Nº. 11 is _Ou men_, the great gate with a beautiful pavillion of a considerable height, in which is a large bell[145]. This gate, with those marked Nº. 12, 13, are those of the great court; whence going to the north, you enter into the beautiful and vast court _Tay ho tien_, the gates and galleries of which, with the balconies, make a fine appearance. In this court, on the first day of the year, and on other fixed days, the mandarins, according to their ranks, perform the ceremony to the emperor, who is seated on his throne in the hall called _Tay ho tien_. This hall is a vast and magnificent one. The princes, ministers, and great men of the first order, place themselves there by the emperor. It is in this hall, that the emperor gives audience to foreign princes and their ambassadors. You go up to this hall by magnificent steps. To the north of _Tay ho tien_ is a large court, whither the princes, great men, ministers, and principal mandarins, go in turns every day, to receive the emperor’s orders, or to present their petitions. To the north of this court are the apartments of the emperor, the empress, the queens, and ladies. The great gate of the place, where these apartments are, is Nº. 23. All these apartments are in the space contained within the walls, which have this figure +----- -----+ | 23 |. +----- A -----+ At A is a beautiful gate to the south. The walls of the inclosure of the apartments of the emperor and empress are higher than those of the inclosures of the queens and ladies. In them are orchards, jets d’eau, flowering shrubs, and a great number of small chambers for the eunuchs. To the west of the court _Tay ho tien_ is the fine palace _Tsi ning kong_. The empress-mother lives there at present. Every thing in this palace is beautiful. There are little gardens very neat and well kept. At the east of the _Tay ho tien_ is likewise a fine palace, where the prince heir, with his court, resided in the time of the emperor _Kanghi_. It is a very beautiful palace, and highly ornamented. In the inclosure of _Kong tching_, or _Tse kin_, there are tribunals, a great number of magazines, manufactures, the imperial apothecary’s shop and printing-house; schools for the Chinese and Tartar languages; and several temples of idols, one of which, lately made for the lamas, cost immense sums. Nº. 26, 28, 29, are the gates of the great inclosure called _Kin chan_. It is properly a beautiful pleasure-house, which the present emperor has caused to be extremely embellished. There are in it fine gardens with walks of trees, very rich and elegant apartments, halls for the musicians and comedians. From the mountain _m_, the last emperor of the dynasty _Ming_, seeing the city taken by the rebels, hanged himself on the morning of the 15th of April of the year of our Lord 1644. On the day before, the 14th of April, the empress hanged herself in the evening in the palace. The mountain in _Kin chan_ was made by art a long time ago.