d that no person must wear white, as that was the dress of
mourning in this country. On the twenty-eighth, at midnight, the Sekjin
came to conduct them to the new palace, which had been nineteen years
building, and was only newly finished. Every person had his house or shop
illuminated, with torches, lanterns, candles, and lamps, so that it
appeared as light as noon-day. At the palace they found an hundred thousand
people, who had come from all parts of Kathay, the countries of Tachin and
Machin, Kalmak, Kabul, Karakoja, Jurga, and the sea coasts. This day the
ambassadors tables were set out of the hall where the throne stood, while
those of the _Amirs_, or great officers and lords of the court were within;
and there were near two hundred thousand armed men, carrying umbrellas and
bucklers. This feast lasted till the afternoon, and among the music were
many songs in praise of the new palace. To give some idea of this superb
structure, it may be mentioned that, from the gate of the hall to the first
inclosure, measured 1925 paces. On each side are buildings and gardens one
within another. The edifices were of freestone, porcelain, or marble, so
delicately put together that they seemed inchased. There are many hundred
cubits of pavement, the stones of which are so even and well joined, that
they looked like the checkered ruling in books. Nothing in other countries
can equal the Kathayans in masonry, joiner-work, making relievos or raised
figures in plaster, and in painting.

The ambassadors were called early to audience, on the ninth of the month
Safar; the emperor having then come out from a retirement of eight days;
for it is his custom to retire every year for some days, during which he
eats no kind of victuals and abstains from going near his ladies, neither
does he, during all that time, see or converse with any one. In this
retirement, the emperor has no picture or idol of any of his gods; as
during this period, all his devotions are addressed solely to the GOD of
Heaven. On this occasion, the imperial elephants were all adorned in a
style of magnificence, which is quite inexpressible; many of them having
silver seats, like litters, on their backs, adorned with standards of seven
different colours, and the seats were filled with armed men; fifty of the
elephants carried the imperial musicians. This grand procession of
elephants was preceded, or followed, by at least 50,000 persons, who all
preserved the most exact ord