/?. 
 
 % 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 Theological Seminary, 
 
 PRINCETON, N. J. 
 Shelf, ...yJ....I.I.b ■ *~D[ 
 
 
 ■ 
 
 
<\ 
 

J"}vn/zf/?/fS€ Jù/.A-. 
 
 *.Sttt/i?r tjrerzunœndo 7er/>(SJt, C/utis/S* //</<>/<>n<mt t 
 
 
THE GENERAL 
 
 HISTORY 
 
 O F 
 
 CHINA. 
 
 Containing a Geographical, Historical, Chrono- 
 logical, Political and Phyfical Defcription of the 
 
 EMPIRE of CHINA, 
 
 Chinefe-Tartary, Corea and Thibet. 
 
 Including an Exact and Particular Account of their Customs, 
 Manners, Ceremonies, Religion, Arts and Sciences. 
 
 The whole adorn'd with 
 
 CURIOUS MAPS, and Variety of COPPER PLATES. 
 
 Done from the French of 
 
 P. D U H A L D E. 
 
 VOLUME the FOURTH. 
 
 The Third Edition Corrected. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 Printed for J. Watt s : And Sold by B. D o d at the Bible 
 and Key in Ave-Mary Lane, near Stationers-HalL 
 
 M DCC XLI. 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
 in 2011 with funding from 
 
 Princeton Theological Seminary Library 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/generalhistoryof04duha 
 
Sviffl'iSV ^ !\» ft&l -"ÏS £5* 
 
 
 To the DIRECTORS of the 
 
 United 'Company of Merchants of England 
 trading to the Eaft-Indies, viz. 
 
 Robert Adams, Efq% 
 Abraham Addams, Efq; 
 Miles Barne, Efq; 
 Dodding Braddyll, Efq-, 
 Sir William Billers, Knt. and 
 
 Alderman, 
 Stephen Bifle, Efq', 
 Mr. Richard Blount, 
 Capt. Richard Boulton, 
 Chriftopher Burrow, Efq, 
 Charles Colborne, Efq; 
 Mr. John Emmerfon, 
 Samuel Feake, Efq-, 
 
 Peter Godfrey, Efq; 
 Harry Gough, Efq; 
 Mr. Samuel Hyde, 
 Michael Impey, Efq; 
 Edward Lovibond, Efq; 
 Baltzar Lyell, Efq; 
 William Pomeroy, Efq; 
 Jones Raymond, Efq; 
 William Rous, Efq; 
 Sir John Salter, Knt. and Al- 
 derman, 
 St. Quintin Thompfon, Efq; 
 Jofias Wordfworth, jun. Efq; 
 
 GENTLEMEN, 
 
 AVING prefix'd the 
 Name of feme Emi- 
 nent Perfon to the former Vo- 
 lumes of this Work, I could 
 A 3 not 
 
DEDICATION. 
 
 not perfuade my felf to let 
 this pafs without doing it the 
 like Honour ; and as the Dif- 
 covery of Foreign Countries 
 is owing to Commerce in ge- 
 neral, and as alfo a Communi- 
 cation with China is main- 
 tain'd by Your Company in 
 particular, I imagin'd I could 
 not dedicate This to anymore 
 properly than to You. 
 
 Among the Advantages that 
 
 are derived from Navigation 
 there is none more agreeable 
 to an inquifkive Mind than the 
 
 Inter- 
 
DEDICATION. 
 
 Intercourfe it carries on be- 
 tween the moft diftant Na- 
 tions of the World, to which 
 we owe the pleafing Rela- 
 tions of Countries and Peo- 
 ple fo greatly differing from 
 our own; from which like- 
 wife we are enriched with 
 their moft ufeful Rarities, and 
 the Deficiencies of our own 
 Kingdom are abundantly fup- 
 ply'd with the moll: curious 
 Productions of the East. 
 
 It is a fond miftaken Notion 
 
 of fome, that this Ifland might 
 
 A4 fub- 
 
DEDICATION. 
 
 fublift agreeably enough, and 
 yet be intirely independent 
 of the reft of the World, as 
 having all things within itfelf 
 neceffary for the Ufe and Plea- 
 fure of its Inhabitants, when at 
 the fame time nothing can be 
 more evident than that the 
 moft common Repaft muft 
 be fupply'd with Ingredients 
 from the remoteft Parts of the 
 Globe : How great an Efteem 
 and Regard, therefore, is due 
 to thcfe Merchants who hazard 
 their own Fortunes to fur- 
 
 nifli 
 
DEDICATION. 
 
 nifh us with the Treafures 
 of both the Indies, and 
 how much ought their Pro- 
 feflion to be encouraged from 
 which the moft fignal Ad- 
 vantages are derived to this 
 Kingdom in general. 
 
 But of all Nations with 
 which we have hitherto had 
 any Commerce, there is none 
 fo inacceffible to Strangers 
 as China, infomuch that 
 the Jefuits themfelves have 
 been obliged to make ufe of 
 variety of Artifices to gain an 
 
 Accefs 
 
DEDICATION. 
 
 Accefs into the Heart of that 
 Empire; for which reafon it 
 is not to be wonder'd at that 
 we have had no Account, ori- 
 ginally English) of thefe 
 People, but have been behold- 
 ing to the Jefuits for whatever 
 we know of this vaft and de- 
 lightful Country. 
 
 And of all Accounts pub- 
 lifh'd by them there is none 
 can pretend to the Exadnefs 
 of P. D u H A l d e's, becaufe 
 the Manufcripts which were 
 communicated to him were 
 
 much 
 
DEDICATION. 
 
 much more full and accurate 
 than any which had been pro- 
 cured before. For this Reafon 
 there was no room to doubt 
 but it would be favourably 
 received if tranflated into the 
 English Language ; and as 
 this Task fell to my Lot, I 
 was under a Neceffity, for 
 Expedition fake, to call in 
 proper Afliftance; but I am 
 more particularly obliged to 
 one Gentleman, a good Friend 
 of mine, whofe Reputation 
 can receive no Addition from 
 
 any 
 
DEDICATION. 
 
 any mention I cou'd make of 
 him here. 
 
 This Performance, we pre- 
 fume, cannot fail of a favou- 
 rable and candid Reception 
 from You 5 Gentlemen, 
 as you muft certainly be 
 pleafed with the Entertaining 
 Defcription of a Country 
 from whence, by that Com- 
 pany which you have the 
 Direction of, are imported 
 variety of Merchandifes which 
 greatly add to the Conve- 
 niences and Pleafurcs of Life : 
 
 But 
 
DEDICATION. 
 
 But however that be 5 I hope 
 you will pardon the Free- 
 dom of this Addrefs, and 
 accept of this Teftimony of 
 Refpeéfc from. 
 
 G E N T L E M E N 3 
 
 Your moji humble^ 
 
 and mojl obedient Servant* 
 
 R. B r o o k e a 
 
THE 
 
 TENTS 
 
 Of the Fourth Volume. 
 
 Collection of various Receipts made ufe of by the 
 
 Chinefe Phyficians for the Cure of different 
 
 Diseases. Page i 
 
 Tchang Seng : Or the Art of ■procuring Health and 
 
 long Life. p. $y 
 
 Geographical Obfervations on Tartar y . p. S G 
 
 Of the Country of the Mantcheoux. p. 8 $ 
 
 The Firfi Government. ibid. 
 The Second Government. 
 The Third Government. 
 
 P- 9$ 
 
 po no 
 
 Of the Country of the Mongols or Mongous. p. 115 
 
 Hifiorkal Obfervations on Grand Tartary, extracted 
 from the Memoirs of the P. Gerbiilon. p. 142 
 
 Geographical Memoirs of the Countries inhabited by the 
 Mongou Princes, ranged under forty-nine Ki, or 
 Standards. p„ igi 
 
 Of the Kaika Tartars. p. 196 
 
 Of she Coconor or Hohonor Tartars. p. igj 
 
 Remarks on the Language of the Mantcheou Tartars. 
 
 Tht 
 
The CONTENTS. 
 
 Travels into T artery, p. 214 
 
 Geographical Obfervations on the Kingdom of Corea. 
 
 p. 381 
 
 An Abridgment of the Hijlory of Corea. p. 394 
 
 Afuccintl Narrative of Captain Beerings'j Travels into 
 Siberia. p. 429 
 
 Geographical and Hijlorical Obfervations upon the Map 
 of Thibet, containing the Territories of the Grand 
 Lama, and the neighbouring Countries, which are 
 fubjecl to him, as high as the Source of the Ganges. 
 
 P. 441 
 
 THE 
 
THE GENERAL 
 
 HISTORY of CHINA: 
 
 CONTAINING 
 
 A Geographical, Hijforical, Chronological, Po- 
 litical and Phyjical Vefcription of the Em- 
 pire of China, and Chinefe-Tartary, &c. 
 
 A Collection of various Receipts, made 
 
 ufe of by the Chinefe Phyficians for the 
 
 Cure of different Diseases. 
 
 0/ Gin Seng, a Plant of the firjl Rank in the 
 Chinefe Medicine ; of its Nature, Qualities, and the 
 different Receipts they make ufe of it in. 
 
 H E Book called Pie lo gives this Account 
 of it : Gin fcng grows in the Mountains of 
 Chang tang, and in Leao tong ; they ga- 
 ther the Root of it during the firft ten 
 Days of the fécond, fourth, and eighth 
 
 Month, which they dry in the Sun without expofing 
 
 it to the Wind : This Root has the Refemblance of a 
 
 Man, and is of a fpirituous Nature. 
 
 Pou fays : It grows alfo at Han chan ; in the third 
 
 Month it fhoots forth Leaves, which are fmall and 
 Vol. IV. B terminate 
 
The General History of 
 
 terminate in a Point ; the Branches of it are black, 
 and the Stalk is cover'd with a Nap ; the Root of it 
 is gather'd in the third and ninth Month : This Root 
 has the Hands, Feet, Vifage and Eyes of a Man, and 
 abounds very much in Spirits. 
 
 Hong king fays : Chang tang is to the South-Eaft of 
 T tcheou ; that which comes at prefent is long, and of 
 a yellow Colour, it refembles the Herb called Fang 
 fong, and îs full of a thick fweet Juice ; that which is 
 moil in efteem now is what comes from Pe tfi y 
 and is fmall, firm, and white, but has not fo ftrong 
 a Tafte as that of Chang tang. 
 
 They give the fécond Place in ufe to that of Corea 
 and of Leao tong, the Root of which is large, but 
 void of Juice and very foft ; it is not to be compared 
 with that of Pe tfi any more than with that of Chang 
 tang : This Plant moots forth only one Stalk, which 
 grows directly perpendicular, its Leaves are either 
 four by four or five by five, and the Flower of it is 
 of a purple Colour. 
 
 The Inhabitants of Corea fpeaking in praife of Gin 
 feng fay : The Branches which grow from my Stalk are 
 three in number, and my Leaves are five by five ; I 
 turn my Back on the South and look towards the 
 North ; whoever would find me muft look for the 
 Kia chu -, the Kia chu and the Gin feng court one a- 
 nother : This Kia refembles * Lou tong, growing 
 very high and calling a large Shade : In thefe kind of 
 Places the Gin feng is found in great plenty. 
 
 There is a great deal of Art in gathering and pre- 
 paring this Simple ; there is fome of it found at pre- 
 fent in the Mountains bordering upon the Province of 
 Kiang nan, but it is not made ufe of. 
 
 Cong fays : The Gin feng which is made ufe of comes 
 almoft all from Corea and Pe tfi ; that which grows 
 on the Mountains called Cat ban, in the Territory of 
 
 * Lou tong is a kind »f Sycomore. 
 
 Lou 
 
China, Chinese-Tartar y, &c* 
 
 Lou nganfou, and on the Mountains of Tfee touen, is 
 called Tfee touen feng, or the Seng of Tfee touen. 
 
 Sun fays : The Gin feng which the Kingdom of Sin 
 lo pays Tribute of has Feet and Hands, and refembles 
 a Man, and is above a Foot high ; it is kept preffed 
 between the Planks of the Wood of a Tree called 
 Cha mou, which is a kind of a Fir, bound and wrapt 
 up with red Silk : The Gin feng of Cbao tcheou has a 
 fmall fhort Root, and is not of any value for ufe* 
 
 Song fays : All the Territory of Chan fi, which is 
 to the Eaft of the Yellow River, and the Mountain 
 Tat chan produces Gin feng -, that which they bring un- 
 der the Name of Gin feng of Sing lo, from the Coun- 
 tries of Chan ft, and Honan, which are northward of 
 the Yellow River, as well as that of Fo Hen, is not 
 nigh fo valuable as that of Chang tang: It begins tot 
 fhoot in the Spring ; a great quantity of it is met with 
 on the Northern Parts of the vafl range of Moun- 
 tains. 
 
 When it is very young, and not above three or four 
 Inches high, it moots forth a Branch with fiveLeaves$ 
 and at the end of four or five Years it moots forth a 
 Second with the fame number of Leaves, however it 
 has neither Stalk nor Flowers as yet : At ten Years 
 end it fhoots forth a third Branch, and many Years 
 after a fourth, each of them having five Leaves : It 
 then begins to produce a Stalk from the middle, which 
 they commonly call Pe tche chu, that is to fay a 
 Peftle of a hundred Foot. 
 
 During the third and fourth Months it bears fmall 
 Flowers, about the fize of a Grain of Millet, the Fi- 
 laments of which are like Silk -, they are of a violet 
 Colour, and have Seed at the end of Autumn, to the 
 number of fix or feven Grains, of the largenefs of 
 Ta ieou, a kind of Pea or Bean, which is at firft 
 green, but becomes red as it ripens ; when it is quite 
 ripe it falls off of it felf, and the Plant produces 
 frefh. 
 
 B 2 The 
 
7%e General History of 
 
 The Root is in Figure like a Man, and is very 
 fpirituous -, the Stalk and Leaves of the Gin feng, which 
 grows on the Mountain 'Tai chan, are of a purple Co- 
 lour, and the Root white : Befides there grows another 
 Kind of this Plant in the Country which lies between 
 the two Rivers of Ho ai and Hiang, the Stalk of which 
 when it begins to moot is one or two Foot high ; 
 the Root refembles that of Ki hen, but is tenderer, and 
 the Tafte fv/ectcr and more agreeable. 
 
 In order to know the true Gin feng of Chang tang 
 they make the following Experiment : Two Perfons 
 walking together, one goes with Gin feng in his Mouth, 
 and the other with his Mouth empty, at the end of 
 half a League he who has the Gin feng in his Mouth 
 does not find himfelf at all out of Breath, when the 
 Other on the contrary is tired and breathlefs : This is 
 an infallible Mark of the Goodnefs of the Plant. 
 
 Tfong tchi fays : The Gin feng of Chang tang has a Root 
 long and thin, it fometimes reaches above a Foot deep 
 in the Earth, and often divides itfelf into ten Branches ; 
 it is at prefent fold for near its weight in Gold. 
 
 Che tchin fays : The ancient Country of Chang tang 
 is what they now call Lou tcheou -, the People look on 
 the Gin feng as the Ruin of the Country where it grows, 
 becaufe whatever they gather of it belongs wholly to 
 the Emperor, for which reafon they have forbore to 
 cultivate it. 
 
 That which is made ufe of at prefent comes from 
 Lcao totig, Corea, Pe tfi, and Sin lo, which, are de- 
 pendant on Tchaojien, or King ki too, Capital of Corea : 
 That which is gathered in Autumn and the Winter is 
 firm and full or Juice, on the contrary that which is 
 gathered in the Spring and Summer Seafons is foft 
 and void of Juice, which difference does not proceed 
 from the good or bad Quality of the Ground where 
 it grows, but entirely from the Time wherein it is 
 g.ithered. 
 
 The 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &c. 
 
 The Gin feng of Leao tong, when it has its Rind 
 on, is of a fmooth Yellow like the Fang fong, but 
 when the Rind is taken off it is white and firm -, thofe 
 who fell it mix it with the three following Roots, viz. 
 Chafeng, Tfe ni and Ki keng : The Root of Cha feng 
 is a Subftance entirely void of Juice, quite fpiritlefs, 
 and of an infipid Tafte ; that of Tfe ni has neither 
 Juice nor Spirit ; the Ki keng is firm but of a bitter 
 Tafte ; as for the Gin feng it is of a juicy Subftance, 
 has a great Spirit, and as for its Tafte it has a Spice 
 of Bitter joined with its Sweetnefs, which makes it 
 very agreeable to the Palate. 
 
 That which is in the Shape of a Man is called Hat 
 elb feng, or the Infant's Gin feng ; that which we fee 
 the Figure of in the Herbal of Song fou fong, made 
 with Boards under the Dynafty of Song, and which is 
 engraved with three Branches under the Name of the 
 Gin feng of Lou ngan fou, the Leaves of which are 
 five by five, is the true Gin feng. 
 
 Tche yong, who was formerly an Officer in the Col- 
 lege of the Phyficians which is at Court, has left a 
 Treatife of Gin feng in two Volumes, in which he de- 
 fcribes at large all the particulars relating to this 
 Simple, the moft remarkable of which you'll find in 
 the following Paragraphs. 
 
 The manner of preferring the Gin feng. 
 
 S NG king fays: The Gin feng is very apt to breed 
 Worms -, in order to prefèrve it a whole Year with- 
 out lofing its Virtue, you need only fhut it up clofe in 
 a quite new VefTel. 
 
 Ping fays : When the Gin feng is continually ex- 
 pofed to the Sun and Wind it is apt to breed Infects ; 
 in order to preferve it you muft ihut it up in an 
 earthen Veffel that has been made life of to keep the 
 Oil of Gergelin in, after having firft wafh'd it tho- 
 roughly clean ; you muft then dry it by the Fire, and 
 mix with the Gin feng fome Hoayn and Si /in, two 
 
 B 3 other 
 
*The General History of 
 
 Other Plants, afterwards lhutting up the VefTel very 
 clofe, by which means you may preferve it a whole 
 Year. 
 
 Li yen fays: The Gin feng grows in fuch a manner 
 that the back part of its Leaves points towards the 
 Sky, and it has no Affection either for the Sun or 
 Wind : Whenever they take it crude they put it in 
 their Mouth and chew it without any other Prepara- 
 tion -, when they would prepare it they dry it before 
 the Fire on a Sheet of Paper, or elfe fteep it in a 
 kind of Wine called Chun Tfiou ; then they bruife it, 
 and after warming it make ulè of it : It mull neither 
 be kept in an Iron Veffel, nor prepared with any In- 
 ftruments made of th.it Metal ; however I have often 
 feen it cut without all thefe Precautions, and with a 
 common Knife. 
 
 The ïafte and Qualifie: of the Root of Gin feng. 
 
 TU EN FOU fays: It is of a mild Nature, has a 
 Sweetnefs mix'd with fomething of a Bitter, its Taflc 
 and fpirjtuous Parts are quick and fubtle. 
 
 fTcbi tai fays : The Fou lin and the Ma lin, two 
 other Plants, are a kind of Officers belonging to Gin 
 feng : This Root hath an Antipathy to Land that a- 
 bounds with Vitriol, and to Salts ; the Li lou, which 
 is another Plant, is directly contrary to it. 
 
 Tuen fou fays : The Gin feng joined with the Fou lin, 
 which ferves it for a Vehicle, and taken at the Mouth, 
 repairs the Spirits of the Breaft, and diffipates any 
 foreign Heat of the Lungs. 
 
 The Gin feng taken with the Fou lin repairs the ra- 
 dical Moiilure of the Abdomen, and diffipates the 
 Heat of the Reins -, it cures the Heat of the Reins, 
 being taken with the Plant Scorzonera ; it recovers a 
 loft Pulfe if join'd with dry Ginger, and likewife for- 
 tifies the Vital and Animal Spirits. 
 
 Meou fays : The Gin feng taken with the Hong ki, 
 and with Liquorifh is a noble Remedy j and as this 
 
 Com- 
 
China, Chines e-Tart a ry, &*c- 
 
 Compofition is mild it aflwages feverifh Heats, it 
 caufes both hot and humid Vapours to exhale, and 
 reftores the radical Moifture ; 'tis likewife an excellent 
 Remedy to be adminifter'd to thofe who hare any 
 Impofthumes. 
 
 Tchin ken fays : The Li ku, a kind of Herb, bears 
 a great Enmity to the Ginfeng, and that by mixing 
 the tenth part of an Ounce of the former with a whole 
 Ounce of the latter you may deprive it of all its 
 Virtue. 
 
 'The Virtues, Properties and Effects of the Root 
 of Gin feng. 
 
 I T fortifies the noble Parts, fixes the Animal Spi- 
 rits, cures the Palpitations occafion'd by fudden Frights, 
 difpels malignant Vapours, makes the Sight clear, 
 opens and dilates the Heart, and ftrengthens the Judg- 
 ment : When it is taken a confiderable time together 
 it makes the Body light and active, and prolongs 
 Life -, this is taken from the Author himfelf, I mean 
 Chi tchin. 
 
 It warms the cold Stomachs and Inteflines, cures 
 Pains and Swellings in the Belly, remedies the Dif- 
 orders of the Heart, the Obftrucliions of the Breaft, 
 and Evacuations either by Stool or Vomiting : It re- 
 eftablifh.es the upper Orifice of the Stomach, prevents 
 Dropfies, relieves Obftructions in the Veffels, refolves 
 Callofities which are formed in the inteftines, pene- 
 trates into the Veins and Blood, and quenches Third : 
 This is taken from different Authors. 
 
 It is excellent for the Cure of all kinds of Difeafes 
 which weaken and emaciate the Body, as likewife for 
 Debilities occafion'd by excefiive Labour either of the 
 Body or Mind ; it remedies Vomitings, and the Dis- 
 orders of the Heart ; fortifies the noble Parts, and ge- 
 nerally all the Inteftines -, it difiblves Phlegm in the 
 Stomach, cures the Weaknefs of the Lungs, is good 
 againft malignant Fevers arifing from cold Seafons, 
 
 B 4 when 
 
8 "The General History of 
 
 when they are attended with a Vomiting; againft 
 Faintings, Interruptions of Sleep by troublefome 
 Dreams and Phantoms ; it mud be taken for a con- 
 fiderable time together : This is extracted from the 
 Author Tchin kiuen. 
 
 It aflifts Digeftion, whets the Appetite, renovates 
 the Vital and Animal Spirits, and is a Counter-poifon 
 to the Venom which is drawn from Stones or Metals : 
 This Account is from Ta ming. 
 
 It fortifies weak Lungs, remedies a feeble and pre- 
 cipitated Refpiration, as likewife the Afthma and a 
 fhort Breath -, it diffipates Heats in the Heart, Lungs, 
 Liver and Stomach -, it appeafes Third, and produces 
 Lymph in the Blood ; in a word it is good againft all 
 Maladies in both Sexes, which proceed from want of 
 Spirits or from Weaknefs ; it cures Fevers which are 
 attended with Sweatings ; is good againft Vertigo's, 
 Dimnefs of Sight, Pains of the Head, Diforders of 
 the Stomach and Vomitings -, againft intermitting Fe- 
 vers, inveterate Diarrheas, and the Tenefmus -, againft 
 Fainting and Lafîitude, againft Wind or Inflammations 
 in the Inteftines, againft Spitting or Vomiting of 
 Blood, againft the Bloody-Flux, and all forts of Mala- 
 dies peculiar to Women both before and after Preg- 
 nancy. 
 
 RECEIPTS. 
 
 There are nine Ancient ones, and fixty -eight Modem ones. 
 
 Eletluary of Gin feng. 
 
 TAKE ten Ounces of Gin feng, cut it into fmall 
 Slices, put it to infufe in twenty final! Porcelain Vef- 
 fels of Spring or River Water till it is thoroughly 
 foaked, and then pour the whole into a Stone or 
 Silver Veffel, boiling it over a gentle Fire made of 
 Mulberry- wood 'till half the Water is wafted ; then, 
 having ftrain'd oft* the Juice, pour ten middling 
 Porcelain Veflèls of Water upon the grofs Subftance, 
 
 and 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &c. 
 
 and let them boil till they are reduced to five ; take 
 this Juice, and add five Cups of Water to the ten 
 Vefiels which you had before ft rained off; boil it 
 over a gentle Fire till it comes to the confiftence of an 
 Electuary, which you may clofe up in a proper Vef- 
 fel, and when you make ufe of it dilute it with a 
 Liquor fuitable to the Diftemper you take it for. 
 
 Tan ki fays: A Man intirely debilitated by De- 
 bauchery fell into what was generally thought an incura- 
 ble Diftemper, when by the means of a Decoction made 
 with green Ginger, and the Rind of the Root of the 
 Fruit called Cou pi *, with which I diluted the 
 Electuary of Gin feng, I made a perfect Cure of 
 him. 
 
 Tching hiong was fèized with a kind of lenefmus^ 
 which had been occafioned by a Debauch; he fell at 
 once into fainting Fits, and loft all power of Thought ; 
 his Hands were extremely numb'd, his Eyes dim, 
 and his whole Body in a violent Sweat ; he could 
 not retain his Urine, and had a very high and irregular 
 Pulfe ; all which Symptoms difcover'd plainly an aj- 
 moft entire Lofs of the Radical Moifture. I order'd 
 fome of this Electuary of Gin feng to be immediately 
 prepared, and applied a Cauftick of a kind of Mug- 
 wort to the Abdomen juft below the Navel ; upon this 
 the left Hand immediately recovered Motion, and af- 
 ter having applied more of the Cauftick the Lips and 
 Mouth began to ftir a little ; I likewife made him 
 take a midling Cup of the Electuary of Gin feng, 
 and about a Minute after three more, upon which his 
 Eyes began to move -, he had not taken three Pound 
 before his Speech returned, and after having taken a- 
 bout five Pound his Tenefmus was ftopt ; and when he 
 had taken about ten Pound in the whole he found 
 himfdf perfectly cured ; when if he had been treated 
 
 * An Oravge. 
 
 as 
 
io 7$£ General History, of 
 
 as we treat thofe in Apoplectick Fits he had been a 
 dead Man. 
 
 A Perfon had an Abfcefs in his Back, and after ha- 
 ving taken the Medicine called Neni to che fuen the 
 Abfcefs increas'd, and a great quantity of Pus came 
 from it, which was followed with exceffive Vomiting,. 
 and a high Fever ; the * fix Pulfes of his Hands were 
 deep, flifF, and ftrong, which are all very bad Symp- 
 toms in thefe Cafes : I made him prefently take fome 
 of the Electuary of Ginfeng, diluted with the Water 
 diftilled from Bamboo when it is frefh gather'd ; he 
 took in all about fix Pound of the Ginfeng, and a 
 large quantity of the Bamboo, after which he found 
 himfelf perfectly cured. 
 
 Ten Days after there happen'd to be a furious high 
 Wind, when the Abfcefs iormed itfelf a fécond time, 
 and filled with Matter ; there appeared in the middle 
 of it a red Line, which paffing below the Shoulder- 
 blade terminated on the right fide -, I inftantly order'd 
 fome of the Electuary of Gin feng to be made, and 
 that he ihould take it in fome of the Decoction of 
 Ccng couei and Orange-Peel, putting fome Bamboo- 
 Water and Ginger- Juice in it : After having taken 
 three Pound weight of this Medicine the Abfcefs broke, 
 and the Patient, being afterwards treated in a right Me- 
 thod, was cured. 
 
 If after the breaking of an Abfcefs the Patient finds 
 his Blood and Spirits exhaufted, if he vomits, andean 
 take nothing, or has other unfavourable Symptoms, 
 he muft take of Gin feng, Hoang ki, and Tan couei, 
 equal quantities, which when boiled to the confidence 
 
 * JVfien the C\i\x\efefeel the Ptilfe, they do it to both Hands one 
 after the other ; they lay three Fingers on the Arteiy, which three Fin- 
 gers are clef to each oth.'r, and the Pulfe nuhich an fivers to each Finger 
 has a particular Name, which makes three Pulfes to each Han J ; they 
 f retend to fay that each Pulfe marks the Difpofition rf the vital Parts 
 •which anfiuer to it. 
 
 Of 
 
China, Chinese-Tart arv, e§#*. xi 
 
 of an Electuary will prove an excellent Remedy 
 for it. 
 
 A Becoclion for the Stomach. 
 
 SONG fays : To cure any Opprefîion in the 
 Breaft, Obftructions in the Stomach, or Pleurifies, 
 they make ufe of the following Decoction : They 
 take Ginfeng, Pe tchu (which is the Root of a Plant) 
 dry'd Ginger, and Liquorice, three Ounce weight of 
 each fort, which they boil in eight large China-ware 
 Veffels containing eight Meafures of Water, until the 
 whole be reduced to three Meafures, when a Mea- 
 fure muft be given at each Dofe three times a Day, 
 augmenting or diminifhing the Dofe as the Symptoms 
 demand. 
 
 From the Dynafties of Tfm and Song, down to that 
 of Tang, there was no Phyfician of Reputation who 
 did not conftantly make ufe of this Remedy in all 
 Djforders which affected the Belly or Heart, making 
 fometimes Decoctions of thefe four Drugs, and fome- 
 times a kind of Pills mix'd up with Honey, in each 
 of which Shapes they produced wonderfulEffects. 
 
 A Decoclion invented by the three Wife Men. 
 
 THIS Decoction is good for thofe who have 
 weak Stomachs, and want an Appetite ; it is excel- 
 lent for all Diforders which proceed from Inanition, 
 and from the Spirits being exhaufted : They take a 
 Drachm of Ginfeng, two Drachms of Pe tchu (which 
 is the Root of a Plant) one Drachm of white Fou 
 lin, five Drachms of Liquorice dry'd before the Fire, 
 three Slices of green Ginger, one Jujube, and two 
 Cups of Water, which they boil till it comes to half 
 the quantity : This Remedy muft be taken lukewarm 
 and falling, augmenting or diminifhing the Dofe ac- 
 cording to the Strength of the Difeafe. 
 
 •a 
 
 to 
 
1 2 The General History of 
 
 To procure an Appetite, and diffolve Phlegm. 
 
 WHEN the Appetite is loft (this is equally for 
 Children and Perfons advanced in Years) take two 
 Ounces of Ginfeng dry'd before the Fire, infufe it in 
 the Juice of Ginger and Pen hia, which is a kind of 
 Plant ; then let it dry, and take the quantity of half 
 an Ounce of it, which you muft reduce to a Powder -, 
 then taking the Flower of Meal, mix it up with it 
 into Pills of the fize of a fmall Pea, which mould be 
 adminiftred to the Patient three times a Day in a De- 
 coction of Ginger, thirty-five at a time, after eating. 
 
 A Receipt for Weaknefs, and want of Appetite. 
 
 WHEN you perceive in yourfelf a want of 
 Appetite, take half a Pound of crude Ginger, and 
 exprefs the Juice of it ; take likewife ten Ounces of 
 Honey, and four Ounces of the Powder of Gin feng ; 
 boil the whole to the confiftence of an Electuary, and 
 then take about the fize of a Hazel-nut of it diflblved 
 in warm Water. 
 
 A Receipt for weak Stomachs, and for the Diforders 
 of the Heart. 
 
 WHEN amongft the Matter, which is thrown 
 off the Stomach by vomiting, you find a good deal of 
 Phlegm mix'd, take one Ounce of Gin feng, and two 
 Cups of Water ; put both together on the Fire, and 
 let them ftay till one half is wafted ; then mix with 
 them a fmall Cup of Bamboo-Water, and three Spoon- 
 fulls of the Juice of green Ginger -, make the Patient 
 drink this fome confiderable time after a Meal, and 
 let him continue it till the Diftemper leaves him ; 
 this Medicine has more erFect upon old People than 
 others. 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, @V. 13 
 
 A Receipt for cold Stomachs which retain no 
 Nourijhmênt. 
 
 WHEN a Patient can't digeft his Food he 
 muft take Gin feng, Cloves, the Wood called Co 
 hiang, two Drachms and a half of each ; five Drachms 
 or more of the outward Coat of Orange-peel, and 
 three Slices of green Ginger ; boil the whole in three 
 Cups of Water till only one remains, and let the Pa- 
 tient drink it quite warm. 
 
 A Receipt for Vomitings occafioned by a Decay of 
 the Stomach. 
 
 WHEN Perfons throw up their Nourifhment as 
 foon as they have taken it down, and find themfelves 
 extremely weakened, and in a manner half dead, let 
 them take three Ounces of the beft Gin feng, bruife it 
 in a Mortar, put it into a large Vcffd of Water, and 
 let it boil till it is reduced to two fmall Cups, then 
 drink of it very warm twice a Day ; after this take 
 of the Juice of Ginger, put it to fome Rice, adding 
 thereto the white of an Egg with the white of Couei, 
 and make a Rice Liquor of it, which the Patient 
 may drink of : A Perfon named Li, a Mandarin of 
 the Tribunal of Arms, is the Author of this Receipt ; 
 being fent by the Court to Ho nan he was attacked 
 by this Diflemper for above two Months together, 
 without receiving any Benefit from all the Medicines 
 which were given him ; this was the occafion of his 
 finding out this Remedy by which he was fo foon 
 cured, and which he communicated to the moft ce- 
 lebrated Phyficians as foon as he returned to Court. 
 
 Againft Reachings, and an Inclination to Vomiting. 
 
 TAKE half an Ounce of Ginfeng, and the fame 
 quantity of the Heart of a Cinamon-tree, boil them 
 in two midlirig China-ware VefTels of Water, and give 
 it to the Patient to drink. 
 
 For 
 
i4 Tfx General History of 
 
 For a Loofenefs and Vomiting, 
 
 WHEN the Diforder is obftinate take two 
 Ounces of Gin feng, three Ounces of the outward 
 Coat of Orange-peel, one Ounce of green Ginger -, 
 boil the whole in fix Meafures of Water, and divide 
 it into three Dofes. 
 
 For Lofs of Strength, and Jhort Breath. 
 
 WHEN the Patient fweats, and the Sweat re- 
 enters the Pores, when the Refpirations are fhort, 
 and Dimnnefs and Giddinefs of the Head attend, you 
 muft take half an Ounce of Gin feng, one Ounce of 
 Fou tfe prepared, which divide into four parts, adding 
 to each part ten Slices of green Ginger with two 
 Cups of Water, and boil them till the one half only 
 remains, which you may give the Patient at fome 
 confiderable time after he has taken any Food. 
 
 For the Aftbma of Childbed Women. 
 
 THIS comes on when the Blood returns upon 
 the Bread and enters the Lungs, which is a very dan- 
 gerous Diforder : Take one Ounce of Gin feng pul- 
 veris'd, two Ounces of Sou meou, which is a Brazil 
 Wood, pour upon them two large Cups of Water, 
 and boil the whole till it is diminifhed one half, to 
 which add fome more Powder of Gin feng, and let 
 the Patient take it : This Medicine operates imme • 
 diately. 
 
 For a Woman after Delivery, when fie finds her Blood 
 
 in great Agitation. 
 
 TAKE one Ounce of Gin feng, half an Ounce of 
 Tfe fou, which is a Plant, three fmall Cups of the 
 Urine of a Child, of Wine, and of Water -, then 
 boil the whole together, and give it the Patient to 
 drink. 
 
 For 
 
China, Chinese-Tartar y, &c. 15 
 
 For all kinds of Weaknefs which happen after Delivery. 
 
 WHEN Women newly delivered have a Fever, 
 and fweat very much, take an equal quantity of Gin 
 feng and 'Tang couei, and reduce them to Powder, then 
 cut the Kidney of a Hog in fmall Slices, having firft 
 taken off the Membrane that covers it, and boil it in 
 three Bafons of Water, with a large Spoonful of the 
 Rice called No mi, and two Heads of Chibbols ; 
 when the Rice is boiled you'll take from it a midling 
 VefTel of Liquor, which you mud mix with the a- 
 bovementioned Drugs, and boil it till the Liquor be 
 reduced to an eighth part ; this muft be taken warm, 
 and falling. 
 
 For Women who have great Lofs of Blood after 
 
 Delivery. 
 
 WHEN Women have loft great Quantities of 
 Blood take Gin feng, Hempfeed ftript of its Husk, 
 the Bark of Tfe, and fome Bran ; reduce the whole 
 to a Powder, then make it into Pills of the fize of 
 a fmall Pea with clarified Honey ; take fifty of them 
 at a time, and make ufe of a Decoction of Rice to 
 warn them down. 
 
 For Women when the Child is turn'd the wrong way, 
 the Feet coming foremoft. 
 
 T A K E a Drachm of Gin feng, and as much In- 
 cenfe pulveris'd, half an Ounce of the Mineral called 
 Tan che\ pound the whole together, then dilute it 
 with the white of an Egg, and about half a Spoonful 
 of the Juice of green Ginger, and give it to the Patient 
 to drink cold, upon which both the Mother and 
 Child will be immediately relieved, for the Medicine 
 operates in an inflant. 
 
 Againft Melancholy and Oppreffon at Heart. 
 
 BOIL an Ounce of pulveris'd Gin feng, and ten 
 Ounces of the Fat oï a Hog, mix it thoroughly wifch 
 
 good 
 
1 6 The General History of 
 
 good Wine, and give it the Patient twice a-day, a 
 imall Cup at a time ; after he has taken it a hundred 
 Days fucceflively he'll find his Eyes grow bright 
 and lively, and his other Senfes revive : This Me- 
 dicine has moreover the Virtue to cure other Difor- 
 ders which arife from Wind, excefs of Heat, or from 
 Phlegm. 
 
 -o L 
 
 For the Palpitation of the Heart, attended with 
 Sweating. 
 
 WH E N the Heart is deficient of Spirits prepare 
 five Drachms of Gin feng, and as much more of 
 Tang couei ; then take two Kidneys of a Hog and 
 boil them in two Cups of Water till it is reduced to 
 one Cup and a half ; then taking out the Kidneys, 
 cut them in fmall Slices, and boil them together with 
 the Gin feng and Tang couei which you had prepared, 
 till the whole be reduced to eight parts in ten -, eat 
 thefe Kidneys with the Decoction falling, after which 
 take the grofs part of this Compofition, dry it before 
 the Fire, and pulverife it -, then make Pills of it 
 with the Powder of the Root Chan yo, about the fize 
 of a large Pea, of which the Patient may take fifty 
 at a time, with a little of the Ptifane of Jujubes, and 
 which muft be a confiderable time after having taken 
 any Food -, two Dofes of this Medicine generally 
 prove a Cure : Some have inferted two Drachms of 
 Incenfe in this Receipt. 
 
 For Fevers which are caufed by Inanition. 
 
 TAKE Gin feng of Chang tang, of Tchai hou, 
 of Tn tcheou, each three Drachms, one Jujube, and 
 three Ounces of green Ginger ; boil the whole in a 
 Cup and an half of Water till there remains but feven 
 parts in ten ; this Medicine muft be given lukewarm 
 to the Patient, and a good whil- after having taken 
 Food -, he mull take it twice a-day, and continue to 
 do fo till the Diflemper has left him. 
 
China, Chines e-Tartary, &c. 17 
 
 For the Lungs when exhaujled by Shortnefs of Breathy 
 and other inveterate Diforders of Rejpiration. 
 
 TAKE three Ounces of Gin feng pillveris'd, 
 with the Jelly of Hartfhorn dried and reduced to a 
 Powder, then take a Cup of the Deco6lion of Po 
 hi and Teou chi, with a little Onion ; boil the whole 
 once or twice, then pour it into the Veflel with the Gin 
 feng, and whenever you find yourfelf inclined to cough 
 take a midling Draught of it ; this is an excellent Re- 
 medy in thefe Cafes. 
 
 For a Ccnfumpion attended with Spitting of Blocd. 
 
 WHEN the Diforder is inveterate you muft 
 firft flop the Spitting of Blood with the Che yo fan> 
 which is a Powder of ten Ingredients ; when the Pa- 
 tient is extremely fatigued crude Gin feng is the moil 
 effectual Remedy, take one Ounce of the befl there- 
 fore, likewife five large Jujubes, with two Cups of 
 "Water boiled till only one Cupful remains, which 
 is the quantity of a Dofe -, after taking this Sleep 
 will come on, and the Dileafe will be difpell'd ; how- 
 ever it muff, be continued for five or fix times more, 
 the Patient in the mean time obferving a proper Re- 
 
 • gimen. 
 
 For Hemorrhages, or Lofs of Blocd. 
 
 WHEN there happens to be a Rupture of fome 
 Veffel in Difeafes caufed by violent Parlions or excef- 
 five Debauchery, a large quantity of Blood iffues either 
 from the Mouth or Nofe -, if this be not remedied 
 immediately the Difeafe will become too powerful 
 for any Medicine : The following is an excellent 
 one. 
 
 Take of Gin feng and dry it before the Fire, cf 
 Cyprefs, which muft firft be boiled and then dried 
 before the Fire, likewife King kiai roafted, and Tfun 
 
 Vol. IV. C fing, 
 
1 8 Tloe General History of 
 
 Jittg, of each half an Ounce, 'which you muft reduce 
 to a Powder, and mixing them with three Drachms 
 of the Flower of Corn dilute them with frefh Wa- 
 ter -, thus it becomes a kind of clear Pafte, which the 
 Patient muft take frequently in ftnall quantities ; the 
 firft time it is taken the Bleeding will inftantly 
 ceafe. 
 
 For a Dropfy. 
 
 T C H I TV, in the Medicines for a Dropfy which 
 had been delivered down to him by Tradition from 
 Father to Son, prefer ibes one Ounce of Gin feng and 
 two Ounces of the Herb Fen tfao, likewife half a 
 Drachm of the Brains of a Hog infufed in the Gall of 
 the fame Animal, and pulveris'd after being thorough- 
 ly dried by the . Fire ; make up all this into Pills 
 with Honey of the fize of a Nut, which may be 
 given one at a time in cold Water. 
 
 For malignant Fevers, 
 
 The following Remedy is excellent for all forts of 
 People, Men or Women, young or old, Women 
 with child or not ; although the Diftemper is very in- 
 veterate, and threatens immediate Death, though the 
 Pulfe be in a manner gone, and the Patient delirious^ 
 after the feventh Day of the Difeafe there is no dan- 
 ger of failing in the Cure by this Medicine ; for which 
 reafon they have given it the Name of To ming fa?ig 9 
 that is to lay The Medicine which reftores loft Life. 
 
 Take an Ounce oi Gin feng, and boil it in two 
 Cups of Water over a fierce Fire till one half be 
 wafted, cool it in Weil- Water, and then give it the 
 Patient to <3rink -, foon after a Sweat will proceed from 
 the Nofe, the Pulfe will return, and he'll find himfelf 
 inftantly cured. 
 
 Sou tao cong, Prefident of one of the fix Sc 1 
 
 irts lays : I made ufe of this Remedy to relieve 
 nigh a hundred lèverai Perfons ; and when i was Go- 
 vernor , 
 
China, Chines e-T artary, &c. i g 
 
 vernor of a City of the third Order the Wife and Chil- 
 dren of one ot my Affiliants were feized with a malig- 
 nant Purple Fever, when I made them take this Me- 
 dicine, .and cured them by that means. 
 
 For Blindnefs occafiorf d by drinking too much Wine. 
 
 THERE was aftrong vigorous Man who loved 
 to drink Wine extremely hot, this Man was fuddenly 
 feized with a Diflempcr that made him blind, and 
 had a (low unequal Pulfe, which was the efïèct of his 
 drinking exceffively of hot Wine ; his Stomach was 
 deftroy'd, his Blood fcagnated in it and corrupted, 
 v : he Caufe of his Diforder -, they made him 
 
 à Deception of the Brazil Wood, into which they 
 put a Drachm of the Powder of Ginfeng; the fécond 
 Day that they gave it him his Nofe and the Palms of 
 his Hands became livid, which proceeded from the 
 Blood's beginning to circulate which had ftagnated in 
 the Stomach ; then they took the Decoction in which 
 they put Brafil-Wood, Peach-Kernels, Hong boa, and 
 the outride Rind of dried Orange-Peel, to feafon the 
 Powder of Ginfeng, and after the Patient had taken it 
 four Days he was perfectly cured. 
 
 REM AR KS. 
 
 I T is very difficult to underftand thoroughly the 
 Names of Diitempers in China , and therefore we may 
 perhaps be miftaken in the Names of fome ol thefe 
 Difeafes : We have given thefe Receipts W"ord for 
 Word, enly that the Reader may form a Notion ot 
 the Sentiments of the Chinefe with regard to Phyfick, 
 and the manner in which they make up their Medi- 
 cines. 
 
 . At prefent the Ghifeng pays a great Duty to the 
 Emperor, and 'tis Death to defraud him of any part 
 of it. Gin feng comes to Peking from various Places, 
 as Lea tong, Corea, and Northern Tartary ; it comes 
 likewife from Jr^an, but I believe that is not fo 
 
 C z much' 
 
20 Tloe General History of 
 
 much efteemed : This Plant if good is at prefent very 
 dear, and is fold at leait for fix times its Weight in 
 Silver, and there is fome of it at Peking that fells 
 for eight times its Weight in Silver, and often for 
 more : It is prepared in the following manner ; they 
 cut it firft of all. in fmall Slices, and then boil it in a 
 little Water ; the Veffels mud be of Earth, and cover'd 
 clofe, tho* People of Fortune have them of Silver 
 made on purpofe : The Decoction when drained off is 
 given to the Patient, and a little more Water is thrown 
 upon the grofs part which remains, and it is boiled 
 over again : The common Dofe is the tenth part of 
 an Ounce. 
 
 When they put Gin feng into any Medicine they 
 commonly only pour this Decoction amongft it ; the 
 Dofe is not fixed ; a Drachm and a half is thought 
 very ftrong, but I have feen even three Drachms of it 
 taken, nay fometimes five Drachms or more is given, 
 but this is only upon extream occafions, as in cafe of 
 an Apoplexy, or fuch like ; but here regard muft be 
 always had to the Patient's Age, Conftitution, £*fc. 
 
 A Chinefe Pound Weight is about nineteen of our 
 Ounces and four Drachms : An Ounce is the fixteenth 
 part of a Pound, a Drachm the tenth part of an 
 Ounce, a Grain the tenth part of a Drachm, and 
 thus on, always diminifhmg by the proportion often. 
 Wherever therefore you meet with the Terms of 
 Ounces or Drachms you muft reduce them to our 
 Standard, according to the Rule I have here laid 
 down. 
 
 The Chinefe call a Pound, King ; an Ounce, Leang ; 
 a Drachm, Jfien -, the tenth part of a Drachm, Fuen. 
 Thefe Terms of Weights are common to Gold and 
 Silver, becaufe in trading they make ufe of Scales to 
 weigh them : There are a great number oi Chinefe 
 Herbals ; the laft which was compiled, and from 
 which thefe Receipts are extracted, is entituled Pen 
 tfao can mou, the Herbal which lias a main Cord 
 
 and 
 
 
China, Chinese-Tar tar y, âfc. 21 
 
 and Mefhes ; that is to fay that as a Net has a main 
 Cord and Mefhes, fo this Herbal has general Titles, 
 under which the various matters it treats of are ranged, 
 as the Mefhes are ranged and joined to the main Cord 
 of the Net. 
 
 We may remark, by the bye, that there is no Na- 
 tion in the World which abounds fo much in odd 
 Titles to their Books as the Chinefe Nation : The 
 Names they give to Countries, and many other things, 
 difcover this Singularity in them ; not but that thefe 
 Names frequently have a good meaning included in 
 them. 
 
 Of T E A, another Triant made life of in 
 Thyfick. 
 
 r T' H E Leaf which we call Tea, and which like- 
 wife goes by that Name in the Province of Fo 
 hen, is called Tcha in all the other Provinces : The 
 Europeans gave it the Name of Tea, becaufè the Mer- 
 chants of Europe, who firft paffed by China in their 
 Voyage to Japan, landed in the Province of Fo kien, 
 where they firft came to the Knowledge of it. 
 
 The Chinefe have given different Names to this Ve- 
 getable at différent times ; they have called it Cou tcha. 
 Cou che, Ming, Kie, &c. Song fays : The Tcha 
 which is gather'd in the firft Seafon is called Tcha, and 
 that which is gather'd towards the latter Seafon is 
 named Ming. 
 
 The Explanation of different^ Authors, 
 
 CHIN nong in the Chu king fays, that Tea grows 
 in the Territory of T tcheou, and in that of Chang 
 ling, on the fides of the Roads ; that the fevereft Win- 
 ter never kills it, and that they gather the Leaves the 
 third Day of the third Moon, and dry them, Wc 
 
 C 3 read 
 
2 2 The General History of 
 
 read in the Book of Co pou, that the Shrub which 
 bears Tea produces Leaves in the Winter, which may 
 be boiled, and Décodions made thereof. 
 
 Song fays, that at prefent the Shrub which bears 
 Tea is found in the Provinces of Fo kien, Tche hang, 
 Kiangfi^ Hou quang, in the Country of Ho ai nan,, and 
 amongft the Mountains : It bears Leaves about the 
 middle of Spring, which are then very tender ; they 
 put them in Balneo Maries, and extradl a bitter Wa- 
 ter from them, after which they dry them, reduce 
 them into Powder, and then make a kind of Tea of 
 it ; but this is not conformable with the Practice of 
 the Ancients. 
 
 Long yu in his Treatife concerning Tea fays, that 
 the Tea which grows Southward is the beft ; the Tree 
 which bears it is from one to two Foot high ; there 
 are fome of twenty and thirty Foot in the Provinces 
 of Chanfi, Chan tong, Se ichuen, &r. and there are 
 fome of that fize that two Men can't clafp them round, 
 but then they cut them down as ufelefs : It bears a 
 Flower like that of Jefiamine, but it has fix Leaves a- 
 bove and fix below ; it produces a fmall Fruit of the 
 Shape and Size of a little Apple, which hath fome- 
 thing of the Tafte of a Clove ; it has a Root like 
 that of a Peach-tree ; the beft grows in ftony places, 
 and the worft is what is found in fandy Ground : It 
 is fown in the fame manner that Cucumbers or Pump- 
 kins are, and at three Years end the Leaves may be 
 gathered. 
 
 The bell Tea grows in the middle of the Trees, 
 which are moft expofed to the Sun, and are a little 
 upon the purple Colour, for that which is quite Green 
 is inferior to the .other : The Tea whofe Leaves are 
 long and large is the beft, on the contrary that which 
 hath fmall fhort Leaves is not efteem'd good ; that 
 which hath its Leaves curled is the moft valuable, and 
 that which hath them quite fmooth the worft : The 
 ves of this Tree in die fécond, third, and fourth 
 
 Moon 
 
China, Chines e-Ta r t a r y, &c. 2 3 
 
 Moon are four and five Inches long, when planted in 
 ftony places. Thefe tender Leaves muft be always 
 gathered in the Morning when they are cover'd with 
 Dew before Sun-riling ; they grow from the middle 
 of the Tree to the extremity of three, four or five 
 Branches -, when they are gathered they mud be dry'd 
 in Balneo Mariœ. There are ten thoufand forts of it, 
 which have fo many different Names, &c. The true 
 Tea is of a cold Quality, for there is only that which 
 grows on the * Mcng chan, a Mountain in the Terri- 
 tory of Ta tcbeou, which is of a moderately warm 
 Nature, and which is made ufe of in Medicine. 
 
 The Author of a Treatife on Tea, entituled Mao 
 ven ft, fays : The Mountain of Mong chan has five 
 Points, upon which there are always Tea-Shrubs ; the 
 middle Point is called Chang tfing fong, where 
 there formerly lived a Bonze, who had been a long 
 t;ime troubled with a Diftemper proceeding from a 
 cold Caufe ; this Bonze one Day met with an old 
 Man, who told him that to gather the Tea on the 
 middle Point of the Mountain Mong chan he fliould 
 chufe the Vernal Equinox, that is to fay a few Days 
 before or after the firft Thunder was heard ; then, 
 laid he, employ as many Hands as you can procure 
 to gather the three Days following all the Tea you 
 can find : If you take one Ounce of this Tea, and in- 
 fufe it in fome Water of the fame Mountain boiling 
 hot, it will be a fufficient Cure for the mod invete- 
 rate Difeafes : Two Ounces of it will prevent any new 
 Diftemper from feizing you, three Ounces wilj great- 
 ly ftrengthen the whole Body and Conftitution, and 
 if you take four Ounces you will become a true %ften, 
 that is to fay an eternal Inhabitant of the Earth. 
 
 The Bonze, following the old Man's Advice, horrd- 
 ed up feveral Ounces of this Tea, and before he had 
 
 * This Mountain is in the Province of Chan Terr}' 
 
 tory of Tfing tcheou fou, 
 
 C 4 irft i 
 
24 7^- General History of 
 
 ufed it all he found himfelf perfectly cured of his Dif- 
 eafe -, fince that time they conftantly gather the Tea- 
 Leaves from the other four Points of this Mountain -, 
 but for the fifth Point, as it is cover'd over with a thick 
 Wood, and infefted with a great number of wild 
 Beafts, they dare not gather it often there, which is 
 the reafon it is fold fo extremely dear : This Sort of 
 Tea is fuperior to any other in the medicinal way. 
 
 Tjfai Jiang, fpeaking very minutely and exactly con- 
 cerning the Tea of Fo kien, fays, that there is none 
 but that to which they give the Name of La tcha : 
 They bring a quantity of this Tea every Year to the 
 Emperor, taking great Pains to dry it thoroughly in 
 the Sun ; for the more it is expoftxl to the Sun-Beams 
 the more excellent it is : All other forts of Tea, if in 
 Leaves, is called Ta tcha, but if it is in Powder it is 
 for that reafon called Mon tcha : It is only the Tea- 
 Leaves of Ting tcheou that comes in the Jeaft near the 
 Tea of Fokien, either for its Tafte or Qualities : There 
 is one fort of Tea which is all of tender Leaves of 
 the length of an Inch and more, which paffes for a 
 Tea of the firfb Rank, but the Excellency of it arifes 
 entirely from the Nature of the Soil it grows in. 
 
 Che tchln fays, that there is a wild Tea which 
 grows of it ùlt\ and other Tea that grows after hav- 
 ing been fown. In order to fow Tea they take its 
 Seed, which is about the fize of the end of one's Fin- 
 ger, perfectly round and black, the infide of which 
 being put in the Mouth feems at firft to have a fweet 
 Tafte, and afterwards a bitter one. The Inhabitants of 
 the Province of Fo hen make an Oil of this Seed, 
 which they ufe for Sauce to their Meat : It is fown in 
 the fécond Moon, when they put fix, feven or eight 
 Seeds in one place at a time, tho' fometimes only one 
 or two Shrubs fprout from them, the reafon of which 
 is that the greateft part of thefe Seeds are quite hol- 
 low. The Cuftom of paying a Tribute of Tc.i every 
 Year to the Emperor commenced from the time of 
 
 the 
 
Chin a, Chinese-Tartary, &c. 2£ 
 
 the Monarchy of Tang, under the Reign of Te tfong, 
 and has continued down to the prefent Reign, becaufe 
 it is univerfally made ufe of by the Natives, as well as 
 exported to. the Weftern Parts of the World. 
 
 Its Qualities. 
 
 THIS Leaf has a Tafte partly bitter and partly 
 fweet ; it has a fmall degree of Coldnefs in its Na- 
 ture, but no malignant Quality. Tfang ki fays, that 
 Tea muft be drank hot, for it produces Phlegm when 
 taken cold. Li ling fi fays, that when after having 
 drank Wine one is diforder'd, and drinks Tea to 
 quench Thirft it forces Urine, and produces a Cold- 
 nefs and Pain in the Reins, Feet, and Bladder, which 
 may often be the caufe of a Dropfy or Palfy : How- 
 ever that be when you drink Tea you muft drink it 
 hot, he fays, and in fmall Quantities, taking care a- 
 bove all not to drink it fatting, and when the Sto- 
 mach is empty. 
 
 Its Effects. 
 
 THE Tea Leaf is good for Tumours or ïm- 
 pofthumes in the Head, and for Diforders of the Blad- 
 der ; it diffipates Heat which is caufed by any Phlegm 
 or Inflammation in the Breaft, quenches Third, prevents 
 Drowfinefs, and revives the Heart. This Account of 
 it is taken from the Books of Chin nong. 
 
 Sou cong tells us, that it removes Obftructions, 
 helps Digeftion, and is extreamly wholfome when the 
 Seed of Onion, Ginger, and Tchu yu are join'd with 
 it -, it is a great Friend to the Inteftines if we believe 
 Tfang ki : It purines the Brain, clears the Sight, is 
 good againft Wind pent up in the Body, and cures 
 Lethargies, &c. It likewife cures, they tell us, inflam- 
 matory Fevers, and by giving it boiled in Vinegar 
 will remove a Diarrhea and Tenefmus, and produce 
 other wonderful Effects. 
 
 A Receipt 
 
26 'The General History of 
 
 A Receipt for Lofs of Spirits, and Pains in the Head. 
 
 TAKE of the befl Tea in Powder, and make a 
 thick Electuary, fhut it up in an earthen Cup, and 
 turn it upfidedown, then take four Grains of Pa teou 9 
 and burn them at twice under the Cup thus turn'd in 
 order to dry by its Smoke and Heat 'the Electuary 
 contained in it, which afterward you may make up 
 into a kind of Pafte: For a Dofe take about the 
 Quantity of a fmall Nut, adding to it other Tea in 
 Powder -, then boil them together, and give it the Pa- 
 tient after a Meal. 
 
 A Receipt for the Li tfi, or *tenefmus, which is c au fed 
 by Heat, where the Excrements are bloody. ' 
 
 ME NG tfan fays: That a Tenefmus, which pro- 
 ceeds either from Heat or Cold, is cured by Tea pre- 
 pared in the following manner: Take a Pound of 
 good Tea, dry it before the Fire, then reduce it to 
 Powder, boiling it after this thoroughly in a proper 
 quantity of Water, and thus let the Patient drink it. 
 
 A Receipt for inveterate Pains at the Heart. 
 
 THOSE, who have been troubled with thefe Dis- 
 orders for ten or fifteen Years together, need only boil 
 fome of the Tea of Hou quang with good Vinegar, 
 and drink of it, and it will prove an excellent Remedy. 
 
 A Receipt for Women^ after Delivery, when J hey 
 prove cojlive. 
 
 INTO a Decoction of Onions put a hundred 
 fmall Pills of the Tea La tcha reduced to Powder ; 
 Rhubarb is too violent a Medicine, for in thefe c 
 when you make ufe of violent Medicines, not one Pa- 
 tient out of a hundred is cured. 
 
 ! 
 
China, Chinese-Tart ary, &c> 27 
 
 A Receipt for a Pain in the Reins, attended with a 
 difficulty of turning one'' s felf. 
 
 PUT two fmall Cups of Vinegar into five of Tea, 
 and let the Patient drink the Liquor thus mixt. 
 
 A Receipt againfl all forts of Poifons. 
 
 TAKE an equal quantity of line Tea* called Ta 
 tcha, and of Allum ; pound them together, and take 
 the Powder in a little cold Water. 
 
 A Receipt for the Itching of the Small-Pox. 
 
 BURN the Leaves of Tea in your Chamber 
 Night and Day, and confine the Smoke of it there. 
 
 A Receipt againfl Phlegm. 
 
 TAKE Tea in the Bud, T'chi tfe, which is a kind 
 of Almond, an Ounce of each fort ; boil them toge- 
 ther, and give the Patient a large Cup of the Liquor : 
 This Medicine will carry off inveterate Phlegm. 
 
 A Receipt againfl the Diforders of the' Heart, and a 
 Tendency to Vomit. 
 
 TAKE the tenth part of an Ounce of powder'd 
 Tea, and boiling it in Water mix with it the fame 
 quantity of powder'd Ginger, and give it the Patient, 
 and he will find himielf immediately recover'd by it. 
 
 tàt I 
 
 Of the SEE D of T E A. 
 Its Qualities. 
 
 Ç* II E tching informs us : That it is of a fweet 
 Tafte, of a cold Nature, and has fome kind of 
 ' Malignity in it ; that it is good againfl a Cough and 
 Afthma, and diffolves Phlegm ; that when reduced 
 to a Powder it is made ufe of to fcour Cloaths, and 
 will take out Greafe, or any other Spots. 
 
 A 
 
2 8 The General History of 
 
 A Receipt for an Afthma, when the Noftrih are 
 fluffed up. 
 
 T A K E a iittle "Water in which that kind of Rice 
 has been wafh'd which is called No mi, bruife in it 
 the Seed of Tea, diftil this Water Drop by Drop 
 into the Noitrijs, injoining the Patient to let it pafs 
 by fucking up his Breath ; then let him take a Bamboo 
 Tube between his Teeth, and he will find a great 
 quantity of Phlegm come away from his Mouth in 
 an inftant ; after practifing this once or twice more 
 the caufe of the Difeafe w ill be removed. 
 
 A Receipt for an Aflhma when it àiforàers the 
 Refpiration. 
 
 WHEN the Patient coughs take Tea and Pe-ho 
 in equal quantities, reduce them to Powder, make 
 fmall Pills of them, and give feventeen of them at 
 each Dofe in Water frefh from the Spring. 
 
 A Receipt for a Noife in the Head. 
 
 TAKE white Ants of the largeft fort with fome 
 Seed of Tea, reduce them to a Powder and blow them 
 up theNofcrils: This Remedy has a powerful Effect. 
 
 Of -the ELEPHANT. 
 
 f~^ H I tchin gives us the following Account: There 
 are Elephants in the Kingdoms of Hong king and 
 Cochin china, and in the Provi. ces of t^uangji, and 1 
 nan : In the Weftern Countries there are whole Troops 
 of wild ones, and their Kings ride on them after cau- 
 fing them to be magnificently equip'd : There are of 
 them of two Colours, the White and the Iron-grey; 
 their Body is very large and unwieldy, they are ex- 
 treme! v ill-iavour'd, have 
 
 Leg? 
 
China, Chinese-Tartar y, &*c. 29 
 
 Legs are like fo many Pillars ; when they fleep they 
 gather up their Fore-legs, and lean on the Ground ; 
 they can neither bow down their Heads nor turn their 
 Necks ; their Ears lie very backward, and are quite 
 clofed up ; their Trunk is as long as their Fore-legs, 
 and hangs down to the Ground^ it is hollow and deep, 
 and opens and fhuts -, they make ufe of this Trunk 
 for eating and drinking by gathering it up and con- 
 veying it to the Mouth : The whole Strength of this 
 Animal is united in its Trunk ; if it is wounded in 
 this part it is fure to die : Behind the Ear it has a 
 hollow place cover'd with a Skin no thicker than 
 Vellum, which if wounded is likewife certain Death. 
 
 From the two Corners of its Mouth proceed two 
 large Teeth, between which the Trunk is fituated ; thefe 
 Teeth in the Males are fix or feven Foot long, but 
 not more than a Foot in the Females ; they eat Grafs, 
 Peafe, Cane, Sugar, and drink Wine -, they are afraid 
 of Smoke, Fire, Lions, and a kind of Serpent called 
 Pa : The Southern People kill thefe Elephants, and 
 make ufe of Pits and Engines to throw them down 
 with, or elfe plant a kind of Snare in the Places they 
 frequent, called the Elephant's Shoe, which feizes them 
 by the Leg : If they want to take them alive they 
 make ufe of one of the Females to feduce them into 
 the Snare they have laid for them. 
 
 When they have tamed thefe Animals^ and given 
 them Nourimment for fome time, they become tracta- 
 ble, and are obedient to their Keeper, who manages 
 them with an Iron Hook, by the means of which he 
 makes them advance and retreat, or turn to the right 
 or the left. 
 
 Of the Fle/h of an Elephant. 
 
 THE Flelh of an Elephant is infipid, and 
 mild, without any pernicious . quality ; when it is 
 burnt, and the Afhes of it mixt with Oil, they anoint 
 
 the 
 
The General History of 
 
 the Head of thofe who have fcald Reads with it, 
 and they find a Cure by it. 
 
 If they boil it when frefh without faking it, and 
 drink the Decoction, it will cure a Heat of Urine ; 
 after being burnt and reduced to Allies, if it be taken 
 in any kind of Liquor, it wil 1 flop a too great Flux 
 of Urine, as it then contracts the Qualities of Fire, 
 and becomes by that means an Aftringent inilead of 
 a Diaphoretic. 
 
 Of the Spleen of an Elephant : The manner of preparing ; 
 its Qualities and Effets. 
 
 KIO gives the -following Directions: Whenever 
 you would make ufè of the Spleen of this Animal 
 take care not to mix it with any thing -, this Spleen 
 when dried is ftreak'd and fpotted like the green Bam- 
 boo ; before you put it in any Compofition you mud 
 reduce it to a fine Powder, in order to mix it the 
 better with other Drugs : It is bitter, of a cold Na - 
 ture, and by that means a little offenfive. 
 
 It clears the Sight, cures the Wind-Dropfy in Chil- 
 dren, as likewife Tumours, where there is any matter 
 contained in them, for which purpofe it mufl be dif- 
 iblved in Water, and the Parts affected be then anointed 
 with it.- 
 
 Of the Eyes of an Elephant : Their Effects. 
 
 WHEN they are mix'd with a Woman's Milk' 
 and the Liquor is diftill'd Drop by Drop into the 
 Eye, it proves- a fovereign Remedy againfl Dilbrdcrs 
 of that Part. 
 
 Of the Skin of an Elephant : Its Effet! s . 
 
 C H Itchin fays : The Wounds which an Elephant 
 receives, either from an Àx or any other Weapon, 
 are clofed up again in lefs than a Day, for which fea- 
 fon the Allies of the Skin of this Animal are made ufè 
 of for the Cure of Wounds that are difficult to clofe: 
 
China, Chinese-Tart ary, &c. 31 
 
 This is likewife a fovereign Remedy for the Wind- 
 Dropfy in Children, for which purpofe reduce it to 
 Afhes, and mixing it with Oil anoint the affected Part 
 with it. 
 
 Of the Bones of an Elephant : Their Effecls. 
 
 THEY prepare an Antidote againft Poifons o^ 
 them : A little Bone, which runs crofs-wife near the 
 Breaft of this Animal, being reduced to Allies and 
 taken in Wine makes the Body more active, fupports 
 it above Water, and affifts a Man in fwimming. 
 
 Take four Ounces of Elephant's Bone thoroughly 
 dried over the Fire, one Ounce of To teou keou, which 
 is a kind of Cardamom roafled over Jive Coals, and 
 as much of the Bark of Tche dried well over the Fire, 
 with two Ounces of Liquorice, and half an Ounce of 
 dry Ginger roafted over the Fire, reduce the whole 
 to a Powder, and take three Drachms of it for each 
 Dofe in a Gallon of Water, which muft be boiled 
 'till a fifth part is confumed : Take this Decoction 
 warm three times a Day after Meals, and it will prove 
 a Cure for Weaknefs and Diforder of the Stomach 
 and Liver, for Indigeftions, Vomiting after eating, the 
 Cholera Morbus, Dyfentery, Pains of the Belly in the 
 Umbilical Regions, and a Tenefmus. 
 
 Of IVOR T. 
 
 THERE are three forts of Ivory •, that which 
 is taken from the Elephant after he is kill'd, and this 
 is the beft ; that which is taken when he dies a natu- 
 ral Death, which is not fo valuable ; lafily that which 
 fheds of itfelf, and is found a long time afterwards on 
 the Mountains, which is much inferior to both the 
 other forts. 
 
 Its Qualities and Effecls. 
 
 F O-R Heat of Urine, when it is attended with a ' 
 Swelling and Tenfion, take crude Ivory, boil it in 
 Water, and drink the Liquor. For 
 
3 2 ^e General History of 
 
 For a too great Flux of Urine take Ivory and burn 
 it, and after it is reduced to Afhes take of it in fome 
 proper Liquid. 
 
 Of the CAMEL. 
 
 IJOTH the wild and tame Camels are found in the 
 Countries which border upon the North Side of China, 
 and which are Weftward of the Yellow River : The 
 Fat which comes from the Bunches on the Backs, both 
 of the wild and tame, is equally made ufe of in 
 Medicine ; at prefent the wild ones are only to be met 
 with in the Country which lies North-Eafl of China. 
 Chi tcbin gives the following Account of this Ani- 
 mal : The Camel has very much the Refemblance of 
 a Horfe in the Body, and has a Head like a Sheep ; 
 it has a long Neck, and Ears that hang down ; it has 
 three Joints to its Legs, and two Bunches of Flefh 
 on its Back, which form as it were a kind of Saddle; 
 it chews the Cud, endures Cold without fuffering in 
 the leaft, and is naturally afraid of great Heat -, it 
 will carry a thoufand Cbinefe Pound Weight, and tra- 
 vel two or three hundred Lys a Day : It knows by 
 natural Inftinft where there are Springs of Water hid 
 under Ground, and when the Wind is going to rife: 
 If you dig in thofe Places where the Camels ftamp 
 with their Feet you will difcover Water running un- 
 der Ground: Hot Winds often rife in the Summer- 
 time, which fuffocate Travellers in an inftant -, when 
 the Camels flock together, making a great Outcry, 
 and thruft their Snouts into the Sand, 'tis a fare ilgn 
 that this Wind is on the point of blowing. The Belly 
 of thefe Creatures never touches the Ground when they 
 fleep, and thofe of them, under whofe Belly one can 
 perceive the Light when they are lain down, are 
 called Min to, or transparent Camels ; thefe are able 
 
 to 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &c. 33 
 
 to travel the fartheft : There are fome of them to 
 which they give the Name of Fonk Ho to, or Camels 
 with Feet of Wind, becaufe of their extream Fleet- 
 nefs ; thefe will travel a thoufand Lys a Day. 
 
 Of the Fat of a Camel. 
 
 W E mean here the Fat which is found in their 
 Bunches, which they call the Oil of Bunches ; that of 
 the wild Camels is the bed in the Compofition of 
 Medicines. 
 
 Its Qualities and Effetls. 
 
 I T is fvveet, mild, and has no offenfive quality ; 
 it cures Numbnefs in the Limbs, Ulcers, Impofthumes, 
 mortify'd Flefh, a fhrinking of the Skin or Nerves : 
 For this purpofe you muft boil it over the Fire, and 
 rub the part affected with it, that the Heat may ferve 
 for a Vehicle to the Spirits to make them penetrate 
 the Flefh. 
 
 You may make fmall Loaves of it by mixing it 
 with the Flour of Rice, and after having boil'd it 
 may eat it as a Cure for the Piles : It is a Specifick 
 in Confumptions, Wind-colicks, and Inanition ; it 
 muft be taken mix'd with Aqua Vitœ : For an univer- 
 fal Numbnefs of all the Limbs, take a Pound of the 
 Fat of wild Camels well purify'd, mixing with it 
 four Ounces of Butter, which muft be given three 
 times a Day from half a Spoonful to a Spoonful at 
 a time. 
 
 Of the Flejh of a Camel : Its Effetls. 
 
 I T difpels Wind, makes the Refpiration free, for- 
 tifies the Nerves, and cures Boils and Impofthumes. 
 
 Of the Milk of a Camel : Its Effetls. 
 
 I T ftrengthens the Breaft, reanimates and augment! 
 the Spirits, fortifies the Bones and Nerves. 
 
 Vol. IV. D 0/ 
 
34 ^£ General History of 
 
 Of the Hair of a Camel : Its EJfeffs. 
 
 THE Hair under the Chin of this Animal when 
 burnt, and the Afhes of it taken in Water, cures 
 the internal Piles ; about a Spoonful of it is a proper 
 , quantity for a Dofe. 
 
 Of the Dung of a Camel : lis Effet! s . 
 
 W H E N it is dry'd and reduced to a Powder it 
 will flop a Bleeding at the Nofe by being blown in- 
 to it : When they burn it the Smoke which proceeds 
 from it deftroys Gnats, and all kinds of Vermin. 
 
 Of the Hai Ma, or the Sea-Horfe. 
 
 THIS Creature is likewife call'd Choui ma, or 
 Water-Horfe. Song king fays : That this Fifli is 
 of the Craw-fifh kind, and that it refembles a Horfê 
 in its Make ; for which reafon they give it the Name 
 of Hai ?na, or Sea-Horfe. 
 
 Explanation of diverfe Authors. 
 
 TSANG K I fays : The Sea-Horfe is found in 
 the Southern Ocean, and refembles a Horfe ; it is five 
 or fix Inches long, and is of the Kind of Hia, as 
 Craw-fifh are : Nan tcheou y ne tcbi, that is to fay 
 the Book which treats of curious things, gives the 
 following Account of it : The Hai ma is of a yellow 
 Colour, a little inclining to the Grey : When a Wo- 
 man is under the greater! extremity in Labour you 
 need only put this InfecT: into her Hand, and fhe will 
 be immediately deliver'd with the utmoft Facility. 
 
 In the Su piao, &c. we have this Account of it : 
 There is in the Sea a kind of Fifh, the Head of 
 which refembles that of a Horfe, it has a fort of 
 Snout hanging down, and is of a yellow Colour, a 
 
 little 
 
Ch IN A y C H I N E S E-TaR T A R Y, &C. 3 g 
 
 little inclining to the Black ; Sea -men frequently catch 
 them, but not to eat ; when they have dry'd them 
 they either road or broil them to aflift Women in 
 Delivery. 
 
 Its Qualities and EffecJs, 
 
 THE Hai ma has a fweet Tade, is of a nature 
 moderately warm, without being in the lead venomous, 
 and produces the following Effects : When a Wo- 
 man is difficult to be deliver'd carrying this Crea- 
 ture about her fhe will produce very good Confe- 
 quences : When the time of Delivery is near you mud 
 burn it, reduce it to Powder, and give it the Patient 
 to take, putting a whole one into her Hand at the 
 fame time, and fhe will immediately find herfelf re- 
 lieved. Sou long fpeaking of the fame Creature fays I 
 That it generoufly warms the noble Parts, is good a- 
 gainft peftilential and other invenom'd Tumours, and 
 above all is good for the Difeafe call'd Hiao quia, or 
 Lunar Difeafe, which feizes the Patient the firfl and 
 fifteenth Day of each Moon in fuch a manner that 
 he can neither eat nor drink, and is difordered for 
 thofe two Days with a perpetual ratling in his Throats 
 There are fome People who have been afflicted with 
 this Didemper from their Infancy to a great old Age. 
 
 A Decoiïïon of Hai ma. 
 
 THIS Decoction is good for the Difeafe I have 
 been juit fpeaking of j when it is inveterate take a. 
 couple of Hai ?na, a Male and a Female, one Ounce 
 of Mou biang, which is an odoriferous Wood, of* 
 roafled Rhubarb and Pe kien two tenths of an Ounce 
 each, forty nine Grains of Pa leou, and two Ounces 
 of Tfwg pi ; infufe the whole in a Child's Urine till it 
 is quite foaked, and the Pa teou becomes of a purple 
 Colour, after which it muft be put to deep kven 
 Days longer in the Urine, then take it out, and fry- 
 ing fome Wheat Bran till it becomes quite yellow, 
 
 D z take 
 
3 6 Tie General History of 
 
 take the Skin oïPateou and caft it into it, then add this 
 Skin to the other Ingredients above-mentioned, and 
 pound them together in a Mortar : Give the Patient 
 for a Dcfe, going to reft, two tenths of an Ounce of 
 this Powder in a Dim of Tea, after having boiled it 
 four or five times. 
 
 Of the Che hiai, or petrify d Crab-ffi. 
 The Defcripion of it taken from divers Authors. 
 
 THE Che hiai, or petrify'd Crab-fifh, is found in 
 the Southern Sea of China ; it is generally faid 
 that 'tis of the common kind of Crab-fifh, which af- 
 ter a great length of time is petrify'd by means of the 
 Sand which mixes with the Water near the Shore, and 
 penetrating with that into their Bodies fixes there, and 
 grows hard by degrees till it forms a kind of Stone, 
 tor the Crab-fifh come out of the Sand which is on 
 the Sea Shore every Tide, and bury themfelves in it 
 again when the Tide goes out : This petrify'd Fifh, 
 when pcunded and reduced to a fine Powder, enters 
 into the Compofition of all forts of Medicines, and 
 is of great ufe in Phyfick. 
 
 It is faid in a Book entituled Hai tfi Ion \ That in a 
 Town v/hich is in t\\z Diftricl Ngai tcheou, called Tu 
 lin, there is a Stream about half a League in length, 
 wherein there is a kind of fattifh Earth of a very cold 
 Nature, which penetrating by means of the Water 
 into the Bodies of the Crab-fifh, and not being able to 
 circulate with the Juices, hardens gradually into Stones, 
 and thence have the name of petrify'd Crab-fifh given 
 to them by thofe who find them. 
 
 Its Qualities. 
 THE petrify'd Crab-fifh has a fait Tafte, is of a 
 cold Nature, and has no pernicious or offenfive Qua- 
 Jiry. Its 
 
China, Chines e-Ta r t a r y, &€. 3 7 
 
 Its Effecls. 
 
 I T cures cutaneous Diforders which proceed from 
 Debauchery, Pimples, and other fuch like Tumours ; 
 it is an Antidote againfl all forts of Poifons ; it is like- 
 wife good againfl a venemous kind of Worm bred in 
 the Body, called Cou toil -, it is made ufe of with good 
 Succefs in contagious Fevers, affifts in Delivery, con- 
 tributes to the Motion and Circulation of the Blood : 
 It mull be pounded in warm Water and then given 
 to the Patient ; when pounded in Vinegar it is ufed to 
 rub grofs Ulcers with, and other inveterate Humours. 
 
 A Receip for LaJfiW.de, and for Pain and Swelling 
 of the Throat. 
 
 POUND petrify'd Crab-fifh in Quick-filver, 
 and rub the affected Part with it by means of a 
 Feather. 
 
 Of MUSK: Its Preparation. 
 
 H I A tells us : That when we would make ufc 
 of Musk the befl way is to take it entire with the 
 Purfe that contains it ; this Purfe mull be open'd on 
 thofe Days of the Year which have the Mark of the 
 Letter Tfe annex'd to them (according to the Ckinefe 
 Period, which confifls of two different Numbers of 
 ten and twelve Letters ; thefe combin'd together make 
 the Period of fixty, or elfe of fixty couple of Let- 
 ters, the different Names of which diflinguifh their 
 Years, Days and Hours) after this you mufl bruife it 
 a little. 
 
 Its Tajle. 
 
 I T is of an infipid Tafle, of a Nature a little cold, 
 but without any Malignity: J'chin kiuen tells us 
 that Musk is infipid, and that it is a great Enemy 
 to the Eye ; it is likewife faid that we mufl not fuffer 
 it to come nigh the Nofe, becaufe it contains iittle 
 
 P 3 white 
 
38 The General History of 
 
 white Infects, which penetrate to the Brain -, and likewife 
 if thofe who are troubled with an inveterate Itch carry- 
 any of it about them it will penetrate their Skin, and 
 be the caufe of fome new Diftemper. 
 
 Its Virtues and Ufes. 
 
 I T purifies a bad Air, clears away the three forts 
 of Infects which breed in the Stomach of fome fick 
 Perfons, is good for intermitting Fevers, and for Dif- 
 orders occafion'd by fudden Frights ; when frequently 
 ufed it conquers the malignity of all Difeafes, and 
 prevents troublefome Dreams. 
 
 Pao p tfe gives us the following Information: 
 When you go amongft the Mountains you muft put a 
 little Ball of Musk between the Nail and Flefh of one 
 of your Toes, which will prove of great Efficacy a- 
 gainft Serpents : The reafon of this is that the Ani- 
 mal from which the Musk is procured feeds upon Ser- 
 pents, and confequently the Musk has the Virtue of 
 making them avoid any Perfon ; it is good likewife 
 againft die Bite of a Serpent, and againft the Venom 
 of certain little Infects that are found in Handing Wa- 
 ters ; it deftroys Worms which are bred in the Sto- 
 mach, and all kinds of Infects which infeft the En- 
 trails ; it is good againft intermitting Fevers, carries 
 off Phlegm produced by Wind, and in a word is fuc- 
 cefsful againft the malignity of all kinds of Difeafes : 
 It forwards Conception in Women, generoufly warms 
 the noble Parts, and cures a Tenefmus which proceeds 
 from a cold Caufe ; when diluted a little with Water 
 it cures fudden Chillnefs in young Children, fortifies 
 the Heart, and has the Virtue of bringing all kinds of 
 Tumours and Impofihumes to a Suppuration, &c. It 
 penetrates into all the Channels of the Body, opens 
 the VeiTels, enters the very Flefh and Bones, digefts 
 cold Fruits and Vegetables which arc apt to lie on the 
 Stomach, cures the Diforders occafioned by Wind, is 
 <?;ood againft Phlegm, and againft a Complication of 
 
 all 
 
China, Chinese-Tartar y, &c. 39 
 
 all forts of bad Humours : This account of it is ex- 
 tracted from feveral Authors. 
 
 A Receipt for certain Diforders occafwn'd by Wind, 
 whereby a Per/on is deprived of bis Senfes. 
 
 TAKE two tenths of an Ounce of Musk, re- 
 duce it to a Powder, mix it in two Ounces of trans- 
 parent Oil, and beat them well up together; then 
 pour it down the Patient's Throat, and he will imme- 
 diately come to himfèlf. 
 
 A Receipt for Diforders of the Heart, and a Tendency 
 to Vomiting. 
 
 TAKE one tenth of an Ounce of Musk, half 
 a Tea-cup of Vinegar, mix them well together, and 
 give it the Patient. 
 
 A Receipt for Stomachs that are chilled by eating 
 of Fruit. 
 
 I F the Patient has a weak Stomach and ihort 
 Breath take an Ounce of Musk, as much of the Wood 
 of green Cinnamon, with fome Rice boil'd, and make 
 Pills of thefe Ingredients about the fize of a fmall 
 Pea ; you may give fifteen of thefe for a Dofe to a 
 grown Perfon, and feven to a Child, warning them 
 down with warm Water. 
 
 A Receipt for Pains in any part of the Head. 
 
 I F the Pain be inveterate, after the Sun has been 
 rifen fome time, put afide the Hair from the afflicted 
 part, then take half an Ounce of Musk, and a tenth 
 of an Ounce of green Rice, reduce both to a Powder, 
 and wrapping it up in a thin Paper apply it to the 
 place where the Pain is felt, at the fame time covering 
 the Musk over with fome torrefy'd Salt wrap'd up in 
 a hot Linen-cloth ; when the Salt grows cold change 
 it, doing the fame thing for feveral times, after which 
 the Patient will feel no more Pain. 
 
 D 4 A 
 
40 77je General History of 
 
 A Receipt to facilitate Delivery^ which is more precious 
 than Gold. 
 
 FOR this purpofe take one tenth of an Ounce of 
 Musk, and one Ounce of Ten ché, wrap them up in 
 a piece of clean old Linen Cloth, roaft them over the 
 Fire, and reduce them to a Powder ; then giye two 
 tenths of an Ounce of this Powder to the Patient in a 
 Glafs of Wine, upon taking of which fhe'll be im- 
 mediately delivered. The 2 en ché is made with black 
 Beans boiPd, and kept ior fome Days till there is a 
 kind of Mouldinefs on the Top of them, when they 
 mull be wafli'd, dry'd, and faked. 
 
 A Receipt for the Piles, when they are much fweWd 
 and don't bleed. 
 
 TAKE Musk and Saltpeter which grows on the 
 Walls, an equal quantity of each, and rub the dif- 
 order'd Parts only three or four times with it. 
 
 A Receipt for the Bite of a Rat. 
 
 RUB the Part affected with Musk, which will 
 prove an excellent Remedy. 
 
 A Receipt againfl the Tnfecls which are the Caufe of the 
 Tooth-Ach. 
 
 TAKE of the Oil called Htang yeou, and rub the 
 Gums with it, then take of the beft Musk and wrap 
 it up in a little Cotton, heat it, and put it quite warm 
 to the Patient's Teeth overagainft the Part where the 
 Pain is felt, changing it two or three times. This 
 will deftroy the Infects, and root out the Caufe of the 
 Difeafe, 
 
 of 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &c. 41 
 
 mê^Msë^ 
 
 ;:^ 
 
 I <^y 
 
 gLM 
 
 Of other Drugs made ufe of by the Chinefe 
 Phyficians. 
 
 Of Hia Tfao Tong Tchong : A Defcription of this 
 Plant. 
 
 r T H I S Plant during the Summer Seafon is an Herb, 
 ■^ but as foon as Winter appears it changes into a 
 Worm. Indeed we need only look upon it to be 
 convinc'd that this Name was not given it without 
 Reafon ; nothing can be a ftronger kcprefentation of 
 a long Worm, with nine Streaks, and of a yellowifh 
 Colour ; you fee the direct Form of the I lead, Eyes, 
 Feet, Belly, and Back : This is moll apparent when 
 it is frefh gathered, for in time it grows biackifh,efpe- 
 cially if it be expofed to the Air, and foon corrupts 
 by reafon of the foftnefs of its Subilance. This Plant 
 paffes for a great Rarity at Peking, and is feldom to 
 be ken but at Court ; it grows in Thibet ; it is like- 
 wife found in the Frontiers of the Province of Setchuen> 
 which joins to the Kingdom of 'Thibet or Laza, which 
 the Chinefe call Sang li, but it is met with there only 
 in fmall Quantities : We have not been able to get 
 an account either of the Shape of its Leaves, the co- 
 lour of its Flowers, or the height of its Stalk. 
 
 Its Virtues. 
 
