government would not have determined this point,
without having agreed among themselves to give up their pretensions to
the duties they claimed, and to grant him all he could reasonably ask;
for as they well knew the commodore's sentiments, it would have been
a piece of imprudence, not consistent with the refined cunning of the
Chinese, to have admitted him to an audience, only to have contested
with him. And therefore, being himself perfectly easy about the result
of his visit, he made all necessary preparations against the day.
Mr Flint, whom he engaged to act as interpreter in the conference,
acquitted himself much to the commodore's satisfaction; repeating with
great boldness; and doubtless with exactness, all that was given in
charge, a part which no Chinese linguist would ever have performed
with any tolerable fidelity.

At ten o'clock in the morning, on the day appointed, a mandarine
came to the commodore, to let him know that the viceroy was ready to
receive him; on which the commodore and his retinue immediately set
out: And as soon as he entered the outer gate of the city, he found
a guard of two hundred soldiers drawn up ready to attend him; these
conducted him to the great parade before the emperor's palace, where
the viceroy then resided. In this parade, a body of troops, to the
number of ten thousand, were drawn up under arms, and made a very fine
appearance, being all of them new clothed for this ceremony: And Mr
Anson and his retinue having passed through the middle of them, he
was then conducted to the great hall of audience, where he found the
viceroy seated under a rich canopy in the emperor's chair of state,
with all his council of mandarines attending: Here there was a
vacant seat prepared for the commodore, in which he was placed on
his arrival: He was ranked the third it order from the viceroy, there
being above him only the head of the law, and of the treasury, who in
the Chinese government take place of all military officers. When
the commodore was seated, he addressed himself to the viceroy by
his interpreter, and began with reciting the various methods he had
formerly taken to get an audience; adding, that he imputed the delays
he had met with to the insincerity of those he had employed, and that
he had therefore no other means left, than to send, as he had done,
his own officer with a letter to the gate. On the mention of this the
viceroy stopped the interpreter, and bid him assure Mr Anson,