fome Viceroy. The throne is about three or four foot high, in the fa (h i on of an altar, and covered with fables, on which the Emperor fits crols lcgg’d, after the manner of the Tartars. Eysbrand Ides, Embafiador from the Czar of Mufcovv, acquaints us, that when he had his audience, the Emperor was drefled in a dark co¬ loured damafk waidcoat, a coat of deep blue fattin, faced withermins, a dring of coral about his neck, a cap faced with fable, with a red filk knot, and fome peacocks fathers hanging down behind ; that he had no gold, or jewels, to be feen ; and on his legs had boots, or bufkins, of black velvet. The fame Embafiador gives us an account, that he was condufted to his audience by three Mandarins in their robes, that he had fifty horfes allowed for him and his retinue, and hav¬ ing alighted at the gate of the outward palace, he pafled through the five courts, and there found great numbers of Mandarins, in their embroider¬ ed robes ; that the Emperor being fet upon his throne, he delivered his credentials from the Czar his mafter, and after a fhort fpeech, was recon- T STATE OF dueled to his houfe, in the fame manner he came. £ H A P- That he was afterwards invited to an entertain- Vjr ment at court, and the Emperor came in with a guard of twelve halberdeers, richly dreft, and the mufick playing ; when he.had mounted his throne, the guards fat down crofs-legged beneath him, and the mufick ceafed ; the Viceroy, the Emperor’s uncle, and other minifters of ftate, flood on each fide of the Emperor, the Em¬ bafiador was placed on the right-fide of the throne, about four fathoms diftance ; the Viceroy having received the Emperor’s commands upon his knees, brought the Embafiador two fathoms nearer •, and the Emperor having enquired after his Czarifh Majefty’s health, he ordered a table that was fur- nifhed with cold meats and fruits, to be unco¬ vered ; whereupon the damafk covering was taken off, and the Embafiador having a table provided for himfelf, was defired to eat. About two hundred Lords of the court alfo fat down crofs-legged upon carpets, having every two of them a table between them. The Emperor fent a goofe, and feveral other difhes to the Embafiador, from his table, and a gold cup with brandy, or fpirits, in it, with which his attendants were alfo treated : then the Jefuits were called in, who having kneeled before the throne, were ordered to afk the Embafiador fome queftions, concerning the length of his journey, and the kingdoms of Europe ; and his anfwers were again interpreted by the Jefuits. The Vice¬ roy led the Embafiador to his place, where hav¬ ing fet a quarter of an hour, he was ordered to Hand up ; then the Emperor, having faluted the Embafiador, retired to his apartment ; and the Embafiador was afterwards entertained with a play, by the Mandarins. When he had his audience of leave, and the Emperor was feated on his throne, he obferves, that a herald called aloud to the Lords of the court to Hand up, and bow to the earth, which they did three times, and in the mean while the drums beat, the bells rung, and the mufick play¬ ed, and the Embafiador being brought within three fathoms of the throne, was placed between two Tartar Princes, while he made his compli¬ ment to the Emperor. As he returned, he ob- ferved the Emperor’s guards flood in the fourth court, cloathed in red callico, with figures as big as a crown, printed upon them •, and that they had little caps with yellow feathers, being the Emperor’s colour, and armed with feymitars, and launces: from the palace, the Embafiador was conducted to his apartment, in one of the Em¬ peror’s chariots, drawn by an elephant. The Emperors of the Chinefe race, feldom ap- Emperor peared in publick, but the prefent Tartar family, appears obferve a medium, and fhew themfelves to the people, about four times a month. When he vifits the frontiers of Tartary, as he does almofl every year, thirty, or forty Tartar Princes attend to do him homage. He common¬ ly rides pofl, when he vifits the provinces, with a few of his officers; guards being planted along the roads for his fecurity. But the Emperor never appears in that fplendor, The ftate we are told, as when he goes to facrifice in the he goc‘in idol temples. Upon this occafion there marches firft, four and twenty trumpets with golden co¬ ronets, and as many drums ; then twenty-four men with gilded truncheons, after whom come one hundred foldiers, with fine halberts; after thefe an hundred ferjeants at mace, who are fol¬ lowed