 ITS Qualities are fomething of the fame Nature 
 of thofe which are attributed to the Gin feng, with 
 this Difference, that the frequent ufe of this Root 
 doth not occafion Hemorrhagies, as the Gin feng doth. 
 It is very powerful in fortifying the Body, and reflo- 
 ring loll Strength, whether proceeding from excefs of 
 Labour, or long Illnefs : This, fiys Father Parenin^ 
 I have experienced my felf ; I had loll all Appetite, 
 
 and 
 
42 7& General History of 
 
 and could get no Sleep, and notwithstanding diveriè 
 Remedies they gave me I became extremely languid 
 and faint, by means of the frequent Journies I was 
 oblig'd to take during the Rigour of a cold and wet 
 Seafon. The T'fongiou of the two Provinces of Se tchuen 
 and Chen fi being come into Tartary to pay their De- 
 voirs to the Emperor, brought with him, according 
 to Cuftom, what he could procure that was moft cu- 
 rious in his Diftrict, and amongfl other things fome 
 Roots of Riao tfao long tchong : As I had been ac- 
 quainted with him before he came to fee me, and he 
 being concerned for my ill ftate of Health, advifed me 
 to make ufe of that Root, the Nature of which I 
 was entirely unacquainted with: He recommended 
 it to me in very Itrong Terms, and taught me the 
 way of preparing it. You muft take, faid he, five 
 Drachms of this Root entire to the very end, fluff 
 the Belly of a tame Duck with it, and boil it over a 
 gentle Fire ; when it is boil'd take the Drug out a- 
 gain, the Virtue of which will have enter'd entirely 
 into the Flefh of the Duck ; eat of this Morning and 
 Night for eight or ten Days together. I accordingly 
 made the Experiment, when I immediately found my 
 Appetite return, and my Strength reftored ; the Em- 
 peror's Phyficians,whom I confuked upon the Quali- 
 ties of this Root, gave me the fame Account that 
 the Tfong tou had given me, but told me that they 
 only prefcrib'd it at Court, becaufe of the difficulty 
 they had to procure it, and becaufe that if any of it 
 was to be met with in China it was only in the* Pro- 
 vince of Hon quang. I wrote to a Friend who lived 
 in that Province, and defired him to fend me fome 
 of it, but he could only procure me a very fmall 
 quantity, and that too was black, old and rotten, 
 tho' it colt more than four times its Weight in Silver. 
 
 Of 
 
China, Chinese-Tart ar y, &*c. 43 
 
 Of the San tfi : A Defcrlpion of this Plant. 
 
 THE San tfi is more readily found ; it is a Plant 
 which grows without cultivation on the Mountains in 
 the Provinces of Tun nan, Koei tchecu and Se tchuen. 
 It moots forth eight Stalks which have no Branches, 
 the middle Stalk being the higheft and of a round 
 Form, from which come three Leaves like thofe of 
 Mugwort, not tufted but mining, and of a deep 
 Green ; the other feven Stalks, which are not more 
 than a Foot and half high, and are of a triangular Form, 
 fpring from the middle one, three of one fide and 
 four on the other -, thefe have only one Leaf each, 
 which grows at the Top ; hence they gave it the 
 Name of San tfi, that is to fay three and feven, be- 
 caufe the middle Stalk has three Leaves, and the {even 
 others only feven in the whole : All thefe Stalks fprout 
 from a round Root of about four Inches diameter, 
 which moots out other fmall ones that are oblong, 
 and of the thicknefs of one's little Finger, the Rind of 
 which is hard and coarfe, but the inward Subftance is 
 foft, and of a yeliowifh. colour -, it is thefe fmall Roots 
 which are particularly employ 'd in Medicine : The 
 middle Stalk is the only one that bears white Flowers, 
 which are thick at the top like a Grape, and blow 
 at the end of the feventh Moon, that is to fay in 
 the Month of July -, when they would propagate this 
 Plant they take the large Root, cut it in Slices, and 
 put it into the Ground about the time of the Vernal 
 Equinox : In a Month's time its Stalks begin to ap- 
 pear, and at the end of three Years the Plant is full 
 
 Its Ufes. 
 
 THE Chinefe gather the Stalks and Leaves towards 
 the Summer Solflice, when they pound them to ex- 
 prefs the Juice, which they mix with Chalk, make up 
 into a Mafs, dry it in the Shade, and then make ufe 
 
 Of 
 
The General History of 
 
 of it in the cure of Wounds : They likewife employ 
 this Juice, mix'd with Wine, to ftop the fpitting of 
 Blood, but this Medicine has no Virtue except in the 
 Summer-time, and upon thofe who are on the Spot. 
 For this Reafon at the end of Autumn they take up the 
 large Roots, and cut off the fmall oblong ones, which 
 I have mention'd above, then dry them in the open 
 Air, and tranfport them into the other Provinces. 
 The hcavieft of thefe fmall Roots, which are of a grey 
 colour inclining to the black, and which grow on the 
 Hillocks, are efteem'd the beft ; thofe which are light, 
 of a yellowifli colour, and which grow upon the 
 Banks of Rivers, have very little or no Virtue ; a 
 Drachm of thefe fmall Roots pulverifed will cure 
 /pitting of Blood, and all kinds of Hemorrhagies. 
 
 Of Rhubarb : A Defcription of the Plant. 
 
 I am not ignorant that this Plant and its Properties 
 are very well known ; however the Reader may per- 
 haps be glad to fee the Defcription of it which was 
 given. by a Chinefe Merchant, who had bought it up- 
 on the fpot where it grew, and came to fell it at 
 Peking. 
 
 The Tai hoang, or Rhubarb, grows in many Places 
 of China i the beft is that of&? tcbuen; that which 
 comes from the Province of Chen fi, and the King- 
 dom of Thibet, is much inferior to it. The Stalk 
 of Rhubarb is like the fmall Bamboo, or Chinefe Cane ; 
 it is hollow and very brittle, three or four foot high, 
 and of a dark purple colour : In the fécond Moon, 
 that is to fay in the Month of March, it fhoots forth 
 long and thick Leaves ; its Flowers are of a yellow 
 colour, tho' fome are of a purple one : In the fifth 
 Moon it produces a fmall black Seed, the Size of a 
 Millet -, in the eighth Moon they dig it up ; its Root 
 is thick and long, and that which is the moft weighty 
 and marbled within is the moft efteeni'd ; this Root 
 is of a Nature very difficult to be dry'd : The Chhirfe, 
 
 after 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &c. 45. 
 
 after having rooted it up and clean'd it, cut it into 
 Pieces of one or two Ounces weight each, and dry it 
 on large Stone Tables, under which they kindle a 
 Fire, and then frequently turn the Pieces till they are 
 thoroughly dry ; but if they had fuch Ovens as we 
 have in Europe they would fcarce, I believe, make 
 ufe of thefe Tables : As this Operation is not fuffi- 
 cient to extract all the Moifture, they make a Hole 
 thro' every Piece, fcring 'em all like fo many Beads, 
 and hang them up in the Sun till they are in a Con- 
 dition to be preferv'd without any danger of cor- 
 rupting. 
 
 Its USE. 
 
 THE Cbinefe Notion of the Virtues of this Plant 
 is pretty much like ours in Europe, tho' they fcldom 
 make ufe of it crude or in the Subftance ; but if it be 
 ever thought neceffary that they fhould, they firft 
 prepare it in the following manner. 
 
 They take what quantity of the Pieces of Rhubarb 
 they have occafion for, and fteep it a Night and a 
 Day in Rice Wine, tho' Grape Wine would be bet- 
 ter if they had it ; when it is fufficiently foaked they 
 cut it in fmall Pieces, after which they place a kind 
 of Copper over a Furnace of Bricks, the Mouth of it 
 being two Foot Diameter, growing narrower down- 
 wards in the Form of a Cap ; this Copper they fill 
 with Water, covering it over with a Sieve turn'd up- 
 fide down made with fmall Filaments of the Rind 
 of Bamboo, and fitted to the Mouth of the Copper ; 
 upon the bottom of the Sieve they place the Pieces 
 of Rhubarb, and cover the whole with the bottom of 
 a Wooden Sieve, over which they throw a Piece of 
 Felt to keep in the Steam of the hot Water -, they 
 then kindle the Fire and make the Water boil, the 
 Steam of which pafling thro' the Sieve penetrates the 
 Rhubarb, and deprives it of its Acrimony, after which 
 the Steam condenfing as in an Alembick falls back a- 
 
 gain 
 
The General History of 
 
 gain into the boiling Copper, and turns the Water 
 yellow, which the Chinefe then referve for the cure of 
 cuticular Diforders : Thefe Pieces fhould lie at leaft 
 eight Hours in the Circulation of the Steam, after 
 which they muft be taken off and dry'd in the Sun ; 
 they repeat the fame Operation twice, then the Rhu- 
 barb is prepared, and is of a black colour, after which 
 they pound it and make it up into purgative Pills. 
 Five or fix Drachms make a Dofe, which purges 
 gently and without griping ; it brings away a greater 
 quantity of Urine than is ufual, and of a reddifh co- 
 lour, which the Chinefe fay indicates a falfe Heat that 
 is diffipated by this means. Thofe who have a dif- 
 like towards fwallowing down fo many Pills take the 
 fame quantity of the dry'd Pieces, and boil them in a 
 fmall Earthen or Silver Veffel with nine Ounces of 
 Water till it is reduced to three Ounces, which they 
 drink lukewarm. 
 
 Mr. Pomet, in his Hiftory, afTures us that the Part 
 of the Rhubarb thro' which it is llrung being given 
 in Powder in a Morning filling, to the Quantity of 
 a Drachm in a Glafs of Rofe or Plantin- Water, is an 
 infallible Remedy for a Diarrhea, tho' the Chinefe fay 
 that it corrupts firft in this place, that the Powder 
 made of that Part is not fit for any ufe, and that they 
 take great care to throw it away, and make ufe of 
 none but the inward Part of the Root, which is heavy 
 and marbled. 
 
 Of the Tang Couè. 
 
 TPI I S Root is highly Aromarick, and deferves 
 a particular Regard : The Chinefe Phyficians, who 
 make ufe of it, are not acquainted with its Qualities, 
 becaufe they know not how to make an Ana! y fis or 
 it ; they call it Tang Cone; it is alv.\. s moift by rea- 
 fon of its oily Nature. 
 
 Its Virtues, fay they, are to fupply Nourifhment to 
 the Blood, to helpits Circulation, ilrengthen it, : Jc. It 
 
 is 
 
China, Chinese-Tartar y, &c. 47 
 
 is cafy to come at a quantity of it, and at a cheap 
 rate ; it may be even tranfported into other Nations 
 without fear of its fpoiling, provided the fame Pre- 
 cautions are made ufe of which the Chinefe take. This 
 Root, like all others, is cut into very fmall Slices 
 by thofe who retail it, for which reafon if the European 
 Merchants wanted to purchafe Drugs of the Chinefe 
 at Canton, they ought to buy it out of the grand Ma- 
 gazines where the Roots are kept whole, and not 
 from the Shops where they are cut into fmall Pieces 
 before they are fold. 
 
 Of the Ngo Kiao : A Deferiptbn of it, and the 
 Manner of preparing it. 
 
 THE Province of Chan tong hath a great many 
 Cities in it of the firft Order, one of which is called 
 Yen tcheoufou, in the DiftricT: whereof there is a City 
 of the third Order Ngo bien -, nigh this City is a natu- 
 ral Well, or Hole in the Form of a Well, of feventy 
 Foot deep, which the Chinefe fay communicates with 
 a Lake, or fome great Refervoir of fubterraneous Wa- 
 ter ; the Water which is drawn out of it is extream- 
 ly clear, and more weighty than common Water ; if 
 it is mix'd with foul Water it refines it inftantly by 
 precipitating the Filth to the bottom of the Veffel. 
 'Tis the Water of this Well that they employ in ma- 
 king the Ngo kiao, which is nothing but a Pafte or 
 Glue of the Skin of a black Afs. 
 
 They take the Skin of that Animal when frefh 
 killed, and foak it for five Days together in the Wa- 
 ter of this Well, after which they take it out to Icrape 
 and clean it both within and without ; they then cut 
 it into fmall Pieces, and boil it over a flow Fire in 
 fome Water of the fame Well till it is reduced to a 
 Glue, which they ftrain thro' a Linen Cloth in or- 
 der to keep back the grofTer Parts, and afterwards 
 dry it and make it up in different Forms. 
 
 Its 
 
The General History of 
 
 Its Properties. 
 
 THE Chinefe attribute a great many good Pro- 
 perties to this Medicine ; they affirm that it diffolves 
 Phlegm, is a Friend to the Breaft, facilitates the Mo- 
 tion of the Lungs, and renders the Refpiration of 
 fuch as have fhort Breath more free, that it reftores 
 the Blood, keep the Bowels in a proper ftate for dis- 
 charging their Functions, difîipates Wind and Heat, 
 flops Hemorrhagies, and provokes Urine. "What is 
 mod certain is this, that if it be taken fading it is 
 good for 'the Diforders in the Lungs, as has been 
 often experiene'd. It is a Medicine very flow in ope- 
 rating, and mud be continued for a long time toge- 
 ther. It is taken in a Decoction of Herbs s and fome- 
 times in Powder, but very feldom. 
 
 Of the Ou poey tie. 
 
 THIS Drug is not entirely unknown in Europe, 
 for it is- fallen into the Hands of Mr. Geoffrey^ a ce- 
 lebrated Academifl, under the Quality of a Drug made 
 ufe of by the Chinefe in Dying. After having got it 
 examin'd by an eminent Phyfician, itappear'd to have 
 a great Conformity with the Excrefcencies which grow 
 on the Leaves of an Elm ; they found it very four to 
 the Tafte, and fo highly Aftringent that it is in that 
 refpeel: preferable to all the kinds of Gall made ufe of 
 by Dyers, for which reafon he looks on it as themoft 
 powerful Aftringent ofr all Vegetables, and thence juft- 
 ly conjectures that it might have its ufes in Medi- 
 cine. 
 
 Notwithftanding the Refemblance this bears with 
 the Exnvfc ncies on Elm Leaves, it is not look'd on 
 by the Chinefe as an Excrefcence or Production of the 
 Tree Ten fou tfe where it is found ; they are perfuaded 
 that there are final] Worms which lodge in this Tree, 
 where they produce a kind of Wax to lorm this little 
 
 Habi- 
 
China, Chines e-Tartary, &c. 49 
 
 Habitation for a Retreat in their old Age, as the 
 SiJk- Worms form the Cods in v/hich they lodge. 
 
 The Chinefe Books inform us that the Ou poey tfe 
 is at firft very fmall, that it fwells by Degrees, and 
 comes to a Confidence ; that it is fometimes as large 
 as a Man's Fift, the fmalleft being of the bignefs of 
 a Cheftnut ; that it is for the mod part of a round 
 oblong Form -, that at firft it is of a dark Green, the 
 colour no doubt of the Worms which produce it, 
 but afterwards turns a little yellowifh; that then this 
 Cod, as well as being firm, is very bright and mining ; 
 that it is hollow and empty within, containing only 
 one Worm or fome fmall Worms, for the Chinefe 
 Word will bear both Significations. 
 
 The Country People take care to gather this Drug 
 before Froit comes on ; they put it in Balneo Mariœ y 
 which kills the Worms ; without this Precaution they 
 would not fail to break thro' their brittle Lodgings, 
 which would by that means be defiroy'd : This would 
 be a very great lofs, for befides that this Drug is pro- 
 per for Dying, it is of great ufe likewife in Phyfick. 
 
 They employ it at Peking to give a deep and du- 
 rable Black to Paper ; the Learned among the Chi- 
 nefe make ufe of it likewife to dye their Beards black 
 when they grow white, it being often their Interefl 
 to conceal their Age, either for the fake of obtaining 
 fome Employment, or keeping one they have. 
 
 But that which mofl merits our Attention here, and 
 which makes this Drug the mofl efteem'd, is its Me- 
 dicinal Qualities, it being made ufe of in the cure of 
 Difeafes both internal and external : According to 
 the Chinefe Account it is good to reftrain exceflive 
 Evacuations of all kinds, is a Specifick for Inflam- 
 mations and cancerous Ulcers, and a Prefervative a- 
 gainft Poifons -, that it is a Medicine not only a- 
 ftringent and incrafTating, but likewife refreshing, for- 
 tifying, attenuative and incifive, and diffolves thick 
 and glutinous Humours. 
 
 Vol. IV. E It 
 
50 He General History of 
 
 It is Iikewife mad# ufe of with Succefs in Drop- 
 fies, Confumptions, Epilepfies, Catarrhs, Diforders 
 of the Heart, Defluxions on the Eyes or Ears, &c. 
 It is taken either in Powder, or in a Bolus, or De- 
 co&ion : As the Cknnefe, in the Receipts they give, 
 pref .ribe many other Drugs to be mix'd wkh this, the 
 Names of which are unknown in Europe , I fhall con- 
 tent myfelf with fetting down a few of the moil plain 
 and fimple. 
 
 Different Receipts in which the Ou poey tfe is 
 made ufe of. 
 
 For too frequent Sweats. 
 
 WHETHER thefe Sweats happen in the Day- 
 time, which is lefs dangerous, or in the Night, and 
 are never fo violent, take of Ou poey tfe, and having 
 . reduced it to a Powder make it up into a Pafte with 
 Spittle, apply this Pafte to the Cavity of the Na- 
 vel, let it flay there all Night, and the Sweatings will 
 go off. 
 
 For the Diforders of the Heart, ana Pains in the 
 Abdomen. 
 
 REDUCE the On poey tfe to a very fine Pow- 
 der, put this Powder in an Iron Spoon, and hold it 
 over the Fire till it fends forth a black Smoke, then 
 pour gently into the Spoon a Glafs of good Wine; 
 drink down the whole, and the Difeafe will inftantly 
 vanifh ; the proper Dofe of the Powder is a Drachm. 
 
 To cure great Thirft, and the Fames Canina. 
 
 TAKE three times a Day a good Spoonful of 
 the Powder of Ou poey tfe, and mix it with Water in 
 order to fwallow it down with greater eafe. 
 
 For 
 
China, Chines e-T a r t a r y, etc.- 5 1 
 
 For the Tooth-ach. 
 
 I F the Pain be acute, and no Tumour appears, let 
 an Ounce of Ou poey tfe be roailed, and apply half a , 
 Drachm of it to the Part where the Pain is Felt, upon 
 which a glutinous kind of Saliva will come away, 
 and the Pain will ceafe, at leaft be greatly abated. 
 
 For all forts of malignant humours. 
 
 THE Oa poey tfe roafted till it changes to a pur- 
 ple colour a little inclining to the black, and mixed 
 with Honey, is excellent in thefe Cafes. 
 
 For Wounds by Iron or Steel. 
 
 WHEN it is difficult to flop the bleeding of any 
 Wound the Powder of the Ou poey tfe may be ap- 
 ply'd with Succefs ; if the Refpiration is affedted add 
 to two Drachms of this Powder a proper quantity of 
 the Drug nam'd Long kon, that's to fay Dragon's 
 Blood. 
 
 Medicinal Lozenges, in which the Ou poei tfe 
 is predominant. 
 
 THESE Lozenges are very much made ufe of 
 in China, and in a great many Cafes -, at a certain 
 time of the Year the Emperor makes Prefents of 
 them to the Grandees of the Court, and fometimes 
 even to the Europeans at Peking, when he would fhew 
 them any particular Mark of Diftinction ; they are 
 fold at the Druggifls, but as the goodnefs of them 
 depends very much on the great care and attention 
 taken in making them, thofe which are compounded 
 in the Palace by the Emperor's Order are vaftly pre- 
 ferable to any other. 
 
 The Chinefe Phyficians fay that thefe Lozenges are 
 
 of great fervice in an infinite number of Difeafes, both 
 
 internal and external , that they ought to be kept 
 
 in every Houfe, and that every one who is fetting 
 
 E 2 out 
 
5 2 Hoe General History of 
 
 out upon a long Journey mould have a fupply of 
 them. 
 
 The Compofition of thefe Lozenges confifts in two 
 Ounces of Ou pocy tfe, two Ounces of Chan tfe ecu 
 with the Skin ftript off and roafled, one Ounce of 
 Tfien kin tfe gin after its Kernel is taken out, which is 
 of an oily nature, one Ounce and a half of Hung y& 
 ta he, and three Drachms of Musk -, after having re- 
 duced all thefe Drugs feparately into a fine Powder 
 they mix them together, and make them up into Pa- 
 xils or Troches, with the Water in which they have 
 boiled Sou mi a confiderable time till it becomes a clear 
 Decoction. 
 
 The eflcntial point is to fpare no pains, and to beat 
 up a long time this kind of Paite, which is at firlt 
 very loofè, after which Lozenges of any Form may 
 be made of it ; each Lozenge mould be the Weight 
 of a Drachm, and they mult be thoroughly dry'd in 
 the Shade. 
 
 Thefe Lozenges in general are proper to exhilarate 
 the Heart, and to redore the Conftitution when bro- 
 ken by any means : But to fpeak more particularly of 
 their different Ufes, they are excellent, as the Cbinefc 
 Phyficians affirm, againft Poifons, contagious Air, 
 and any thing of a venomous or unwholefome nature 
 accidentally taken into the Stomach \ to anfwer thefe 
 Intentions they bruife one of the Troches in frefh 
 Water, and iwallow it down at once, upon which 
 Vomiting enfues, but not violent or troublefome, or 
 elfe a few gentle Stools, and the Patient finds himfelf 
 immediately cured of his Complaint. 
 
 When any Impofthumes, or malignant Eruptions 
 appear, apply one of thefe Troches bruifed and' dif- 
 folved in a Glafs of Wine -, in Diforders of the Heart 
 they may be taken inwardly, diflblved in the fame 
 manner, and in cafe of an Apoplexy they may like- 
 wife be taken in a little warm Wine. 
 
 In 
 
China, Chines e-Ta rtar y, &c. 53 
 
 In burning and malignant Fevers, in Swellings and 
 Inflammations of the Throat, take one of thefe Lo- 
 zenges in fome of the Water in which Po ho, that is 
 to fay Peny-royal has been boiled ; 'tis likewife in a 
 Decoction of Peny-royal that they take this Medicine 
 in cafes of Diarrheas, Vomiting and Dyfenteries. 
 
 li a Man is ftrangled by any means, or unfortu- 
 nately drowned, and but the leafl Warmth is per- 
 ceived near his Heart, he may be recovered by pouring 
 down his Throat one of thefe Troches in cold Water -, 
 they may be likewife given for Confumptions dif- 
 folved in cold Water. 
 
 For intermitting Fevers, a little before the Fit comes 
 on, take one of thefe Lozenges in a Glafs of Wine, or 
 in fome other Liquor in which the Tops of the 
 Branches of a Peach-tree have been boiled. 
 
 Of the Ou kieou mou, or Tallow-Tree. 
 
 CONG informs us that this Tree grows in the 
 Plains which are fituated at the Foot of the Southern 
 Mountains, and whofe Soil is of a moift nature ; it is 
 very high, its Leaves refembling thofe of an Apri- 
 cot, and is covered with fmall Flowers of a pale whi- 
 tifh Yellow during the time of the fifth Moon -, its 
 Fruit inclines fomething to the black, from which the 
 Cbinefe extract: an Oil whereof they make Candles, 
 
 The Qualities and Effetts of the Root of the 
 Ou kieou mou. 
 
 THIS Root is bitter, and of a refrefhing nature ; 
 it mud be roafted at a gentle Fire till it be thorough- 
 ly dry, and a little burnt : The white inward Rind oi 
 this Root is good againfr. a too great Flux of Urine, 
 and the Root itfelf is made ufe of with great Succefs 
 in various Diftempers. 
 
 For Retention of Urine boil this Root in Water, 
 and drink the Decoction. 
 
 E 3 For 
 
54 The General History of 
 
 For Coftivenefs take a piece of this Root, cut it 
 in Slices, boil it in Water, and take half a final 1 Cup 
 of it. 
 
 For flatulent Swellings occafion'd by humid Va- 
 pours -, when the Urine is hot, and comes away with 
 difficulty, take about two Ounces of the Bark of Oh 
 kieou pulveris'd, and mix two Drachms of it for a 
 Dole in the Water wherein Rice has been warned. 
 
 I T w r ould be needlefs to give a longer Detail of 
 thefe kind of Medicines and Receipts -, the Chinefe 
 Herbal, from whence I have made the above Extract, 
 would furnifh enough to fill feveral Volumes -, but of 
 what ufe could they be to us in Europe, where the very 
 Names of the Roots and Simples, of which the Chi- 
 nefe Phyficians compofe their Medicines, are abfolutely 
 unknown ? 
 
 My Defign being only to fliew in what manner the 
 Chinèfe praftife this Art, to which it appears that they 
 have clofely apply 'd themfelves from the very In- 
 fancy of their Empire, I thought proper to confine 
 myfelf to a certain number of Remedies into the 
 Compofition of which their Roots, Plants, Simples, 
 Trees, Animals, and even Infects enter'd, and to give a 
 Specimen of each Sort ; and as this account is taken from 
 the Writings of the Chinefe themfelves, we fhall be 
 thereby better enabled to judge of the Capacity of their 
 Phyficians -, this is certain, that they arc not lefs skilful 
 in the cure of Difeafes with their Medicines than the 
 Europeans are with theirs -, but what is molt fingular in 
 them is the Art of difcoveringthe different Diftempers 
 by the bare feeling of the Pulfe, which piece of Know- 
 ledge, fo important in the Application of Medicines, 
 could only be obtained by great Attention and long 
 Experience. 
 
 I fhall finifh this Article of the Chine Medicine 
 with an Extract of a Work tranflated bj Den- 
 
 ■ ecolles, the Author of which does not appear to be 
 
 very 
 
China, Chinese-Tart ar y, ^Pr. 55 
 
 very favourable to the Phyficians of his Nation j af- 
 ter having, for a long time, ftudied the beft Phyfical 
 Books to procure the AMiftance he wanted, he pre- 
 tends to have found out the Secret of living without 
 the help of Phyficians or their Remedies ; this Se- 
 cret confifts in a Regimen which he prefcrib'd to him- 
 felf, by means of which he affirms to have been cured 
 of two or three Mortal Diftempers, and to have ar- 
 rived at a good old Age free from all Infirmity and 
 Pain : This Regimen he propofes to his Countrymen, 
 exhorts them to practife it, and fo become their own 
 Phyficians. 
 
 By the Extract I have given of this Work the Ge- 
 nius of the Chinefe will be more and more known, 
 and their way of Thinking. 
 
 The Author gave the Name of Tchang feng to his 
 Work, which fignifies the Art of procuring Health 
 and long Life, wherein he fets forth the Means which 
 Reading, Reflexion, and his own Experience had 
 taught him to reftore his broken Health, and to ar- 
 rive, as he did, at a good old Age free from all In- 
 firmity and Pain. 
 
 His Zeal for the Prefervation of his Fellow- Citi- 
 zens engages him to communicate to them a Regimen, 
 which he hath obferv'd fo much to his own Advan- 
 tage, and which every one is capable of underftand- 
 ing: He pretends that by following this Method 
 every one may eafily become his own Phyfician, and 
 needs not have recourfe to fuch a multitude of Medi- 
 cines which often alter the Conflitution, and over- 
 turn Nature. 
 
 Every one is defirous of underflanding what fo 
 nearly concerns him ; nothing is more natural to Man 
 than the love of Life, and a regard to the preferving 
 it under proper Regulations mull be commended ; 
 we are no more at liberty to run ourfelves rafhly in- 
 to the danger of lofing it, than a Soldier is to quit 
 the Pofl affign'd him ; the voluntary laying down of 
 E 4 Life 
 
56 The General History of 
 
 Life is then only glorious when either the Honour of 
 God or the Publick Good may be promoted by it ; 
 then the Sacrifice is look'd upon as heroick, becaufc it 
 cqfts A attire fo dear. 
 
 The Author of Nature hath flrongly imprinted on 
 his Work this Defire of Prefervation ; he wou'd have 
 us difcover what is fuitable or unfuitab»le to the Frame 
 of our Body, not only by the too (low affiftance of 
 Reflexion and Reafoning, but rather by a quick and 
 lively fenfe of Pain and Pleafure ; and it is by a 
 Difpofition worthy his infinite Wifdom that the fineft 
 Nerves of the three Senfes, Smell, Tafte, and Sight, 
 come from the fame Place in the Brain, and join to- 
 gether in forming that exquifite Senfation, which pro- 
 duces the Faculty of Diftinguifhing fo ufeful to 
 Life. 
 
 But what will no doubt be a Surprize is this, that 
 our Chinefe Phyfician, tho' an Infidel, puts lefs value 
 upon the Force of his Medicines, and the careful Ob- 
 fervance of the Regimen he prefcribes, than upon the 
 Divine Affiftance of Heaven ; he is perfuaded this is to 
 be drawn down by the practice of Virtue, and by a 
 continual care in governing the Motions and Af- 
 fections of the Heart ; thefe are (as will be feen) the 
 firft I nftructions which he gives to thofe who would 
 preferve their Health and prolong Life. 
 
 TC HANG 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &*c. 57 
 TC H A N G SENG: 
 
 O R, 
 
 The Art of procuring Health and long Life. 
 
 THO' the Tien hath number'd our Days, and is 
 the Mafter of them, yet, if taken rightly, it may 
 however be fàid that he hath left them in our own 
 Difpofal ; for the Supreme Tien is no Refpecler of Per- 
 fons ; nothing moves him but Virtue, and whofoever 
 praclifeth it hath within himfelf a certain Evidence of 
 his Friendship ; they then who would prolong their 
 Life muft immediately fludy to be virtuous ; a regu- 
 lar care of the Body, fupported by the confiant practice 
 of Virtue, will make the Conflitution hail and ftrong, 
 from whence will follow a long and happy Life ; give 
 me leave in this place to relate what happened to my 
 felf. 
 
 The foolifh Fondnefs of a Mother, who had not the 
 Refolution to contradict me in my Infancy, and who 
 made every thing fubfervient to my Inclinations, in- 
 tirely ruined my Conflitution, and loaded me with In- 
 firmities ; my Father, who had already loft my two 
 eldeft Brothers, and who in an advanced Age had 
 no Child but me, was inconfolable ; he had applied 
 to the mofl able Phyficians, but their Medicines on- 
 ly increas'd my Diforder : When there was no hopes 
 of my Recovery my Father laid within himfelf, 
 There is but one way left to fave my Son, and that 
 is to do Works of Charity which move the Heart 
 of 'Tien -, from that time he let himfelf upon re- 
 building Bridges, repairing publick Ways, giv- 
 ing Cloaths to the Poor, Tea to Travellers, and 
 
 fend» 
 
58 77je General History of 
 
 fending Victuals to the Prifoners, fo that in one 
 Years time he was at a confiderable expcnce in thefe 
 kind of charitable Works -, nor was this done in vain, 
 for it was vifible that without ufing any Phyfick I 
 by little and little regain'd an healthy Look, my Sto- 
 mach and my Strength return'd, and my Father found 
 me in a condition fit to apply myfelf to Learning ; 
 he provided me an able Mafter, and of a very mild 
 Temper, that my tender Conltitution might be gent- 
 ly treated, but my Application to Study at length oc- 
 cafioned a very dangerous Relapfe, out of which I 
 with great difficulty efcapcd : Then my Father made 
 me a choice Collection of more than one hundred 
 Books of Phyfick, and gave me Orders to confine my 
 Study to that Science ; This, faid he, will do you 
 Service, and make you helpful to others : I read thofe 
 long Treatifes, but fo far from difcovering that my 
 Strength was re-eftablifhed by them that I perceived 
 it grew lefs every Day, fo I gave over Phyfick, and 
 bent my Thoughts fincerely to practife Virtue : I 
 confuted the Learned, I pcrufed alfo fome Books 
 proper to my Defign, and adding my own Obferva- 
 tions to what I had learnt I framed for myfelf a Re- 
 gimen of Life, which hath fucceeded perfectly well 
 with me -, for inftead of that great Weaknefs and 
 Leannefs, which I before had been in, I in a few Years 
 recovered my Flefh, and for one of my Age I have 
 a frefh Colour, a Body flrong and free from all In- 
 difpofition, and now fee myfelf the Head of a nu- 
 merous Family which enjoy perfeét Health. 
 
 Now among the multitude of Maxims which have 
 been communicated to me in Converfation, or which 
 I have found in Books, fome which were not fuffi- 
 ciently founded I have rejected, others which were 
 fcarce intelligible I have explained, and out of all I 
 have formed to myfelf a Plan of Life, which hath 
 eftablifhcd me in that happy Condition wherein I now 
 am: However confiiTd my Obfcrvations may be, yet 
 
 I be- 
 
Chin a, Chinese-Tartary, &C. 59 
 
 I believe the World will be obliged to me for making 
 them publick, becaufe they may be of ufe to pre- 
 ferve Men from the Infirmities fo common in Life, 
 and to procure them, as I have done, an agreeable Old 
 Age, without having my Hearing, Sight, or any 
 other of my Sentes impaired by my great Age. 
 
 Thefe Maxims may be reduced to four Heads, which 
 confift in the Regulation of, i . The Heart and its Af- 
 fe<5tions ; 2. The ufe of Diet -, 3. The Actions of the 
 Day ; 4. The Reft at Night. 
 
 The FIRST HEAD. 
 
 'the Regulation of the Heart and its Affections. 
 
 THE Heart is in Man what the Roots are to the 
 Tree, and the Spring to the River ; it prcfides over 
 the whole Man, and as fbon as the Art of governing 
 that is known, the Faculties of the Soul and the five 
 Senfes are likewife under command ; it ought there- 
 fore to be our firft care to keep a guard over the De- 
 fires and Affections of the Heart ; and that your care 
 may be attended with Succefs, 
 
 I. Employ not yourfelf in any Thoughts and De- 
 figns but what lead to Virtue ; the principal Duties of 
 Society relate to the Fidelity owing ro the fuoreme 
 Magiftrate, to the Obedience to Parents, to Modera- 
 tion and Equity -, it is upon the Practice of th?fe Vir- 
 tues that every one fhould ferioufly examine himfelf, 
 when he reflects at Night upon the Actions of the 
 paft Day : Confine not your Endeavours only to the 
 perfecting yourfelf, but attempt over and above that 
 to make your Virtue beneficial and ufeml: Comes 
 there then any Thought into your Head ? Are you 
 going to fay any thing ? Do you form any Scheme in 
 your Mind ? Refleét upon it before-hand, and ask 
 yourfelf thefe Queftions : Is what I think, what I am 
 going to fay or do, beneficial or prejudicial to others ? 
 if it be beneficial, fpeak or act notwithstanding the 
 
 Diffi- 
 
6o 77je General History of 
 
 Difficulties that oppofe or difcourage you ; if it be 
 prejudicial, never allow yourfelf either in fuch Views, 
 fuch Difcourfes, or fuch Attempts. 
 
 Further, that you may avoid the being furprized 
 into the committing what is wrong watch every Mo- 
 ment over your Heart, dcfcend often into yourfelf, 
 and pardon yourfelf no Fault ; it is only by vigorous 
 Endeavours, efpecialiy at the beginning, that you can 
 improve in Virtue: Whoever keeps this confiant 
 "Watch over himfelf, tho' he muft, according to the 
 courfe of Human Affairs, be expofed to various Ac- 
 cidents, yet he will find by experience the Effects of 
 a fecret Protection, which by unknown ways will pre- 
 ferve him from every Evil of Life. 
 
 II. Keep Peace in your own Heart ; when a Man's 
 Heart is filled with Views agreeable to and proper 
 for the keeping up Union in Civil Society, his 
 Thoughts difcover thcmfelves in his very Face -, the 
 inward Joy and Serenity of Mind that accompany 
 him fhine in all his outward Behaviour, and every 
 one perceives the true and folid Pleafures which he ex- 
 periences in his Soul : This is what the Ancients would 
 have us underftand by thefe figurative Exprefilons ; a 
 ferene Sky, a beautiful Sun, a gentle Zephyr, charm- 
 ing Shades, infpire both Men and Birds with Joy ; 
 on the other hand, gloomy Weather, an high Wind, 
 an heavy Rain, violent Thunder, and continual 
 Lightnings, terrify the very Birds, who hide them- 
 felves in the thickeft Woods : I fay then that a wife 
 Man fhould always appear with a Countenance which 
 breathes the Peace and Tranquillity which he enjoys 
 within himfelf. 
 
 The violent Paffions, fuch as Hatred, Anger, Sor- 
 row, tear in pieces the Heart of him who is pofiêis'd 
 by them ; tho' it be no eafy matter to live in the 
 World without having frequent Subjects of Difpute 
 and Uneafinefs, yet what one ought to do is to take 
 prudent uk. '.litres, and to be upon our guard igainft 
 
 tilde 
 
China, Chinese-Tartar y, &*c. 6r 
 
 thefe Enemies of our Quiet : Am 1 threatned with a 
 troublefom Affair? I meet the Storm with a com- 
 pofed Mind, and endeavour to allay it. Am I in- 
 volved in it notwithstanding all my Precautions ? I 
 labour to iurmount it without lofing any thing of the 
 Freedom of my ufual Temper. Have I taken wrong 
 Meafures ? I am not obftinate in juftifying my Pro- 
 ceedings : If, to extricate myfelf from a falfe Step, 
 any one gives me Advice that is unjuft I am fo far 
 from following it that I do not give it the hearing : 
 If in any Affair there happens a Difappointment 
 which I could not prevent, I endeavour to accommo- 
 date myfelf to what hath happen'd : Is it over ? I 
 think no more of it. If a Man, after having acted 
 according to the bed of his Underftanding, can leave 
 the Event to Providence nothing can difturb the Joy 
 of his Heart. 
 
 On the contrary, if upon the ill Succefs of an Af- 
 fair inconliderately undertaken a Man is obftinately 
 bent upon bringing it to a good iffue, if he turns 
 over in his Thoughts a thoufand ufelels Projects, if 
 he gives up himfelf to the violent Motions of Anger 
 he kindles a Fire in his Bowels which confumes them, 
 his Lungs are as it were burnt up, the Blood and Hu- 
 mours are alter'd and put into an unnatural Ferment, 
 the corrupted Phlegm drowns the Internals, the Ha- 
 bit of the Body being thus diforder'd it vifibly waftes 
 away : Were thofe Phyficians, Lou and Lien, to come 
 again into the World they could not with all their 
 Skill, and with the Afiiftance of Vegetables and Mi- 
 nerals, repair the radical Moifture already deitroy'd ; 
 hence comes that Saying, That if the Excejjes of De- 
 bauchery make great havock in the Body, the Vexation 
 and Pain of the Mind make fill greater. 
 
 I obferve in particular three great Diforders of the 
 Body which Grief and Anger are the Caufès of. 
 
 i. The Liver is damag'd, and by this means the 
 active Principles of the Blood, the Source of the 
 
 Vital 
 
62 The General History of 
 
 Vital Spirits, are not fecreted, but remain mix'd toge- 
 ther ; fometimes the Liver communicates its Difor- 
 der by confent of parts to the Pleura, which growing 
 worfe ends in a Tumour and univerfal Swelling. 
 
 2. The Lungs are hurt ; whence it happens that 
 the Blood and the Air that is taken in endeavouring 
 to find a Paffage, notwithftanding the Obflructions 
 they meet with, an Irritation is made from whence 
 follows a fpitting of Blood, which at laft ends in a 
 confirm'd Confumption. 
 
 3. The Stomach is fpoil'd, and confequently the 
 watry Humours of its Glands, whence comes the Fer- 
 mentation proper for the forming the Concoction of 
 Food, become vifcous, and not retaining their natu- 
 ral Fluidity they lofe their Force -, this deftroys the 
 Appetite, and at Jail brings the Stomach to an im- 
 pofiibility of taking in any Nourifhment. The Œfo- 
 fhagus, or Gullet, is feiz'd with a fort of Palfy, which 
 prevents it from laying hold of, and thrufting for- 
 ward the Food towards the Orifice of the Stomach, 
 which turns and rifes againft the leafl approach of it. 
 
 Such are the fatal Effects of violent Paflions, when 
 an Heart is habitually poflèfs'd by them : What help 
 can a Man hope for, and of whom can he complain 
 but of himfelf ? 
 
 III. Reflect often upon the Happinefs of your Con- 
 dition ; he is happy who underfbmds his Happinels : 
 And yet how many do we fee who have not a con- 
 tented Mind amidft the greateft Profperity ? They are 
 unhappy, becaufe they will be fo : The Empire is in 
 Peace ; the Year is fruitful ; fee the great Felicity 
 which the Tien hath freely given us : If 1 lead an eafy 
 and quiet Life at Home, what have I more to wifh 
 for? That I may have the better reliili of my Hap- 
 pinefs, I often think that I live comfortably in my 
 own Houfe, whilft fo many Travellers have the In- 
 conveniences of Wind, Duft and Rain to undergo ; 
 or fo many who fail upon Rivers or 1 .akes in the 
 
 midft 
 
China, Chinese-Tart a ry, &c, 6$ 
 
 midft of a Storm, which raifes up Mountains of Wa- 
 ter ready to fwallow them up every Moment -, whilft 
 fo many Sick arc confin'd to their Beds, and feel the 
 acuteft Pains without finding any eafe from Medi- 
 cines ; whilft fo many unhappy Men are under un- 
 juft Profecutions, or languifh. in a Prifon, where de- 
 ftitute of Friends they experience Hunger, Thirfl, 
 Cold, and many other Miferies infeparable from their 
 Imprifonment ; whilft fo many Families are in Mourn- 
 ing for the Death of their neareft Relations, or undone 
 by a Fire, or fome other like Accident, and whilft ma- 
 ny others feek to put an end to their Miferies by put- 
 ting an end to their unhappy Life by a violent Death. 
 When 1 compare my felf to thefe unfortunate Per- 
 fons, and fee my (df free from the Evils with which 
 they are furrounded, cannot I be content with my 
 Lot? 
 
 He who hath never met with any CrofTes knows 
 not how great a Value a quiet Life is of; thofe which 
 I have experiene'd have however been of great bene- 
 fit to me ; for befides the two great Fits of Sicknefs 
 of which I have already fpoke, and which had brought 
 me thro' much Pain to the Gates of Death, I was 
 near being Shipwreck'd, and it was with much diffi- 
 culty that I efcap'd that Danger. When I have any 
 Difappointment befalls me I make myfelf eafy by thus 
 reafoning with my felf: Is there any thing in this Af- 
 fair which can be compar'd to any one of thofè Trials 
 which I have already gone thro' ? Would we have 
 recourfe to the fame Remedy in Afflictions, we fhou'd 
 learn, from our own Experience, that it is in our own 
 Power, with a little Reflexion, to make a good ufe 
 of that Portion of Happinefs which the Tien hath 
 given us. On the contrary whoever knows not how 
 to fet Bounds to his Defires, were he to acquire the 
 Riches and Glory of an Emperor, he wou'd flill want 
 every thing. Let us confider that our Powers are li- 
 mited ; let not then our Defires be unlimited ; ht us 
 
 take 
 
64 The General History of 
 
 take things as they come ; and let us take efpeciaî 
 care not to give up our felves to continual Carking 
 and Anxiety, which will rob us of the moft valuable 
 Moments of Life. 
 
 The famous Yen> my Countryman, had an excellent 
 Maxim ; If, faid he, your Condition in Life is bet- 
 ter'd think lefs upon what you have not, than upon 
 what you have, otherwife you will be always defi- 
 ring, and will never fee your defires fatisfied : If you 
 fall below your former Condition in Life, fay thus 
 to your felf -, What is left is fufficient -, my Subftance 
 may be taken away from me, but no one fhall rob 
 me of the Tranquillity of my Heart, which is the 
 greatefl of all earthly Goods. With fuch Sentiments, 
 notwithstanding the Decreafe of your Fortune, you 
 will be richer than you think for. This is the Moral 
 of that ancient Fable : I faw a Gentleman riding be- 
 fore me on a fine liorfe, whilfl I was mounted upon 
 an Afs ; Ah ! faid I to my felf, how different is my 
 Condition from his ! But, upon turning about my 
 Head, I faw a good-looking Countryman driving a 
 heavy Wheelbarrow before him ; O then ! faid J, if 
 I am not equal to him who goes before me, at leaft I 
 am fuperior to him who follows me: I have found 
 that this Fable hath at certain times reviv'd my Spi- 
 rits ; I have wrote it upon a Label, and I have 
 fet it up in my Study that I may always remem- 
 ber it. 
 
 IV. When you enjoy a good State of Health 
 know the Value of it, and ftudy to preferve it. Dif- 
 eafes and Infirmities are the Lot of Man, and it is 
 difficult for him to be entirely lice from them. The 
 (lighter ones imbitter Lile by their Variety and Con- 
 tinuance-, the greater are attended with Fears and Ap- 
 prehenfions -, every part of Life is fubjeft to Mifery. 
 Infancy is, if I may fo exprefs my felf, condemn'd 
 to Cries and Groans ; Manhood and old Age are ex- 
 posal to the long Abiènce of a Family, to a Reverie 
 
 of 
 
China, Chines e-Tartary, &c. 65 
 
 of Fortune, and to grievous Diftempers. There are 
 others who have much more caufè of complaint ; 
 thofe who are born or become deaf, or blind, or dumb, 
 the half paralytic, the lame, and thofe who have loft 
 the ufe of all their Limbs : I have already told you 
 what I fuffer'd from a Complication of Diftempers -, I 
 have freed my felf from them, and now enjoy a found 
 and vigorous Health, I have my Hearing quick, my 
 Sight clear, a good Appetite, and a chearful Tem- 
 per. Every one may acquire firm Health as well as I, 
 but when it is once obtain'd we fhou'd know how to 
 preferve it : One of the beft means is to refift that 
 natural Propenfity which we have to fenfual Pleafures, 
 and to ufe very moderately even the allowable ones : 
 An old Man, who feels as lively and hot after Plea- 
 fures as if he was in the Vigour of his Age, fhould 
 learn to reftrain himfelf by the following Reflections. 
 
 After the fiftieth Year Man is in his decline, the 
 Blood begins to run weak, the Spirits fail, and feeble 
 old Age is not far off'. Tho' one fhould promiie one's 
 felf to live an hundred Years, is that fo long a Term? 
 And fhall not one be fcon at the end of that Race ? 
 But are there many' who arrive at an hundred Years? 
 Our Life is fo fhort that we ought to avoid every Ex- 
 cefs that may make it yet fhorter. Do we not pen- 
 ceive that our End draws nigh, when in reading the 
 Eyes are fubjecl todazzlings ; when the Feet flapper 
 with walking ; when after Meals the Nourifhment 
 loads the Stomach ; when after having fpoke feme 
 time together we find ourfelves out of Breath ? Docs 
 net all this teach us that we are not young, and that 
 we mull bid adieu to Pleafures which will quickly 
 confume the weak Remains of Health, which it is of 
 fo great moment to husband for the Prefervation of 
 Life ? The Lamp, fays the Proverb, goes out as 
 ibon as the Oil is fpent ; mere Oil. may be added to 
 the Lamp according as the Flame waites it ; but if 
 the radical Moifture of the Body be once loft, have 
 
 Vol. IV. F we 
 
66 The General History of 
 
 we any means to repair that Lofs ? This requires fe- 
 rious Reflections. 
 
 The SECOND HEAD. 
 
 The Regulation of the Ufe of Diet. 
 
 WE muft eat and drink to fupport the Body ; the 
 Nourifhment which we take, if it be well regulated, 
 keeps the Stomach in the Situation which is agreeable 
 to it : It is in the Stomach that the Concoction and 
 Digeftion of Food are made ; it is the firfl Caufe of 
 the Blood, of the Vital Spirits, of the Juices, and the 
 Humours which are difperfed into the different Parts 
 of the Body to keep them in their natural Vigour. 
 They then, who have a regard for their Health, 
 ought to be very exact in obferving certain Rules re- 
 lating to drinking and eating. 
 
 I. Let Hunger, and the want you feel within, re- 
 gulate your Food, and take great care that you do 
 not take it in too great a Quantity. Exceflive eating 
 hurts the Vital Spirits, and tires the Stomach ; the vi- 
 tiated Chyle, carried into the Mafs of Blood, makes it 
 thick, and inclinable to a Fermentation of the Spirits. 
 In the fame manner never think of drinking but when 
 you are dry ; quench your Thirft without doing it to 
 excefs -, too much Drink damages the Blood, and fills 
 the Stomach with Wind by precipitating the Chyle 
 not well prepared ; Wine being vifcous occafions 
 Wind in the Fermentation, whence follows the Cho- 
 lick in the Stomach. 
 
 II. Breakfaft early -, the Air is drawn in by the 
 Noftrils, and the Moifture of the Earth by the Mouth, 
 the Exhalation of which we take in. It is of great 
 ufe never to go out of Doors farting : This Caution 
 is efpecially neceffary in Epidemical Diflcmpers, or 
 if one is oblig'd to go among fick People. In Win- 
 ter a Glais or two of Wine is an excellent Preferva- 
 tive againft the unwholefome Air ; it is good to take 
 
 fome 
 
China, Chinese-Tart ar y, &c. 67 
 
 fome Food, but in a fmall Quantity, which may 
 ferve to employ and fettle the Stomach, and is a fort of 
 Cordial. In Summer it prevents our being affected 
 by the corrupted Air, and keeps off Cholicks, Vomit- 
 ings, Dyfenteries, &c. In Winter it fortifies againft 
 the feverity of the Cold, and the malignant Va- 
 pours of Mills. In Spring it is of great efficacy a- 
 gainft high Winds, againft the Damps and Dews, 
 which are frequent in that Seafon. Thefe are the Ad- 
 vantages of a Practice which I have punctually ob- 
 ferv'd. 
 
 I rife very early, and before I have either wafti'd 
 my Face, or cleans'd my Mouth, I fwallow a Por- 
 ringer full of Rice-gruel, taking a little of the folid 
 Rice. The ufing of Rice-gruel is agreeable to the 
 Stomach, and to very good purpofe moiftens the Fer- 
 ment which is inclos'd in it : For want of Rice-gruel 
 I am content to ufe warm Water, in which I diffolve 
 a little powder'd Sugar. 
 
 III. Make an hearty Meal about Noon, and dine 
 upon the plaineft Meats, they are mofl wholefome and 
 mod nourishing ; fuffer not fome forts of Ragouts 
 to be brought to your Table, they are invented 
 only to provoke or gratify the Appetite : There 
 are five forts of high Sauces, and each of them, if 
 us'd frequently, hath unwholefome Qualities ; Meats 
 that are too fait, are prejudicial to the Heart ; the too 
 four, to the Stomach ; the too bitter, to the Lungs ; 
 the too poinant, to the Liver by their Sharpnefs -, laftly 
 the too fwect, to the Reins. But what is moft to be 
 avoided in feafoning is an excefs of Salt , Salt flac- 
 kens the Motion of the Blood, and occâfions a diffi- 
 culty of Breathing : Salted Water flung into the Blood 
 of a Creature juft kill'd immediately thickens and 
 congeals it. Thus it is feen that thofe, whofe common 
 Food is fait Meats, have a pale Complexion, a flow 
 Pulfe, and are full of filthy and corrupt Humours, 
 
 F 2 Accuftom 
 
6 8 "The General History of 
 
 Accuftom your felf therefore to the plaineft Meats, 
 they will prefer ve you from many Difèafes, and keep 
 you in perfect Health -, but take care that you eat 
 your Meat hot, never eat cold Meat, efpecially when 
 it is fat: This kind of Food, by flaying too long in 
 the Stomach, wou'd produce Crudities, which occafion 
 Gripings in the Bowels, a Diarrhea, and fuch like 
 Diforders. 
 
 IV. Eat (lowly, and chew your Meat very well. 
 
 i. This flow chewing breaks the Food in pieces, 
 mixes it with the Saliva^ makes it fine enough, and 
 is the firft Diffolution which fits it for the Fermen- 
 tation of the Stomach. 
 
 2. The Digeflion thus begun by the Teeth, and 
 by the help of the Saliva^ is eafily perfected by the 
 Ferment of the Stomach. 
 
 3. One efcapes many Accidents which befal thofe 
 who eat haflily, fuch as Coughs, Hickups, and the 
 Ttfe, that is an Irritation Of the Gullet, which is 
 fometimes mortal. 
 
 What can be more difagreeable, and at the fame time 
 more ridiculous, than to fee a Man take his Meal as a 
 Tiger feizes his Prey, to eat in an hurry, cramming 
 his Mouth incefiantly with both Hands, as if one was 
 fighting with him for it, or as if he fear'd it mould 
 be fnatch'd away from him. 
 
 V. Do not fo far gratify your Appetite that when 
 you rile from Table you mail be quite full -, a large 
 quantity of Feed is unejafy to the Stomach, and hurts 
 Digeuion -, if yon have at the fame time a ftrong Sto- 
 mach, and which eafily digefls its Food, do not em- 
 ploy its whole Strength, but keep fome of it- in re- 
 fcrve -, I will explain my Meaning by a Similitude : 
 A Man who can lift ov carry an hundred weight, if 
 you ' I him witl more than four-fcore he is not 
 
 igued with it ; ■ him a Load of a much 
 
 and make him take it upon his Shoul- 
 
 , his Nerves too much extended will feel the 
 
 weight, 
 
China, Chinese-Tartar y, &c* 69 
 
 weight, his Bones will not bear up under it, and af- 
 ter a few Steps he will ftagger„ and fall backwards. 
 It is eafy to make the Application : When we are ac- 
 cuftomed to a temperate Life the ufe of Meats is 
 much more beneficial ; upon the whole it is by long 
 fufFering of Hunger and Thirft that we ihould learn 
 Moderation -, the gratifying to the full the Demands 
 of either is the ready way to expofe us to certain Sick- 
 nefs, becaufe neither the Animal nor Vital Spirits will 
 be able to difcharge their refpective Functions. 
 
 VI. Sup betimes, and Sparingly ; it is better to eat 
 oftener if there be a neceffity : It is ufual in Summer, 
 in the fifth and fixth Months, when the Days are 
 longeft, to make four Meals ; the firlt at one's rifing 
 early, the fécond at eleven, the third towards Sun-fet, 
 and the fourth juft before one goes to bed ; in the 
 other Seafons of the Year three Meals are enough. 
 I would have every one determine, as near as may be, 
 the quantity of Rice and other Food he fhould take 
 at one Meal, agreeably to his own Conftitution and 
 way of Life, and that he mould keep up to that Rule, 
 making it a Law to himfelf never to tranfgrefs it, un- 
 lefs upon fome occafions, when the Meat pleafes the 
 Tafte, and gives an Inclination to take more than or- 
 dinary -, but this Temperance is moil necefïàry at Sup- 
 per, which ought to be very light.. 
 
 Generally fpeaking eat no Meats which are hard of 
 Digeftion, fuch as thofe whofe Subftance is vifcous ; ab- 
 ftain from Meats that are half raw, or very fat, from 
 thofe that are dreft à la daube, or flew'd from high 
 feafon'd Ragouts, which carry Fye into the Bowels ; 
 from new Corn, which Men are fond of eating at its 
 firft coming in, and which is not wholefome till it is 
 come to its perfect Maturity by infenfible Fermenta- 
 tion, and by evaporating of its volatile Salts, with 
 which it is full, and which are too fiiarp : This Ac- 
 vice belongs chiefly to old Perfons, and thofe who 
 have a weak Stomach. 
 
 F 3 VII. Take 
 
70 "The General History of 
 
 VII. Take care that your Meat be tender and tho- 
 roughly drefs'd, for if it be hard and not eafily chew'd 
 the Stomach will have a difficulty in digefling it -, 
 Flefh that is tough and full of Nerves, or half drefs'd 
 is very hard of Digeftion. When a Man is in the 
 Strength and Vigour of his Age, when the Blood 
 hath all its Fire, and the Stomach is ftrong, he v/ill 
 find lefs Inconvenience from fuch a kind of Food, 
 but it will infallibly make him fick if he be of a weak 
 Stomach, or advane'd in Years : As for my own part 
 I give Orders that the Rice, the Flefh, the Fifh, the 
 Roots, the Herbs, and in general every thing that is 
 brought to my Table be thoroughly done, and very 
 tender, otherwife I will not touch a Morfel of it. 
 
 VIII. Sleep not till two Hours after your Meal ; 
 the Nourifhment which pafTes by the Gullet into the 
 Stomach mould be bruifed and diflblved there, that 
 it may be able to circulate, to be ftrain'd and afli- 
 milated : Sleep taken immediately after Supper de- 
 prives the Stomach of the liberty of acting upon the 
 Food in it, which not being fufficiently bruis'd, and 
 lodging there, caufes Crudities, four Belchings in the 
 Stomach, and often a Lientery, and a confirm'd 
 Diarrhoea. If this continues for fome time there ap- 
 pears a Palenefs in the Face, and the Body becomes 
 languishing, weak, and bloated : The Digeftion be- 
 ing thus diforder'd by an ill-tim'd Sleep, the Forma- 
 tion of the Chyle is prejudie'd by it, and the viti- 
 ated Chyle being difpers'd by the circular Motion in- 
 to all the Bowels, and ft opt there by its being 
 too thick it becomes more and more coagulated by 
 its vitiated Acid, which is the lburce of a multitude 
 of Diftempers from the Obftructions which happen 
 in the Strainer of the Humours. I advife then walk- 
 ing for fome little time after Meals ; this gentle Mo- 
 tion facilitates Digeftion -, take care alfo that you do 
 not eat immediately after a violent Fit of Anger , An- 
 ger caufes a ftrong Heat in the Juices that are ftrain'd 
 
 by 
 
China, Chines e-Ta rtary, &c. 7 i 
 
 by the Salivary Glands ; the Saliva loaded with a ma- 
 lignant Heat goes into the Stomach, inft&s the Chyle, 
 and corrupts the whole Mafs of Blood. 
 
 IX. Begin your Meal with drinking a little Tea, 
 it helps to moiften the Throat and the Stomach, and 
 preferves the Heat and radical Moifture from trouble- 
 fome Attacks : Clofe alfo your Meal with a Cup of 
 Tea for the warning your Mouth and Teeth -, it is a 
 means of fattening them, and preferving them even 
 to old Age : I do not advife the drinking much either 
 of Tea or any other Liquor ; the Stomach does not 
 like to be too moid, a little Drynefs and Heat put 
 it in a condition moft fuitable to its Operations. I in- 
 genuoufly confefs that I do not love Tea, and when I 
 am oblig'd to drink it I perceive my Stomach turns 
 againft it ; the Weaknefs of my Conftitution in my 
 Youth may have contributed to this Averfion : I do 
 not diftinguifh even the beft Tea from the worit ; this 
 fomeiimes draws upon me the Banter of my Friends, 
 but I in my turn laugh at their Nicenefs, and am 
 glad that I am not fenfible of il 
 
 But 'tis a common Saying, He who does not love 
 Tea, loves Wine. * I do indeed drink Wine, but I 
 never take more than four or five fmall Glaffes ; if I 
 exceeded that 1 mould immediately have a difficulty 
 of breathing, my Head confus'd with Vertigoes, my 
 Stomach diforder'd, and the next Day I mould be 
 like one threatned with an immediate Sicknefs*. Wine 
 moderately taken refrefties tired Nature, revives its 
 Strength, and gives to the Blood and Pulfe their natu- 
 ral Vivacity -, but if it be drank with excefs it pro- 
 duces windy Fermentations, occafions Obftrudlions 
 in the Reins, and fouls the Stomach. 
 
 Nothing appears to me either more fhameful, or 
 more unworthy reafonable Men, than a Difpute at a 
 
 * The Chinefe, as I have ohfervd, make their Wine of difliltd 
 Rice, and it is very ftrong. 
 
 F 4 Feaft 
 
y 2 llis General History of 
 
 Feaft who mall drink the mod Bumpers, or mail 
 foonefc empty his Bottle ; for my part, when I enter- 
 tain my Friends I invite them chearfully to drink two 
 or three Glaiîès to put them in good humour, but I 
 Hop there, without preiïing them further, not offering 
 them a Violence which will deftroy their Health : 
 Thefè are my Maxims for Meals, they are eafy, and 
 if they are practis'd I am fure they will be found to 
 be beneficial. 
 
 The THIRD HEAD. 
 
 The Regulation of the Anions of the Day. 
 
 I N the common Actions of Life we are attentive 
 enough to confiderable things, which give a vifible 
 Blow to Health, but there are many fmall ones which 
 are look'd upon as Trifles, and to_ which we pay not 
 the lead regard ; and yet thefe Trifles, obferv'd with 
 care, defend us from many Inconveniencies, and the 
 neglect of this fometimes fhortens the Term of Years 
 which the Tien defign'd us. 
 
 In general our Li fo^ epends upon the regular Mo- 
 tion of the Spirits : There are three forts of them ; 
 the Vital Spirits, which we call Tfwg ; the Animal 
 Spirits, which we call Ki ; and a third degree of Spi- 
 rits, much more noble, more free from matter, and 
 to which the Name of Spirit does much more pro- 
 perly agçee, which are called Chin. 
 
 The Vital Spirits beget the Animal, and from both 
 thefe arife that third degree of Spirits defign'd for in- 
 tellectual Operations ; if the Vital Spirits come to fail 
 the Animal muft alfo unavoidably fail ■> and this fé- 
 cond fort of Spirits being exhaufted the third cannot 
 iiibfift, and the Man muft die : It is therefore of im- 
 portance not to diflipate idly thefj three Principles of 
 Life, either by an immoderate ule of fenfual Pleafures, 
 or by violent Labour, or by too intenfe and too con- 
 mt Application of the Mind. 
 
 R E- 
 
China, Chinese-Tart a r y, Qfc. 73 
 
 REMARKS. 
 
 WHAT the Chinefe Author here fays agrees 
 well enough with the Sentiments of a modern Writer. 
 
 Thus he expreffes himfelf, and it will ferve as an 
 Uluftration to it. 
 
 All the Springs (fays he) of the human Body would 
 be ufelefs and unacîive, if God had not produe'd and 
 appointed the Vital Spirits, to make them act, and to 
 imprint on them a lively Motion, and the Animal 
 Spirits to put the internal and external Senfes in ex- 
 ercife : So he has difpos'd, as the general Inftrument 
 of the growing Life in the Animal, the Arterial Blood, 
 which is alio call'd the Vital Spirit when it hath been 
 warm'd and purified in the Heart. 
 
 The Animal Spirits are much fuperior to the Vital, 
 as they are the Inftruments of a more noble Life. 
 
 1. The Particles which compofe the Animal Spi- 
 rit are much fmaller, and more fubtle than thofe which 
 compofe the Vital. 
 
 2. The Particles of the Animal Spirit move in every 
 fenfe unmix'd and unblended as the Particles which 
 compofe the Air : This is the Chinefe Ki. The Par- 
 ticles of the Vital Spirit creep and glide the one over 
 the other, as the Parts of Water : This is the Chinefe 
 Xftng. 
 
 3. The Particles of the Animal Spirit are fo rapid 
 that they are imperceptible to all the Senfes ; and 'tis 
 the fineit part of thefe Spirits which is called Chin. 
 
 The Operations of Growth, Nourifmnent, &c. are 
 Vital Operations, and afcrib'd to the Chinefe Tfiug. 
 Thofe of Perception, both by the internal and exter- 
 nal Senfes, are Animal Operations. The Animal Spi- 
 rits, according to the Antients, are nothing but a fub- 
 tle Air, a very fine Breath, and this exactly aitfwers 
 to the Ki. It is a Compofition of fmall Bodies, which 
 are in a brisk and continual Motion, like thofe fmall 
 Bodies which make the Flame of a lighted Torch : 
 
 Thefe 
 
74 The General History of 
 
 Thefe Spirits, according to the Moderns, are nothing 
 elfe than a fubtle Moifture, which runs from the Brain 
 into the Nerves with fuch an impetuous force, which 
 if open'd are very difficult to be ftopt. 
 
 The Author I quote means, by the Animal Spirits, 
 a moft pure and fubtle Air, which anfwers to the 
 Chinefe Ki ; and moreover a Flame finer than that 
 of A qua vitte, which is the Chinefe Chin. 
 
 I. T H E mon: important Advice, which I can give 
 for maintaining the Body in a due Temperament, is 
 to be very moderate in the ufe of all the Pleafures of 
 Senfe, for all Excefs weakens the Spirits ; do not 
 labour to difcover what is out of the reach of your 
 Sight, and you will preferve the Liver in good Or- 
 der-, harken not after anything with a violent At- 
 tention,and your Kidneys will be found ; abftain from 
 too much and too frequent Spitting and Spawling, and 
 your Lungs will be well -, undertake not very curious 
 and fine Works, and the Heart will keep its Force 
 and Vigour : When you have fuffer'd Hunger don't 
 immediately eat much, and above all keep from 
 Food that is of a crude and cold nature left the 
 Stomach mould fuffer by it : This is what regards the 
 internal Parts. 
 
 As to what belongs to external Actions ; walk not 
 too long time at once, for your Nerves will be fa- 
 tigued by it ; be not for Hours together Handing in 
 one Pofture, the Bones will hardly fupport you ; fit 
 not too long, the Flefh will fuffer by it j lie not 
 down more than is neceflary, for thereby the Blood will 
 be lefs fluid, and it will have more difficulty to pafs 
 thro' the Veins. 
 
 In different Seafons there are alfo Rules to be ob- 
 fervefl to preferve you from too great Heats, and too 
 great Colds : In Winter keep not yourfelf too hot, 
 nor in Summer too cold ; my Maxim is to prevent in 
 time the different Difeafes, and to guard mvfelf before- 
 hand againit their weakelt Attacks. II. 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &c. 75 
 
 II. Immediately after you are awake rub well your 
 Bread with your Hand, where the Heart lies, left 
 coming warm out of Bed the Heat mould be ftopt at 
 once, and the Pores of the Body be clos'd on a fud- 
 den, which would occalion Rheums and other Incon- 
 veniences, whereas a little Friction with the Palm of 
 the Hand puts the Blood in motion to its Source, and 
 preferves from many Accidents : In warning your 
 Face, as foon as you are out of Bed, keep your Eyes 
 Ihut left the Salts of the Gum of the Eyes and the 
 Sweat entering with the Water occafion fharp Hu- 
 mours, and at length produce a ferous Inflamma- 
 tion. 
 
 III. As of all the Parlions which ruffle us Anger 
 does the moil mifchief, fo of all the malignant Af- 
 fections of the Air Wind is moft dangerous, efpeci- 
 ally Wind that comes thro' any narrow PafTage which 
 is cold and piercing, and which comes upon us una- 
 wares -, it infinuates itfelf into the Body, penetrates 
 the Nerves arid the Arteries, and often caufes fharp 
 Pains of the Gout, P^lfy, and fuch-like grievous 
 Difeafes -, the ancient Proverb therefore advifes us to 
 avoid a blaft of Wind as carefully as the Point of an 
 Arrow : Likewife after coming out of an hot Bath, 
 or after any hard Labour when the Body is in a 
 Sweat, by no means pull off any of your Cloaths, nor 
 expofe yourfelf to cold Wind, for this light Refrefh- 
 ment may coft you dear -, the cold Air fhuts up the 
 Pores, and thence comes an heap of ill Humours 
 which would have been carry'd off this way, either 
 by fenfible Sweat or infenfible Perforation, efpecially 
 at the Feet, the Back, and Belly, which fhould not 
 be cold. 
 
 Therefore even in Summer, when we wear very 
 thin Cloaths, it is proper to cover the bottom- part of 
 the Belly with a large Cotton-Cloth to preferve it 
 from Cholical Diforders, which fudden Cold would 
 caufe there i I know the Remedy in this Cafe is Su- 
 
 dorificks, 
 
y 6 The General History of 
 
 cbrifLks, but tho' they cure the prefent Diforder, yet 
 they weaken the Mafs of Blood, and alter its Fermen- 
 tation, which pûmes downwards a quantity of fimilar 
 Parts with heterogeneous ones. 
 
 IV. In the fourth and fifth Month, that is in May 
 and June, if there be long and continued Rains, as 
 it happens in fome Southern Provinces, the Damp- 
 nefs of Houfes mould be remedied by burning fome 
 odoriferous Herbs in them, or Wood well dried, and 
 which makes a clear Fire : If one flays or lies down 
 in a moifl place one is in danger of a Paralytic Sei- 
 zure, or at leafl an obftinatc Flux which will be hard 
 to flop : In violent Heats, when you fweat much, fhift 
 your Linen frequently, but do not put on what hath 
 been juft dried in the Sun. 
 
 V. When the Juice is fqueez'd out of the Canes 
 don't burn the Wood and the Husk under your Eyes, 
 that fort of Fire having the malignant quality of 
 clouding the Sight •, you will find the fame Inconve- 
 nience by burning Train-oil inflead of common Oil : 
 Musk and the BlofToms of young Oranges inclofe im- 
 perceptible Infects, therefore do not fmell to them left 
 thefe fmall Infects get up to the Brain : The Air is full 
 of imperceptible Eggs of various fmall Infects, which 
 . we fuck into the Stomach with our Breath, but they 
 cannot be hatch'd there for want of a fit Medium ; 
 whereas the Infects, which Jay their little Eggs in the 
 downy Cup of Flowers, may be drawn up by the Nofc 
 with a Heat proper to hatch them. 
 
 VI. During the three Spring Months, when Na- 
 ture is on all fides in a ferment, we mould conform 
 ourfelves to Nature ; to put it in motion we fhould 
 walk that the Limbs may be more pliant, for a feclen- 
 tary and unactive Life are at this Seafon directly con- 
 trary to Health ; if there fhould be fome warm 
 Days don't leave off your Winter-cloaths too foon, 
 nor but by degrees, left you fhould be furpriz'd with 
 fudden cold Weather, which in that Seafon very com- 
 monly comes after Heat. VII. In 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, ÊPc. 77 
 
 VII. In Summer there is a great Diffipation of the 
 Spirits, the Reins are weakned, the radical Moifture 
 is confumed, and, if I may ufe fuch an Expreffion, 
 we evaporate in Water and Sweat ; it is therefore ne- 
 ceffary at that Sealbn to chufe Food that is of an 
 hot nature, and adapted to procure a moderate Heat 
 within ; if after any violent Exercife you drink what 
 is warm and capable of raifing a Sweat, let it take 
 its courfe, and be not fo v imprudent as to flop it by 
 throwing of? your Cloaths, much lefs by wiping it 
 off fafter than it rifes, or with a damp Cloth ; it is 
 alfo unwholfome to fan yourfelf during a Sweat. 
 
 VIII. During the three Winter-Months, when the 
 Waters have not their free courlè, the Blood in our 
 Veins becomes flow, heavy, and apt to growfharp; 
 the Veffels being too full for want of Perfpiration, 
 this Fulnefs prevents the free motion of the Liquids, 
 and makes it flower than it fhould be ; befides the 
 Air being full of Nitre, which is drawn in by the 
 Breath, carries into the Mafs of Blood certain fharp 
 Particles capable of embarrafling the Chyle, and ma- 
 king it acrimonious ; it is therefore neceffory to re- 
 double your care to keep in the natural Heat and vi- 
 tal Spirits ; do not then, during that Sealbn, flir out 
 of Doors but upon an abfolute Neceffity, keep your 
 ït\ï warm within, and rife not too early in the Morning 
 that you be not pinch'd by the firft Cold of the white 
 Frofts ; wear Cloaths fit to keep you warm, but do 
 not load yourfelf with Furr ; don't hover continually 
 over a Fire, this will caufe a violent Fermentation 
 within enough to give you a Fever ; above all wear 
 a large double Girdle about four or five Inches broad, 
 for the Heat which that keeps up in the Reins warms 
 the reft of the Body. 
 
 IX. In Travelling, if you go by Water, as it is 
 not eafy to have Rice got ready for you in the Morn- 
 ing, furnifh yourfelf beforehand with fmall Pills of 
 Ti hoang^ and as foon as you awake fwallow three or 
 
 four 
 
y8 The General History of 
 
 four Drachms of them in a Cup of warm Water ; 
 thefe Pills are called Ti hoang, becaufe the Ti hoang 
 is the principal of the five fmall Ingredients of which 
 they are compofed ; but for want of thefe Pills you 
 may take the Ti hoang by itfelf. 
 
 If in travelling by Land you crofs over Mountains 
 burnt up by the Sun, tho' you are ever fo dry do not 
 drink either of Spring or River- Water on which the 
 Sun hath fhone *, for befides that it hath at that time 
 pernicious Qualities, it is often full of the Seeds of 
 innumerable Infecls. 
 
 If you travel in the midft of Winter, and the ie- 
 verity of the Cold has froze your Feet, as foon as 
 you come into your Inn order fome Water to be 
 brought but juft lukewarm, heat your Feet and Hands 
 with it, rubbing them gently to foften them, and to 
 bring back the natural Heat into the Veins and Ar- 
 teries. 
 
 After that flrft Operation you run no hazard in 
 warning them with never fo hot Water ; but if ne- 
 glecting that Precaution you plunge your Feet all at 
 once into boiling Water, the frozen Blood coagulates, 
 the Nerves and Arteries will be hurt by it, and you 
 run a risk of being lame ever after : In like manner 
 when you come in benummed and chilled with cold, 
 it is not at that time wholefome to drink any thing 
 hot, you mould flay half an Hour before you 
 drink. 
 
 REMARKS. 
 
 T H E Si hoang, which we have been fpeaking of,is 
 nothing elfe but the Root of the Great Comfrey -, the 
 bell is to be found in the Province of Ho nan about 
 the City of Ho ai king, whence it is called Hoal king 
 ti hoang -, thefe Roots, when they are dry, are as big 
 as one's Thumb, and a great deal longer. 
 
 This Root has excellent Properties, much is afcri- 
 bed to its Virtues in Europe, much more in China ; 
 
 a 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &c. yg 
 
 a Chinefe Phyfician, who is a Chriftian, affirms that 
 the Quality, who regard their Health, take every 
 Morning fome fmall Pills of Si boang, juft as we fee 
 many in Europe drink Coffee or Chocolate; fome 
 cut this Root into little Slices, and infufe it or elfe di- 
 ftill it in balneo Maria -, others bruife it, and make it 
 up into a Bolus and fwallow it, taking fome warm 
 Water with it. 
 
 It is ofteneft mixed with five Ingredients, viz. 
 Aromatics, Cordials, Diuretics, gentle Sudoriflcs, 
 and weak Acids, in order to raife and difperfe the 
 more thro' the Bowels the Virtue of the Si hoang y 
 which always predominates in thefe Pills. 
 
 Of thefe Ingredients the principal is Fou lin ; you 
 mull not confound the Root with the Tou fou lin^ 
 which is the Root of Efquin or China ; the Tou fou Un 
 is very common in China, and exceeding cheap ; 
 but the Fou lin is very much efleemed, and is very 
 dear. 
 
 The Tafte of the Fou lin is fweet, its Qualities are 
 mild, and it has nothing that is hurtful in it, or that 
 needs a Corrective : It is a good Remedy in Difor- 
 ders of the Liver and the Stomach, in the Dropfy 
 and Afthma , being hot in its nature it helps to break 
 the Phlegm which is troublefome to the Mouth and 
 Wind-pipe, and to difperfe the Flatuofities which are 
 in the Stomach and in the Side ; befides it calms the 
 Pains of the Heart, and the violent Diforders which 
 arife in the Mind by an excefs of Sorrow or Fear ; 
 it allays great Drynefs of the Mouth and Tongue ; it 
 hath this double Virtue of curing a violent Flux 
 and a Stoppage of Urine ; it flops immoderate Vo- 
 mitings and Convulfions in Chil3ren, and, by flrength- 
 ning the Kidneys, it difpofes Women with child for 
 an eafy Labour : Neither Vinegar nor fharp Meads 
 muft be ufed during the time this Medicine is taking. 
 It may perhaps be ask'd, What fort of Shrub 
 fprings from Fou Un, what fhape are its Leaves, its 
 
 Flower, 
 
So The General Hi-story of 
 
 Flower, and its Fruit ? The Chinefe Herbalifl, who 
 never fails to take notice of thefe Particulars in treat- 
 ing of Plants, does not afcribe to the Fou lin either 
 Stalk, or Leaves, or Flowers, which gives room to 
 conjecture that it ought to' be placed in the Clafs of 
 Truffles. There is good Fou lin to be met with in 
 the Province of Chen ft ; and there is fince found bet- 
 ter in the Province of Tun nan, which is only made 
 ufe of at Court, where it is fold for a Taël a Pound. 
 A Merchant, fays Father ~D entrecolles, brought me one 
 of thefe Roots a Foot long, and not ib thick in pro- 
 portion, and as broad as one's Hand, which weighed 
 three Pounds ; I believe that the red Bark which co- 
 vered the white Subftance increafed the weight of it 
 considerably. 
 
 The Fou lin grows alfo in the Province of Tche 
 hang, and is ufed in the Southern Provinces, where 
 it is much valued, but it is not comparable to that of 
 the Province of Tun nan ; a learned Phyfician gives 
 the reafon of it, viz. That the Fou lin of the Pro- 
 vince 'Tche kiang, being of a fpungy Subftance, hath 
 lefs Body and Strength than that of the Province of 
 Tun nan, and cannot refill the fharp and nitrous Air 
 of Peking -, on the contrary the Fou lin of the Pro- 
 vince of Tun nan and of Chen ft is folid, has few 
 Pores, and is very heavy. 
 
 This different Texture, according to the Remarks 
 of a Chinefe Author, comes from hence, That' the 
 Mountain Pines, fuch as are thofe of the Provinces of 
 Chen fi and of Tun nan, are of a more heavy Sub- 
 ftance than the Sea- Pine, or thofe which grow at a 
 little diilance from it : But it may I : {aid, To whal 
 purpofe do you here fpeak of Pines ? This is the 
 Reafon of it, and it confirms the Conjecture already 
 made concerning the Nature of the Fou lin : The 
 Chinefe Herbal ift, fays Father Dentrccolles, affirms, 
 i. That the good Fou lin is found uhder Ground, 
 upon the Mountains or the Valleys near thofe Places 
 
 where 
 
China, Chines e-Ta rtary^ &?c. 8 1 
 
 where old Pines have been cut. 2. That it is fofm'd 
 and receives its Growth from a mod fpirituous Sub- 
 fiance flowing from thofe Pines, and fpreading in the 
 Mold, upon which acccount I have been of opinion 
 that the Feu I'm might be formed and grow in the 
 fame manner as Truffles, which are not faiten'd to the 
 Earth by any perceivable Root ; perhaps the Fou lin 
 is a fort of Fungus from the great Roots of Pines 
 which have been cut, whofe nutricious Juice kept in 
 the Earth is collected, and produces that Subitance 
 which is then foft, or more or lefs fpongy in propor- 
 tion to the Fatnefs of the Pine ; the Fou lin, which I 
 have had in my Hands, feem'd to me not to have had 
 any Roots by which it was fattened to thofe of the 
 Pine, and their Herbals fpeak nothing of them -, now 
 if it were faftned ftrongly to the Roots of the Pine, it 
 might be confidered as a fort of MifTeltoe of thofe Roots, 
 juft as the Pine often hath MifTeltoe on the upper part 
 of the Tree, which is not joined to it by any Fibre, 
 altho' it be nourim'd by it : Thefe are the Conjectures 
 of this Father, which will perhaps put us upon fearch- 
 ing in Europe after the Fou lin on the Mountains 
 whence Pines have been long fmce cut. 
 
 The lame Phyficiân, adds Father Dentrecolles, ha- 
 ving affured me that the Fou lin is planted and cultiva- 
 ted, I then thought myfelf out in my Conjecture of 
 placing it in the clafs of Truffles ; but when he toid 
 me that he did not think that when it was planted it 
 had a Stalk and Leaves, I then returned to my firft 
 Opinion -, for having read in the Dictionary of the 
 Academy, that there are Places where they tranfplant 
 fmall Truffles to make them larger, and that being 
 tranfplanted they do not fhoot out either Stalk, 
 Branches, or Leaves, it feemed to me that it might 
 be the fame with the planted and cultivated Fou lin: 
 Here are two Obfervations to be made, which I ought 
 not to omit -, the firft is, That the Fou lin, when it is 
 ufed is prepared by taking off the Rind which is ufelels, 
 and boiling up the inward Subftancc two or three 
 
 Vol. IV. G times : 
 
8 2 77js General History of 
 
 times : The fécond is, That, according to the Chincfe 
 Herbaliit, to find the good Fou lin, whofe Subfcance 
 is folid and clofe, fiich as comes from the Province 
 of Tun nan, it mult be look'd for at about fix Foot 
 round about the great Pines, digging about fix or fe- 
 ven Foot deep -, it is pretended that from the Place 
 where it is found there arifes a fine Vapour, which the 
 ConnoiiTeurs diftinguifli by the Eye : The good Feu 
 lin has this Property peculiar to itfelf, that it lies in 
 the Ground without rotting or being damaged by die 
 Worms, and the longer it lies the more it grows, and 
 the better it is. 
 
 The FOURTH HEAD. 
 
 The Regulation of the Reft at Night. 
 
 I ENTER into a Detail of things which will 
 appear of little Importance, and which perhaps will 
 be treated as Trifles -, but Experience has convinced 
 me that thefc very things, as infignificant as they feem, 
 are not to be neglected, fince by obferving them they 
 may contribute to the Prefervation of Health. 
 
 I. AS there remains, in the Evening, in the 
 Mouth and between the Teeth a malignant Filth from 
 the Food which has been taken in the Day, or from 
 the foul Vapours which rife from the Entrails, you 
 fhould before you go to Bed rinfe your Mouth well 
 with Water, or with Tea lukewarm, and rub your 
 Teeth with a foft pliant Brum to keep them clean -, 
 you will then feel in the Mouth and upon the Tongue 
 an agreeable Frefhnefs. 
 
 This Practice will feem a little troublefome, but it 
 will be only at firft that you will be fenfible of that 
 trouble, for after a little time you will find pleafure in 
 it, and if by Forgetfulnefs, or by any other Accident, 
 you happen to go without doing it you will not be eafy. 
 
 II. THE middle of the Sole of the Foot is as 
 the Outlet and the Opening of a great many Sources 
 of the Spirits difperfed all over the Body ; the Veins 
 and the Arteries, which end there, are like to the 
 
 M< 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &Pc. 83 
 
 Mouths of Rivers, which muft be kept open, other- 
 wife they overflow and fill again ; the fuliginous Va- 
 pours of the Blood are carried off by infenfible Per- 
 fpiration, and as the vicious Humours difcharge them- 
 felves upon the Legs, there mould fome way be open'd 
 which would facilitate that Perfpiration. 
 
 Here then I offer you a wholefome Practice ; when 
 you are undrefs'd, and juft going into Bed, take your 
 Foot in one Hand, and with the other rub the bot- 
 tom of it hard as long as you can, and do not leave 
 off till you feel there a great Pleat -, then rub feparate- 
 ly every Toe till you are almoft tired -, this is an effi- 
 cacious Method for the preferving and repairing the 
 Vital and Animal Spirits. 
 
 REMARK. 
 
 WHAT is here recommended I have lêen 
 practifed, fays Father Denlrecdles, by an Engiijh Gen- 
 tleman on board whofe Ship I was -, he ufed every 
 Night to have his Feet rubbed by one of his Ser- 
 vants, following probably an Engiijh Prefcription, 
 which in this agrees with the Maxim of our Author. 
 The European Phyficians direct an Application of Ca- 
 taplafms to the Sole of the Feet, to fupprefs the 
 Burnings of a Fever attended with Deliriums, and to 
 allay the fharp Pains of the Cholic, whence one would 
 think that the Practice, recommended by our Chinefe 
 Author, might be ufeful to thole who would care to 
 fubmit to it. 
 
 III. BEFORE you lie down don't bufy your 
 felf with things which ftrikethe Imagination, and leave 
 Jmpreffions behind them which may difturb your 
 Sleep, fuch as Apparitions of Spirits, monftrous 
 Births, the cunning Tricks of Sharpers, or Tragical 
 Hiftories ; thefe render your Sleep unquiet, which will 
 interrupt the Elaboration of the Spirits, and flop the 
 Perfpiration fo neceffary to Health : As foon as you 
 are in bed you fhould lull the Heart to fleep, 1 mean 
 you mould calm it, and lay afide every Thought 
 
 G 2 ich 
 
84 The General History of 
 
 which may drive Sleep away; lie upon either fide, 
 bend your Knees a little, and go to fleep in that Po- 
 fture, which will prevent the Diffipation of the Vital 
 and Animal Spirits ; every time you wake ftretch 
 yourfelf in Bed, which will render the Courfe of the 
 Spirits and the Circulation of the Blood more free -, 
 when you fleep put not yourfelf in the pofture of a 
 dead Man, fays Confucius ^ that is lie not upon your 
 Back ; let not your Hands reft upon your Breaft nor 
 your Heart, for that will give you troublefome 
 Dreams, or make you imagine that fome Ten or 
 evil Spirit oppreflès you, and renders you as it were 
 benumbed, fo that you cannot help yourfelf either by 
 making, or changing Pofture. 
 
 IV. WHEN once you are in bed keep fi- 
 lence, and refrain from all talking : Of the Inter- 
 nals the Lungs are the tendereft, which are placed a- 
 bove the others, and ferve for the Refpiration and 
 Formation of the Voice ; when therefore you are laid 
 down in a proper pofture they incline to and reft 
 upon the Side, whereas if you talk you force the 
 Lungs to raife themfelves a little, and by raifing 
 themfelves ftrongly they fhake all the other noble in- 
 ternal Parts -, a Comparifon will help to make you 
 underftand me : The Voice which comes from the 
 Lungs is like the Sound which comes from a Bell ; 
 if it is not hung up you damage it by ftriking it to 
 make it found : It is faid that Confucius made it a 
 Law to himfelf not to fpeak after he was in bed, 
 no doubt for the Reafon I have juft mentioned. 
 
 REMARK. 
 
