IT is hardly neceffary to obferve that, after the able and interefting account of the proceedings and refult of the Britifh Embaffy to the court of China, by the late Sir George Staunton (who was no lefs amiable for liberality of fentiment, than remarkable for vigour of intellect) it would be an idle, and, indeed, a fuperffuous undertaking, in any other perfon who accompanied the embaffy, to dwell on thofe fubjects which have been treated by him in fo matterly a manner; or to recapitulate thofe incidents and transactions, which he has detailed with equal elegance and accuracy.

But, as it will readily occur to every one, there are ftill many interefting fubjects, on which Sir George, from the nature of his work, could only barely touch, and others that did not come within his plan, one great object of which was to unfold the views of the embaffy, and to fhew that every thing, which could be done, was done, for promoting the interefts of the Britifh nation, and Supporting the dignity of the Britifh character; the Author of the prefent work, has ventured, though with extreme diffidence, and with the confcioufnefs of the difadvantage under which he muft appear after that “Ac-“count of the Embaffy,” to lay before the public the point of view in which be faw the Chinefe empire, and the Chinefe character.

I HAVE now gone over moft of the points relative to which I have been able to recollect the remarks and obfervations which arofe in my mind during my attendance on this memorable Embaffy. The comparifons I have made were given with a view of affifting the reader to form in his own mind fome idea what rank the Chinefe may be confidered to hold, when meafured by the fcale of European nations; but this part is very defective. To have made it complete would require more time and more reading, than at prefent I could command. The confideration of other objects, thofe of a political nature, which are of the moft ferious importance to our interefts in China, is more particularly the province of thofe in a different fphere, and would, therefore, be improper for me to anticipate or prejudge, by any conjectures of my own. It belongs to other perfons, and perhaps to other times; but it is to be hoped that the information, reflections, and opinions of the Embaffador himfelf, may one day be fully communicated to the public, when the prefent objections to it fhall ceafe, and the moment arrive (which is probably not very diftant) that will enable us to act upon the ideas of that nobleman's capacious and enlightened mind, and to prove to the world that the late Embaffy, by fhewing the character and dignity of the Britifh nation in a new and fplendid light, to a court and people in a great meafure ignorant of them before, however mifreprefented by the jealoufy and envy of rivals, or impeded by the counteraction of enemies, has laid an excellent foundation for great future advantages, and done honour to the wifdom and forefight of the ftatefman who planned the meafure, and directed its execution.

THE prefents for the Emperor and our private baggage being all landed, the packages repaired, and every article minutely noted down by the officers of government, the porters were directed to fix their bamboo bearing pcles to each package, that no impediment might prevent our fetting out at an early hour in the morning. In doing this, as well as in landing the articles from the veffels, the Chinefe porters fhewed fuch expedition, frength, and activity, as could not, I believe, be paralleled or procured in fo fhort a time, in any other country. Every thing here, in fact, feems to be at the inftant command of the ftate; and the moft laborious tafks are undertaken and executed with a readinefs, and even a chearfulnefs, which one could fcarcely expect to meet with in fo defpotic a government.

According to the arrangement, on the 21 ft of Auguft, about three o'clock in the morning, we were prepared to fet out, but could fcarcely be faid to be fairly in motion till five, and before we had cleared the city of Tong-tchoo, it was paft fix o'clock. From this city to the capital, I may venture to fay, the road never before exhibited fo motley a groupe. In front marched about three thoufand porters, carrying fix hundred packages; fome of which were fo large and heavy, as to require thirty-two bearers: with thefe were mixed a proportionate number of inferior officers, each having the charge and fuperintendence of a divifion.

IF no traces remained, nor any authorities could be produced of the antiquity of the Chinefe nation, except the written character of their language, this alone would be fufficient to decide that point in its favour. There is fo much originality in this language, and fuch a great and effential difference between it and that of any other nation not immediately derived from the Chinefe, that not the moft diftant degree of affinity can be difcovered, either with regard to the form of the character, the fyftem on which it is constructed, or the idiom, with any other known language upon the face of the globe. Authors, however, and fome of high reputation, have been led to fuppofe that, in the Chinefe character, they could trace feme relation to thofe hieroglyphical or facred inferiptions found among the remains of the ancient Egyptians; others have confidered it to be a modification of hieroglyphic writing, and that each character was the fymbol or comprehenfive form of the idea it was meant to exprefs, or, in other words, an abftract delineation of the object intended to be reprefented.

WE had no fooner paffed the fummit of the high mountain Me-lin, and entered the province of Quan-tung, or Canton, than a very fenfible difference was perceived in the conduct of the inhabitants. Hitherto the Embaffy had met with the greateft: refpect and civility from all claffes of the natives, but now even the peafantry ran out of their houfes, as we paffed, and bawled after us Queitze-fan-quei, which, in their language, are opprobrious and contemptuous expreffions, fignifying foreign devils, imps; epithets that are beftowed by the enlightened Chinefe on all foreigners. It was obvious, that the haughty and infolent manner in which all Europeans refiding at, or trading to, the port of Canton are treated, had extended itfelf to the northern frontier of the province, but it had not croffed the mountain Me-lin; the natives of Kiang-fee being a quiet, civil, and inoffenfive people. In Quan-tung the farther we advanced, the more rude and infolent they became. A timely rebuke, however, given to the governor of Nau-fheun-foo by Van-ta-gin, for applying the above-mentioned opporbrious epithets to the Britifh Embaffy, had a good effect on the Canton officers, who were now to be our conductors through their province.

This contempt of foreigners is not confined to the upper ranks, or men in office, but pervades the very loweft clafs who, whilft they make no fcruple of entering into the fervice of foreign merchants refiding in the country, and accepting the moft menial employments under them, performing the duties of their feveral offices with diligence, punctuality, and fidelity, affect, at the fame time, to defpife their employers, and to confider them as placed, in the fcale of human beings, many degrees below them.