Page:To the Court of the Emperor of China - vol I.djvu/19

xx and because it seemed, indubitable that a century and a half must have occasioned some change in the aspect of the towns and establishments, and in the face of the country.

One of our fellow-travellers, M. de Guignes, a Frenchman, who accompanied the Embassy in quality of Interpreter, noted down his observations also, with the intention of publishing them; but his projects which may even serve to shew the conformity of our remarks, was of no use to me, since neither I nor any other person attached to the Embassy, had any knowledge of his work. My Journal, on the contrary, was copied for the Ambassador, and lay open to the inspection of all the other Dutchmen who performed the journey.

On our return to Canton, I had the good fortune to meet with a very exact topographical chart of the city of Pe-king. The proprietor of that chart, which was already of very ancient date, would not part with it; but permitted me to take a copy. It