 THIS Author reafons according to the (lender 
 Notions he has of Anatomy, for 'tis manifeft he knew 
 but little of the Structure of the Lungs, the Separa- 
 tion of its Lobes, and its cafmefs to take different 
 forms ; he is ignorant alfo of the Functions of the 
 Diaphragma, which is the active Infiniment of In- 
 fpiration, for it's the Contraction of its Mufcles which 
 
 lets 
 
China, Chinese-Tart ary, &c. 85 
 
 lets the Air into the Lungs, from whence it is thrown 
 out by their Relaxation : Would he make thofe 
 dumb who in long UlnefTes, by mere Weakncffes or 
 in extreme Old Age, are confined to their Beds for 
 whole Years ? He fearches too much after Myfteries 
 in the Silence which Confucius kept during the Night ; 
 it is very probable that he then forbore to talk with 
 his Difciples, becaufe he had difcours'd enough with 
 them in the Day, and wanted Reft. 
 
 V. SLEEP not in the Air, in the Dew, upon 
 cold Stones, nor even upon Beds or Chairs that are 
 varnifh'd ; fuch Indifcretion will occafion Palfies, 
 Ring-worms, and cold Diforders ; it is likewife dan- 
 gerous to lie down upon Chairs, or upon Stones heat- 
 ed by the Sun ; a malignant Heat infinuatingitfelf in- 
 to the Body would fix the Humours in fome one Place, 
 and caufe an Abfcefs there. 
 
 This is a Summary of the Precepts which the Chi* 
 nefe Phyfician gives to t preferve Health, and to pro- 
 long Life even to a very great Age : We may no 
 doubt be furprized to find the Chine fe (who are fo lit- 
 tle vers'd in the Science of Anatomy, which is the 
 moft important Part in Phyfick for difcovering the 
 Caufes of Difeafes) reafoning as if they understood 
 it ; they fupply what is wanting on this fide by Ex- 
 perience, and by their Skill in determining by the 
 Pulfe what is the internal Difpofition of the Bowels, 
 in order to re-eftablifh them in their Natural State by 
 proper Medicines -, and, when all is done, there do 
 not fo great a number of fick Perfons die under their 
 Hands, as do under thofe of the moll able Phyficians 
 in Europe. 
 
 Upon the whole the Perfonal Experience of a 
 Phyfician, who has been able to re-eftablifh his own 
 Health which was deftroyed in his Infancy, ought 
 methinks to give weight to thofe Methods which he 
 made ufe of-, however I doubt whether the Rules 
 which he prefcribes may be as much approv'd of 
 in Europe as they are in China. 
 
 G s GEO- 
 
m 
 
 
 
 
 Geographical Observations 
 
 o N 
 
 ï A R T A R T. 
 
 Extracted from Memoirs fent by the Mifïionaries who 
 drew the Map. 
 
 tcheoux 
 Eafiern 
 
 H E Empire of China, bcfides the Fif- 
 teen Provinces that compofe it, and of 
 which we treated in the firft Part of this 
 Work, contains alfo all the Countries 
 beyond the Great Wall fubjecl to the Man- 
 Tartars, whofe ancient Country is properly 
 Tqrtary. Some of our Writers have alfo 
 placed there the Kingdoms, of Niu ché and Niu Ian, 
 Names unknown to the Tartarian Inhabitants, and 
 only made ufe of by fome Chinefe Geographers, who 
 couki have no Informations but what they received 
 from the People of Leao tong or Quan tong, little in- 
 clined to fpeak well of fuch troublefbme Neighbours, 
 or to commend a Country they hated. 
 
 Neither have thefe Geographers given a Dcfcrip- 
 tion of any Particulars, fo that thefe vaft Countries, 
 tho' inhabited by a Nation which ruled in China 
 tf about the thirteenth Century, under the Name 
 of K , are in a manner unknown 
 
 even to the Grandees and the Learned of the I 
 
 fuch 
 
China, Chines e-Tar tar y, &c. Sj 
 
 fuch is their Contempt for Strangers, or their Averfion 
 to travelling from home. 
 
 We may therefore truly affirm that our Maps of 
 Tartar y, even in the parts neareft China, is not only 
 new, but alfo the firft that ever appeared either in 
 China or Europe ; in which laft it ought to be ftill more 
 favourably received by the Geographers, who have - 
 hitherto been able to defcribe the greateft part of Afia 
 by nothing but uncertain Rumours, and Memoirs al- 
 together unworthy the Attention of the Publick. 
 
 But to avoid the Inconvenience we remark'J, in re- 
 lation to Names, we thought it r.eceffary to fet down 
 in the Map thole proper to each Country : Thus the 
 Places belonging to the Mantcheoux have Mantcheou 
 Names -, and thofe belonging to the Mongcus, Mon- 
 gou Names ; for or what Service would it be to a 
 Perfon in his Travels thro' Tartary to know, for 
 example, that the River Saghalien is called by the Chi- 
 nefe, Hé long kiang, fince the Tartars, with whom 
 he can only converfe, perhaps never heard of that 
 Name ?' 
 
 The Emperor alfo, when we firft began the Map, 
 commanded the Tartarian Names to be wrote in the 
 Tartarian, and the Chinefe Names in- the Chinefe Cha- 
 racters ; and indeed it is as impoffible to write the 
 Tartarian Names in Chinefe, as it is the European^ 
 without disfiguring them in fuch a manner as to make 
 them frequently unintelligible : The Chinefe, with all 
 their Characters, can't exprefs many Sounds formed 
 by the Tartarian and European Letters ; whereas with 
 ours only all the Names, as pronounced by the diffe- 
 rent Nations, may be readily wrote fo as to be under- 
 stood by any Chinefe or Tartar whatfoever. 
 
 But as the Tartars have two Languages as it were 
 in common, that of the Mantcheoux, and that of the 
 Mongols or Mongous, therefore you find but three forts 
 of Names fet down in our Map in European Cha- 
 racters ; the Chinefe Names for the Towns they for- 
 
 G 4 mei'ly 
 
8 8 The General History of 
 
 merly pofTefied beyond the Great Wall in the Pro- 
 vince of Leao tong or Quan long, and which in gene- 
 ral have undergone no Altération -, the Mantcheoux 
 Nam^s for all the Places in the ancient Country of 
 that Nation, and alfo for fome other neighbouring 
 ones of little Importance -, and laftly the Mongou 
 Names to diftinguifh the feveral Diftiicls of the Mon- 
 gou Princes that acknowledge the Emperor, from 
 whom they receive their Inveftitures, with certain Ad- 
 vantages annexed to the Titles with which he honours 
 them. 
 
 It appears, from what we have already faid, that 
 one part of Tartary is governed by its Princes, who 
 are Sovereigns in their feveral Territories though they 
 hold of the Emperor -, and that the other is immedi- 
 ately fubject to that Prince, who fends thither his Go- 
 vernors and Officers in the fame manner as into other 
 Provinces of the Empire. 
 
 The firft Part comprehends all the Countries, or, as 
 they are called by fome of our Writer, the King- 
 doms of the Mongou 'Tartars ; tho' thefe Countries, 
 notwithstanding their vafl extent, have neither Cities, 
 Fortrefles, nor Bridges, and are in a manner deftitute 
 pf every Convenience of civil Life. 
 
 Of the Country of the Mantcheoux. 
 
 This Part is divided into three great Governments^ the 
 Largexefs of which may be feen in the Map. 
 
 The FIRST GOVERNMENT. 
 
 HP H E firft is that of Chin yang, called by the 
 Mantcheoux, Mougden ; it contains all ancient 
 Leao tong, and is bounded on the South by the Great 
 Wall, which begin Eaft of Peking by a great Bul- 
 wark built in the Ocean -, on the Eaft, North, and 
 Weft it is inclofed by a Palifade, more proper to de-. 
 
 fine 
 
China, Chinese-Tart a r y, &c. 89 
 
 fine its Limits, or to ftop the Incurfions of little Rob- 
 bers, than to keep out an Army, for it is made of 
 nothing but Piles of Wood of about fevm or eight foot 
 in height, without any Terrafs behind, or Ditch, or 
 the leaft Fortification in the Chinefe manner. The 
 Gates are of equal Srength with the Palifade, and 
 guarded only by a few Soldiers. Neverthelefs the 
 Chinefe Geographers give the Name of Wall to this 
 Palifade, which has occafion'd fuch various Opinions 
 concerning the Situation of the Province of Leao tong^ 
 plac'd in our Maps fometimes within, and fometimes 
 without the Great Wall, according to the different In- 
 terpretation given by Authors to the Chinefe Words. 
 
 The Advantage reap'd by the Government under 
 the Emperors was very confiderable with regard to 
 their political Views, for the Subjects of Leao tong 
 were neither permitted to leave their Country, nor to 
 go into China without the Permifiion of their Manda- 
 rins. Within this Palifade were alio feveral garrifon'd 
 Places, fortified with Towers of Brick and with 
 Ditches, but at prefent they are all either deftroy'd 
 or half ruin'd : Indeed they are uMds under the Go- 
 vernment of the Mantcheoux^ againft whom they were 
 built by the Princes of the preceeding Family. 
 
 The Capital of the Country is Chin yang oxMong- 
 den: This City is handfomely rebuilt by the Mant- 
 cheoux, adorn'd with feveral publick Edifices, and 
 flored with Magazines of Arms and Provifions. They 
 look upon it as the Court of their particular Nation, 
 and therefore ever fince their Poffeffion of China have 
 left here the fame fovereign Tribunals with thofe at 
 Peking except that of *Lii pou. Thefe Tribunals con- 
 fid of none but native Tartars^ and all their Acls are 
 wrote in the Mantcheou Language and Character. 
 They are not only Sovereign in the Province of Leao 
 — * 
 
 * This Tribunal is the chief of fix Sovereign Tribunals, places 
 and difplac;s Office» over the People, &c. 
 
 tOHg 9 
 
go TJje General History of 
 
 tong, but alfo in all the Parts of Tartary immediately 
 fubject to the Emperor: They decide with the fame 
 Authority, and in the fame Form as the fovereign 
 Tribunals at Peking, and give Judgment in all Caufes 
 brought to them by the inferiour Tribunals of China. 
 Mougden is likewife the Refidence of a Tartarian Ge- 
 neral, who has in the City his Lieutenant-Generals, 
 with a great Number of Soldiers of the fame Nation. 
 This has occafion'd a large refort of Chinefe from the 
 other Provinces, who are fettled here, and in a man- 
 ner manage all the Trade of Tartary. 
 
 A little beyond the Gates of the City are two mag- 
 nificent Sepulchres of the fird Emperors of the prefent 
 reigning Family, who aftume the Title of Emperor 
 from their beginning to rule in Leao long : One of them 
 is that of the Emperor's Grandfather, and the other 
 that of his Great Grandfather : They are both built 
 according to the Rules of the Chinefe Architecture ; 
 but, what is obfervable no where elfe, they are far- 
 rounded with a thick Wall, adorn'd with Battle- 
 ments, and a little lower than that of the City : A 
 great Number of Mantchcou Mandarins of all Ranks 
 are appointed to the care of them, who at fet times 
 perform certain Ceremonies, in which they obferve 
 the fame Orders and Marks of Refpedl as if their 
 Matters were flill living. 
 
 The Father of the Emperor's great Grandfather lies 
 interred at Inden : This Place rather refembles a Vil- 
 lage than a City, and the royal Sepulchre is but in- 
 differently built : It was at Inden that the Mantchecnx 
 begun to cflablifh their Empire over China \ the other 
 Towns of this Province are of little note, thinly peo- 
 pled, ill-built, and without any defence, except a Wall 
 either half-ruin'd, or made of Earth ; tho* fome of 
 them, as Y tcheou and King tchecu, arc very well fi- 
 liated for Trade, and alfo abound in «Cotton. 
 
 The City of Fong hoang tching is much better built 
 as well as peopled ; it is lik 
 
 e Trade, as being the Key to the 
 
China, Chinese-Tartars, &c. 91 
 
 rea, by which the Envoys of that King and his Mer- 
 chants enter the Empire : This has drawn hkher a 
 great Number of Chinefe, who have built handfome 
 Houfes in the Suburbs, and are Factors for the Mer- 
 chants of the Province : The Principal Merchandize 
 of this Place is a fort of Paper made of Cotton, 
 which is very flrong and durable, but neither white 
 nor tranfparent -, neverthelefs they fend vaft quantities 
 of it to Peking, where it is made ufe of for Safhes both 
 for their Palaces and ordinary Houfès. 
 
 The City is govern'd by a Mantcheou Mandarin 
 with the Title of Hotongta, who has alfo feveral other 
 Mandarins of his Nation under him, fome to com- 
 mand the Soldiers of the Garrifon, and others to take 
 care of the Affairs which the Coreans have to tranfact 
 with the Emperor and the Subjects of the Empire : 
 It derives its Name from the Mountain Fong hoang 
 than, which, tho' the moft celebrated in the Coun- 
 try, we are oblig'd to own is remarkable in. nothing, 
 neither height, form nor product ; the People of 
 the Country are entirely ignorant of what occafion'd 
 this Name : It is alfo probable that the famous Bird, 
 called by the Chinefe Fong hoang, is no lefs fabulous 
 than the Phcenix of the Arabians ; and, to fpeak once 
 for all, there is no depending on the Chinefe Names, 
 for the mofl magnificent have frequently been given to 
 Towns of a wretched Situation, and to barren fright- 
 ful Mountains. 
 
 Neverthelefs thefe Names have given birth to a 
 great many Fables related in the Chinefe Books of 
 Geography -, for the Authors, being mo'ftly private 
 Perfons, could have an exact Knowledge but of few 
 Places : Befides they were in fome meafure obliged 
 to conform to the popular Stories of the Rarities and 
 Wonders of each Country. 
 
 Thefe Books, which pafs'd feveral Editions, have 
 fill'd the Chinefe withfuch falfe Notions of the Geogra- 
 phy and natural Hiftory of their Empire, that if you 
 
 be- 
 
g2 'The General History of 
 
 believe them there is hardly the Precinct of a City 
 but furnifhes fomething precious and extraordinary ; 
 wherefore it's not in the lead furprifing that our Au- 
 thors, who could only write from Report, or Tranfia- 
 tion from the Chinefe, have made Nature much more 
 wonderful in China, than what we found her in the 
 Courfe of our Geographical Enquiries : We fhall 
 therefore fay nothing of the Mountains near Fong 
 hoang, nor of the others in this Province, fince in re- 
 ality they are no way remarkable, notwithftanding 
 what is laid of them at a diftance, and which a Per- 
 fon dares not repeat in the Neighbourhood -, neither 
 fhall we infift on the Rivers of the Province, fince 
 they differ in nothing from the others defcrib'd in the 
 Map ; for the Point San tcha ho, fo famous in the 
 Province, is nothing but a concourfe of three Rivers, 
 which after having water'd the Country unite in this 
 Place, and under the common Name difcharge them- 
 felves into the Sea, which is far from being a No- 
 velty. 
 
 The Lands of this Province are in general very 
 good, and abound in Wheat, Millet, Roots and Cot- 
 ton -, they alfo fupply large Herds of Oxen, and great 
 Flocks of Sheep, which are rarely feen in any of the 
 Provinces of China : They have little Rice, but then 
 in recompenfe they have feveral of our European 
 Fruits, as Apples, Pears, Nuts, Chefnuts and Fil- 
 berds, which grow in abundance in all the Forefts. 
 
 The Eaftern Part, which borders on the ancient 
 Country of the Mantcheoux and the Kingdom of Co- 
 rea, is a wild Dcfart, and in particular full of Marfhes : 
 Wherefore we need not wonder at reading in the 
 Chinefe Hiftories, that one of the Emperors of the Fa- 
 milies of Tang tchao was oblig'd to raife a Caufway 
 for twenty Leagues, to pafs his Army into Corea, the 
 King of which he wanted to compel to pay him the 
 homage he refus'd him : For when it rains in thefe 
 Parts, which is very frequent, the Water finks fo 
 
 deep. 
 
China, Chinese-Tart ary, (§?c. 93 
 
 deep into the Ground that the fides of the Hills, where 
 they endeavour to pafs, are almoft as Marfhy as the 
 Plains. In fome Parts cf this Country are ftill to be 
 fœn the Ruins of Towns and Villages deflroy'd in 
 the Wars between the Chinefe and the Coreans, but no 
 Monument of Stone, nor any other Remains of An- 
 tiquity to give light into this part cf Hiftory. 
 
 The SECOND GOVERNMENT. 
 
 THE fécond great Government is that of Kirin 
 oula hciim -, on the Weil it is bounded by the Eaftern 
 Palifade of the Province of Leao tong, on the Eaft 
 by the Eaftern Ocean, on the South by the Kingdom 
 of Ccrea, and on the North by the great River Sag' 
 balien oula, the Mouth of which is a little on this 
 fide the fifty-third Parallel ; wherefore it extends in 
 Latitude no lefs than twelve Degrees, and almoft 
 twenty in Longitude. 
 
 This Country is little inhabited, and has but three 
 Cities wretchedly built, and furrounded with Walls 
 of Earth ; the chief of them is fituated on the River 
 Songari, which in that Partis call'd Kirin oula, whence 
 it takes its Name -, for Kirin oula hotun fignifies the 
 City of the River Kirin : It is the Refidence of the 
 Mantcheou General, who has the Authority of a Vice- 
 Roy, and commands all the Mandarins as well as the 
 Soldiers. 
 
 The fécond call'd Pednê, or Petouné, {lands alfo on 
 the fame River Songari, forty-five Leagues from Ki- 
 rin oula hotun, from which it is almoft North- Weft. 
 This Town is of much lefs Note, and almoft wholly 
 inhabited by Tartarian Soldiers and Exiles, under 
 the command of a Lieutenant-General. 
 
 The third City, which is look'd upon by the reign- 
 ing Family as its ancient Patrimony, is fituated on 
 the River Houoka pira, which runs North into the 
 Songari oula : h is commonly call'd Ningouta, tho* its 
 
 proper 
 
94 ^ e General History of 
 
 proper Name is Ningunta -, for thefe two Tartarian 
 Words, fignifying /even Chiefs, are exprefiive of the 
 beginning of their Kingdom, which was at firft efta- 
 blifh'd by the (even Brothers of the Father of the pre- 
 fent Emperor's great Grandfather, who, having in this 
 place united them with their Families, foon made 
 himfelf obey'd, either thro' Fear or Love, by the reft 
 of his Nation at that time difperfed in the Defarts 
 that extend to the Eaftern Ocean, and divided into 
 little Hamlets compofed of the Particulars of each Fa- 
 mily. This City at prefènt is the Refidence of a Mant- 
 cheou Lieutenant-General, who has Jurifdiclion over 
 all the Mantcheou Territories, both of the old Mant- 
 cheoux and the new, call'd Han hala tafe, as likewife 
 over all the Villages of the Tup tafe, with fome other 
 Nations of Ids note which inhabit nearer the Mouth 
 of Saghalien oula, and along the Borders of the Sea. 
 
 That Plant, which the Chinefe and Tartars think 
 the mofl precious of all others, growing only in thefe 
 vaft Countries, and as the Tup tafe are oblig'd to pay 
 a tribute of Sables, die Trade to Ningouta is confi- 
 derable, and draws a great Number of Chinefe from 
 the moft diftant Provinces, whofe Houfes, join'd to 
 thofe of the Soldiers, make the Suburbs at leaft four 
 times as large as the City. 
 
 The Emperor has alfo taken care to repeople the 
 Country, by fending hither all the Tartars and Chi- 
 nefe condemn'd to Banifhment by the Law ; fo that 
 when we were a great Diftance from Ningouta, we 
 found feveral Villages where we met with good En- 
 tertainment, for they are in no want of Provifions. 
 They have in particular a great quantity of Millet, 
 and a fort of Grain unknown amongft us, call'd by 
 the Chinefe of the Country Mai fe mi, as being of a 
 middle Species between Wheat and Rice ; but what- 
 ever its proper Name be it is of a good Tafte, and 
 in great requefr. in thefe cold Countries : It would per- 
 haps thrive in fome places in Europe, where no other 
 
 Grain 
 
China, Ch r n e s e-Ta r t a r y, &c. 95 
 
 Grain will : Here are alio abundance of Oats, which 
 you hardly meet with any where tlk ; they give them 
 to their Horfès, which feem'd flrange to our 'Tartarian 
 Companions who had been brought up at P eking ^ 
 where they feed their Horfcs with a kind of black 
 Beans, of which there is a great Confumption in all 
 the Northern Provinces of the Empire. They have 
 but little Wheat and Rice, whether it is that the Soil 
 does net agree with them, or becaufe thefe new Inha- 
 bitants find their Account more in the quantity than 
 the quality of their Grain. 
 
 But it feems more difficult to determine why fo 
 many Countries, which lie but in the 43, 44, and 45 
 Degrees of Latitude, fhould differ fo. much from ours 
 in refpect to the Sealbns, and the Productions of Na- 
 ture, as not to bear Comparifon even with our moft 
 Northern Provinces : However it's probable to imagine 
 that the Quality of a Country depends rather on the 
 Nature of its Soil, as it abounds more or lefs in ni- 
 trous Particles, than on its Situation in regard to the 
 Heavens. 
 
 The Cold begins much fooner in thefe Parts than 
 at Paris, notwithftanding the Latitude of that is ai- 
 moft 50 . We fdt it very fharp at the beginning of 
 September, and the eighth of that Month, on which we 
 were at Tondon, the firft Village of the Ke tching ta fe 
 Tartars, we were oblig'd to get us Habits lin'd with 
 Lamb-skins, which we wore all Winter : They alio 
 began to fear that the Saghalien oula, tho* fo large and 
 deep a River, would be froze over, and that the Ice 
 would flop our Boats ; accordingly it was froze every 
 Morning to a certain diftance from its Banks, and the 
 Inhabitants aflured us that in a few Days the Navi- 
 gation would become dangerous by reafon of the 
 Quarries of Ice which fell down the River : The 
 Cold is alfo very much prolong'd by the great Forells 
 in tlii s Country, which are more numerous and thicker 
 of Wood the nearer you advance to the Eaftern 
 
 ' Ocean. 
 
g6 The General History of 
 
 Ocean : We were nine Days in pafiing through one 
 of them, and obliged to have feveral Trees cut down, 
 by the Mantcheou Soldiers, to make room for our Ob- 
 fervations of the Sun's Meridian. 
 
 Neverthelefs when you are pad thefe Woods you 
 Come frequently into fine green Vallies, wafh'd with 
 little Rivulets of good Water, and enamePd with dif- 
 ferent Flowers, but fuch as are all very common in our 
 Provinces, except the yellow Lilies, which are of a 
 beautiful Colour, and mightily efteem'd by the Mant- 
 cheoux. Thefe Lilies, as to their form and height, 
 differ in nothing from our white Lilies, but they have 
 a much fainter Smell, which we were not at all fur- 
 priz'd at, becaufe the Rofes we found here were lefs 
 fragrant than ours, and the Tuberofes tranfplanted to 
 Peking had loft a great deal of their Sweetnefs : The 
 fineft yellow Lilies grow not fir from the Palifade of 
 JLeao long : When we had travel I'd about feven or 
 eight Leagues from hence we found them in great 
 quantities, between the forty-firft and forty-fecond Pa- 
 rallel, in a l J lain which was moift, tho' not marfhy, 
 and had been left uncultivated ever iince the Entrance 
 of the Mantcheoux : On one fide it is water'd by a fmall 
 Priver, and bounded on the other by a Chain of little 
 Hills. 
 
 But the rnoft precious and ufeful of all their Plants, 
 and that which draws a great number of Herbalifts 
 into thefe Defarts, is the famous Plant called by the 
 Chinefc, Ginfeng-, and by the Mantcheoux ^Orbota, that 
 is to fay the Chief or Queen of Plants : This is 
 equally efteem'd by both Nations for its excellent Pro- 
 perties, not only in confiderable Difeafes o i feveral 
 kinds, but alio in all Decays of Strength occafion'd 
 by exceffive Labour either of Body or Mind : Where- 
 fore it has always been the chief Riches of Eaftern 
 lartary ; for tho' the fame is alfo found in the North 
 part of Corea, yet no more of it than what is con- 
 lum'd in that Kingdom. 
 
 Its 
 
China, Chinese-Târt arY, csfr. 97 
 
 Its former value may be eafily judg'd of by the pre- 
 fers price it bears at Peking, where an Ounce of good 
 Gin feng fells for feven or eight Ounces of Silver, 
 notwithstanding the great quantities imported by the 
 Chinefe, who under-hand make ufe of the Mandarins 
 and Soldiers that are continually paffing backwards 
 and forwards, according to their lèverai Commifîions, 
 either to Peking, Kirin oula, or Nin gout a, whence they 
 go into the Gin feng Country either clandeftinly or by 
 the connivance of the Governors; 
 
 But in the Year 1709, in which we drew the Map, 
 the Emperor being defirous that the Mantcheoux mould 
 reap this advantage rather than the Chine fe, gave Or- 
 ders to ten thoufand of his Soldiers, encamp'd with- 
 out the Great Wall, to go and get all the Gin feng 
 they could find, on condition that each of them mould 
 give his Majefly two Ounces of the beft, and that an" 
 equal weight of fine Silver mould be paid for the re- 
 mainder : By this means they reckon that the Em- 
 peror v/ill have this Year at leafr. 20000 Chinefe Pounds, 
 and that for lefs than a fourth part of what it is va- 
 lued at here. 
 
 This Expedition was alfo of fervice to us thro' the 
 generous care of the Emperor, for all the Mantcheou 
 Commander?, who . were divided with their Troops 
 into different Quarters, came by his order, one after 
 another, to offer us part of their Provifions, and even 
 oblig'd us to accept fome Oxen for our fubfiftence. 
 
 Thefe Civilities likewife brought us better acquaint- 
 ed with the Fatigues fuftain'd by the Battalions of 
 Herbalifts, for they undergo a great deal in this kind 
 of Expedition : As foon as they begin their Search 
 they are oblig'd to quit their Horfes and Equipages ; 
 they carry neither Tent nor Bed with them, nor even 
 any Provifion but a Bag of roafted Millet, and at 
 Night lodge upon the Ground under a Tree, .or in fome 
 wretched Huts run up with Buughs. 
 
 Vol. IV. H The 
 
ç8 The General History of 
 
 The Officers, who encamp at a di fiance in the Places 
 moll proper for feeding their Cattle, inform them- 
 felves of their diligence by the Perfons they fend to 
 them from time to time with Beef, or Game which 
 they kill : Their chief danger is from wild Beads, and 
 efpecially Tigers, againft which they mull be conti- 
 nually on the guard : If any one is miffing, after the 
 fignal for the return of the Troop, they conclude him 
 devour'd by Beads, or loft thro' his own carelefnefs, 
 and after having fought him a Day or two make a 
 new Partition of Quarters, and continue their fearch 
 with the fame ardour as before. 
 
 All this Fatigue and Danger is in a manner inevit- 
 able, becaufe this Plant only grows on the fides of 
 Mountains cover'd with Woods, or on the Banks of 
 deep Rivers, or on fleep Rocks : If a Foreft happens 
 to take Fire, and part of it is confum'd, it is three or 
 four Years before it appears there again, which 
 feems to prove that it can't endure Heat ; but then as 
 it is found in no Place beyond the 47 Degrees of 
 Latitude, where the Cold is flill more intenfe, we 
 may conclude that it can as little bear too cold a Soil. 
 It is eafily diftinguilh'd from all the other Plants 
 that furround it, and frequently by a clufter of round 
 Fruit of a red Colour, fupported by a Stalk that 
 ihoots higher than the reft of the Branches : Such 
 was that we faw at Hou tchun, in 42 Degrees, 55 
 Minutes, 26 Seconds, two Leagues from Corea : 
 This is the principal Village of thole -Tartars who were 
 originally the Koel ka ta fe, but at prefent are mix'd 
 with the Mantcheoux, whole Language they fpeak, and 
 Country they inhabit. This Plant which was about 
 a Foot and half in height had but one Stem, whence 
 fhot lour Branches at an equal diftance one from a- 
 nother, without feeming to fpring from the fame 
 Plant : Each Branch had five Leaves, and they tell 
 you there is always that number, unlefs diminiffi'd by 
 any accident. 
 
 The 
 
China, C hinese-Tart ar y, Ê?c. 99 
 
 The Root is the only part ufed in Medicine ; it has 
 this remarkable quality, that it fhews the number of 
 its Years by the Remains of the Branches which it has 
 fhot forth, and at the fame time that it difcovers its 
 age, enhances its value, for the largeft and Hrmeft 
 are the beft ; but all this will be better underftood by 
 the * Figure of it, which was defign'd on i\\c fpot by 
 Father Jartoux. This Plant, together with three others, 
 was brought us by one of the Inhabitants of Hon tchiu:^ 
 who went in queft of them live or fix Leagues, which 
 is the fartheil Extent? of the Territories of thefe 
 Koel ka tafe: Their Country is likewife in other re- 
 flects agreeable, and which is exceeding rare among 
 the Tartars^ very well cultivated, an Induftry which 
 they have learn' d either from their neceffity, occafion'd 
 by their diftance from the Mdntcbeoux, the neareft of 
 which are forty Leagues of bad Road, cr perhaps 
 from the Example of the Coreans, whofe very 1 1 
 are cut into Afcents, and cultivated to the top with in- 
 credible Labour. 
 
 This was a Profpecl entirely new to us, when ai 
 having crofs'd fo many Foreits, and coafted fo many 
 frightful Mountains, we found ourfelves on the Banks 
 of the River Tou men oula, on one fide of which were 
 nothing but Woods and wild Beafts, while the other 
 preferred us with all that Art and Labour can produce 
 in the beft cultivated Kingdoms. We there faw lève- 
 rai wall'd Cities, and placing our Inftruments on the 
 neighbouring Hills geometrically determin'd the Situ- 
 ation of four of them, which bounded Ccrea on the 
 North : But as the Coreans, who dwelt on the other 
 fide the River, neither underftood the Tartars^ nor 
 the Chinefe who were with us, we could not learn the 
 Names of thefe Cities till we came to Hon tcbun, where 
 the Interpreters us'd by the Tartars in their Commerce 
 with the Coreans refide. 
 
 * See it engrav d in the Firjl Vclume. 
 
 H 2 We 
 
i oo The General History of 
 
 We have fet down the Names of the Towns in the 
 Map as we found them in the Emperor*s, where they 
 are wrote in Chinefe, for this Kingdom has been fub- 
 ject time out of mind to the Empire of China, the 
 Habit of which the Coreans wear to this Day : The 
 Emperor's Confent is alfo necefiary before the Heredi- 
 tary Prince can aflume the Title ot King. 
 
 The Tou men oula, which divides it from the Tar- 
 tars, falls into the Eaftern Ocean ten Leagues from 
 Hon tchun : As this was an important Point we drew 
 a Bafe of forty-three Chinefe Lys to a high Hill near 
 the Sea, whence we had a Profpect of two of the 
 Cities fix'd by our former Obfervation, and could alfo 
 diftinguifh the entrance of Tou men oula : Wherefore 
 our Map may be depended upon for the exact Limits 
 of the Kingdom of Corea on the fide of Tartary -, and 
 had we entered the Kingdom, as was propofed to the 
 Emperor, but difapprov'd by him, we mould have 
 nothing to wifh as to the Geography of it. 
 
 The addition of the Eaftern and Inland Parts of 
 the Kingdom was taken from the Report of one of 
 the Emperor's Envoys fent the Year following, with 
 a Mandarin of the Tribunal of the Mathematicks, who 
 took the Elevation of the Pole in the Capital called 
 Chao fien, or King ki tao ; as alfo from the Maps of 
 the Coreans, which were communicated to us ; there- 
 fore we can't anfwer for the exact Pofition of the 
 Eaftern Cities, nor for feveral of the Southern : But 
 after all our Map is incomparably more correct than 
 any which have hitherto appear'd, and which are only 
 grounded on uncertain Reports, or the Tranflations of 
 fome Chinefe Geographers, who, it's plain, never few 
 fo much as the Frontiers of the Kingdom, much lefs 
 did they ever take an Inftrument in hand to fix any 
 Points, which notwithstanding is abfolutely neceiîary, 
 for Geography is a laborious Science ; the Specula- 
 tions of the Clofet won't do, it muft be perfected by 
 manual Operations, and painful Enquiries, which ill 
 
 agree 
 
China, Chinese-Tart ary, êPc. ior 
 
 agree with the Indolence of the Chinefe Doctors ; they 
 call Corea, Kaoli hue*, but the Mantcheoux call it 
 Solgon kouron -, the common Name Ton men oula is a 
 Mantcheou Appellation, and anfwers the Chinefe Ex- 
 pofition Van li Bang, which fignifies a River of ten 
 thoufand Chinefe Lys or Stadia, or one thoufand of 
 our Leagues, but this is manifeftly falfe by the Map. 
 The Coreans had formerly built a ftrong Wall on the 
 Bank oppofite to the Tartars, almofl like that on the 
 North of China ; this was intirely deflroyed nearj Hon 
 tchun at the time the Mantcheoux over-run Corea, 
 which they made their firft Conqueft; but in the 
 parts more remote it continued almoft intire, as we 
 obferved in pafllng overagainft it. 
 
 Beyond the Ton men oula, advancing flill farther 
 into the ancient Country of the Mantcheoux, you come 
 to a River called Suifond pira, the Latitude of which 
 we alfo took at its Fall into the Eaftern Ocean ; it is 
 very famous among thefe tartars, and as little de- 
 fer ves to be fo : Here are alfo to be ken the Ruins of 
 a City called Fourdan hotun, which in all probability 
 was likewife of fmall account among them ; it was 
 fituated in an open Plain fit for Tillage, and might ea- 
 fily be fortified, bu^ it appears to have been of little 
 confequence by the fmallnefs of its Compafs ; at pre- 
 fent there is nothing of it remains but a flight 
 Wall of Earth defended by a little Ditch : The 
 other Rivers of this Country are much more inconfi- 
 derable than Suifond pira, whence undoubtedly pro- 
 ceeds the efteem which the ancient Mantcheoux flill 
 retain tor it. 
 
 The River Oufcuri is incomparably the fined, both 
 for the clearnefs of its Waters and the length of its 
 Courfe ; it falls into the Saghalien of which we fpoke 
 before, and belongs to the Tartars called by the Chi- 
 
 * Koue in Chinefe, and Kouron in Manchcoa, fignifies King- 
 dom. 
 
 H 3 ne f e > 
 
02 77j6 General History of 
 
 nefe, Tu pi ta fe, who inhabit Villages along the 
 Banks ; it is increafed by a great many little Brooks, 
 and alfo by fomc large Rivers, which we have taken 
 care not to omit : It mull needs be extraordinary full 
 of Fifli, fince it fupplies its Inhabitants both with 
 Food and Raiment : The Tartars are very skilful in 
 drefllng the Skins, which they (tain with three or four 
 Colours -, they alfo cut them out very neatly, and few 
 them in fuch a delicate manner that at firft you'd 
 imagine them few'd with Silk, nor can you tell the 
 contrary till, ripping open a Stitch or two, you perceive 
 it to be an exceeding fine Shred cut from one of the 
 finer Skins. 
 
 The Fafhion of their Drefs is the fame with that of 
 the McnicbeoiL?;, which at prefent is follow'd by the 
 Chincfc Provinces -, the only remarkable difference is, 
 that at the bottom of their long Garments they have 
 commonly a green or red Border on a white or grey 
 Ground ; the Women alfo wear pieces of Copper or 
 little Bells at the bottom of their long Mantles be- 
 hind, which give notice of their Approach ; their 
 Hair, which parts into feveral TrefTes and falls upon 
 their Shoulders, is loaded with little bits of Looking- 
 glafs. Rings, and other Baubles, which they look up- 
 pn as fo many Jewels. 
 
 Their manner of Life is equally furprifing -, all the 
 Summer they fpend in Fiihing \ one part of their Fifh 
 they appoint for Oil for their Lamps, another for 
 their daily Food, and the third (which they dry in the 
 Sun without faking, for they have no Salt) fupplies 
 them with Provifion in Winter, and both Men and 
 Beads eat of it when the Rivers are froze -, we obferv'd 
 however a great deal of Stre:;g;.h and Vigour in moft 
 of thefe poor People, but the Flefh of their Animals, 
 which are very fcarcc in this Country, is of an into- 
 ' le tafte, which tho' we were appriz'd of before, 
 wc could hardly believe it ; we procured a Pig, 
 which is what they efteem the moft, and had it drefs'd 
 
 W 
 
China, Chinese-Tartar y, êPc. 103 
 
 in the ufual manner, but were obliged to fend it away 
 the moment we had tailed it ; the very Servants, as 
 famifh'd as they were for want of Meat, having liv'd 
 fo Jong upon Fifh could not endure the ill relifh : 
 The Dogs in this Country draw their Sledges when 
 the Rivers are froze, and arc very much efteemed. 
 
 In our return we met the Lady of Qufouri coming 
 from Peking, where her Husband, who was the Chief 
 of this Nation, and had enjoy'd the Honour and Pre- 
 rogative of a Body-Guard, was lately dead ; fhe told 
 us that fhe had a hundred Dogs for her Sledge ; one 
 that is trained to lead the way goes before, whom 
 thofe that are harnefs'd follow without turning till 
 they come to a certain diftancc, when they Hop and 
 are relieved by others taken out of the fpare Pack -, 
 fhe affur'd us that fhe had often run without flopping 
 a hundred Chinefe Lys, or ten of our great Leagues. 
 
 Inftead of bringing' us Tea, which is the Cuftom 
 amongft the Chinefe and other 'Tartars, her Attendants 
 brought us little bits of Sturgeon upon a neat Roaft- 
 ing-Plate : This Lady, who underflood Chinefe, had 
 quite a different Air and Manner from thefe Tu pi ta 
 fe, who in general are of a peaceable Difpofition, but 
 heavy and unpolifh'd, and without any tincture of 
 Learning, or the leaft publick religious Worfhip ; 
 not even the Chinefe Idols have deigned to come 
 among them, which is undoubtedly becaufe the 
 Bonzes can't away with fuch a poor wretched Coun- 
 try, where they fbw neither Rice nor Wheat, but on- 
 ly a little Tobacco within the Precincts of their par- 
 ticular Villages -, all the reft of the Country is cover- 
 ed with a thick and almoft impenetrable Wood, whence 
 they are infefted with Clouds of Gnats, and fuch like 
 Infects, which they are obliged to drive away with 
 Smoak. 
 
 We have in Europe almoft all the kinds of Fifh 
 that they take in thefe Rivers, but we have not that - 
 quantity of Sturgeons, which is the principal Fifhery 
 
 H 4 of 
 
1 04 The General History of 
 
 of this Nation -, .if you'll believe them the Sturgeon is 
 the King of Fifh, and has no Equal, and they eat 
 certain parts of it raw, pretending by that means to 
 partake of all the Virtues they attribute to it : Next to 
 the Sturgeon they efteem a Fifh which we have not, 
 but is certainly one of the fineft that can be eat -, it is 
 about the length, and almoft the fame fhape as a lit- 
 tle Tunny, but of a much finer colour -, the Flefli of 
 it is intirely red, which diftinguifhes it from the 
 others \ it is very fcarce, and was only feen by us once 
 or twice. Thefe Tu pi ta fe commonly dart the large 
 Fifh, and take the others with Nets ; their Veffels are 
 but fmall, and their Boats made only of the Bark of 
 Trees, but fo well join'd together that the Water can't 
 penetrate : Their Language feems to be a mixture of 
 that of the Mantcbeoux, who are their Neighbours on 
 the Weft and South," and that of the Ke tcheng ta fe 
 who border upon them on the North and Eaft ; for the 
 Chiefs of the Villages, who doubtlefs were never far 
 from their own Diftricls, underflocd in general both 
 the one and the other. 
 
 We can't call thefe Chiefs by the Title of Manda- 
 rins, becaufe they have neither their Power nor Ap- 
 pearance ; and befides they are of fo little confidera- 
 tion,. that it would be giving a falfe Idea to any one 
 who has feen the Train of the leaft Mandarin of Chi- 
 na ; neither have we ever heard any Tartars or Chi- 
 nefe give this Country the Title of Kingdom, with 
 which fome of our Writers have honoured it. 
 
 The fame muft be fa id of the Country of the Ke 
 tcheng ta /f, notwithstanding it extends along the Ri- 
 ver Saghalien oula, from Tandon of which we fpoke 
 before, to the Ocean -, for in all this fpace of near a 
 hundred and fi ty Leagues you meet with nothing but 
 poor Villages, which in general are fcated on one fide 
 or the other of this great River. 
 
 Their Language is different from that of the Man- 
 tcbeoux, who call it Flatta \ this Fiatta Tongue is alfa 
 
 ap- 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &c. 105 
 
 apparently that of the Tartars who inhabit from the 
 Fall of Saghalien oula to the fifty- fifth Parallel, which 
 in this part is the Northern Boundary of the Em- 
 peror's Dominions in Eajlern Tartary: They don't 
 fhave their Heads according to the prefent Cuflom of 
 the Empire, but wear their Hair ty'd with a fort of 
 Ribbon, or in a Bag behind : They feemed more in- 
 genious than the Tu pi ta fe, anfwered readily to the 
 Queftions we asked them concerning the Geography 
 of their Country, and were very attentive to our Ope- 
 rations : When we told them we would willingly flay 
 among them to teach them the true Doctrine, which 
 could alone make them happy, they reply'd, they 
 could not hope for fuch a Favour -, but that if any one 
 of us would come to inftruct them all their Na- 
 tion would look upon him as a Perfon fent from 
 Heaven. 
 
 They were the firft that inform'd us, of what we did 
 not know before, that oppofite to the Mouth of Sag- 
 halien oula was a great Ifland inhabited by People like 
 themfelves ; the Emperor afterwards fent fome Man- 
 tcheoux thither, who paffed over in Barks of thefe Ke 
 tcheng ta /?, who live by the Sea-fide, and trade with 
 the Inhabitants of the Weflern Parts of the Ifland. 
 
 Had thefe Gentlemen been as careful in meafuring 
 the South Part as they were in traverfing the Eaft, 
 and had return'd by the North to the Place from 
 whence they fet out, we fhould have had a compleat 
 Knowledge of this Ifland ; but they neither brought 
 us the Meafure of the South-Coafl, nor the Names 
 of the Villages there -, wherefore we could only de- 
 fcribe that Part from the Reports of fome of the In- 
 habitants, and by what they told us that there was 
 no main Land extended along the Coaft beyond the 
 fifty-firft Degree, which could not be true if the Ifland 
 was longer. 
 
 It is varioufly named by the Inhabitants of the Con- 
 tinent, according to the different Villages which they 
 
 frequent \ 
 
o6 7fo .General History of 
 
 frequent ; but the Name by which it is generally di- 
 ftinguifhed is Saghalien anga hat a, The Ifland of the 
 Mouth of the Black River ; the Name Huyé, advanced 
 by fome at Peking, is entirely unknown both to the 
 Tartars on the Continent and the Inhabitants of the 
 • Ifland : The Mantcheoux who were fcnt thither learn- 
 ed only the Names of the Villages through which they 
 paffed, for the want of Neccffaries obliged them to 
 return much fooner than they could have wiffi'd ; 
 they told us that thefe Iflanders fed no Horfes, nor 
 any other Beads of burthen, but that in feveral Parts 
 they had feen a fort of tame Stags which drew their 
 Sledges, and which, according to their Defcription, 
 were like thofe ufed in Norway : They heard nothing 
 of the Land of Jeffo, and indeed it muft lie five 
 or fix Degrees lower towards the South, according to 
 our Maps and the Portuguefe Maps of Japan, from 
 whence that Ifland can't be very diftant, apparently 
 not exceeding the forty-fifth Degree of Latitude -, but 
 that we leave to be more exactly determined by 
 others. 
 
 However this is certain that nothing is more fa- 
 bulous than this Land of Jejfo, according to the De- 
 fcription of the Chinefe Geographers, who make it of 
 a vaft extent, and part of Eaftern Tartary inhabited 
 by a warlike Nation formidable to the Japanefe ; 
 for befides what we have already obferved of the Sea- 
 coafts, feveral Points of which we fixed in determin- 
 ing the Falls of the Rivers, how is it poflible that 
 the Tu pi ta fe, and the Ke tchen ta fe Mantcbeoux^ who 
 border upon them, and who in the time of their hunt- 
 ing Sables range all the Countries Eaft and Weft to 
 the fifty fifth Parallel? how is it poffible, I fay, that 
 they mould know nothing of thefe terrible Neigh- 
 bours, who have Bodies covered with Hair, Whis- 
 kers that hang down to their Breads, and their Swords 
 tied by the Point behind their Heads? bclides, ac- 
 cording to thefe Geographers, their Country ought at 
 
 Icaft 
 
China, Chinese-Tart ar y, &*c. 107 
 
 leaft to begin about the forty-fifth Degree, which is 
 in the Neighbourhood of Hontchun, where we found 
 none but a few Koelka ta tfe, who, as I obferv'd be- 
 fore, are at prefent united with the Mantcbeoux both 
 in Language and Manners. 
 
 Wherefore, without examining whether the Chinefe 
 Authors by Te tze underftand the Country which we 
 Call Jejfo, it is fufficient to obferve that whatever they 
 report of this part of the Continent and its Inhabi- 
 tants is intirely fabulous, and that it is' much fafer to 
 rely on the Accounts we receive from Japan, whence 
 this Ifland of Jejfo can be no great diftance, being^he 
 Place which feveral Japanefe Chriftians made their 
 Retreat to, affifled by the illuftrious Father Jerom of 
 Anges, who in the Year 1623 was put to death at 
 Tendo at the Head of a Troop of fifty Martyrs : It is 
 certain that beyond the Saghalien oula, inhabited by the 
 Ke tcheng tafe, there is nothing but a few Villages of 
 that Nation, the reft of the Country being a wild De- 
 fart, and frequented by none but the Hunters of Sa- 
 bles ; it is crofs'd by a Chain of Mountains very fa- 
 mous in thefe parts, and called Hinkan olin : Here are 
 alfo feveral fine River's -, the Toubourou pira falls into 
 the Eaftern Ocean, and runs from another Chain of 
 Mountains placed in the fifty-fifth Degree, which 
 marks the Point of the Divifion of the Waters ; thus 
 Oudi pira runs Northward towards the Sea, and be- 
 longs to the Mofcovites, while Silimphi pira runs South 
 into the Country of our Tartars. 
 
 Thofe called Han bala are real Mantcbeoux ; the 
 Word Han fignifies three, and Hala is the Sirname or 
 common Appellation of a Family, which gives you 
 to underftand that they are compofed of three Fami- 
 lies, v/ho united together after the Conqueft of the 
 reft of their Nation, from which they lay remote, be- 
 ing mixed with the Tu pi ta tfe ; the Emperor has 
 given them Lands near Ningouta, along the Houtha 
 pira and the Songari oula, on the Banks of which moft 
 
 of 
 
io8 77je General History of 
 
 of their Villages are feated -, their Wives, Children, 
 and Servants are drefled in general like the Tu pi ta 
 fe ; but they differ from them in this, that they feed 
 Horfes and Oxen, and have commonly a plentiful 
 Harveft : Alfo in thefe parts are the Remains of feve- 
 ral Cities ; Fenegue hotiin was built on the Hout ha 
 pra, about five or fix Leagues from Ningouta, but 
 at prefent is only a little Hamlet ; Odoli hotun was ve- 
 ry ftrong by its Situation, being acceffible only by a 
 narrow Slang of Earth which rifes like a Caufeway in 
 the middle of the Water ; here are alfo to be feen 
 great Stair-cafes of Stone, with other Remains of a 
 Palace, the like of which is obfervable no where elfe, 
 not even at Ningouta. 
 
 Wherefore it is highly probable that all the Monu- 
 ments of Antiquity, found in Eaftern Tartary, were 
 the Work not of the prefent Mantcheoux, but of the 
 Mantcheoux of the twelfth Century, who under the 
 Name of Kin tchao made themfelves Mafters of the 
 North of China, and built in feveral Parts of their 
 Country thefe Towns and Palaces, which were after- 
 wards deftroyed by the Mongous or Mongols in con- 
 federacy with the Chinefe, when all that efcap'd were 
 obliged to fly into the Weftern parts of their ancient 
 Country, at prefent inhabited by the Solon ta tfe Tar- 
 tars, who profefs themfelves originally Mantcheoux. 
 
 Agreeable to this Remark we may alfo conclude 
 that Poutai oula notun was built by them , nothing of 
 which is now to be feen but a Pyramid indifferent- 
 ly high, with the Ruins of the Walls, without which 
 are fome Houfes inhabited by the Mantcheoux \ it is 
 about eight or nine Leagues from Kirin oula he fun, 
 and feated on the Scngari, which in that part is called 
 Pou tai oula, whence it takes its Name -, this may be 
 reckon'd the fourth, or rather the laft City, for there 
 are but four in all the Government of Kirin oula, of 
 which this is the leaft, as not having an equal Jurif- 
 diction with the reft i but in other refpects it is much 
 
 more 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &c. 109 
 
 more agreeable, being fituated in a fertile Plain, and 
 better inhabited. 
 
 There is nothing more celebrated in the Mantcheou 
 Hiftory than this River Songari oula, and the Moun- 
 tain whence it fprings, called by the Tartars, Chanyeii 
 alin, and by the Chinefe, Tchang pé cban, that is to 
 fay The Mountain always white-, from this they de-, 
 rive their Origin, which they mix with a great many 
 fabulous Circumftances ; for it has always been the 
 Ambition of great Nations to find fomething wonder- 
 ful in their beginning, and to trace themfelves from 
 more than mortal Anceftors : It is certain however that 
 the Mantcheou x have no River in all their Territories 
 comparable to the Songari oula, which is large and 
 navigable in every part, abounding in Fifh, and no 
 where dangerous, being but moderately rapid even at 
 its Confluence with the Saghalien oula, as we obferved 
 on the Place. 
 
 The Mountain from which it derives its Source is 
 likewife the molt famous in all Eaftern Tartar y ; it 
 lifts itfelf much higher than the reft, and may be fcen 
 at a vail diftance ; one part of it is covered with 
 Wood, but the other is naked, and confifts only in a 
 foft Gravel which looks always white ; wherefore it is 
 not the Snow that whitens it, as the Chinefe imagine, 
 for there is never any, at leaft not in Summer -, on 
 the top are five Rocks which rife, like fo many bro- 
 ken Pyramids, exceeding high, and are always wet 
 with the perpetual Fogs and Vapours that condenfè 
 round them -, in the middle they inclofe a deep Lake, 
 whence ifTues the fine Fountain that forms the Son- 
 gari; the Mantcheoux, to make this Mountain {till 
 more wonderful, have a common Saying, That it is 
 the Mother of three great Rivers, Fou men oula, which 
 we have already defcribed, with Yaldu oula, and Ci- 
 hou oula, which having coafted the Borders of Corea 
 
 unite, and fall into the Sea of that Kingdom. 
 
 But 
 
no The General History of 
 
 But neither is this exactly true, as may be km 
 in the Map, nor can the Origin of all thefe Rivers be 
 attributed to Tchang pe cban 9 unlefs you alfo include 
 the neighbouring Mountains that feparate the King- 
 dom of Corea from the ancient Country of the Man- 
 tcheoux, which at prefent makes part of the Govern- 
 ment of Kirin Quia. 
 
 The THIRD GOVERNMENT. 
 
 THE third Government is that of Tçitcicar ^ a 
 new City built by the Emperor to defend his Fron- 
 tiers againft the Mofcovites ; it is fituated near the Non- 
 ni oula, a confiderable River that falls into the Son- 
 gari, and is inhabited by Mantcheoux, Solon s 9 and in 
 particular by the ancient Inhabitants of the Country of 
 Tçitcicar, called Tagouri. 
 
 This Nation, which is not over-populous, fubmit- 
 ted to the Mantcheonx in the time of the Emperor's 
 Father, whofe Protection they implored- againft the 
 Mofcovites, who pafiing in armed VefTels out of the 
 Saghalien oula into the Songari oala fcoured all the 
 Rivers which communicate with the one or the other, 
 and made themfelves terrible to all the Tartarian 
 Nations bordering upon them. 
 
 Thefe Tagouri are very large and robufl, and have 
 always been accuftomed to fow Corn, and to build, 
 notwithftanding they have ever been furrounded with 
 Tartars, who neither apply'd themfelves to one or the 
 other : The City of Tçitcicar is inclofed with a Pali- 
 fade of large Stakes of a moderate height, but clofe 
 drove, and well terras'd within -, the Garrifon chiefly 
 conflits ot Tartars, but the Merchants, Artificers, 
 and working People are moftly Cbinefe, either drawn 
 thither by Trafnck, or exiPd by the Law ; the 
 Houfes of both Nations are without the wooden Wall, 
 which contains little befide the Tribunals and the Fa- 
 lace of the Tartarian General ; they are built of Earth, 
 
 ranged 
 
China, Chinese-Tartar y, &c. hi 
 
 ranged into pretty large Streets, and are all inclofed 
 within a fécond Wall made of Earth. 
 
 On the General of Tçitàcar depend the new Cities 
 Merguen, Hotun, and Saghalien oala hctun ; Merguen 
 is upwards of forty Leagues from Tpitcicar, much 
 thinner of Inhabitants, and enclofed only with one 
 Wall ; the Territories of both thefe are but indiffe- 
 rent for goodnefs, being of a fandy Soil ; but that 
 of Saghalien oida hctun is plentiful even in Wheat, and 
 is a Plain along this fine River, where they have 
 built feveral Villages \ the City itfelf, which Hands 
 on the South fide, is built like Tçitcicar, is equally 
 full of Inhabitants, and abounds much more with 
 Corn. 
 
 About thirteen Chinefe Lys higher, on the North 
 fide, are the Remains of an ancient City called Aykom, 
 built by the firft Emperors of the laft Family of Tai 
 ming ; for, by a furprifing turn of Fortune, the We- 
 ftern Tartars or Mongoux ta tfe were not only outed 
 by the Chinefe ', whofe M afters they had been fo 
 many Years, but alfo attacked with fuch Vigour in 
 their own Country, that after a Retreat to the remo- 
 ter! parts of it they were obliged in their turns to 
 draw Lines and raife Fortifications, fome of the Ruins 
 of which we have feen ; neither even then could they 
 defend themfelves long againft the Fury' of their Ene- 
 mies who were bent upon their Deftruction, but 
 were forced to pafs the Saghalien oula, at what time 
 the City of Aykom was built to confine them there un- 
 der Tung lo. 
 
 It feems to have fubfifled a confiderable time, fince 
 it was not till twenty Years after that the Tartars^ re- 
 entering their ancient Country, endeavoured to re- 
 venge themfelves of the Chinefe by fudden Incurfions 
 into the Northern Provinces ; if they were afterwards- 
 defeated, or rather overwhelmed by thevaft Army 
 of the Emperor Suen ti, yet they {till kept pofïèfiion 
 of their Country, the Chinefe Generals either not 
 
 knowing 
 
112 The General History of 
 
 knowing how, or being unwilling to take the Ad- 
 vantage of fo great a Victory, to oblige them to re- 
 pafs the Saghalien oula, and rebuild Aykom. This 
 Name is equally known to Chinefe and Tartars, and 
 feveral at Peking likewife give the fame to the new 
 City, tho' built in a différent Place ; but the proper 
 Name of that is Saghalien oula hotun, The City of the 
 Mack River, for fo it is ftyl'd in all publick Acls, as 
 alfo in the Orders difpatch'd to the Governors of thefe 
 Parts. 
 
 On this City depends whatever the Mantcheoux pof- 
 fefs along this River, which is nothing but a few 
 Villages, and a vaft Defart full of Wood, which 
 makes it an excellent Country for hunting Sables The 
 Muscovites of ISiptchou would have made themfelves 
 Matters of it by Degrees had they continu'd in Pof- 
 fefiion of the City of Tafca, which they built a few 
 Days Journey from ancient Aykom ; but this was de- 
 molim'd by the Treaty of Peace in 1689, to take a- 
 way all occafion of Quarrel from the Tartarian Hun- 
 ters of this Country. They keep a very good Guard 
 here, have Centries on the Frontiers, and a great 
 Number of arm'd VefTels on the Saghalien oula This 
 River is encreafcd by feveral others, fuch as Song pira, 
 Corfin pira, àîc. which are confiderable for Pearl-fifh- 
 ing : They have not many Fafhions of fiihing, for 
 as the Water in thefe Rivers is but (hallow they 
 throw themfelves in without fear, and taking the firlt 
 Oyfters they can find leap with them to Shore. 
 
 They told us they found none in the River itfelf ; 
 but this, as their Mandarins inform'd us, was be- 
 caufe they durft not plunge into fo deep a Water ; 
 they alio fifli for them in feveral other little Rivers 
 that fall into Nonni oula and Sofgari, fuch as Aran, 
 and Nemer, which run by the Road from Tçitcicar to 
 Mergtien ; but in all thofe which lie Weft of Saghalien 
 oula hotun, towards the Borders of the M . rhcy 
 
 afilued us they never found any. Thus the very Pearls 
 
 have 
 
China, Chinés e-Ta rtarY, êPr. 1 1 3 
 
 have their Limits, and are not lavifh'd into every 
 Water : They are highly valued by the Tartars^ but 
 would probably appear of little worth to thofe who 
 are Judges of them amongft us, by reafon of their 
 Defect in Shape and Colour -, neverthelefs the Empe- 
 ror has feveral Strings of them, a hundred or more 
 on a String, very large, and exact alike, but then 
 thefe are chofe out oi- thoufands, for all that have 
 been fim'd for fo many Years belong wholly to him. 
 The Ski;: s of the Sables caught in this Country 
 are alio greatly efteem'd by the Tartars,a.nd in parti- 
 cular for their Wear and Service j but what pains do 
 they coft the Solons ta tfe who hunt them ? Thefe are 
 originally Eaftera 'Tartars ', and affirm themfelves to be 
 defcended from thofe that efcap'd the general Deftruc- 
 tion of their Nation in 1 204, as we have already ob^ 
 ferv'd : They are more robuft, skilful, and brave, 
 than the Inhabitants of thefe Parts -, and their Women 
 alfo mount on Horfeback, draw the Bow, and hunt 
 Stags, and other Creatures of Game. 
 
 A great number of thefe Tartars inhabit at p re- 
 lent at Niergui, a pretty large Town not far from 
 T'çitcicar and Merghen -, we faw them fet out from 
 hence on the firft of Offsber to hunt Sables -, they 
 were cloath'd in fhort (Irait Jackets made of Wolf- 
 Skins, with a Cap of the fame, and their Bows crofs 
 their Shoulders : They alfo took fome Horfes loaded 
 with'Sacks of Millet, and their long Mantles of Fox • 
 or Tiger-Skins, in which they wrap themfelves a- 
 gainft the Cold, and efpecially in the Night -, their 
 Dogs are train'd to the Exercife, climb well, and are 
 acquainted with the Wiles of the Sables. 
 
 Neither the feverity of a Winter, which freezes the 
 greateft Rivers, nor the dread of the Tygers with 
 which they are often oblig*d to combat, nor the Death 
 of their Companions can deter them from returning e- 
 very Yeartothispainful and dangerous Exercife, which 
 undoubtedly they would never do, if their whole 
 
 Vol. IV. I Riches 
 
ii4 e ^ je General History of 
 
 Riches did not confift in it. The fineft Skins are for 
 the Emperor, who pays a fix'd Price for a certain 
 Number ; the others are very dear, even in the Coun- 
 try it felt, and alfo very fcarce, being immediately 
 bought up by the Mandarins of thofe parts, or the 
 Merchants of Tçitckar. 
 
 This Government to the Weft, and on the fide of 
 Mofccvite Tartary, is bounded by two Rivers of a mo- 
 derate largenefs ; one of them takes its rife a little on 
 this fide the fiftieth Degree South, and difcharges it- 
 felf into the Saghalien oula, at almoft the fourth De- 
 gree of Eaftern Longitude, reckoning from the Me- 
 ridian of Peking : It is called Ergoné, and is remark- 
 able for nothing but being the Boundary of the Em- 
 pire : On the other fide the River, a litle North-Weft 
 of the Fall of Ergoné, the fmall River Aigué Kerbetcbi 
 defcends from the North, but its courfe is ftill more 
 inconfiderable. 
 
 From hence they reckon it fifty Leagues to Niptchou 
 the firft City of the Mofeovites, almoft under the fame 
 Meridian as Peking: It ftands likewife on the North- 
 fide the Saghalien oula, and takes its Name from the Ri- 
 ver of Nipthou, which in this part falls into that River : 
 It is built, by relation, almoft in the lame manner as 
 Tçitckar ; the Garrifon is chiefly compos'd of Sibe- 
 rians and Tartars, but commanded by Mofcovite Of- 
 ficers : Its Latitude, as took in the Year 1689 by the 
 Fathers 7 bornas and Gerlnllon, was fifty -one Degrees, 
 forty-five Minutes, which alfo agrees very well with 
 our Obfervations taken at Saghalien oula hotun, as alfo 
 about thirty-one Leagues from this City, in afcending 
 the River to the Station of the Tartar Guards, called 
 Quloujfou moudan. 
 
 All the Lands of the Mofeovites beyond fiftptbou, 
 as alfo all Saghalien oula towards its Source, were 
 plac'd on the Map according to the Accounts given 
 us by fi who inhabit near the Borders, as 
 
 alfo by fome other . ■ , who were very glad to 
 
 have a general Idea of the ■'. ol their Country 
 
 in 
 
China, Chines e-Tartary, &c, 115 
 
 In refpeft to that without the Empire ; wherefore we 
 muff, wait for a more exact and certain Knowledge of 
 thcfe vaft Countries, till the Mofcovites fhall have 
 given us fome Maps drawn by Mathematicians lent" 
 on purpofe to fettle the Geography, for thofe which 
 have hitherto appear'd were only regulated by Jour- 
 nals, or uncertain Computations or Accounts, as is 
 evident from the Confufion and Miftakes with which 
 they abound. 
 
 Of the Country of the Mongols or Mongous. 
 
 E now come to the other Part of Eaftern Tar- 
 tary, which, as I have already remarked, is 
 govern'd immediately by its own Princes who are de- 
 pendent on the Emperor. This all belongs to the 
 Mongols or Mongou Tartars, cal I'd by the Cbinefe, Tfao 
 ta.tfe, and is no lefs extenfive than that which depends 
 on the Mantcheou Governours, being in breadth from 
 Eaft to Weft above three hundred Leagues, and a- 
 bout two hundred in length from North to South, 
 tho' not every where equal. 
 
 But how many different Nations are comprehended 
 under this general Name of the Mongous ? They ex- 
 tend even to the Cafpian Sea, dwell in Tents, and 
 live on their Flocks, which they remove from Pafture 
 to Pafture -, their chief Excellence they place in Riding, 
 Hunting and drawing the Bow : They have alio their 
 fet Bounds, for tho' they may wander where they pleafe 
 within their own Limits, yet to pafs farther is ac- 
 counted an act of Hoftility : Their Lands in general 
 are bad for Tillage, and by what we could obferve 
 thofe of Cortchin, Oban, and Naymann, which we 
 palfed thro' twice in cur return from Pélouné and 
 Tçitcicar are the worft - 3 Cortchin confifts of nothing 
 but a parcel of barres Plains ; inftead of Wood they 
 
 I 2 burn 
 
n6 ^General History of 
 
 burn the Dung of Horfes and Cows, which they dry 
 for that purpofe, and for want of Fountains are oblig'd 
 to fink Pits. 
 
 Naymann, call'd in fome of our Maps the King- 
 dom of the Nagmans, and Oban, are two Countries 
 lefs than Cortchin, but of a better Soil, being inter- 
 fperfed with little Hills which furnifh Wood for Fuel, 
 and alfo Coverts for abundance of Game,efpecially an 
 incredible Number of Quails, which flew tame be- 
 tween our Horfes Feet. 
 
 Thefe three Countries, and that of Tourmedê, or 
 Tourbedê, which joins them on the Eaft, are much 
 alike, that is to fay of a dry, fandy, nitrous Soil, 
 and extream cold, notwithstanding they maintain a 
 great Number of Tartarian Princes. The Houfe of 
 Cortchin only, at the time of our paffing there, had 
 eight or nine of thefe Princes, and thofe diftinguiiVd 
 by their feveral Titles, like our Dukes, MarquifTes, 
 Counts, &c. The truth is they have no fix'd num- 
 ber, but depend entirely on the Will of the Emperor, 
 whom they acknowledge as their great * Han, and 
 who either raifes or degrades them, according to th« 
 Information he receives of their good or ill Conduct. 
 
 When they have neither Title nor military Com- 
 mand they are called Tai gui, or, as the Chinefe pro- 
 nounce, Tai ki, neverthelefs they are refpected as Ma- 
 ilers by the inferior Tartars, who indeed are no bet- 
 ter than Slaves to the refpcctive Heads of their Houfes. 
 
 The Country of Gartcinng is far the bell Soil, for 
 as its prêtent Princes arc original y Cbineje, and only al- 
 ly'd to the former P'amily, they have encourag'd a 
 great number of their Countrymen to fettle here, who 
 have built feveral Towns, and impiov'd the Lands 
 round about, whence they reap both Food for them- 
 felves, and foi Traffick with the other Tartars, to 
 whom they fell a part of their Harveft. 
 
 write Kan, but all the Tartars pronounce Han ; or 
 in tbt Medium ôctivccn the two Letters K and\\. 
 
 1 J ere 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &c. 117 
 
 Here are alfo feveral Mines, in particular fome of 
 an excellent Tin, with large Forefts of fine Timber, 
 a great quantity of which is made ufe of for their 
 Buildings at Peking. The Father of the Great Grand- 
 father of the prefent Family got very rich by this 
 Traffick, and having by his Wealth procur'd great 
 Advantages to the old Prince of Cartching, he fo far 
 won his Friendfhip as to obtain his only Daughter in 
 Marriage, and fo became Heir to all his Poffefllons. 
 Being thus advanc'd to the rank of a Tartarian Prince 
 he began to imitate their Manners, and winning by 
 degrees upon the reft of his Subjects foon faw himfelf 
 Mafter of whatever had been poffefTed by his Father- 
 in-law. 
 
 To preferve himfelf in this he enter'd into a League 
 with the Mankheoux, who were then attempting the 
 Conqueft of China, and as he made no queftion of 
 their Succefs from the Confufions which he knew reign'd 
 in that Empire, thro' the Infurre&ion of two famous 
 Rebels, he aided them with Men and Mony : For 
 this Service he was recompense with the peaceable 
 Pofleflion of all Cartching, an Alliance with the new 
 Imperial Family Tfing tchao, and the Dignity of Tfing 
 vang, which is the higheft Honour an Emperor of 
 China can beftow on any Prince of his Dépendance, 
 and which is ufually tranflated a Regulo of the firft 
 Order. 
 
 Cartching from North to South is not above forty- 
 two of our Leagues, but of a much larger extent from 
 Eaft to Weft : In this Country are the Places where 
 the Emperor frequently hunts, and not far from them 
 the fine Houfes of Pleafure where that great Prince 
 ufually fpends his Summer ; for the Heats are much 
 more tolerable in this Quarter than at Peking, tho' 
 the diftance between that and Geho, the fineft of thefe 
 Places, is not above forty Leagues if you pafs thro' 
 Kou pe keou, one of the Gates of the Great Wall, which 
 is almoft in the Mid-way : Beyond this Gate, on the 
 
 I 3 North- 
 
1 1 8 The General History of 
 
 Northfide the Chaces, lie the Territories of the Princes 
 of Onhict and Parin, who have been many Years al- 
 ly'd to the Imperial Family : The Country of Parm 
 is the largeft, but in other refpects much like that of 
 Onhiot, the Soil of which is but indifferent : Here 
 are alfo no Houfes, except a few built near the Palace 
 of the Princefs, Daughter to the Emperor, for the Re- 
 ception of her Retinue : We were generoufly enter- 
 tain'd there, for it is certain, even amongft the Tartars, 
 that their Princes have fomething in their Air and 
 Manners which diflinguimes them from their Subjects. 
 
 Thefe iafl are not treated with fèverity, either here 
 or elfewhere, but have fuch an eafy and ready accefs 
 upon all occalions, that if they did not (tile them- 
 felves Slaves in fpeaking to their Lords you would 
 never imagine them to be fo ; yet this Familiarity a- 
 bates nothing of their Refpect, for they are perfwaded 
 from their Infancy that they are only born to obey, 
 as the others are to command. . There were alfo Se- 
 veral Princes in Parin and Onhiot ; the Emperor's 
 Son in-law had the Title of Tfing vang, or Regulo of 
 the firft Order, and one of the Princes of Onhiot that 
 of Kun vang, or Regulo of the fécond Order : The 
 Mother of this laft had built a fmall Palace near a 
 little River called Sirgha or Sibe, but the Prince him- 
 felf ufually encamp*d on the Banks of it, fometimes 
 in one place, and fometimes in another. 
 
 But of all the Mongou or Mongol Nations, which 
 at prefent acknowledge the Emperor, the moft po- 
 pulous and celebrated is that of the Kalkas, who pof- 
 fefs above two hundred Leagues of the Eaft and Weft 
 Country, and the Banks of the finefb Rivers in all 
 this Tartary : That of Kalka pira, whence they take 
 their Name, is at prefent one of the leaft frequented ; 
 they tell you it iffues out of a famous Mountain 
 call'd Suelki or Siolki, eighty-four Leagues from Pa- 
 rin, and fixty-four from •ïçitcicar : They alfb pretend 
 that it is the Source of fcveral other Rivers, but wc 
 
 could 
 
China, Chines e-Ta rtar y, &c. i i 9 
 
 could obferve nothing remarkable in it, either for 
 length of Courie or largenefs of Stream. 
 
 The Kalka pira paffes thro' a great Lake called 
 Poulr, and runs directly North into another Lake 
 ftill larger, nam'd Coulon nor, of which I fhall fpeak 
 hereafter : But we muft not omit taking notice that 
 after it has paffed thro' Poulr it changes its Name, 
 and is called Our fou, left you mould imagine it two 
 Rivers inftead of one -, a common Miftake even at 
 Peking itfelf, where the Tartars, who have not been 
 upon the fpot, talk with little Exactncfs of this Part, 
 apparently occafion'd by thefe Changes in the Names. 
 The Rivers Kerlon, Toula, "Touy and Selinguê, tho' of 
 a lefs celebrated Origin among thefe People, yet are 
 better inhabited along their Banks, and wafh larger 
 and more fertile Countries : Their Waters are alio 
 clearer and more healthful, and abound with plenty of 
 good Fifh, efpecially Trouts. 
 
 The Kerlon takes its Courfe from Weft to Eaft, and 
 runs into the great Lake Coulon nor, whofe Waters 
 difcharge themfelves into the RWzrSagbalien oui a, by 
 the Canal of a new River, which leaving the Name 
 Kerlon neither takes that of Kalka nor Our/on, of 
 whofe Waters it's compos'd, but that of Ergoné, and 
 this, as I have already obferv'd, is the Boundary on 
 this Side to the Empire of the Mantcheoux. 
 
 But as the Situation and Extent of the Lake Coul 
 nor, as alfo the Courfes of thefe Rivers with their 
 different Names, according to the Countries they pais 
 thro', are defcrib'd in the Map without any regard 
 to the Cklnefe Geographers, we fhall forbear any far- 
 ther Defcription, which perhaps would only perplex 
 what is plain there. 
 
 The Kerlon is not deep, but almoft every where 
 fordable on a fandy Bottom, is of a good Water, 
 and of about fixty common foot in breadth -, its Mea- 
 dows on each fide are the richeft Paftures in Tartar \ 
 alfo on its North Bank are the Remains of a large 
 
 I 4 City, 
 
i2o 7%e General History of 
 
 City, which we took care not to omit in the Em- 
 peroi's Map, where we diftinguinVd thefe fort of 
 Towns by little Squares uncolour'd. 
 
 Thefe Towns are of no great Antiquity, for it is in 
 a manner evident that they were all built in the Ter- 
 ritories of the Mongols , by the Mongus Succeffors of 
 the famous Coblai ban, or Cobeli, as the Eaftern Tar- 
 tars pronounce it, or Co pi li, as he is call'd by the 
 Chinefe, who have no B but ufe a P in the flead. 
 
 His PredeceïTor, nam'd Mango ban, or Mangeou, 
 mention'd in the Relation of the Cordelier Rubrequis 
 to S. Louis in the Year 1253, was only Matter of 
 the North part of China, and refided almoft always 
 without the Great Wall in a place call'd Kara coran y 
 as the Cordelier reports. But Coblai carry'd his Con- 
 quests Southwards in the Year 1260, and after various 
 Wars, for the Space of nineteen Years, remain'd Ma- 
 iler of all China -, wherefore in the Chinefe Annals he 
 is reckon'd the Anceftor and firft Emperor of the 
 Imperial Family of the Mongous, known by the Name 
 of Yuen tchao in the Year 1279. 
 
 Therefore it is probable that thefe Towns were not 
 built till after the beginning of the Reign of Coblai, 
 that is not till after the Year 1260, according to the 
 Chinefe Computation, which in that agrees with ours. 
 Rubrequis alfo fpeaks of Kara coran as a Village, and 
 befides we know the Genius of that Nation, which 
 prefers the ufe of Tents to the convenience of any 
 Houfe whatfcever. 
 
 But when they grew reconcil'd to the Chinefe Cu- 
 ftoms, and had been civiliz'd under the Government 
 of fuch an accomplifrYd Prince as the Chinefe repre- 
 fent Coblai, we may doubtlefs fuppofe that, unwilling 
 to appear inferior to the Nation they had conquer'd, 
 they begun to build a number of Cities in Tartary, 
 the Ruins of which are fiill to be feen in twenty dif- 
 ferent places, and perhaps in lèverai others unknown 
 
 us. 
 
 The 
 
China, Chinese-Tart ary, &c. 121 
 
 The Mongous, therefore, did then what the ManU 
 (heoux do at prêtent under the happy Government of 
 the Emperor Gang hi, by whofe Encouragement they 
 have built Towns in the remoteft Parts of Tartary, 
 as aJfo fine Pleafure-Houfes in the nearer Provinces, 
 in particular at Geho and Kara hotun, the Name of 
 which laft is not unlike that of Kara ccran, and fig- 
 nifies The Black City, but the Situation is intirely dif- 
 ferent : Wherefore the j£ra of the Foundation of thefe 
 Tartarian Cities fhould be placed towards the end of 
 the thirteenth Century -, and as, by a furprifing Revolu- 
 tion, the Chinefe were victorious in their turn towards 
 the end of the fucceeding Century, when thefe Cities 
 were all deftroy'd or abandon'd, it is no wonder if in 
 fo fhort a Duration they could raife no magnificent 
 Monuments to eternalifc their Memory. 
 
 The City built on the Kerlon was of a fquare Form, 
 about twenty Chinefe Lys, or two of our Leagues in 
 Circumference ; the Foundations are flill to be feen, 
 with fome Pieces of the Wall, and two half-ruined 
 Pyramids : The Name of it was Para botun 9 that is, 
 The City of the Tiger ; for they tell you it was built on 
 account of the cry of a Tiger, which was taken 
 for a good Omen. Not far from hence was a Place 
 call'd Kara Oujfon, where there is a little Lake, and 
 a very fine Fountain of Water, fituate in a fertile 
 Plain : There are alfo Herds of wild Deer, Mules, &c. 
 But whether this was Kara coran, the Court of 
 Mango h an, or of his Pred ecefibr * Kajou fou, to 
 whom the Dominican of Lonjumeau was fent with 
 magnificent Prefents by S. Loiiis in the Year 1249, 
 will be difficult to determine -, for on one hand it is 
 not eafy to imagine how an Emperor of all Tartary, 
 
 * This Kajou fou being, according to the Chinefe Hiftory, theTai 
 tfou, or Grandfather of the fir ft Emperor of the Yuen, Jbould be the 
 (grandfather of Coblai, 'whom it alfo calls Che tfou, according to 
 
 Çhftom. 
 
 and 
 
12 2 The General History of 
 
 and the North part of China, could pofllbly fubfift, 
 except in the Countries on this fide Sagbalien on la j 
 for all beyond is inhabitable by none but Savages, 
 and therefore could never entertain the Sovereign of 
 fb many Nations, with a Court crowded not only 
 with Officers, but, if you believe the Relation, with 
 Ambaffadors from the remoteft Parts, and Prifoners 
 of almofl all the Nations in the World. But then, 
 on the other hand, the Rout of thefe two Embaf- 
 fies can be no way rcconcii'd to the Pofition of thefe 
 Rivers and Mountains, which, as we obferv'd, are 
 all on this fide the fiftieth Degree of Latitude in 
 this part of Tartary. 
 
 The Latitude of the Kerlon, for example, is but 
 Forty-eight Degrees, and as many Minutes, and Ka- 
 ra okJJqu has ftill a lefs Elevation, v/herefore it is more 
 probable to conjecture that thefe Travellers, having 
 neither the Mathematicks nor Compafs to aflift them 
 in fo long a Journey Eaftward, infenfibly declin'd 
 towards the South, inftead as they imagin'd of be- 
 ing got fo far North as fixty : Befides 'Tartary both 
 North and South as far as forty-one, where Kara bo- 
 urn is fituated, is not without Wood for Fuel, nor 
 even in any of the Plains mention'd on this fide 
 fiity. Notwithstanding this they report that, in the 
 Tent or Apartment of the Emperor himfelf, the Fire 
 was fupply'd with nothing but Thorns, Roots of 
 Wormwood and the Dung of Oxen. However, tho' 
 we cannot determine the particular Situation ol this 
 Court and Kara koran, the Relation is equally cre- 
 dible -, for if in the Geography of our ancient Gauls 
 we meet with fo many Difficulties, tho 1 affifted by 
 fo many Books and Monuments of Antiquity, we 
 may expeét much greater in Countries like n£fe, and 
 efpecially in Tartary, which, being altogether open 
 and dçfencelcfs, is ever a Prey to the ftrongeli. 
 
 On the Road from Tchang kia kecu, towards the 
 JCerlon, you meet with a remark ' ription, and 
 
 perhaps 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &c- 123 
 
 perhaps the only one in the Mongous Country -, it is 
 about a League diftant from a place call'd Holayftai, 
 where there is a little Lake : There are feveral Pil- 
 lars of white Marble fix'd in the Ground, and on 
 the higheft forne Chinefe Characters, importing that 
 under the Reign of long lo the Chinefe Army, com- 
 manded by the Emperor in Perfon, arriv'd there the 
 fourteenth of May, according to our * Calculation. 
 Whence it appears that in his Purfuit of the Mongous 
 he did not drive them beyond Kerlon, but contented 
 himfelf with chafing them beyond the Great Wal 
 and the real Limits of the Empire. 
 
 The other River call'd Toida runs from Eaft to 
 Weft, and in many places is larger, deeper, and more 
 rapid than Kerlon : It is alfo border'd with Woods 
 and beautiful Meadows, and on its Northfide are 
 Mountains cover'd with large Firs, which afford an 
 agreeable Profpcct : The Mongous of this Tartary 
 fpeak of it with admiration : This River Toula joins 
 itfelf with another call'd Orgon or Ouchon, which runs 
 from the South- Weft ; with this it takes its Courfe 
 towards the North, and after being encreas'd with 
 feveral others, as the Selingué pira, at length dis- 
 charges itfelf into the greateft Lake in all Tartary, 
 nam'd Pat cal, which belongs to the Mofcovites. 
 The Selingué alfo is not wholly poffeffed by the Kal- 
 kas, for the Mofcovites are Mailers of the lower Part 
 of the River, and on the oppofite fide, near the 
 Confines of the two Empires, have built a little place 
 call'd Selingeskoi, and beyond that the City of Er- 
 gouski, whieh is better peopled, and of as much Traf- 
 fick as perhaps any City in Tartary. 
 
 In going from hence to Tobvlk, the Capital of Siberia 
 and Nc"th Tartary, you meet conftantly with Houfês 
 and Villages where you may lodge very commodiouf- 
 ly ; for it is only in travelling from Selingué, till you 
 
 * By reducing the Chinefe Moons to our Months. 
 
 come 
 
7%e General History of 
 
 come alrnoft to the Great Wall, that you are obliged 
 to lodge and diet in the Tartarian manner. The Wa- 
 ters of Touy pira are clear and healthful like thofe of 
 Kerlon -, it alfo waters as fertile Plains as thofe of 
 Toula, and after a courfe of a confiderable length 
 lofes itfelf near a little Lake, without rifing again in 
 any other Part. 
 
 The Nation of the Kalkas is govern'd by a great 
 number of Princes, and as it was divided into Can- 
 tons fome of thefe Princes have aiTum'd the Title 
 of Han of Emperor, tho* it is certain no one of them 
 was ever Matter of all Tartary, but only of the Ter- 
 ritories belonging to his own Family, or other ad- 
 joining ones of little Confideration. 
 
 Before the War which broke out in the Year 1688, 
 between the Eluths and the Kalkas, thefe laft had 
 three Princes that bore the Title of Han ; the firft 
 and moll Weftem, nam'd Cafafîou ban, was taken and 
 flain by the Eluths ; the fécond, call'd Toufitlou ban, 
 betook himfelf to flight, but was follow'd by few of his 
 People, the reft retiring into the Woods we mcntion'd 
 on this fide Toula ; the third, whofe Name was Tche 
 ichin ban, and who ufually encamp' d near Kerlon, alfo 
 retreated along the River as far as Coulon nor, hold- 
 ing himfelf in continual readinefs to pafs over the 
 Ergonc, if he mould find himfelf oblig'd to retire in- 
 to the Country of Mantcheoux, whofe Protection he 
 had demanded. But after the War and the Death of 
 Caldan, King of the Eluths, who pretended that the 
 Kalkas and their Han always held of his Family, the 
 Emperor became Mailer of all the reft of thefe Prin- 
 ces and their People that had efcap'd the MafTacres 
 of that cruel Enemy. 
 
 In the Year 1 69 1 Tche tchin ban, with the Kalka 
 Princes of his Houfe that had fled to his Majefty, 
 acknowledge him for their chief Sovereign, and that 
 on no difhonourable Terms, confidering the ill Po- 
 flure of their Affairs. The Han was confiim'd in 
 
 his 
 
China, Chines e-T artary, &c. i 25 
 
 his Dignity, but with condition that it fhould not pafs 
 to his SuccefTor, who was to content himfelf with that 
 of Tfing vang, or Regulo of the firft Order ; as alfo 
 was his Uncle, whom the Emperor immediately in- 
 verted with that Dignity in an Affembly which he 
 held of the States of Kalka : Five others were created 
 Pel le, or Regulos of the third Order ; another Cong, 
 a Title almoft equivalent to that of Count ; and two 
 others were made Chajfac, or Chiefs of Standards or 
 Banners. 
 
 To underftand this you muft know that the Tar- 
 tars, either at Peking or elfe where, whether, Mantcheoux 
 or Mongous, as alfo the Chinefe, who in this particu- 
 lar have imitated them ever fince the Conqueft of the 
 Empire, are all divided into different Bodies, and 
 rang'd under particular Banners. Thofe at Peking, as 
 we fhall explain more fully hereafter, are under eight 
 Banners, and diftinguifh'd by their feveral Colours 
 enjoin'd by the Laws of the new Monarchy. The 
 Mongous, beyond the Great Wall, were of late Years 
 rang'd under forty-nine Banners ; but to enumerate. 
 them would be both tedious and ufeiefs, efpecially as 
 their number is not fix'd, but increafes in proportion 
 to the number of the Families. 
 
 The Banners of the Mongous have not all an equal 
 number of Nitrous, or Companies ; but every Nurou 
 ought to confift of a hundred and fifty Families : 
 Thus for example, in the Partition made according to 
 a Refolution of the Affembly in 1692, the Han, be- 
 fides his Dignity, was affign'd the Command of twenty .;, 
 {even Nurous, or Companies, united under the firft 
 Banner of the Kalkas -, the fécond Banner confided of 
 twenty-one Companies, and was commanded by a 
 Regulo of the firft Order : The third had but twelve, 
 and the others fome more and fome k(s. The Re- 
 mainder of the Houfe, and Subjects of Tonftou ban, 
 having at length quitted their Woods, fubmitted them- 
 felves to the Emperor : Thefe they divided into three 
 
 Banner?, 
 
26 The General History of 
 
 Banners under three Princes, one of which was ho- 
 noured with the Title of PeïU, or Regulo of the third 
 Order, another with that of Cong, or Count, and the 
 third was made Chajfac, and commanded a Banner. 
 
 Alfb the Son of ChaJJaffou ban, who was (lain by 
 Cddan, came to caft himfelf at the Emperor's Feet : 
 He was only accompanied with three or four of his 
 Father's Officers, for the reft, as reported, having a 
 good Underftanding with the Enemy had retir'd into 
 the Country of the Eluths, where they were all either 
 maffacred or enflav'd : The Emperor receiv'd him 
 with a Bounty worthy his own Greatnefs, and a few 
 Days after affign'd him certain Lands about Hou hou 
 hotun, a little City without the Great Wall, and which, 
 as it lies near the Gates Cha kou keou, and Tchang kia 
 keou, is a Place of considerable Commerce, and wants 
 nothing for the Accommodation of Tartars. The 
 Emperor alfo, that he might entirely recompenfe his 
 Loffes, according to the Notions and Genius of that 
 Nation, made him a Prefent of part of his Flocks 
 which are fed in thefe Parts, and which are fo vaftly 
 numerous that the greateft of the Mongon Princes muft 
 own his Majefty as much their Superior in this kind 
 of Riches as he is by Dignity of Great Han, which 
 they acknowledge in his Perfon. 
 
 The Intendants over his Shepherds aflur'd us, that 
 they had 199000 Sheep under their Care, parted into 
 225 Flocks, and almoft as many horned Cattle, di- 
 vided into Herds, of which every Herd contain'd 
 100: The number of Breeding-Mares and Stallions is 
 ilill greater, fo that the Emperor is undeniably the 
 richeft Prince in the World in Horfes, and the moft 
 powerful in Cavalry, for as to Infantry the Tartars 
 fcarce kno\" what it means. 
 
