The Sun.
London, England, 1817-04-11 00:00:00

C lINMSE EMBASSY.

The .following ietter contains the old ,story
h►,.bliahetl some weeks ugo ; but some
of the psirticohirs ore. tliffetent, such two or three
use new :

;A l

P

ExTescr oF A eltivarre LIVITaIt PROM A C4ENTI.R7
MAN 1 N CANTON. 10 A VaIAND IN LONDON, DAil•
En Nov. 18. ISI6. - - -
Captain MAXWELL, of the sllceste, after land-
ing the embassy. and visiting several ports on the
epasynf torTriOnie isr•;nds to the eastward
of it 4iroo 11. e no 11qm-tied a ahem time
',Nil esnressed a desire to!he allowed
to eoftbe up t') 'll mono!! to teee.,ive the Ambes-,
sailor, as the Lion I t I 1
.mte tor 141111 .Aisfeart-
. -'"
`bey, ' a periOn; in the character -or a ni,orria-
itecoMpsnied by. a linguist, went on board
the Alcestp two ditfereut ,times,.-and told Captain
Afitswerl, that if he did not hear, by a certain dey
front tii"e' Viceroy, he might consider he had per-
• niission to go up tro..YltampOn. • Alt Lmonghi the
Was WI and the intlivitloals,
very possibly, orerely belonged to some of the
- 'Chinese my r•-junks. ‘‘'hirb.were anrhnred about the
frigate, Captain Maxwell Was kit into a bend that
be t eally had oistained permission to enter the
river, and therefore 4,0 t under weigh, intending
first to proceed to thnenpee. On arriving there,
-however, he was fired at by the fort and war-junks,
. first a iris blink, and then with ball cartridges. He
returned the compliment wlth the former, firing
only Wit shot over the chmese Admiral's ship
-.and flow deterinined to gei at -once-into the river,
•andAtemand redress 1:4 this breach of friendship,
between the two commies. Ott approaching the
forts at 'the Bocce -Tigris, which have of
late been mach • enlarged, and reach close to
.the wa,tr's they also began to salute
hini, from both s;des, so I.•,ery • warmly, that
after forbLating longer (his officers say) than
tnOst men would halve.done, 'he poured a broad-
side into one of within pistol-shot, which
hour it was irl4ht, have done considerable
dimil,:e, the tort heala td, completely illuminated
:Ant hems as to afford ri good mark. A dead
• silence now succeeded its the fort, althongh'be-
*foie oot:.ing_was heard but shouts and gongs, and
all the lights were extinguished. The fort on the
opposite side also ceased firing the frigate
lied got out of its reach, within the Bozire, when
it. fired few.niore guns, quite in the Chinese
itvle ; that is, when they could do no mischief.
'Ail the damage waived by the Alceste nes two
. shots in her bows, and one in the main-mast.
;'Captain Maxwell proceeded tti tha second bar, and
irons thence arrivcd yesterday at Canton.
" But I have oot heard any thing certain of the
negociations liere,Altr. told tha,t of
no-
eiee out (in the qtsy wintintating that the
fri-
gate had received letive,to come, to ‘Vhampou to
• but this, I, sm;pect, is only device of
•."
the Government to save, itscredit with the. pee-
' pie, for having suffered the passage of the rivereo
be forced' by a man of war, contrary to the bow.
•siously established ride of the contor y
" The Bozirel-fort pulp have received trittri•
'tire:ride damage ; end soine people, the Chinese
• have been wounded. At present, hose.
•ever,•there is no appearance of any serious com-
-plaint on the part of the Chinese Government,
though such aselaim is with them•generally the
rt ecursor of a fresh breeze; anal'? shall be rather
'Mistaken if we do not hear more of this affair.
bare, at the some time, evert; reason to think that
the Chinese, contrary to their usual caution, love
committed themselves in the-besiness; and if that
shall really prove the case," nothing serious will
take place. Indeed it is quite certain that the
farts -fired at the frigate beore she got to Cbuen-.
pee or entered the. river, trhichit a direct breach
of usage and hospitality, The latter weighs with
them little, but the former is every thing.
" The Embessy, woold appear, has been very
very scurvily treated.. 'The. Mandarins, it seems,
did not tell the Emperrir'at first, that the Ambas-
sador would not kniielt head,' but that he was
.unwell. The Emperor found this out, after Lord
Amherst had left Pekin; and the consequence
was, that five Mandarins were thrown into dis-
grace. The Emperor, it is probable, might have
been pleased to dispense with the custom of the
Empire, in-favour-of a people who bad come so
far to see him: but the Embassy having, through
this, vile intrigue of Mandarins, taken its filial
departore,,from Pekin, the Emperor was obliged.
keep up the semblance of resentment against
it..; a policy that has originated the Edict, a copy
of which linow enclose you, and 'which is pers
baps as striking a specimen of arrogance and low
pride as you ti.ive ever seed.
"'rise Emperor is, willreint'doubt, very
ill dis-
potied toWards us ; mOrcilibwever, in conse-
quenCe of the ships (whsleb' 'landed the Ambassa.;
dor and suite being sent .aiiva'y faun Tefii-sing,
than on aceottnt of the refusal of prostration. I
,ant quite 'clear that he meant to have sent the Em-
'bitssy back the ships, instead of allowing them
to proceed by land, the naked and ariserable state
of which he hod- no-desire it/ expose to the view
etraugers, woidttleAlly itirpike you to hear
the shifts the Government are making, to give art
improving appearance to the borders of 'the rivers
as lire Embassy passes clown."