Account of a voyage of discovery to the west coast of Corea, and the great Loo-Choo IslandHall, Basil
History
Account of a voyage of discovery to the west coast of Corea, and the great Loo-Choo Island
Hall, Basil
Korea -- Description and travel; Ryukyu Islands -- Description and travel
The Prince advanced a few yards on the outside of the gate, and having
taken Captain Maxwell's hand, conducted him to the temple, where an
ingenious device was adopted to preserve the etiquette, requiring that
none of inferior rank shall sit down in the Prince's company. The temple
was divided into three rooms by ranges of columns, which were deemed a
sufficient separation; and, at the same time, no person in the other
rooms could feel himself slighted by the exclusion, since the division
by the pillars was merely nominal. The feast was sumptuous, consisting
of twelve regular courses, besides tea and sackee. There were many new
dishes, principally of meat, dressed in various ways in large bowls. We
saw what seemed to be wheaten bread for the first time to-day. It being
necessary to make some return for the presents brought on board by the
Prince two days ago, Captain Maxwell now gave him several pieces of
scarlet and blue superfine cloth, and samples of every species of
cloths, from the finest damask to the coarsest sail canvas; also a set
of cut crystal decanters and glasses, and three dozen of wine of ten
different sorts, with several books, and a number of smaller articles.
It was also stated to the Prince, that a cow and calf had been left on
shore in order to be offered to the King as a small mark of our sense of
the kindness which we had experienced. The Prince expressed much
satisfaction at this gift, as the calf had become a great favourite with
the natives. My present consisted of half the quantity of wine given by
Captain Maxwell, a mirror taken from a dressing-stand, samples of
English stationary, Cary's map of England, an atlas, and a small brass
sextant; which latter present had been suggested by the wonder which it
had invariably excited at the observatory. Mr. John Maxwell, to whom the
Prince had sent a present of cloth and pipes after he landed yesterday,
gave him a spy-glass and a map of London; the map was coloured, and
round the edges were the palaces, Greenwich Hospital, and other public
buildings, all of which he examined with great attention. After he had
looked over most of the things, and was satisfied with the explanations,
he rose and said that a great deal too much had been given, to which it
was replied, that a great deal too little had been given, and that they
were not offered as being, in any respect, an equivalent for the
supplies sent on board, but merely to shew our sense of the kindness
and attention with which we had been received[15]. During the time that
we sat at table to-day, the interpreter was hardly ever called in, as
Madera and Mr. Clifford contrived between them to explain every thing,
if not as clearly as could have been wished, yet in a more satisfactory
manner than could have been done through the medium of John the
Chinaman, of whose fidelity we were nowise certain, and whose taste and
delicacy in conveying our sentiments we had great reason to doubt.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account