 Bat befide thefe Lands, appointed for the Flocks 
 and Horfes of the Emperor, he has a much larger 
 Tract along the Great Wall in the Neighbourhood 
 of Peking , which is the particular Property of his 
 
 Houfe, 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &c* 127 
 
 Houfe, and belongs to him by the Partition made at 
 the Conquefl : Thefe Lands are in the Hands of 
 Farmers, fome of which pay their Rent in Kind and 
 fome in Mony ; the Mony is put into the Coffers of 
 the Palace, for the Emperor lives altogether on his 
 own Domain, and leaves the Revenues of the Empire 
 in the .publick Treafury of the Sovereign Court of 
 the Finances, which Court is charged with the Pay- 
 ment of the Officers who ferve on the Foot of their 
 Mandarinates. 
 
 This great number of Flocks, Horfcs, and Farms, 
 makes almoft as much ImprefTion on the Minds of the 
 Tartars as all the Magnificence of the Court of Peking? 
 and in particular attaches the Mongou Princes to the 
 Emperor. 
 
 The Kalkas, who fubmitted themfelves, have found 
 the good effects of his Liberality ever fince, and en- 
 joying a profound Peace under his Protection are al- 
 moft entirely recruited -, neverthelefs the Emperor has 
 not thought proper in Policy to leave either thefe 
 Princes, or his other ancient VafTals, the Power of 
 putting their Subjects to death, nor even that of con- 
 fifcating their Goods. 
 
 Both thefe Cafes of Death and Confifcation are re- 
 fer v'd for the Sovereign Tribunal, which his Majefly 
 has eftablifh'd at Peking, and which is called Mongol 
 Chourgan, the Tribunal of the Mongous : This Tri- 
 bunal, after the Examination of the Affair, according 
 to the receiv'd Laws' andCuftoms among them, makes 
 jts Report, and delivers its Opinion with the fame 
 Formalities' as are obferved in the fix Sovereign Tri- 
 bunals for the Affairs of China. 
 
 The Kalkas have among them one of thofe Lamas, 
 whom they call Hou touïïou? and look upon as living 
 Fô, or, as the Chincfe exprefs it, Ho fo : He is alfo 
 Brother to one of thofe Hans we mention'd, . and a 
 little before the War was at a vaft Expence in build- 
 ing a magnificent Pagod, having his Workmen on 
 
 purpofc 
 
! 2 8 The General History of 
 
 purpofe from P eking , as alfo Bricks varnifh'd with 
 yellow, which are made in no other place : It was 
 deftroy'd by Caldan in the Year 1688, the Ruins are 
 ftill to be feen in the Plains bordering on the Toula. 
 Thefe Tartars are perfuaded that the entire ruin of 
 the Houfe and Army of Caldan was owing to this 
 A&ion. 
 
 This Lama Prince, who was one of the principal 
 Authors of the War, at prefent dwells only in Tents, 
 in the largeft of which he fits on a kind of Altar : 
 Both great and fmall pay him the fame Adoration 
 they do to Fo himfelf ; he returns the Salute to no 
 Perfon whatfoever, and, tho' fubjeci to the Infirmities 
 of other Men, yet fuffers himfelf to be worfhip'd as 
 God, and fcrioufly attends to the molt extravagant 
 Flatteries. All the Tartars of this Empire are infa- 
 tuated in this refpect to a high degree of Folly, for if 
 you believe them this Lama is ignorant of nothing, 
 and abfolutely difpofes of the Favours and Power of 
 Fo: He has been born no lefs than fourteen times, 
 and will be born again in due feafon. 
 
 But he was extreamly furpriz'd when, on occafion 
 of our Map, he faw Strangers from the Weft, who 
 inftead of honouring him had the boldnefs even in the 
 Prefence of feveral Mcngous Princes, one of which 
 was his Nephew, and Son-in-law to the Emperor, to 
 condemn this foolifh Idolatry, expofe his Ignorance 
 in the Queftions his Curiofity led him to ask con- 
 cerning Europe, and to threaten him with the terrible 
 Judgments of God, and eternal Torment : But he 
 heard all with great coldnefs, and continued to receive 
 the Adoration of the Tartarian Lord-, that came with 
 us, as if he neither heard nothing, or was no way ac- 
 C-iTary to the Blindnefs of thefe idolaters. However 
 it be this PrepofrefTion of the Morgous in his favour 
 draws a multitude of People to Iben pira, where he 
 has refided ' about twenty Years. One may properly 
 call it a large City made of Tents, for the hurry is 
 
 ei eater 
 
China, Chines e-Tartary, &c. 129 
 
 greater there than in any part of this l'art ary : The 
 Mcfcovites of Selinguesko, which is not far diftant, 
 crowd thither for Traffick ; there are alfo Bonzes from 
 Indoftan, Pegou, Thibet, and China ; Tartars from the 
 remoteft Countries, with Lamas in great numbers, 
 and of all Ranks ; for thefe Lamas, who are the 
 Priefts and Monks of Tartary, are of different de- 
 grees, tho' they all acknowledge one Great or Chief 
 Lama, who inhabits Weft of China, on the River 
 Lafa, which is alfo the * Chinefe Name for the Place 
 of his Pagod, call'd by the neighbouring Tartars, 
 Barantola : To the Country they give the general 
 Name of Thibet. 
 
 This High-Prieft of the Pagan Religion in theie 
 Eaftern Parts confers feveral degrees of Power and 
 Dignity on his Lamas ; the rnoir. eminent is that of 
 being Hou tcuetou, or living Fo, but the number of 
 thefe is very fmall, and the Prince we mention'd the moft 
 famous and moft worfhip'd of any, efpecially among 
 the Kalkas, whofe Oracle he has been ever fince he 
 reveng'd them of the Cruelties of Caldan, by engag- 
 ing the Emperor of China to undertake their Defence. 
 Thefe Kalkas, about the forty-fourth Degree South, 
 are bounded by nothing but fome Hills of Sand from 
 a Country called Out chou moutchin, the Prince of which 
 has alfo the Title Tfing vang, or Regulo of the firft 
 Order, and commands one of the Banners compofed 
 of twenty-four Nurous, or Companies : Thefe Tartars 
 are equally infatuated with the great Reputation of 
 Hou touetou Lama, and tho' they have particular 
 Lamas of their own, yet both Prince and People 
 crowd to the Oracle at Iben. 
 
 There are no f Societies of thefe Lamas in Tartary, 
 but in fome particular Parts they have a kind of Pre- 
 bends, which confift of the Lands and Flocks of thofe 
 
 ? Tke Chinefe alfo call the Country Lafa, Lamatifan. 
 f There are fome Societies in China. 
 
 Vol. IV, K they 
 
130 The General History of 
 
 they fucceed, and of whom they are generally either 
 the Difciples or Companions, notwithftanding they 
 pray in common. This is every where the prevailing 
 Religion, except in the Country of Hami, which is 
 not infected with their Idolatry *, happy had it never 
 fallen into the Errors of the Alcoran ! But Hami is fo 
 fmall a Country that the Lamas have reafon enough 
 to boaft themfelves the Teachers of all Tartary, and 
 to magnify their Power, which in truth is fo great as 
 to deferve the Attention of the Emperor himfelf. 
 
 The Country of Hami, called in our Maps the 
 Kingdom of Hami, contains only one City of the fame 
 Name, (fmall but full of Houfes) and a few Villages 
 as defcrib'd in the Map : For tho' it is at leaft ninety 
 Leagues from the Gate of the Great Wall call'd Kia 
 yu keou, and has Land enough round it, yet it extends 
 no farther, the intermediate Space being nothing but 
 a dry Sand, and .the mod barren Ground in Tartary. 
 This the Chinefe commonly call Cha?no, and fometimes 
 Kan bai, or the Sea of Sand, and the Tartars call it 
 Cobi : It has neither Grafs nor Water, but is extream 
 inconvenient for Travellers, and dangerous for their 
 Horfes, which they frequently lofe in paffing this De- 
 fart ; therefore the Tartars in thefe Parts generally 
 make ufe of Camels, which are Animals that live on 
 little Food, and can go without drinking for five or 
 fix Days together ; but for this Method it would be 
 very difficult to travel towards the Weft. The Cobi 
 however is not altogether confin'd within this Space 
 of ninety Leagues ; it moots out into feveral Branches, 
 which like fo many infected Veins fpread here and 
 there, and divide tht Country into Parcels, fome of 
 which are a dry Sand, and abfolutely uninhabitable, 
 and the others fertile enough for the Subfiftence of 
 Tartars. The Country of Hami produces little dfe 
 but Melons, which are of an exquifite Flavour, and 
 preferable to ours in this particular, that they hold 
 good beyond the Sealbn, and are fcrv'd up to the 
 Emperor all Winter. The 
 
China, Chines e-Ta rtary, &c. 13! 
 
 The Inhabitants of Hami are large, robuft, well- 
 cloath'd, and lodge inHoufes: The occafion of their 
 Submiffion to the reigning Emperor was the exceffive 
 Tyranny of the Eluths, who are their Neighbours on 
 the Weil, and pretend to have always been their Ma- * 
 fters : It was this Quarrel that kindled the War we 
 mention'd, and which ended in 1690, by the Defeat 
 of Caldan Prince of the Eluths -, but of late Years it has 
 been renew'd again with the Sevang raptan, (as they 
 ftile him at Peking) who is of the fame Family, and 
 acknowledged by moft of the Eluths for their Here- 
 ditary Prince, for he boafls himfelf but the ninth De- 
 fcent from the Great Tamerlane who carry 'd his Con- 
 quefts Weftward ; as alio defcended from thofe Princes 
 who conquer'd China towards the end of the thirteenth 
 Century, and reigned there under the Name of Yuen 
 tchao. 
 
 But whatever his Extraction be this Prince, call'd 
 by his own Subjects Tcha har arbtan ban, is certainly 
 the fiercer!, leaft tractable, and moft powerful of all 
 the Tartarian Princes that border on the Empire : He 
 is Mafter of Tour/an^ a famous and populous City in 
 Weft Tartary, which is not above fix or feven Days 
 Journey from Hami, if you pafs over a Branch of 
 Cobi, but about ten Days Journey to travel the fafer 
 way over the Hills that lie North of Hami: He alfo 
 poffefTes feveral other Places of all which we have 
 drawn a Map, part from what we learned at Hami, 
 part from the Journal of the Embaffadors fent by the 
 Emperor to this Prince, who lives in the remote part 
 of the Country in Tents, and part from the Memoirs 
 of the Generals of the Imperial Army. 
 
 You'll obferve in this Map that the Cities are not 
 link'd together by any Succeffion of Villages, fo that 
 in travelling from one to the other a Perfon will hardly 
 meet every Day with a Houfe to repofe in, which is 
 doubtlefs owing to the Genius of the Tartars, who 
 prefer a Tent to any Houfe whatever .; as alfo to the 
 
 K 2 Nature 
 
132 "The General History of 
 
 Nature of the Country, which being interfered by 
 the Branches of Cobi is only habitable in fome parts ; 
 for Weu-'Tartary has certainly the advantage of Eaft- 
 Tartary in this, that in the firft you frequently meet 
 # with Towns to lodge and refrefh yourfelf, whereas in 
 travelling towards the Eaft you don't meet with one 
 in all the Mongou Country fubjec~t to this Empire. 
 
 This way of Life is alfo (till the more furprizing, 
 as it is follow'd by feveral Nations who inhabit near 
 the Great Wall, and cannot be ignorant of the vaft 
 advantages that arife from Society and a Concourfe of 
 People : The Mongous, call'd Ortos ta tfe, are inclos'd 
 within the great Circuit made by the Hoang ho, or 
 Yellow River, which leaving China not far from the 
 beautiful City of Ning hia enters it again, and runs 
 towards Pao te tcheou : On the South they are bounded 
 by the Great Wall, which in that part, as alfo 
 throughout Chen ft, is only Earth, and not above 
 fifteen Foot high : Beyond the Great Wall was alfo a 
 pretty large City, as one may judge by the Ruins 
 fituate on the Hoang bo, neverthelefs they are equally 
 averfe to Induftry and Building. 
 
 Thefe are under feveral petty Princes, and divided 
 into fix Banners ; they affect to diftinguifh themfelves 
 one from another in nothing but the Largenefs and 
 Number of their Tents, and the Multitude of their 
 Flocks : Their whole Ambition is to prefer ve the- 
 Rank their Anceftors left them, and they value 
 nothing but in proportion to its Utility, without be- 
 ing folicitous for any thing fine or coftly. They are 
 naturally of a good Difpofition, always gay and chear- 
 ful, and perpetually inclin'd to laugh, but never pen- 
 five or melancholy, and indeed why mould they ? 
 fince they have commonly neither Neighbours to ma- 
 nage, Enemies to tear, nor Superiors to flatter ; no 
 difficult A flair, no painful Occupation, but fpend their 
 Lives in a continual Round of Diverfions, as Fifhing, 
 Hunting, and other Exercifes of the Body, in which 
 they are very expert. But 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &c. 133 
 
 .But it would be a great Miftake from this Cha- 
 racter, which is common to all the Nations of the 
 Tartars, to imagine that the Mongous have not a Ge- 
 nius capable of Government and Science : Thofe who 
 conquered the Empire of China in the Year 1264, 
 in the opinion of the Chinefe themfelves, governed 
 with great Wifdom and Integrity; and in feveial 
 parts of China are ftill to be feen Monuments of 
 Stone divided into two Columns, with Infcriptions in 
 the Chinefe and Mongou Characters : This alio feems 
 to have been imitated by the Mantchecux, the prefent 
 Mafters of China, for all the publick Acts and In- 
 fcriptions are wrote in both Language : The Mongou 
 Characters on thefe ancient Monuments are exactly 
 the fame as thofe ufed by the Mongous at prefent, but 
 they 'differ from thofe of the Mantcheoux \ the Inven- 
 tion of which is no older than the reigning Family ; 
 they have alfo no Refemblance to the Chinefe Letters, 
 and are as eafy to learn as ours : Their manner of 
 Writing is on fmall Tables with an Iron Pencil, for 
 which reafon a Book among the Mongous is an ex- 
 ceeding rare and valuable Curiofity. 
 
 The Emperor, to gratify them, has caufed fome 
 Books tobetranflatedinto their Language, and printed 
 on Paper at Peking -, but the Kalendar of the Tri- 
 •bunal for Mathematicks, which is engraved in Mon- 
 gou Characters, and diflributed among them every 
 Year, is at prefent the molt common Book they have. 
 The Lamas are undoubtedly the beft learned, and ca- 
 pable of inftructing others -, but then they find a bet- 
 ter account in ftroling from Tent to Tent, and in re- 
 peating certain Prayers, for which they receive a Sa- 
 lary ; or in practifing Fhyfick, on which they 
 mightily value themfelves, than in teaching School ; 
 fo that it is rare to meet a Mongou that can write and 
 read : Alfo few among the Lamas themfelves tho- 
 roughly underfland their Prayers, and the ancient 
 Books of their Religion, by reafon the laft are wrote 
 
 K 3 in 
 
34 ^ e General HistorI of 
 
 in a dead Language, and the firft intermixed with fer 
 veral Terms and Phrafes from thofe original Wri- 
 tings : Thefe Prayers, repeated in a grave and mufical 
 Tone, are in a manner all their religious Worfhip, 
 for they have neither Victim nor Sacrifice : The Mon- 
 gous often fall on their Knees before thefe Lamas, 
 with their Bonnets off, to receive Abfolution of their 
 Sins, nor will they rife again without the Impofition 
 of their Hands : It is alfo a common Opinion among 
 them that the Lamas can call down Hail and Rain, 
 and we were told the fame by fome Mandarins who 
 had been Eye-witneffes of feveral Facts, which but 
 too much confirms what we heard at Peking, that the 
 Lamas practife Sorcery. 
 
 The Mongou Lamas deny the Tranfmigration of 
 the Soul, and in particular that of Men into Beafts -, 
 wherefore they make no fcruple of eating the Flefh 
 of Animals, of which they keep great Flocks for 
 their own ufe ; but they oftener feed on what their 
 Attendants take in hunting, for without this help 
 their Flocks would not fuffice to maintain them. 
 
 They have in Tartary an infinite multitude of 
 Animals for hunting, and thofe common in Europe 
 are there innumerable, as the furprifmg quantity of 
 Hares, Pheafants, and Stags to be feen every Winter 
 in Peking, not only in the Victuallers' Shops, but ex- 
 pos'd on heaps in the publick Streets, may convince 
 any ore tho* he has not travelled into Tartary. The 
 yellow Goats, called by the Chinefe, Hoang yang, fel- 
 dom appear in the Plains but in great Herds toge- 
 ther -, their Hair is really yellow, but not fo fmooth 
 as that of the common Goat, which in other refpects 
 they exactly refémble both in fize and make-, their 
 only defence is their Swiftncfs, and in that I know no 
 Animal which comes near them : The wild Mules 
 alfo keep in droves, tho' in fmall numbers ; we call 
 them fo becaufe that is the meaning of the Chinefe 
 Name 2 r e lo tfe ; but to confidcr this Creature you 
 
 find 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &c. 135 
 
 find it very different from the tame Mule even in out- 
 ward form ; the Flefh is alfo different, for it is of a 
 good tafle, and, in the opinion of the Tartars who 
 often eat it, as wholefome and nourifhing as that of 
 Wild-Boars, which are very numerous in the Woods 
 and Valleys beyond Toula, and which they track by 
 the Earth they turn up in digging for Roots -, but, 
 notwithflanding all the pains they have taken, they 
 could never break thefe Mules for Service. 
 
 The Camels and Wild-Horfes are more weflward, 
 notwithflanding they are fometimes found in thofe 
 parts of the Country of the Kalkas which border the 
 neareft on Hami ; both the one and the other are made 
 like the tame ones -, but fuch is the Swiftnefs of the 
 Wild-Camels, that the beft-mounted Hunter can rare- 
 ly reach them with his Arrows : The WiM-Horfes 
 alfo go in droves, and when they meet any tame ones 
 get them into the middle, and force them away with 
 them. 
 
 The Han ta ban very much refembles an Elk ; the 
 Emperor fometimes takes the Diverfion of hunting 
 this Creature, which is a common Exercife among 
 the Solons ; we have feen fome of them when killed 
 that outweighed the fattefl Ox, but thefe are only 
 found in fome particular parts of Tartary, as for ex- 
 ample about Mount Suelki, which being a boggy 
 Ground is where they delight, and where alfo they 
 are the mofl eafily kill'd, becaufe, being naturally hea- 
 vy, they can't fo foon releafe themfeives from the 
 Mud to run upon thofe that wound them with their 
 Arrows. 
 
 The Coulon, or Chela/on, is an Animal that feems 
 to me a kind of Lynx -, the Skin is very much efleem'd 
 at Peking, where they ufe it to make their Tahou or 
 Surtouts ; this Animal is about the fize of a Wolf, 
 and has long, foft, thick Hair, inclining to a light 
 Grey j they are very numerous, efpecially towards the 
 K 4 Bor- 
 
136 The General History of 
 
 Borders, and in the Country of the Mefcopites, who 
 fell the Skins to their Court. 
 
 The Lao bou f or Tigers, which infcft China at leaft 
 as much as Tartary, are the moft favage of all thefe 
 Animals, their bare Cry creates Horror in a Perfon 
 not us'd to it, and then in the Eaftern parts they are 
 of a Size and Agility which makes them ftill more 
 terrible ; their Skins in general are of a fandy Red, 
 and interfered with broad black Circles i neverthelefs 
 I have fœn fome of thefe Skins in the Treafury of the 
 Palace where thefe black, and even grey Circles, have 
 been upon a white Ground: Out of Court the great 
 Mandarins of War make ufe of thefe Skins, leaving 
 the full length of Head and Tail to adorn the open 
 Chairs in which they are carried on all occafions of 
 Ceremony, and within the Court the Princes, during 
 Winter, make ufe of them to cover the Cufhions 
 which they fit on, and which are always bore after 
 them : But notwithstanding the fiercenefs of thefe Ani- 
 mals, when they find themfelves inclos'd in the Circle 
 made by the Emperor's Huntfmen, who drive before 
 them all the Deer they can find, they feem ftruck with 
 Amazement at feeing themfelves encompaf'd with fo 
 many armed Men, who are all divided into Compa- 
 nies, and hold their Launces fix'd : Mean time the 
 Deer run here and there, and drove back on one fide 
 feek to efcape on the other ; but the Tiger on the con- 
 trary fquats on his Tail at the firft Sight of his Ene- 
 mies, where for a long time he fits unmov'd either 
 at the baying of the Dogs, or the blunt Arrows 
 which they moot at him ; but at length being rouzcd 
 thro' excefs of Rage, or the neceffity of efcaping, he 
 throws himfelf forward with fuch incredible Swiftnefi 
 that you'd think it a Leap, and runs directly on that 
 Company of Hunters which he firft fix'd his Eye 
 on, who receive him on the Points of their Launces, 
 which they run into his Belly the Moment he pre- 
 pares 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &*c. 137 
 
 pares to fall on fome one of them : Things are alfo fo 
 wdl ordered, and the Emperor's Huntfmen are fo 
 ready at this Exercife, that an Accident hardly hap- 
 pens in a number of Years. 
 
 The Pao may be called a kind of Leopard, by 
 reafon of their white Skins full of red and black Spots ; 
 notwithstanding they have the Head and Eyes of the 
 Tiger, but neither the Height nor the Cry. 
 
 The Stags, which are almoft infinite in the Woods 
 and Defarts of Tartary, are different one from ano- 
 ther, either in the colour of their Hair, their Size, 
 or the fhape of their Horns, according to the feveral 
 parts of thefe vaft Countries ; there are alfo fome like 
 thofe in the different Kingdoms of Europe : The 
 hunting the Stag, called Tcbao lou, or the Stag-call^ is 
 extremely diverting -, the late Emperor took a great 
 Delight in it, and frequently went with a felect 
 Company in a Morning before Sun-rifing -, the man- 
 ner of it is this : Certain Tartars take a number of 
 Stags Heads, exactly alike, and counterfeit the Cry 
 when they call the Hind ; upon which the Males, 
 and thofe commonly the largeft, imagining fhe is ei- 
 ther come or coming, feldom fail advancing within 
 a certain diflance, where they halt, as if to examine 
 whether the Hind be at the place where they fee the 
 Stags Heads, turning round their own, firft one way 
 and then another, in great Uneafinefs, and if they be- 
 gin to butt the Ground with their Horns it is a fign 
 they approach ; in fhort, they immediately rum upon 
 the Thickets where the Hunters are hid, but thefe 
 fave them part of the way by firing at them as ibon 
 as they come within Gun-lhot. 
 
 You may perhaps be furprifed at the Intrepidity of 
 the Tartarian Horfes when they encounter fuch terri- 
 ble BeahS as thefe great Tigers, but this is not becaufc 
 the Tartarian Horfes are lefs affrighted at the firft fight 
 of a wild Beaft, than thofe of other Nations, but 
 they are more eafiîy accuflomed to them by reafon 
 
 they 
 
138 The General History pf 
 
 they are oftener out on thefe Expeditions, and broke 
 by their Matters to the Excrcife. 
 
 The Mongous are likewife very skilful in training 
 their Horfes, of which they have multitudes of all 
 colours, and know fo well how to harden them againft 
 Cold and Fatigue, that even at Peking they leave 
 them all Day unfed till Night -, they have alfo an ex- 
 peditious Method of breaking and managing them, 
 and a particular flight to catch them running with the 
 Slip-knot of a Cord which they throw over their 
 Necks ; they alfo underftand their Difeafes, and com- 
 monly make ufe of Remedies which would as little a- 
 gree with our Horfes as their manner of feed ; never- 
 thelefs it is for the Advantage of the Rider, whom it 
 fo highly concerns to have a flrong robuft Horfe that 
 can bear Fatigues and live on little. 
 
 There is no queflion but thefe Qualities appear to a 
 great many Europeans, as well as to our Mongous, 
 preferable to Beauty and Height ; yet the Tartarian 
 Horfes can't properly be called little, being rather of 
 a middle fize, and amongft this infinite number you 
 ihall always find fome as large and handfome as thofe 
 in Europe, in particular thofe belonging to the Em- 
 peror, Princes, and Grandees of the Empire ; for at 
 Peking they pride themfelves very much on being well- 
 mounted, and fpare no coft -, a good Horfe, and even 
 a Mule, is commonly fold there for five or fix hun- 
 dred Livres, and often for more. 
 
 The Kalkas have but few Sables, and are only rich, 
 in the Skins of Squirrels, Foxes, and a little Animal 
 as fmall as an Ermin, called 7 'a el pi, and of which ar 
 Peking they make Teou pong, or Mantles to defend 
 them from the cold : Thefe Animals are a kind of 
 Land-Rats, and very common in certain parts belong- 
 ing to the Kalkas ; they live under-ground, where 
 they make a Range of as many little Holes as there 
 are Males in their company ; one of them always 
 keeps watch above, but flies back again when he per- 
 ceives 
 
China, Chinese-Tart ary, &c. 139 
 
 ceives any one approach -, neverthelefs they cannot 
 efcape the Hunters, who as foon as they difcover their 
 Haunt furround it, and opening the Earth in two 
 or three places throw in either lighted Straw, or any 
 thing that they know will fright thefc Creatures, 
 which obliging them to quit their Holes they take 
 great numbers of them at a time ; this makes the 
 Skins very cheap, both in the Country and at Pe- 
 king. 
 
 But tho' the Mongous have all forts of Animals, 
 yet the Skins which they ufe in general to cloath them- 
 felves are thofe of their Sheep and Lambs ; the 
 Wool they turn on the infide, and the Skin without ; 
 they alfo know how to prepare them very well, and 
 give them a tolerable Whitenefs ; they likewife drefs 
 the Skins of Stags, Deer, Wild- Goats, &c. which 
 the Rich in fome parts wear for Spring- DrefTes, and 
 feveral make them into inward Garments ; but not- 
 withstanding all their pains you fmell them the mo- 
 ment they come near you, and this undoubtedly ccca- 
 fion'd their Chinefe Name Tfao ta tfe > their Tents alfo 
 in general fmell like Sheep-folds, fo as hardly to be 
 endured -, wherefore the befl Method a Perfon can 
 take when he is fallen into this new World, where the 
 Skins of Beafts ferve for Cloaths, and the Houfes are 
 carried upon Waggons, is to reverfe his Tent, and 
 afterwards to place it fome diftance from where it 
 flood before, that the naufeous Air may evaporate. 
 
 However thefe Tents are more commodious than 
 the common Tents of the Mantcheoux, which have 
 only a fingle or double Cloth, and are almoft like 
 thofe in our Camps -, whereas thefe of the Mongous are 
 round, and covered with a thick Felt of a grey or 
 white colour, and fuftain'd within by Poles tied 
 round two half Circles of Wood, which join toge- 
 ther and make the Superficies of a broken Cone, for 
 they leave a round Opening at the top, towards the 
 point, to let out the Smoke of the Fire, which is 
 
 plac s d 
 
ï 40 77je General History of 
 
 plac'd in the middle of die Tent •, as long as this 
 Fire lads they are warm enough, but then they are 
 foon cold again, and in the Winter, without a great 
 » deal of care, would freeze in their Beds. 
 
 To avoid this Inconvenience, together with fome 
 others, or at leaft to alleviate them, the Mongons take 
 care to make the Entrances to their Tents very nar- 
 row, and fo low that you can't go in without {loop- 
 ing-, but to join fo many different parts with fuch 
 Exactnefs, fo as intirely to fhut out the fearching 
 blafts of the North-wind, is certainly no eafy Task, 
 and efpecialiy in an open Country, where they are 
 felt longer and more fevere than in other parts ; thefe 
 Tents are alfo lefs tolerable in Summer, becaufe of 
 the Heat, and in particular by reafon of the Damp 
 occafion'd by the Rains which penetrate within, and 
 the Dirt which furrounds them without -, but fuch is 
 the force of Education, that they appear to all thefe 
 Nations in general preferable to the Chinefe Houfes, 
 and that for no other reafon but the pleasure they take 
 in changing their Situations according to the diffe- 
 rent Seafons ; in Winter, for example, they remove 
 into the Valleys, or flicker themfelves behind fome 
 Hill or Mountain ; and in Summer encamp round 
 fome Lake or Pond, or along the Bank of fome 
 River. 
 
 Their Fifhery is not very confidcrable, for the 
 Mongoti Rivers are nothing comparable to thofe of 
 the Mantcheoux and the Tu pi ta Ife ; they affure us in- 
 deed that they fometimes take Sturgeons in the Tou- 
 la, but then they are only thofè that come up from 
 the great Lake Paical, with this River has a 
 
 Communication -, and tho' in Ourjbn are iound feve- 
 ral kinds of Fifh the fame with thofe in the more ea- 
 ftern Rivers, as in particular that called 'Tcha ichi jv, 
 it is only becaufe Ourjbn discharges itfelf into the Sag- 
 •n oula, into which thofe Rivers fall : In this part 
 of Our/on is alfo found an amphibious Creature cal- 
 led 
 
China, Chinese-Tartar y, &*c. 141 
 
 led the 'Turbigbé, and which is of a Species refem- 
 bling an Otter, but the Flefh is tender, of a good 
 tafte, and almoft as delicate as that of a Kid ; they 
 are only found here that I know of, and about the 
 Lakes Pouir and Coulon, which are joined by the 
 River Ourfon. 
 
 As for what relates to Plants, we have already told 
 you that none of the Tartars of this Country culti- 
 vate the Ground -, fo that Agriculture, which to us 
 feems fo necelTary, is not only neglected, but even 
 look'd upon as ufelefs by all thefe Nations : When 
 we asked them why they would not at leaft cultivate 
 fome little Gardens for Herbs for their own ufe, 
 they reply'd, that Herbs were made for the Beafts of 
 the Field, and the Beafts of the Field for Men, which 
 undoubtedly they thought unanfwerable, and a Proof 
 of all the good Senfe being on their fide. 
 
 But Education has the greateft iTiare in all thefe 
 Prejudices, as appears from the different Sentiments 
 of thefe various Nations ; for as the Tu pi ta tfe feed 
 no Flocks, yet find in their Fifh both Food, Rai- 
 ment, Lights for the Night, &c. fo the Mongous, who 
 neglect both Tillage and Gardening, find all their 
 W ants fupplied by their Flocks, making Cloaths and 
 Tents of their Skins, and of*' their Milk a diftill'd Li- 
 quor with which they delight to intoxicate them- 
 felves. 
 
 It may perhaps be expected that we mould fay 
 fomething of the Medicinal Simples produced in thefe 
 Mongou Countries, but to have done this would have 
 required fuch a Scrutiny as we' had no leifure from 
 our Geographical Labours to make -, befides we have 
 already obferved that the Lamas, who are the prin- 
 cipal Phyficians, ufe none but the mofl common Sim- 
 ples, and fuch Drugs as are ufed in China ; the mofi 
 remarkable, and which is highly efteemed, is called 
 at Peking, Kalka fe touen, and by us the Root of Kal~ 
 ka ; it is of an Aromatick Smell, and the Emperor's 
 
 Phv- 
 
142 2^>£ General History of 
 
 Phyficians give it with Succefs in Diforders of the Sto- 
 mach and Dyfenteries. 
 
 Hijtorical Obfervations on Grand Tartar y, 
 extracted from the Memoirs of the P. Gerbillon. 
 
 TTNDER the Name of Grand-Tartary I com- 
 prehend all that part of our Continent which lies 
 between the Eaftern Ocean to the North of Japan, 
 the Frozen Sea, Mofcovy, the Cafpian Sea, Perfia, 
 Mogol, the Kingdom of Arracan near Bengal, that of 
 Ava, the Empire of China, and the Kingdom of 
 Corea -, fo that Grand-Tartary on the Weft is bound- 
 ed by Mofcovy, the Cafpian Sea, and a Corner of Per- 
 fia -, on the South by the fame Corner of Perfia, Mo- 
 gul, the Kingdoms of Arracan and Ava, China and 
 Corea ; on the Eaft by the Eaftern Ocean, and on the 
 North by the Frozen Sea. 
 
 This vaft extent of Land, which was formerly 
 fliared amongfl a multitude of Princes, is at prefent 
 almofl intirely under the Emperor of China, or the 
 Czars of Mofcovy, excepting the Country of Tusbeck, 
 part of that of the Cahnucs, or Cahnaks, Thibet, and 
 lome little Territories which lie in the Mountains near 
 the Kingdom of Ava, weft of the Province of Se 
 tchuen. 
 
 The Mofcovites are Mafters of all the North part 
 to the fiftieth Degree of Latitude weft of the Meri- 
 dian of Peking, and to the fifty-fifth Degree eaft of 
 the fame Meridian : Formerly this vail Dominion 
 was poffcfs'd by the Tartarian Emperors of the Fa- 
 mily called Yuen by the Ckinefc, the Founder of 
 which was the famous Zinghiskan ; this Prince, ac- 
 cording to the Chinefe Hiftory, was the firft that uni- 
 ted the Tartars of thefe Countries under his Autho- 
 rity, 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &c* *43 
 
 rity, who before were divided into Multitudes of 
 Hords, called in their Language Aymans, every Ay- 
 man confiding of a Tribe or Family, in which were 
 included the Slaves taken in their Wars one with ano- 
 ther ; notwithstanding it is certain that many Ages 
 ago fome of thefe Hords, which bordered the neareft 
 upon China, having fubdued feveral others, grew ve- 
 ry powerful, and carried their Conquefts even into 
 China, where for a long time they poffefs'd the Pro- 
 vince of Chan ft, and part of that of Chen ft. 
 
 About the beginning of the Monarchy of Han, or 
 more than one thoufand eight hundred Years fince, 
 one of thefe Tartarian Princes became very formida- 
 ble to the Chinefe, invading and making havock in 
 the Empire whenever they omitted the annual Pre- 
 fent of Mony and Silks with which they were forc'd 
 to purchalè his Abfence : Thefe Tartarian Princes, 
 or Kings, have alfo frequently demanded the Daugh- 
 ters of the Emperors of China in Marriage, and that 
 in fuch haughty terms as to threaten they would 
 come for them Sword in hand, if they were not 
 other wife granted : Thus we find in Hiftory, that on 
 the Death of the Founder of the Monarchy of Han, 
 the King of T'artary had the Preemption to make 
 Propofals of Marriage to the Emprefs Dowager, who 
 governed the Empire in quality of Regent ; the Chi- 
 nefe looked on the Offer as an Infult, yet thro' Policy 
 were glad to difTemble, and grant him a Frincefs of 
 the Imperial Blood. 
 
 The Chinefe Hiftorians call thefe Tartarian Kings 
 their Neighbours, Tchen yu, or Tan yu, for both 
 Names are pronounced in the fame manner ; it is pro- 
 perly a Title of Dignity, and fignifies Sovereign or 
 King ; not the Name of a Country, tho* applied as 
 fueh by our Geographers to that part of Tartary which 
 lies to the Weft, or North-weft of China, and which 
 was the exacb Seat of thefe Tartarian Princes : But 
 they were not long thus formidable to the Chinefe, for 
 
 the 
 
144- *^ e General History of 
 
 the Emperor Vou ti, who was of the fame Family of 
 Han, and reigned about a hundred and twenty Years 
 before the Birtl> of Chrift, gave the Tartars fo ma- 
 ny Defeats, and repuls'd them fo far into their De- 
 farts, that it was more than one thoufand two hundred 
 Years before they durft appear again in the Empire ; 
 therefore it was not till the beginning of the tenth 
 Century that the Tartars, who inhabited North of 
 China, and are called in the Chinefe Hiitory, Si tan, 
 made themfclves Mailers of the Province of Leao tong, 
 over-run the Northern Provinces, and erected the 
 Monarchy called in the fame Hiftory, Tai leao, from 
 the Province of Leao tong, the PafTage by which they 
 entered the Empire. 
 
 This Monarchy fubfifted about two hundred Years, 
 during which they fubdu'd feveral other Hords of 
 Tartars, and good part of the Northern Provinces of 
 China -, they alfo compelPd the Emperors to pay them 
 a confiderable Tribute in Mony and Silks to redeem 
 themfclves from their Incurfions and Vexations. 
 
 At length this Monarchy of Leao was deftroy'd by 
 the Eaftern Tartars, that is thofe who inhabit eaft of 
 the Meridian of Peking, and North-eaft of China ; they 
 were Subjects of Leao, but a Prince of one of their 
 Aymans, named Aghonta, having been cruelly af- 
 fronted by the lait Emperor of Leao, flew to Arms 
 for Revenge, and putting himfelf at the Head of the 
 neighbouring Aymans by degrees conquered the whole 
 Country, feized the Government, and took the Em- 
 peror Prifoner. 
 
 It was this Aghoitta that founded the Monarchy of 
 Kin, towards the beginning of the twelfth Century, 
 during which they were in pofTeffion of near half Chi- 
 na, till about the beginning of the thirteenth, when 
 Zinghiskan, the greateft Conqueror that perhaps ever 
 appeared in the World, having already united all the 
 "Weftern Tartars under his Obedience, and extended 
 his Conquefts beyond Pcrjia, turn'd his Arms againft 
 
 the 
 
China, Chines e-Ta kTA'k y, &*c. 145 
 
 the Tartars of Kin in the North and Weft Provinces 
 of China, whence he intirely routed them, and feized 
 the Country, but his Life was too fhort to permit him to 
 fubdue the whole Empire of China : The Honour of 
 this Task was referved fcr his Grandfon Houbilai, whom 
 our Hiftorians call Ccublai, and the Chinefe Hiftory 
 Hon pi lié, who to the Empire of all Eaft and Weft 
 Tartary, left him by his Grandfather Zinghiskan, alfo 
 added the entire Empire of China, which he con- 
 quer'd -, and this was the firfl time that famous Em- 
 pire, which for near four thoufand Years had been 
 governed by none but Natives, tho' of different Fa- 
 milies, law itfelf intirely under a foreign Yoke. 
 
 But this Empire was too unwieldy to fubfift long, 
 and the Government of the Tartars lafted little more 
 than a hundred Years ; fo much was their Cou- 
 rage foftened by the Chinefe Manners, or their Go- 
 vernment weakened thro' the Supinenefs of their 
 Jaft Emperors. About the middle of the fourteenth 
 Century they were expell'd China by the famous 
 Hong vou, the Founder of the laft Chinefe Dynafty 
 Tai ming, and fo vigcroufly purfued by his fourth 
 Son Tung lo, that they were obliged to retire to the 
 fiftieth Degree of Latitude beyond the Defart, and 
 to abandon all thofe Countries which immediately 
 border on the Great W T all, where they had built Cities 
 and Towns in abundance ; but thefe were all burnt and 
 deftroy'd by Tung lo, and the Ruins of many of them 
 are to be feen to this Day. 
 
 This Emperor alfo went thrice in queft of them 
 beyond the Defirt, about two hundred Leagues North 
 of the Great W^all, with an Intention to extirpate 
 them intirely, but failed in his Enterprize, being pre- 
 vented by Death at his Return from his third Expe- 
 dition : His SuccefTbrs leaving them in quiet, they 
 began to fpread on every fide from their Defart again, 
 and the chief Princes of the Houfe of Zinghiskan, feiz- 
 ing each a particular Country for himfelf and People, 
 
 Vol. IV. L formM 
 
146 The General History of 
 
 form'd different Hords, which in time became fo 
 many little Soveraignties. 
 
 But, to come to the prefent State of Grand Tartary, 
 it may be confider'd as divided among divers Na- 
 tions, each of which has its feveral Country, with its 
 different Cuftoms, Language and Religion. 
 
 The firft and moft confiderablc, as it gives law to the 
 Empire of China and the greateft Part of T'artary, is that 
 of the Mantcheoux, call'd by the Mofcovites, Bogdoyes, 
 whofe Chief is the reigning Emperor of China. They 
 may pafs for Gentiles, tho* they have neither Temples, 
 Idols, nor properly adore any thing, but the Empe- 
 ror of Heaven, as they exprefs it, to whom they fa- 
 crifice -, but then they pay their Anceftors a Worfhip 
 mix'd with Superftitions, and fince their being in 
 China feveral of them are Adorers of the Idol Fo 9 
 and the other Idols of the Empire ; yet in general 
 they are much more addicted to their old Religion, 
 which they look upon as the Foundation of their Em- 
 pire, and the Source of all their Profperities. 
 
 The Country is fituate on the North of Leao tong^ 
 the moft Eaftern Province of China ; from South to 
 North it extends from the forty-firft to the fifty-third 
 Degree of North Latitude, and from Weft to Eaft 
 from about the hundred and fourth Degree of Longi- 
 tude to the Eaftern Ocean ; on the North it is bounded 
 by the great River which the Mofcovites call Tamoui, 
 or Love -, the Chinefe, Kelong kiang -, and the Mant- 
 cheoux^ Saghalien oida \ on the. South by the Province 
 of Leao tong, and Corea, on the Eaft by the Eaftern 
 Ocean, and on the Weft by the Country of the Mon- 
 gcus. 
 
 Its extent from Eaft to Weft is very large, yet it 
 was never otherwifè than thinly peopled, and efpe- 
 cially fince the Emperor drew fo many of its Inha- 
 bitants to Peking ; notwithftandi g it has Cities and 
 wall*d Towns, befides feveral Villages and Hamlets 
 for fdch as are employed in tilling the Ground. Their 
 
 prin- 
 
Ch in a, C h i n e s e-Tar tarYj &c. i 47 
 
 principal Cities are Oula aigbon, and Ningcuta, m 
 both which the Emperor maintains a Garrifon with a 
 Governor, and other Civil and Military Officers : 
 This is alio the place to which they banifii their Cri- 
 minals, a Method taken by the Mantcheoux to re- 
 people the Country fince their PoffeHion of China. 
 The Air is extream cold, and the Country Moun- 
 tainous and full of Forefts, not much unlike Canada, 
 as I have been inform'd by feveral who liv'd moft of 
 their Days there, and whofe concurring Teftimonies 
 it would be unreafonable to queftion. 
 
 Thefe 'Tartars inhabit chiefly by the Banks of Ri- 
 vers, where they build their Huts, and divide their 
 Lives between Hunting and Fifhing ; for, as they 
 have plenty in both kinds, they feek no other Subfi- 
 ftence, efpecially the more Eaftern Inhabitants, who 
 are the moft grofs and favage in their Manners. 
 
 Nevertheless the Mantcheoux divide the Country 
 into feveral Provinces, the moft Weftern is that of 
 Solon, calPd by the Mofcovites, Dauvré ; tho' Dauvré 
 is rather the Name of the Nation than the Country : 
 This Province properly begins at the Confluence of 
 Ergoné and Saghalien oula, along which it extends 
 Eaftward about 150 Leagues to Ningouta. 
 
 I have been told, by the Governour of this Pro- 
 vince, that the whole number of its Inhabitants v/ere 
 no more than 10000 Families : They are great 
 Hunters, and very skilful at drawing the Bow, where- 
 fore they always pay their Tribute to the Emperor 
 in Sables, the Chief of each Family paying one, or two, 
 or three every Year, according as he is tax'd, regard 
 being had to the number of Perfons able to bear Arms 
 and to hunt. 
 
 It contains but one Town call'd Merghen or Mer- 
 ghin, which was built by the Emperor, and fortify'd 
 with a little Garrifon ; in every other part are nothing 
 but Huts run up at pleafure : The Mofcovites indeed 
 had once a Fortrefs here, which they call'd Albazin, 
 and the Tartars, Tacfay from a little River on which 
 
 L 2 it 
 
The General History of 
 
 it flood, on that part of it where Tacfa difcharges 
 itfèlf into Saghalien oula. 
 
 It was this Fortrefs which occafion'd the War be- 
 tween the Mofcovites and the Emperor of China ; for 
 the Mofcovites having a ftrong Garrifon hindred the 
 Chinefe from hunting Sables in that Neighbourhood, 
 where they are very beautiful and in great Numbers : 
 But at length the Fort was demolifh'd, and the Coun- 
 try entirely fubmitted to the Emperor of China by 
 the Treaty of Peace at Nipt chou. 
 
 From the Ruins of Fort Tacfa, to the Fall of the 
 River Saghalien oula into the Eaflern Ocean, is at 
 leafl 400 Leagues, as I have been aflur'd by the Go- 
 vernor General of the Country, who made the Voyage 
 in a long Boat by the Emperor's Command. From 
 Tacfa to Ningouta is 150 Leagues, and beyond Nin- 
 goûta lies a Nation where they ufe Dogs to draw their 
 Carriages, as we do Horfes and Oxen. The Mant- 
 checux, their Neighbours, give it the lame Name as 
 the Natives. 
 
 This Nation extends about 200 Leagues along the 
 River, but is every where thinly peopled, confifting 
 of nothing but a parcel of fcatter'd Huts, which they 
 ufually place near the Fall of fome little River into 
 Saghalien oula : The reft of the River to the Sea is 
 poffefs'd by another Nation, call'd Fiattou, or Fiatta, 
 who have a Language of their own. Thefe are a fierce 
 People, and, according to the Defcriptions I have re- 
 ceiv'd of them, not much unlike the Iroquois : As the 
 Languages of thefe two Nations differ one from ano- 
 ther, fo they have no Refemblance to that of the 
 Manicheoux Their whole Diet is Fifh, which they get in 
 abundance ; they alio cloath themfelves with the Skins 
 of Fifhes, from whence comes their Name 1 it pi, which, 
 in Chinefe fignifies a Fifh-skin. They have no notion 
 of Agriculture, nor acknowledge any King or Sove- 
 reign, but every Company chufes its own Chief, whom 
 they obey much like the Savages in Canada : They 
 
 have 
 
China, Chinese-Tart ar y, &c- 149 
 
 have alfo little Boats made of the Bark of Trees, or 
 the Trunks hollow'd. 
 
 Thofe who live at the Mouth of the River are 
 frequently vifited by Boats from the Iflands, which 
 are very numerous near the Entrance, where it is not 
 above three Leagues over. This River is every where 
 deep and navigable, when it is not frozen, fo that 
 the largeft Veffels may come up as far as Niflchou, 
 which is at leaf! 500 Leagues. 
 
 I ask'd the Governour of this Country . whether 
 there were no Inhabitants towards the Eaftern Ocean ? 
 who anfwer'd, That he had feen nothing but great 
 Forefts, and that thofe who dwell along the Rivers 
 had no Knowledge of any other Nation : Wherefore 
 all that large Country, which lies Eaft of the River, 
 call'd by the Tartars, Songari, and Singale by the 
 Mojcovites, is nothing but a vafl Defart full of Moun- 
 tains and Forefts. Thofe who refide along the Ri- 
 ver Songari, are Mantcheoux, call'd by the Mofcovites, 
 Doutchari -, in Winter they go to hunt Sables in the 
 great Forefts on each fide Saghalien oula, but return 
 to pafs the Summer in their own Habitations, which 
 are chiefly about Ningouta. 
 
 On the North of Saghalien oula, about a hundred 
 Leagues below Tacfa, runs a confiderable River call'd 
 by the Mantcheoux, Tchikiri, and by the Mofccvites, 
 Zia ; this River, where it falls into Saghalien oula, is 
 about half a League over ; the Afcent to its Source 
 they tell you is two Months Journey, but you may 
 return in fifteen Days : It defcends from North- Eaft 
 to South-weft with a very rapid Current, and takes 
 its rife in that Chain of Mountains which is the fettled 
 Boundary between the Eftates of the Emperor of 
 China and the Czars of Mofcovy. The Mantcheoux 
 call the People about this River Orotchon, from a cer- 
 tain Animal nam'd Oron : This Creature is a kind of 
 little Stag, which the Inhabitants tame, and make life 
 of as a Beaft of Burthen, either to draw their Sledges 
 
 L 3 or 
 
150 The General History of 
 
 or carry their Baggage. I have feen lèverai in the 
 Emperor's Park, as likewife Elks, which are in great 
 Numbers in this Country and in the Province of So- 
 lon : About the River Tchikïri are beautiful Sables, 
 as likewife grey Ermins and black Foxes ; the Mofco- 
 vites got a Multitude of fine Skins, when they were 
 Mafters of Tacfa. 
 
 The fécond Nation of Tartary, which was ever the 
 largeft and mofl numerous, is that of the Mongous, 
 whom the Chinefe fometimes call Si ta tfe, or Weftern 
 Tartars, and fometimes in derifion Tfao ta tfe, or 
 Stinking Tartars, becaufe of the ill Scent which ufu- 
 ally attends them. This Nation comprehends the 
 Kahnv.cs, or Eluths, the Kalkas, and thofe who are 
 fimply call'd Mongous, and inhabit near the Great 
 Wall -, their Country, from Weft to Eaft, extends from 
 the Cafpian Sea to the Eaftern Tartars juft mention'd, 
 that is to the fécond or third Degree of Longitude 
 from the Meridian of Peking ; and from South to 
 North, from the Great Wall of China, to the fiftieth 
 Degree of Latitude. 
 
 They all fpeak one Language, which is fimply 
 call'd the Mongclte Tongue -, it is true they have feveral 
 Dialects, but then they underftand each other, and he 
 who knows one is Mafter of all : They have alfo the 
 lame Religion, which is that of Thibet, that is to lay 
 they worfhip the Idol Fo, call'd in their Language 
 Foucheki: They alfo believe the Tra immigration of 
 Souls, and have fuch a profound Veneration for their 
 Idol-Priefts call'd Lamas, that they not only pay 
 them a blind Obedience, but alfo prefent them with 
 the beft of every thing they have. The generality of 
 thefe Priefts are very ignorant, but to pafs for learned 
 with thefe People there's nothing requir'd but a little 
 fmattering in the Thibet Tongue, fo as juft to know 
 the Characters, and to be able to read in the Sacred 
 Books which are wrote in that Language. They are 
 very debauch'd, and in particular addicted to Wo- 
 men. 
 
China, Chinese-Tartar y, &c. 151 
 
 men, whom they abufe with Impunity: Notwith- 
 ftanding this, the Princes of the Country fuffer them- 
 felves to be govern'd by their Counfels, hear their 
 Advice with refpecT, and even honour them with the 
 Upper-hand on all publick Occafions. 
 
 The Mongous likewife live all in the fame manner, 
 wandering from place to place with their Flocks, and 
 encamping where they find the moft convenience for 
 themfelves and Cattle : In Summer they commonly 
 chufè the open Country near fome River or Lake, 
 or for want of thefe about fome Well ; but in Win- 
 ter they retire to the Mountains and Hills, or at leaft 
 behind fome Eminence, where they may be fheltered 
 from the North Wind, which is extream cold in this 
 Country -, the Snow fupplies them with Water. 
 
 Every Sovereign keeps within the Bounds of his 
 own Country, for neither he nor his Subjects are per- 
 mitted to pafs into thole of another, but in their own 
 Territories they encamp where they pleafe : They are 
 nafty in their Tents, flovenly in their Goaths, and 
 grofs and unpolifh'd in all their Manners, living a- 
 mongft the odours of their Beafts, whofe Dung they 
 burn inftead of Wood, of which they have none in 
 the Parts they inhabit. They are excellent at Horfe- 
 manfhip and Hunting, and dexterous in drawing the 
 Bow either on Foot or Horfe-back -, yet in general 
 their Lives are very miferable. They are utter Ene- 
 mies to Labour, and had rather content themfelves 
 with the Nourifhment they receive from their Flock-, 
 than take the trouble of tilling the Land, which in 
 fome parts is very good. In Summer they live on no- 
 thing but Milk, and ufe indifferently that of Cows, 
 Mares, Sheep, Goats, or Camels : Their ordinary 
 drink is Tea, but the very grofïèfr. and worft in all 
 China, with this they mix Butter, Cream and Milk, 
 either more or lefs according to their ability. 
 
 They alfo make a kind of Aqua vitce from four 
 Milk, and in particular that of a Mare, which they 
 
 L 4 diftil 
 
152 7%e General History of 
 
 diftil after it has fermented : Some of the richer fort 
 put the Flefh of Mutton to ferment in this four 
 Milk, and then diftil it -, this Liquor is very ftrong 
 and nourishing, and to be intoxicated with it is their 
 principal delight: They alfo fmoke a great deal of 
 Tobacco ; in general they are well-inclin'd, and up- 
 right in their Dealings. 
 
 Tho' Polygamy is not forbid amongft them, yet 
 they have commonly but one Wife : Their dead Bo- 
 dies they burn, and inter the Allies on fome Emi- 
 nence, where they pile a heap of Stones over the 
 Grave, on which they plant a number of little Stan- 
 dards. 
 
 They are very devout in their falfe Worfhip, and 
 almoit every one wears a String of Beads round his 
 Neck, on which he repeats his Prayers. Had they 
 embrae'd the true Religion I believe they would be 
 zealous Chriftians, tho' indeed they are fo befotted to 
 their Lamas and their Errors, that there is little pro- 
 bability of their Converfion, at lead without one of 
 thofe Miracles of God's Grace, by which he can change 
 the very Stones into Children of Abraham. 
 
 Scarce a Mongou Prince but has fome Pagod in his 
 Territory, tho' not a fingle Houfe there : I have ïztn. 
 the Ruins of one of thefe Temples more than 250 
 Leagues from Peking : The Tiles which were var- 
 niih'd, or rather enamelled with Yellow, were brought 
 from Peking, and the Workmen that built it came 
 on purpofe from China : It was one of thefe lying 
 Lamas, who made himfèlf ador'd as a living Fo, that 
 caufed it to be built in the Territories of the King of 
 the Kalkas his Brother. 
 
 Tho' the Mongous 'Tartars have but one Language, 
 one Religion, and one manner of Life, yet they may 
 be diftinguifh'd into three forts, namely, the Ka! 
 the Kalkas, and the Mongous. 
 
 The Kalmucs, who are call'd Eluths, both here and 
 among themfelves, inhabit that Country which lies 
 
 from 
 
China, Chinese-Tart a ry, &c. 153 
 
 from Weft to Eaft, between the Cafpian Sea and the 
 Mountain Altaic and from North to South, between 
 the Mofcovites and the Tusbek Tartars, call'd by them 
 Hajfack Pourouk, with whom they have a continual 
 War ; they alfo extend as far as Thibet, as I ihall 
 obferve hereafter. 
 
 Thefe Eluths alfo confift of three Divifions, tho' 
 originally they are all of one Family, and no other 
 than three Branches iffuing from one Stock. 
 
 The firft, which at prefent is the moft numerous 
 and powerful, confifts of thofc who encamp every 
 Winter by the Cafpian Sea near Ajlracan, where they 
 drive a confiderable Commerce. Thefe are the moft 
 Weftern, and inhabit thofe Lands which lie between 
 Mofcovy, Samarcand, Kaskar, and other Countries of 
 the Tusbek Tartars : Eaft ward they extend to that vaft 
 Chain of Mountains which I imagine to be a Continua- 
 tion of Caucafus. The Eluths are alfo better known in 
 Europe by the Name of Kalmucs, than they are in 
 this Country, where they call them Eluths Ayouki. 
 They are alfo ally'd to the more Eaftern Eluths, with 
 whom they maintain a Correfpondcnce. 
 
 The fécond fort of Eluths, call'd alfo Kahnucs by 
 the Mofcovites, are thofe who inhabit from the Chain 
 of Mountains already mention'd, to another Chain of 
 high Mountains, the moft confiderable of which is 
 call'd Altas. From this Mountain run feveral great 
 Rivers, the principal of which are Oby and Irt'is, and 
 it was near the Source of this laft that the King of 
 the Eluths ufually kept his Court : Thefe People were 
 very numerous and powerful, pofTeffing all the Land 
 from Mofcovy to the Tusbek Tartars, but weaken'd 
 and ruin'd themfelves by their Divifions and inteftine 
 Wars. 
 
 However their laft King, nam'd Caldan Po~ 
 joolou han, after having united all the Remains of this 
 great People under his Authority, deftroy'd even in 
 our Days the powerful Empire of the Kalkas, nor 
 
 fear'd 
 
154 ^ e General History of 
 
 fear'd to denounce War againfl the Emperor of China 
 himfelf : His Aim was nothing lefs than theConqueft 
 of that Empire, and perhaps he might have fucceed- 
 ed in his attempt had not his Nephew deferted him 
 with the greatefl: part of his Troops, or had he coped 
 with a lefs brave and vigilant Prince than the Em- 
 peror Cang hi: But he was entirely defeated with his 
 whole Army, fo that now none reman of the Eluths 
 but thofe with the Nephew of Caldan, who having 
 left his Uncle, and always maintain'd a good Under- 
 itanding with the Emperor, is at prefent in quiet 
 Poffeflion of his Eftates, which lie about the fource 
 of Irtis : But as in the following Voyages into Tar- 
 iary frequent mention is made of the Eluths, and their 
 King Caldan, it may be proper for the clearing fome 
 PafTages to enter into a little Detail of the Origin 
 and laft Wars of thefe People. 
 
 It is not above eighty Years fince all thefe Eluths were 
 united under one Chief or King, call'd Otchirtou tche- 
 tching ban, who is mention'd in feveral Relations, and 
 particularly in that of Father Avril : The Prince Ablay 
 his Brother having rebell'd againfl: him was over- 
 thrown, and oblig'd to retire almoft as far as Siberia. 
 This King had alfo feveral little Princes of his Houfe 
 under him, call'd Taikis, and by the Mofcovitcs, Tai- 
 cha and Taichi : The Taikis, being abfolute in their 
 own Territories, govern'd themfelvcs as they pleas'd, 
 paying the King no more than a flight Homage with 
 iufl what Tribute they faw proper. One of thefe Tai- 
 kis, nam'd Patorou hum, grew exceeding rich ; he had 
 alfo acquir'd a great deal of Reputation among his 
 People, and particularly in the War with 'Thibet, of 
 which we mall fpeak hereafter : When he dy'd he left 
 feveral Children, the eldeft of which nam'd Ontchon 
 fucceeded him. 
 
 This Prince, during his War with the Hajfacks, 
 Touroutes, or Tusbek Tartars, happen'd to fall ill of 
 the Small-Pox in his Camp ; and as the Mongous, thro* 
 
 a 
 
China, Chinese-Tart ar y, &*c. 155 
 
 a ridiculous and barbarous Superftition, are accuftom'd 
 to abandon all thofe that are attack'd with this Di- 
 ftemper, Ontchon's Troops immediately decamp'd, and 
 left him alone in his Tent, without fo much as a An- 
 gle Servant to attend him. The Mahometan Tartars, 
 who were pofted oppofite to the Elutbs, having {ken 
 them decamp, did not fail the next Morning to vifit 
 the abandon'd Tents, where they found the fick Prince, 
 of whom they took fuch care that they entirely cur'd 
 him. 
 
 The Prince, not thinking proper to difcover his 
 Quality, was kept by them as a common Slave for 
 three Years, during which time Senhé the fécond Son 
 of Patorou hum taiki, not doubting but his eldeft Bro- 
 ther was dead, married his Wife, according to the 
 Cuftom of the Mongous, which in this refpeft is like 
 that of the Jews. 
 
 But at the end of three Years, Ontchon having dif- 
 cover'd himfelf to the Hajfack Tartar s, and promis'd on 
 Oath that if they fent him into his Country he would 
 never renew the War, they reftor'd him to his Liberty, 
 and gave him a Guard of ioo Men to efcort him into 
 his own Territories. Being arrived on the Frontiers 
 he difpatch'd a Courier to his Brother Sengbé to in- 
 form him of his Adventure and Return ; who, fur- 
 priz'd at this unexpected News, immediately went to 
 his Brother's Wife, that was now become his own, 
 to ask her what fhe would determine in fuch a Con- 
 juncture : The Woman, who had acted with Honour, 
 reply'd, That fhe had only married him in the Perfua- 
 fion that her firft Husband was dead, and that there- 
 fore fince he was living me was indifpenfably oblig'd 
 to return to him again,. 
 
 But Sengbé, who was equally enamour'd with the 
 Wife and Fortunes of his Brother, as he had got Pof- 
 feflion was refolv'd to keep it : Wherefore, under pre- 
 tence of complimenting the Prince on his Return, he 
 
 difpatch'd 
 
i^6 The General History of 
 
 difpatch'd certain Perfons, whom he could truft, with 
 fecret Orders to maflacre him and all his Retinue -, 
 which being executed accordingly, he gave out that 
 he had defeated a Party of Hajjaks pouroutes, without 
 mentioning his Brother. This Crime however was 
 not long undifcover'd, and one of his other Brothers by 
 the fame Mother as Ontchon, with one of his Nephews, 
 Son to the fame Ontchon, confpir'd to revenge the 
 Murder -, in order to which they afTembled all the an- 
 cient Domefticks of that Prince, and concerted their 
 Meafures fo v/ell that they flew Senghé, and reflor'd 
 the Son of OrJchon to the Poffeflions of his Father. 
 
 Caldan the third Son of Pat our ou hum taiki 9 and 
 Brother to Senghé by the fame Mother, had profefs'd 
 himfelf Lama from his Youth, and had been educated 
 by the Great Lama as one of his principal Difciples, 
 after v/hich he went to fettle at the Court of Otchirton 
 tche tchin ban, who treated him with great Marks of 
 Diftinction : This Prince, having notice of thefe 
 Tranfaclions, demanded Leave of the Great Lama 
 of Thibet, his Mailer, to quit the Habit and Pro- 
 fefllon of Lama to revenge the Death of his Brother 
 Senghé. 
 
 Leave being granted, he immediately formed an 
 Army of the ancient Domefticks of Senghe, and the 
 Troops lent him by Otchirton, with which he feiz'd 
 the Murderers of his Brother, and having put them 
 to death made himfelf abfolute Mafter of the Effects 
 of all his Brothers, and the Eftates of Senghé : He 
 alfo married the principal Wife of that Prince, who 
 was Daughter to Otchirton King of the Eluths, and 
 his Forces encreafing every Day he foon faw himfelf 
 in a Condition to difpute the Kingdom with his Father- 
 in-law Otchirton^ to whom he ow'd his prêtent For- 
 tune. 
 
 A Quarrel happening between fome of their Sub- 
 jects furnifh'd him with a Pretence for the War, upon 
 which he enter'd with an Army into the Country of 
 
 Otchirton, 
 
China, Chinese-Tartar y, &c. 157 
 
 Oichirion, who receiv'd him at the Head of his Forces. 
 The Battle was fought near a great Lake called Kizal- 
 pcu, where Caldan won the Victory, took his Father- 
 in-law Prifoner, and order'd his Throat to be cut, to 
 fecure himfelf in the Conqueft of his Dominions -, by 
 this means he became Chief of all the Eluths. 
 
 The Great Lama, to recompenfe this Cruelty and 
 Treachery to his Father-in-law and Benefactor, gave 
 him the Title of Han, which fignifies King or Em- 
 peror : It is from this Word alio that the Tartarian 
 Princes are calPd Kan, which is of the fame Signifi- 
 cation, and wrote in the fame manner as Han. It is 
 not amifs to obferve here, that the Europeans in molt 
 of thefe Words change H into K, and efpecially when 
 it happens to be an initial ; thus in the prefent in- 
 ftance, Kan for Han, Kami for Hand, a little City of 
 the Tusbek Tartars who lie nearer! the Great Wall ; 
 Coublai for Houblai, Kalkas for Halkas, with many 
 others. 
 
 From that time Caldan remained in quiet PoiTemon 
 of his Conquefts, and free from Wars, except with 
 the Hajfacks pouroutes who are irreconcilable Enemies 
 to the Eluths, till the Year 168S, when he enter'd 
 with an Army into the Country of the Kalkas, where 
 he found thofe People fo weakened by their interline 
 Divifions that he eafily defeated them, and taking the 
 advantage of his Superiority, never left perfuing them 
 till their entire ruin :- Had their common Intereft been 
 capable of uniting them the Eluths had never ventur'd 
 to attack them. The firft time I went on the fide of 
 Mojcovy to treat concerning the Peace, I faw the 
 wretched Remains of thefe Kalkas, who fled on all 
 fides from the Fury of the Eluths. 
 
 But at prefent, fince Caldan was deflroy'd in his 
 turn by the Emperor of China, there are in all thefe 
 vaft Countries no more than ten or 12000 Families 
 of Eluths, the Chief of which is Nephew to Caldan, 
 and eldefl Son to Senghé. This Prince, called Tfe vang 
 
 raptan, 
 
158 The General History of 
 
 raptan, deferted his Uncle at the beginning of the laft 
 "War ; the occafion of his difcontent was as follows : 
 
 A Princefs, the Daughter of Otchirton, had been 
 promis'd him in Marriage, but Caldan falling in love 
 with her took her from him : Not content with this 
 Injuftice to his Nephew, he alfo hired AfTaffins to 
 take away his Life, who miffing their Blow only 
 ftruck out one of his Eyes. This Prince at prefent 
 lives quietly in his own Territories, where he begins 
 to make them till the Ground, being obliged to it 
 by the decreafe of his Flocks, which are no longer 
 fufficient for his People to fubfift on : He is at con- 
 tinual War with the Tusbecks : The Countries of Tou* 
 roufan and Tarkian are fubjecl to him : It was not 
 many Years fince Tarkian revolted againft him, but 
 he immediately befieg'd it, made himfelf Matter of 
 the Place, and depriv'd it of all pombility of re- 
 belling for the future. 
 
 The third fort of Ehtths are thofe which inhabit 
 the Country that lies between the extremity of the 
 Province of Chen f, part of the Province of Se tchuen, 
 and the Kingdom of 'Thibet, where the King or Chief 
 of thefe Eluths called Dalai han ufually refides : It 
 was thefe Eluths, who, aided by the other Eluths, and 
 in particular by Pat our ou hum taiki, conquer'd in this 
 prefent Age the Kingdom of Thibet, and gave it to 
 the Great Lama -, for it is not above fixty Years fince 
 Thibet, call'd indifferently Toubet, Thibet, and Tan- 
 gout, was governed by a King of its own call'd 
 Tfanpa han, and in the Chinefe Hiftory Tfanpou. This 
 Prince was formerly very powerful, and probably no 
 other than the famous Prefer -John fo celebrated in 
 Hiftory : For tho' the Great Lama nam'd here Dalia 
 Lama, refided then at Poutala, call'd indifferently by 
 our Travellers Betala, Lajfa, and Barantola, yet lie 
 was not the temporal Sovereign of the Country : It 
 was Tfanpa who reign'd at that time, and who loft 
 his Crown in the manner I was about to relate. 
 
 The 
 
China, Chinese-Tartar y, @V> 159 
 
 The Mongous, who revere the Dalai Lama as a 
 God upon Earth, thought that Tfanpa did not treat 
 him fo refpectfully as he ought, and that it was in- 
 cumbent upon them to revenge the Affront ; where- 
 fore the King of this third fort of Eluths of which 
 we fpeak, joining his Forces to thofe of Paturou 
 hum taiki, attack'd the King of 'Thibet, overthrew 
 him in a fet Battle, and having put him to death 
 gave the Kingdom of Thibet to the Great Lama ; he 
 even held it an Honour to be filled his Vaflal, and 
 to preferve him this Conqueft fix'd his Refidence 
 near Poutala : This King was called Couchi han, and 
 was Grandfather to the reigning King named Dalai 
 han: The other Princes of his Houfe, who joined 
 him in this War, return'd into their own Country, 
 which lies eaft of Thibet, and extends from Thibet 2X- 
 moft to the Great Wall of China towards the City 
 of Si ning : Thefe Eluth Princes are known at China 
 by the Title of Taikis of Cocomr, from the Name of 
 a great Lake in the Country they inhabit ; they are 
 only eight in number, and have every one their 
 Territory and People apart, indépendant one of ano- 
 ther, and they only league together for their mutual 
 Prefer vation. 
 
 All of them were Vaffals to Dalai Han, or rather 
 to the Great Lama ; but after the Defeat of Caldan 
 the Emperor fent an Invitation to thefe eight Taikis 
 to attend him, which the Chief of them immediately 
 did, was favourably received, and honoured with the 
 Title and Seals of Tfin vang, or Regulo of the firft 
 Order: Several of the others contented themfeives 
 with fending Deputies to the Emperor to pay him 
 their Homage. The Emperor is unwilling to em- 
 ploy any Force in the fubjecting the reft of thefe 
 Eluth Princes, but rather chufes to attract them by 
 Mildnefs and kind Ufage, as alfo by frequent Pre- 
 fents, which are called here Recompences, as thofe 
 which they fend in return are called Tribute. 
 
 All 
 
i6o The General History of 
 
 All thefe Elutbs have an intire Freedom of Traf- 
 fick to China, even to Peking itfelf ; no Cuftoms are 
 exacted of them, but they are furnifh'd with every 
 thing neceflary for their Subfiftence for eighty Days, 
 which is the time allow'd for thLir Commerce ; after 
 which, if they have a mind to flay longer they may, 
 but then they are fupply'd with nothing more. 
 
 The fame Cuftom is obferved in refpect to the 
 Mahometan Tartars who trade into China •, they give 
 liberty of Traffick to all thofe that travel by Land, 
 and come into China by the Weftern Provinces, the 
 Policy of which is to engage all thefe People by de- 
 grees to fubrnit to the Emperor, thro' the hopes of 
 a rich Trade, and the Advantage of his Protection ; 
 for the Emperor's Favour is a Guard againft the At- 
 tempts of the neighbouring Princes, who dare not 
 meddle with thofe under his Protection for fear of ma- 
 king themfelves an Enemy, who is much more for- 
 midable fince the Defeat of Caldan. 
 
 We muft now fpeak a Word or two of Thibet, 
 which belongs to the Great Lama, for tho' Dalai 
 han refides near Poutala, in the very heart of the 
 Kingdom of Thibet, yet he intermeddles in no re- 
 flect with the Government, but contents himfelf with 
 reigning over the Elutbs, who wander up and down, 
 according to cuftom, in the Places where they find the 
 beft Pafture. 
 
 For the Great Lama himfelf, as temporal A flairs 
 are contrary to his Profeffion, has eflabliihed a Vice- 
 roy who governs in his Name and by his Authority : 
 This Viceroy, call'd the Tipa, wears the Flabit of a 
 Lama, notwithstanding he is married : The Emperor 
 of China, at the time of his War with Caldan, con- 
 ferred on the Tipa the Dignity of Vang, or Regulo, 
 to attach him to his Intereil ; for tho' lie knew very 
 well that the Tipa and Lamas fecretly favour'd Cal- 
 dan, yet he was equally fenfible how capable they 
 were of crofling his Deligns, and efpecially it they 
 
 had 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &c. 161 
 
 had joined the Mongous, and made a religious War a- 
 gainft him, it would have been difficult to have 
 fuftain'd the (hock of fo many Enemies : The truth 
 is the Tipa durft not declare himielf openly againft 
 the Emperor, yet favoured Caldan in a very pubiick 
 manner ; wherefore after the ruin of this lafl the 
 Emperor gave hirnfelf no trouble in managing the 
 Tipa, or even the Grand Lama himfeJf, but talked to 
 them in the Style of a Matter, fignifying the Punifh- 
 ments he had inflicted on thofe Lamas who lided 
 openly with Caldan, and alfo threatning to fend his 
 Army to Poutala, unlefs his Orders were punctually 
 obey'd. 
 
 Both the Tipa and the Lamas have endeavoured to 
 appeafe the Emperor, and notwithstanding they are 
 in no hade to yield up the Perfons he demands, they 
 have made fèveral humble Remonftrances, but the 
 Emperor ftill continues inflexible. 
 
 Neverthelefs it is hardly probable his Majefty will 
 attempt to carry the War into Thibet, it being too far 
 from China.y and the Roads too difficult for the 
 March of an Army -, beiides, the Emperor loves the 
 Peace of his Subjects, and has no propenfity to War 
 any farther than is neceffary for his own Honour and 
 their Good. Poutala is the Name of the Mountain 
 on which ftands the Palace, or rather the Pagod, 
 where the Great Lama refides ; at the foot of this 
 Mountain runs a large River called Kaljou mouren \ 
 Mouren, in the Mongol Language, fignifies a River .* 
 This Place, by relation, is very pleafant; the Pagod 
 is built in the middle of the Mountain, and conflits of 
 feven Towers, in the higheit of which the Lama 
 lodges : On the fide of this Mountain are the Ruins of 
 the City where Tfanpa kept his Court, which was in- 
 tirely deitroy'd by Coucihan King of the Eluths : All 
 the People of Thibet inhabit in little Cities and Vil- 
 lages, and live by tilling the Ground, 
 
 Vol. IV, M This 
 
1 6 2 The General History of 
 
 This Account of Thibet I learned from an ancient 
 Mandarin of the Tribunal of Ceremonies at Peking, 
 who had formerly been AmbafTador to the Great Lama, 
 and all that he told me is perfectly agreeable to what 
 I have fince heard from other Mandarins, who have 
 been frequently fent thither of late Years : This Pre- 
 fident affured me that it was no more than four hun- 
 dred Leagues from Si ning to Poutala, and that he 
 had perform'd the Journey in Winter in forty-fix 
 Days, not travelling more than eight or nine Leagues 
 a Day -, he added, that he found the Country almofl 
 every where inhabited : He was twenty Days in go- 
 ing to a Place called by the Cbinefe, Tfing fou bai, 
 which is a Lake, or rather three Lakes fo contiguous 
 that they feem but one. 
 
 It is hence that the Yellow River, called by the 
 Cbinefe, Hoang ho, derives its Source, which in this 
 part is only a fmall Stream of a clear Water ; it runs 
 directly South between fome Mountains, the Waters 
 of which it receives, and after being increafed by all 
 the Brooks and little Rivers of the Country of Coco- 
 nor enters China near Ho tcheou ; this is the Name of 
 a City in the Province of Chen fi, on the Confines of 
 the Province Se tchuen, fituated on the South-weft of 
 Si ning: This River enters China thro' a very ftrait 
 PalTage formed by two vail Rocks, which are fo ex- 
 ceeding fteep that they feem cat on purpofe to give 
 way to the River -, it is very large in this part, but 
 at the fame time very foul, by reafon of the Sands 
 which the Waters carry with them. 
 
 The Cbinefe tell you that their famous Emperor 
 named You, who delivered China from the great Inun- 
 dation fo celebrated in Hiftory, when he regulated 
 the Courfes of the Rivers, and appointed their Chan- 
 nels, ordered thefe two Rocks, which were then but 
 one, to be cut to give paffage to this River ; the City 
 of Ho toheou would be no more than ten Days Jour- 
 ney, from the Source of Hoang ho, if it ran in a flraight 
 
 Line, 
 
China, Chines e-Ta rtary, &*c. 163 
 
 Line, and had not fo many Turnings. The fame 
 Mandarin alfo told me that he had crofs'd a River in 
 the Country of Coconor, called Altang kol, which in 
 the Mongol Tongue fignifies the Golden River ; this is 
 not above three foot deep, and difcharges itfelf into 
 the Lakes Tfingfou haï ; there is a great deal of Gold 
 mixed with the Sand of this River, and the Tartars 
 of the Country employ themfelves in getting it all 
 the Summer -, it is one of the principal Revenues of 
 the Princes of Coconor, who fend their People to this 
 precious Fiihery, which is fo much the eafier as the 
 Waters of this River are fo very fhallow ; there are 
 fome of thefe Fifhers that in their four Months of 
 Fiihery take fix, feven, eight, or ten Ounces of 
 Gold, and fometimes more, according to their Skill 
 and good Fortune ; neverthelefs they are at no other 
 trouble than to take the Sand from the bottom of the 
 River, which they wafh a little, and retaining only 
 the Gold melt it in Crucibles : This Gold is eiteem'd 
 very good, yet they fell it for no more than fix times 
 its weight in Silver ; it probably comes from the 
 neighbouring Mountains whence this little River takes; 
 its Source, which might eafily be determined had 
 thefe People any Art in finking of Mines -, there is al- 
 fo a great deal of Gold in fome other Rivers in the 
 Territories of the Great Lama, quantities of which 
 are brought to China. 
 
 This Mandarin added, that from Si ning to the Fron- 
 tiers of the Kingdom of Thibet was a perceptible Afcent 
 all the way ; and that in general the Mountains, w T hich 
 are very numerous, are much higher to the Earl on the 
 fide of China than to the Weft on the fide of Thibet -, 
 in truth it muft needs be that thefe little Mountains, 
 whence the fmall River Altang kol derives its Source, 
 are vaftly higher than the Level of the Sea, fince this 
 River, which is very rapid, difcharges itfelf into the 
 Lakes Tfing fou hat -, and the River Hcang ho, which 
 runs from thefe Lakes, has a very fwift Current for 
 
 M 2 at 
 
64 ^>£ General History of 
 
 at kail a hundred Leagues to its Fall into the Eaftern 
 Ocean of China : This Country is very cold in re- 
 fpect of its Latitude ; but when you enter 'Thibet 
 you come upon a Defcent, and the Climate is much 
 more temperate. 
 
 Wherever this Mandarin came en his Journey the 
 People of the Country furnifh'd him with Horfes for 
 hi m felf and Attendants, Camels to carry his Baggage, 
 and with every thing that was necefTary for the Sup- 
 port of himfelf and Retinue, which is their cuftomary 
 Behaviour to the Envoys of the Emperor, to whom 
 they allow fix Sheep and an Ox for five Days ; the 
 Emperor likewife defrays the Expences of the En- 
 voys of the Great Lama, and thofe of the Prindes of 
 Coconor when they come to Peking. 
 
 The fécond fort of Mongous are the Kalkas, who 
 are contiguous to the Eluihs on the Eaft -, the Coun- 
 try from Eaft to Weft extends from Mount Altai to 
 the Province of Solon -, and from North to South, 
 from the fiftieth and fifty-firft Degree, to the South 
 Extremity of the great Defart called Cbamo, which 
 was alfo accounted to belong to them, becaufe many 
 of them encamp*d there, and efpecially in Winter 
 when there was the lead want of Water, which is very 
 rare in this Defart •, there are feveral Pits funk by 
 them, but the Water in general is bad. 
 
 This Defart borders upon China, and is larger and 
 more defolate from North to South towards the Weft 
 than towards the Eaft ; for I have travell'd moft of 
 it having crofs'd it four feveral times, and almoft al- 
 ways in different quarters -, from the Mountains be- 
 yond the Great Wall, to its eaftern Extremity, is a- 
 bout a hundred Leagues ; I don't comprehend tholè 
 Mountains which lie immediately north of the Great 
 Wall, for tho' they are in a manner uninhabited, yet 
 they can't be look'd upon as part of the Defart, be- 
 caufe the Soil there is fertile, and full of fine Paftures, 
 Woods, Fountains, and little Rivers of good Wa- 
 ters ; 
 
China, Chinese-Tart ary, &c. 165 
 
 ters ; neither do I take in the Country beyond the Ri- 
 ver Kerlon, where there are likewife good Paftures, 
 and abundance of Water, tho' at prefent it is out 
 thinly inhabited, and in particular towards the Weft : 
 The Defart from North to South is of a much larger 
 Extent, and more than a hundred Leagues in breadth; 
 in fome parts it is intirely bare, and has neither Trees, 
 Paftures, nor Water, except fome Ponds and Marines 
 made by the Rains, with fome Wells of wretched 
 Water, and even thofe very fcarce. 
 
 The Kalkas chiefly live along the River Selengiie, 
 Orkon or Orbon, T'oula, and Kerlon, where there are 
 excellent Paftures, and Waters in abundance -, they 
 made their Retreat there when they were drove out of 
 China by Hong vou, the Founder of the Dynafty of 
 Tai ming : Their Princes are likewife defcended from 
 Zingbiskan, or from his Brothers. 
 
 At firft they had only one Prince among them 
 that bore the Title of King or Kan ; neverthelefs 
 both he and all the Kalkas paid Tribute to the Mon- 
 gou Prince, who was defcended by the eldeft Branch 
 from the Emperor Coubldt, the Grandfon of Zing- 
 biskan, called Tcbahar ban, of whom I fhall fpeak 
 hereafter : But at length thefe Kalkas being vaftly in- 
 creafed^ and the Princes defcended from Csublai, who 
 had only the Title of Taiki, being grown very nu- 
 merous the more powerful made themfelves by de- 
 grees indépendant, not only of one another, but alfo 
 of their King himfelf, to whom they no longer paid 
 any thing but a flight Homage. 
 
 We have been allured that before their Deftruclion, 
 which is ftill frefli in Memory, there were no lefs 
 than fix hundred thoufand Families of thefe Kalkas 
 divided into feven Standards, each of which had its 
 Chief, and under them feveral hundreds of Taikis ; 
 three of thefe feven Chiefs obtain'd of the Great 
 Lama the Title of Han, but mod of the Taikis acted 
 as Sovereigns in their refpeclive Territories, and paid 
 M 3 thefe 
 
1 66 floe General History of 
 
 thefe Hans no farther deference than that of yielding 
 them the firft place in the AfTemblies which they held, 
 to determine their Differences and confult about their 
 common Affairs ; for they iook'd upon themfelves as 
 all Members of one confederate Nation, and there- 
 fore obliged to a mutual Defence : Neverthelefs, as the 
 more powerful Princes oppreffed the weaker, frequent 
 Divifions arofe among them, but fuch as were eafily 
 reconcil'd by the Ir.terpofition of their Lamas, by 
 whom they fufier'd themfelves to be intirely govern'd, 
 and in particular by the great Lama of Thibet to 
 whom they paid a blind Obedience. 
 
 The eldeft of thefe three Han were named c /cbafak- 
 tou •, he pofTefs'd the Country that lies immediately 
 eaft of Mount Altai, his Territories being feparated 
 from thofe of the Eluths by nothing but that famous 
 Mountain, which is Iook'd upon by the Mongous as 
 the mod confiderable in all Tartary -, they extended to 
 the Rivers S dengue, Orhon, and Toula. 
 
 The fécond of thefe Han, called Toucbetou, or T'oit- 
 çhektou ban, was the moil powerful of all the Kalka 
 Princes -, his Country extended along the three laft- 
 mention'd Rivers as far as Mount Kentey, whence 
 the River Toula, as alfo that of Kerlon, derives its 
 Source. 
 
 The third, called Tcbehbing ban, refided toward 
 the Source of the River Kerlon, along the Banks of 
 which his People extended themfelves to its Fall into 
 the Lake Dalai, or Cculon, and alfo beyond to the 
 Frontiers of the Province of Solon: It is not above 
 forty or fifty Years fince thefe two laft Princes took the 
 Title of Han, but the firft had afilimed it long be- 
 fore. 
 
 As frequent mention is made in the following Voya- 
 ges of the Wars of thefe Princes, either one with 
 another, or with Caldan King of the , who was 
 
 the principal Infiniment of the I) n of the 
 
 \as, it may not be improper to enter a little into 
 the Occafion of them. Before 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &*c. i6j 
 
 Before the Wars thefe Kalkas were fo powerful, 
 that they appeared formidable to the Emperor of Chi- 
 na himfelf ; they were exceeding rich in Flocks, and 
 their Plains were covered over with Horfes, of which 
 they fold no lefs than an hundred thoufand every 
 Year to Peking -, if the Buyers took them as they 
 came, without Examination, they paid but feven or 
 eight Crowns a Horfe ; but when they had their 
 Choice a handfome Horfe cofl fifteen ; whereas fince 
 their Deftruction, in the time of the Emperor's War 
 with the King of the Eluths, an indifferent Horfe, 
 provided he was but in tolerable Order, fold for four 
 hundred Livres, and fometimes more. 
 
 The Occafion of this War was as follows : A 7aiki$ 
 or Kalka Prince, called Lopzang hum taiki, whom I 
 have ken fince at the Affembly of the Eftates of Tar- 
 tary, invaded, I know not for what reafon, the firft of 
 thefe three Han named ChafaEiou ban, overthrew him, 
 took him Prifoner, and afterwards put him to death ; 
 he alfo feized on his Subftance and part of his Peo- 
 ple, but the reft efcaping with the Children of Cba- 
 faïïou han, fled to the fécond Han, tfoucbetou. This 
 Prince immediately difpatch'd an Account of what 
 had happen'd to all the Chiefs of Standards, and 
 principal Taikis, inviting them to join with him a- 
 gainft the Ufurper of the Eftates of Chafatlou ; ac- 
 cordingly they afîèmbled their Forces, and being come 
 up with the Ufurper, defeated him, and feized his 
 Perfon -, neverthelefs they would not dip their Hands 
 in his Blood, but contented themfelves with fending 
 him to the Great Lama for him to inflict what Pu- 
 nifhment he pleafed, at the fame time defiring him 
 to inveft the eldeft Son of ChafaElou han with the 
 Dignity of his Father : Their Requeft was granted, 
 and the Son was reinftated in the Kingdom of his 
 Father -, but they neither reftor'd him his Subjects, 
 nor his Flocks, for Touchetou had feized them for 
 his own ufe, by the Advice of his Brother who go» 
 
 M à, vern'd 
 
68 Tie Gêner al History of 
 
 vern'd him in every thing, and far whom he had all 
 imaginable deference on account of his being a Lama, 
 and one of thofe living Fo which are very numerous 
 in Tartary, and who as eafily impofe on thefe barba- 
 rous Mongous, as Mahomet formerly did on the igno* 
 rant Shepherds of Arabia.. 
 
 This Lama, named Tfing chung tuniba hoittoiiïïou, 
 had been eight Years Difciple to the Great Lama of 
 Thibet^ during which time he acquired the learned 
 Language of Thibet, and fuch a Reputation for 
 Knowledge in that School, that he was refolved to 
 make a Schifm, and obliged his Difciples to acknow- 
 ledge him as indépendant on his late M after, pre- 
 tending that he was a living Fo for the fame Reafons 
 as the other -, in fhort he fo well deceived thefe 
 Kalkas that they adored him as a Divinity ; his Bro- 
 ther alfo, tho' King of the Kalkas, went regularly on 
 fet Days to pay him the fame Adorations they pay 
 their Idols, gave him the upper hand on all occa- 
 fions, and furfered himfelf to be governed intirely by 
 him : It was properly this Lama who, by his Pride 
 and ill Conducl, occafion'd the Deftruction of his Fa- 
 mily and the Empire of the Kalkas. 
 
 Tchafaffou ban, feeing they refufcd to reftore his 
 Effects which had been decreed him in the Aflembly 
 of the Eftates of the Kalkas, Cent Ambaffadors to the 
 Great Lama of Thibet to complain of the Injuftice, 
 and to defire him to interpofe his Authority with 
 Tonchetou ban, and the Lama his Brother, for the 
 Reftitution of what they fo wrongfully detained ; the 
 Dalai Lama accordingly difpatch'd one of his prin- 
 cipal Lamas to Toncbetou ban, and the Lama his 
 former Difciple, to terminate the Difference ; but this 
 Envoy being gained by their Prefents contented him- 
 felf with fpecious Promifes, without procuring any 
 Performance : Chafafiou ban, defpairing of any Juftice 
 from that Quarter, fent his fécond Son to the Em- 
 peror of China to intre.it him to efpoufc his Intcrefts, 
 
 and 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, e^r. 169 
 
 and procure the Reftitution of his Effects : It muft be 
 obferved here, that all the Kalka Princes paid a kind 
 of Homage to the Emperor for the liberty of tra- 
 ding into China, which confifled in fending him a 
 Camel and nine white Horfes by way of Tribute ; 
 but they were not very regular in the Payment of it, 
 difpenfing with it whenever they pleas'd. 
 
 Accordingly the Emperor difpatch'd an AmbafTador 
 to Dalai Lama to engage him, at a certain time 
 which he appointed, to fend a Perfon of confideration 
 into the Country of the Kalkas, promifing to fend at 
 the fame time a Grandee of his own Court to difpofe 
 thefe Princes to an Accommodation, and to prevent 
 the War, which was otherwife inevitable. 
 
 Mean time Chafaiïou ban dying, his eldeft Son, who 
 had enter'd into a Uriel: Alliance with Caldan King 
 of the Ektths his Neighbour, ilicceeded him and was 
 made Han : This Prince likewife prefs'd the Reftitu- 
 tion of his Effects, and the Envoys of the Emperor 
 and Dalai Lama being arriv'd at the Court of Touche- 
 tou ban, they conven'd a fécond time the Eftates of the 
 Kalka Princes : The Envoy of the Emperor was the 
 firft Prefident of the Tribunal of the Mongous, which 
 is in a manner of the fame Dignity with the fix chief 
 Tribunals at Peking ; the Name of this Envoy was 
 Argni, and from him it was, and the other Manda- 
 rins that accompany'd him, that I learnt the Particu- 
 lars of this Negotiation. 
 
 The Envoy of Dalai Lama was alfo one of the 
 mofl confiderable in his Court, and, as he reprefented 
 the Perfon of Dalai Lama, every one in the Afîèm- 
 bly yielded him the firft Place, except the Brother of 
 Toitchetou ban, who being alfo a Lama, and profef- 
 fing himfelf a living Fo, pretended to be equal with 
 that High-Prieft, and infilled upon being treated with 
 the fame Diftinclion. 
 
 The King of the Elutbs had alfo his Envoys at 
 the AfTembly to fupport the Interefts of his Friend 
 
 and 
 
170 The General History of 
 
 and Ally. Thefe highly protefted againft the Preten- 
 fions of the Kalka Lama, which they look'd upon as an 
 enormous Outrage againft their common High-Prieft, 
 whole right it was to prefide by his Legate in the Af- 
 ièmbly ; but this Lama would make no Concernons, 
 and the Elutb Envoys retir'd in great Difcontent. 
 
 In mort, to avoid a greater Difference than that 
 they came to terminate, the Envoy of Dalai Lama 
 was oblig'd to confent that the Lama, Brother to the 
 King of the Kalkas, mould fit oppofite to him. This 
 Conteft once over affairs were foon regulated in the 
 Affembly, and Touchetou ban and the Lama his Bro- 
 ther folemnly promis'd that they would faithfully 
 execnte what had been there decreed : After which 
 the Eflates feparated, but inftead of keeping their 
 Word, they continued their ufual Delays under di- 
 vers Pretences. 
 
 Mean time the King of the Eluths, offended at the 
 little regard he had to his Envoys, and the Affront 
 offer'd Dalai Lama in the Perfon of his Legate, as 
 alfo prefs'd by Chafaclou ban to haflen the Reftkution 
 of his Effects, of which they flill detain'd the befl 
 part, fent an Ambaflador to Touchetou ban, and the 
 Lama his Brother, to exhort them to perform their 
 Promife ; and in particular to complain of the Kalka 
 Lama's having difputed Precedence with the Legate of 
 Dalai Lama, who had been their common Mafler. The 
 Kalka Lama could not contain his Fury, but loaded 
 the Ambaffidor with Irons, and having fent back 
 fome of his Retinue with injurious and threatning 
 Letters to the King of the Eluths, immediately put 
 Jumfelf with his Brother at the head of a large Body 
 of Troops to fbrprife ChafaSlou ban: This Prince, who 
 expected nothing lefs, could not efcape the Fury of 
 his Enemy, but fell into the Hands of the Lama who 
 order'd him to be drowned. He alfo put to death 
 one of the moft confiderable Taikis, and feiz'd his 
 Effects ; after which he enter'd into the Territories of 
 
 the 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &*c. 171 
 
 the King of the Eluths, and furpris'd one of the Bro- 
 thers of that Prince, whofe Head he cut off, and fix- 
 ing it upon a Spear, expos'd it in that manner thro' 
 the Country, at the fame time fending one of the 
 Domefticks of that unfortunate Prince to the King 
 of the Eluths, with a Letter full of Invectives and 
 Threats. 
 
 The King of the Eluths tho' fo cruelly incens'd, 
 yet fupprefs'd his Refentment till he was in a Con- 
 dition to declare it ; mean time he aflembled his 
 Forces, and about the end of the following Winter, 
 or the beginning of the Year i"688, advanc'd to the 
 Territories of Touchetou ban : The Lama, who expect- 
 ed no lefs, had demanded Succours of all the other 
 Kalka Princes, alledging that he had taken and put to 
 death Chafaftou ban, for no other reafon but becaufè 
 he was leagued with the King of the Eluths to de- 
 ftroy all the other Kalkas : Accordingly moft of thefe 
 Princes came with confiderable Forces to the general 
 Rendevous on the Frontiers of the Kingdom of Tou- 
 chetou ban. 
 
 The King of the Elutbs faw very well that it would 
 be Rafhnefs to come to an Engagement with an Ar- 
 my fo much fuperior to his own ; wherefore he only 
 fought to poil his Troops to advantage, flattering 
 himfelf that Divilions would foon arife in the Army 
 of the Kalkas, which accordingly happen'd. The 
 Chief of one of the moft numerous Standards de- 
 camp'd firft in the Night with all his Forces ; Sket- 
 ching ban a little after follow'd his Example, and in 
 fhort all the reft made their Retreat, leaving Touche- 
 tou ban, and the Lama his Brother, with none but the 
 Forces of their own Standard. 
 
 The King of the Eluths, being appriz'd of what had 
 paft, loft no time, but immediately fell upon his Ene- 
 mies i it was rather a Rout than a Battle, for they 
 made no Refiftance : Touchetou ban with his Family, 
 and the Lama his Brother with his Difciples, efcap'd 
 
 with 
 
y 2 Tie General History of 
 
 with much difficulty, but were oblig'd to abandon 
 moft of their Baggage, with the greater! part of their 
 Army and Flocks. 
 
 The King of the Ehiths put to the Sword all the 
 Kalkas that fell into his Hands of the Family of 
 Houcbetou ban, penetrated even to his Camp, and the 
 ordinary Refidence of the Lama his Brother, burn'd 
 whatever he could not carry away, and entirely de- 
 ftroy'd two fine Temples which the Lama had built 
 at great expence.' After which he fent fome of his 
 Troops to fcour the Country, ordering them to put 
 to the Sword all the Kalkas they met, who fled on 
 every fide. We met a great Number of thefe Fu- 
 gitives in the Defart of Cbamo, when we paft thro* 
 it c.ï my firft Journey into Tartary in the Year 1688; 
 and this it was that hinder'd us from reaching Se- 
 lengha as we defign'd, becaufe we mull have been 
 oblig'd to crofs the Country where the King of the 
 Elutbs was encamp'd with his victorious Army. 
 
 TouUbetou ban, and the Lama his Brother, retir'd to 
 the South extremities of the D:fart, near the Frontiers 
 of Cblna, whence they fent to intreat the Emp?ror to 
 take them under his Protection , and to defend them 
 from an Enemy whofe Ambition and Cruelty they 
 highly exaggerated. The Emperor immediately dif- 
 patch'd an Officer to the King of Eluth to know 
 theoccafion of the War, to which M -if. go the Prince 
 anfwer'd with Refpect, That he had undertaken it to 
 revenge the Death of his Brother -, that he thought no 
 Prince would give a Refuge to fo wicked a Perfon as 
 the Kalka Lama, who had been the Author of fo 
 many Barbarities, and that therefore he was refolv'd 
 to purfue him wherever he retreated ; that the Em- 
 peror was alfo interefted in his Punifhment, fince lie 
 had notorioufly violated the Promifès made to his 
 Majefty's Ambafladors in the Afièmbly of the States, 
 and fhewn fo little Deference to his Mediation. 
 
 The 
 
China, Chinese-Tart ary, &cl 173 
 
 The Lama faw very well, that if the Emperor aban- 
 don'd him he mull inevitably fall into the Hands of 
 his Enemy, and efpecially as the Dalai Lama was a- 
 gainft him: Wherefore to fecure himfelf the only 
 Protection he could hope for, he offer'd the Emperor 
 to become his perpetual VafTal, together with his Bro- 
 ther and his family and Subjects, and alfo to en- 
 gage all the other Kalkas to follow his Example. Du- 
 ri: g this Negotiation feveral other Kalka Princes like- 
 wife fought the Emperor's Protection, on the fame 
 Conditions of becoming his VafTals, and were favour- 
 ably receiv'd. 
 
 This fame Year alfo dy'd Tchetching ban, whole 
 Widow likewife intreated the Emperor to receive her 
 Son among the Number of his VafTals, and to give 
 him the Inveltiture and Title of Han. At firft fome 
 fcruple was made of granting him this Title, becaufe, 
 as was alledg'd, it properly belong'd to rone but the 
 Emperor, and therefore was incompatible with the 
 quality of a VafTal : Neverthelefc this ambitious Wo- 
 man infilling that her Son ihouid not be depriv'd of 
 a Dignity which her Husband had poflëfTed, and re- 
 prefenting that his Rank could not be debafed by his 
 SubminTon to the Emperor, they yielded to this Rea- 
 fon, and granted him the Title of Han ; but with 
 Reftriction that it Ihouid not pafs to any of his De- 
 fcendants, but die with him. 
 
 The Emperor was lome time before he received 
 Touchetou ban, and the Lama his Brother, into his Ter- 
 ritories, or would appear to protect them openly, con- 
 tenting himfelf at firft with exhorting the King of E- 
 lutb to abandon his Refentment, and not purfue a 
 Revenge which ought to be fatislied by the deplo- 
 •rable Condition to which he had redue'd thole mile- 
 rable Princes and their Subjects. But the King of E- 
 lutb would lilten to no Accommodation ; he anfwered 
 once again, That the Emperor was equally concern'd 
 to punilh the Violation of a Treaty guaranty'd by him- 
 felf 
 
174 c ^ je General History of 
 
 iclf and the Dalai Lama ; he added however that if 
 his Majefly would deliver the Kalka Lama into the 
 Hands of Dalai Lama their common Mafter, and 
 the Chief of their Religion, to be judg'd by him, 
 that then he would lay down his Arms, and defift 
 from all Hoftilities. But the Emperor thinking it 
 inconfiftent with his Dignity to abandon Princes who 
 had been plunder'd of their Eftates, and had fled to 
 him for Refuge ; and having befides nothing to ap- 
 prehend from the Mofcovites, with whom he had late- 
 ly concluded the Peace at Niptcbou, he openly took 
 the Kalka Princes into his Protection, and afîîgn'd 
 them a part of his Lands in Tartary, where they 
 might live after their own manner. It was this that 
 kindl'd the War between the Emperor and the King 
 of the Eluths. 
 
 This lafh Prince, about the end of July m the Year 
 1 690, advane'd at the head of a fmall but couragious 
 Army to the Frontiers of the Empire -, all the Kal- 
 kas that he found encamp'd along the River Kerlon, 
 which he had follow'd for the convenience of Forrage, 
 he either kill'd or made Slaves of them, and pur- 
 fued the Murtherers of his Brother even into the Re- 
 treat the Emperor had defign'd them. 
 
 On the firft Rumour of this Prince*s March the 
 Emperor affembled all the Mongou Troops, which 
 lying encamp'd immediately without the Great Wall 
 are, as it were, the advane'd Guards of the Empire. 
 To thefe he join'd fome Mantcheou Soldiers, which 
 ferv'd as a Convoy to the Prefidents of the Tribunals 
 of the Militia and Mongous, whom he fent to the 
 Frontiers to obferve the Motions of the Eluths. Thcfc 
 two Prefidents form'd a Dcfign to furprife the King 
 of Eluth in his Camp -, for which purpofe they a- 
 mus'd him with a fictitious Treaty of Peace, and when 
 he had the leaft diftrufl attack'd him in the Night ; 
 but they were vigoroufly repuls'd, and purfu'd even 
 in the Territories of the Empire, where they fav'd 
 themfclves by efcaping to the Mountains. 
 
 The 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &*c. 175 
 
 The Emperor hearing this immediately fent a large 
 Army from Peking to encounter the Elutbs : He at 
 firft defign'd to have commanded it in Perfon, and 
 had fent me orders to follow him ; but at the Inftances 
 of the Council and the Grandees of the Empire he 
 alter'd that Refolution, and gave the Command to 
 his eldefl Brother, whom he created GeneraliiTimo, 
 with whom he alfo fent his eldeft Son, and the Prin- 
 cipal of his Council. 
 
 The King of the Elutbs, who was appriz'd of their 
 March, attended them with great Refolution about 
 eighty Leagues from Peking : This Prince was very 
 advantageoufly polled, and tho' he wanted Artillery, 
 with which the Imperial Army was well provided, 
 and had but few Troops, yet notwithstanding the in- 
 equality he accepted the Offer of Battle. At firft his 
 Van-guard furlei'd very much from the Enemy's Can- 
 non, which oblig'd him to change his order of Battle ; 
 but as he was polled behind a great iVîarfh, where the 
 Emperor's Army could not furroundhim, he defended 
 himfelf with great bravery till Night, when each 
 Party retir'd to their Camp. The Grand Mailer of 
 the Artillery, who was alfo Uncle to the Emperor 
 by the Mother's fide, was kill'd about the end of this 
 Action by a Mufquet-fhot, as he was giving orders 
 for withdrawing the Cannon. 
 
 The following Days were fpent in mutual Nego- 
 tiations , the Remit of which was that the King of 
 the Elutbs fhould retire with the Remainder of his 
 Forces, but firft take an Oath before his Fo never 
 to return into the Territories of the Emperor, or thofe 
 of any of his Allies : In his Retreat a great part of 
 his Army perifh'd for Want. This Difgrace was 
 alfo follow'd by another; his Nephew Tfe va??g 
 rapt an, whom he had left Guardian of his Coun- 
 try, abandon'd it, and retir'd to a great Diflance 
 with all that would follow him, which was a terrible 
 
 Blow 
 
176 The General History of 
 
 Blow to the King of Elutb, and it was at leaft three or 
 four Years before he could recruit his Army, fo 
 much was it diminifhed by the Misfortunes ofthelaft 
 Campaign. 
 
 Mean time as the Emperor's Army, and the Gene- 
 rals which commanded it, were on their Return to 
 Peking, Proceedings were begun againft them, not- 
 withftanding they had the better in the Engagement ; 
 for it is a Law among the Mantcheoux, eftablihVd. 
 from the Foundation or the Monarchy, that if a Gene- 
 ral gives Battle, and is not compleatly victorious, he 
 is d^enVd culpable, and ought to be punifh'd. 
 
 Had the Emperor fuffer'd his Council to act ac- 
 cording to the Rigour of the Law, his Brother had 
 been degraded from the Dignity of * Vang, and the 
 other Grandees, who had been of his Council, had 
 at leafl: loit their Employs ; they even deliberated 
 whether they mould not be flraitly imprifon'd : But 
 the Emperor declar'd that the Fault being flight de- 
 ferv'd a flight Punifhment ; therefore the Reguio Ge- 
 neraliflimo, and fome other general Officers who are 
 diftinguiAYd in a manner like our Dukes, Counts, 
 Marquifes, &c. were condemn'd to lofe three Years 
 Revenue of their Dignity, and the others were de- 
 graded five Degrees. 
 
 The Emperor highly honour'd the Memory of his 
 Uncle who had been flain in this Action, and con- 
 tinue his eldeft Son in all his Employs and Dig- 
 nities, and among the reft in that of being Chief of 
 a Standard, thinking it was not juft to give them 
 from the Family of a Perfon who had fo generoufly 
 facrifie'd his Life for the publick Good. 
 
 He alfo gave Gratuities to the Relations of all 
 thofe that had been flain or wounded in the Battle, 
 and every one that had diftinguifh'd himfelf was re- 
 warded in Proportion to his Merit, The Year tol- 
 
 P rince, or Régula, 
 
 lowing 
 
China, Chines e-Tart a ry, êsV. 177 
 
 lowing his Majefty went into Tartary to hold an 
 Afiêmbly of the Eftates there, when all the Kalka 
 Princes became his Vaffals by common Confent, and 
 paid him a folemn Homage. 
 
 The King of the Eluths continued till the Year 
 1694 in the Country which formerly belong'd to 
 Chafaffou ban and Tonchetou ban, after which, having 
 recruited his Army, he fcour'd the Banks of the Ker- 
 lon, making Slaves of all the Kalkas he found, and 
 advanc'd to the Frontiers of the Country of Corcbin, 
 whence he fent to folicite the chief Prince to join 
 with him againft the Mantcheoux. 
 
 " What can be more unworthy, faid he, than our 
 " becoming Slaves to thofe whom we have com- 
 " manded ? We are Mongous, and united under one 
 " Law, wherefore let us join our Forces, and rc- 
 " gain an Empire which belongs to us, and was the 
 " Inheritance of our Anceftors. Ï mail fhare vith 
 " Pleafure the Glory and Fruits of my Conquefts with 
 " fuch as will fhare the Peril ; but if there mould 
 " be any of the Mongou Princes, as I perfuade my 
 " felf there are none, fo bafe as to defire to remain 
 " Slaves to the Mantcheoux our common Enemies, 
 " they may depend on being the firft Objects of our 
 " Revenge, and their Ruin mall be the Prelude to 
 " the Conquefl of China" 
 
 The King of Cortchin on this occafion gave a Proof 
 of his Fidelity to the Emperor, by fending him the 
 King of Eluth's Letter, which occafion'd him fome 
 uneafinefs ; for tho' he knew the Eluths were too weak 
 to attempt any thing, yet he apprehended a Union of 
 the Mongous which might be powerful enough to 
 ftrike Terror into the Empire : Their ancient Animo- 
 fity againfl the Mantcheoux, with the fecret Protection 
 which Dalai Lama gave the King of Eluth, whole 
 Advancement he wifh'd, might eafily unite all the 
 Tartars in the fame Defign of throwing off their 
 Yoke. 
 
 Vol. IV. N It 
 
178 The General History of 
 
 Tt was thefe Confiderations that determin'd the Em- 
 peror to make a new Attempt to exterminate the E- 
 luths, or to compel them by force of Arms to a 
 lafting and folid Peace. With this View, in the 
 Year 1696, he caus'd three Armies to enter 'Tartary^ 
 with a Defign to indole the Eluths on all fides. At 
 the head of the mod numerous he march'd himfelf, 
 accompany 'd by feveral of his Children, and the chief 
 Princes of the Blood : One of thefe Armies gain'd a 
 compleat Vi&ory, whilft that of the Emperor fill'd 
 every place with Terror. 
 
 In mort this Year and the Year following all thefe 
 Tartars were either deftroy'd, fubdu'd, or difpers'd -, 
 and the Death or their King which happen'd in 1697, 
 whilft the Emperor was marching towards his Re- 
 treat, entirely compleated the Ruin of this Nation ; 
 fo that the reft of thefe unfortunate Eluths were either 
 oblig'd to implore the Emperor's Clemency, or to fly 
 to ife vang raptan the only remaining Prince of that 
 People. 
 
 This War thus glorioufly ended, the Emperor is 
 become abfolute Mafter of all the Empire of the Kal- 
 kas and Eluths, and has extended his Dominions in 
 I'artary as far as the Lands poffefs'd by the Mofcovites, 
 which in general are Qnly wild Forefts, and uninha- 
 bited Mountains. 
 
 Almoft all the Princes of the Mongous, as well as 
 the Kalkas^ are of the Race of Zinghikan : The chief 
 of thefe Princes defcended from the Emperor Coublai 
 by the eldeft Branch, and call'd Tcbabar ban, alfo bore 
 the Title of Emperor of the Mongous, and had Tri- 
 bute paid him by all the others, as Jikewife by the 
 Eluths, till about the beginning of the fixteenth Cen- 
 tury, when the laft of thefe, c tchahar han, having 
 made his Government infupportable by his Cruelties 
 and Debaucheries, his Subjects call'd in the Founder 
 of the Mantcheou Monarchy. Upon this Revolution 
 the Mongou Prince, who became VafTal to the Em- 
 peror 
 
China, Chinese-Tar tar y, &*c. 179 
 
 peror of the Mantcheoux, was oblig'd to quit the 
 Title of Han for that of Vang, which the Emperor 
 gave him : This fame Emperor having made himfelf 
 Mailer of part of the Province of Leao long, which 
 border'd on the mod powerful of the Mongou Princes, 
 made Alliances with them by the Marriages of his 
 Children, and by that means won lèverai to Subjec- 
 tion, and left fuch an increas'd Dominion to his Son, 
 the Grandfather of the prefcnt Emperor, that what 
 with Mildnefs, and what with the Terror of his 
 Arms, he compleatly reduc'd all the Mongou s with- 
 out the Great Wall. 
 
 Their Country, from Eaft to Weft, extends from 
 the Province of Leao long, and the Country of the 
 Mantcheoux, to the City of Ning hia in the province 
 of Chenfi, between the Great Wall of China and the 
 Defart of Chamo -, they are divided into forty-nine 
 Standards, each of which has one of its own Princes 
 for chief. 
 
 The Mantcheoux, after their Conquefl of China, con- 
 fer'd on the molt powerful of thefe Princes the Dig- 
 nities of Fang, Peilé, Peizé, Cong, &c. they alio 
 fettl'd a fix'd Revenue on each of the Chiefs of thefe 
 Standards, regulated their Bounds, and eitabliih'd the 
 Laws by which they are govern'd to this Day. There 
 is alfo a grand Tribunal at Peking, where their Dis- 
 putes are finally determin'd, and to which they may 
 appeal from the Judgments of their Princes them- 
 felves, who as well as others are oblig'd to appear 
 before this Tribunal, when cited. The Kalkas are 
 alfo under the fame Regulation, fince their becoming 
 Vaflals to the Emperor. 
 
 The third Nation of îartary is that of the Maho- 
 metan 'Tartars, the moil confiderable of which are the 
 lusbeks, better known in Europe than in China itfelf. 
 From Weil to Eaft they extend from Perfia and the 
 Cafpian Sea to the Country of the Eluths, and on 
 the South almoil to China -, but thofe of this part 
 
 N 2 were 
 
180 The General History of 
 
 were moftly fubdu'd by the Jafb King of the Eluths, 
 who made himfelf Maftcr of Yarkan, Tourfan and 
 Hami, call'd by our Geographers Cami. 
 
 After the Defeat of the King of the Eluths, thofe 
 of Hami, who lie the neareft China, put themfelves 
 under the Protection of the Emperor : Thofe of Tour- 
 fan and Yarkan were alfo about to follow their Ex- 
 ample, and this Court was difpofed to receive them ; 
 but Tfe vang raptan by his Prefence prevented the 
 Execution of their Defign, and affur'd himfelf of 
 their Fidelity. Neverthelefs thofe of Yarkan, leagued 
 with the Yusbek Princes their Neighbours, were on 
 the point of making off his Yoke, had not Raptan 
 furprifed the Rebels, and compell'd them to return to 
 their Obedience. As I never travelled into this Coun- 
 try my Mf, I mall only relate, in few Words, what 
 I learn'd from fome Lords fent by the Prince of Hami 
 to the Emperor of China. 
 
 The firft of thefe Envoys was one of the Sons 
 of the Prince of Hami himfelf-, and the fécond was 
 one of his Officers, who had often travel'd the Coun- 
 try that lies between the Province of Chen fi and the 
 Cafpian Sea : He alfo told me that he had been at 
 Bochara, or as it is call'd in the Country Bohara, in 
 which Journey he fpent five Months ; but then he 
 travel'd very flow, ftopt at feveral Places, and took 
 a large Circuit, paffing through the Territories of 
 Prince Raptan, which lie vaftly wide to the North- 
 Weft of Hami, and from thence by the Turquejlan. 
 This Road, he told me, was the beft and mofl free * 
 from Robbers ; but then there is a much fhorter and 
 more direct one, tho' lefs fafe and more difficult. 
 
 From China to Hami is about twenty Days Journey, j 
 and from Hami to Tourfan is above ioo Leagues, ] 
 which the Caravan performs in feven Days : This 
 Road is full of Rocks, and in a manner without either 
 Water or Forrage. From Tourfan toAofou is twenty- 
 three Days Journey, and from thence to Tdrcan ten i 
 
 alter 
 
China, Chines e-T a r t a r y, &c. i 8 1 
 
 after which to Both ara is about a Month's Journey far- 
 ther : The next Town is Kaskar, but all the Road be- 
 yond is infefted by the Tartars call'd Tour out es and 
 Hajjatks, who are great Robbers, and plunder all they 
 meet without Diftinction, even the AmbafTadors of 
 any Prince : Wherefore this Road is very dangerous, 
 at leaft without a good Guard, and therefore is but 
 little frequented. 
 
 The Country is very hot in Summer, and produces 
 abundance of good Fruits, in particular Melons and 
 Grapes. Thefe Tartars are Mahometans, and formerly 
 drove a great Commerce into China, whither they came 
 every Year in numerous Caravans : The War has in- 
 terrupted this TrafEck for fome Years, but it will 
 probably revive again by the Encouragement and Im- 
 munities which the Emperor has granted to all who 
 trade by Land into China : The Language of thefe 
 Tartars, which is apparently the fame with that of 
 the Tusbeks, is different from the Mongol Tongue -, but 
 this laft is commonly underftood by reafon of the 
 great Commerce between the two Nations. 
 
 There now only remains to fpeak of the fourth Na- 
 tion of this part of Tartary, which is under the Do- 
 minion of the Moftovites. This is much the largeft, 
 and extends from Weft to Eaft from Mofcovy to the 
 Eaftern Ocean ; and from North to South, from the 
 frozen Sea, to the fifteeth Degree of North Latitude 
 towards the Weftern part, and to the fifty-fifth Degree 
 towards the Eaftern : But we can only fay that it is a 
 vail Defart, except fome 4 parts of Siberia, which are 
 tolerably well peopled, the reft being almoft entirely 
 deftitute of Inhabitants. 
 
 I have only paft thro' part of the Frontiers of thefe 
 vaft Countries, wherefore all I mail relate is what I 
 leam'd from feveral Moftovites and Tartars, who had 
 refided in the Country, and often travell'd thither, and 
 in particular from a Moftovite who was fettled at Pe- 
 king, and become an inferior Mandarin, 
 
 N 3 This 
 
1 8 2 "The General History of 
 
 This Mofcovite had been made Prifoner by the 
 Mantcbeoux at the taking of Tac fa, and, not having 
 wherewith to fubfift in his own Country, voluntarily 
 accepted the offer they made him of fettling at Peking. 
 He had travelled the greateft part of thefe vaft Coun- 
 tries, and befides two or three Journies from Tobolk, 
 the Place of his Nativity, to Mofcou ; he had gone 
 from Tçbolk to Selengba, and from thence to Niptcbou, 
 where he flay'd a Year •, and from Nipcbou to Yacfa, 
 where he refided eight Years, employing himfelf 
 fometimes in Hunting, and fometimes in collecting 
 the Tribute paid by thefe People to the Czar, which 
 conflits in thofe beautiful and precious Furs that are 
 the principal Traffick of the Mofcovites. The Sub- 
 ftance of his Relation was as follows, and has been 
 confirm'd by many others who had got equal Infor- 
 mation. 
 
 i. This Nation is little more than 300 Leagues 
 diflant from Mofcou : The Journey is eafily perform'd 
 on a Sledge in twenty Days, when the Snow is on 
 the Ground, but in Summer it is almoft impractica- 
 ble by reafon of the Bogs, Waters, and Marfhes ; 
 wherefore the Commerce, which is very confiderable, 
 is only carried on in the Winter. 
 
 2. tobolk, or, as the Mofcovites call it, Toboski, is a 
 large City of great Trade, the Capital of Siberia, 
 and grand Staple for all the Furs : The Country round 
 about it abounds with all forts of Grain, Herbs, and 
 Fruit : It is govern'd by four Mofcovite Officers, who 
 are chang'd every Year, and has Jurifdiction over 
 all that the Mofcovites pofllis in 1'artary beyond the 
 Rivers Irtis and Oby ; here is alio a large Garrifon of 
 Mofcovites and Siberians, who are maintain'd by the 
 Czar. 
 
 The City of Tobolk is about the bignefs of 
 it is fituate on a high Mountain, at the Foot of which 
 runs the Great River Mis, and the little Riv< 
 Toboik, whence the Town takes its Name, and which 
 
 in 
 
China, 'Chines e-Tartary, &c. 183 
 
 in this part difcharges itfelf into Irtis. From Tobolk to 
 the Fall of Irtis into Oby they reckon a hundred 
 Leagues, but it is not half fo far to go ftraight to it : 
 The Irtis is full of windings, and to travel this h 
 dred Leagues along the River would require fifteen or 
 twenty Days : They are chiefly Mahometan Si 
 that inhabit about lobolk, and between the Ri. 
 tis and Oby ; thofe between the Oby and Genijfe are 
 called, by the Mofcovites, Oftiaki and Tùngciijfey\ the 
 Ofiiakis inhabit near Oby, and on the little River of 
 Kiet, and the Tongouffey along the GeniJJee. 
 
 3. It requires much lefs time to go from Selingha 
 to Tcbolk, than to come from Tobolk to Selingué, or 
 Selingha : Selinguê is properly a River, on the Bank 
 of which the Mofcovites have built a Town in the 
 Country of the Kalkas, about two hundred and fifty 
 Leagues to the North- weft of China : This Town, 
 which they call after the Name of the River, was ap- 
 pointed in 1 68 S for the Treaty of Pacification be- 
 tween the Plenipotentiaries of the Emperor of China 
 and the Czar of Mqfcovy. 
 
 The Lake called Paikal lies about four eafy Days 
 Journey more towards the South : This Lake is the 
 largeft in Tartary, and perhaps in the World : They 
 count it three Days Journey from Selingha to this 
 Lake, into which it falls. You come next to a little 
 Town called Oudé, feated alfo on the River a Day's 
 Journey from the Lake, which you afterwards pafs 
 in a Day, for in that part it is not very broad ; after 
 which you enter into another named Angata, which 
 runs from the Lake with a very rapid Current towards 
 the North. 
 
 About ten Leagues from the Lake, in going down 
 the River, you meet with another Town called 
 Ir&outskife, from the Name of a little River which 
 falls in this part into the Angara : From hence, in a- 
 bout ten or twelve Days, you come to Geniffée, which 
 is a City built by the Mofcovites on a River of that 
 N 4 Name: 
 
î 84 Toe General History of 
 
 Name : You flill continue to go down the Angara^ 
 which, as { have already obferved, is exceeding rapid, 
 and full of Rocks ; neverthelefs a Boat may pafs very 
 fafe, provided it is guided by the People of the 
 Country : About half a League South of the City of 
 Geniffee^ the River Angara falls into the River Ge- 
 nijjee, which in that part is at leaft a League over. 
 As foon as you arrive at the City you quit this great 
 River, which runs always North to its Fall into the 
 Frozen Sea ; you then pafs over a Mountain, and tra- 
 vel eight or ten Leagues by Land ; after which you 
 reimbark on a little River called Kifte, which is ford- 
 able, and of fo ftill a Stream that VefTels of a mo- 
 derate Rate can fail up or down it with equal eafe ; 
 they row very fwift, and are no more than ten Days 
 in going to a City or Town called Kietskoie from the 
 Name of the River. 
 
 From this Town to the Fall of the Kifie into the 
 Oby is only one Day's Journey, after which you go 
 down the Oby to its conjunction with the Irtis, which 
 is commonly a Voyage of fifteen or twenty Days, 
 then you fail up the River Irtis to Tobolk. This Jour- 
 ney can't be conveniently taken at any time except 
 in Summer, when the Rivers are navigable, becaufe 
 the way by Land is full of Mountains and Forefts, 
 and in a manner only inhabited along the Rivers : 
 From Kitskoie, after a Voyage of feven or eight Days 
 down the Oby, you come to the City of Navim, and 
 after another Voyage pf the fame length to that of 
 Foitrgoiitle . 
 
 4. The Lake Paykal is near a hundred Leagues in 
 length from South-weft to North-eaft, but little more 
 than ten in breadth -, it is very deep, and full of Fifh, 
 and furrounded with Mountains almoft on every fide ; 
 the Lands which lie on the South of thefe Mountains 
 are of a good Soil, and cultivated in feveral Places by 
 the Mofcovites, the Inhabitants of the Country under- 
 Handing nothing of Tillage : Wheat and Oats grow 
 • well there. The 
 
China, Chinese-Tart ary, &c. 185 
 
 The People, who inhabit about this Lake, are called 
 Tongouffe by the Mofcovites ; and by the Tartars, 
 Orotchon : The Orotchon are properly thofe who live 
 along the Rivers which run towards the Eaft : Here 
 is alfo another Nation, called by the Mongous, Brattes: 
 The Mongou kalkas inhabit North of the River Se- 
 linguê. 
 
 Befides the Siberians you find towards the South, 
 between the Irtis and Oby, another Nation called the 
 Vouhoulles ; thefe inhabit along the River Sociva, 
 which falls into the River tobolk about eight Days 
 Journey above the City of that Name : Towards the 
 Source of Sociva the Mofcovites have built a little 
 Town called Pialing, about twenty Days Journey 
 from Tobolk, whence they govern thefe Voiihoitlles, and 
 oblige them to pay a Tribute of Furs. 
 
 The Banks of the River Lena, which lies confider- 
 ably Eaft of the River Genijfée, are inhabited by ano- » 
 ther Nation, called by the Mofcovites, Tako : They 
 have alfo built a City or Town here, called Tacou- 
 skoie, from the Name of thefe People, whence they 
 keep them in awe : Their whole Employment is 
 Hunting and Fiihing. The Language of this Na- 
 tion is different from that of the Inhabitants along the 
 Genijfée, Oby, and Irtis. 
 
 From Selmgha to Nipt chou is a twenty Days Jour- 
 ney thro' an open Country -, it was inhabited by the 
 Kalkas in the parts proper for Pafture, moft of which 
 Kalkas were fubject to the Mofcovites ; but as they 
 were very prone to rebel, and robb'd even the Cara- 
 vans of the Mofcovites themfelves, thefe laft extirpa- 
 ted them almoft intirely. 
 
 The woody parts of the Country are inhabited by 
 a People called by the Mofcovites, Tangouffe, and by 
 the Mantcheoux, Orotchon ; thefe Orotchon, of whom 
 we have fpoke before, employ themfelves continually 
 in Hunting and Fifhing ; what they chiefly hunt are 
 Sables, Ermins, black Foxes, and Elks ; the Flefh 
 
 of 
 
1 86 7%$ General History of 
 
 of which Animals is alfo their principal Diet : Thofe 
 that refide along the Saghalien oula, called by the 
 Mofcovites, Szilka, to the Fall of the River Ergon , 
 like wife pay Tribute to the Mofccvites : They have 
 alfo Cabbins covered with the Skins of Elks and 
 Rain-Deer, which laft the Mantcheov.x call Oron. 
 
 This River of Ergon, which wab appointed by the 
 Treaty of Aiptchou to be the Boundary on this fide, 
 between the Empires of China and Mofcovy, takes its 
 Rife from the Lake Dalai, and after a Courfe of a 
 hundred Leagues difcharges itfelf into the Saghalien 
 oula ; it is every where navigable, and alfo fordable in 
 fome Places. 
 
 From the Mouth of this River you arrive, in eio-ht 
 or ten Days, at Niptchou, from whence you go down 
 the River in two or three Days to Tacfa ; the Mofco- 
 vites call the Town of Aiptchou, Nerzinokoi, which is 
 grown much more populous fince the Treaty of Peace 
 concluded there in 1689, both on account of the great 
 number of Mofccvites who abandon'd Tacfa to fettle 
 there, as alfo becaufe the Mofcoviie Caravans fet out 
 from thence to go to Peking. 
 
 All the Country which lies North of Saghalien ca- 
 la to the Frozen Sea, between the Meridian of Pe- 
 king and the Eaftern Ocean, is nothing but a vaft De- 
 fart: The Mofcovites, who had often fcour'd the 
 Country, aflur'd us that it was intirely uninhabited, 
 except in one part along the Banks of a River called 
 Oudi, where a Colony of about a hundred Hunters 
 had fettled themfelves, induced by the fine Furs 
 which are found there : The Mofcovites added, that 
 they had alfo fcour'd the Coafts of the Frozen and 
 Eaftern Seas, which they found open in every part, 
 except towards the North-eaft, where there was a 
 Chain of Mountains that advanced very far into the 
 Sea -, they could not go to the Extremity of thele 
 Mountains, which were inacceflible. 
 
 If 
 
China, Ghinese-Tartary, â?r. 
 
 If our Continent joins any where to America it is 
 perhaps in this part -, but whether it does or not it 
 certainly cannot be far diftant, if it be true that our 
 Continent on this fide extends fix or feven hundred 
 Leagues beyond the Meridian of Peking, as we have 
 been aiTured it does by thole that have travelled the 
 Country, and which is alfo confirm'd by the two 
 Maps communicated to us by the Mofcovhe Plenipo- 
 tentiaries -, befides when a Perfon confiders how many 
 Degrees mud be contain'd in fuch a vaft Country, 
 as that of this Corner of Tariary, which extends 
 thro' all the Parallels between the feventieth and 
 eightieth Degree of Latitude, he'll eafily conclude 
 the little diftance there mufc necefTarily be between the 
 two Continents on this fide : However it is certain 
 that Eaflern Tartary is almoft intirely a vaft Defart, 
 and that the Northern part, which is fubjeel to the 
 Mofccvites, is not near fo well inhabited as Canada ; 
 neither do the Mofccvites get any thing there but Furs, 
 and the Teeth of a certain Fifh, whiter and more 
 precious than Ivory ; neverthelefs they drive a great 
 Trade to Peking, tho' fcarce any People but the Mcf- 
 covites, who are poor and inur'd to Cold and Fa- 
 tigue, would take fo much Pains for fo little Profit. 
 
 That Multitude of Furs which they are poffefs'd 
 of come from Siberia, from the Countries along the 
 Irtis, Oby, and Genijfte, and not from thefe vaft 
 Countries which extend on the Eaft of Gemfjh to the 
 Sea, where there are few Inhabitants, and thole very 
 poor and miferable : But their greater!: Misfortune is 
 their Ignorance of the true God, for they even feera 
 to have no Religion at all : It is probable that l 
 Mongol's had formerly fome Knowledge of the Chri- 
 ftiàn Religion, and that there were alfo feveral Chri- 
 ftians among them in the time of Zinghishin, that im- 
 placable Enemy of Mahomet and his SucceiTors : It 
 was upon this Subject I once convers'd with a Mon- 
 gcu Prince, the Brother of one of thofc Regulos whofe 
 
 Tcrri- 
 
i88 77je General History of 
 
 Territories lay near the Great Wall ; he underftood 
 the Mantcheou Language perfectly well, which I alfo 
 fpoke, and was better acquainted with the Hiftory 
 of his Anceftors than any Mangou that I knew -, where- 
 fore I asked him how Jong the Mongous had been fo 
 devoted to their Lamas, and in particular to the Great 
 Lama of Thibet, and at what time thefc Lamas intro- 
 duced the Religion of Fo among them. 
 
 He anfwered me, That it was under the Reign of 
 the Emperor Coublai, whom he called Houblai, at 
 which time came Lamas into the Country of the 
 Mongous, who planted their Religion ; but that thefe 
 Lamas were different from the prefent, being wile 
 Men of irreproachable Lives, and Saints that 
 wrought a great many Miracles ; it is probable that 
 thefe Lamas, as he call'd them, were religious Chri- 
 ftians who came from Syria and Armenia at that time 
 fubjefl to this Emperor, and preached the Chriftian 
 Religion to the Mongous, as alfo to the Chinefe : But 
 the Communication of thefe Countries with China 
 and Tartary being afterwards cut off by the difmem- 
 bering of this Great Empire, the Bonzes of China 
 mixed their Superftitions with the Chriftian Cuftoms, 
 and indulging thefe ignorant Tartars in their Senfuali- 
 ties, introduced by degrees the Religion of Fo among 
 them. 
 
 This is ftill the more credible, becaufe thefe Lamas 
 have feveral Ceremonies and Cuftoms like thofe ob- 
 iêrved among Chriftians -, thus they have Holy- 
 Water, the Chant of the Choir, and Prayers for the 
 Dead : Their Drefs is like that in which we ufually 
 paint the Apoftles, and they wear a Mitre and Hat 
 like the Bilhops ; without mentioning their Great 
 Lama, who among them is in a manner what the 
 Pope is among Chriftians. 
 
 The Mongous are naturally well inclin'd, and very 
 devout in their falfe Worfhip ; but fo biggoted to 
 their Lamas, notwithftanding molt of them arc 
 
 ignorant 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, Sp» *%9 
 
 ignorant and debauch'd, that there is little hopes of 
 converting them to the true Faith. The firft Jour- 
 ney I took into Tar tar y I had thoughts of opening 
 a Million here, and of confecrating the reft of my 
 Days to preaching the Gofpel among thefe People ; 
 but I perceiv'd their Hearts and Minds fo little dif- 
 pos'd to receive the Divine Seed, that I concluded it 
 would be imprudent to abandon China, where I had 
 the Profpect of fuch an abundant Harveft. 
 
 It is not becaufe thefe Souls, which were purchas*d 
 by the Blood of Chrift as well as thofe of the politeft 
 People, have not an equal Title to Apoftolick Cha- 
 rity , but I am perfuaded that the molt effectual Me- 
 thod of extending Chriftianity in thefe Countries 
 would be to fend labourers from China, when they 
 fhall be numerous enough to be fhar'd by their 
 Neighbours ; there are already fome Chriftians from 
 Peking in the Eaftern part, I mean in the Country of 
 the Mantcheoux, and we hope foon to eftablifh lèverai 
 Millions there. 
 
 I fhall clofe thefe Remarks with a Word or two 
 concerning the Great Wall which feparates China from 
 Tartary -, for as I have travelled along the chief 
 part of it, and have paft thro' molt of the principal 
 Gates, I can fpeak with certainty : It is indeed one of 
 the moft furprifing and extraordinary Works in the 
 World, yet it can't be deny 'd but that thofe who have 
 mention'd it in their Relations have magnify 'd it too 
 much, imagining doubtlefs that it was «every where 
 the fame as they faw it in the parts neareft Peking, or 
 at certain of the moft important PafTes, where it is 
 very ftrong, and well-built, as alfo very high and 
 thick. 
 
 From the Eaftern Ocean, where is the famous Gate 
 called Chang hai hen, to the Entrance of the Pro- 
 vince of Chan ft, it is in general built of Stone and 
 Brick, with fquare ftrong Towers placed near enough 
 for a mutual Defence, and in the more important 
 
 PafTes 
 
iqo ffie General History of 
 
 PafTes are handfome FortrefTes : This part extends a- 
 bout two hundred Leagues, without reckoning the 
 double, and fometimes the triple Walls, which fecure 
 the moil considerable PafTes. 
 
 From the Entrance of the Province of Chan ft, to 
 its Weftern Extremity, this Wall is built of nothing 
 but Earth, or rather it is only a Terrafs, which is 
 wanting too in fome Places, where I have often pafs'd 
 and repafs'd on Horfeback : It is true you meet fre- 
 quently with Towers, which in fome Places are alio 
 of Brick, or Stone, but they are moftly built of 
 Earth -, to recompenfe this, for the whole length of 
 the Great Wall within China, you meet with a For- 
 trefs every four Leagues, each of which were 
 flrongly garrifon'd under the Dynafly of Tai ming, 
 to defend the Country from the Incurfions of the 
 Tartars. 
 
 There is indeed a Garrifon in each of thefe For- 
 trefTes at prefent, but then in mofl of them thefe Gar- 
 rifons are very fmall, and confift of none but Chinefe 
 Soldiers ; lor it is only the principal Places, as Fcuen 
 fou, Tai long fou, Tu lin, Ning hia, Siang tcheou, Si 
 ning, and So tcheou, that are guarded by any confider- 
 able Body of Troops: But befides thefe FortrefTes, 
 the Mountains which are in China, immediately be- 
 hind the Great Wall, fufficiently defend the Country 
 againft the Invafions of the Tartars. Thofe who de- 
 fire a more particular Account may find it in the 
 Journal of ray Travels ; the prefent Sketch may fuf- 
 fice to give a general Idea of Tartary, as much as a 
 Country fo vail and uninhabited can deierve. 
 
 Geographical 
 
China, Ch i n e s e-Ta rtary, &c. i.g r 
 
 Geographical Memoirs of the Countries inhabited 
 by the Mongou Princes, ranged under forty- 
 nine Ki, or Standards. 
 
 HP H E Mongou Tartars live only in Tents, which 
 they remove from Place to Place, according to 
 the different Seafons of the Year, and the Conve- 
 nience of their Flocks ; in Summer they encamp on 
 the Banks of Rivers, and in Winter under the Co- 
 of the Mountains. Thus they have have no fettled 
 Abode in any part of thofe Countries of which they 
 boaft themfelves Sovereigns by an hereditary Right ; 
 at prefent they hold of the Emperor of China, who 
 gratifies them with a certain annual Stipend, but a 
 much lefs than what he allows the Mantcheou Princes 
 at Peking, This wandering Life of the Mongou s 
 would not permit us to defcribe their Habitations on 
 the Map, any otherwife than by thofe Rivers, Lakes, 
 ' and Mountains, near which they ufually encamp in 
 great numbers : In fome of thefe little Countries are 
 flill to be feen the Ruins of Cities deftroy'd many Ages 
 fince, and thofe we have diftinguifh'd in the Map by 
 their Names. 
 
 Thefe Countries are bounded on the South by the 
 Great Wall of China : The four principal Gates by 
 which you enter Tartary are exactly defcribed in the 
 Map -, their Names are Hi fong keou, Kou pe keou, 
 ^tchang kia keou, and Cha kou keou ; Keou, in Chinefe, 
 fignifies the Straits of the Mountains : By a careful 
 Obfervation of thefe four Gates, you'll eafily find in 
 the Map the Countries of the Mongou Princes divi- 
 ded into forty-nine Ki, or Banners. 
 
 I. Pafling North from Hi fong keou you enter aî- 
 moft immediately into the Countries of Cart chin, 
 
 Oban, 
 
92 *The General History of - 
 
 Oban, Naimann, and Corlch'm -, and to the Eafl of 
 this laft lies the Country of Soumet. 
 
 i. The Country of Cartchin is divided into two 
 Diftricts, or, as they phrafe it at Peking, into two 
 Banners or Standards under two Princes : The mod 
 remarkable Point in the Map is Tchaban Suburban Ho- 
 tun ; Hotun, in the Mantcbeou Language, fignifies a 
 City, and Subarban a Pyramid of feveral heights ; 
 the Pyramid is flill to be feen: Its Latitude is 41 
 Degrees, 33 Minutes, and its Longitude 2 Degrees, 
 45 Minutes Eaft. This Country extends to Hi fow 
 keou, a Gate of the Great Wall in the Province of 
 Pe tche li, Latitude 40 Degrees, 26 Minutes ; Lon- 
 gitude 1 Degree, 55 Minutes Eaft of the Meredian 
 of Peking. 
 
 2. The Country of Cortcbin is divided into ten 
 Standards, including the Countries of Tourbedê and 
 Tcbalei : The principal Refidence of the Cortcbin Tar- 
 tars is along the River Koueiler, Lat. 46 deg. 17 min. 
 Longit. 4 deg. 20 min. Eaft. This Country extends 
 to the River Sira mouren, Latit. 43 deg. ^j min. 
 Longit. 5. deg. o Eaft. The principal Point of Tour- 
 bédé is Haitahan pira ; Pira fignifies a River ; Latit. 
 47 deg. 15 min. Longit. 6. deg. 30 min. Eaft. The 
 Tcbalei Tartars inhabit near the River called in the 
 Map Nonni oula -, Oula fignifies a River ; Latit. 46 
 deg. 30 min. Longit. 7 deg. 45 min. Eaft. Thus 
 Cortcbin, from North to South, contains near 4 deg. 
 for it extends fix Leagues on the North of the River 
 Haitahan ; but it is not fo broad as long, being no 
 more than 3 deg. 25 min. from Eaft to Weft. 
 
 3. The Country of Naymann contains but one Ban- 
 ner, and begins on the South fide the River Sira 
 mouren, Latit. 43 deg. ^7 min - Longit. 5 deg. o. 
 Eaft. The principal North Point on the Map is 
 Topirtala; Latit. 43 deg. 15 min. Longit. 4 deg. 
 45 min. Eaft. 
 
 4. The 
 
China, C hinese-Tartar y 3 &c. 193 
 
 4. The Country of Oban is chiefly inhabited along 
 the River Narconi pira, into which fall lèverai other 
 little Rivers, as Chaca col, or Tchahan col : The Vil- 
 lage is alfo called Chaca col cajan ; Cajan, in the 
 Mantcheou Language, fignifies a Village -, Latit. 42 
 deg. 15 min. Longit. 4 deg. o. Eafl. The Ruins of 
 a City called Orpan, or Kurban fubarhan hotun, fitu- 
 ate on the little River Noutchoucou, or Nutchaka, are 
 on this fide the 41 deg. 15 min. Noutchoucou falls 
 into the River Talin ho. 
 
 5. The Country of Toumet, which is divided be- 
 tween two Princes of Banners, is principally inhabi- 
 ted beyond the River called in the Map Subharan ; 
 Latit. 41 deg. 20. min. Longit. 3 deg. 30. min. Eafl. 
 Here alfo are to be feen the Ruins of a City called 
 Modun hotun', Latit. 41 deg. 28 min. Longit. 3 deg. 
 40 min. Eafl. This Country extends on the South to 
 the Great Wall, on the Eafl to the Palifade or Mound 
 of Stakes that confines Leao long, and on the North to 
 Kaïka, or Hara paclcham. 
 
 II. If you pafs thro' the Gate Kou pe keou, you en- 
 ter into tholè Lands which were formerly part of Cor- 
 tchïn and Onhiot, but are at prefent the Places where 
 the Emperor takes the Diverfion of Hunting : Here 
 are alfo feveral fine Houfes where he refides during 
 the heat of Summer. A little farther North you 
 find the Countries of Onhiot, Ketchitlen, Parin, Cba- 
 rot, Out choumont chin, Aroucortchin, and Abahanar. 
 
 1 . The Country of Onhiot is divided into two Stan- 
 dards of Tartarian Princes on the River Inkin ; Latit. 
 42 deg, 30 min. Longit. 2 deg. o. Eafl. 
 
 2. The Country of Parin, divided into two Stan- 
 dards, is principally inhabited along the River Hara 
 mouren, which falls into the River Sir a mouren-, Latit. 
 41 deg. 36 min. Longit. 2 deg. 14 min. Eafl. 
 
 3. The Country of Ketchitlen, or Kefitlen, is alfo 
 divided into two Standards, and chiefly inhabited 
 along the little River which runs from the South- weft 
 
 Vol, IV. O into 
 
194 ^ je General History of 
 
 into Sira mouren -, Latit. 43 deg. o. o. Longit. 1 deg. 
 10 m in. Eafl. 
 
 4. The Country of Outchoumoutchin, or Outfimou- 
 fin, contains only two Standards, which chiefly re- 
 fide along the Houlacor, or Hoidgour pira ; Latit. 44 
 deg. 45 min. Longit. 1 deg. 10 min. Eaft. 
 
 5. The Country of Charot is divided into two Tar- 
 tarian Standards -, their chief Refidence is near the 
 Fall of the River Lohan pra into the Sira mouren ; 
 Latit. 43 deg. 30 min. Longit. 4 deg. 20 min. Eafl. 
 
 6. The Country of Aroucortchin contains but one 
 Banner along the River Aroiiconàoulen -, Latit. 45 deg. 
 $0 min. Longit. 3 deg. 50 min. Eaft. 
 
 7. The Country of Abahanar is divided into two 
 Standards, and principally inhabited about the Lake 
 called Taal nor ; Nor, in the Mongou Language, fig- 
 nifies a Lake; Latit. 43 deg. 30 min. Longit. o. 28 
 min. Eaft. 
 
 III. When you have pafs'd the Gate Tchang kia 
 keou, to the Weft of Kou pe keou, you enter certain 
 Countries conquered by the Emperor, and which are 
 immediately dependent on him ; thefe Lands, as like- 
 wife all thofe along the Great Wall from Kou pe keou, 
 to Hi fong keou, are occupy'd by the Emperor's 
 Farmers, and thofe of the Princes, and other Tarta- 
 rian Lords : Here are alfo Mongou Tartars of diffe- 
 rent Countries, who having been either taken Prifo- 
 ners, or made a voluntary Submiflion, are divided in- 
 - to three Standards, and commanded by Officers cho- 
 fen by the Emperor -, wherefore they are not reckon'd 
 among the forty-nine Ki, or Banners of the Mongous, 
 whofe Chiefs are fo many Princes or little Sove- 
 reigns. 
 
 A little farther to the North of Tchang kia keou 
 you find the Countries of the Mongou Princes of Hoa- 
 tchit, Sonhiot, Ababai, and Touintchoufe. 
 
 1. The Country of Hoatchit is divided into two 
 Standards near the River Tcbikir, or Tcbirin pira ; 
 
 Latit. 
 
China, Chinese-Tart ar y, @V. 195 
 
 Latit. 44 deg. 6 min. Longit. o. 45 min. 10 fee. 
 Eaft. 
 
 2. The Country of Sonhiot is divided into two Stan- 
 dards ; their principal Habitation is near a Lake of 
 which the Latitude is 44 deg. 29 min. 7. fee. Longit. 
 1 deg. 28 min. Weft. 
 
 3. The Country of Abahai is divided into two Tar- 
 tarian Banners that encamp round certain Lakes or 
 Ponds of Water, the moil Southern of which is Hou- 
 tch'in ; Latit. 44 deg. Long. 1 deg. 31 min. Weft. 
 
 4. The Country of Toidntchoufe contains but one 
 Banner of Tartars, near the Mountain Orgon aim -, 
 Alin, in the Mantcheou Language, fignifies a Moun- 
 tain; Latit. 41 deg. 41 min. Longit. 4 deg. 20 
 min. Weft. 
 
 IV. By the Gate Cha hou keou you enter again in- 
 to the Lands belonging to the Emperor ; the City, 
 called in the Map, Houhou botun, is moil remarka- 
 ble ; its Latitude is 40 deg. 49. min. and its Longi- 
 tude 4 deg. 48 min. Weft. Here inhabit the Cou- 
 fayng, or Chiefs of two Banners of the Tartars, cal- 
 led alfo Tonmet : Thefc Tartars are partly delcended 
 from thofe who were taken Prifoners by the Man- 
 tcbeoux, when they made an Irruption from Leao tong 
 into the Territories of the Mongous -, and partly a 
 Mixture of 'Tartars from different Countries ; their 
 Chiefs are appointed by the Emperor. 
 
 When you are paft the Territories of Houhou ho- 
 tun you enter into the Countries of the Mongou 
 Princes of Kalka targar, Maomingan, Ourat, and Or- 
 tos, or Ortous. 
 
 1 . The Country of Kalka Targar is v/atered by the 
 little River called Aipaha moaren -, it contains but one 
 Banner, which principally inhabits in Latit. 41 deg, 
 44. min. Longit. 5 deg. $5 min. Weft. 
 
 2. The Country of Maomingan alfo contains only 
 one Banner -, Latit. 4 1 deg. 1 5 min. Longit. 6 deg, 
 30* min. Weft. 
 
 O 2 3. The 
 
ig6 Tlie General History of 
 
 3. The Country of Our at is divided into three 
 Standards, and principally inhabited along the River 
 Condolen, which, by Obfervation taken on the Place, 
 has Latit. 49 deg. 55 min. Longit. 6 deg. 50 min. 
 Weft. 
 
 4. The Country of Or to s , or Or tous, lies South 
 of the River Hoang ho which inclofes it on three fides, 
 and is bounded by that part of the Great Wall that 
 runs from the Point where* this River enters into 
 Tartary, to the Point where it re-enters China, and 
 is divided among fix Princes or Standards of the 
 Mongous : The principal Point of this Country has 
 Latit. 39 deg. 30 min. Longit. 7 deg. 30. min. 
 
 The Windings of the Hoang ho, by which it gra- 
 dually advances towards the North, are defcrib'd ac- 
 cording to the different Obfervations taken in purfuing 
 its Courfe in that Place called in the Map Koure 
 modo, which has Latit. 41 deg. 4 min. 43 fee. Thefe 
 Countries are uninhabited, and have nothing remark- 
 able. 
 
 Of the Kalka Tartars. 
 
 T)ESIDES thefe forty-nine Banners" or Standards, 
 commanded by as many Mongou Princes, there 
 are alfo to the North and North weft of Peking lè- 
 verai other Tarta?-ian Princes diftinguifhed from theiè 
 Mongous by the common Name of Kalkas. 
 
 They take this Name from the River Kalka, and 
 are cal-ed at Peking, Kalka tafe, and Kalka Mongou : 
 From Eaft to Weft they extend twenty-two Degrees, ■ 
 but from South to North no more than five and a half. 
 The principal Places which they ufually inhabit are 
 as follows. 
 
 Along the Kalka pr a, Latit. on this fide the 48th 
 deg. Longit. 1, 2, 3, 4 deg. Eaft. 
 
 Near 
 
China, Chinese-Tartar y, @V. 197 
 
 Near Pouir nor^ Latit. 48 deg. Longit. 1 deg. 29 
 inin. 
 
 Along the Kerlonpira, between the 48th and 47th 
 of Latin, and the 4th, 5th, and 6th deg. of Longit. 
 Weft. 
 
 Along the Toula pira, beyond the 47th deg. of 
 Latit. and the 9th and 10th deg. of Longit. Weft. 
 
 Along the Hara pira, Latit 49 deg. 10 min. Longit. 
 10 deg. 15 min. Weil. 
 
 Along the Selingué pira, Latit. 49 deg. 27 min. 
 Longit. 12 deg. 26 min. Weft. 
 
 Along the Iben pira, Latit. 49 deg. 23 min. Longit. 
 10 deg. 32 min. Weft. 
 
 Along the Touy pira and Car oujir, Latit. 46 deg. 
 29 min. 20 fee. Longit. 15 deg. 16 min. Weft. 
 
 Along the Irou pira, Latit. 46 deg. Longit. 15 
 deg. 25 min. Weft. 
 
 Along the Pataric pira, Latit. 46 deg. Longit. 
 16 deg. 32 min. Weft. 
 
 Along the Tegouric pira, Latit. 45 deg. 23 min. 
 45 îç.c. Longit. 19 deg. 30 min. Weft. 
 
 The City of Hami, inhabited by Mahometans- who 
 poflefs this little Country, and acknowledge the Em- 
 peror in the fame manner as the Kalka tafe their 
 Neighbours. Latit. 42 deg. 53 min. Longit. 22 deg. 
 23 min. 
 
 Of the Coconor or Hohonor Tartars. 
 
 N the Weft lie the Tartars called Coconor ta fe, 
 Coconor Mongous : This Name they take from a 
 Lake called by the Mongous, Nor, and by the Man- 
 tcheoux, Omo : The principal Lords of thefe Tartars 
 inhabit about a Lake which is one of the largeft in 
 Tartary, and called by the Chinefe Geographers Si 
 hai, or the JVejlern Sea, being above twenty great 
 
 O 3 Leagues 
 
The General History of 
 
 Leagues in length, and more than ten in breadth. It 
 is fituated between the Parallels, Lat. 37. and 36 
 Deg. Long. 1 6 and 1 7 Deg. 
 
 We have defcrib'd on the Map the Mountains, Ri- 
 vers, and principal Places inhabited by thofe who 
 have fubmitted to the Emperor -, the others extend 
 more Weftward as you go towards La/a. 
 
 All thefe Princes boaft themfelves to be of the fame 
 Houfe with the chief Prince of the Elutb Tartars, 
 who inhabits along the River Ilin pira, and who is 
 known at Peking by the Name of Tfe vang rapton or 
 Rabdan -, wherefore Coconor is properly no other than 
 the Name of a Country pofTefs'd by a Family of E- 
 luth Princes fubdivided into feveral Branches. The 
 Chiefs have been honour'd by the Emperor with the 
 Titles of Tying vang, Kun vang, Cong, and Peylé, 
 that is to fay with thofe of Regulo, Prince, Duke, 
 and Count, in the fame manner as the Mantcheou 
 Princes at Peking. 
 
 Remarks on the Language of the Mantcheou 
 Tartar s. 
 
 C I N C E the prefent Tartarian Family have filled 
 the Throne of China, the Mantcheou Language 
 has been equally ufed at Court with the Chinefe : Two 
 Prefidents, one a Tartar and the other a Native, 'are 
 at the Head of every chief Court of Juftice, and 
 all the publick Acts, as well thofe of the princi- 
 pal Tribunals, as fuch as are of the fupreme Coun- 
 cil of the Emperor himfelf, are wrote in both Lan- 
 guages. 
 
 But notwithstanding this Language is much eafier 
 to attain than the Chinefe, yet ftill the latter pre 
 thro* the whole Empire, and the former was in, 
 
 ger 
 
China, Chinese-Tart a r y, &*c. 199 
 
 ger of being utterly loft, had not the Tartars, who 
 prefer it infinitely to the other, employ'd their utmoft 
 Precautions to preferve it : They perceiv'd it infen- 
 fibly decline, and that thro' an Oblivion of Terms, 
 rather than any mixture of Chinefe Words, the two 
 Languages being incapable of ever admitting an Al- 
 liance. The old Tartars by degrees drop'd off, and 
 their Children found it lefs difficult to learn the Lan- 
 guage of the conquer'd than that of their Fathers, 
 their Mothers being chiefly Chinefe, as well as their 
 Domeflicks. 
 
 To obviate this Inconvenience under the flrft Em- 
 peror Chun tchi, who reign'd feventeen Years, they 
 began to tranflate the Chinefe Claflicks, and alfo to 
 compile Dictionaries of their Words difpos'd into al- 
 phabetical Order ; but as the Explanations and Cha- 
 racters were Chinefe, and as that Language was inca- 
 pable of rendring either the true Sounds or Mean- 
 ing, the Labour proved abortive. This occafion'd the 
 Emperor Gang hi, at the beginning of his Reign, to 
 erect a Tribunal at Peking of the mod skilful in both 
 Languages, fome of whom he employ'd in the Ver- 
 fion of thofe LI iftories and Clafficks which had been 
 left unfinihVd, others in tranflating Pieces of Orato- 
 ry, but the greatcft number in compiling a Thefatt- 
 rus of the Tartarian Language. 
 
 This Task was executed with extraordinary Dili- 
 gence, for whenever any doubt arofe they apply'd 
 themièlves to the Elders of the eight Tartarian Ban- 
 ners -, and, if a farther Recourfe feem'd necefTary, to 
 thofe who were laft arriv'd from the remote Parts of 
 their Country, at the fame time propofing a Reward 
 to every one who mould difcover any old Words or 
 Phrafcs proper to be plac'd in their Thefaurus. At 
 length, when they had compleated their Work lb far 
 that nothing feem'd wanting but what might very 
 well be contain'd in a Supplement, they divided it 
 into Gaffes. The firft fpeaks of Heaven ; the fe- 
 
 O 4 cond 
 
20O 77je General History of 
 
 cond of Time ; the third of the World ; the fourth 
 of the Emperor, the Government of the Mandarins, 
 their Ceremonies, Cuftoms, Mufick and Books, alfo s 
 of War, Hunting, Man, Countries, Silks, Linens, 
 Habits, Inftruments of Labour, Handicrafts, Navi- 
 gation, Eating and Drinking, the different forts of 
 Grain, Vegetables, Birds, Beafts wild and domeftick, 
 Fifhes, Poetry, &c. 
 
 Every one of thefe ClafTe, is divided into Chap- 
 ters and Articles, the principal Words are wrote in 
 Capitals, and under every one is fubjoin'd in a fmal- 
 ler Letter its Definition, Explanation, and particular 
 ufe ; the Explanations are in a neat eafy Stile, and 
 can't be too much imitated by thofc who would write 
 with Elegance and Propriety. But as this Book is 
 in the 'Tartarian Language and Character, it is of no 
 manner of ufe to Beginners, and can only be of fèr- 
 vice to them who already know the Language, and 
 are defirous either to perfect themfelves, or compofè 
 in it -, for the chief end of the Compilers was to make 
 a kind of Store-houfe of their Language, fo that it 
 fhould not poffibly perifh as long as the Dictionary 
 endur'd, for which reafon they have left to their Po- 
 fterity the care of making Additions whenever they 
 fhall difcover any thing new that as yet wants a 
 Name. 
 
 It is remarkable in this Language, compar'd with 
 thofe of Europe, that as often as the . Subflantivcs 
 which are govern'd of the Verb differ the Tartars 
 employ a different Verb, and that with fo much cir- 
 cumfpection, that tho' a flip of this kind is pardon- 
 able in common Conversion, yet in Compofiticn it 
 is look'd upon as incxcufable, and even in their or- 
 dinary Writings. 
 
 The Repetition of the fame Word, within the com- 
 pafs of two Lines, they think equally iniupporrable, 
 for it cccafions an Identity of Sound which is offenfive 
 to them, and therefore, when they hear us read in 
 
 any 
 
 « 
 
China, Chinese-Tartar y, &*c. 201 
 
 any of our Books, they laugh at the frequent Returns 
 of our Pronouns and Expletives, which diiguft them 
 extremely: To tell them it is the Genius of your 
 Language is to no purpofe, for you can never recon- 
 cile them to it, nor indeed have they any want of 
 them in theirs, fince the bare ranging their Words an- 
 fwers the fame end, and that without either Obfcu- 
 rity or Equivocation. 
 
 Another Angularity in their Language is its great 
 number of abftract Terms -, for as to Periphrafes and 
 Circumlocutions, which only fufpend and flatten a Dif- 
 courfe, they have no occafion for them, but by a 
 fingle Word can denote what could not otherwife be 
 exprefs'd without a great many ; and this particularly 
 appears when they fpeak of Animals, whether wild 
 or domeftick, the Inhabitants of Air or Water ; which 
 to defcribe exactly in our Language, what Circumlo- 
 cution muff, one ufe thro' a want of Terms fignificant 
 of one's Meaning ? 
 
 But it is quite otherwife with the Tartars : To ex- 
 plain which one Inftance will be fufficient -, it is that 
 of a Dog, which of all their domeftick Animals fup- 
 plies the feweft Terms to their Language tho' many 
 more than to ours ; for befides the common Names 
 of great and little Dog, Maftif, Greyhound, Spa- 
 niel, &c. they have alio others to diftinguifh. their 
 particular Ages, Colours, and good or bad Qualities:' 
 For Example, 
 
 Would they exprefs that a Dog has long Hair, 
 long Ears, and a long Tail, they only fay, Taiha ; 
 but if he has a long thick Nofe, a Tail the fame, 
 with large Ears and Lips, it is all comprehended in 
 the Word Yolo ; if the Dog accompany with an or- 
 dinary Bitch, that has none of thefe Qualities, the 
 Whelp is nam'd Peferi \ and every Dog and Bitch 
 that has two Curls on the Forehead, whether white or 
 yellow, is cail'd Tourbe -, if he is mark'd like a Leo- 
 pard 
 
202 7%>e General History of 
 
 ' pard his Name is Court, but Palta if his • Noie is 
 only fpotted, and the reft of his Body of an uniform 
 colour ; if he has a white Neck it is Tchacou, but 
 if the Flair fall back on the top of his Head, Kalia -, 
 if he has one of his Eyes half white and half blue 
 he is call'd c fchikeri ; and if he is fmall of fize, with 
 fhort Legs, a thick Body, and long Neck, Capari. 
 The common Name of a Dog is bidagon, and that 
 of a Bitch Nieguen -, their Whelps, till they are kven 
 Months old, are call'd Niaba, and from thence till 
 the eleventh Months, Nouqueri ; after which, at the Age 
 of fixteen Month, they take the common Name of 
 Indagon : It is the fame with their good and bad Qua- 
 lities, one Word is cxpreffive of two or three. 
 
 To'inftance in other Animals would be endlefs : 
 The Korfe, for Example, is a Creature which they 
 delight in for his utility, wherefore they have multi- 
 ply'd Names in his favour, and he has at leafc twenty 
 times more than the Dog; for they have not only 
 proper Names for his different Colour, Age and Qua- 
 lity, but alfo for his different Movements, as if he 
 is refllefs when tied, if he breaks loofe and runs at 
 large, if he makes for Company, if he is frighted 
 at the fall of his Rider, or at the fudden encounter 
 of a wild Bead, or if he is mounted, for his different 
 Paces, and the various Motions he gives the Rider. 
 For all thefe, and many other Particulars, the Tartars 
 have fet Words exprefsly adapted to the purpofe. 
 
 Whether this Variety ought to be look'd upon as 
 a Beauty or a Fault, is no eafy matter to determine ; 
 but this is certain, that tho' it extremely burthens the 
 Memory of the Learner, and efpecially one of an ad- 
 vane'd age, yet in Convcriation it redounds very 
 much to his Honour, and in CompoQtion is abfo- 
 lutely necefTary. 
 
 But whence they could derive fuch an aftoniihing 
 multitude of Terms is furprifing ! fince it is evident 
 
 they 
 
China, Chines e-Ta rtary, &c. 203 
 
 they are no way indebted to their Neighbours ; on 
 the Weft are the Mongcv.s Tartars, but the two Lan- 
 guages have nothing in common, except about feven 
 or eight Words, and even as to thofe it is uncertain 
 to which they originally belong'd: To the Eaft lie 
 feveral fmall Nations of Savages, but their Language 
 they can no more underftand than they can that cf 
 their Northern Neighbours ; and on the South they 
 have the Coreans^ whofe Language and Characters 
 being Cbmefe have no manner of refemblance to 
 thofe of the Tartars. 
 
 Tho' they have but one fort of Characters, yet 
 they have four feveral manners of Writing : The firft 
 is when they write with refpect, or in Characters like 
 thofe engrav'd on Wood or Stone, which is extreme 
 tedious ; a Writer feldom difpatches above twenty or 
 five and twenty Lines in a Day, and efpecially when 
 they are defign'd for the view of the Emperor ; for if 
 a Stroke of the Pencil is drawn with too heavy a 
 Hand, or appears inelegant thro' any defect of the 
 Paper, or ir the Words are too much crouded or 
 uneven, 'in all thefe Cafes and many more of the 
 like nature they muft begin again : No References 
 nor marginal Additions are allow'd, for that would 
 be failing in refpect to their Prince ; and therefore 
 thofe, who have the care of overlooking the Sheet, 
 refufe to receive it whenever they rerr y one of 
 
 thefe Faults : Neither are they permitted to begin a 
 Line with half a Word, but mufc ufe fuch Precau- 
 tions, and meafure their Space fo exactly, thai 
 fuch Inconvenience may poffibly happen. 
 
 Their fécond Fafhion of Writing is very beauti- 
 ful, and little different from the firft, but attended 
 with lefs Trouble ; for in this it is not necefTary tu 
 double the Strokes of every final Letter, nor to re- 
 touch what is already written, tho' here and there a 
 Stroke mould be more clumfy or more (lender than 
 another. 
 
 Their 
 
304 e ^ )e General History of 
 
 Their third manner of Writing is ftill more diffe- 
 rent from the fécond than that is from the firft, 
 and this is their Running-hand, which is extreme 
 fwift, and foon crouds the Page on both fides ; for as 
 their Pencils retain the Ink, much better than our Pens, 
 they are fubject to fewer Interruptions -, and therefore, 
 when you dictate to one of their Writers, you fhall 
 fee his Pencil run with the utmoft rapidity, and with- 
 out flopping a Moment : The ufe of this Character 
 is chiefly for their Records, Proceffes, and other com- 
 mon Affairs : Thefe three manners of writing are e- 
 qually legible, but lefs beautiful one than another. 
 
 Their fourth manner is the groffeft of all, tho' at 
 the fame time the fhorteft and moil convenient, either 
 for Compofition, or minuting down any thing, or 
 extracting from Books ; for the better apprehending 
 which you muft underfland that in the Tartarian 
 way of writing they have always a Mafler-Stroke, 
 which falls perpendicular from the top of the Word 
 to the bottom : To the left of this Stroke they add 
 others like the Teeth of a Saw, and thefe are the 
 four Vowels, a, e, i, o, which they diflinguifh one 
 from another by Points plac'd to the right Hand of 
 the Perpendicular : If a Point is oppofite to one of 
 thefe Teeth it is the Vowel e, but if omitted the 
 Vowel a : When a Point is plac'd on the left Hand 
 the Word, near the Tooth, it ftands for #, and mould 
 be read ne -, but if there is an oppofite Point to the 
 right, na. Moreover, if to the right of the Word an 
 o is plac'd inftead of a Point, it denotes that the Vowel 
 is afpirate, and mould be read ha, be, as in the Spa- 
 ni/b Tongue. 
 
 Thus a Perfon who would exprefs himfelf politely 
 in the Tartarian Language, if he can't directly hit 
 upon a Word that pleafes him, may notwithstanding 
 commit his Thoughts to Paper, and that almofl with- 
 out writing it all : For this purpofe he forms the 
 head of his Character, and draws his IV . licu- 
 
 lar ; 
 
China, Chinese-Tart ar y, &c. 205 
 
 hv ; if he places one or two Points it is a great deal ; 
 thus he goes on till he has expreffed his Thought ; 
 if another Thought immediately follows he takes no 
 time to overlook what is already wrote, but conti- 
 nues his Lines till he comes to a ^difficult Tranfition, 
 upon which he flops fhort, reads over his Perpendi- 
 cular, and adds his Points in thofe places where 
 none but himfelf could divine what he had writ. 
 
 If upon reading it over he finds an Omiffion of 
 any Word he writes it in the Margin, and marks 
 the place where it ought to come in ; but if a Word 
 is redundant, or ill placed, inflead of blotting it, he 
 draws an Oval round it, after which if any one re- 
 marks to him, or his own Judgment^ informs him, that 
 it is a good Word, he adds two 00 to the fide' of it, 
 to fignify to the Reader that it ought to fland. 
 
 Neverthelefs this fourth way of writing is legible 
 enough, when a Perfon is acquainted with the fubjecl 
 Matter, and has acquir'd any habit in the Language : 
 The Perfon who holds the Pencil, whether in writing 
 his own Thoughts, or what another di&ates, minds 
 nothing but Truth and Exaclnefs ; the Polilhing and 
 Finifhing the Piece come after. 
 
 Mean time, if Company are talking round him, it 
 is no Diflurbance, nay fo well are they train'd to this 
 Application ; that he does not fo much as hear them, 
 but writes on in tranquillity, weighs his Words, feeks 
 for new Turns, and examines with the moil fcrupu- 
 lous nicety the Elegance, Order, and Concifenefs 
 of his Difcourfe -, for in this, as in other Languages, 
 there is nothing but what is capable of being exprefs'd 
 in a clear, eafy, and polite Stile. They commonly 
 write with a Pencil, yet fome of the Tartars ufe a 
 kind of Pen made of Bamboo^ and almoft fhaped 
 like thofe in Europe ; but, as the Chinefe Paper is un- 
 alum'd and very thin, the Pencil is the molt com- 
 modious, and therefore when they would ufe a Pen > 
 either for writing, or drawing Flowers, Trees, or 
 
 Moua^ 
 
2o6 Tlw General History of 
 
 Mountains after the Chincfe manner, they are hrft 
 oblig'd to pafs fome Alum-water over the Paper to 
 hinder the ink from penetrating thro' it. 
 
 Their Characters are of fuch a nature that they are 
 equally legible either backwards or forwards : To ex- 
 plain my felf if a Tartar prefents you an open Book, 
 and you read in it leifurely, another Perfon, who only 
 fees the Letters the wrong end upwards, fhall read 
 filler than you, and overtake you when youhefitate: 
 V*/ herefore it is impoffible to write any thing in the 
 Tartarian Language, but thofe in the fame Room, 
 who are any way within view of the Writing, may 
 overlook you, and efpecially if your Characters are 
 krge. 
 
 Notwithftanding all this there is not a Tartar but 
 prefers his native Language to all others, and thinks 
 it the mod beautiful and copious in the World : It 
 is the general Foible of Mankind, every one has a 
 good Opinion of himfelf, his Country, and Language, 
 and in the perfuafion that no other Nation pofTefTes 
 the fame Advantages, brands them all alike with the 
 Name of Barbarous. Father Parrenin, to whom I 
 am obliged for thefe Remarks on the Tartarian Lan- 
 guage, had no little trouble to weed this Prejudice 
 out of the Mind of the Emperor's eldeft Son. 
 
 This Prince, who was then about five and thirty 
 Years of Age, imagin'd that it was impofiible to 
 render even the Words of his native Language, much 
 lefs the Majefty of his Stile, into any of our barba- 
 rous Tongues, (for fuch y thro' want of knowing them, 
 he call'd all European Languages) therefore, being de- 
 firous to make a trial for his' fatisfaction, he order'd 
 me, fays Father Parrenin^ to wait on him one Day 
 in his TTent. I muft write to Father Suarcz, faid he, 
 to recommend an important Affair to him, but as he 
 don't underftand the Tartarian Language I'll dictate 
 what I have to fay, and you fhall tranflatc it for me 
 into Latin, which, as you have often told me, is a 
 
 Lan- 
 
China, Chinese-Tart ary, &c. 207 
 
 Language common to all the learn' d in Europe. 
 There's nothing more eafy, reply'd I taking up the 
 Pen, for there was Paper laid ready upon the Table, 
 when immediately he begun with a long Period, but 
 left it unfinilh'd, and bid me tranflate : I defir'd him 
 to dictate the whole of what he would have me write, 
 and that then I would turn it into Latin, which he 
 did with a Smile, imagining I only fought to elude 
 the Difficulty. 
 
 The Tranflation was foon done -, I then ask'd him 
 what Superlcription he pleas'd to have me put on the 
 Letter ? Write, faid he, the Words of the eldefl Son 
 of the Emperor to Sou tin, (the Chine/a Name of Fa- 
 ther Suarez) accordingly I directed the Letter, and pre- 
 fenting it to him affected not to look upon it again. 
 
 But how fhall I be certain, faid he, what you have 
 writ ? Is it my Thought or your own ? Have you 
 forgot nothing ? Is there neither Change nor Addition, 
 or rather is not it a rude Tranfcript from your Me- 
 mory ? For I obferv'd that you eraz'd nothing in 
 writing, nor tranferib'd as is ufual with us. In Co 
 mort a Letter, anfwer'd I, there's no occalion for 
 that trouble, the firft hand is fufflcient when one knows 
 the Language. Very well, faid he, you would con- 
 vince me that you underitand Latin, and for my part 
 I would be affur'd that your Tranflation is faithful, 
 therefore repeat to me in the Chinefe Language what 
 I dictated to you in the 'Tartarian^ and what you tell 
 me you have wrote in Latin -, accordingly I repeated 
 it, and he appear'd furprifed. That's not amifs, ad- 
 ded he, and if the Anfwer I receive be agreeable to it 
 I fhall alter my Opinion •, but the Father muft an- 
 fwer me in Cbinefe, for if he writes in' any European 
 Language you may deceive me with an Anfwer of 
 your own : I arTur'd him he mould be obey'd, and 
 that the Anfwer would be comformable to his Let- 
 ter. I own to you, reply'd the Prince, that I fent 
 for you more out of a defire to try your Skill, than 
 
 any 
 
2o8 The General History of 
 
 any neceffity I had to write to Peking ; for when I 
 çonfider your European Books I find the Bindings 
 very neat, and the Figures well engrav'd, but the 
 Letters difpleafe me; they are fmall, few in number, 
 and ill-diftinguifh'd one from another, and form a 
 fort of Chain with the Links a little bowed, or rather 
 they refemble thofe Traces which the Flies leave up- 
 on a varnifh'd Table cover'd with Dull : How is it 
 poffible that with fuch as thefe you can cxprefs ib mar 
 ny Thoughts and Actions, fuch variety of Things pall 
 and prefent ? On the contrary our Letters, and even 
 thofe of the Chinefe, are beautiful and well-diftin- 
 guifh'd, their number affords Choice, and their Ap- 
 pearance is graceful and delights the Eye : In fhort 
 our Language is itrong and majeftick, and has an a*- 
 greeable Effect upon the Ear ; whereas when you are 
 talking together I hear nothing but a perpetual gab- 
 bling, not much unlike the jargon of the Province of 
 Fo hen. 
 
 This Prince is not difpleas'd that one mould con- 
 tradict him, a rare Quality in Perfons of his Rank ! 
 wherefore I laid hold on the opportunity to defend 
 our European Languages. I begun however, according 
 to the Cuftom of the Country, witli acknowledging 
 that he had Reafon ; it is a Compliment in the Tafte 
 of the Eaflern Princes, they relifh it with pleafure, 
 and it difpofes them to a favourable hearing of thofe 
 Reafons by which you infenfibly convince them that 
 they are in the wrong : Nor is this Management lefs 
 practifed in the Weftern Court, for in truth difputing 
 with Princes is but an unwelcome Office any where. 
 
 I therefore agreed with the Prince that the Tarta- 
 rian Language was full of Majefty, proper to defcribe 
 Heroic Actions, as likewife for Panegyricks, ferious 
 Compofures and Hid ory -, that it alfo wanted no Terms 
 to exprefs whatever was known to their Anceff. ors, but 
 that he mould guard againft too great a Prejudice in 
 irs favour. You prefer your Language, faid I, to 
 
 that 
 
China, Chines e-Tartary, &c. 209 
 
 that of the Chinefe, and I believe very juftly ; neverthe- 
 lefs thofe of the Chinefe, who understand them both, 
 are of a different Opinion, and in truth it can't be 
 deny'd but there are Defects in the 'Tartarian Lan- 
 guage. . 
 
 He was furprifed at this AfTertion from a Stran- 
 ger ; but without giving him time to interrupt me, I 
 began a little Detail of the Defects I had remark'd. 
 You allow, faid I, that the Chinefe, with fo many 
 thoufand Characters, can neither exprefs the Sounds 
 nor the Words of your Language without disfigur- 
 ing them, infomuch that a Tartarian Word is hard- 
 ly intelligible when wrote in Chinefe -, and hence you 
 conclude that your Letters are preferable to theirs, 
 tho' fewer in number, becaufe you can readily ex- 
 prefs the Chinefe Words, but for the fame reafon you 
 muft allow the European Letters, tho' lefs numerous, 
 the Preference to yours -, for by them we can not only 
 exprefs the Tartarian and Chinefe Words, but a!fb 
 many others which you know not how to write. 
 
 Your Argument, drawn from the Beauty of your 
 Characters, proves little or nothing -, thofe who in- 
 vented the European never intended them as Pictures 
 to pleafe the Eye, their only aim was to compofe a 
 fet of Figures which mould reprefent their Thoughts, 
 and exprefs all the Sounds the Mouth is capable of 
 forming, and indeed this was the defign of all Na- 
 tions in the Invention of Writing -, wherefore the 
 more fimple thefe Figures are, and the fewer in num- 
 ber, provided they are fufficient for the purpofe, the 
 more admirable they are, and the eafier to be iearn'd ; 
 multiplicity in this Point is a Fault -, and hence it is 
 that the Chinefe Language is inferior to yours, as 
 yours is to thofe of Europe. 
 
 I deny, faid the Prince, that the Tartarian Cha- 
 racters are incapable of expreffing the Words of other 
 Languages -, don't we write that of the Mongous, the 
 Corean, Chinefe, and Thibet Languages ? But that is 
 
 Vol. IV. P not 
 
i o Tlie General History of 
 
 not fufficient, anfwer'd I, you mould alfo write ours j 
 pleafe to try now if you can write thefe Words, 
 pfenâre ', platine, griffon, friand j he could not, for the 
 Tartarian Language won't admit one Confonant to 
 follow another ; he was oblig'd to feparate them by a 
 Vowel, and write perendre, pelatine, gerifon, feriand. 
 
 I alfo remark'd to him that the Tartarian Alpha- 
 bet, tho' in feveral things like ours, yet was not with- 
 out its Defects : You v/ant, faid I, the two initial 
 Letters b and d, with which you can begin no Word, 
 but arc fore'd to fubilitute p and / ; for Example, in- 
 ftead of writing Beftia, Deus, you write Peftia, Tens, 
 whence there are an infinite number of European Sounds 
 ■which you can't write, tho' you can pronounce them 
 very well ; and therefore I conclude that our Alpha- 
 bet has the Advantage of yours. Befides, added I, 
 you pronounce and write the Vowel e always open, 
 you never pronounce it mute, but at the end of fome 
 Words which have n for their final Letters, nor even 
 then have you any Mark to know it by. The Chi- 
 Tiefe Language, I am fenfible, has the fame Defects, 
 and as you have the Letter r, which they have not, 
 your Language is certainly preferable to theirs, as 
 being more capable of expreffing foreign Names. 
 
 The Prince feem'd not to relifh this Difcourfe, yet 
 bid me continue my Remarks, when from the Al- 
 phabet I pafs'd to the Tartarian Language in gene- 
 ral. I obferv'd that it was improper for a fhort and 
 concife Stile, that feveral of its words were too long,' 
 and which I believ'd one reafon why it was untrace- 
 able in Poetry -, for that I had never feen any Verfes 
 made by the Tartarian Doctors, nor even any Tranf- 
 lations from the Cbinefe Poetry, except in Profe. 
 Without doubt, added I, it is becaufe the Rhime and 
 Meafure, fo eafy to the Chinefe, are not practicable in 
 your Language : You your felf often compofe CI 
 Verfes , which you write upon Fans, or give to your 
 
 Friends, 
 
China, Ch in es e-Tartar y, &c* 2ii 
 
 Friends ; may I prefume to ask whether you ever 
 made any in the Tartarian Language.? 
 
 I never try'd, laid he, nor do I know whether 
 we have any particular Rules for that purpofe -, but 
 who inform'd you there were either Poets or Verfes 
 jn the World ? You mult acknowledge you only heard 
 of them in China. 
 
 That is fo far from Truth, replied I, that I was 
 prepofTefTed it was impofllble to compofe Verfes in 
 a Language that conflits of nothing but Monofyl- 
 labks : I was deceiv'd then, as you are now ; to con- 
 vince you of which I fhall repeat Verfes out of two 
 Languages, for tho' you can't underfcand the Senfe, 
 yet the Rhime and Cadence are what you'll eafily 
 obferve. 
 
 This Proof over,' I added that there were few 
 Tranfitions in the Tartarian Language, and thole 
 extreme difficult to hit : That the molt ingenious 
 could not avoid this Rock, but were often fore'd to 
 fit with their Pencils fufpended, and as often to blot 
 what they had writ ; and when you ask them the 
 Reafon their only Anfwer is, It mult not be fo, that 
 founds harlh, it mult have another Connection. The 
 Prince could not deny but his Language was liable 
 to this Inconvenience, but obferv'd that it never hap- 
 pen'd in Converfation. 
 
 It would be ftrange indeed, reply'd I, for a Perfon 
 relating any Fad or Story to Hop with his Mouth open 
 after three or four Periods, without being able to 
 continue his Difcourfe : You would undoubtedly think 
 him feiz'd with an Apoplexy -, but neverthelefs you 
 obferve that thofc who are not M alters in the Lan- 
 guage like your Mf, commonly draw out their Fi- 
 nals, and add the Word Tala, which has no ligni- 
 fication. If they repeat this ufelefs Word but twice 
 or thrice in a Converfation, they think they do Won- 
 ders : I have alfo taken notice that it is equally 
 us'd by thofe who came laft from Tartary^ which is 
 
 JP 2 an 
 
2i2 77oe General History of 
 
 an evident Proof that your Tranfitions are but few in 
 number ; and fince the Emperor your Father declar'd 
 againft it, the Authors have been very much put to 
 it for Connections. 
 
 The Prince anfwer'd me with a Smile, that it was 
 no equal Match between us, becaufe I was in his 
 Country, and he had never been in mine : Was I to 
 make a Voyage there, added he agreeably, I mould 
 return burthen'd with the Defects of your Language, 
 and have wherewith to confound you. 
 
 Not fo burthen'd as you imagine, reply'd I, the 
 Language there is taken care of, it is not left to the 
 Caprice of the Publick ;as we have Academies for the 
 Sciences and polite Arts, fo we have one eftablifh'd 
 to reform and perfect the Language. Hold there, 
 cry'd the Prince, if you have Reformers for your 
 Language it mull have its Faults, and thofe not a 
 few. I explain'd my felf amifs, reply'd I, it is not fo 
 much eftablifh'd to reform the Language, as to confine 
 it within its proper Bounds ; for in that it refembles 
 your great Rivers, tho* they flow in an even Maje- 
 fty, yet you appoint Officers to watch left they fhould 
 exceed their Bounds, or fwell too high by the Mix- 
 ture of foreign Waters, and by that means become 
 lefs pure and ufeful. 
 
 But has your Language, purfu'd the Prince, bor- 
 row'd nothing from others ? Have you no Terms nor - 
 Expreflions from your Neighbours ? Or has it pre- 
 ferv'd its original Purity ? To this I anfwer'd, that j 
 at firft the different Kingdoms of Europe being go- 
 vern'd by one Prince, their mutual Commerce had oc- 
 cafion'd feveral Words to bereceiv'd in common, and 
 particularly in the Arts and Sciences, according to 
 the Language of the Nations that firft invented them. 
 
 Thefe laft Words were a Subject of Triumph to the 
 Regulo, who immediately cry'd out he had got the 
 Advantage *, we have borrow'd, laid he, but very 
 few Words from the Mo/guts, and ftill fewer from I 
 
 the! 
 
China, Chinese-Tart ar y, &c. 213 
 
 the Chinefe, and even thofe we have taken we have 
 naturaliz'd by giving them a Tartar Termination : 
 But you are rich in nothing but the Spoils of your 
 Neighbours ; you have great reafon indeed to cavil 
 at the Tartar Language about trifles ! 
 
 I will not enlarge, adds Father Parrennin, on the 
 Method I took to make this Prince apprehend the 
 difference between living and dead Languages, for he 
 had never heard talk of the laft : It is fufficient to 
 tell you our Difpute lafled till he had receiv'd Fa- 
 ther Suarez's Anfwer, with which he was very well 
 fatisfled, and from that time begun to have a better O- 
 pinion of the European Languages, that is to lay he 
 rank'd them immediately next his own : Notwith- 
 ftanding he was inclin'd to give the Chinefe the fé- 
 cond place ; but I protefted ftrongly againft that in- 
 juftice, alledging the multitude of equivocal Words 
 in that Language. Well, I give it up, faid he, laugh- 
 ing, the Chinefe who don't love to be contradicted in 
 this particular are very able to defend themfelves. 
 
 Thus ended the Converfation which Father Parren- 
 nin had with the Emperor's eldeft Son concerning 
 the Tartarian Language, and this, together witli what 
 I have already faid, will I believe be fufficient to 
 ihevv the Genius of that Language. 
 
 THE 
 
THE 
 
 Travels of Father Gerbnlon y 
 
 A jfefuit and French Mijjionary in 
 China, into Tartary. 
 
 The Firjl Travel in the Tear 1688. 
 
 H E Mofcovites, being by little and little 
 advanc'd to the very Frontiers of China, 
 built a Fort upon the Great River, which 
 the Tartars call Saghalwn cula, and the 
 Chinefe, Talong chiang : The Mofcovites call 
 this Fort Albafi'h and the Tartars and Chinefe, Tacfa, 
 from a Rivulet of that Name which at this Place 
 empties itfelf into the Great River. 
 
 The Emperor of China lent fomc Troops who took 
 and raz'd the Fort : The Year after the Mojcovites re- 
 built it ; but they were befieg'd a fécond time, and 
 co.'ïficiering that this War might be attended with 
 Confluences prejudicial to them, theydefir'd the Em- 
 peror of China to end it amicably, and to appoint a 
 Place for holding the Conferences \'ox a i eace. 
 
 That Prince receiv'd with pleafure the Propofals 
 which they made him, and promis'd to fend one of his 
 Subjects to the River Selengué to treat with them. It 
 was in the beginning of the Year 1688 that he in- 
 trufted this Negotiation to two of the Great Lords of 
 his Court : The firft was Prince So/a» Captain of the 
 Life-Guard, and Minuter of State ; the fécond Tong 
 
 la 
 
7%e General History &c. 215 
 
 la oyé, Commander of an Imperial Squadron, and 
 UncJe by the Mother's fide to the Emperor : He or- 
 dered that they mould be attended by many Manda- 
 rins of different Orders : At the fame time he did us 
 of the Million the Honour to name Father Thomas 
 Pereyra, a Portitguefe Jefuit, and me to go the Jour- 
 ney, that if the Mofco-vites in the Conferences mould 
 ufe the Latin, or any other European Language, wc 
 might be the Interpreters. 
 
 As the Emperor intended to make the principal 
 Mandarins fome Prefent before their Departure, their 
 Names were prefented to him the 5th of May: Ob- 
 fèrving that our Names were not in the Lift, he laid 
 to his Officers, that they had forgot the Names of 
 the Fathers, whom he would have treated as Manda- 
 rins of the fécond and third Degree : He order'd us 
 at the fame time feveral Pieces of Silk, and a little af- 
 ter made us fome further Prefents, and appointed us 
 to go in the Retinue of his Uncle Tong la oyé to eat 
 at his Table, and to be plac'd near him at the Con- 
 ferences. The two Plenipotentiaries had their Audi- 
 ence of Leave of the Emperor the 29th of May i638, 
 and fet out the next Morning. 
 
 The 29th we went to the Palace to take Leave of 
 the Emperor ; the two Ambafladors, and the princi- 
 pal Mandarins, who were to go with them, had Au- 
 dience of his Majefty : He kept with him for fome 
 time in private *Kiou kieou, So fan, and Mala oyé; at 
 laft he retir'd into the Palace, and a little time after 
 fent each of them an Horfe, and a Sword with a 
 yellow Ribbon. I faw a Bow given to each of the 
 Ambaffadors, and a Bow and a fourth Horfe for ano- 
 ther Mandarin, viz. for Pa la oyé, Prefident of the 
 Tribunal, which hath the Infpection over Strangers 
 that come into China by Land : He is one of the four 
 principal Envoys who was to march before : He fent 
 befides two long Veils of the richeft Brocades of China, 
 
 * Kiou kieou fignifies the Uncle by the Mother s fide, 
 
 P 4 era- 
 
2 1 6 77je General History of 
 
 embroider'd with Dragons of Gold, and Gold But- 
 tons ; thefe were for So fan la oyé, and Kiou keon. 
 \ Father Pereyra and I did not fee the Emperor, be- 
 
 caufe he had not given Orders for our being call'd -, 
 we only fpoke to Ichao la oyê after the Emperor 
 was retir'd, and told him that we came to take our 
 Leaves of his Majefly, and to receive his final Com- 
 mands ; which he went immediately to acquaint the 
 Emperor with, who bid him tells us, That he wifh'd 
 us a good Journey, that he wou'd have us take care 
 of our Health, and not fatigue ourfelves too much, 
 adding that his Majefly wou'd make us fome further 
 Frefent : And indeed the fame Tchao came to us after 
 Dinner, and brought each of us a Jong Veil of the 
 mod beautiful Chinefe Brocade, with Dragons, but not 
 embroider'd. None but the Emperor and the Princes 
 of the Blood may wear this fort of Stuff, unlefs his 
 Majefly makes a Prefent of fome of it, and fuch Pre- 
 fent is look'd upon as an extraordinary Favour: He 
 gave us alfo a fhort Veft of Sables, lin'd with fine 
 Sattin ; both thefe Vefls had Gold Buttons to them, 
 and were the fame Drefs his Majefly wore. 
 
 On the 30th, at five in the Morning, we fet for- 
 ward, and came to the Houfe of So fan la eye, 
 whom we found, coming out of doors, accompanied 
 by a great number of Mandarins, and his Relations 
 and Friends, who came to conduct him with his 
 whole Retinue, which was very numerous : There 
 was carried before him a large Banner of yellow Da- 
 mask, or Brocade, upon which were the Dragons of 
 the Empire painted in Gold, with other Ornaments : 
 There were alfo many other fmall Banners of the 
 fame fort, and a great number of Gentlemen all drefs'd 
 in Silk. Near the Gate of the City, thro' which we 
 were to pafs, and which is call'd Te tchin muen, we 
 met Kiou kieou y who was in like manner accompanied 
 by many Mandarins, and his Relations and Friends, 
 with a Retinue of Gentlemen and Standards like to 
 thofe of So fan la oyc. J nil 
 
China, Chines.e-Tartary, &c. 217 
 
 Juft without the Gate we found all the Horfe, who 
 made a Lane on both fides, under their proper Ban- 
 ners : There were a thoufand Horfe, and fixty or 
 feventy Mandarins, with eight fmall Pieces of Brafs 
 Cannon, each carried upon one Horfe, and its Stocks 
 upon another ; the two AmbafTadors alfo drew up 
 their Horfe in that Place ; all the Servants of the Re- 
 tinue were pofted behind, out of the great Road, 
 which was left clear to give room for the Emperor's 
 eldeft Son, who came a little after, and pafs'd be- 
 tween the two Ranks of Horfe : He was mounted 
 upon a little white Horfe, with a Saddle of yellow 
 Cloth, the Reins of the Bridle being of yellow Silk- 
 twill -, he was attended by no more than feven or 
 eight Mandarins, who are of the Officers of the King's 
 Guard, aad difcharge the Duty of the Body-Guard, 
 who alfo are all Mandarins of Diftinclion. 
 
 A Mandarin went before the Prince, who was a 
 young Man, very well made, and of a proper height 5 
 he was drefs'd very plain in a long Veft of Purple 
 Silk, and under it a fhorter one of Black ; he v/ore 
 about his Neck a fort of String of Beads very long, 
 and made very much like ours -, that which the Prince 
 wore had, at every ten, large Coral Beads ; from the 
 place where we hang the Crofs there were four Strings, 
 one at each end, and at each of the two fides ; to thefe 
 hung frnall Beads either of Pearl or Cryftal, &V. 
 The main Body of the Prince's Retinue did not go 
 along the great Road, but on one fide, behind thes 
 Horfe, which were drawn up in a Line with defign 
 to avoid increafing the Duft. 
 
 The Prince having gone near a League from Pe- 
 king ftop'd under a Tent, which was pitch'd there 
 for him, but which had nothing in it magnificent ; 
 he fat upon a Cufhion of plain Silk laid upon a 
 woollen Carpet, the Mandarins of his Retinue {land- 
 ing behind him. When the Mandarins of the Am- 
 bafly, and the Commanders of the Squadrons were 
 
 come 
 
2 1 8 7%e General History of 
 
 come up, wc all drew near his Tent, and placed our 
 felves in a row on both fides of it : Kiou kieou was 
 placed on the Princes left hand, which is the moll 
 honourable Poll, and immediately next him Ma la 
 oyé, So fan putting himfelf on his Right : All fat 
 down at the fame time, each upon his Cufhion, which 
 every one laid for himfelf upon the woollen Carpets 
 prepared for that purpofe: They placed themfelves at 
 the Entrance of the Prince's Tent, which was open on 
 all fides, and all the MandaFins of the Ambafly, to 
 the number of fixty or feventy, were alfo rang'd in 
 two rows on each fide, and a little behind the Am- 
 baffadors : Father Pereyra and I were placed in the 
 firfl row on the lame fide with Kiou kieou ', below fix 
 or feven of the chicfeft Mandarins. The Gentlemen 
 that had no publick Poil or Character, and who were 
 about a thoufand, did not quit their Standard. 
 
 A little after all were fat 'Tartarian Tea was 
 brought, fome of which was firft given to the Prince, 
 in a large Gold Bafon, and pour'd into a Cup, which 
 was prefented him on the Knee ; when he had drank 
 fome was given to the Ambafïadors, and then to all 
 the reft, to each according to the rank wherein he was 
 placed : Every one, both before and after they drank, 
 made a refpectful Bow ; when the Prince got up, and 
 all of us proltrated ourfelves nine times, turning the 
 Face towards the Palace, by this exprefTing our Thanks 
 to the Emperor for the Honour he had done us in 
 fending his own Son to go part of die Way with us. 
 The Prince faid fomething to the Ambalfadors with 
 a fmiling Countenance, and which fhew'd a great deal 
 of Franknefs : Both the Ambaffadors came near him, 
 and kneefd down, but he took them by the hand -, af- 
 ter which he mounted his Horfe and return'd, we 
 following him on foot to the great Road, where we 
 remounted our Horfes, and purfued our Journey. 
 
 We then went directly North to a Town called 
 Tcba bo, which is fifty Lys from Peking, eroding a 
 
 beautiful 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &c. 219 
 
 beautiful marble Bridge before we came to the Walls 
 of that Town, and another exactly like it after we 
 had pafs'd them : Each of thcfe Bridges was fixty 
 Geometrical Paces long, and fix or feven broad ; the 
 Parapet and Pavement were of large Stones of 
 unpoliili'd Marble. A little after we had left this 
 Town we went to the North North-Eafl for about 
 thirty Lys, then turning again to the North, which 
 we follow'd for ten or twelve Lys, after which we in- 
 clined a little to the Eaft tor eight or ten Lys, quite to 
 the Camp which was pitch'd at the foot of the Moun- 
 tains near a Fort, which was built in the Straits of 
 the Mountains to fhut up the Pafiage of them. The 
 Walls of this Fort reach'd on both fides up to the 
 Mountains, which were beiides fo fteep that they 
 feem'd inacceffible. 
 
 All the Mandarins of the neighbouring Towns 
 came to pay their Refpects to the Ambaifadors drefs'd 
 in their Formalities, and kneel'd down in the great 
 Road to prefent their Addreffes. We arriv'd at the 
 Camp at two in the Afternoon -, the Tent of Kiou 
 kieou was in the Front, furrounded with a little Wall 
 of dry Earth about a Foot and half high : Father 
 Pereyra and I had each a Tent near it, wherein we 
 found all our things fet in very great order. 
 
 It was extremely hot all day ; the Country we had 
 pafs'd was very pleafant, and well cultivated, as far 
 as fifteen Lys from the Place where we cncamp'd, 
 for then the Soil began to be fandy and very ftony, and 
 the nearer to the Mountains the lefs fruitful the Soil : 
 The Mountains, near which we encamp'd, are exceed- 
 ing fteep, and fo barren that there is not a fingle Tree 
 to be feen upon them -, whence they are call'd in 
 Chinefe the Poor Mountains, becaufe they do not pro- 
 duce any thing that is either of ufe or delight. They 
 are to the North a fourth Point North- Weft of Pe- 
 king ; they are join'd to other Mountains that reach 
 Eaft and Weft of this Town, which is furrounded 
 
 almoft 
 
220 7Z* General History of 
 
 almoft on all fides, except the South and South-Eaft. 
 From Peking we went by the fide of thefe Mountains 
 at che diftance of about 3500 Geometrical Paces on 
 the Weft, and about 6000 to the Eaft, till we began 
 to come nearer and nearer to them upon our turning 
 from the Weft. 
 
 The Place where we were encamp'd was call'd Nan 
 keoii) that is, the Mouth or Entrance of the Walls on 
 the South fide : We travelled this Day in all ninety- 
 five Lys: The 31ft we went no more than feventy- 
 five Lys, that we might not too much fatigue the 
 Retinue ; for we were oblig'd to pafs a Road full of 
 Stones and Flints in the Straits of the Mountains, 
 which are little different from very fteep Rocks : 
 We began with palling the Fort, which ftops the En- 
 trance of the Mountains. 
 
 The Walls of this Fort are about thirty-five Foot 
 high, and fix or {even, thick -, they were built with 
 Free-Stone to the height of four Foot, and afterwards 
 with large Flints and Stones of the Rock up to the 
 Battlements, which are of Brick : The Wall hath not 
 this height or thicknefs except in the very Entrance of 
 the Mountains ; for when it is extended on both fides 
 home to thofe Rocks, which are fo fteep that the Goats 
 can fcarce climb up them, it is neither fo high nor 
 thick ; fo that there it would be altogether ufelefs, 
 and whofoever could climb over the tops of thefe 
 Rocks would find it no difficulty to get over the 
 Wall. There are all along the Wall fquare Towers 
 of Stone or Brick, pretty near each other at proper 
 diftances : At the bottom of the Fortrefs is a pretty 
 large Village call'd Nan keou tching : When we had 
 pafs'd that Village we travelled for about fifty Lys all 
 along between fteep Mountains, and in a Road which 
 I fhould have believ'd impalfable had I not fcen our 
 whole Retinue pafs it : We made frequent Turnings 
 thro' thefe Rocks to follow the great Road, which is 
 open'd in them, and in the moil difficult Places pav\l 
 with large Stones, 
 
China, Chinese-Tart ary, &c. 221 
 
 We went by a great Wall fortified with Towers, 
 which ran on both fides the length of thefe fteep 
 Mountains, and were oblig'd to go up Hill and down 
 Hill, and turn continually ; we pafs'd five or fix dif- 
 ferent ones, for there are feveral of them at proper 
 Diftances in the Straits of the Mountains : And it 
 is probable that as the Way is eafielt in thofe De- 
 files, or rather as it is the only Way there can be on 
 that fide, they made there feveral Ditches, which 
 reach' d up clofe to the inaccefllble Rocks : To get 
 up along thefe Walls there are Stairs contriv'd on 
 both fides in the thicknefs of the Wall itfelf. 
 
 In many places the Wall is built with good Free- 
 ftone, very thick and high in proportion ; at every 
 Gate there are Villages like that which is at the firit 
 Entrance ; one of thefe Villages might pafs for a 
 fmall Town. The Gate of Entrance is very like a 
 Triumphal- Arch, built all of Marble, and is about 
 thirty foot thick, with Figures in demi-relicf quite up 
 to the Arch. 
 
 All thefe Villages, which are thusplac'd in the nar- 
 row PafTes of the Mountains, are fo many Maga- 
 zines and Forts proper to flop the Eaflern Tartars, 
 who would endeavour to penetrate into the Empire : 
 Befides that they are inclos'd with good Walls forti- 
 fied with Towers at certain Diftances, there are at 
 every PafTage in and out two or three Gates between 
 which are Guard Rooms : The Folding-Doors of thefe 
 Gates are cover'd over with thin Plates of Iron ; I 
 fhou'd fay were cover'd heretofore, for at prefent they 
 are near half ftript, and the Wood is almofl rotten. 
 The Walls alfo in many places are fallen to ruin, 
 but there is no thoughts of repairing them, tho' the 
 greater part of them is intire and undecay'd. 
 
 When we had pafs'd four or five of thefe Villages, 
 and as many different Ditches, we began to defcend 
 into a Plain, which open'd infenfibly, the Mountains 
 dividing by little and little from each other; we there 
 
 dif- 
 
222 The General History of 
 
 difcover'd a large Ditch which was join'd to the Great 
 Wall ; all thole I have before defcribed are, to fpeak 
 properly*, no other than Intrenchments. 
 
 This great Ditch reaches from Eaft to Weft the 
 whole length of the Mountains without any breaks, 
 for it goes down all the Precipices, and rifes up a- 
 bove the top of the inaccefTible Rocks ; fo that in- 
 deed this Work is of no great ufe for the Defence of 
 the Empire, whofe Entrance is abundantly defended 
 on that fide by this Chain of Mountains, acrofs which 
 there is no palling but thro' the Defiles, where two 
 or three hundred Men may flop the moft numerous 
 Army, and prevent their PafTage. 
 
 Altho' the Mountains which are on both fides thefe 
 Forts feem inaccefTible, and the Chinefe thinking it 
 impoffible to pafs them fometimes neglect the guard- 
 ing them, yet the Mantcheoux Tartars once entred by 
 the Mountains which are on the Eaft of thefe Forts, 
 having amus'd the Chinefe Forces, which were very 
 numerous at the Guard of thefe Forts, by which alone 
 they thought it was poffible to pafs. Thefe Tartars 
 left their Baggage and Camp over againft thefe 
 Forts, as if they wou'd pafs them, but ftole in the 
 Night acrofs the neighbouring Mountains, and feized 
 upon a Town which is at the bottom of them, calPd 
 Tchang png tcheou. 
 
 What hath appear'd to me incomprehensible is, 
 how Stones and Bricks cou'd be carried thither, and 
 Forts built on the Tops of thofe Mountains in Places 
 where the bol deft of our Architects wou'd not attempt 
 to raife the leaft Building. Thefe Mountains, in the 
 place where we pafs'd them, are full of Springs and 
 Fountains : I admir'd the laborious Induftry of the 
 Chinefe, who won't lofe an. Inch of Ground that is fit 
 to be cultivated. 
 
 Befides that thefe Straits of the Mountains abound 
 with Walnut and other Fruit-Trees, there are alfo 
 Gardens full of all forts of Grain and Herbs, fown 
 
 in 
 
in 
 
 China, Chinese-Tartary, &c. 223 
 
 n every bottom between the Stones and Rocks, in 
 places where they have fo little Earth that thy& .re be- 
 holden to the Water of the Fountains for thSÏ growth. 
 The Mountains are cut and difpos'd in the form of an 
 Amphitheatre, and the* they are exceeding fteep, yet 
 they are every where fown where there is the lcaft 
 good Earth. The Trees that are in the bottoms are 
 chiefly Walnut, tho' there are alfo fome few Apricots 
 and Plumbs ; but thefe Mountains are quite bare upon 
 their top, which is rocky, fo that there is not a fingle 
 Shrub to be feen. We were continually refrefh'd in 
 our Paffage thro' them with a gentle North Wind. 
 
 After having march'd about forty- five Lys between 
 thefe Mountains, as we defcended into the Plain we 
 found the Earth . almoft entirely fandy and barren; 
 we encamp'd at thirty Lys diftance from the Paffage 
 out of the Mountains upon the Bank of a Rivulet 
 in the midft of a Valley, which in that place was 
 about three or four Leagues over. In our Way we 
 faw on both fides of us, at the foot of the Moun- 
 tains, fmall Forts and Towers, the one of Brick, and 
 the other only of Earth -, they were about feven or eight 
 thoufand geometrical Paces diftant from each other : 
 There are alfo two or three larger Forts, which were 
 probably built to prevent the Tartars penetrating ea- 
 fily fo far as Peking, if they mould happen by furprifè 
 to pafs the firfc Ditch of the Great Wall. 
 
 This Country hath always been in the Hands of 
 the Cbinefi, as appears from the Chinefe Letters en- 
 graven in Stone over the Gates at the Entrance of 
 the larger Forts, which are to this Day inhabited by 
 the Cbinefe : As to the fmaller Forts and Towers 
 there is no Guard in them : So long as we were with- 
 in the Mountains we kept continually turning to the 
 North, but when we jgot clear of them we directed 
 our Courfe to the Weft. 
 
 In 
 
224 "Fh* General History of 
 
 In tfe Evening Father Pereyra and I paid a Vifit 
 to So fakUi é in his Tent; as he is the beft Friend 
 we have at Court he receiv'd us with great Civili- 
 ty, and talk'd with us a good while : He ihew'd us 
 a Telefcope which the Emperor had fent him the 
 Day before, with this MefTage, That it was one of the 
 five beft that he had, and therefore he lent it him for 
 the Journey, upon Condition he reflor'd it to him at 
 his Return. 
 
 The firft Day of June we went» only fifty -five Lys 
 continually in the fame Valley, and by the fide of 
 the fame Mountain about four or five hundred Paces 
 from them on the North, and about 2000 on the South, 
 travelling almoft always direct Weft, and did not be- 
 gin to turn to the North till the laft fifteen Lys, when 
 we paffed thro' two fmall Towns, the firft call'd Hoai 
 fay, twenty Lys from the Place where we had en- 
 camp'd, and the fécond call'd Tou mou, thirty Lys 
 from the other. They are both of them furrounded with 
 Brick Walls with Towers at proper Diftances : We 
 met alfo with other fmall Forts and Towers much at 
 the fame Diftance as the Day before -, they ftand 
 four or five hundred Paces from the Mountains, and 
 are both on the North and South Side. The Forts 
 were built with Brick, but the Brick hath been worn 
 out with Time, and at prefent they are only of 
 Earth. 
 
 Near Hoai lay there is a fmall River, over which 
 is a very beautiful Stone Bridge on feveral Arches, 
 yet we pafs'd it at a Ford. All this Country is dry 
 and barren, except fome fpots of Ground which are 
 round about thefe two little Towns, and which being 
 water'd by fmall Streams carried thro' the Fields 
 bear large Crops of Grain and Herbs. The Moun- 
 tains are all along very high, and quite barren on 
 both fides ; we had all Day a ftrong Eaft Wind, 
 which defended us from the Heat. 
 
 We 
 
China, Chines e-Tartary, &c. 225 
 
 We encamp'd four or five Lys to the North of Ton 
 mou upon a rifing Ground -, the Camp reach'd very- 
 near that Town along a fmall Rivulet. "We receiv'd 
 Orders to make mort Stages, left we fhou'd at firft 
 fetting out damage the Equipage, efpecially the Horfes, 
 which were very lean and ill ted : The beit that could 
 be done was, after the Camp was pitch'd, to fend them 
 into the Failures, which are not very fertile in this 
 Country. However fhort our Stages were, yet we 
 never fail'd being up by two in the Morning, and on 
 the Road before five: This whole Country hath al- 
 ways been, and ft ill is inhabited by the r, which 
 the Chinefe Characters engraved in the Stone over the 
 Gates of thefe two Towns are fufEcient proof of. We 
 had a little Rain in the Evening, but it did not. laft 
 long. 
 
 The 2d we fet forvvard as ufual, by five in the 
 Morning, and gain'd this Day feventy Lys, marching 
 the whole Day by the fide of the Mountains which are 
 on the North : We pafs'd thro' a Town call'd Paon 
 gan, which was larger and better inhabited than any 
 we had gone through, fince we had got clear of the 
 Mountains. This Town is inclos'd with a double 
 Wall entirely of Brick ; having the Soil round about it 
 better and richer than any we had met with in all this 
 Valley ; the Grain and Herbs are here very good, 
 tho' the Earth be a little dry. The Chinefe have dif- 
 cover'd the Method of watering their Fields, by con- 
 veying to them in Channels the Waters of the Springs 
 which are near them, or of the Wells which they 
 have dug, and which they draw by Hand. We 
 pafs'd two or three other Towns of lefs note, one of 
 wh?ch was well peopled. We found upon the Road 
 Forts and Towers, at the fame Diftances as the two 
 foregoing Days, but they were ftriclly fpeaking only 
 on the North Side, there being very few along the 
 Mountains which are to the South. 
 
 Vol, IV» ÇL At 
 
20 The General History of 
 
 At ten Lys diftance from Pao ngan this great Val- 
 ley terminates, which towards the end grows by de- 
 grees narrower : It is environ'd on all fides by Moun- 
 tains, and there is but one Paffage out of it of three 
 or four hundred Paces, which is full of Fens. I 
 fuppofe that was the reafon wc were obliged to go 
 round a very high Mountain, by which the Valley I 
 have been fpeaking of is bounded. 
 
 This Valley is about 150 Lys long, and eighteen 
 or twenty broad in the wideft places, but commonly 
 it is not more than ten, and much lefs at the begin- 
 ning and the end. There was no appearance of any 
 Paffage in the Mountains, which furround it for its 
 whole length ; that which is on the fide of Peking is 
 fhut up, as i have defcrib'd it, by Ports and the 
 Front of the Wall ; that to the North- Weft, which 
 leads to farlary, is narrow and difficult, and it wou'd 
 be eafy to flop it up by building a Fort at the Head 
 of the Pafs, for tho' there is one indeed already, it is 
 only of Earth, and that half clown. Upon a deep 
 Rock which crowns that high Mountain, by which 
 this whole Valley is bounded, we perceived a Pagod, as 
 alio fome Walls and Houfes upon the Summit of this 
 Rock. 
 
 In our way round this Mountain we found an Ham- 
 let inhabited by Ckinefe^ who have cut the Mountains, 
 in every place where was any Ground fit to be cul- 
 tivated, into the Form of Amphitheaters. Having 
 gone thro' this Hamlet, we again went up a Hill, 
 and then defcended into a fmall Valley, which is be- 
 hind that high Mountain, and which is properly a 
 Pafs into the Mountains, for it is not quite 200 Paces 
 broad : We found there two delicate Springs, v 
 make that little Neck of Land fruitful, fo that it is 
 full of Willows and Fruit-Trees ; I law there abun- 
 d ce of Apricots and Walnut-Trees; we Jikewilè 
 nv j t with a Village well inhabited, and in the Coun- 
 try faw abundance of Grain and Herbs. We crofs'd 
 
 this 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &c. 227 
 
 this Village and went along the Valley, on the fide 
 of which there ran a Rivulet which iffues out of the 
 Mountains on the South: We firfttum'd to the Weft, 
 afterwards to the South-Weft, and almoft full South, 
 and encamp'd in a fmall Plain on the fide of a little 
 River call'd Tang ho -, the greateft Part of which Plain 
 was well cultivated. It was extreme hot all this Day, 
 and towards three in the Afternoon the Sky began to 
 be overcaft. 
 
 When we were come into the Camp, a Company of 
 Mandarins came to pay their Compliments to the 
 AmbafTadors ; all thofe of the Villages and Towns 
 near which we had pafs'd, met them on the Road, 
 cloath'd in their Formalities, kneeling down as they 
 pafs'd, to pay their Compliments to them and prefent 
 their Addreflcs : This Addrefs is in Form of a little 
 Book call'd Cbeou fuen, which the inferior Manda- 
 rins have cuftomarily prefented to the Great ones. 
 
 The 3d we went fixcy Lys almoft always to the 
 North, to Si'su boa fou, which is a little more than 
 fifty Lys diftant from the place where we had en- 
 camp'd; we immediately pafs'd thro' a Defile of the 
 Mountains, following the Courfe of the River Tang 
 ho ; this Defile is very narrow and rough, and in fome 
 places there cannot go more than eight or ten Men a- 
 breaft. After we had pafs'd beyond thefe Mountains, we 
 march'd for fome time over riling Grounds and Hills, 
 which are here in great number., part of which are 
 cultivated -, after this we came down into a large 
 Plain, of a very excellent Soil, and no longer faw 
 thofe high and frightful Mountains, there being on 
 each fide nothing but fmall Hills. Air the end of 
 this Plain ftands the Town of Suen boa fou, which 
 is pretty large and very populous, it hath a double 
 Suburb inclos'd by Walls all of Brick, and guarded 
 by Towers pretty near each other -, we crofs'd one 
 Street as large as moil of the. great Streets of Pe- 
 king, and which goes from one end of the Town to the 
 
 Q^i other, 
 
2 2 8 The. General History of 
 
 other. This Street is full of Triumphal Arches 
 made of Wood, not above fifteen or twenty Paces a- 
 funder •, 'there are three Gates both at the entrance 
 and coming out of the Town, between which there are 
 feveral Guard-Rooms. The Walls are more than thirty 
 Foot high, and the Folding-doors of the Gates are 
 cover'd with thin Plates of Iron, ftrengthned by 
 Studs with Heads as big as an Egg. The North 
 Suburb hath one very long and very broad Street ; 
 the Trees which are planted in Rows on both fides 
 the Street have a very agreeable Effect. The Soil 
 of the whole Country about is very good and well 
 cultivated ; it is not a great way from the little Ri- 
 ver Tang ho. 
 
 When we had pafs'd the Town, we immediately 
 turn'd a little to the Eaft, and then to the North, 
 that we might more eafily get over the Hills which 
 lead to another Plain ; upon thefe Hills we difco- 
 ver'd the high Mountains we had before loft fight 
 of, ftretching to the North and North-Eaft. 1 faw 
 fome Towers upon the Tops of thefe Mountains, 
 but I cou'd not difcover any Wall between them ; 
 we found alfo Forts and Towers upon the Road, 
 as we had done the foregoing Day, in moft of which 
 there were four or five Soldiers upon Guard ; after 
 wards when we came nearer to it, we were fatisfied 
 that it was part of the Great Wall, which runs all 
 along thefe Mountains. 
 
 We encamp'd on the Banks of a little River, 
 which I believe was flill the Tang ho ; it runs about 
 ioo or 150 Paces from the Mountains on the South- 
 Weft, and 2000 Paces from thofe to the North. Wei 
 had the whole Morning a ftrong North Wind, and! 
 the Cold was fo piercing, that I was fore'd to pull 
 on two cloth Surtouts to defend me from it ; abouti 
 ten there fell fome Drops of Rain, which fbmewhafl 
 allay'd the Wind, after which it was very fair Wea-j 
 then 
 
 Therd 
 
China, Chines e~Ta r t a r y, @V. 229 
 
 There were fome Refrefhments fent to the Ambaf- 
 fàdors ' from Suen ho a fou, and fome Ice which was 
 not very bad confidering the time of the Year. Suen 
 hoa fou is and always hath been inhabited by the Chi- 
 nefe> as appears from the Infcriptions upon their Tri- 
 umphal Arches, and by the other Buildings which 
 are after the Chinefe manner ; it is under the Jurifdic- 
 tion of the Province of Pe tche It. 
 
 The 4th we travell'd fifty five Lys to North- 
 North- Weft ; at leaving the Camp we made due North, 
 inclining a little to the Eaft to get into the great 
 Road, which was feven or eight hundred Paces from 
 where our Tents were pitch'd : We then follow'd this 
 great Road, which goes to the North- Weft one quar- 
 ter North for about thirty Lys, after that it turns to 
 the North one quarter North- Weft and by North, 
 getting nearer and nearer to the Mountains which are 
 on the Eaft, till we come to a fmall Town call'd Hia 
 pou, which is half a League from the Gate through 
 which one goes out of China, and enters Tartary 
 properly fo called : For altho' the Great Wall reaches 
 within ten Leagues of Peking, and notwithstanding there 
 are many Ditches and Forts which fhut up thofe Moun- 
 tains, as I have already faid, yet all that Country, 
 which reaches from thofc Mountains quite to this 
 Gate of the Great Wall, which is feen a little beyond 
 Hia pu, is ftill China, and belongs to the Province 
 of Pe tche li. 
 
 We faw the Great Wall along the Mountains, 
 which are to North and Eaft, rifmg up above the 
 Tops of the higheft, and then going down into the 
 Valleys with Towers at proper Diftances : This part of 
 the Wall indeed is a trifle in comparifon of that 
 which flops the Entrance into the firft Mountains we 
 had pafs'd ; for this is a plain Wall neither high nor 
 thick -, befides it is tumbled down in feveral Places. 
 The Forts and Towers are continued quite through 
 the Valley on the fide of the great Road, at near the 
 
 QL 3 ^ ime 
 
The General History of 
 
 fame diftancc as before : There were at each Fort and 
 each Tower four Guards with a fmaJl Standard ; it 
 feem'd as if they came there only becaufe we were to 
 pafs that way, for the greater part of them did not 
 look much like Soldiers. r 
 
 From Suen boa fou to Hia pou 'tis computed to be 
 fixty Lys, and is almoft a continued Valley ; for as 
 foon as you are out of Suen boa fou you mount a 
 Hill, from which you defcend into this Valley, the 
 Soil of which, tho' fomewhat fandy and ftony, is al- 
 moft entirely cultivated. This Valley is not above a 
 League broad, and is furrounded with Hills, beyond 
 which appear thofe high Mountains, along which runs 
 the Great Wall. I did not at that time fee it upon 
 the Mountains, which are to the South and South- 
 Weft, becaufe we were at too great a diftance, and 
 it was hid from my View by many rows of Hills. 
 
 It v/as only when we drew near to Hia pou, where 
 the Valley ends, that I difcover'd that the Great Wall, 
 guarded by its Towers, reach'd alfo to the Eaft, and 
 thence to the South- Weft and South -, but it is not 
 more confiderable on this fide than the other, and is 
 only of ufe to keep out the wildlkafts of 'Tartary from 
 entring Cbina -, for as for Men, if they once could 
 climb over thefe Mountains, it would be no difficulty 
 for them either to get over it, or make a Breach in it : 
 Befides as there are no Ramparts on the fide next 
 China, from which it might be defended, it can no 
 more flop any one from coming into the Empire than 
 prevent his going out. We went to dine at a rich 
 Merchant's of Hia pou, who had prepared an Enter- 
 tainment for Kiou kieou, with whom he wits acquainted. 
 Hia pou is a fmall Town at the loot ot the Moun- 
 tains, which bound the Empire of China on that fide, 
 and is furrotmded with thick Brick Walls from thirty- 
 five to forty Foot high, having two Gates, between 
 which there is a Guard- Houfe : It is very populous, 
 and as it is one of the Gates of China there is a great 
 
 Trade 
 
China, Chines e-Ta rtary, &c. 2 -> 
 
 ù • 
 
 Trade carried on in it. I was inform'd that one part 
 of the Moori/fj Caravans, which come from the Tuf- 
 beck Tartars and Per fia enter'd by this Gate, and that 
 here alfo part of the Eaftern Tartars traffick \ for 
 which reafon a Cuftom-Houfe is eftabliih'd at this 
 Place. At our going out of this Town we went to 
 the North, bending a little to the Eaft to pafs the 
 Great Wall by a Gate, which is fituate between two 
 fteep and rocky Mountains : The Wall which fills up 
 the Pafs between the two Mountains is very high and 
 thick, having in the middle a large Gate calPd Tcbang 
 kia keou, the Folding-Doors of which are covered 
 with Iron Plates, arm'd with large Studs. We found 
 at this Gate a numerous Guard, and here it was, 
 ftrictly fpeaking, that we enter'd Tartary. 
 
 We encamp'd twelve or fifteen Lys from, this Gate, 
 along a fmall Valley which winds between two Chains 
 of Mountains, moft of them fleep Rocks, by the fide 
 of a little River, or rather a Rivukt. Our Camp 
 reach'd in this Valley within five or fix hundred Paces 
 of the Gate of the Great Wall : Abundance of Re- 
 freshments were brought us in the E' ening from Hia 
 pou : It was very cold Night and Morning fo long as 
 a gentle North Wind blew, but after Dinner the South 
 Wind made it very hot. 
 
 The 5th we travelled fifty Lys, the Road lying 
 Northward, inclining a very little to the Weft : We 
 march'd all Day thro 1 a very narrow Valley ; then we 
 went twenty-five Lys to the North-Eafr, where the 
 great Road is divided into two, one to the right, 
 which goes on North- Eaft, the other to the left, 
 making almoft a right Angle, and bearing to the 
 North- Weft ; we took this laft, which lies through a 
 Valley, and is not much beaten : The Mountains here 
 are no longer fo high, but arc more like fmall Kills : 
 This Vailey is bounded alfo by a Hill, upon which 
 we encamp'd near to feveral Springs, the Water of 
 
 Q 4 which 
 
The General History of 
 
 which was very good and frefh *. We found no- 
 thing upon the whole Road but a few Huts of Earth 
 inhabited by the Chinefe, who have fix'd here to cul- 
 tivate uhat Land is good, befides fome Tents of the 
 Eaftern Tartars : We faw alfo feveral Monuments of 
 thefe Tartars, which are made of fome fmall 
 Standards of painted Cloth, which are fet up upon the 
 Place where any of their People are buried. The 
 Mountains are in this part neither fo wild nor fo full 
 of Rocks, and there are Downs upon which there is 
 good Pafture for Cattle, tho' not a fmgle Tree to be 
 feen upon them. It was fo very cold in the Morning 
 that our Ambaffadors were fWc'd to wrap themfelves 
 in double Furs, but about eight the Sun being up, 
 they laid them afide, and put on again their Summer 
 Habits : In the Morning the Wind was North, but 
 about Noon it became South, and continued in that 
 Point the reft of the Day. 
 
 The 6th we went about fifty Lys, and encamp'd in 
 a Valley called Nalin keou, immediately climbing 
 up a pretty high Mountain, going due North, which 
 is directly above the Hill on which we had encamp'd : 
 It is difficult to get up this Mountain with Carriages, 
 becaufe of the ftcep and ftony Places : When we had 
 got to the top we found that the great Road fplit in- 
 to three others ; we took that which is mofl to the 
 left, and which goes North-Weft, marching conti- 
 nually up Hill and down Hill, till we at laft came 
 into the bottom by an eafy and almoft imperceptible 
 defcent. The whole Country that we faw feem'd 
 to be very good, full of fine Paftures, and wanting 
 nothing but Cultivation to make it fruitful : In the 
 bottoms we met with fmall Rivulets which water'd 
 the Grounds. 
 
 I was furpriz'd that fo fine a Country mould lie 
 like a Defart, for we faw only on one Place three or 
 
 * "this Place is callid Halat fà. 
 
 four 
 
Chi» a, Chinese-Tart ary, êPf.- 233 
 
 four wretched Tents of Mongous Tartars, near which 
 was a Drove of Cows feeding : We did not indeed in 
 this whole Day's Journey fee fo much as a fingle Tree, 
 but it is probable if fome were planted there they 
 would thrive very well : When we drew towards the 
 Valley where we were to encamp, an Officer of the 
 Emperor's came to meet the AmbafTadors, and pre- 
 fented to them 400 Oxen, and feveral Flocks of Sheep 
 to the amount of 6coo, which his Majefly had given 
 Orders to furnifh us with in this Plain, which is fet 
 apart for the feeding of his Herds. 
 
 We encamp'd by the fide of a Rivulet which runs 
 thro', the midft of the Valley of Nanlin keou ; this 
 Valley and all the neighbouring Hills abound with 
 fine pafture Grounds. In the Evening all the Man- 
 darins met at the Tent of one of the Ambafiadors, 
 and we all join'd in returning our Thanks to the Em- 
 peror for the Provifion he had fent us, by bowing 
 down our Heads to the very Ground nine times ac- 
 cording to cuftom. It was not this Day fo cold in 
 the Morning as it was the Day before, and in the Af- 
 ternoon a brisk South- Weft Wind defended us from 
 the Heat. 
 
 The 7th we went feventy Lys, but the greater part 
 turning and winding between different Hills : We at 
 firft march'd North for about ten or twelve Lys, 
 then a little to the North- Eaft, after that to the North- 
 Weft, and at laft for near half the way, either Weft 
 or Weft-North- Weft, bending fometimes a little to 
 the South. We march'd almoft the whole Day up 
 and down fmall Rifings, without feeing on the Road 
 either a Tree or the leaft Spot of cultivated Ground, 
 tho' there are nothing but Downs or Meadows full of 
 good Pafture. 
 
 We found fome Tents of the Mongous •, and met 
 many of them driving fmall Carts upon two Wheels, 
 which were very light, but apt to break ; fome 
 of them were drawn by Horfes, and others by Oxen. 
 
 There 
 
234 ^% e General History of 
 
 There was nothing near the Tents of thtfeMongous but 
 Cows and Horfes, and as there is no Wood in the 
 Country, their whole Fuel is Cow or Horfe-dung 
 dried in the Sun. One part of the Hills which we 
 pafs'd were ftill full of large Stones, which were 
 half above Ground, but we found feveral Roads 
 pretty much beaten. There was all Day a cold Rain 
 with a North Wind which was very troublcfome to 
 us : We encamp'd on the fide of a Rivulet, upon a 
 fmall Eminence near three or four Tents of the Mon- 
 gous. There appear'd in the Valley, which is at the 
 foot of this little Hiil, a considerable number of thefe 
 Tents, which look'd like a Village or Hamlet : I had 
 the Curiofity to go to fee one of them, and that I 
 might be the better able to know how they were built 
 I went into it. 
 
 It is a fort of Cage made of pretty fmall Sticks, of 
 a circular Form, and of about thirteen or fourteen 
 Foot diameter : There are greater and fmaller of 
 them, but the chief part of thofe I faw were of this 
 fize : In the middle it is about eight or nine Foot high : 
 The Roof of thefe Tents begins at about four Foot 
 from the Ground, and ends in a Point like the top of 
 a round Tower or Pidgeon-Houfe : They are cover'd 
 with different pieces of Stuff made of Wool, prefs'd 
 but not wove : When they make a Fire in the Tent 
 they take away the piece of Stuff over the Place 
 where the Fire is to be lighted, which I obferv'd in 
 the Tent I was in, where there was a Fire : I faw 
 upon this Fire three or four pieces of I know not 
 what Flefh, the fight of which turn'd my Stomach: 
 The whole Furniture was a wretched Bed of three or 
 four Boards, with a Piece of the fame Stuff with which 
 their Tents are covcr'd, which ferves them both for 
 Bed and Coverlid -, a Bench, upon which fat two 
 Women who had fuch hideous Faces that they frightned 
 me j a forry Prefs, and a fort of wooden Dimes. 
 
 Thefe 
 
China, Chinese-Tartar y, &c. 23$ 
 
 Thefe Mongous live altogether upon Milk and Flefh 
 of their Cattle, which they eat almoft quite raw ; 
 Money is not current with them, but they exchange 
 their Horfes, Cows, and Sheep for Linen, and for 
 very coarfe woollen Cloath, which they make ufe 
 of to cover their Tents and Beds. Both Men and 
 Women are cloath'd as the Mantcheoux Tartars are, on- 
 ly not fo well or neat -, they wear no fhort Garment 
 under the long one : As they do not underftand Til- 
 lage, fo they eat neither Bread nor Rice. I have been 
 affur'd that they do not live long, and that there 
 are but few old Men to be feen among them. 
 
 Their Veneration for their Lamas is beyond all 
 Expreflion: Thefe Lamas are cloath'd in Red and 
 Yellow, feveral of whom we met upon the Road on 
 this fide the Great Wall -, they are by much the uglier! 
 Perfons that I ever faw : There are at prefent a great 
 number of them at Peking, where they flock every 
 Day, becaufe they are well us'd by the Emperor. Po- 
 licy induces this Prince to treat them kindly, becaufe 
 of the Power they have over the Mongous 1 artars. 
 
 When they are at Peking they quickly leave off 
 their Rags, and are eafily brought to drefs and feaft. 
 It is faid that they buy the mod beautiful Women 
 they can meet with, under a pretence of marrying 
 them to their Slaves-, they purchafe them for 200 or 
 250 Crowns each. In the Evening the Weather be- 
 came calm again, but it wa<; very cold. 
 
 The 8th we travel'd 100 Lys to the Weft, inclin- 
 ing fometimes a little to the South : Our AmbafTadors 
 hunted part of the Way, thinking they fhou'd find 
 fome Game, but they had no luck, feeing only 
 a few Hares, of which they caught not one. 
 
 We march'd a good while up and down fome fmall 
 rifing Grounds, but our Retinue kept on in a large 
 Plain, that was very level, and full of good Pafturesj 
 we pafb'd over feveral Brooks, and did not fee either 
 in all the Plain, or upon the Hills around us, but 
 
 one 
 
236 The General History of 
 
 one Tree, which indeed was the only one we had 
 feen in four Days. We had all along a very fine 
 Road, the Ground level and fmooth, but uncultivat- 
 ed, except about the Place where we encamp'd on the 
 fide of a Brook, a fliort half League from a Hamlet 
 where the Chinefe., who are banifh'd from their na- 
 tive Country, have fettled. 
 
 They have built there fome Cottages of Earth and 
 Stone, in a Place where there was formerly a Town, 
 or at leaft a large Village, the Ruins of which are 
 fcill remaining. Among other things we faw feveral 
 fmall Grind- Stones, like thofe the Chinefe make ufe of 
 for grinding their Meal and making their Oil, and 
 the Figure of a Lion in Hone cut after the Chinefe 
 manner. 
 
 The Chinefe who are fettled in this Place cultivate 
 fome fmall Spots of Ground round it, which makes 
 it evident that the Hills and Plains of this Country 
 might eafily be cultivated, and 'tis probable they 
 would be very fruitful : It is objected that the extreme 
 Cold would prevent the Grain from ripening, but the 
 Experiment that the Chinefe have made proves the 
 contrary. The Country is indeed very cold, although 
 we were not as yet in the forty-fecond Degree of 
 North Latitude ; there was at i\ ight a white Froft,wkh 
 which the whole Ground was cover'd ; the reft of the 
 Day was fine, and the Air temperate, a gentle North 
 Wind allaying the Heat of the Sun. We faw feve- 
 ral more Tents of the Mongous in different Places, fix 
 or {even, in one Place, eight or nine in 
 
 The 9th we travelled ninety Lys, almoft always to 
 the Weft ; at firft marching by the fide of the Brook 
 near which we had encamp'd, and going along a large 
 Road which is very much beaten, we afcended a 
 fmall Mountain, after which we pafs'd feveral Hills 
 going up and down, and fometimes between two Hills: 
 Upon the firft Hill we met twenty-five or thirty fmall 
 Carts, each drawn by an Ox : After we had j 
 
 thefe 
 
China, Chines e-Tartary, &c. 237 
 
 thefe Heights we crofs'd a Plain about a League and 
 half long, then crofting another Hill we came down 
 into a very large Plain, which is at leaft five or fix 
 Leagues in diameter -, feveral fmall Rivulets run 
 through it, or at leaft one which winds very much, 
 for I am not fure that it is not all the. fame Stream. 
 
 Towards the middle of the Plain, which is call'd 
 Nalin keou, is a Pagod, which the Emperor of China 
 hath built there for the fake of the Chief Lamas, 
 that they may reft themfclves when they come from 
 their own Country to Peking : This Pagod is fmall, 
 but it is one of the prettieft and beft beautified of any 
 I have feen, being entirely wainfcoted, gilt, painted 
 and varnifh'd, which makes it very agreeable : There 
 is over the Porch a pretty large Chamber, which is 
 made on purpofe to lodge the Chief Lamas in when 
 they come there. 
 
 Though the Building be not very large yet it muft 
 have coft a good deal, becaufe the Materials were 
 brought a great way : There is on one fide of it a 
 fmall wretched Building, where four or five Lamas 
 dwell. We went to reft ourfelves at this Pagod with 
 one of the Ambaffadors for four or five Hours, who 
 during this time diverted himfelf with mooting at 
 Sparrows with a Trunk, about forty of which he 
 kilPd. There are feveral Tents of the Mongous 
 round the Pagod, as well as in other Places on the 
 Plain : We met alfo on this Plain with feveral 
 Patches of Land cultivated by Chinefe who have 
 fix'd there, but they don't fow any Wheat, only 
 Millet. 
 
 We encamp'd this Evening twenty Lys to the 
 Weft of this Pagod. It was pretty cold before Sun 
 rifing, but by the time it had been a little up we were 
 very fenfible of the Heat, there being fcarce any Air 
 ftirring, except towards the Evening, when there was 
 a gentle Gale from the South- Weft. There is not a 
 Tree to be fan in all this Plain, nor upon the Hills, 
 
 which 
 
^8 ¥%e General History of 
 
 which furround it on all fides, except towards the 
 North, where there is a very large open Country, 
 which reaches farther than one can fee. 
 
 The ioth we did not travel more than fifty Lys 
 at nioft, going ftill Weftward, bending a very little 
 to the North. We went more than thirty Lys along 
 the fame Plain we had done the Day before, making 
 the reft of our way either acrofs fomc Hills, or along 
 narrow Vales, in moil of which we found fmall 
 Rivulets. We were fore'd to encamp by the laft of 
 thefe, for we were inform'd that we ffiou'd not meet 
 with Water till a very great way from thence. This 
 Place is call'd Sannechan. The Country thro' which 
 we pafs'd is a mere Defert without Trees or any- 
 place to dwell in. The Weather was temperate all 
 Day, a brisk Weft Wind allaying the Heat, tho' in 
 the Afternoon it was cloudy. In the Evening all 
 the Mandarins of the Ambaffadors Retinue aflcmbled 
 near the Tent of Kiou kieou, and ihot with the Bow 
 in the prefencc of the Ambaffadors. 
 
 The nth we reach'd but forty Lys by reafon of 
 the Rain which had lafted the whole Night, and till 
 nine in the Morning, at which Hour we let for- 
 wards, going to the Weftward, turning fomc- 
 times a little to the South ; but this was only in 
 going round fome Mountains. The Country we 
 crofs'd is very uneven, full of Hills and rifing 
 Grounds ; there are alfo fome pretty high Mountains, 
 but we went on the fide of them. The great Road, 
 which we follow'd, was almoft always in the Valleys 
 or fmall Plains. We did not this Day fee either 
 Tree or Houfe or any cultivated Lands ; we en- 
 camp' d on a fmall Plain call'd Lotoheye, where there 
 is a Rivulet and good Pafture. About three or four 
 o'the Clock, there went a great Storm a little to the 
 North of our Camp, which did not at all affedt us ; 
 for we only had a fe v pretty large Hail -ft on es, 
 tho' wc heard great Claps of Thunder for more than 
 
 an 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &c. 239 
 
 an Hour ; the remainder of the Journey we had 
 prerty fair Weather without Rain or Sun with a 
 moderate Wefterly Wind. Our People faw fome 
 Yellow Goats, none of which Creatures we have in 
 Europe ; tho' I believe what the Chinefe call Yellow- 
 Goats are not much unlike the Antelope -, they go 
 in droves of one or two thoufand, but are extremely 
 wild ; for if they fee a Man at never fo great a 
 diflance, they run away as faft as poflible ; the only 
 way to take them is to make a great Circle, 
 and inclofe them. Our Ambaffadors had a mind 
 to take the Diverfion of this fort of Hunting upon 
 the Road, but without Succefs. 
 
 The 1 2th we traveled feventy Lys, more than 
 half of which was fpent in going round Mountains, 
 which we met with at about thirty Lys from the 
 place where we had encamp'd. We went all along 
 a beaten Road ; the Yiiùe of the way that we went 
 ftraight forward was to the North- Weft, and I don't 
 think that the way taken directly by the Romb, can 
 be more than forty Lys. The Rivulet upon which 
 we had encamp'd, runs all along this Road, and 
 winds continually in the Valleys which are between 
 thefe Mountains, at leaft I believe it is the fame, for 
 I was not able to fatisfy my felf of it : We crofs'd 
 it more than ten. or twelve times, becaufe it cuts the 
 great Road. This Rivulet is call'd Tmatou ; upon the 
 Banks of which we again encamp'd. In the Moun- 
 tains that we pafs'd between, the great part of which 
 are fteep Rocks, there were a good number of fmall 
 Trees ; we found fome of them alfo in the Valleys, 
 but I did not fee one of any tolerable Bignefs, nor 
 did we fee any cultivated Lands, but a great many 
 fmall Meadows on the Brook Side full of excellent 
 Pafture. The Air was very foft all the Morning ; 
 when we enter'd upon the laft Mountains we found 
 a pretty ftrong North- Weft Wind, and towards 
 Noon, when we began to encamp, we had fome 
 
 Drops 
 
>40 The General History, &*c. 
 
 Drops of Rain ; after which it became very hot, till 
 there rofe a high Wind at Well- North- Weft, which 
 moderated the Heat. 
 
 The 13th we went at moll but fixty Lys, and 
 encamp'd in a Plain call'd Horhobob : The greater 
 part of our way was direct Weft, but for a pretty 
 while we took fomewhat to the South, turning and 
 winding amongft the Mountains. For the firft ten or 
 twelve Lys we took alfo a little to the North -, fo 
 that all being brought to account, and deducting 
 all the turnings wc fhou'd not reckon more than 
 fifty Lys Weft ward. We follow'd the Brook upon 
 which we had encamp'd to the very end of the Plain, 
 all along which it runs. This Plain is about twenty 
 five Lys ; we then enter'd the Mountains keeping 
 always the great beaten Road. 
 
 Thefe Mountains are the moft agreeable that we 
 had feen, there being upon them and in the Valleys 
 abundance of Dwarf-Trees, and fome of a moderate 
 fize; but there wants Water, for we did not find 
 any all the time we were there, juft at the end of 
 them we faw feveral Spots of cultivated Ground. 
 We found a little before we enter'd upon them a 
 Fortrefs of Earth, which is at prefent almoft entirely 
 in Ruins, there being no one that hath dwelt there, 
 only I obferv'd that there were fome plow'd Lands 
 about it. 
 
 After we had gone about twenty five or thirty 
 Lys between thefe Mountains, we came upon ano- 
 ther Plain that is agreeable enough, and in which 
 a large Rivulet winds, that I take to be the fame 
 upon the Banks of which we had encamped the 
 Day before, and whofe Courfè is direct Weft. 
 There are in this Plain feveral Trees and fome 
 Houfes of Earth, where the Chincfe and 'Tartar Slaves 
 and thofe who are lent to people the Country are 
 fettled and till the Ground. There are alfo fome 
 Tents of the Mongous^ and a forry Pagod of Earth. 
 
 Some 
 
China, Chines e-Tartary, &*c. 241 
 
 Some places of this Plain arc plow'd, others yield 
 good Pafturcs, and others are dry and barren: Our 
 Camp cover'd much the greater part of the Plain : 
 The Weather was all Day very fine and mild, tho' 
 about four there was a high Wind, and fome Rain 
 fell, but it immediately clear'd up again ; a South- 
 Weft Wind continued the whole Day. 
 
 The 14th we travelled fifty Lys Weftward, inclin- 
 ing a very little to the North, and we encamp'd ten 
 Lys from §)uei hoa tcbin, or Hou-hou-hotun in Tartary, 
 keeping altogether in a large Plain about three or four 
 Leagues broad, and which reach'd out of fight to 
 the South- Weft and South : It hath pretty high Moun* 
 tains to the North and North-Weft, upon which there 
 appear entire Woods -, to the South-Eaft and Eaft it 
 hath only Hills : This Plain is cultivated in many 
 Places, and there are here and there Hamlets, each 
 confifting of feven or eight fmall Houfes of Earth. 
 After we had gone about forty Lys in this Plain we 
 pafs'd near a Tower, which, as I was afTur'd, was 
 built four hundred Years ago : It is ftill pretty entire, 
 except the Roof, which is ruinous, and the Founda- 
 tion which begins alfo to decay : It is a regular Oclo- 
 gon with eight Stories, each of which is at leaft eleven 
 Foot high : The firft Floor is more than fifteen Foot 
 without including the Cieling, fo that the whole 
 Building is more than a hundred Foot high. 
 
 This Tower is all of Brick as white as Stone, and 
 well built -, it is embelliftYd with feveral Ornaments, 
 which are alfo of Brick- work, and a fort of Plaifter 
 laid on upon the Brick- work : It is a manner of Build- 
 ing very different from ours ; but tho' it be fomewhat 
 heavy yet it is not without its beauty, and it pleafes the 
 Eye : The firft Story is round, made like a Cup, a- 
 dorn'd with Foliages ; the other Stories have each 
 eight Fronts ; there are in each Front two Statues in 
 half Bas-Relief near as big as the Life, but they are 
 ill done : You go up to the firft Story by a Ladder, 
 
 Vol. IV. R and 
 
242 Tthe Gj : 'it History of 
 
 and there the Stair-Cafe begins. There hath probably 
 been a Town or a large Village in this Place, for 
 there is flill remaining a great Inclofure with Mud 
 Walls, which indeed are more than half demolihYd, 
 but there is enough dill Handing to make one con- 
 jecture that this Tower was built by the Eaftern-T^r- 
 tars, whilft they reign'd in China under the Family 
 of Yuen. The fame Stream, on the fide of which we 
 encamp'd the Day before, runs acrofs this whole Plain, 
 increafing infcnfibly from many Springs. It was this 
 Morning very cold before Sun-rifing, and from eight 
 till about two in the Afternoon it was very hot, for 
 there was only a gentle South Wind ; towards two 
 in the Afternoon there fprang up a North Wind which 
 cooPd the Air, and the Sky was a little overcaft. I 
 found this Day the Meridian height of the Sun in 
 our Camp to be very near 72 Degrees, 20 Minutes. 
 
 When we drew near the Place where we were to 
 encamp, the Mandarins of Quei ho a tchin, cr Hon be u 
 hotun^ came to meet the Ambaffadors -, a little after 
 whom arriv'd a Company of Lamas on horfeback, 
 moll of them drefs'd in yellow Silk, with large red 
 Scarves which cover'd their whole Body : There was 
 amongft them a young Lama tolerably handfome, his 
 Cheeks were very plump, and of fo white and deli- 
 cate a Colour that I queftion'd v/hether it was a Man 
 or Woman ; he was the Chief of the Company, and 
 was diftinguilh'd by a Hat made of I know not what 
 Materials, which was all gilt, and terminated in a 
 point, having likewife very large Brims : Another of 
 thefe Lamas had a gilt Hat, but imalkr and quite flat 
 on the top. 
 
 Thefe two Lamas did not get off their Horfes 
 when they approached the Ambaffadocs as the reft 
 did. The Ambaffadors order'd their Tents to begot 
 ready with ail e: : to receive them : When 
 
 Ambaffadors difj I, all the Lamas, which were 
 
 about 
 
China, Chinese-Tartar y, &c. 243 
 
 about twelve or fifteen, came up to them, and their 
 Chief, the young Man I fpoke of, difmounted and 
 kneePd down to enquire whether the Emperor was in 
 good Health ; after which he got up, and all went to 
 fit down together under their Tents. 
 
 There was Tartarian. Tea given to all thefe Lama?, 
 and after a very fhort Entertainment their Chief rofe 
 up and took his Leave of the AmbafTadors, who 
 waited upon him without the Tent, and flood there 
 till he had mounted his Horfe, which he did three 
 Paces from them, being helped by two or three La- 
 mas, who held him up by way of Refpecl : He then 
 took the Road that leads to §$uêi boa tchin, attended 
 by mod of the Lamas who came with him, though 
 fome of them ftaid with the AmbafTadors. 
 
 The 15th we went but ten Lys to Weft North- 
 Weft, and encamp' d near the Walls of §$wei boa tchhi : 
 It is now a very fmall Town, tho' we were inform'd 
 that it was heretofore a Place of great Trade, and 
 much frequented whilft the Weftern Tartars were 
 Mafters of China. The Walls are built with Brick, 
 and are pretty entire on the outfide, but they have 
 no Ramparts within : There is nothing remarkable in 
 the Town except the Pagods and the Lamas, feveral 
 of the former being better built, finer and more orna- 
 mented than the greateft part of tholè I have feen in 
 China : Moft of the Houfes are but Huts of Earth, 
 tho 5 thofe in the Suburbs are fome what better built 
 than thofe in the Town, and there is a greater num- 
 ber of Inhabitants. The Weftcm-Tartars and the 
 Chinefe live promifcuoufly in this Quarter, and the 
 Emperor of China hath his Officers here, who govern 
 by his Authority : The whole Country from China 
 hither is under his Government, but he is fcarce the 
 richer for it, it being all defart, at leaft what we 
 pafs'd through, as I have already given a particular 
 Defcription of. I was told that it is but two good 
 Days Journey, that is, about eighteen Leagues from 
 
 R 2 this 
 
244 c ^ je General History of 
 
 this Place to the Entrance into the Province of Chan 
 ft, with which the Town of Quei hoa tchin drives its 
 chief Trade, which yet is not very confiderable. 
 
 OurAmbafladors, upon their coming into the Town, 
 went directly to the Chief Pagod, feveral Lamas com- 
 ing to receive them, and to conduct them crofs a 
 fquare Court, pretty large, ana well pav'd with fquare 
 Tiles to the Pagod, where was one of their Chiefs. 
 He was one of thofe whom the Impoftors fay never 
 die -, they affirm, that when his Soul is feparated from 
 his Body it immediately enters into that of a new born 
 Child. Thefe Lamas are commonly call'd in the 
 Chinefe Language Ho fo, that is the Living Fo. The 
 Veneration which the Tartars have for thefe Impoftors 
 is incredible, even worfhipping them as Gods upon 
 Earth : I was witnefs of the Refpedt which our Am- 
 baflfador, and a part of his Retinue, particularly the 
 Mongcus, paid him : The Perfon who then pretended 
 to be thus brought again into Life, was a young Man 
 about twenty-five Years old ; his Face was very long, 
 and pretty fiat ; he was feated under a Canopy at the 
 Further end of the Pagod upon two Cushions, one 
 of Brocade and the other of yellow Sattin ; a large 
 Mantle, of the finefl Chinefe yellow Damask, cover'd 
 his Body from Head to Foot, fo that nothing of him 
 could be feen but his Head, which was quite bare ; 
 his Hair was curl'd, his Gown edg'd with a fort of 
 party-colour'd Silk-Lace, four or five Fingers broad, 
 much as our Church Copes are, and which the Mantle 
 of this Lama was not much unlike. All the Civility 
 which he fhew'd the Ambafiadors was to rife from his 
 Seat when they appeared in the Pagod, and to con- 
 tinue Handing the whole time he receiv'd their Com- 
 pliments, or rather Adorations -, the Ceremonial was 
 as follows : 
 
 The Ambaffadors, when they were five or fix Paces 
 diftant from the Lama, firit vail'd their Bonnets 
 to the very Ground, then proftrated themfelves 
 
 thrice, 
 
China, Chinese-Tartar y, &c. 245 
 
 thrice, firiking the Ground with their Forehead ; af- 
 ter this Adoration they went one after the other to 
 kneel at his Feet : The Lama put his Hands upon 
 their Head, and made them touch his Bead-Roil, or 
 String of Beads ; after this the AmbafTadors retir'd 
 and made the fame Adoration a fécond time, then they 
 went to fit down under Canopies got ready on each 
 fide : The Counterfit God being firft feated the Am- 
 bafïàdors took their Places, one on his right Hand, 
 and the other on his left, fome of the molt confider- 
 able Mandarins feating themfelves next to them: 
 When they were fat down the People of their Retinue 
 came alfo to pay their Adoration, to receive the Impo- 
 fition of Hands, and to touch the Bead-Roll ; but 
 there were not many of them who had this RefpecT: 
 fhewn them. In the mean time there was Tartarian 
 Tea brought in large Silver Pots, with a particular 
 one for this pretended Immortal carried by a Lama, 
 who pour'd it out for him into a fine China-Cup, 
 which he reach'd himfelf from a Silver Stand that was 
 placed near him. The Motion he at that time ufed 
 open'd his Mantle, and I obferv'd that his Arms were 
 naked up to the Shoulders, and that he had no other 
 Clothes under his Mantle but red and yellow Scarfs, 
 which were wrapped round his Body : He was al- 
 ways ferved firft : The AmbafTadors faluted him by 
 bowing the Head both before and after drinking Tea, 
 according to the Cuflom of the Tartars, but he did 
 not make the leaft Motion in return to their Civility. 
 A little after a Collation was ferv'd up, a Table be- 
 ing firft fet before this living Idol ; then one was 
 plac'd before each of the AmbafTadors, and the Man- 
 darins who attended them ; Father Pereyra and I had 
 alfo the fame Honour done us. There were upon 
 thefe Tables Dimes of certain wretched dried Fruits, 
 and a fort of long thin Cakes made of Flower and 
 Oil, which had a very ftrong fmell. After this Col- 
 lation, which I had no Inclination to tafte of, but 
 
 R 3 with 
 
146 ( Hk General History of 
 
 with which our 'Tartars and their Attendants were 
 very well entertain'd, Tea was brought a fécond time ; 
 a little after the fame Tables were brought in cover'd 
 with Meat and Rice : There was upon each Table 
 a large Dim of Beef and Mutton half drefs'd ; a 
 China-Difh. full of Rice, very white and neat, and 
 another of Broth, and fome Salt diifolv'd in Water 
 and Vinegar. The fame fort of Meat was fet before 
 the Attendants of the Ambaffadors who fat behind us, 
 "What furpriz'd me was to fee the Great Mandarins 
 devour this Meat, which was half drefs'd, cold, and 
 fo hard, that having put a piece into my Mouth only 
 to tafte.it, I was fore'd to turn it out again : But there 
 was none plaid their part fo well as two Kalkas Tar- 
 tars, who came in whilft we were at Table : Having 
 paid the Adoration to, and receiv'd the Impofition of 
 Hands from the living Idol, they fell upon one of 
 thefe Dimes of Meat with a furprizing Appetite, each 
 of them taking a piece of Flefh in one Hand, and 
 his Knife in the other, and cutting large Slices, efpe- 
 cially of Meat, after which they dip'd them in the 
 Salt and Water, and fwallow'd them down. 
 
 All being taken away Tea was brought once more, 
 after which there was a pretty long Converfation, 
 the living Idol keeping his Countenance very well : 
 I don't think that, during the whole time we were 
 there, he fpoke more than five or fix Words, and that 
 very low, and only in anfwer to fome Queftions 
 which the Ambaffadors ask'd him : He kept conti- 
 nually turning his Eyes around, and flaring very 
 carnefliy on each fide, and fometimes fmiling. There 
 was another Lama feated near one of the Ambafla- 
 dors, who kept up the Converfation, probably be- 
 caufe lie was the Superior, for all the other Lamas, 
 who waited at Table as well as the Servants, receiv'd 
 Orders from him. After a mort Convention the 
 Ambafïàdors rofe and went about the Pagod, to take 
 a view of the Paintings, which are very coarfe alter 
 the manner of the ( This 
 
China, Chines f-Tartar y, &c. 247 
 
 This Pagod is about forty-five Foot /qua re, ana! in 
 the middle there is an oblong Square of twenty Foot 
 by twelve or thirteen, the Cielîng of which is very 
 high : This Place is well lighted ; around this oblong 
 Square there are other fmall Squares, the Cielings of 
 which arc very low and coarie : There are five rows 
 of Pillars, which are broke off by the oblong Square, 
 the Cielings, Walls, and Pillars being painted in a 
 plain manner, without any gilding. There is no Sta- 
 tue in it as in other Pagods, only Figures of their 
 Deities painted on the Walls: At the bottom of the 
 Pagod there is a Throne, or fort of Altar, upon 
 which the living Idol is plac'd, having over his Head 
 a Canopy of yellow Silk, and here he receives the 
 Adoration of the People : On the fides there are lè- 
 verai Lamps, tho' we faw but one lighted : Going 
 out of the Pagod we went up Hairs, v/here we found 
 a wretched Gallery, which goes round the oblong, 
 with Chambers on all fides of it : In one of them 
 there was a Child of feven or eight Years old, drefs'd 
 and (coxed as a living Idol, with a Lamp burning by 
 him. It is probable this Child is defign'd one time 
 or other to fucceed the prefent Idol, for thefe Deceiv- 
 ers have always one ready to fiibftitute in the place of 
 another in cafe of Death, and feed the Stupidity of 
 the Tartars with this extravagant Notion, that the 
 Idol comes to life, and appears again in the Body of 
 a young Man, into whom his Soul is pafs'd. This 
 is the realbn of their fo great Veneration for their 
 Lamas, whom they not only implicitly obey in all 
 their Commands, but make them an Offering of the 
 bed of every thing they have ; and therefore ibrne of 
 the Mongous of the Ambaffador*s Retinue paid the 
 fame Adoration to this Child as they had done to 
 the other Lama : I don't know whether the Ambafïà- 
 dors did fo, becaufe I came into the Chamber after 
 them : This Child did not make the leaft Motion, 
 nor fpeak. one fingle Word. 
 
 R 4 h 
 
"The General History of 
 
 In the Front of the Pagod over the Porch there 
 was a very neat Room, with a Throne made after the 
 'Tartarian Fafhion, near which there flood a very 
 beautiful Table of the fineft Varnifh, inlaid very thick 
 with Mother of Pear] ; upon this Table there was a 
 Cup fet upon a filvcr Stand, and alfo a Spitting-box 
 of Silver ; this is the Chamber of the pretended Im- 
 mortal. We found alfo in another little nafty Cham- 
 ber a Lama fmging his Prayers, wrote upon Leaves 
 of coarfe brown Paper : When our Curiofity was 
 fatisfied, our Ambafladors took leave of this Im- 
 porter, who neither ftirr'd from his Seat, nor paid 
 them the leaft Civility, after which they went to ano- 
 ther Pagod to vifit another living Idol, who came to 
 meet them the Day before ; but Father Pereyra and 
 I return'd to the Camp. 
 
 I found the Meridian height of the Sun to be 
 the fame as the Day before, viz. 72 Degrees, 
 20 Minutes. The Morning was very fair and pretty 
 hot ; but it was overcaft in the Afternoon, and there 
 was a great deal of Thunder with fome Rain, and a 
 high Wind at South-Weft, which lafted but a little 
 while. 
 
 The ï 6th we continued in the Camp at Quei boa 
 tcbtn, where we furnifh'd our felves completely with 
 the necefiary Provifions for the reft of the Journey. 
 It was hot all the Morning, and cloudy in the Af- 
 ternoon, with much Thunder, and a heavy Shower of 
 Rain, which did not laft long. After it was over I 
 law five vagabond Indians go into Father Pereyra's 
 Tent ; the Reafon of which we cou'd not guefs at, 
 they faid they were of Indouftan, and Heathens ; 
 they were drefs'd much like our Hermits, with a large 
 cloth Cloak of an Iflibel Colour already faded, and a 
 Cowl which came a little above their I lead. 
 
 The 1 7th we ftaid in the fame Place, becaufe the 
 Provifions were not quite got ready ; there was Millet 
 diftributed to the whole Company as a Prefent from 
 
 the 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &c. 249 
 
 the Emperor, as alfo 4000 Weft Tartar Horfe hir'd 
 to go along with us to the Frontiers of the Kingdom 
 of Halba, or Kalka, where they encamp in large 
 Bodies. I found the Meridian height of the Sun, 
 taken with the utmoft exactnefs 1 cou'd poffibly, to 
 be 72 degrees, and near 30 minutes, that is, 
 between 25 and 30. It was very hot all the 
 Morning, and about Noon there arofe a Wind from 
 the South- Weft, but about three it blew very vio- 
 lently from the Eaft, there being between whiles fome 
 Claps of Thunder -, the Wind allay'd the Heat, and 
 the Sky was frequently overcaft. 
 
 One of the chief of the Ambaffadors fpeaking to 
 Father Pereyra and me about the Lamas, gave us to 
 underftand that he had very little regard for thefe 
 Impoftors -, adding that his paying Adoration to this 
 pretended Immortal was merely out of Complaifance 
 to the other Ambaffador who had defir'd it of 
 him, and who gave him this Reafon for doing it, 
 that his Father, had ador'dthe fame Lama in another 
 Body : He then told us that the Lama, who came to 
 meet them the Day of their Arrival, had ingenuoufly 
 own'd, that he cou'd not tell how he cou'd poffibly 
 have liv'd in any other than his prefent Body -, that 
 he had no other Proof of it but the Evidence of 
 other Lamas who afTur'd him of it ; that befides, 
 he remembred nothing of what was faid befell him, 
 during thofe other lives they told him of. When the 
 Ambaffador ask'd him, from whom the Lamas cou'd 
 be inform'd that he had already liv'd, and been 
 brought again to life many times, he anfwer'd, that 
 they had their Account from the Great Lama , that 
 is their High Prieft, whom they worfhip as a true 
 God ; that prefently after the Death of the Lama, he 
 had told them that this Lama had taken a new Life 
 in a Place of the Province of Chenft, and that his 
 Soul had pafs'd into the Body of an Infect, which 
 he defcrib'd to them, and at the fame time com- 
 manded them to find him out and carry him to their 
 Pagod. The 
 
250 77ie General History of 
 
 The fame Ambaflfador further told us, that the 
 Grandfather of the prefcnt Emperor, finding that 
 after he had conquer'd the Province of Leao tong, the 
 Weftern Tartars refus'd to fubmit to his Govern- 
 ment ; and being apprehenfive that they were forming 
 fome Enterprize againft the Empire, fent an Ambaf- 
 fador with Prefcnts to the Great Lama; that he 
 receiv'd the Ambafiador with great Refpecl, and ac- 
 knowledge his Mafter as Emperor, and in fhort 
 that from that time the Wcft-Tarlars were reckon'd 
 as Subjects of the Emperor. 
 
 A Chriftian of this Town of Çhiei boa tchbi in- 
 form'd us,that there is not any one or thefe Lamas who 
 does not keep one or two Women : They are moil 
 of them Chinefe, at leail the moft confiderable among 
 them, and they carry on the greateft Trade of any 
 in the whole Country, and came quite to our Camp 
 to fell Horfes, Camels, and Sheep. I faw three of 
 them come to make a Prefect of four Camels and 
 three Horfes to the firft AmbafTador. They were no 
 doubt well paid for their Prefents, at leaft they had 
 extraordinary Refpecls fhow'd them : The Chief of 
 thefe Lamas was plac'd near the Ambafiador upon 
 the fame Carpet,an Honour he would not have fhown 
 even to the greateft Mandarins. 
 
 The 1 8th we travcll'd fixty Lys to North-North- 
 Weft, and encamp'd in a Plain call'd Kouendoiden by 
 the fide of a fmall Brook which runs acrofs the 
 Plain. We went continually along the Mountains, 
 where we fufTer'd very much, efpecially in going 
 down the firft Mountain, which is very ftcep. The 
 Road is more tolerable going up,but thcDefcent is very 
 fteep, and one muft pafs crofs the Rocks or over 
 uneven pieces of the Rocks that ftand half way out of 
 the Ground ; however all the Carriages of the reft 
 were obliged to go that way, many of which \ 
 overturn'd and fome broke. When we were got to 
 the bottom of the Mountain we travell'd for fome 
 
China, Ch i n e s e-Ta rt a r y, &c. 25 1 
 
 rime along a Valley where there is very good Water, 
 and where were fome Tents of the Mongous fcat- 
 ter'd here and there. The reft of the Road lay either 
 between Hills, or up and down them, where are fome 
 Trees and abundance of Bullies. On the firft Moun- 
 tains, which are the fteepeft, thofe Places which are 
 not rocky were cover'd with an agreeable Verdure ; 
 but all the Hills for the whole extent of the Country 
 that is in fight, are very uneven and barren. The En- 
 trance upon the Plain of Kouendoukn where we en- 
 camp'd is alfo very dry, but about the Brook there 
 is good Pafture. Our People dug a Well near this 
 Brook, from whence was drawn very frefh Water. 
 It was cloudy from feven to ten, and there was a 
 little Rain, the reft of the Day it was pretty hot ; to- 
 wards two in the Afternoon we had a gentle Wind from 
 the Weft, which made the Heat more tolerable. I 
 was furpris'd to fee how much better the Camels of 
 our Train were for the three Days ftay we made near 
 Quel boa tchhi. It is true indeed, the leaneft and thofe 
 that had receiv'd any Damage were chang'd away for 
 others which the Mmgous brought us, giving only 
 fome Mony to boot. 
 
 The 15th we continu'd in our Camp of Kouendou- 
 len, to wait for part of the Train which cou'd not 
 come up on account of the badnefs of the Roads, 
 and to give time to thofe who had loft their Camels 
 and Horfes to look after them. One of the Ambaf- 
 fadors loft in one Night only thirty two Horfes, but 
 they were found again, tho* fome others had not fo 
 good fortune as to recover theirs. This Day alfo all 
 the Mandarins, which were to attend the Ambafly, 
 were call'd together,to confult upon the Rout that was 
 to be taken till we came to the Place of Refidenceof the 
 Emperor Halhahan, or as the Chinefe and Eaftern 
 Tartars call him Kalkahan. It was refolv'd to divide 
 into three Companies, each of which fhou'd take a 
 different Rout, both for the more eafy marching, and 
 
 for 
 
ij2 The General History of 
 
 for more ready finding proper Places to encamp in, 
 where was Water and Failure for the whole Body. It 
 was this Day very fair all the Morning, with a 
 pretty brisk Wind at South- Weft, which allay 'd the 
 heat ; about Noon it grew exceflive hot, and there 
 were at feveral times fome fmall Showers till the 
 Evening. 
 
 The 20th the Ambaffadors took leave of each other 
 for a little time, whilft they were oblig'd to march 
 feparately. Our Company, which folio w'd one of 
 the two principal Ambaffadors, took the Road that 
 lay ftraight to the North -, the other two went more 
 to the Eaft, each having its Guides : They alfo were 
 oblig'd to feparate, for the convenience of Water and 
 Forage. We went this Day fixty Lys, of which we 
 went firft twenty five or thirty direftly to the North, 
 then for twelve or fifteen to the North- North- Weft, 
 and the reft of the way to the North, all within five 
 or fix Lys of the Place where we were to encamp, 
 when we turn'd to the North-North-Eaft. 
 
 We encamp'd on a large Plain which reach'd out 
 of fight, fome fmall rifing Grounds being only to be 
 feen on the North- Eaft. A Rivulet ran along this 
 Plain, whole Water was exceeding frefh, the Ground, 
 which is about it, being very nitrous. The Salt- 
 petre appears even above ground, which is almoft 
 white and very fait, and which makes the Paftures 
 very good for Cattle, our Camels and Horfes de- 
 vouring it with greedinefs. We did not pafs, in the 
 whole way, but two or three little Hills, whofe Rile 
 and Fall were infenfible ; all the reft of the Road were 
 beautiful Plains quite cover'd with Grafs, which wanted 
 only a little Cultivation. We faw this Day's Journey only 
 two or three Tents of the Mongous pitch'd upon a 
 Plain, where there was a Brook and good Pafture ; 
 we did not difcover either Tree or Bum. We flatt- 
 ed feveral Hares as we went along, and the Grey- 
 hounds of our Ambaflador caught two near the Place 
 
 where 
 
China, Chines e-T artary, &c. 253 
 
 where we encamp'd. There were alfo on the Bank 
 of this Brook feveral wild Gcefe, which the Chinefe 
 call Hoangyia, that is yellow Ducks, becaufe part 
 of their Feathers are yellow. We frequently found 
 them upon the Banks of the Brooks we pafs'd, and 
 the AmbafTadors Huntfmen had at different times fhot 
 feveral of them. The Weather was all day very 
 fiir and mild, a ftrong South- Weil Wind moderating 
 the great heat of the Sun, and raifing Clouds which 
 covered the Sky from Noon to Evening ; there was 
 no Rain, but fome Claps of Thunder. Juft as it was 
 Night it began to rain with a itrong North Wind, 
 and fo continued almoft the whole Night. 
 
 The 2 1 ft we went eighty Lys, about fifty to the 
 North, and thirty to the North- Weft, the Country 
 we crofs'd being an entire Defart without Tree, 
 Houfe, or Culture ; the greateft part of the Soil was 
 dry and fandy ; we ftarted a great number of Hares, 
 but out of more than thirty that I faw there were but 
 four killed, which was with the Bow ; the Grey- 
 hounds of Kiou kieou being fo very flow, that they 
 cou'd not catch even thofe that were wounded ; we 
 faw alfo a pretty large number of Partridges, and thofe 
 yellow wild Geefe, which are upon the Banks of the 
 Brooks. 
 
 The whole Country is uneven, having here and 
 there fome fmall Hills but no Mountains. We en- 
 camp'd by the fide of a Brook, and were hardly got 
 there, but one of the petty Kings of the Country 
 call'd Regulos, and who are Tributaries to the Empe- 
 ror of China, came with his Son to make a vifit and 
 pay his compliments to Kiou kieou. He had no more 
 than ten or twelve Perfons in his Retinue, and I did 
 not fee above one who look'd tolerably, who was 
 cloth'd in Silk, all the reft of them being miierable 
 Objects. The Regulo difmounted at a good diftance 
 from the Place where Kiou kieou was, and mounted 
 again at the lame Place ; the Vifit was but fhort, 
 
 and 
 
254 ^ je General History of 
 
 and Kiou kieou waited upon him only juft without his 
 Tent. The Regulo went afterwards to the Eaft, to 
 find out So fan laoyé who was about thirty or forty Lys 
 from us. 
 
 It was very fair and .mild all Day, the Clouds with 
 which the Sky was overcaft in the Morning broke 
 away about eight or nine, and a North- Weft Wind, 
 which blew very frcfli, continuing all Day, prevented 
 the heat being troublefome. 
 
 The 2 2d we refted to wait for part of our People, 
 who were left behind to look after the Horfes that 
 had been loft in the Night. The fame Mongous Prince 
 who came to wait upon Kiou kieou the Day before, 
 came this day to vifit him in his Tent, and brought 
 him a Prefent of Provifions of Beef, Mutton, and 
 Milk, all of it in leather Bags, which were neither 
 tann'd nor drefs'd, but only dried in the Sun. Nothing 
 cou'd be more difagreeable than this Meat : However 
 this Repaft was ferv'd up in the Evening, not indeed 
 to Kiou kieous's own Table, but to that of his Servants, 
 who together with the Mongous eat very chearfully of 
 this half-dreft Meat, without Bread, Rice, or Salt ; 
 tho' perhaps it had been faked before. The Prince 
 had no greater Retinue than the Day before, and he 
 was receiv'd after the fame manner without much Ce- 
 remony. 
 
 I took an opportunity to inform my felf of the 
 Power and Riches ofthofe petty Kings. Kiou kieou 
 told me, that this, and moft part of them who are 
 Tributaries to the Emperor of China, cou'd not have 
 much more than two or three thoufand Subjects, feat- 
 ter'd here and there upon thofe Defarts, four or five 
 Families in one place, andfeven or eight in another, &V. 
 that the Riches of one of them confifted in three 
 hundred Horfe, with Oxen, Cows and Sheep in pro- 
 portion ; and efpecially in the five thoufand 1 i 
 which the Emperor gave them evrry Year. H( 
 thcr told us, that thofe Princes were not ft y I'd Regulo, 
 
 till 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, ferV. 255 
 
 till fince the time that they became Vaflals of the Em- 
 peror who had given them that Title ; that befides 
 they were fubjedt to this Imperial Family of the 
 Eaftern Tartars before they had conquer'd the Empire 
 of China, and whilft they were only Matters of the 
 Province of Leaotong. He moreover told us, that 
 thefe Mongol's were difpers'd the whole length of the 
 great Wall from the Province of Leaotong quite to 
 that oïChenfi. On the North are thefirft X^/^j,whofe 
 Sovereign bears the Title of Emperor, and who has 
 under him many other Tartar Princes who are only 
 meer Shepherds,thcn more towards the Welt the King- 
 of Eluth, and to the South- Weft Thibet. 
 
 It was cloudy all day, and rain'd by fits from 
 Noon until the Evening, and part of the Night ; it 
 was fo cold, that the greater number of our People 
 put on their Furs as in the Winter: The realbn 
 why the cold is fo great and the Country unculti- 
 vated throughout all this part of Tartary I take 
 to be this, becauie that thole Lands are quite full 
 of Sulphur, Salt-petre and Sand ; and it is for the 
 fame reafon that it is fo very cold at Peking, which 
 yet does not exceed 40 Degrees of North La- 
 titude. It cannot be faid that this comes from the 
 Snows, which are in the Mountains, becaufe in this 
 part of Tartary there docs not appear any Mountains, 
 or Forefls to the North, whence come thofe cold and 
 freezing Winds. 
 
 The 23d wetravell'd about fifty Lys almoft all the 
 way to the North- Weft, fometimes a little more to - 
 wards the North, through an uneven Country quite 
 uncultivated and full of Sand and Salt-petre, but 
 without Mountains, uniefs near the Valley where we 
 encamp'd, on both fides of which there were fome but 
 not very confiderable ones. This Valley is water'd 
 with a Rivulet, the Water of which is very clear, and 
 good to drink -, there is likewife very good Pafture, 
 the whole Road was but little beaten. A Relation oF 
 
 one 
 
256 The General Historv of 
 
 one of thefc petty Kings came to pay his compli- 
 ments to Kiou kieou^ who return'd him no other Civi- 
 lity than fending him word that he wou'd be on 
 horfeback when he law him at fome diftance, and 
 ask him how he did, and fo take leave of him. 
 
 We met in the Road fome Mongous Merchants, 
 who were going to Ç)uei boa tcbin to fell Camels and 
 Horfes. Wc itarted that Day a great many Hares, 
 as well in going out of our Camps in the Morning, 
 as in coming near the Place where we encamp'd at 
 Noon, fome of which we caught. 
 
 It was very fine and pleafant Weather all Day, 
 altho' there fell fome drops of Rain about Noon, 
 ' and it was very windy, but it did not continue, and 
 only ferv'd to refrefh the Air ; for altho' it was very 
 cold before the Sun rofe, it became very hot when it 
 had been a little time up. 
 
 The 24th we did not go more than about twenty 
 Days to the North, inclining alfo a little to the Eaft, 
 on account of waiting a fécond time for the Servants 
 of the Retinue, who having been oblig'd to flay to 
 look for their Horfes had not been able to join us. 
 All we did was to get clear of the Plain where we 
 had encamp'd, to halt between fome very fmall 
 Mountains full of Stones, among which there are 
 fome Shrubs and Dwarf-Trees, and to enter upon 
 another much larger Plain where we encamp'd upon 
 the Bank of a Rivulet, which I take to be the fame 
 with that of the Day before. We again flatted about 
 that Rivulet a great many Hares, Partridges, and 
 yellow Geefe, and fome Ducks. Wc found alio fome 
 Pheafants Eggs there, of which we made a very deli- 
 cious Omelet. The Soil was full of Sand and Salt- 
 petre, and not fit to be cultivated, except about the 
 Rivulet where there were fome very iat Paftures. It 
 was very cold all Night, and in the Morning before 
 Sun-rifing, altho' there was no Wind, and the Sky 
 very clear and ferenc ; alter the Sun was up there 
 
 arofe 
 
China, Chines e-Tartary, &c. 257 
 
 arofeaftrong North- w eft Wind which kept it very- 
 temperate. 
 
 The 25th we went about fifty Lys to the North- 
 weft -, after we had pafs'd the Plain on which we had 
 encamp'd we enter'd upon a Country more uneven 
 than any we had met with, being fcarce any thing 
 but Hills and Dales : Part of thefe little Hills were full 
 of Broom, and the reft were filled with Stones and 
 pieces of Flints and Rocks which ftocd out of the 
 Ground, and which made the Way difficult and un- 
 pleafant. We faw upon thefe Hills fome Deer and 
 yellow Goats ; we then encamp'd in a little Plain 
 which is quite encompafs'd with thefe Hills, acrofs 
 which there runs a little Brock, whcfe Water k not 
 very fwift, but is neverthelefs very good to drink by- 
 drawing it out of little Pits which were made near 
 the Brook, as inual, that the Water might be ths 
 clearer and freiher. We took in the Road a fm.ill 
 She-Kid, which was fo faft afleep that it did not a- 
 wake at the Noife our Cavalry made, infomuch that 
 it was almoft trod under Feet by the Horfes. Father 
 Penyra, who firft difcover'd it, having ihewn it to 
 Kiou kieou, by whofè fide we march'd, he order 'd a 
 Servant to alight, who took it in his Hand before it 
 awak'd ; but it was afterwards let go, becaufe of its 
 being fo very young, and as foon as it was at liberty it 
 ran away with great Swiftnefs. We fiw alfo upon 
 the Road fome Hares and Partridges, but not in fo 
 great a Quantity as the foregoing Days. 
 
 It was very fine Weather all Day, with a ftrong 
 North-weft Wind which moderated the heat. 
 
 The 26th we travell'd eighty Lys to the North- 
 north- weft : The Country which we went over was 
 more even, and almoft a continued flat. It is a large 
 Champian Country as far as one can fee, but alike 
 barren and uncultivated, without fo much as a Shrub 
 to be feen : It is almoft all Sand, or rather a fandy 
 Soil, which here and there produces Herbs, but not 
 
 Vol. IV, S enough 
 
25 S The General History of 
 
 enough to feed Cattle upon j in the Places where the 
 Herbs were large and thick there was a great Quan- 
 tity of Hares, we having flarted more than fifty : In 
 the moft open Places we found Partridges in great 
 number, efpecially a little before we came at the 
 Place where we encamp'd, which was on the fide of a 
 Brook that run acrofs a great Plain, which reaches 
 almoft out of fight on both fides, except a little to the 
 "Weft, where fome Mountains appear, but at a great 
 diitance. This whole Country is full of the Dung of 
 thofe yellow Goats and Deer, five or fix of the latter 
 of which wc law : We were inform'd that there was 
 in that Country abundance of Wolves, ' which fol- 
 lowed thefe Flocks of yellow Goats. The Carters who 
 belong'd to Kiou kieou, and who marching foremoft 
 had encamped in the Plain, told us that they had 
 heard a great many howl in the Night-time : We 
 found in the Way the Skins of fome of thefe yellow 
 Goats, which probably had been devour'd by the 
 Wolves : I faw the Horns of two which were like 
 thofe of the Antelopes ; there was not a drop of Water 
 in all the Way from the Place whence we came to 
 that where we encamp'd. There were, near a Brook, 
 five or fix Tents of Kalka * 'Tartars to whom the 
 Country belongs, and the Appearance of a great 
 many of thefe Tartars having encamp'd on the 
 fide of this Brook, for the Ground was cover'd 
 with the Dung of their Cattle, and the Hair of 
 their Camels. At this Place, ftridtly fpeaking, begins 
 the Empire of Kalka, and here the Country of the 
 Mongolism fubjedr, to the Emperor, of China ends. 
 
 It was cloudy almoft all Day, very mild, and 
 without Wind till Noon ; in the Afternoon there 
 arofe an Eaft Wind which fluffed afterwards to the 
 South, and from thence to the Well, which brought 
 on a little Rain in the Evening. 
 
 * The beginning of tkt Empire of Kalka. 
 
 The 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &c. 259 
 
 The 27th we reach'd eighty Lys, about fifty of 
 which were full North, and the reit to the North- 
 north -weft : The whole Country we pafs'd over 
 was fcarce any thing but loofe Sands, except among 
 the little Mountains which we crofs'd after we had 
 travelPd about twenty live Lys ; thefe Mountains are 
 full of Stones and Rocks, cover'd a little with Earth ; 
 they are neither high nor long, and tor the moft 
 part little more than fmall rifings one upon another. 
 We faw again a good many Hares and Partridges, 
 and found likewife near the Plain where we encamp'd 
 a little yellow Goat, which was caught by a Grey- 
 hound : We were oblig'd to encamp upon thefe loofe 
 Sands, where there was fome Grafs which ferv'd for 
 Pafture for the Horfes, but there was neither Brook 
 nor Spring, fo that we were forc'd to dig Pits in the 
 Sand to come at Water : There were a good many of 
 them dug that there might be enough Water for 
 the Cattle, of which] there was a great number. 
 
 The Weather was very fine all Day, tho' a little 
 cloudy for a few Hours ; and there was a continual 
 North-north- weft Wind, which cooPd the Air. 
 
 The 2Sth we reach'd fixty Lys, the half of which 
 was to the North-weft, and the reft to the Weft : The 
 whole Country continued to be barren and uncultiva- 
 ted ; there was nothing but Sand every where, but 
 not loofe : We march'd about half the Way between 
 little Mountains by difficult By-roads, afterwards we 
 enter'd upon a Plain, which was likewife nothing but 
 Sand, and came to encamp at the foot of the Hills 
 which bound this Plain : There was no Water there, 
 and we were oblig'd as the day before to fink Pits, 
 in which we found fome that was very good : We 
 met upon the Road a great many Troops of the 
 Kalka Tartars, who brought Camels, Horfes and 
 Sheep for fale or truck : W e gave Tea and Tobacco 
 to the value of about fifteen Pence in exchange for a 
 Sheep : We law fome Shrubs between the Moun- 
 S 2 tains, 
 
26o 77je General History of 
 
 tains, but there was not a Tree in the whole Country." 
 When we were arriv'd at the Camp, whilft we were 
 waiting for the coming of the Tents we went to reft 
 our felves upon a little rifing Ground juft by : I found 
 that what feem'd to be Pieces of Rock upon that 
 Eminence was a kind of yellow Sand which fhin'd 
 like Gold : I cou'd not very well tell whether it was 
 really Gold or not, but I believe there was fome 
 mix'd with it, for it fparkled very much ; there was 
 likewife on this Hill a good deal of Sak-petre. 
 
 It was very hot all the Evening till about four, 
 when there arofe a great Storm which overturn'd one 
 of Niou kieou's Tents, which he made ufe of as a Hall, 
 and mine alfo twice together ; after which it blow'd a 
 little till Night. 
 
 The 29th we traveled upon the whole reckoning 
 but twenty Lys to the North-weft paffing between 
 thofe little Mountains at the foot of which we had 
 encamp'd : The Valleys which are among thofe Hills 
 are entirely loofe Sand, and the Road very difficult, 
 efpecially for Carriages. We came out afterwards 
 upon a great Plain which was all of firm Sand, yet 
 had Grafs upon it : We encamp'd near that part of 
 this Plain where there had been a Camp of Kalka 
 'Tartars, and where we found a great many Pits ready 
 dug. 
 
 The Weather v/as variable all Day, fometimes 
 cloudy, fometimes fair, with great gufts of Wind and 
 fome drops of Rain ; it was a North Wind which 
 continu'd almoft all day, and when it ceas'd it was 
 very hot. 
 
 The 30th we reach'd feventy-five Lys, of which 
 the firft twenty were full North, the reft to the North- 
 north- weft along continued Plains, which are fepa- 
 rated only by fome little rifing Grounds : It is 
 throughout a firm Sand, and in fome Maces mixt 
 with a little Earth : The whole Country is moft de- 
 fart and barren ; for there is not fo much as any good 
 
 Parture 
 
China, Chinese-Tart a ry, &c. 261 
 
 Pafture for the Cattle, and we faw but a fingle Tree 
 about forty Lys from whence we fet out : We found 
 fome Pits wherein was a little Water, and fome 
 Grafs about them : We faw alfo in this open Country 
 feveral herds of Deer, and flocks of Partridges, efpe- 
 cially near the Place where we encamp'd, which was 
 at the foot of fome fmall Hills that bound the Plain. 
 Here we found a little Water, but neither running 
 nor enough for our Company, tho' it had not been 
 very muddy ; fo that they were forc'd to make Pits as 
 the foregoing Days, which furnifhed Water fufficient 
 for us and our Cattle : Kiou kieou hirrifelf had more 
 than five hundred, viz. four hundred Horfes and near 
 an hundred and twenty Camels. 
 
 It was very hot all Day, there having been fcarce 
 a breath of Wind, altho' the Weather was fair. 
 Our Servants faw a wild Mule on the Plain, at the 
 bottom of which we encamp'd, and we \Vere in- 
 form'd that there are feveral of them in this Country, 
 and in Eaft Tartary : Kiou kieou, who has feen fome 
 of them, told us that they are exactly like our tame 
 Mules, and of the fame Size, but of a yellowifh Colour, 
 and that they are very fwift ; as Father Pereyra and I 
 were at a diftance from the Company, I did not fee 
 it. 
 
 The firft Day of July wereach'd fixty-five Lys to the 
 North- weft, all along great Plains where are found here 
 and there little rifing Grounds : The Country through- 
 out was the molt defart and barren, there being nothing 
 almoft any where but fcorch'd Sands, fometimes firm 
 and fometimes loofe, without Tree, Water or Pafture. 
 Juft at the going out of our Camp we found a great 
 deal of thefe rocky Stones and Sand condens'd, full 
 of pale yellow and fhining Particles like Gold : We 
 law abundance of Deer in thefe Plains, three of which 
 our people kill'd, and cou'd have kill'd more if they 
 had not been afraid of fatiguing their Horfes too much 
 by riding after them. On the fame Plain there is 
 
 S 3 alfo 
 
262 Tlje General History of 
 
 alfo plenty of Partridges, and we faw great flights of 
 them, efpecially among the Hills, at the going out 
 of which we encamp'd on a fmall Plain, which being 
 nothing but Sand made the heat infupportable : We 
 had no Water, but what we drew out of Pits as the 
 foregoing Day, and it was very good, but as there was 
 no Pafture the Cattle fufier'd much. It was very hot 
 all Day, for there was only now and then a little 
 Wind : In the Evening we had a great Storm, and 
 another towards Midnight, with Rain and Thunder. 
 
 The 2d we travel I'd fixty Lys to the North- 
 weft, paffing at firft between thofe little Mountains, 
 at the bottom of which we had encamp'd, where we 
 faw fome Trees Icattered up and down in the Valleys, 
 altho' the Mountains were quite bare, and full of 
 Stones and Rocks ; afterwards we came upon ano- 
 ther Plain which reach'd further than we cou'd lêe, 
 no lefs défait and barren, all of it Sand, part loofe 
 and part firm : We found at the entrance of 
 this Plain a little fpot fill'd with a kind of Dwarf- 
 Trees, whofe Leaves and Branches were very like 
 our Belvedores, amongfl which we faw the tracks of 
 wild Mules ; we found Jikewife on the Road fome 
 Deer and Partridges, but not in fo great a number 
 as the other Days. We encamp'd in this fame Plain 
 upon the Sands, altho' there was no Pafture for the 
 Cattle, which were oblig'd to take up with fome of 
 the Leaves of thefe Dwarf- Trees -, it was alfo very 
 difficult to find Water, and we could procure but 
 very little. 
 
 It was fine Weather all day, a good North- weft 
 Wind allaying the heat, which otherwife would have 
 been infupportable among thefe Sands. 
 
 The 3d we reach'd forty -five Lys, about forty 
 North-north-weft, and the reft North-weft : After 
 we had got clear of the Plain where we had encamp'd, 
 which was ftill about thirty Lys, we pafi'd over 
 fome little Mountains, m the foot of which there were. 
 
 fome 
 
J 
 
 Chin a, Chines e-Tart ary, Êfr. 263 
 
 fome Pits ready dug, with fomc Water in them, and 
 here and there Grafs : There were in this Place a 
 vaft quantity of Partridges : We then crofs'd ano- 
 ther Plain which is almoft fifty Lys long, at the end 
 of which we went over a little Hill, and came to 
 our Camp in a Bottom which is nothing but Sand, 
 like the reit of the Road. As there was no Grafs the 
 Cattle were forc'd to browfe upon the Leaves of the 
 Dwarf-Trees which I juft now fpoke of: We dug 
 three or four foot deep in the Sand before we found 
 Water: All this Country which we had travell'd 
 through is a continued uncultivated Defart, and no- 
 thing but burning Sands. 
 
 It was very hot all the Morning, and there arofe a- 
 bout Noon a ftrong Weft-fouth-weft Wind which 
 cool'd the Air a little, but did not prevent its being 
 very hot in the Tent ; about Evening the Wind tum'd 
 to the North, and was very violent moft of the Night. 
 
 The 4th we travell'd fifty Lys to the North- weft, 
 about thirty-five in the fame Plain where we had en- 
 camp'd, which is not a Flat, but interfpers'd with little 
 Rifmgs -, the reft in a Valley between fmall Moun- 
 tains, where there are fome Dwarf-Trees, altho' it 
 was throughout nothing but Sand, fometimes loofe 
 and at other times firm. The Country is alike de- 
 fart and uncultivated, without Pafture and Water, 
 but we found fome Pits ready dug wherein there was 
 Water : We encamp'd juft at the Paflage out of thele 
 Mountains in a Place where all the Water was brack ifh, 
 for there was a great deal of Salt-petre in this Val- 
 ley : They went to look for Water two or three Lys 
 further, where they found fome that was tolerable. 
 We faw ftill in the way fome Efcer and Partridges, 
 and were informed that about the Place where we 
 were there were fome Kalka' Tartars encamp'd, and 
 accordingly there came fome of them with their Ca- 
 mels and Horfes to fell them to our people, 
 
 S 4 It 
 
2 64 5T^ General H i s t o ry of 
 
 It was pretty temperate all Day, being almoft con- 
 tinually cloudy, a imall Northern Wind blowing, 
 which was very cold in the Morning. 
 
 The 5th we reach'd forty five Lys to the North-Well: i 
 a little after we were got out of the Camp we found 
 fome Tents of thefe Tartars of Kalka fcatter'd here 
 and there, with their Flocks of Cows, Horfes, Sheep 
 and Camels round about them : One cannot imagine 
 any thing more miferable * than their Tents, much 
 lower, lefs and poorer than thofe of the Mongous, 
 who are near China : They» are likewife not fo. well 
 made, and more ugly, altho' the People fpeak the 
 fame Language: Their Children go naked, and as for 
 them they have nothing but wretched Coats of 
 Cloth lined with Wool -, many have no other Clothes 
 than Sheep Skins, neither drefs'd nor curry'd, but 
 only dried in the Sun. We kept along a Plain a little 
 uneven, which fometimes rofe and at other times 
 îû\^ but fcarce perceivably : The Country is 
 equally defart and uncultivated, the whole Soil being 
 fandy : We encamp'd on that Plain beyond a little 
 Fifing Ground, the Defcent of which was almoft in- 
 fènfîble : There was round about this Place a little 
 good Grafs here and there in the Sands, which our 
 Horfes eat with greedinefs, altho' it was very dry ; 
 but fur five or fix days they had not met with fo 
 good Forage, and had liv'd only upon the Leaves of 
 Dwarf-Trees ; there was no Water in this Place, 
 and we had notice of it beforehand ; we had not fet 
 forward till two in the Afternoon, that all the Cattle 
 might be water'd and the whole Retinue dine. It was 
 very fine and temperate the whole Day, a ftrong 
 North- weft Wind Inoderating the Heat, which was 
 fenfibly felt in the Tents. 
 
 The 6th we decamp'd about four in the Morning, 
 and reach'd fifty Lys to the North-north-weft, on 
 
 f The mi ! . rta . fKalkt. 
 
 the 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &c- 265 
 
 the fame Plain as the Day before, where the Soil was 
 Hill the fame: We encamp'd beyond a little Hill 
 where there was Water, and where we found that 
 fome of our People had been already, and had dug 
 for us a great many Pits, but did not find any Fo- 
 rage fit for the Cattle : We could make but fhort Days 
 Journeys becaufe our Horfes were extremely fatigued, 
 fome of them dying every Day of mere Wearinefs, 
 rather than want of Food. 
 
 It being cloudy, with a ftrong Wind at North- 
 north-weft, made the Morning very cold ; but be- 
 tween Nine and Ten the Wind fhifted to the North- 
 weft, and difpers'd all the Clouds, fo that the reft, of 
 the Day was clear and temperate. 
 
 The 7th we reach'd feventy Lys, forty to the 
 North-weft, and thirty to the North-north- weft : The 
 whole Country is uneven, and like that of the fore- 
 going Days, all uncultivated, barren and fandy, 
 without Trees or Pafture, and we met with only 
 one fmall Spring in forty Lys travelling. We en- 
 camp'd in a Valley that was almoft quite furrounded 
 with little Hills, beyond which we were inform'd 
 that there was a Camp of Kalka 'Tartars. 
 
 It was very hot from Eight almoft to Eleven, 
 when there arofe a ftrong Weft-north-weft Wind 
 which allay'd the heat, and the reft of the Day was 
 mild and calm : We faw again a herd of Deer and 
 fome Hares : In the Evening there was a Storm, 
 and it rained a great while towards the beginning of 
 the Night : Several Lamas and other Tartars of the 
 Country came to vifit Kiou kieou. 
 
 The 8th we reach'd eighty Lys, about half to the 
 North -north- weft, and the other to the North, in a 
 Country intirely Sand, equally defart, uncultivated, 
 and uneven, without Trees or Pafture. We encamp'd 
 beyond fome little Mountains, which we winded for 
 above four or five Lys, at the entrance of a great 
 Plain near a Place where there were twenty-five or 
 
 thirty 
 
266 The General History of 
 
 thirty Tents of Tartars of the Country all wretched- 
 ly poor -, we met with fome of them who came to en- 
 camp in thefe Mountains, where they began to pitch 
 their Tents : They fhelter'd themfelves on the North 
 fide to avoid the King of Eluth, who had entred their 
 Country with a great Army : I couid fcarce com- 
 prehend how they could feed that number of Camels, 
 Horfes, Cows and Sheep which they had in a 
 Country where there feemed not to be any Forage ; 
 and how they themfelves could live in the middle of 
 thefe burning Sands, upon which their Children and 
 part of their Women went barefoot : The Children 
 had their Skin half burnt by the Sun ; neverthelefs 
 the Men feem'd vigorous and active : There came 
 a great number of them into our Camp to vifit Kiou 
 kieou, and to carry on their Trade, that is to exchange 
 their Cattle for Cloth, Tobacco and Tea. 
 
 Some of the chief Women of their Clan came to 
 prêtent Kiou kieou with a quantity of their Tea, which 
 was in VefTels not very neat: The Men likewife 
 made him a Prefent of two or three Sheep, for which 
 he ordered them Tobacco, &c. The Women are mo- 
 del!]]/ drefs'd, wearing a Gown which reaches from 
 their Neck to their Feet : Their Head-drefs is ridicu- 
 lous, being a Bonnet fomewhat like that the Men 
 wear ; when one fees their hideous Faces, and the 
 Ringlets of curl'd Hair which fall down over their 
 Ears, one would take them for downright Furies : 
 Molt of thefe Women came into our Camp to drii c 
 their fmall Trade, exchanging their Cattle for Stuffs, 
 Salt, Tobacco and Tea : Our People chang'd mod 
 of their Horfes and Camels, which were tir'd and lean, 
 for others quite frefh, giving thefe Tartars fome- 
 thing to boot, who would not take Mony but only 
 Stuffs, &c. 
 
 It was very clear all Day but hot, for we had a 
 Wind only now and then : Here we met with a Spring 
 
 of good Water 
 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &c. 267 
 
 The 9th we continued in our Camp to give thofe 
 who were behind us time to come up, and then to 
 march to that fide from which our two other Bodies 
 came in order to join them, and to deliberate upon 
 what was proper for us to do in the prefent Con- 
 juncture. 
 
 The King of Elutb, by the Intelligence we had re- 
 ceived, was enter'd the Country of Kalka 9 and the 
 Terror of his Arms had put all the Tartars to flight : 
 The great Lama, Brother to the Emperor of Kalka, 
 was himfelf fled even to the Frontiers of China : This 
 News was confirm'd to us after Dinner by fome of 
 the Attendants of So fan la oyé, whom he had fent to 
 Kicu kieou to give him advice ol it, and to defire him 
 to flay in the Place where he was, if there was fuffi- 
 eient Water and Forage for their whole Retinue when 
 they fhould be join'd, or to find him out that they 
 might confult together upon what was to be done : 
 He added that he had difpatch'd a Courier to Peking 
 to inform the Emperor of what pafs'd, and defire 
 Orders: As there was neither enough of Water nor 
 Forage in the Place where we were, and as our Guides 
 afiur'd us that we muft go feven or eight Days Jour- 
 ney further before we fhould find any, Kiou kieou re- 
 iblv'd to find out So fan la oyé, and without any de- 
 lay fent his Servants back to inform him of it, and 
 to defire him to flay for him : It was very hot all 
 Day, there having been but a very little Wind from 
 the North- weft ; however there fell fome little Rain in 
 the Evening, but it did not lafl long. 
 
 The 10th we went back the fame Road in order 
 to our joining the other Bodies, but we did not fet 
 out till One in the Afternoon that all the Cattle might 
 be water'd, and all the Retinue have time to dine, 
 for it had been refolv'd to encamp that Evening where 
 we knew there was no Water : We then reach'd fifty 
 Lys, returning the fame Road which we had kept 
 for two Days pafi : We went forty Lys to the South- 
 
 fouth-eafl, 
 
268 The General History of 
 
 fouth-eaft, and ten full South, encamping in one of 
 the Plains we had pafs'd. Kiou kieou fent one of his 
 Attendants, who was a Mongous, with a Lama for his 
 Guide, to get Intelligence, and to find out the Prefi- 
 dent of the Tribunal of Lym pha yuen, who was 
 march'd before, and to order him to return and join us 
 upon the Road. 
 
 It was extremely hot till about Three or Four, 
 when it became overcaft and continued very mild all 
 the Evening : I faw upon the Road a wild Ox of 
 ^tartary that was tamed ; it was neither fo high nor fo 
 large as the common Ox, its Legs being very ffiort, 
 and the Hair long, like the Camels, but much thicker; 
 it was quite black, had a Saddle upon its Back, and 
 a Man led him in a Halter ; he walk'd very ilowly 
 and very heavily, and had been given in exchange for 
 two Horfes. 
 
 The nth we reach'd fixty Lys, thirty full South, 
 and thirty to the South-fouth-eaft, keeping all along, 
 upon our return, the fame Road which we came, and 
 encamp'd near a Spring which we had found in the 
 Road, when we join'd a Detachment of our Body 
 which was left behind, and who having had Intelli- 
 gence of our Countermarch waited for us here. 
 
 It was very hot all Day, notwithstanding it was 
 for the moil part cloudy, with a continual North-eaft 
 Wind : We were oblig'd to make this long Stage, 
 altho' the Florfes and Camels were extremely fatigu'd, 
 becaufe there was no Water nearer upon the rout 
 that we muft neceffarily take to meet with Sa fan 
 laoye : The Country we pafs'd was all alike, unlefs 
 that there is this way more of the loofe Sands, and 
 the Soil altogether barren and incapable of being cul- 
 tivated : There are neither Trees nor Bufhes to be 
 feen, and yet there were Deer, Hares, and Partridges, 
 tho s but few in comparifon of what we had feen in 
 other Places we pafs'd thro' : Where we encamp'd 
 there was not the leaft Forage, but we found fome 
 
 Pits 
 
China, Chines e-Tartary, &c. 269 
 
 Pits already dug, and we dug more, the Water of 
 which was pretty clear and frefh : It was extreme hot 
 the greateft part of the Day, but there arofe a lit- 
 tle Wind about Two which fhifted very often ; and 
 there fell fome Rain, but it did not continue any 
 time. 
 
 The 13th we marched forty-five Lys' to the Eaft, 
 bending fometimes a very little to the South, the 
 Country being ftill all alike : We encamp'd in a lit- 
 tle Plain encompafs'd on every fide with rifing 
 Grounds, where we found a Camp of Kalka Tartars, 
 who had taken refuge here a few Days before ; it was 
 a Prince of this Country, no lefs than Brother to the 
 Emperor of Kalka, with his whole Family ; there 
 were about thirty Tents wretched enough, even his 
 own was not very neat, only a little larger: All the 
 other Tents belonged to his Attendants, or rather 
 Slaves ; he had fome Flocks of Sheep, and a pretty 
 large number of Cows, Horfes and Camels ; altho' 
 his Train confifted of the meaneft Wretches, he was 
 neverthelefs proud enough not to go to vifit Kiou 
 kieou in Perfon, thinking it fufficient to fend him one 
 of his Attendants, and to acquaint him that as he 
 was the Son of an Emperor he could not give place 
 to him, and that he was obiig'd to keep his Rank : 
 Kiou kieou did not omit going to fee him in his Tent, 
 and to take part of an Entertainment there which was 
 to all appearance very bad ; for after the Cafres of the 
 Cape of Good Hope, I have not km a more dirty Na- 
 tion than the Tartars. 
 
 This Prince acknowledged ingenuoufly, that the 
 Invafion of the King of Eluth into the Territories 
 of Kalka had obliged him to fly with fo much Pre- 
 cipitation, without flopping for feyen or eight Days 
 together : In the Evening I was inform'd, by one of 
 the Tartars of Kalka, who is in the ièrvice of a Re- 
 lation of Kiou kieou, in what manner they lived in fo 
 wretched a Country : He told us that in the Summer- 
 time 
 
270 7%e General History of 
 
 time their Subfiftence was nothing but Milk, and Tea 
 from China ; and added that they fed upon all forts 
 of Milk, as well of Mares and Camels as of Cows 
 and Ewes ; and that in the Winter-time, when the 
 Cattle did not yield a fufficient quantity of Milk, they 
 fed upon Flefh half broiled over a Fire made ot the 
 dry Dung of the fame Beads ; it being extremely cold 
 in the depth of Winter they never go out of their 
 Tents, in the middle of which there is always a great 
 Fire : As for their Cattle they let them feed at plea- 
 fure, and trouble their heads no further about them 
 than to get their Milk, or to make choice of fome for 
 the Shambles, when they have occafion. 
 
 Thefe Tartars do not feem to be very valiant ; for 
 the Caravans of Moorijh Merchants who travel into 
 China, when they pafs through their Country pillage 
 and carry them off with Impunity, bringing them 
 and their Cattle to fell at Peking, where they carry on 
 a great Trade in this fort of Merchandife : This 
 Kalka himfelf, with whom I was difcourfing, was car- 
 ried off in this manner by the Moors, and fold at 
 Peking. 
 
 The Weather was pretty mild after Dinner, but it 
 was very hot in the Morning -, about Three we had a 
 gentle Rain. 
 
 The 14th in the Morning the Emperor of Kalka 1 s 
 Brother fent his Compliments to Kioti kieou by one of 
 his Relations, who was likewife a Prince -, he had a 
 filken Veil bordered with I know not what kind of 
 Skin, which had a very ordinary appearance, and the 
 Veft itfelf was very old and dirty -, he wore a Cap 
 lined with Ermin, which was likewife almoil worn 
 out ; he had a red Face and a drowfy Air, and his 
 whole Equipage çonfifted of four or five Servants, 
 who were all hideous Wretches, and exceeding dirty : 
 We did not fet out till Noon that we might give 
 our People time to exchange fuch of their Horfes and 
 Camels, as were moll fatigued, for frelh ones among 
 
 the 
 
China, Chines e-T a r t a r y, &c. 271 
 
 the Tartars, who absolutely refufed Mony, and would 
 only take Cloth, Tea, Tobacco and Salt. 
 
 We travelled twenty-eight Lys North-eafl, and had 
 a great Rain on our Backs all the way, which differ- 
 ed in nothing from the former ; we encamped in a 
 Place where there was no Water, but there was a lit- 
 tle Forage for our Hories and Cattle. 
 
 We had a flrong wefterly Wind all the Morning, 
 and it rained almoit all the Afternoon. 
 
 The 15th we travell'd thirty-eight Lys, twenty of 
 which were directed eaftward till we came into a 
 Road made by a Company of our People, who had 
 paffed that way : We then kept along this Road, 
 and went ten Lys to the North, and eight Eaft-north- 
 eaft, the Country ftill continuing very bad, and as 
 defart and uncultivated as the the former, when we 
 encamped in a Plain at the Foot of a Rock, where we 
 found Pits ready made, probably by that part of our 
 Company who had encamped there belore. 
 
 It was very cold all the Morning, the Sky being 
 overcaft with a North Wind which blew very hard a- 
 bout Eleven ; it rained a little the reft of the Day, and 
 blew conftantly very hard from the North-eafl. 
 
 This fame Day the Domeftick, who was fent by 
 Kiou kieou when we began to return back, arrived in 
 our Camp with a Tartar of this Country whom he 
 had taken for a Guide ; he brought a Letter from 
 the Prefident of Lim fa yuen, whom he had met with 
 a Day's Journey from the fame Place where we began 
 to return back : This Mandarin fent word to Kiou 
 kieou that he waited for him in a Place where there 
 was Water and Forage in great plenty ; that as for 
 the War between the King of Elutb with that of 
 Kalka it did not at all affect them, jhat neither of 
 them were Enemies to the- Emperor of China, and 
 therefore it ought not to hinder them from advancing 
 forward, and proceeding as fall as poffibie to the 
 Place appointed for the Conferences of Peace -, the 
 
 Domeftick 
 
272 The General History of 
 
 Domeftick of Kiou kieou added, that So fan la oyê with 
 his Train, and Ma la oyé with his, continued on their 
 Road, by which Kiou kieou underftood that their Re- 
 folution of returning back had been fuddenly taken 
 up, and that he had tired, and almoft killed his Equi- 
 page for no purpofe. 
 
 We found in the Road another Company of Kal- 
 ka Tartars^ who fled with their whole Families. 
 
 The 1 6th we travelled forty-fix Lys North- north- 
 weft, the Country flill continuing very bad ; we 
 met in the Road feveral Companies of Kalka Tartars 
 with their whole Families, Flocks and Herds ; they 
 were fo terrified at the Invafion of the King of Elut h 
 that they knew not what was become of their Em- 
 peror, nor their Lama his Brother ; they only faid 
 that they had both taken to flight. 
 
 We encamped in the moll incommodious Place we 
 had yet met with, for there was not only a want of 
 Forage, but all the Water was brackifh, and all the 
 Sand 'full of Salt-petre. 
 
 It was very hot about three in the Afternoon, till 
 there arofe a ftrong North-weft wind, which ren- 
 dered the heat more fupportable the reft of the Day. 
 
 The 17th we travelled fifty Lys, half of which was 
 Northward, and the other half North-weft ; the 
 Country dill the fame, fandy, barren and fcorched, 
 unlefs a little about the Place where we encamped, in 
 which the Forage was fo bad that the Cattle in ano- 
 ther Country would not have touched it, for it was 
 nothing but Grafs half withered, without any Water, 
 and as we had been advifed of it we watered the 
 Cattle before we began our March. 
 
 The 1 8th we travelled feventy-eight Lys, tl 
 North- north -vaeft, and the reft direcïly Eaft ; we 
 found on the Road two fmall Tartarian Cam 
 dirty and hideous as the former -, they had nothing 
 but a little forry Water, tho' they had fun!; very 
 deep Pits : We did not omit to let our Horfes take 
 part of it. 
 
China, Chinese-Tart ary, &*c. 273 
 
 After we had travelled fifty Lys we found two 
 pretty deep Pits in the middle of a large Plain ; the 
 Water was cool but muddy and whitifli, and I was 
 difordered with drinking it ; thefe Pits were funk 
 in Sand abounding with Mines of Copper and Tin 5 
 along all the Road we met with a great number of 
 dead Animals, especially Horfes -, they probably died 
 of Thirft, there being no other Water but that which 
 is got out of very deep Pits, and in very fmall 
 quantities. 
 
 The Country never feemed to me fo wretched and 
 barren as it did this Day -, there was nothing to be 
 Jeen on all fides but burning Sands, which heated the 
 Air fo much, by the Reverberation of the Sun-Beams, 
 that it was infupportable, tho' the Wind blew very 
 frefh all the Day long: This Wind followed the Sun 
 from its rifing to its fetting, turning conftantly to- 
 wards the Point where the Sun was ; we encamped 
 at the Foot of a Hill where we found good Water 
 in Pits about three or four Foot deep : There was 
 in the Neighbourhood a 'Tartarian Camp like the 
 former, that is to fay a very frightful one. 
 
 Soon after we arrived in our Camp an Officer, that 
 the Kiou kieou had fent ièven or eight Days before to 
 So fan la oyé to defire him to wait for him, returned 
 in Company with another Officer, and fcveral Horfe- 
 men, that the latter had fent in his Turn to meet Kiou 
 kieou to let him know that he waited for him, that 
 he had already joined Ma la oyé and his Train, and 
 that the Prefident of Lim fa yuen, called Pa la oyé? 
 who had fet out firft, was alfo come to join them, 
 having returned back about ten or twelve Leagues for 
 this purpofe : We learn'd at the fame time that we 
 were but a dozen Leagues from the Place where 
 So fan la oyé w&s encamp'd, that we there mould find 
 Forage and Water for all our People, which com- 
 forted us a little, and gave us hopes of recovering 
 
 Vol. IV, T the 
 
2 74 ?7 je General History of 
 
 the extraordinary Fatigue that our Equipage had fuf- 
 tered in thefe horrible Dcfarts. 
 
 The ioih we went éighty*fix Lys, fixty North- 
 eaft, and the reft North ; in the firft half of the 
 Read we met here and there with Spots of Ground, 
 where the Forage was pretty good, but no Water ; 
 the Soil continued fandy, and the Country always un- 
 equal : After having gone about feventy Lys we 
 met with two frriall Companies of Kalka Tartars, who 
 had run away, encamped in a little Valley where they 
 had a Pit of very bad Water -, this obliged us to 
 advance about ten Lys farther!, where they aifured us 
 there was Water enough for all our Company -, how- 
 ever we difcovered but one Pit, which tafted a lit- 
 tle of the Mud, but it was cool ; the Forage about it 
 had been confumed by thefe fugitive Tartars, who 
 had encamped in the fame Place : We found near the 
 Pit a poor fick Woman deprived of all afliftance, 
 and not far from thence a great many dead Cattle. 
 
 It was pretty cold all the Morning, and the Sky 
 was cvercaft till Noon -, there fell a few Drops of 
 Rain, and the Wind was weiterly all the Day blow- 
 ing very frefh, which did not however hinder the 
 Weather from being hot in the Afternoon. 
 
 In the Evening there came other People belonging 
 to So fan la aye, to give us notice that the Prefident 
 of Lim fa yuen had fent a Mandarin to examine into 
 the Roads, and to get Information how Affairs flood 
 in the Place where the Emperor of Kalka and the 
 Lama his Brother refide -, that this Mandarin had 
 been taken by the Tartars of Eluth, and carried be- 
 fore their King ; that the Prince at firft treated the 
 Mandarin roughly, forbidding him to fpeak unlefs on 
 his Knees, which the Mandarin obftinatcly refuted, 
 telling him he was not his Valla], but an Officer of 
 the Emperor of China -, that after this Anfwer they 
 did not prefs him any farther. 
 
 They 
 
China, C hinese-Tart ary, &c. 275 
 
 They likewife added, That the King of Eluth had 
 demanded to know the Defign that had brought all 
 thek Soldiers into the Country, and if they came to 
 the affiftance of the Kalkas -, that the Mandarin re- 
 plied, That at his departure from Peking they had not 
 heard the News of his being at War with the Kalkas ; 
 that they came only to negotiate a Peace with the 
 Mofcovites, and not to meddle with the Affairs of the 
 King of Kalka, with whom they had entred into no 
 Alliance ; that the King of Eluth, fatisfied with this 
 Reply, had given him his Liberty, withal making 
 him a Prefent of two hundred Sheep, ten Horfes, and 
 a Camel ; this News was greatly pleafirg to Kicu 
 kieou, becaufe this War gave him fo much uneafinefs 
 that he did not know whether he might fafely con- 
 tinue his Journey : Thefe People likewife informed 
 us, that the Report was falfe of the Mofcovites being- 
 united with the King of Eluth againft that of Kalka. 
 
 The 20th we went thirty Lys Northward, and 
 found a little more Forage fcattered here and there, 
 but half withered. So fan la oyê, Ma la aye, and Pa 
 la oyê, attended with all their Equipage, came to meet 
 Kiou kieou above a League from their Camp ; after the 
 ufual Civilities we went and encamped in the fame 
 Place, and So fan la eye treated Kicu kieou and his 
 Officers in his own Tent in a very handfome and 
 elegant manner -, he did P. Pereyra and rrry felf the 
 Honour to diftinguifh us from the reft of the Man- 
 darins, in placing us at a Table by ourfelves near that 
 of the four AmbaiTadors in the fame Tent : The 
 Place where So fan la oyê was encamped was called 
 Naratte. 
 
 About four in the Morning it rained very hard, 
 and there was a ftrong North Wind when we hft our 
 Camp ; the Wind afterwards veered to the North- 
 weft, and continued in that Point the remainder of 
 the Day, but the Weather v/as very fine from fix in 
 the Morning till Night. 
 
 T 2 The 
 
276 TJje General History of 
 
 The 2 1 ft we did not ftir out of our Camp, becaufe 
 we waited for the Mandarin's return, who was fent to 
 the King of Eluth, and the Emperor's Anfwer who 
 had been acquainted with all that had paflèd : All 
 this Day the Wind blew hard from the North-weft, 
 but the Weather was other wife very fine : Ma la oye 
 made us a Vifit in P. Pereyra's Tent -, in the Evening 
 we paid a Vifit to So fan la oyé, who gave us a good 
 Reception ; he difputed above two Hours concerning 
 Religion with "P. Pereyra : He, as well as the reft of 
 the Mandarins, made their Ignorance diffidently ap- 
 pear, and gave us reafon to «judge that they were 
 entirely taken up with making their Fortunes, and 
 thought of little elfe but worldly matters. 
 
 The 2 2d in the Morning two Court Mandarins, 
 fent by the Emperor, arrived in our Camp, and 
 brought a Difpatch from his Majefty, who, having 
 learn'd that a War was broke out between the Kings 
 of Eluth and Kalka, ordered his AmbafTadors to re- 
 turn with their whole Train to the Frontiers of Tartary 
 which were fubjedt to h im, unlefs they had already pafled 
 the Territories of Kalka, where his Forces lay -, be- 
 fides he commanded them to fend a Letter to the 
 Plenipotentiary Ambaffadors of Mofcovy at Salenga, to 
 inform them of the reafon of their Retreat, or to in- 
 vite them to come to the Frontiers of his Empire, or 
 to find out fome other method of holding Confe- 
 rences about a Peace. 
 
 According to thefe Orders the four AmbafTadors, 
 after holding a Council with the two Envoys from 
 his Majefty, refolved to return without delay to the 
 Limits of Tartary dependent upon China : They were 
 not very uneafy becaufe they were faved the trouble 
 of travelling farther into a Country fo deteftable as 
 this. All the Horfes in their Equipage were extreme- 
 ly fatigued, and the neceifary Provifions were want- 
 ing to purfue their Journey as far as Selengha, accord- 
 ing to the Orders we had received at our departure 
 
 from 
 
China, Chinese-Tart ar y, &c. 2jy 
 
 from Peking -, there was no hopes left of Refrefhmcnt 
 in a Country abandoned by all its Inhabitants ; this 
 however had been depended upon, for no doubt was 
 made but all forts of Cattle might be bought or ex- 
 changed among the Kalkas -, for this reafon every one 
 was provided with Cloth, Tea, Tobacco, and Pieces 
 of Siik, which are Commodities that thefe People 
 are fond of -, but as they were all fled away, and as the 
 Elutbs plundered and ravaged every thing that came 
 to hand, we law ourfelves deprived of all Succour, 
 infomuch tliat our Sufferings mud have been very 
 great if we had been obliged to have proceeded on our 
 Journey. 
 
 Our AmbafTadors, before they fet out on their Re- 
 turn, wrote a long Letter to the Mofccvite AmbafTadors, 
 which we tranflated into Latin : They went as far 
 back as the Origin of the War, and then entred in- 
 to a Detail of their Caufes of Complaint ; the fol- 
 lowing is pretty near the Letter that was actually 
 fent. 
 
 " Thofe, who inhabit the Confines of the Terri- 
 " tories fubject to the Great Dukes of Mofcovy, have 
 " enter'd into the Countries of Tacfa and Nipchou, 
 " belonging to the Emperor bur Mailer ; they have 
 " committed feveral Outrages, plundering, robbing, 
 " and abufing our Hunters ; when they had poffeiTed 
 *' themfelves of the Country of Hegunniouma and 
 <c other Diflricls, feveral Letters were fent from China 
 " into MofcG-vy about it, to which no Anfwer was 
 " ever made. 
 
 " The Emperor, our Mailer, fent in the Year 1 6S6 
 " fome of his People to the Mofcovite Officers, who 
 " had the Command in thofe Parts, to treat amicably 
 " with them concerning this matter: But one Alexis, 
 " Governor of Tacfa, without regarding the begin- 
 *' ing of the Quarrel, immediately took Arms con- 
 " trary to all Right and Reafon -, this obliged one of 
 
 T 3 «t 
 
278 He General History of 
 
 the Emperor's Generals to befiege Tacfa^ of which 
 he made himfelf Mailer. 
 
 " But his Imperial Majefly, perfuading himfelf 
 that the Great Dukes of Mofccvy would not ap- 
 prove of the Governor's Conducl, ilriclly forbid 
 killing any of the Mofcovitcs ; befides he command- 
 ed that thofe of the Garrifon, who were willing 
 to return into their own Country, mould be fup- 
 plied with all things neceffiry for their Journey, 
 and that they mould conducl to Peking thofe who 
 were not willing to return, with Promifes of treat- 
 ing them according to their Quality ; infomuch 
 that tho'' there was above a thoufand Mofcovite Sol- 
 diers found in Yacfa, when it was taken, there was 
 not one that received the leall ill ufage -, on the 
 contrary thofe who had no Horfes were fupplied 
 with them, and thofe who were difarmed were 
 provided with Muskets -, thofe who had no Provi- 
 fions were furnilhed therewith, and when they were 
 fent back they were told that our Emperor did not 
 delight in thefe fort of Quarrels, but was defi- 
 rous that all the World might enjoy a pro- 
 found Peace, living entirely at rell in their own 
 Country ; infomuch that jflexis himfelf was fur- 
 prifed at his Imperial Majelly's Clemency, and 
 could not refrain from fhedding Tears of Acknow- 
 ledgment and Gratitude. 
 
 " Notwithstanding this he returned in the Autumn 
 of the fame Year into the Strong-hold that we had 
 demoliihed ; not fatisfied with repairing it he way- 
 laid our Hunters, and deprived them of great 
 numbers of Skins that they were carrying into 
 China ; nay more, he came with a Company of 
 Soldiers into the Country called Hcirmari, and laid 
 an Ambufcade for forty of our People, who had 
 been fent to vifit thefe Parts, whom he attack'd, 
 and carried off one called Kevoutey : This obliged 
 
China, Chinese-Tart ar y, &c. 279 
 
 " the Generals of our Army to return to Yacfa, and 
 " befiege it a fécond time, defigning only to feize 
 44 this ungrateful and perfidious Alexis, that he might 
 44 be puniihed according to his Deferts. 
 
 " When they were upon the point of taking the 
 44 Place, which was reduced to the Jail Extremity, 
 44 your other Plenipotentiary Ambafiadors were fent 
 tc to Nicephorus, accompanied with feveral other Per- 
 44 fons, to let us know that they came to negotiate a 
 44 Peace. His Imperial Majefty was fo good as 
 " to forbid the fhedding of ycur Soldiers Blood, even 
 44 immediately fending an Interpreter to Nicephcrus, 
 f* called Ivan, with feveral Attendants, accompanied 
 44 with Officers, who had Orders to travel Night and 
 44 Day to raife the Siege of Tacfa, while we waited for 
 " your Arrival. 
 
 " You have fince fent another of your Officers this 
 44 very Year, called Stephen, to know in what Place 
 44 we were willing to negotiate a Peace : Our Em- 
 " peror, confidering that you came from a diftant 
 44 Place, and confequently muit have undergone great 
 " Hardships during fo long and troublcfome a Jour- 
 44 ney, and praifing at the fime time the pious In* 
 44 tention of the Czars your Mafters, as was agree- 
 ct able to Reafon, has fent us Orders to go directly 
 44 to the River which waters the Territory of Selengha, 
 44 where you are at prefent, and he has commanded 
 44 us to do all that lies in our power to fécond the fa- 
 44 vourable Intentions of your Mafters. 
 
 44 In confequence of our Orders we are come a 
 44 great way into the Country of the Kalkas, where 
 44 we found a War broke out between the King of 
 44 this Nation and that of Eluth ; and as we have 
 44 undertaken this Journey, entirely with a defign to 
 44 meet you, we have brought but few Soldiers along 
 44 with us in purfuance of the Requeft made by 
 44 Mr. Stephen your Envoy : However if we mould 
 44 proceed any farther with fo fmall a number of 
 
 T 4 44 Forces, 
 
The General History of 
 
 Forces, when we fhall have arrived at the Place 
 where the Armies of the Kalkas and Eluths are en- 
 camped, one of the contending Parties may fhel- 
 ter themfelves under our Protection, and then it 
 will be no eafy Matter to determine what we 
 ought to do ; and befides, as we have no Order 
 from the Emperor our Mailer, with refpedt to the 
 Diiv.rences between the Kalkas and Elutbs, it will 
 not be prudent in us to meddle at all with their 
 Affairs -, on this account we have taken a Refolu- 
 tion of returning to our own Frontiers, and flop- 
 ping there, and in the mean time have fent you 
 this Exprefs to acquaint ycu therewith, to the end 
 if you have any Propofitions to make, or any Re- 
 foludon to take in this Matter, you would fend it 
 us in Writing, that if the diflance between us pre- 
 vents our meeting at prefent, you may acquaint us 
 at what Time and in what Place we may begin our 
 Negotiations -, for we wait for your Anfwer con- 
 cerning this matter. 
 
 " We have nothing left to do but to inform you 
 of another Article, namely, that when you fent 
 the Interpreter from Nicepborus and his People, 
 conjointly with our Officers, to raife the Siege of 
 Tacfa, our Soldiers, when they retired, let Paydun 
 the Governor of the Place know that they aban- 
 doned the Siege, becaufe the great Dukes of Mof- 
 covy had fent Ambaffadors to treat about a Peace, 
 and they gave notice that they would not permit 
 them to till the Land about Tacfa, nor to offer 
 any Infult to our Hunters, which the Governor 
 and his Men promis'd punctually to obferve. 
 " One of our Generals has been fent with his 
 Troops to fee if they kept their Word, or whe- 
 ther they followed the Example of the perfidious 
 Alexis ; if the laid Paydun and his Men, who 
 arc not People of any great confideration, have 
 broke their Word ; if they have tili'd and fown 
 
 *' the 
 
China, Chines e-Ta rtary, &*e. 281 
 
 " the Land about Tacfa, without queflion our Sol- 
 " diers will take the Crop ; but if this fhould happen 
 *' you are not to fuppofe that we have alter'd ourRe- 
 ** folution about the Peace, nor that thefe Soldiers 
 M were fent with Orders to fight. 
 
 " Thefe are the Reafons which have prevailed up- 
 tc on us to write this Letter, which we fend you by 
 " three of our Officers, attended by others of our 
 " People. 
 
 The Subfcription of the Letter was in thefe Terms : 
 
 The Envoys of the mcft fage Emperor, Grandees of 
 his Court -, Songo tou Captain of his own Guards, and 
 Counfellor of State ; Ton g que cang, Cong * of the 
 highefi Order, Chief of an Imperial Standard, and 
 Uncle of his Imperial Majefty ; Arn hi, Prefident of 
 the Tribunal for foreign Affairs ; Ma la oyé, principal 
 Enfign of an Imperial Standard, and the reft, fend this 
 Letter to the Ambaffadors and chief Plenipotentiaries of 
 their Majefties the Czars c/"Mofcovy, Okolnitz, Lieu- 
 tenant of Brufcoye, Theodore- Alexievez-Golowin, and 
 his Companions. 
 
 Our Ambaffadors fent, at the fame time, a Memo- 
 rial to the Emperor, in which they gave an account 
 of their Proceedings, and that in purfuance of his 
 Orders they were returning to the Limits of the Em- 
 pire. 
 
 The 23d one of the Court-Mandarins, who had 
 brought the Emperor's Orders, fet out Pod in the 
 Morning to carry the Ambaffador's Memorial to his 
 Majefty ; in the Evening the three Mandarins, depu- 
 ted to go to the Mofcovite Ambaffadors, fet out with 
 an Equipage of thirty Perfons with Orders to return, 
 in a Month at farthefl, at a Place where we defigned 
 to wait their Return. 
 
 * Cong ts the chief Dignitv of the Empire 3 next to that of the 
 Reguloes, and anfivers to our Dukes. 
 
 The 
 
282 Ttje General History of 
 
 The fame Day the Mandarin who was fent to in- 
 quire into the Roads, and who had been flopped by 
 the People of the King of Eluth, returned to our 
 Camp, and reported that that Prince had fcarcely four 
 or five thoufand Horfe along with him; that he had 
 pillaged the Country where the King of Kalka kept 
 his Court, and burnt the Pagod of the Grand Lama, 
 and all the Tents and other things that he could not 
 carry off; that the reft of his Troops were difperfed 
 to ravage the Country on all fides ; that the King of 
 Kalka, and the Lama his Brother, withdrew at the 
 firft News of the Arrival of the King of Elutb, and 
 that they were ignorant what was become of them. 
 
 The 24th we decamp'd in order for our Return, 
 keeping the fame Road that So fan laoyé had done be- 
 fore, as being lefs incommodious, and the fhorteft of 
 the four that had been taken in coming hither ; for 
 he found that he had travelled but a hundred and ten 
 Leagues from Hon hen hot un, that he had never want- 
 ed Water where he funk any Pits, and that he had 
 even met with more Forage than the reft : We went 
 this Day fixty Lys South-fouth-cafl, the Country be- 
 ing fandy all the way : We encamped near a Spring 
 that yielded plenty of Water, but not very good, ih- 
 fomuch that the AmbafTadors fent Men in quefl of 
 better for their own Tables to a Place at fome diflance, 
 where they underfcood there was fome. 
 
 It was very hot till Three in the Afternoon, when 
 there arofe a moderate North-weft Wind. 
 
 The 25th we travelled feventy-feven Lys almoft 
 directly South, inclining very little to the Eaft: The 
 fécond of the Court-Mandarins, who brought the 
 Emperor's Orders, fet out Poft this Morning on his 
 Return : The Country we paffed over was nothing but 
 Sand, but pretty fmooth ; we met with Pits ready 
 made, the Water whereof was cool, but not very 
 good. 
 
 It 
 
China, Chinese-Tart ar y, &*c. 283 
 
 It was extremely hot all the Day, there having been 
 but very little Wind. 
 
 The 26th we travelled fifty-feven Lys South-fouth- 
 eaft ; the Country was like that we had juft pafied 
 over, but more unequal, for we travelled almoft al- 
 ways over Hills and Dales : We faw a great deal of 
 Slate, and very fine white Marble, which appeared a- 
 bove the Earth -, there was even fome Pieces broke off, 
 which was a fuffkient Demonftration that thtre were 
 fine Quarries of this Marble ; they funk Pits where they 
 found pretty good Water. 
 
 It was very hot all this Day, and in the Evening 
 there was a great Storm of Hail, and the Hailftones 
 were as large as Pidgeons Eggs, but not any great 
 quantity : This was attended with much Rain, and a 
 ftrong Wind, which veered from the South to the 
 Eaft, and from the Eaft returned to the Weft. 
 
 The 27th we travelled fixty Lys South- fouth- eaft, 
 keeping ftill the fame Road that So fan la oyé kept in 
 coming ; we found Quarries of Slate and white Mar- 
 ble, and encamped between Hills where there were 
 Pools of Water, and Pits which wanted nothing but 
 cleaning -, we faw all along this Road a great many 
 Horfes and other Animals lying dead. 
 
 It was fine Weather all the Day, and the Heat was 
 pretty moderate. 
 
 The 28th we went fifty Lys directly South, flop- 
 ping at a Place where there was Water, which appear- 
 ed from the Pits formerly funk ; there were new ones 
 digged, whereat we watered our Cattle, and after our 
 Equipage had taken fome Refrefhment we went 
 twenty Lys acrofs a fpacious Plain, where there was 
 pretty good Forage, but no Water : The Country 
 was this Day more level and fmooth than the two 
 preceding Days, but the fame in every thing eKc. 
 
 This Day, foon after we had left our Camp, a 
 Mandarin, that So fan la oyé had fent to the Emperor 
 to give him notice of the War between the Kingdoms 
 
 of 
 
284 2^ General History of 
 
 of Kalka and Eluth, rejoined us,, and brought Orders 
 from his Majefty, upon which the four Ambafladors 
 held a Confutation, and refolved to continue their 
 Journey as far as the Confines of Tartary fubject to 
 the Emperor, not thinking it poflible to go to the 
 Place where the Mofcovite Ambafladors refided, their 
 Equipage being in fuch a bad Condition, and almoft 
 all their Horfes exceedingly harafled : It was very 
 hot all the Day, there being nothing but a Breeze from 
 North-eaft, and the Sun being very powerful. 
 
 The 29th we travelled forty Lys South-fouth-eaft, 
 almoft always in loofe Sands, where there was a little 
 Forage ; the Country was flat, and very level ; we 
 encamped on the fide of fome Hills full of large 
 Bufh.es and Shrubs, the Leaf of which is not unlike 
 that of our Belvederes, but harder, and near a^ Foun- 
 tain which runs crofs the Plain, about which there was 
 a little good Forage ; the Water was not very good 
 to drink ; this Day I began to find myfelf out of 
 order: The Weather was fine all the Day, but pretty 
 cool ; there being a frefh Breeze from the North- 
 weft. 
 
 The 30th we went twenty Lys South-fouth-eaft 
 flill in a Plain, in which we encamp'd near a Spot 
 where there was Forage, but no Water : 1 found my- 
 felf very much difordered, with a great diftafle for 
 every thing: It was exceeding hot all the Day, 
 there being no Wind but a little Breeze in the Even- 
 ing. 
 
 The 31ft we travelled thirty-five Lys directly 
 South in the fame Plain, which conflits of loofe Sands, 
 at the Extremity whereof we encamp'd in a Place 
 where there were Pits ready made, and plenty of Wa- 
 ter, but very unpleafant to drink : From ten or eleven 
 in the Morning, till the Evening,, there was a ftrong 
 Weft Wind, which drove a vaft quantity of Sand 
 into our Tents : Whatever Efforts we r.fed to fhut 
 ourfelvcs up the Sand Hill made its way thro 
 
 '. 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &c. 285 
 
 and wc were quite cover'd with it ; befides this the 
 heat was great : I found myfelf flill more and more 
 out of order, and continued the fame Diet I had ob- 
 ferved the two preceding Days, 
 
 The firft of Auguft we travelled thirty Lys South- 
 weft, in a Country more unequal than that of two pre- 
 ceding Days, but flill in loofe Sand ; it was very hot 
 till Three in the Afternoon that we fet out, when in- 
 ftantly there arofe a great Storm, which kept us very 
 wet during the greatef i part of the Road ; the Storm 
 began in the South-weft, and paffed from thence to 
 the South, and afterwards to the Weft : We encamp'd 
 at the foot of fome Hills, where there were Pits and 
 Water, but not good. 
 
 It rained dreadfully all the Night, and there was a 
 ftrong North Wind the greateft part of the time : I 
 took this Day a little Catigis, that is boiled Rice, but ' 
 I found myfelf more diforder'd than before, and I was 
 taken with a great Overflowing of the Gall. 
 
 The 2d we continued in the fame Place, and it 
 rained conftantly by fits all the Day coming ftill 
 from the North : I found myfelf a little better, but 
 ftill troubled with the fame Diftemper, and all the En- 
 deavours that 1 ufed to free myfelf from it were to no 
 purpofe. 
 
 The 3d we went thirty Lys South-weft, finding 
 Forage among the Sands almoft all the way : We en- 
 camp'd between two little Hills, where there was 
 pretty good Water, and plenty of Forage : In the 
 Evening a Taiki, or Prince of the Blood-Royal of 
 Kalka, made our AmbafTadors a Vifit ; he was not 
 lefs frightful than the reft of the Tartars of Kalka, 
 but was fome what more neatly drefs'd, having a 
 filken Veft embroider'd with Silver in fome Places, 
 which did not greatly become him -, however our Am- 
 baftadors gave him an honourable Reception, and 
 made a handibme Entertainment ; he made them a 
 Prefent of fome Cows and Sheep, and they gave him 
 
 lèverai 
 
286 The General History of 
 
 feveral Pieces of Silk ; there were twelve or fifteen 
 Perfons in his Train, three or four of whom wore 
 Vefts of green Taffety, but all the reft were clad in 
 very coarfe Cloth lined with Sheepskins. 
 
 It was very cold all this Day, the Sky being over- 
 caft a good part of the Morning, when there was a 
 flrong North Wind : I found myfelf more diforder«d 
 this Day than the former. 
 
 The 4th we travell'd forty Lys South-fouth-eaft, 
 in a Country much like that of the preceding Days, 
 and encamp'd at the foot of a Knot of fmall Hills, a- 
 mong which there was good Water, and Pits ready 
 made, and which only wanted a little cleanfing. 
 
 It was very cold all this Day, chiefly in the Morn- 
 ing, the Sky being overcafc -, the Cold was occafion'd 
 by a ftrong North Wind, which blew the whole Day: 
 I found myfelf a little better this Day, and began to 
 take a little Nourifhment. 
 
 The 5th we went forty- five Lys nearly South-fouth- 
 eaft, in a Country not unlike that of the preceding 
 Day, unlefs this might lie confiderably higher ; for 
 we went up Hill pretty much, and the contrary but 
 little ; our People were bufied in hunting Hares almoft 
 all the way, of which this Country is full ; we flatt- 
 ed above fifty, and one fmgle Hound, that was not 
 extraordinary good, was able to catch five ; others 
 were killed with Arrows : There were likewife Par- 
 tridges, and fcarce a Day paffed, fince we returned, 
 but we faw feveral Covies. 
 
 We encamp'd in a little Valley furrounded with 
 Hills, where there was a great Pool of Water occa- 
 fioned by the Rains which fell the preceding Da\ s ; 
 there was likewife a fmall Spring, and good Water 
 in the Pits which were found thereabouts. It was 
 pretty cold in the Morning, but became moderately 
 warm when the Sun began to be high ; the North 
 Wind, which blowcd, preventing the exceeding Heat. 
 
 The 
 
China, Chinese-Tartar y, ÊPr. 287 
 
 The 6th we travelled fifty Lvs Eaft-fouth-eaft ; 
 the greateft part of the Road was loofe Sand, among 
 which there grew pretty high Weeds, from whence 
 we ftarted a great number of Hares, infomuch that 
 we hunted moft part of the way -, we encamped in 
 a Place where we could get but a little Water, and 
 that bad. 
 
 About Two the fame Mandarin, who had brought 
 the Orders of his Majefty to our Ambafiadors, and 
 who had carried back their IV emorial, arrived in our 
 Camp with frefti Orders, which were not made pub- 
 lick : All that we knew was that his Majefty intended 
 to fet out from Peking the i ith of this Month to take 
 the pleafure of hunting in Tartary, and that he was 
 to pafs through a. Gate of the Great Wall call'd Kou 
 -pe kcou, which lies eaftward from the Place where we 
 defigned to encamp the next Day, and wait for the 
 Mofcovites Anfwer : We knew likewife that he had 
 fent a Regulo on the 4th with Troops to Hou bou ho- 
 tun to approach the Frontiers of the Kingdom of 
 Kalka, and one or two more in other Places, with 
 Troops on the fame Frontiers, with a Defign to fee 
 what the tendency of the War would be between the 
 King of Eluth and that of Kalka. It was very hot 
 all this Day, efpecially in the Afternoon, there being 
 but little Wind flirring. 
 
 The 7th we travelled thirty Lys, five or fix of 
 which were toward the South, and the reft South-weft, 
 almoft conftantly in loofe Sands, and much more in- 
 commodious than what we had met with hitherto, 
 becaufe the Horfes funk pretty deep, infomuch that 
 they were more tired than if they had gone a great 
 Journey : The Weather was pretty moderate in the 
 Morning, but after Noon, and in the Evening, it was 
 very hot. 
 
 The Grand Lama of Kafka, Brother of the King 
 of this Country, fent his People to our Camp to fa- 
 lute the Ambafiadors ; he lay but thirty Lys from our 
 
 Camp, 
 
288 The General History of 
 
 Camp, attended with about a thoufand Men, who 
 had accompany'd him in his flight. 
 
 The 8th we went terry Lys Eaft-fouth-eaft ; the 
 Country frill the fame, and the Sands loofe, but not 
 fo difficult to travel in as the Day before ; our People 
 hunted Hares all the way, which were very nume- 
 rous, for they lie among the Weeds which grow in 
 the Sands. 
 
 Ou la oye, fécond Prefident of the Tribunal for fo- 
 reign Affairs, who flayed on the Frontiers of the 
 Mongous, fubject to the Emperor of China, with Mon- 
 gous Soldiers, came three Leagues to meet our Am- 
 bafTadors, with a Taiki or Relation of a MongcuRe- 
 gulo -, when we came to the Place where we were to 
 encamp, which was exactly the Limits of the Mon- 
 gous Subjects of the Emperor and the Kingdom of 
 Kalka, he treated the AmbafTadors, and almoft all 
 their Equipage, in the Tartarian manner, obliging 
 us to be likewife at the Feaft, where he did us a 
 great deal of Honour, placing us near the Ambaf- 
 &dors. 
 
 This Feaft confided of two Diflies of hafhed Meat 
 very ill dreffed, placed in a great Difh in which there 
 was almoft a whole Sheep cut in feveral Pieces for 
 each of the AmbafTadors -, and as for the reft one Dim 
 ferved for two, the Meat half done, according to the 
 Tartarian Cuftom ; this Mutton was ferved up to the 
 AmbafTadors in Copper-Difhes, and to the reft in 
 fmall Troughs like thofe wherein Hogs are fed in 
 Europe; there was likewife Rice, four Milk, and, 
 wretched Soup, together with fmall Slices of Mutton, 
 and Tartarian Tea in great plenty. 
 
 This was the Subftance of the Feaft which the Tar- 
 tars, and particularly the Mongous, as likewife the 
 Mandarin's Domefticks, who were chiefly Chinefe, 
 fed upon with great Appetites, without leaving any 
 thing -, there were no Tables but Matts laid on the 
 Sand under a Tent •■> thefe Matts ferved at the fame 
 time for Tablecloth and Napkins. /.The 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &c. 289 
 
 The Taiki was one of the Guefts, and performed 
 his Duty perfectly well ; he ferved up the Tea which 
 was brought in a great Copper- Jug, but it was not 
 fo good by much as that of the fécond Prefident's ; 
 there was likevvife a fort of Wine, which was fo 
 very bad that none but the Mongous durft venture 
 to tafte it. 
 
 After the Repaft the Ambaffadors difpatch'd three 
 or four Mongous to go to meet the Mandarins, who 
 were fent to the Mofcovites in order to haflen their 
 Return : The fame Day I took the Meridian- Altitude 
 of the Limits, and found it to be 62 Degrees, 55 
 Minutes, or 63 Degrees, for I could not determine fo 
 near as five Minutes ; from whence it follows that 
 the Altitude of the Pole is 43 Degrees, i 2 Minutes : 
 It was very hot all the Day ; but towards the Even- 
 ing a fmall Weftern Breeze refreflied the Air. 
 
 This Day there paiTed by a Court-Mandarin, who 
 was fent by the Emperor to the King of Elutb to 
 know what were his Defigns in undertaking this 
 "War ; and in the mean time his Majefty gave Or- 
 ders to all the Mongous Reguloes his Subjects, from 
 the Province of Leao tong, as far as the end of the 
 Great Wall, to put themfelves in Arms, to aiîèmble 
 their Men, and every one to encamp on the Fron- 
 tiers of their Territories ; and he himfelf fent Regu- 
 loes of his own Equipage with Troops to encamp 
 on this fide the principal Paries of the Mountains, on 
 the fide of which the Great Wall is placed, that they 
 might be ready to put a flop to the Enterprizes of the 
 King of Elutb, if he had any defign of advancing to- 
 wards China. 
 
 The 9th we continued in our Camp, and I took 
 the Meridian Altitude of the Sun, which I found to 
 be 62 Degrees, 40 Minutes, or very near, and con- 
 fequently the Altitude of the Pole is 42 Degrees 51 
 Minutes : The Sky was overcaft one part of the Morn- 
 ing, and it was pretty cold all the Day, the Weft 
 
 Vol. IV. U Wind 
 
290 7%e General History of 
 
 "Wind blowing pretty frefh, and in the Evening it 
 rained hard. 
 
 The 10th we continued in the fame Place; the 
 Sky was overcaft almoft all the Day with a pretty 
 ftrong North- weft Wind ; we received this Day News 
 from the Fathers at Peking, which gave us great fa- 
 tisfaction. 
 
 The nth we flill continued in the fame Camp : 
 The four great Officers fent the fécond Prefident of 
 the Tribunal for Foreign Affairs with Compliments 
 to the great Lama of Kalka, who was but fix or feven 
 Leagues diftant ; one of thefe two Lamas of Hou 
 hou hotun, whom the Weftern Tartars adore as a Be- 
 ing of fuperior Rank, arrived in our Camp ; he was 
 going to fee the grand Lama of Kalka, whom all 
 the Mongous Lamas reverence as their Superior, ac- 
 knowledging him for their Chief Lama next to that 
 of Thibet, who is their Sovereign Pontiff. 
 
 As foon as this pretended Deity arrived our princi- 
 pal Officers did not fail of paying him a Vifit ; as we 
 did not bear them Company I cannot fay whether they 
 adored them as I had feen them do at Hou hou hotun, 
 or how they were received : All this Day there was a 
 ftrong Weft Wind, and the Weather was gloomy by 
 Intervals, but there fell but little Rain. 
 
 The 1 2th in the Morning our great Officers went 
 to accompany the Lama, who fet out to go to the 
 Place where the great Lama refided, tho' this Idol 
 was not come out of his Tent, nor had fo much as 
 fent them any Compliments : After his Departure 
 they went a hunting Hares, with an Equipage of 
 three or four hundred Men ; we followed them, and 
 had the pleafure to fee one hundred and fifty-feven 
 killed or taken in lefs than three Hours, in three 
 Rings that were made by our People on foot with 
 Bows and Arrows in their Hands -, there were none 
 but the Ambafladors, and fome of the principal Of- 
 ficers on horfeback, who rode about within the 
 
 Rin 
 
 o 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, êfc. agi 
 
 Ring, mooting Arrows at the Hares that were in- 
 clofed. 
 
 They firft made a pretty large Ring, and the 
 Shooters flood fome Paces one from another ; then 
 they advanced toward the Centre, and contracted the 
 Ring by little and little that none of the Hares, which 
 were inclofed, might efcape ; without the firft Ring 
 feveral Servants were placed, fome with large Clubs, 
 others with Dogs, and fome few with Guns or Mus- 
 kets : This Hunting was made in the loofe Sands, 
 where there were large Tufts of a Plant of which 
 the Figure and Leaf are not unlike our Belvederas, 
 tho' they are neither fo beautiful, nor fo agreeable to 
 the fight. 
 
 This: Hunting is diverting enough ; one fees the poor 
 Animals run here and there round the Ring to find a 
 pafïàge out, and afterwards attempt to crofs, not 
 only a mower of Arrows, which are fhot at them 
 when they are within reach, but even between 
 Peoples Legs, infomuch that fometimes they kick 
 them over and over with their Feet : Others are feen 
 to run along with Arrows through their Bodies, and 
 others on three Legs, having one broke to pieces. 
 
 While we were diverting our felves with this kind 
 of Hunting, the Prefident of the Tribunal for Fo- 
 reign Affairs, who ftay'd behind in the Camp, be- 
 caufe he had been diforder'd two or three Days, fent 
 notice to the other Head Officers that he had jufl 
 received an Order from the Emperor, which obliged 
 him without delay to go and meet his Majefly in the 
 Place where he defigned to hunt : This put an end 
 to our Hunting, becaufe the three Principals return'd 
 to the Camp to confer with the Prefident before his 
 Departure: In the Evening he fet forward, tho' he 
 was not well recover'd from his Diforder ; but the 
 Emperor is fo dreaded by the Mandarins, that they 
 muft be very fick indeed if they dare delay his Orders 
 ever fo fhort a time. 
 
 U 2 The 
 
292 Toe General History of 
 
 •The Wind blew pretty frefh from the Weft the 
 whole Day, which render'd the heat very mode- 
 rate. 
 
 The 13th we ftill remain'd in our Camp ; it was 
 extremely hot all Day except in the Evening, when 
 we had a fmall Breeze from the Eaft ; almoft all the 
 remainder of the Soldiers, and Officers of the Ambaf- 
 fador's Train, arrived this Day : They follow'd each 
 other in fmall Companies for the conveniency of 
 watering the better. 
 
 The .14th about three in the Evening we broke up 
 our Camp, and let forward towards the South-caft, 
 that wc might be nearer the Emperor's hunting Place 
 while we waited for the Mofcovites Anfwer, and his 
 Majefty's Orders, becaufe, in the Place where our 
 Camp was, the Forage already fell fhort, and there 
 was no other but Pit- water, which our People were 
 forced to dig for. 
 
 We travell'd this Day no more than fifteen Lys 
 Eaft-fouth-eaft : Our People hunted Hares, of which 
 this Country is full all the way, and kill'd great 
 numbers ; we were ftill among loofe Sands, and yet 
 there was pretty good Forage in the Neighbourhood 
 of the Place where we encamp'd, and the Water 
 was likewife pretty good in the Pits which were 
 funk. 
 
 The Weather was temperate all this Day, which 
 was owing to a brisk Wefterly Wind. 
 
 This Day I was again affecled with a ftronger 
 Nanfea than ever, which was occafion'd by eating 
 fome wretched Soup contrary to my Inclination, for 
 want of fomething elfe that might help me to get 
 down a little Rice : A Fever likewife feiz'd me on 
 the Road, and continued the reft of the Day and all 
 the Night, but the Paroxyfm was not violent. 
 
 The 1 5th we travell'd thirty five Lys Eaft ward, 
 ftill hunting Hares among the loofe Sands, of which 
 there was a prodigious quantity : We likewife fiw 
 
 Partridges 
 
China, Chines e-Tartary, &c. 293 
 
 Partridges and Deer : We encamp'd in a Plain where 
 there was no Water, for which reafon they had 
 taken care to water their Beafts before they fetout; 
 but to make amends for this Defect there was plenty 
 of good Forage ; my Fever ftill continu'd all the 
 Day, and I found my felf worfe than I had been 
 fince the beginning of the Journey : In the Evening 
 I took a little Treacle with Tea, which agreed with 
 me very well. 
 
 It was pretty temperate all this Day, the South 
 Wind blowing very hard, which veered fomething 
 to the Weft ; the Sky was likewife a little overcaft 
 the greateft part of the Day. 
 
 The 1 6th we travelled forty Lys Eaftward, ftill 
 hunting as we had done the preceding Days ; but only 
 one part of the Road lay among loofe Sands, in the 
 other part the Sand was firm, and yet there was 
 neither Tree nor Bum, but plenty of Hares and 
 Partridges, and a few Deer -, we likewife faw the 
 Traces of feveral Flocks of yellow Goats ; thefe laft 
 Days we conftantly travelled thro' a large Plain, but 
 very unequal, and yet there was neither Mountain nor 
 Hill to be feen on any fide. 
 
 In the Morning I found my Fever gone, and was 
 much better than on the preceding Day : I continued 
 to take a little Treacle with Tea, by which means I 
 quite recovered, and travelled four Leagues afterwards 
 without taking any thing elfe -, and tho' it was ex- 
 tremely hot I did not perceive my felf at all out of 
 Order. 
 
 This Day there came to So fan lao ye feveral Horfes 
 loaded with Refrefhments, and efpecially Fruit from 
 Peking : He gave us a Tafte of a Water-Melon, 
 which was but indifferent, but he had Peaches as fine 
 and large as any in Europe j I eat one which was of 
 en exquifite Tafte, but it was not altogether ripe. 
 
 The 17th our principal Officers fepaiatei again, 
 
 and So fan lao yé fet out early in the Morning with 
 
 U 3 Ma 
 
2Ç4 ^ je General History of 
 
 Ma lao yê to travel as far in one Day as we defigned 
 to do in two, that they might get a Day's Journey be- 
 fore us : We did not fet out till the Evening, and went 
 but twenty Lys almoft directly South ; all the way 
 they hunted Hares in the loofe Sands ; we encamped 
 in a Place near which there were two fmall Pits, 
 which yielded very good Water. 
 
 It was very hot all this Day, there being no 
 Wind, and the Sun mining very bright, tho' the Sky 
 begun to be overcafl in the Evening. 
 
 I did not find my felf fo well this Day as the pre- 
 ceding ; the JSSaufea, wherewith I was continually 
 affected, was accompanied with a great weaknefs of 
 Stomach. 
 
 The 1 8th we decamped at four in the Morning, 
 and travelled this Day forty Lys to the South-weft ; 
 the Road was like the former, the Sand loofe and full 
 of Hares ; we came and encamped in the fame Place 
 where So fan lao yê was, who did not fet forward till 
 the Afternoon. 
 
 It was very cool all this Day, and the Wind was 
 at South -, we had feveral Showers in the Afternoon. 
 
 I this Day- learn'd that the King of Eluth ad- 
 vanced Eaftward with his Army on the fide of the 
 Province of Solon, marching along the fide of a 
 River not above ten or twelve Leagues from the 
 Place where we now are, and on the Banks of which 
 our AmbafTadors rcfolved to encamp before we re- 
 ceived the Emperor's Orders ; I likewife knew that 
 his Majefty had fent a great number of Soldiers to- 
 wards thefe Frontiers, and that one of the moft 
 powerful Reguloes advanced on that fide at the head 
 of ten thoufand Horfe, to be in a condition to oppofe 
 the King of Eluth, in cafe he had any defign upon 
 the Emperor's Dominions. 
 
 There was in the Neighbourhood of our Camp a 
 very great plenty of Partridges ; but it mufl be ob- 
 served that thofe of them, which arc found among the 
 
 Sands 
 
China, Chinese-Tartar y, ©V. 295 
 
 Sands and Defarts of Tartary, tho' they refemble ours 
 for Size and Shape, are much inferior in Tafte, and 
 our People had fo little efteem for them that they 
 would not trouble themfelves to catch them. 
 
 The 19th we decamped about three in the After- 
 noon, when we had watered all our Beads, becaufè 
 we did not expect to meet with any Water where 
 we were going to encamp ; we travelPd forty Lys 
 Eaftward ftill in loofe Sands, but full of high Weeds, 
 among which there was plenty of Hares that they 
 hunted as they went along : A little after we had left 
 our Camp we faw Clouds of Partridges pafs before 
 us, more numerous than the great flights of Starlings 
 we fee here, there being many Thoufands in a Com- 
 pany. 
 
 We had feveral Showers in the Morning, and the 
 Weather was cloudy almofl all the Day, but ex- 
 tremely hot and without any Wind : I found my felf 
 more out of Order than ufual, but in the Evening 
 was greatly reliev'd : The Place where we encamp'd 
 was full of pretty good Forage, tho' it grew in loofe 
 Sand. 
 
 The 20th we travell'd eighty Lys, part South- 
 eaft and the reft South, flopping in the Mid- way in 
 a Place where we found two Pits full of cool Wa- 
 ter: We had thoughts of remaining there the reft 
 of the Day, but the difficulty of Watering all our 
 Beafts, the trouble of finking deep Pits, the want of 
 Forage, but more especially the defire of arriving as 
 foon as pofiible at the Place where there were Springs 
 of good Water, and where we determined to wait 
 for the Mofcovites Anfwer, prevailed upon us to tra- 
 vel as much farther as we had already come : In the 
 Morning our Journey lay ftill through loofe Sands, 
 but in the Afternoon it was almoft all firm Sand, 
 cover'd with Grafs fit for Forage -, the Hares were 
 yet in great plenty : We likewife faw in the Morning 
 and Evening large Coveys of Partridges. 
 
 U 4 At 
 
296 77oe General History of 
 
 At length we encamp'd near the Spring I have 
 already fpoken of-, the Water was very cool and good 
 to drink -, it was the cleareft and beft that we met 
 with in our whole Journey ; we found So fan lao yê 
 encamped upon an Eminence near the Spring with all 
 his Train : As for us we encamped in a little Valley, 
 which was encompaflèd with fmall Hills on all fides, 
 except to the North-eaft, where it was level as far as 
 we could fee : There was in this Valley, and on the 
 declivity of the Hills which furrounded it, very high 
 Weeds wherein was plenty of Hares and Partridges. 
 
 At our Arrival an inferior Officer brought Orders 
 from the Emperor to So Jan laoyé, commanding him to 
 fettle Pods in all the Roads of Weftern "Tartary, that 
 his Majefty might be enabled to fend fpeedy Orders 
 to all the Reguloes, and other Mandarins who were 
 under Arms, and encamped in different Places on the 
 Frontiers of the Empire, and likewife to receive News 
 from them. 
 
 It was extremely hot all this Day without any 
 Wind, and yet I was better in Health than I had 
 been for three Weeks paft : There was dreadful 
 Thunder, and a heavy Shower in the Evening. 
 
 The 2 1 ft in the Morning there came into our 
 Camp a great number of Partridges, the chiefeft 
 Part of which were of a particular Kind, and not 
 fo good in Tafle as the common fort ; their Flefh 
 likewife is of a blacker Colour ; the Cbineje call them 
 Chakl, that is Sand-Hens, probably becaufe they 
 delight in the Sand where there is any Grafs or 
 Weeds ; there were fome like ours, but in lefs quan- 
 tity, which came hither in Flocks confuting of feve- 
 ral hundreds to drink at the Spring near which we 
 were encamped •, if we had had good Marksmen, or 
 good Dogs, we might have had excellent Sport. 
 
 We continued in the fame Place, and it was pretty 
 cool all the Day, the Weather being almoft always 
 
 cloudy 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &c. 297 
 
 -loudy with moderate North- weft Wind j we had 
 rikewife feveral Showers of Rain. 
 
 The 2 2d we ftill continued in the fame Place, the 
 Weather being pretty cool all the Day, with the fame 
 Wind as that of the preceding ; there arrived this 
 Day Deputies from the two Reguloes of Peking, wno 
 were encamped twelve or fifteen Leagues from hence ; 
 they fent their Compliments to our two Chief Officers 
 to whom they were allied. 
 
 This Day going to fee the Phyfician, whom the 
 Emperor had lent with us to take care of the lick, 
 I told him of the Condition I was in, and defired a 
 Medicine to carry off the Bile which oppreffed me 
 very much ; he ordered me four fmall Dofes inftead 
 of one large one, and to prepare it gave two Pu- 
 gils of five or fix forts of Simples, Roots and Pow- 
 ders to make a Decoction of, whereof I was to take 
 a China Cup-full, that is the value of a fmall Glafs 
 in the Evening, and as much in the Morning : I took 
 it that very Evening -, it was pretty bitter, but did 
 not give me fo great a Difguft as the European Phy- 
 fick, nor did it keep me from fleeping. 
 
 The 23d we ftill continued in our Camp, the 
 "Weather being fine and pretty cool, becaufe it blew 
 Frefh from the North-weft : I took the Decoction a- 
 gain Morning and Evening ; the Effect it had was an 
 increafe of my Naufea, and I found myfelf more 
 weak and hot than before. 
 
 The 24th we continued ftill where we were, the 
 Weather being like that of the Day before, but a little 
 hotter : I found myfelf much difordered in the Morn- 
 ing, but afterwards a little refrefhed. 
 
 The 25th one of the Mandarins, who went to meet 
 the Emperor with a Prefident of a Tribunal, return- 
 ed hither, and brought Orders from his Majefty, 
 injoining all the Mandarins, Horfemen, and o- 
 thers in the Train of the four Ta gin to return to Pe- 
 king, except two Ta gin only, who had Orders to ftay 
 
 in 
 
2gS 7%e General History of 
 
 in the Place where we were till they had received the 
 Mofcovites Anfwer. His Majefty exprefly required us 
 to flay Jikewife in order to tranfiate the Anfwer : Thefe 
 Orders gave a great deal of Joy to thofe who had 
 leave to return, for they were extremely fatigued, 
 and almoft all their Equipages were fpoiled. 
 
 It was pretty cool all the Day, the Weather being 
 cloudy and the Wind South- weft : I found myfelf much 
 better from the Medicine I had taken the Day before. 
 
 The 26th thofe of our People, who had leave to 
 return home, decamp'd and fet forward for Peking -, 
 we ftaid behind with Kiou kieou, So fan lao yé, Ma lao 
 yé t and Ou lao yê. 
 
 The Weather was cloudy and rainy all the Day, 
 the Wind being South-weft ; I found myfelf consider- 
 ably better. 
 
 The 27th we decamped to advance nearer the Place 
 where the Emperor was hunting, and to get frefh Fo- 
 rage : We went fifty Lys Eaftward, and towards the 
 latter end of the Road a little North, travelling 
 conftantly thro' a large Plain a little more level than 
 the preceding -, the Soil was fandy but clofe, and 
 yielded Grafs in which there was plenty of Hares ; 
 for this Reafon our People hunted as they went along, 
 and we likewife raifed lèverai Covics of Partridges : 
 Our two chief Ambaffadors had Birds of Prey, but 
 not fit for Partridges, for they only fent them after 
 Larks and other fmall Birds. 
 
 We found in the Road feveral fmall Camps of 
 Mongous, and the T'ai ki, or Mongou-Pnnce, who 
 came to vifit our Ambaffadors the Day that they ar- 
 rived on the Limits of the Empire ; they were en- 
 camped upon the Road in which we travelled : The 
 T'ai ki invited us to dinner in his Camp which was but 
 fmall, and but poorly furnifhcd with Flocks : The 
 Feaft confided of Mutton half-boiled, as likewife 
 yellow Goats Flefh, which tailed indifferently well ; 
 it only wanted to be a little more boiled, and we 
 
 could 
 
China, Chinese-Tartàry, &c. 299 
 
 could have wifhed for a little Rice -, they were not at 
 all fparing of their Tartarian Tea. 
 
 The Meat was ferved up under a fmall Tent which 
 fhekered us from the Sun, but was placed upon the 
 ground in wretched Copper-Bafons not very clean, 
 and the Feaft feemed much better for the Servants than 
 their Matters : The Tent of this Tai ki was not ex- 
 tremely neat, and did not differ from thofe of the 
 other Mongous but in being larger, and the coarfe 
 Stuff that it was made of was not fo black with 
 Smoke, nor fo ragged as the reft : Before the Door 
 of his Tent a Halberd flood upright by way of Guard, 
 on the top of which was a black Tuft of Cows Hair ; 
 it is to this Halberd that the Standard of the People 
 is fixed, who are commanded by the tai ki. 
 
 We encamped in a Place where there was neither 
 Brook nor Fountain, but we eafily found Water by 
 digging Pits two Foot deep ; the Water was not very 
 cool, and the Tafte of it was very bad, but we had 
 pretty good Forage in fufficient plenty. 
 
 It was extremely cold in the Morning till about 
 feven ; afterwards the Weather was fine, and the Sun 
 fhone bright, but it was ftill a little cool, becaufe it 
 blew pretty frefh out of the North all Day long. 
 
 The 28th we continued in our Camp, and we fâw 
 in the Morning a prodigious quantity of Partridges, 
 called by the Chinefe, Cha ki ; we likewife faw wild 
 Ducks and Geefe on the marfhy Places about our 
 Camp. 
 
 The Weather was like that of the preceding Day, 
 except that it was more clear and hot, and there was 
 but a fmall Breeze from the Eaft ; the Naufea attack- 
 ed me afrefh. 
 
 Our Ta gin fet out in the Evening to hunt the yel- 
 low Goats with the Tat ki, who was encamped pretty 
 near us : This latter had fent his People to find this 
 fort of Game out, intending to inclofe them in a Cir- 
 cle 
 
goo "The General History of 
 
 cle during the Night, that our Ta gin might have the 
 Diverfion of hunting them in the Day-time. 
 
 I this Day learn'd of the fécond Prefident of Lym 
 pha yuen, that all the Weftcm-Tartars who were called 
 Mongous in their Language, which doubtlefs came 
 from the Mogul, and who are fubjecl: to the Emperor 
 of China, are governed by twenty-four Reguloes, who 
 occupy all that Part of Tartary which lies near the 
 Great Wall of China, from the Province of Lea tong 
 as far as the middle of the Province of Chen fi, but 
 does not extend very far beyond the Great Wall : On 
 the fide of Hou hou hotun, by which we pafTed as we 
 returned back, there are not above fifty or fixty 
 Leagues from the laft Gate of the Great Wall to the 
 Frontiers of the Kingdom of Kalka ; and from the Li- 
 mits by which we return, which likewife bound the 
 fame Dominions of Kalka, there are but fifty or fixty 
 Leagues to the Great Wall in a right Line North and 
 South. 
 
 The fame Perfon informed us that all thefe Mc ■;:- 
 gous are divided into ninety Standards, under which 
 the Emperor may oblige them to affemble whenever 
 he thinks it proper, as he has done on the account of 
 the Wars between the Kings of Eluth and Kalka, they 
 not being fubjecl either to the one or the other. 
 
 In fhort he added that this Tat ki, whom we found 
 in the Road, was encamped there by the Emperor's 
 Order, and that he commanded a thoufand Horfe en- 
 camped by Companies on all this Frontier to obferve 
 what paffes, and to be ready to affemble at the firft 
 notice. 
 
 The 29th our People returned about Noon from 
 hunting, and brought b ' al yellow Goats, and 
 
 a Wolf that they had ki ' , : in thï fame Circle where- 
 in they had inclofed the Gr? t ri : The Wolf was not 
 unlike thofe of France^ excepting the Fur which was 
 not quite fo long, and was a little more upon the 
 
 white ; 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &c. 301 
 
 white ; its Jaws were very wide, and like thofe of a 
 Grey-hound. 
 
 Tho' there are neither Woods nor Bufhes in this 
 Country, yet there are Wolves which generally follow 
 the Herds of yellow Goats on which they feed ; I have 
 {een feveral of thefe yellow Goats, and I believe it is 
 an Animal peculiar to this Country, for it is neither 
 an Antelope, nor Deer, nor Roebuck ; the Males have 
 Horns not quite a Foot long, and about an Inch thick 
 about the Root ; thefe Horns have knots in feveral 
 places. 
 
 Thefe Goats are of the fize of our Deer, and their 
 Hair is not unlike theirs ; but their Legs are more 
 long and (lender, fo that they are exceeding fleet, and 
 run a long while before they are tired, there being no 
 Dog or Greyhound that can overtake them -, they re- 
 femble our Sheep about the Head, the Flefh is tender 
 and well-tafted, but the Tartars and Chinefe know not 
 how to feafon it : Thefe Animals go in great Herds 
 together into defart Plains, where there is neither Tree 
 nor Bum ; thefe are the Places they delight in, for 
 they are not to be met with in the Woods -, they ne- 
 ver run many together abreafl, but one behind ano- 
 ther -, they are extremely fearful, and when they per- 
 ceive any one they run incefïàntly till they are out of 
 fight, not leaping but running conftantly in a right 
 Line. 
 
 This Day it was very hot, and towards the Even- 
 ing the Weather was cloudy, the Wind blowing frefh. 
 from the South : I did not find myfelf very well all 
 this Day, being difordered at my Stomach, and having 
 a continual Naufea. 
 
 The 30th we continued in the fame Place, the 
 Weather being cloudy and rainy in the Morning, and 
 in the Afternoon it was very hot, but in the Evening 
 the Wind blew pretty hard from the South-eaft. 
 
 The 3 ift a Courier, difpatch'd to the Emperor by 
 the Mandarin whom his Majefty had fent to the King 
 
 of 
 
302 The General History of 
 
 of Eluthy pafifed by our Camp : He went to carry the 
 News of the King of Elutb being obliged to return 
 fpeedily into his own Country, becaufe he had learn'd 
 that the Mahometan Tartars his Neighbours had made 
 an Invafion, and ravaged the Country in the fame 
 manner as he had done the Kingdom of Kalka ; this 
 Mandarin could not fee him, becaufe he did not arrive 
 till after his Departure, neither could he give us any 
 account of our People who had been fent to the Ple- 
 nipotentiaries of Mofcovy. 
 
 It was pretty hot all the Morning, but the Wea- 
 ther was cloudy from Noon, with a South- weft Wind, 
 and Rain one part of the Evening and in the Night. 
 
 The firft and fécond Day of September the Weather 
 was cloudy and rainy all the Day, and we did not ftir 
 out of our Camp. 
 
 The 3d So fan lao yê treated the other Ta gin, and 
 all the Mandarins and Officers, a fmall number of 
 whom remained in our Camp ; he invited us thither 
 likewife, and he even would eat alone with us at the 
 fame Table : Kiou kieou, Ma lao yé, and Ou lao yê 
 were ferved at another Table near his own : I never 
 faw a Meal fo well dreflèd fince we began our Jour- 
 ney ; after which they went a hunting Hares, and 
 killed a great many in a fhort time ; at their Return 
 So fan lao yé made us a prefent of four ; he has treated 
 us all the Journey with a particular Diftindtion, and 
 on all occafions he has fpoke of us in Terms expref- 
 fing his Efteem, efpecially in the prefence of the mod 
 conliderable Mandarins, who knew leaft of us, which 
 procured a great many Civilities on their part. 
 
 The Weather was ferene all the Day, with a frefh 
 eafterly Wind till towards the Evening, at which 
 time a Temped arofe accompanied with Thunder, 
 Itrong Winds and heavy Rain. 
 
 The 4th there paffed by our Camp an Officer of 
 the Emperor's Court, who went Poit to c rry the 
 Compliments of his Majefty to the Grand Lama of 
 
 Kalka, 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &c. 303 
 
 Kalka, bringing back with him the Lama who was 
 fent to falute his Majefty on the part of the grand 
 Lama of Kalka : This Lama that was fent was a 
 Man well fhaped, and had good Features with a 
 Complexion naturally as white as the Europeans, but 
 a little tanned by the Sun ; he had alfo a freer Air, 
 and a great deal more Wit than any other Kalka I 
 had feen -, he was cloth'd after their manner in a Veft 
 of red Silk, but very old and fullied with Greafe ; 
 for thefe Gentlemen make ufe of no other Napkin to 
 wipe their Fingers and Mouth but their own Gar- 
 ments : This latter made no difficulty, after he had 
 eaten fat Soup, of wiping his Mouth with the Sleeve 
 of his Veil. 
 
 It was pretty cool this Day and the following, 
 there being a ftrong South- weft Wind. 
 
 The 6th the Weather was cloudy in the Afternoon, 
 and became more ferene at Sun-fet ; the Night was 
 very cold. 
 
 The 7th there came a Courier from the Emperor, 
 who order'd our Ta gin to fend Camels loaded with 
 Rice to meet the Deputies, who went to carry the 
 Letter to the Mofcovite Plenipotentiaries, left they 
 fhou'd ftand in need of it upon the Road : This 
 Courier likewife reported that his Majefty was gone 
 Eaftward to hunt the Stag, in which he takes a par- 
 ticular Pleafure. 
 
 I faw our Servants get Salt near our Tents ; they 
 dug about a Foot deep in the Ground, and found a 
 kind of Mine of Salt mixed with Sand ; to purify it 
 they put the Salt and Sand into a Bafon, and poured 
 in Water upon them, whereupon the Salt melted and 
 the Sand remained at the Bottom ; then they put this 
 Water into another VefTel to boil it, or let it dry in 
 the Sun. They had aflured me, feveral Days fince, 
 that there was a great deal of Salt to be* dug up in 
 this manner among the Sands of this Country, and 
 that the Mongous gained it after this manner, or much 
 
 more 
 
304 ^ e General History of 
 
 more eafily in Ponds of Rain- Water, where it is 
 amaffed at the Bottom, and afterwards dried by the 
 heat of the Sun, leaving a Cruft of very pure and 
 fine Salt, fometimes to the thicknefs of two Foot, 
 which they cut into fmall Pieces. 
 
 Two or three Mongous brought into the Camp a 
 poor Chinefe Slave belonging to a Mandarin, who 
 Haying behind to bring the tired Horfes which could 
 not get along was loft in the Kalka 1 s Country ; by 
 good luck he met thefe Mongous, whom he informed 
 of his Condition as well as he could, for he did not 
 underftand their Language; three Days ago other 
 Mongous had brought another, whom they had taken 
 out of the Hands of a Tartarian of Kalka -, this lat- 
 ter had likewife been taken out of the Hands of ano- 
 ther Tartar of Kalka, who had made him his Slave, 
 having found him ftrayed from the Body of our 
 People when they went to look after their loft Horfes : 
 He had taken all that he had, and even twenty Taels 
 that belonged to his Mafter, and likewife ftripp'd him 
 of his Clothes. 
 
 Soon after another Tartar of Kalka took from the 
 latter every thing that he had, Tents, Flocks, Gar- 
 ments, Wife and Children, and even the Chinefe him- 
 ièlf, who happening to fee fome Mongous-Tartars y 
 whom he knew by their Caps,they being like what they 
 wear in China, called after them and made them un- 
 derftand who he was : They obliged this Kalka to de- 
 liver him to them, and to reftore the Mony that he 
 had taken, but not his Clothes, for they were not to 
 be met with. 
 
 The Weather was fine all the Day but very cool, 
 which was owing to a ftrong South- weft Wind. 
 
 The 8th in the Morning there came a Courier dis- 
 patched by our People, who had been fent to the 
 Mofcovite Plenipotentiaries at Selengba : This Courier 
 brought a Letter, which informed our Tagin that they 
 were already near the Limits of the Empire, and that 
 
 they 
 
Cri IN A, C HINESE-TaRT ARY 3 &C. $0 $ 
 
 they fhould foon be here with the Mofcovite Plenipo- 
 tentiaries Anfwer, which they had brought with 
 them ; they immediately fent the fame Courier, with 
 an inferior Officer of the Tribunal of Lym pha yum, 
 to the Emperor to give him Advice of this, and to 
 receive his Orders. 
 
 The Weather was very fine all the Day ; in the 
 Morning before the Sun rofe it was cold, but after- 
 wards pretty hot till towards Noon, and in the Even- 
 ing cool, becaufe we had a moderate Breeze about 
 two out of the Weft. 
 
 In the Evening the Mandarin, fent by the Empe- 
 ror to compliment the Grand Lama of Kalka, rcpaf- 
 fed through our Camp in his Way to his Majeily ; he 
 told us, that among other Difcourfe which he had 
 with the Lama, he had fpoken of the Religions of 
 China, approving that of the Bonzes who worfhip- 
 ped the Idol Fo above the reft -, that he had like- 
 wife fpoken of the Chriftian Religion under the Title 
 of the European Religion, and the Lav/ of God 
 from Heaven, which is the common Name it is known 
 by in China ; but he had fpoken of it with Contempt* 
 faying that his Religion acknowledged nothing but 
 the Lord of Heaven, excluding Spirits and Spiritual 
 Beings, by which he made it appear how little he un- 
 derftood of our Religion ; likewife P. Pereira did 
 not forget to difcover his Ignorance in the prefence 
 of our Ta gin, and the Mandarins of the Palace: 
 This Mandarin was ordered, by the Emperor, to make 
 the Proftrations or ufual Reverences before the Lama 
 to whom he was fent. 
 
 In the Evening three of the principal Officers, who 
 had been fent to the Mofcovite Plenipotentiaries at 
 Selengha, arrived in our Camp, having rid Poll about 
 forty Leagues from hence, where they had left the 
 reft of our People ; and bringing with them the Ple- 
 nipotentiaries Anfwer, which was wrote in the Mos- 
 covites Language with a Latin Tranflation, we were 
 
 Vol. IV. X fent 
 
y 
 
 of 
 
 
 it 
 
 into 
 
 Chi- 
 
 the 
 
 Tranfla- 
 
 'Tagin, 
 
 who 
 
 us 
 
 in 
 
 tranf- 
 
 306 77oe General Histor 
 
 fent for to interpret it, and to tranflate 
 
 tie/ay which we did that Night : When 
 
 tion was finifh'd we carried it to our 
 
 palled the remainder of the Night with 
 
 Jating this Letter out of Chinefe into the Tartarian 
 
 Language, in order to fend it with all fpeed to the 
 
 Emperor. 
 
 This Letter was well wrote, and full of good 
 Senfe ; it plainly appeared that he who wrote it was 
 a prudent Man, and skilful in publick Bufinefs ; for 
 replying, in one word, to all the Complaints made by 
 the T'a gin, he told them that they ought not to be 
 amufed with Trifles and renew ancient Quarrels, or 
 ftir up new, but to treat ferioufly of the molt ma- 
 terial Point, which was to regulate the Limits of the 
 two Empires, and to make a Peace and perpetual 
 Alliance between the two Nations -, that as for his part 
 he was refolved, according to the Orders he had re- 
 ceived from the Czars his Mailers, to omit nothing 
 that might compleat this grand Affair, and procure a 
 folid Peace -, and fince they could not meet this Year 
 to treat of it in regular Conferences, he would continue 
 all the Winter on the Frontiers of the Territory be- 
 longing to his Mafters -, that however he befought 
 them to give him immediate notice in what Place, 
 and at what time they were to hold thefe Confe- 
 rences -, and that he might know their Intention more 
 exactly, and they be acquainted with his, he would 
 fend very foon proper Mefiengers with Letters upon 
 that Subject, and that he defired them to receive and 
 treat thefe Deputies with Honour, as Perfons belong- 
 ing to him, and to give them a quick Difpaich, and 
 skilful Guides as far as the Frontiers of their Empe- 
 ror's Dominions, as likewife to furnifh them with Pio- 
 vifions and neccfTary Carriages. 
 
 The Officers, who brought this Letter, told us 
 that the Ambalïador had the Air of a great Lord, 
 that he had treated them weil and with Refj ; 
 
 however 
 
China, Chines e-Ta r t a r y } Êf<r. 307 
 
 however they complained of certain Truths that he 
 had told them, and railed agàinft thefe Plenipotentia- 
 ries and their Train, treating the Mofcovites as inferior 
 People, and not inftructed in polite Behaviour and 
 Gentility : I make no doubt but p the Mofcovites, on 
 their fide,, diverted themfelves at the expence of the 
 Chincfe and Tartars. 
 
 It was cold all this Day tho' the Sky was ferene* 
 becaufe there was a itrong North-weft Wind, which 
 lafted till the Evening. 
 
 The 10th the Officers, who came from Selenghâ 
 the Day before, tho 5 extremely weary, fet out Poft 
 to carry the Mofcovites Aniwer to the Emperor, and 
 to give him an Account of what pâflèd at the inter- 
 view. 
 
 The Weather was colder than on the Day before^ 
 for befides the fame Winds continuing to blow, the 
 Sky was overcaft almofl: all the Day, infomuch that 
 every body in our Camp put on their Fur Gar- 
 ments. 
 
 The nth we decamped, and travelled Eaffc 
 thirty Lys, our People hunting Flares all the way ; 
 the Country was ftill fandy, partly loofe and partly 
 firm, mixed with a little Earth, the Ground being 
 unequal, but without any considerable Eminence •» 
 there was Forage, but the Water was conftantly bad. 
 
 The Weather was cold all this Day, tho' there were 
 no Clouds, the Wind being like that of the prece- 
 ding Day. 
 
 The 1 2th in the Morning we faw in our Camp, 
 and round about it, an incredible number of Sand- 
 Partridges, of which I have already fpoken. 
 
 It was very cold in the Morning, but as there was 
 no Wind all the Day the W T eather was temperate from 
 eight or nine a Clock till the Evening ; the Sky was 
 covered with Clouds all the Afternoon. 
 
 The Courier, who was fent to the Emperor to 
 
 give him notice of the Return of dit MefTengers from 
 
 X 2 the 
 
o8 The General History of 
 
 the Mofcovite AmbafTadors, came back to our Camp, 
 but without bringing any Orders from his Majefty: 
 Oar la gin were hunting yellow Goats, and killed fe- 
 T v era I. 
 
 The 13th the Weather was cloudy and pretty tem- 
 perate, without any Wind till Sun-fet, when there a- 
 rofe a little Storm, with Thunder, Wind and Rain, 
 but not very considerable ; afterwards it cleared up, 
 and there arofe a ftrong South- weft Wind, which con- 
 tinued one part of the Night. 
 
 The 14th in the Morning it was very cold, and 
 there was a white Froft -, the Weather was fair all the 
 Day, and pretty cold from a South-weft Wind that 
 Jailed till Sun-fet. 
 
 The 15th in the Evening a Courier from the Em- 
 peror arrived in our Camp, and brought an Order 
 for us to attend him fpeedily in the Place where he 
 was hunting, and likewife that So fan laoyé fhould 
 come Port ; probably the Emperor, who greatly 
 loved and efteemed this Lord, was defirous of giving 
 him this Mark of Diftinction and Affection, becaufe 
 So fan lao yé had teftify'd to the Officer of the Em- 
 peror's Chamber, who paffed and repaffed thro' our 
 Camp, as he went to and return'd from the Grand Lama 
 of Kalka on the part of his Majefty, that he greatly 
 wifhed to fee the Stag decoyed, having never been at 
 that kind of Hunting, in which the Emperor takes 
 fo great pleafure that he fpends whole Days in the Di- 
 verfion, and in which this crafty Lord undoubtedly 
 defigned to flatter thisPaflion. 
 
 The Emperor gave leave to Kiou kieou, Ma lao 
 yé, and us to come at our leifurc, and ordered Ou 
 J to ftay in the Place where we were, with other 
 Officers of his Tribunal, to have an Eye over the 
 Mongol*. s who were encamped on the Frontiers, and 
 to take care that the Orders of the Court might be 
 publifh'd throughout all this Country. 
 
 The 
 
China, Chinese-Tartar y, &*c. 309 
 
 The fame Day fome of thofe who had been depu- 
 ted to go to the Mofcovite AmbaiTadors, and who could 
 not keep pace with the foremoft, arrived in our 
 Camp ; one of the mod confiderable and intelligent a* 
 mong them, a near Relation of So fan laoyé, told me 
 that the Climate wherein Selengha is fituated is very- 
 mild, and very nigh as hot as that of Peking -, that the 
 Soil there is very good and rich, that it produces good 
 Corn and Forage, that the Waters are wholfom, 
 that there are a great many Mountains and plenty of 
 Wood, that there is near the City a very large River 
 on which the Mofcovite s have about eighteen or twenty 
 Barks, that the Houfes at Selengha are made of 
 Wood and well built, and that the Mofcovites had ufed 
 them well : He judged that from the Place where we 
 were encamped to Selengha was about 1500 or 
 1590 Lys-, that from the Place where they left us, 
 when they went to carry the Letter where the King of 
 Kalka kept his Court, was 540 or 550 Lys -, that 
 they had almofi always travelled dire&ly North as 
 far as that Place, and likewife from thence to Selengha, 
 when they were not obliged to take a Circuit round 
 the Mountains. 
 
 The Weather was very fine all the Day, and pretty 
 hot, there being but little Wind, tho' it blew very 
 frefli in the Morning. 
 
 The 1 6th we fet out at Day-break altogether, and 
 after having travelled a little time in company with 
 So fan lao yc, he took Poft-Horfes for himfelf and 
 Equipage, and left us behind : We travelled this Day 
 a hundred Lys directly Eaft, the Country Hill fandy, 
 and generally firm, but barren : We only ftarted a 
 large number of Partridges and Hares, and a few 
 Quails.; the Faulcons of Kiou kieou took four or five 
 of the laft. 
 
 We encamped on loofe Sands on a fmall Eminence, 
 at the bottom of which there was running Water, 
 but brackifh, for there was none fvveet to be found, 
 
 X 3 tho' 
 
77>e General History of 
 
 tho' they funk Pits in feveral Places ; likewife all the 
 adjacent Parts, as well as the whole Country we had 
 croffed that Day, were full of Salt, and the Surface 
 of the Sand was intirely white. 
 
 It was very cool all this Day, tho' the Weather was 
 clear ; but there arofe a moderate Eaft Wind with the 
 Sun, which kept the Air constantly cool. 
 
 The 17th we travelled eighty Lys (till directly 
 Eaft, purfuing the fame Plain, which was however 
 very unequal, and meeting with feveral little Hills: 
 W T e encamped near a fmall Meadow full of good Fo- 
 rage, about which there were feveral Ponds of Water; 
 we had not encamped fo agreeably and commodioufly 
 for above three Months pall-, the Water was good, but 
 not very cool : We fail fprung large Covies of Sand- 
 Partridges, and flatted Hares as we palled along the 
 Road, taking and killing feveral of the latter ; the 
 Faulcons likewife caught fome Quails, which are very 
 like thofe here, and have a delicate Tafte. 
 
 It was pretty cool all the Morning, but after Noon 
 it was more hot ; the Eaft Wind, which had blown all 
 the Morning, intirely ceafed about Noon, and the 
 Weather was cloudy in the Evening. 
 
 The 1 8th we travelled a hundred Lys to the South- 
 eaft ; the Country we pafïèd thro' being a little more 
 agreeable than the preceding : We faw Hills here and 
 there, and large Pools of Water generally brackifh, 
 and full of Salt-petre -, the Soil began to mend, for 
 the Sand was mixed with Earth, and produced very 
 high Grafs in feveral Places: We likewife faw feveral 
 fmall Camps of the Mongous, and found on the Road 
 fmall Spots of cultivated Land, from which the Tar- 
 tars had taken their Millet : We no longer met with 
 fuch a plenty of Hares, but ftill a great number of 
 Partridges and Quails in the Places where the Grafs 
 was high ; we were aware of two Trees, which were 
 a very great Novelty : The Water was not fit to drink 
 jn the Place where we encamped. 
 
 In 
 
China, Chinese-Tart ary, &c. 311 
 
 In the Evening a Thoriamba, or Grandee of the 
 Emperor's Palace, who was a Mongou, but fettled at 
 the Court of Peking, came to vifit Kiou kieott, and 
 invited him to dine the next Day in his Camp, which 
 was but twelve or fifteen Lys from hence ; he had 
 been encamped there but two Months, being fent by 
 the Emperor on this Frontier to overlook the Mon- 
 gous of this Country, whom his Majefty had put un- 
 der Arms on account of the Wars between the Kings 
 of Eluth and Kalka. 
 
 It rained all the Day, except toward Sun-fet, when 
 the Weather began to clear up. 
 
 The 19th we travelled fixty Lys to the South-eaft, 
 and dined with the Tboriamba ; the Treat was fuch as 
 the Tartars ufually give, not very magnificent ; it 
 confided of Mutton and a Goofe, but fo ill drefTed 
 that I could eat but little -, that which I tailed moft 
 tolerable was a fort of pickled Pulfe prepared with 
 Muftard ; they told me it was the Leaf and Root of 
 the Muftard itfelf, and Broth made of Mutton- Gravy, 
 which they ferved in after Dinner in the manner of 
 Tea. 
 
 The Country we crofTed through was ftill better 
 than the preceding Day -, the Soil had more Earth 
 mixed with the Sand, and the Forage was better ; we 
 found likewife feveral Spots of cultivated Land, and 
 faw here and there fmall Camps of Mongous. 
 
 After having gone twenty-five or thirty Lys we 
 paflèd over Mountains running from the North-eaft to 
 the South-weft, and probably terminating at the 
 Mountains on which the great Wall is built : Thefe 
 Mountains are partly of Sand, mixed with a little 
 Earth, and covered with Grafs, but towards the Top 
 are nothing but Stones and bare Rocks. 
 
 After we had pafTed them we defcended into a 
 large fmooth Plain, towards the middle of which we 
 encamped near a fmall Camp of Mongous ; we found 
 good Water in their Pits -, there were likewife fe- 
 
 X 4 veral 
 
ï2 The General History of 
 
 vera! Ponds in this Plain, and plenty of very good 
 Forage. 
 
 There was a great Fog till eight or nine in the 
 Morning, after which' the Weather was clear, calm, 
 and pretty hot, till towards Two in the Afternoon, 
 at which time there arofe a ftrong Weft Wind which 
 cleared the Sky, but brought a fmall Shower which 
 did not laic long, the Weather foon becoming as clear 
 as before. 
 
 The 20th we travelled twenty Lys to the South- 
 eaft, and forty Eaft-fouth-eaft, after having croffed 
 the reft of the Plain, which is at leaft eighty Lys in 
 Diameter, having Mountains on all fides, except to- 
 wards the North, where it reaches farther than we 
 could fee : Weentred among the Mountains, which al- 
 mofc join to each other, there being but fmall Valleys 
 between two Chains of thefe Mountains, or fmall 
 Plains which are quite furrounded with them ; thefe 
 Mountains are neither large nor high, but terminate 
 in a Point ; they are all bare towards the Top, but 
 have otherwife good Forage, and are full of fmall 
 Shrubs from the middle to the bottom : I there faw 
 wild Apricots, but very fmall. 
 
 The Plains and Valleys abound with very good 
 Forage, as likewife with fmall Willow-Trees : The 
 Emperor has either taken to himfelf, or given to the 
 Tartarian Princes or Grandees of the Court, all the 
 Land lying in thefe Parts, and all that which goes 
 very far eaftward among thefe Mountains : There are 
 Chinefe and Mongou Slaves, who take care of their 
 Breed of Korfes and their Flocks in the Portion of 
 Land belonging to their Mafters. 
 
 After we had gone forty Lys among thefe Moun- 
 tains, we encamped near a fmall Camp of Mongou s 
 who belonged to the King's eldeft Brother, and faw 
 a great number of Breeding- Mares, Stallions, and lè- 
 verai Herds of Cattle, which likewife belonged to 
 
 1 ; the Emperor beftowed thefe Lands upon him, 
 
 which 
 
China, Chinese-Tart ar y, &c. 313 
 
 which are very good, but not much cultivated, for 
 there are only a few Spots where thefe Tartars plant 
 Millet after the Example of the Chinefe : We found 
 very good Water for drinking in the Pits which were 
 made by the Mongous near their Camp. 
 
 The Weather was very cold in the Morning, the 
 Land being covered with a white Froft ; but the 
 Weather was fine the reft of the Day, and not fo 
 cold. 
 
 The 21ft we travell'd fixty Lys Eaft-fouth-eaft, 
 partly among Mountains like thofe of the preceding 
 Day, and partly in a large Plain furrounded with 
 them ; towards the middle of it runs a Brook, which 
 is faid to be a Branch of a great River called Lan ho: 
 The Plain is barren till we come to the Brook, and 
 is nothing but a fort of a Down ; but beyond it, to- 
 wards the South-eaft, the Soil is very good, efpecially 
 near the Mountains -, on the farther fide there is great 
 plenty of excellent Pafture : There are likewife in 
 this Plain feveral fmall Camps of Mongous. 
 
 On the North-weft of the Plain there are two 
 Towers built upon an Eminence ; we encamped at the 
 end of the Plain, at the Foot of the Mountains near a 
 Camp of the Mvngoas belonging to the Emperor, and 
 who have care of the Flocks, and Breeding-Mares, who 
 feed in this Place. 
 
 It was very cold in the Morning, there being a hard 
 white Froft : The Weather was fine the reft of the 
 Day, and pretty cool, the Wind blowing from the 
 Weft. 
 
 In the Evening they brought us a Basket of fmall 
 Fruit like our four Cherries, only they were a little 
 more clammy, but are very good to help Digeftion : 
 Kiou kieou and Ma lao yê had fent for it exprefly for 
 P. Pereira, who found himfelf extremely out of or- 
 der, and loathed almoft every thing, infomuch that 
 he could fcarce take any Nourifhment ; they imagined 
 this Fruit would do him good, as it really did j for 
 
 tho' 
 
314 ^ e General History of 
 
 tho' it was half rotten, or almoft dried, yet he eat 
 with a good Appetite, and found himfelf much better 
 afterwards ; and the next Day I eat forne likewife, 
 which did me good : When they are full ripe their 
 Tafte is very agreeable ; they grow on fmall Plants in 
 the Valleys, and among the high Grafs at the Foot of 
 the Mountains in this Part of Tartary. 
 
 The 2 2d we went feventy Lys, eight to theSouth- 
 eaft, and the reft in going round feveral Mountains 
 from the South-eaft to the North-eaft ; our way lay 
 conftantly between Mountains very agreeable to the 
 Sight, as well as the Valleys and little Plains which 
 they formed : You might behold in all Places Shrubs, 
 Trees, and Bufhes which made variety of little 
 Groves -, the Valleys were filled with fmall Rofe-bufhes, 
 wild Pear-trees, and other Trees; there were a great 
 number of Apricot-trees on the declivity of the Moun- 
 tains, and we met with Filbert-trees and Alder-trees on 
 the Banks of Rivulets, which wind among them. 
 
 In thefe Valleys we found three or four Brooks, one 
 of which paffed through the middle of a large Plain, 
 and beyond that was another fomewhat fmaller, with 
 excellent Pafture on its Banks : We there faw plenty 
 of Goats, Cattle and Sheep, and Tents of the Mon- 
 gous in a greater number than we had hitherto fcen : 
 They told us that all this Country, with the Flerds, 
 Flocks, and People belonged to two Princes of the 
 Blood ; there were in this Camp Chinefe, and the Chi- 
 nefe Slaves, whofe Bufinefs it was to take care of the 
 Cattle. 
 
 We encamped a little beyond this laft Plain near 
 a fmall Brook, the Water of which was very clear 
 and good, in a Valley where there were Bufhes 
 and Trees here and there, and very good Forage : 
 Ma lao yé went and fifhed in thefe Brooks which we 
 found on the Road, and fent fome fmall Fifh to 
 P. Pereira 9 who eat them with a good Appetite : We 
 travelled conftantly in a Road very much beaten. 
 
 It 
 
China, Chinese-Tartar y, &*c. 315 
 
 It was extremely hot from the Morning till two in 
 the Afternoon, afterwards the Weather was overcaft 
 the reft of the Day, and there fell a little Rain, but 
 it did not laft long. 
 
 The 23d we went feventy Lys almoft directly eaft- 
 ward, but now and then made a Circuit round the 
 Mountains a little to the North ; the Country was 
 much like that of the preceding Day, but we met 
 with no Camp nor Habitation of the Mongous : We 
 croffed two fmall Rivers in fordable Places, the Water 
 was fine and clear ; we met with likewife feveral little 
 Brooks ; thefe Rivers are laid to proceed from Mount 
 Petcba, which lies to the North-eaft ; they run South- 
 weft a pretty long while, and then return eaftward, 
 and fall into the oriental Sea. 
 
 We ftill kept the great Road which the Emperor 
 and his Train had made, when they paffed through 
 this Country with a defign to hunt the Stags, after 
 they had done with the yellow Goats ; we encamped 
 on the fide of the latter of thefe Rivers in a very a- 
 greeable Place, having a Profpecr. of Mountains at a 
 great diftance lying South-eaft, South, and South-weft, 
 all full of Trees, and a pretty unequal Plain, but 
 greatly diverfified with Shrubs andBufhes: The River 
 runs through the middle of this Plain, as does likewife 
 a large Brook that falls into it. 
 
 The Weather was very temperate all the Day, and 
 the Sky was clear in the Morning with an eafterly 
 Wind which veered to the South, and then to the 
 Weft -, in the Afternoon the Weather was cloudy till 
 Night, and it rained and thundered feveral times. 
 
 The 24th we went thirty Lys Eaft-fouth-eaft ; one 
 half of the Road was the fame as the two preceding 
 Days -, after which we defcended into a Pafs between 
 the Mountains, wherein we travelled the fifteen laft 
 Lys : This Pafs is very narrow, and the Road very 
 difficult, efpecially for loaded Horfes : There is a Ri- 
 vulet which runs at the bottom, the Water of which 
 
 is 
 
g 1 6 Tl^e General History of 
 
 is very clear and good ; on each fide are very high 
 and fteep Mountains generally covered with Wood 
 like a large Forefl ; on the top there are a few Pines ; 
 on the declivity grow Filbert-trees, and other Shrubs ; 
 there are fome which are half covered with Alder- 
 trees fcattered here and there, and others are nothing 
 but naked Rocks near the top, which yield a Profpecl 
 agreeable enough. 
 
 The Pafs turns a little fometimes towards the South, 
 and fometimes towards the Weft ; but it generally lies 
 Eaft-fouth-eaft, and South-eaft : We encamped in the 
 Pafs itfelf, fome on the declivity of a Mountain, 
 others in the Valley which begins to grow wider at 
 the end of fifteen Lys -, in the Night our People hunt- 
 ed Stags, of which they law fome, and fhot at them, 
 but miffed them : It is faid that there are a great 
 number in thefe Mountains ; we kept flill in the 
 Road which the Emperor had made in this Country, 
 who was there about a Month before. 
 
 It rained one part of the Night, and the next Day 
 till Noon, after which it cleared up, and the Weather 
 was temperate till Sun-fet ; the Night was very cold. 
 
 The 25th we travelled forty Lys Eaft-fouth-eaft, 
 ftill in the fame narrow PafTage, which grows wider 
 by little and little : The Brook, which runs down 
 the Valley, is infenfibly enlarged with the Water of 
 fcveral Springs, and other fmall Brooks which flow 
 from the Mountains : The Roads are lefs difficult in 
 proportion as the Valley grows wider ; it is every 
 where full of excellent Forage -, there are plenty of 
 wild Rofe trees, and of the fmall Shrubs which bear 
 the Oulanai\ they are not above a foot and half high, 
 and confift of a fingle Branch which is very full of 
 Fruit ; thofe which we met with on the Road were 
 ftripped of their Fruit by the People who attended on 
 the Emperor ; we heard, as we travelled, the Noifc 
 
 of Stags, fome of which we faw. 
 
 Soon 
 
China, Chines e-T artary, &c. 317 
 
 Soon after we were encamped on one of the Moun- 
 tains towards the North, we perceived a Covey of 
 the right fort of Partridges, and another of Pheafants ; 
 we afterwards encamped in a Valley in the fame Paf- 
 fage, but near half a League wide in this Place, in 
 the middle of which a large Rivulet runs very fwiftly : 
 The Valley is full of good Forage, and at the foot of 
 thefc Mountains we found plenty of Oulana-trecs, and 
 carried away feveral Loads of the Fruit : I went my 
 felf in the Evening and took a walk on the little 
 Hills, which lie at the foot of the Mountains, where 
 there is plenty of thefe Oxlanas, but the greateft part 
 of them were withered, or froft-nipp'd. 
 
 It was extremely cold in the Night and Morning, 
 and there was thick Ice on the ftanding-water in the 
 Valley -, the reft of the Day was pretty temperate ; it 
 rained in the beginning of the Night. 
 
 The 26th we travelled fifty Lys, thirty to the Eaft- 
 fouth-eaft, and' twenty to the Eaft, ftill paffing along 
 the fame Valley ; the Country was more agreeable 
 than the preceding Days, the Valley being wider, and 
 in fome Places adorned with fo great a number of 
 Trees that one would have taken it for an Orchard : 
 The Forage was good, especially in the Places where 
 it was not troden down by the Emperor's March, who 
 had made this Road the beginning of the Month : 
 Among the Grafs, by the River-fide, there were 
 plenty of Pheafants ; our Ta gin with their Atten- 
 dants hunted them as they went along, and killed 
 fome, and the Faulcons of Kiou kieou took a great 
 number. 
 
 After we had gone thirty Lys we left this Valley, 
 which began to contracl itfelf, and went to the North- 
 eaft, afcending a high Mountain quite covered with 
 Trees, fuch as Oaks, Pines, Alders, Filberts, &c. 
 After we were gone down this Mountain, fometimes 
 turning to the North, and fometimes to the North- 
 
 eaft, 
 
2 1 8 The General History of 
 
 eaft, we entred another Valley very much like 
 the former, and travelled about fifteen Lys eaftward : 
 This Valley likewife was full of Pheafants. 
 
 From the top of the Mountain which we paffed 
 over, we beheld a Foreft or Labyrinth of the tops of 
 Mountains without number, which are like thofe I 
 mentioned before -, we encamped in a very agreeable 
 Place, and full of Forage, near a large Rivulet which 
 comes from the South, where there is another Valley. 
 
 The Weather was fine all this Day, and very tem- 
 perate, with a South- weft Wind. 
 
 The 27th we travelled near one hundred and thirty 
 Lys to overtake the Emperor's Camp ; going firft 
 ahnoft direclly Eaft about eighty Lys, fometimes in- 
 clinable a little to the North, fometimes to the South 
 to keep along the Valley which every now and then 
 winds about the Mountains ; it is at lead as agreeable 
 as the reft, and the Mountains yield ftill a more pleafing 
 Profpect, and are more diverfified with Rocks, on which 
 may be feen in feveral Places little Groves, fometimes 
 of Pines, fometimes of Alder-trees, and fometimes of 
 Oaks, wherewith fome of thefe Mountains are quite 
 covered: The whole Valley is watered with large 
 Brooks which defcend from the Mountains, and form 
 a little River -, there are likewife many Pheafants in 
 all thefe Places ; and if the Emperor, who has re- 
 ferved this part of Tarlary for Hunting, would per- 
 jnit the Country to be cultivated, it would be certainly 
 very fruitful. 
 
 After travelling eighty Lys Eaftward we found the 
 Valley confiderably enlarged, and it formed a Plain 
 above a League in Diameter : We crofTed this Plain 
 travelling toward the North-eaft, and paifed over the 
 River, on the Banks of which we faw a great quan- 
 tity of large Pieces of Wood, chiefly Fir proper to 
 build with ; they let it float down this River when it 
 is moll full of Water towards the Sea of Japan, then 
 
 tranfport 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &c. 319 
 
 tranfport it to another River, and guide it within a 
 Day's Journey of Peking : This makes Wood for 
 building very reafonable, tho' there is a great Con- 
 fumption of it, the Wood- work of the Houfes taking 
 up a great quantity. 
 
 Belides the conveniency of conveying Wood by 
 Water into the Neighbourhood of Peking, it cofts the 
 Merchants nothing but the labour of cutting it, and 
 roiling it into the River, which is very near thefe 
 Mountains, the Emperor giving free liberty to all 
 Perlons to cut it down. 
 
 After we had croffed this Plain we came into a 
 great Road, which tended directly to the Place where 
 the Imperial Army lay ; we travelled above twenty- 
 five Lys this Road, going to the North or 
 North-eaft ; we found a great Number of People 
 paffing and repairing, and among others a Party be- 
 longing to the Emperor's Faulconry, with twenty- 
 five or thirty Faulcons, each Faulcon was under the 
 care of a particular O ulcer -, we croffed the Imperial 
 Camp, which took the extent of three Quarters of a 
 League in a Valley called Puto : The chief part of 
 the Camp confided of Cavalry, compofed of De- 
 tachments out of all the Brigades or Standards. 
 
 At the Entrance of the Camp was a Row of Tents, 
 which took up the whole breadth of the Valley, and 
 was fo clofe that they made a kind of a Wall which 
 hindred the Paffage ; only in the middle there was a 
 large opening, which ferved inftead of a Gate, and 
 was guarded by the Soldiers : Each Brigade encamp- 
 ed near one another all in the fame Line, making a 
 great Square compofed of Soldiers Tents placed in 
 the manner before-mentioned. 
 
 In the middle of the Inclofure were the Officers 
 Tents, and thofe of their Servants, each according to 
 his Rank in exact Order, with their Standards ; on 
 each fide there were large openings, which ferved in- 
 ftead of Gates ; on tUe other fide of the Valley, and 
 
 in 
 
320 The General History of 
 
 in the Neighbourhood of the Camp, the Cattîe 
 grazed ; there were likewife the Tents of the Sutlers, 
 Butchers, £sfc. 
 
 At the end of the long Rank were the Tents be- 
 longing to the Grandees of the Court, and to the 
 Officers of the Emperor's Houfhold, who took up 
 his Quarters in the extremity of the Camp towards 
 the North-north-eaft -, his Son's Camp was ftill there, 
 but as for himfelf he had decamped that very Morn- 
 ing, and was gone into another Valley more commo- 
 dious for Stag-hunting, in which he took great De- 
 light ; his whole Train confifted but of part of his 
 Houfhold, the Grandees of his Court had followed 
 him with a fmall Train, and had left the bulk of 
 their Equipage in the general Quarters for fear that 
 a more numerous Attendance mould fright away the 
 Stags. 
 
 As we did not find his Majefty in the general 
 Quarters we took the fame Road that he had done, 
 and went at leaft twenty-five Lys winding about the 
 Mountains: At the Foot of thefe Mountains we found 
 the Imperial Camp in a narrow Place, where there 
 was no PafTage through, and was formed by Moun- 
 tains like thofe of which I have fpoken -, there might 
 be about a thoufand or twelve hundred Tents in this 
 fmall Camp, at the Head of which, in the bottom 
 of the PafTage, were placed his Majefty's Tents, 
 which were furrounded with three Inclofures. 
 
 The firft was compofed of the Tents belonging to 
 his Guards, which formed a kind of Wall ; the fé- 
 cond Inclofure confifted of fmall Cords faftened to 
 Stakes difpofed Lozenge-wife, not much unlike 
 Fifhing-nets ; the third and interior Inclofure was 
 made of Hangings of coarfe yellow Cloth. 
 
 This third Inclofure was of a fquare Form, and 
 the length of each fide was about fifty Geometrical 
 Paces, and fix or {even Foot high -, it had only one 
 folding Door, but the other Inclofures had each of 
 
 them 
 
China, Chines e-Ta rtary, &* c. 321 
 
 them three ; one South, the fécond Eaft, and the 
 third Weft. 
 
 Between the firft and fécond Inclofures were placed 
 the Kitchens and Tents of his Majefty's inferior 
 Officers ; between the fécond and the third there were 
 only the Tents of the more neceffary Officers, fuch as 
 the Officers of the Guards, and Gentlemen of the 
 Bed-chamber ; in the middle of the third Inclofure 
 was placed the Tent wherein the Emperor lodged ; 
 it was of the fame Form as the reft of the Tartarian 
 Tents, that is quite round, and like a great wooden 
 Cage : It was covered with Chinefe Stuffs of a coariè 
 fort ; the upper Part was covered with a whitifh 
 Cloth, and on the top appeared a kind of Crown, 
 embroidered with Gold; this Tent was fomewhat 
 handfomer and larger than the common fort ; there 
 were.likewife feveral other Tents' for fuch' of his Chil- 
 dren as bore him Company in the Journey : 'All the 
 ; Gates of the Inclofures , had their Guards diftincl 
 from the two fides of the Inclofures which formed 
 the Palace, and within on the North-fide were placed 
 the Tents of the Grandees of the Court; and the 
 Officers of the Crown', each according to his Rank ; 
 they confifted in nothing but fmalf Pavilions, be- 
 caufethey had left their great Tents in the principal 
 Camp. ' . 
 
 The two Princes of the- 'Blood,' who had accom- 
 panied his Majefty, had "diftinct 'Quarters near the 
 Emperor ; they were both Reguloes of the firft 
 Rank, the one was his eldeft- Brother, and the other 
 was of that Branch of die Imperial Family 
 which ïïiôuld have 'how reigned, if any regard had 
 been paid to Birth-right. 
 
 When we arrived at the Camp the Emperor was 
 not returned from the Foreft where he went to 
 call the Stags early in the Morning -, he is fo delight- 
 ed with his Hunting that he fpends whole Days in 
 it, fetting out two Hours before Day, and not 
 
 Vol. IV. Y returning 
 
322 77je General History of 
 
 returning till two Hours after Sun-fet, and fometimes 
 later ; he has his Provifions brought into the Foreft, 
 and they make him a Bed to take a little Reft about 
 Noon : He generally goes with few Attendants, and 
 thofe Officers of the Court who belong to the Bed- 
 chamber, and a few Officers of the Guards. 
 
 As our Tents were not yet arrived we alighted at 
 1'chao lao yé's Father's Tent, who receiv'd us courte- 
 oufly, and with great Signs of Affection : He treated 
 us very handfomly, confidering he was a Tartar: 
 After this we took our Horfes again, and went to wait 
 his Majefty's return from Hunting -, we met with a 
 great Number of Grandees belonging to the Court, 
 who likewife waited on horfeback at the Head of the 
 Camp : The greateft Part fhow'd us Refpect, for 
 there were few but who knew us, and the degree of 
 Favour his Majefty honour'd us with. 
 
 We advanced confiderably farther to join Kiou kieou y 
 and Ma lao ye, who were gone before, when we faw 
 the two Princes of the Blood who were to attend 
 on his Majefty, accompany'd with none but a 
 few of their chief Officers, becaufe the Guards that 
 were placed at all the Avenues would let no Body 
 pais by towards the Place where the Emperor was : 
 We ftop'd near thefe Princes, and when we were 
 alighted we had the Honour to falute them, and 
 they receiv'd us in a gracious manner : The eldeft 
 Brother of the Emperor, who has the Title of the 
 Grand Regulo, was a large well-fhap'd Man, affable 
 and popular ; he talk'd tor fome time very familiarly 
 with the Officers of the Emperor's Guard ; his Drefs 
 was very plain, as was likewife that of the other 
 Prince call'd Hetouvan : They were both mounted 
 on Horfes which made but a poor Appearance, and 
 the Harnefs was ol the common fort, inibmuch that 
 they had no outward diftinction from the reft of the 
 Mandarins. 
 
 In 
 
China, Chinese-Tart ary, &c. 323 
 
 In the Evening one of the Officers of his Majefty's 
 Train brought Orders for two Camels to be fent with 
 all fpeed to carry the Stags chat were kill'd, which 
 made us judge his Majefty was on his Return -, for 
 which Reafon P. Pereira and my felf went to join 
 Kiou kieou and Ma laoyé, with whom we waited till 
 his Majefty appear'd. 
 
 As foon as we perceiv'd, or rather heard the noiie 
 of the Horfes, which came along with the Emperor, 
 for it was very dark, and there were no Flambeaux, 
 we alighted, and every one holding his own Horfe by 
 the Bridle, we fell upon our Knees by the Road fide ; 
 when his Majefty came near us he ftop'd, and ask'd 
 who we were : Kiou kieou told him our Names, af- 
 ter which he enquir'd after our Health, and ob- 
 ligingly added, that he fuppofed we were very much 
 fatigued. He ordered us to get upon ou/ Horfes, and 
 follow him, which we accordingly did ; there were 
 but a hundred Perfons in his Train ; one of his Sons 
 who was about ten or eleven Years old rode imme- 
 diately after him, having a little Bow and a fmall 
 Quiver of Arrows ; the Emperor himfelf carried his 
 Bow and Quiver at his Girdle. 
 
 Soon after we were got upon our Horfes he called 
 Itchao lao ye, and ordered him to tell us, from him, 
 that he had heard News of P. Grimaldi, and that 
 he could not get a Paflage through Perfia to go 
 from thence by Land into Mofcovy, and that he had 
 taken the way to Portugal: When we approached 
 near the Camp they came to meet his Majefty with 
 Lanthorns'i he entred the Camp, and they brought him 
 fomewhat to eat, upon which we retired to the Tent 
 of Tcbao lao yé, where we paffed the Night, becaufe 
 our own were not arrived. 
 
 The Weather was very fine all the Day, and pretty 
 temperate from eight or nine in the Morning ; for be- 
 fore that it was exceeding cold, as well as all the 
 Night, it having frozen very hard. 
 I • Y 2 The 
 
'*The General History of 
 
 The 28th we continued in the lame Camp where 
 Part of our Baggage arrived, the reft lying ten Leagues 
 from their general Quarters with the Bulk of the 
 "Equipage of Kiou kieou : The Emperor fpent the Day 
 as ufually in the Woods, and did not return till two 
 Hours after Sun-ict. 
 
 It was very fine Weather all this Day, but was not 
 quite fo cold Night and Morning as the former. 
 
 The 29th his Majefty fet out as ufual two Hours 
 before Day to go a hunting, and ordered that they 
 fhould go and encamp in another Vale between the 
 Mountains called Sirga taie, a Place very commodi- 
 ous for the Sport ; we travelled fifty Lys before we 
 reached it, thirty Eaft-north-eaft, and twenty South- 
 fouth-weft, our Road lying through Valleys like the 
 former. 
 
 After we had gone the firft thirty Lys we relied 
 near an agreeable Fountain, which from its very firft 
 Rife forms a large Brook, which is full of fmall Fifh : 
 One of our People caught twenty with but a wretched 
 Line ; fetting out from thence to go to the Emperor's 
 Camp we met the Emperor's eldeft Son, who was 
 going to the Woods to call the Stags -, he had but 
 twenty-five or thirty Perfons in his Train ; he was 
 encamped a fmall diftance from thence, and his Tent 
 was very like that of the Emperor ; but it was en- 
 compafied only with a fmall Inclofure of fmall Tents. 
 A little after we arrived at the Camp we enquired 
 after his Majefty's Health, and what his Intentions 
 were relating to the Bufmefs we had been tranfacling ; 
 whereupon he fent us word, that having no farther 
 occafion for us near his Perfon, and we having already 
 been fo long a Journey, he gave us leave to return 
 to Peking ; but when the Mofcovite Plenipotentiaries 
 mould arrive he would then determine what was to be 
 done : He then caufed feveral Queftions to be asked 
 as concerning our Journey, and P. Perdra let him 
 know that of the lixteen Horfes he was lb good as to 
 
 fur 
 
China, Chin es R-l art a r y, C§rV. 325 
 
 Furnim us with by the Tribunal of Ping pou fevzn. 
 were wanting, which were either dead or loft ; his 
 Anfwer was that it was fufficient to render back to 
 Ping peu thofe which remained, together with the Ca- 
 mels he had furnifhed us with. 
 
 This Day we dined with Kiou kieou in the Tent of 
 the late Reguloof Canton's Brother, who was ftrangled 
 by a Decree of the Tribunal of the Reguloes of Pe- 
 king on account of a Rebellion ; the Emperor being 
 convinced that he had no hand in this Revolt al- 
 ways had an efteem for him ; his Name is Tchang 
 gué fou : Thefe two laft Words diftinguifli the Dig- 
 nity of thofe who marry the Daughters of die Chinefe 
 Emperors. 
 
 Thefe Reguloes take place immediately after the 
 Princes of the Blood : He of whom I fpeak, who is 
 very old, married one of the Sifters of the prefent 
 Emperor's Father ; his Table was very well furnifhed, 
 and better than any I had feen amongft the other 
 Grandees of the Court, whether Tartars or Chinefe. 
 
 I was this Day informed by one of the Officers, 
 who had been fent by our AmbafTadors to the Mofco- 
 vite Plenipotentiaries, that Selengha was upon the Bank 
 of a great River, which was four or five Lys broad, 
 and upon which the Mofcovites had pretty large Barks ; 
 he told us that this City was inclofed with nothing 
 but thick Palifadoes ; that it confifted of two or 
 three hundred Tloufes all built of Wood ; that the 
 Country was very good, and much more temperate 
 than that Part of Tarlary where we were, tho' it lay 
 farther North ; that it was not above one thoufand 
 five hundred Lys from the Place where they parted 
 from us to Selengha ; that they had conftantly tra- 
 velled northward inclining a little to the Weft ; that 
 the Mofcovites had treated them very honourably ; that 
 they went two hundred Lys beyond Selengha to a 
 fmall Fort where the Plenipotentiaries were ; that the 
 Principal of this AmbafTy, and his two Collègues, 
 
 Y 2 feemed 
 
77)e General History of 
 
 feemed to be Perfons of Quality ; that they had of- 
 fered them Prefents of Sable-Skins, Ermins, and o- 
 ther things of the fame nature -, but that they would 
 not accept of them, tho' the Mofcovites preffed them 
 very much ; that in fhort they kept them only three 
 Days that their Journey might not be delayed con- 
 trary to their Inclination. 
 
 The Weather was cloudy all the Day, and it rained 
 almoft continually from Noon till Night -, it rained 
 alfo one part of the Night, during which there was 
 a South-weft Wind. 
 
 The 30th we left the Emperor's Camp after we 
 had taken leave of the two Princes of the Blood : 
 The fécond of thefe Princes fent one of his Officers in 
 the Morning to P. Pereira to enquire after his Health ; 
 they both received us very gracioufly, particularly 
 Iletou van, who placed us near his own Perfon, and 
 ordered us Tea : He would gladly have talked fome 
 time with us, if we had not excufed ourfelves, being 
 in hafte to fet out on our Journey. 
 
 We went like wife to take leave of the other Gran- 
 dees of the Court, after which we travelled feventy 
 Lys, forty almoft directly Weft, and thirty South- 
 weft ; we went and encamped ten Lys beyond the 
 general Quarters •, for that purpofe crofting the middle 
 of the Mountains, which is a much Ihorter way than 
 that which we came. 
 
 The Weather was cloudy all the Morning till Noon, 
 and then it cleared up, but there was a ftrong South- 
 weft Wind, which lafted till Night. 
 
 The 1 ft Day of Oïtober we went a hundred and 
 ten Lys ; the firft thirty Southward inclining a little 
 towards the Weft, the twenty following South-fouth- 
 weft, then thirty South-weft, where we left the direct 
 Road to vifit a Farm of Kiou kieou, whither he had 
 fen| part of our Domeftick's Horfes which we now 
 wanted ; we therefore turned directly Weft, and tra- 
 velled about ten Lys in a fmall Valley, which is 
 
 bounded 
 
Chin a, Chinese-Tart ary, &c. 327 
 
 bounded on the one fide with high Mountains, and 
 on the other with Hills, interfperfcd with Oulanas. 
 
 There are feveral forts of them, but thofe which 
 are of the paleft Red are the beft, and have a Tafte 
 very like our fharp Cherries ; there are others exceed- 
 ing f.veet, and others more four ; we gathered fome, 
 and eat them at dilcretion ; afterwards we met witli a 
 Plantation which we left on the North, and travelled 
 ten Lys Southward, afcending and defcending a Moun- 
 tain and feveral little Hills ; then we went ten Lys to 
 the South-weft, partly winding along a Valley, and 
 partly afcending and defcending the Hills ; after 
 which we entred a Plain cultivated throughout be- 
 longing to Kiou kieou, as did likewife the Country 
 about it. 
 
 At the end of this Plain is a large Farm-houfe built 
 with Earth and Wood, and thatched with Straw ; 
 there was a large Compafs of Mud-walls, furrounded 
 with high Pales of Fir- wood to defend the Cattle 
 from the Tigers in the Night-time, which are very 
 numerous in the Woods growing on the neighbouring 
 Mountains. 
 
 We met along all the Road with different Colonies 
 of Chinefe Slaves belonging to the Reguloes, Princes, 
 and other Grandees of the Court, to whom the Em- 
 peror had given thefe Lands : They are generally well 
 cultivated, and very fruitful in Millet, and Horfe- 
 beans which their Horfes feed upon ; as it is ex- 
 tremely cold in this Country during the Winter, and 
 as the Ground is frozen for eight or nine Months to- 
 gether, it will bear neither Wheat nor Rice, and there- 
 fore they fow and gather Millet and Horfe-beans in 
 the three or four Summer Months. 
 
 The Chinefe have built Houfes of Earth and Wood 
 at the foot of thefe Mountains ; their Slavery is much 
 more tolerable than that of P eking ^ where they are 
 conftantly under their Matter's Eyes, for here no 
 body difturbs them : Their Bufinefs is only to culti- 
 
 Y 4 vate 
 
42S 77oe General History of 
 
 vate the Land committed to their care, and to feed the 
 Animals, that is the Horfes, Cows, Sheep, Hogs, 
 Geefe, Ducks and Fowl, that they may furr.ifh their 
 Mailers, chiefly when they come to hunt with the 
 Emperor : They have each of them fmall Gardens, 
 which produce Herbs and Pulfe in abundance, and in 
 fome there are excellent Water-melons. 
 
 The fame River, which forms the Brooks fpoken 
 of before, runs along the great Valley through which 
 the high Road to Peking lies, and is enlarged by the 
 Brooks which run from the neighbouring Mountains ; 
 this Valley is generally about three Lys in breadth, 
 but is greatly contracted in fome Places through which 
 the PafTages are very flrait, the Rocks on each fide 
 being very fleep and craggy, having their tops cover- 
 ed with tall Pines which yield a very agreeable 
 Profpect. 
 
 I can fay, without an Hyperbole, that I never had 
 feen fuch beautiful Landskips ; the River was almolt 
 quite covered with large pieces of Fir-wood floating 
 down the Current, of which they make large Rafts, 
 and conduct them to Peking -, the Stream is very ra- 
 pid almofl every where, and yet winds in fuch a man- 
 ner that we forded it fix feveral times in lefs than half 
 a League ; we faw in all thefe Places a great number 
 of Pheafants. 
 
 The Weather was cloudy all the Morning, and 
 there was a flrong South-weft Wind ; in the After- 
 noon it cleared up, and in the Evening it was very 
 bright, and without the leaft Breath of Wind. 
 
 The 2d we travelled twenty Lys South-fouth-eafl to 
 regain the high Road, which we had left the Day be- 
 fore -, the Valley in which we travelled was culti- 
 .d almofl throughout, and every now and then we 
 . a Farm, and a great number of Horfes at Grafs -, 
 we likewife faw there plenty of i heafints, fome in 
 Flocks, and others fcattered here and there -, we pafièd 
 and repaffed the River, and turned down a narrower 
 
 Valley i 
 
China, Chines e-Ta rtary, &è. 329 
 
 Valley -, after which we entred into a very agreeable 
 Plain called Poro hotun, which is cultivated through- 
 out, and interfperfed with Farms, Hamlets and Vil- 
 lages : There - are fome of them very large on the 
 South-part of the Plain, and they reckon four or five 
 Pagods ; the other Villages and Hamlets had at leafl . 
 one apiece ; the Houfes are all built with Wood, 
 Reeds and Earth, and covered with Thatch, but the 
 Pagods are all, or the greateft part, made of Brick 
 and covered with Tiles, with Embelliihments after the 
 Cbinefe manner. 
 
 They fow in this Plain and in the Valleys, from 
 hence as far as the Great Wall, abundance of Turky- 
 Corn, Millet, and other fmall Grain -, we faw Flax 
 and Hemp grow in feveral Places: This People make 
 a fort of fmall Cakes with the Meal of Indian- 
 Corn, which they live upon, as likewife a Drink, 
 which they call 'tchao mien, by foaking this Corn in 
 Water ; they ufe this Drink chiefly in Summer, be- 
 caufe it is cooling : The Grandees of the Court them- 
 felves drink of it when they are on a Journey, and 
 they mix a little Sugar with it, by which means it is 
 much more cooling, and has not fo raw a Tafte. 
 
 It was in this Plain of Pcro hotun that we regained 
 the great Road, and we travelled eighty Lys farther 
 chiefly towards the South and South- weft, but we 
 went very much about among the Mountains ; after 
 we had paffed this Plain we entred a narrow Valley 
 furrounded on each fide with craggy Rocks, which 
 formed dreadful Precipices, and yet there were tali 
 Fir-trees growing upon them, and other fort of Trees. 
 
 The River, called Tfou ho> winds among the Rocks 
 in fuch a manner that we forded it eighteen times in 
 lefs than forty Lys, and yet, notwithstanding its wind- 
 ing about, its Stream ft.il 1 continued to be very fwift. 
 
 The Emperor had ordered the building of feveral 
 wretched wooden Bridges, that he and his Train mi 
 pafs over when the River is fwelled, and not fo eafily 
 
 forded, 
 
330 *fhe General History of 
 
 forded, as it happens after plentiful Rains *, but as 
 thefe Bridges are very flight, and ftop the Rafts which 
 flote with the Current, they either fall to pieces of 
 themfelves, or the Timber- Merchants break them, 
 i'nfomuch that in all thefe Paffages we found but one 
 that was left ftanding. 
 
 We likewife found in thefe narrow Valleys plenty 
 of wild Vines, and tho' the greateft part had been pil- 
 laged by Pafïèngers, yet we were able to gather feve- 
 ral Bunches of black Grapes which were ripe, but a 
 little four -, we were well fatisfied with them for want 
 of a better Fruit. 
 
 After we had pafTed the River we entred into a 
 large Village, which lies near it, to wait for our 
 Horfes and Baggage which had taken another Road 
 fomewhat farther about, that they might avoid the 
 frequent croffing of the River ; as they did not arrive 
 till it was late we lodged as well as we could in a 
 wretched Inn, where there was neither Bread, Wine, 
 nor Meat. 
 
 The W T eather was fine and clear all the Day ; it 
 was very cold Night and Morning, and the Earth 
 was covered with a white Froft ; the reft of the Day 
 the Air was pretty temperate ; in the Afternoon there 
 was a ftrong South-weft Wind till the Evening : I be- 
 lieve that the way we had gone fince we entred Poro 
 hotun to the South-weft is about fifty Lys, cutting off 
 the Circuits that we were obliged to take. 
 
 The 3d we travelled ninety Lys, partly to the 
 South-fouth-weft, and partly to the South-weft ; bate- 
 ing twenty Lys for the Circuits we were obliged to 
 take about the Mountains, I guefs the diftance was 
 feventy Lys, thirty to the South-fouth-weft, and forty 
 to the South-weft : We croffed over two other Rivers, 
 that of Lan ho at the end of thirty Lys, and thirty 
 Lys farther that of Tao ho, and we forded botli : 
 They join each other on the Eaft fide of that of 
 Tfou ho. 
 
 The 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &c. 331 
 
 The gr.-itteft part/* 1 ' **} Mountain?, among which 
 our Road lay, k^ff ny fo high nor fo frightful as 
 thofe of the prec; iys, and are not fo full of 
 
 Trees, particularly tiiofe of the Pine -, we afcended 
 and defcended two of them, one immediately after the 
 PafTage of Hfou ho, which is very high -, and the other 
 not fo high, eighty Lys farther, which we met with 
 after we had paffed a large Village called Gan kia 
 ton -, we had a defign of fpending the Night in that 
 Village, but all the Lodgings were taken up by Peo- 
 ple who have the care of the Emperor's Hcrfes ; 
 this obliged us to crofs the other Mountain, after 
 which we came to a fmall Hamlet, and lodged in an 
 Inn a little more fpacious than the former, but equally 
 wretched and deftitute of all things. 
 
 The Roads which have been made over thefe 
 Mountains are commodious enough, becaufe they were 
 made by the Emperor's Order, who paflès that way 
 every Year when he goes a hunting, infomuch that 
 the Ladies Calafhes pais with eafe when they accom- 
 pany his Majefty \ we flill met with wild Vines from 
 which we got Bunches of Grapes, and we iikewife 
 faw plenty of Pheafants and wild Pears. 
 
 The Weather was like that of the preceding Day, 
 and the fame Wind was predominant. 
 
 The 4th we went twenty Lys, and climbed up a 
 Mountain which was not very high above the Hori- 
 zon of the Country from whence we came, but the 
 Defcent was confiderably longer, and the Country flill 
 grew lower and lower till we came to Kou pe keou> 
 which is one of the Gates of the great Chinefe Wall ; 
 infomuch that I make no doubt but the Horizon, at 
 the Entrance into China, in this Place is at lead {even 
 or eight hundred Geometrical Paces below the Ho- 
 rizon of Gan kia ton, which is but eighty Leagues 
 diftant. 
 
 I had already learnt that the Mountain Pdcha, 
 which is feven.or eight Days Journey to the North . 
 
 of 
 
33 2 ffie General History of 
 
 of Sirgatayc where we had* " r "he emperor, was ele- 
 vated above the Horizon 01 irië Lys, which 
 feemed to me very extraordirh, w {^ caufe this Moun- 
 tain does not rife very high !above the neighbouring 
 Country ; but fince I had croffed one part of this 
 Country myfelf, and had obfcrved that there was a 
 continual Defcentfrom North to South, that is from 
 Tartary towards China, as may be judged from the 
 Rapidity of the Rivers which take their Rife in the 
 Mountain Petcha, I fay fince I have feen this with 
 my own Eyes I make no difficulty of believing that 
 the Mountain Pelcha, and all the reft of Weftern Tar- 
 iary, at leaft that which I have paffed thro', is much 
 more elevated than China ; and this without doubt is 
 one of the Reafons why this Country is fo cold, tho' 
 it lies under a very temperate Climate, it being ex- 
 actly the fame as that of France. 
 
 That which may alio, contribute thereto, on the one 
 hand, may be the great quantity of Salt and Salt- 
 petre mix'd with the Sand which is found through- 
 out the Territories of the King of Kalka, and in the 
 Mongous Country fubject to the Emperor of China ; 
 and on the other hand the prodigious number of 
 Mountains covered with Wood, and full of Springs 
 and Fountains ; to which may be added the immeniè 
 Space of defart and uncultivated Land, which reaches 
 from the North Sea to the Borders of China -, this 
 vaft Extent of Ground not being cultivated, nor inha- 
 bited but by a few poor Hunters and 'Tartars who 
 wander here and there. 
 
 But be this as it will for a Month pad, there had 
 been fcarce a Day without a Froft Night and Morn- 
 ing, and often tnick Ice when the Sky had been fe- 
 rene, as I have obferved in my Journal ; and even 
 this very Day, both Night and «Morning, it froze fo 
 hard at the Place we departed from, that not only the 
 Water had Ice on it an Inch thick, but the 
 dirty Roads were become very hard. 
 
 Ca 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &c. 333 
 
 On the contrary at Kou pe keou we were told that 
 they not only had no white Froft hitherto, but 
 even that it feldom fell before the middle of Oiïober ; 
 this fenfible Difference in Places fo near each other 
 mull needs be owing to the different Elevation of the 
 Horizons. 
 
 "We travelled almoft continually in narrow PafTes 
 between Mountains, or in Valleys not much wider, 
 which however were cultivated throughout: In the 
 Road we met with Hamlets and Houfes which for 
 the mofl part were Publick- Houfes ; the Chinefe built 
 them on account of the Profit that they bring while 
 the Emperor is hunting in thefe Mountains, for du- 
 ring this time there is a confiant Flux and Reflux of 
 People, who come backward and forward from Peking 
 to the Emperor's Camp. 
 
 Our general Road lay South-weft, South, and South- 
 fouth- weft j but as we turned about theMountains which 
 are very craggy, but have not any great quantity of 
 Trees as we approached near the Great Wall, becaule 
 they were cut down, I judge that we went directly 
 fifty Lys South- weft. 
 
 As we drew near Kou pe keou we difcovered the 
 Great Wall ; it is extended along the Mountains from 
 Eaft to W T eft, much in the fame manner as I took 
 notice of at our leaving China when we began the 
 Journey : The Wall is made over the Tops of the 
 higheft and moft pointed Rocks, and is flanked with 
 fquare Towers near enough each other to lend mutual 
 Affiftance. 
 
 This Wall, according to what appeared to me 
 in fcveral Places, has confiderable Breaches in.it, 
 and is made of two Partitions which are not above a 
 Foot and a half each in thicknefs ; the Space between 
 is filled with Earth, which is raifed as high as the 
 Parapet ; the Wall, as well as the Towers, have a 
 pretty many Battlements -, it is built with large fquare 
 Stones fix or feven Foot from the Ground, in fome 
 
 Places 
 
;334 < ^ >e General History of 
 
 Places more, in others lefs ; the reft is of Brick ; the 
 JMortar between the Stones feems to be very good ; it 
 is generally no more than eighteen, twenty, or twenty- 
 five Geometrical Foot high, but the Towers are fel- 
 dom lefs than forty ; their Bafis may be twelve or fif- 
 teen Geometrical Foot fquare, but they infenfibly 
 grow lefs and lefs to the very Top. 
 
 They have made Steps of Brick or Stone on the 
 Platform which is between the Parapets, whereby to 
 get up and down more eafily ; but this Wall, as I. 
 have already obferved, is of little ufe upon thefe inac- 
 ceffible Mountains. 
 
 Befides in thefe Parts there are more than fixty or 
 eighty Leagues, confiding of narrow PafTages be- 
 tween the Mountains lying North and South, fome 
 whereof are fo difficult to pals through that two or three 
 hundred Men may prevent the March of the moft nu- 
 merous Armies ; there are like wife much fewer Forts, 
 Inclofures and FortreiTes here than near that Part thro* 
 which we pafTed when we entred Tartary ; only be- 
 fore the Gate, at the end of this PafTage, between the 
 Mountains there are Towers at the diftance of feven 
 or eight hundred Paces from the Great Wall, and fitu- 
 ated on the Top of little Hills. 
 
 There are befides two Wings of this Wall forti- 
 fy 'd with Towers at proper diftances ; but thefe two 
 Wings and their Towers have fallen to decay in fe- 
 veral Places, and they have not given themfelves the 
 trouble to repair the Breaches : They have been con- 
 tented to repair the Wing of the Great Wall which 
 is in the Valley, and is no more than a hundred Geo- 
 metrical Paces long : A fmall River runs at the bot- 
 tom, but it may be eafily forded -, there are likewife 
 two little low Gates, one of which has Communica- 
 tion with a fmall Fort on the Eaft fide near the C 
 Wall, to which it ferves for a Defence -, the other 
 Gate communicates with the Suburbs of Kou pe 
 which forms a kind of a Fort ; it is encompafled with 
 
 Walls 
 
China, Chines e-T a r t a r y, &c. 335 
 
 Walls and Towers like the other, and has two or three 
 Places for Arms where there are many Gates to pafs in 
 and out. 
 
 We ,faw neither Guards nor Soldiers at any of 
 thefe Gates, nor are the greateft Part in a Condition 
 to be fhut, and feem not to have been fo for a long 
 while ; it muit be owned that at prefent they are 
 quite ufelefs: There yet remain feveral Inclofures 
 in fome Places, and I obferved that on the Weftern 
 fide there was a double Rank on two different Chains 
 of Mountains, which were united very near the Val- 
 ley through which we returned back into China. 
 
 Tho' Kou $e keou is no confiderable Place, yet we 
 found good Fruit there, as large purple Grapes, 
 very fine Peaches and Pears ; they there fow good 
 Corn in the adjacent Fields ; in fhort we found our 
 felves in a quite different fort of a Country, and it 
 might be faid that we were got from one Extreme to 
 another. 
 
 The W eather was very ferene and temperate. 
 
 The 5th we travelled a hundred Lys, partly to the 
 South-weft and partly to the South- fouth- weft ; we 
 travelled firft in a pretty narrow Valley between Moun- 
 tains not fo high as the preceding, and on which there 
 were no Trees : After we had travelled twenty Lys 
 the Valley grew confiderably wider, and formed three 
 Plains one after another. 
 
 The firft went as far as a Fort called Che hia, whofe 
 Walls and Towers began to be in a ruinous Condi- 
 tion ; they are built of Free-ftone two Foot above th~ 
 the Ground, the Remainder which is above twenty 
 Foot high being of Brick : The fécond Plain is about 
 thirty or forty Lys in length, and the third reaches 
 as far as Miyunhïen, a fmall City where we flop- 
 ped a few Hours to feed our Horfes -, we there 
 hired a Chair and Chairmen for P. Pereira^ who was 
 fo much out of order that he could fcarcely ftir : All 
 thefe Plains are very well cultivated, and full oï Vil- . 
 
 lages 
 
3^6 The General History of 
 
 lages and Hamlets -, we met with good Fruit and good 
 Fifh at Miyun bien. 
 
 The Weather was very temperate all this Day ; it 
 was mifty about Ten in the Morning, foon after which 
 there was a ftrong South- weft Wind, but it cleared up 
 in the Evening. 
 
 The fame Day we (et out the beginning of the 
 Night to get nearer to Peking, that we might reach it 
 early the next Day, and we travelled fifty Lys, fome- 
 times Weft, fometimes South- fouth- weft, fometimes 
 South, and fometimes South-weft : The Rain which 
 fell hundred us from going any further ; the Country 
 began to open greatly, and we fcarcely faw any 
 Mountains towards the Eaft ; thofe of the Weft were 
 at a confiderable diftance ; all Places were full of Vil- 
 lages and Hamlets, but the Houfes were built with 
 Earth and Wood, and covered with Straw. 
 
 The 6th we travelled ninety Lys, partly to the 
 South and partly South-fouth-weft, and South-weft : 
 I judge the Road South-fouth-weft was eighty-five 
 Lys or thereabouts : The Country had ftill a finer 
 Afpecl, and was more full of Hamlets in proportion 
 as we drew near Peking, where P. Pereira and myfelf 
 arrived, he greatly fatigued and very weak, and I in 
 pretty good Health : I went near twelve or fifteen Lys 
 in the 'Tartarian City only before I arrived at our 
 Houfe, where we were received by the Fathers with 
 a very hearty Welcome. 
 
 The 1 5th the Emperor returned to Peking : We 
 went to Court the fame Day to inquire after his Health, 
 when he did us the honour to fend us Tea prepared 
 after the Tartarian manner, and fuch as he drank him- 
 felf : Kiou hem likewife fent the fame Day to inquire 
 after the Health of P. Pereira and myfelf. 
 
 The 4th of November he fet out, accompany'd with 
 all his Court, to go to his Grandmother's Tomb, and 
 to pay his Duty to it, as he had feveral times done in 
 our Abfence. 
 
 The 
 
China, Chines e-Ta rtary, &c. 337 
 
 The nth the Emperor returned to Peking-, and 
 about this time I baptized three Perfons, two Adults 
 and one Infant. 
 
 The 14th he finifiYdthe Ceremony relating to his 
 Grandmother, that is he fix'd her Name and her Elo- 
 gium in the fame Place with the Emperors, Princes, 
 and Mandarins, who have been famous for their Merit 
 and extraordinary Virtue : The Emperor went himfelf 
 to perform the ufual Ceremonies, that is to bow his 
 Head to the Earth as many times as there are Names 
 fixed up in the Temple, and particularly to that of his 
 Grandmother. 
 
 The 15th there was a Pan tchao, or an Aft of 
 Grace, on account of the Name of the Emperor's 
 Grandmother being placed in the Hall of He- 
 roes : This Pan tchao confifts in the Declaration made 
 by the Emperor, that he pardons fuch and fach Cri- 
 minals, and frees them from their Confinement, and 
 that he bellows fuch and fuch Benefactions on his Of- 
 ficers. 
 
 In this Pan tchao the Emperor order'd Pieces of 
 Silk to be given to the Mandarins of the Court, and 
 to the Tfong tou, to the General-Governors, to the 
 Viceroys, and to the General -Officers of the Army, 
 being in the Provinces ; he granted a general Pardon 
 to Criminals if their Crimes were not exceeding great, 
 and lefTened the Punifhment of the latter ; but he ex- 
 cepted the Mandarins out of this Act of Grace, not 
 being willing that they fhould take an Opportunity of 
 committing Faults, and opprefling the People with 
 expectation of being pardoned, becaufe Acts of Grace 
 are made upon feveral Occafions, as when there is an 
 extraordinary Drought, when the Emperor or his Mo- 
 ther are dangeroufly ill, or when any confiderable 
 Earthquake happens. 
 
 The 25th the Emperor went and (laid fome Days 
 in his Park, where he diverted himfelf 'with Hunt- 
 ing ; he fent thither for three of the eight Standards 
 
 -Vol. IV. Z which 
 

 8 72^ General History of 
 
 which compofe all the Tartarian Soldiery, to make 
 them perform their Exercife : This Park is a 
 Quarter of a League from Peking ; it is inclofed with 
 "W alls, and is eighteen Leagues in Circumference. 
 
 The 9th of December in the Morning we went to 
 our Burying-Place to affiit at the Ceremony, which 
 the Emperor had commanded the Tribunal of Rites 
 to make in his Name to the Honour of P. Ferdinand 
 Verbiefi : It is an Honour the Emperor never does un- 
 lets to Perfons of extraordinary Merit; this Cere- 
 mony was perform'd in the manner following. 
 
 Some time after this Father's Interment the Em- 
 peror order'd that the Tribunal of Rites mould hold 
 a Confultation on the Honour that mould be paid to 
 the Memory of a Man, who had done fuch important 
 Services to the Empire. 
 
 In the Memorial, which the Tribunal prefented a 
 few Days after to his Majefty, they fet forth, as their 
 Opinion, that the fame Ceremony mould be performed 
 which is only done to Perfons of fuperior Merit, and 
 that they ought to be fupply'd with 750 Taëls out of 
 his Majefty's Treafury for the Funeral- Expences, and 
 for erecting a Tomb, and that upon this Tomb an Elo- 
 gium mould be engraved compofed by themfelves. 
 
 The Emperor approved of the Refolution of the 
 Tribunal, and added feveral things in honour of the 
 Father, after which the Mony was delivered into the 
 Hands of P. Pereira that he might take care to have 
 a Monument erected for the Deceafed. 
 
 But as the Emperor fent P. Pereira and myfelf, al- 
 moft at the fame time, into Tartary, the Execution 
 of this Ceremony was deferred till after our Return ; 
 every thing being prepared P. Pereira gave notice to 
 the Officers of the Tribunal of Rites, that they might 
 proceed when they thought proper -, they reply'd that 
 we needed only to name the Day : Then the fix chief 
 Officers of the Tribunal, three Tartarian and three 
 , went to the Emperor's Pkafure-Houfe, where 
 
 he 
 
China, Chinese-Tartar y, &*c. 339 
 
 he himfelf was at that time, and requefted to know 
 which of them he would be pleafed to name to repre- 
 fent his Perfon on this occafion, and to perform his 
 Part of the Ceremony. 
 
 The Emperor made choice of the Chief Tartarian 
 Afiiftant, called Si lao yé, who is the third Perfon 
 of the Tribunal, and ordered that he mould be ac- 
 companied with ten inferior Officers of the fame Tri- 
 bunal, who fet forward in the Morning of the Day- 
 appointed. 
 
 Seven Horfemen marched at the Head of thefe 
 Officers, two of whom carried Standards, two In- 
 fcriptions in Letters of Gold, two Maces, and the 
 feventh the Elogium which the Emperor had made 
 on the Father ; it was written upon a large Roll wrapt 
 in a piece of yellow Silk, and fattened to the Horfe- 
 man's Back ; he was followed by Si lao yê y accom- 
 pany'd with ten inferior Officers of the Tribunal all 
 on horfeback. 
 
 We went to receive them at the Gate of our Bury- 
 ing-Place, and when the Emperor's Difpatch came 
 overagainft us we kneeled down out of refpecl, and 
 then entred after the Mandarins, who led the way to 
 the Place where the Father was interred. 
 
 There was built, direétly over the Grave, a Mo- 
 nument which confided of an oblong Square of Brick- 
 work very plain, being eight Foot long, five broad, 
 and four high, and rounded like an Arch at the Top : 
 There was on the fore-part a large white Marble 
 Stone adorned with Dragons carved in Relievo towards 
 the top, with a Border of Stone all round v/orked in 
 the fame manner ; the middle was painted black, on 
 which was to be wrote in Tartarian and Chinefe the 
 Elogium which the Emperor had made on the Father, 
 with a fmall Latin Epitaph ; this piece of Marble 
 was nine or ten Foot long, three or four broad, and 
 above one in thicknefs j it was erected perpendicular- 
 
 Z %■ ly 
 
340 The General History of 
 
 ly upon a Tortoife of white Marble, which ferved for 
 a Pedeftal. 
 
 Before the Monument a Tent was erected, under 
 which there were three Tables all covered with Car- 
 pets, and thofe on the fides were loaded with Fruit, 
 but that in the middle had nothing but Flowers : The 
 Tribunal of Rites had lent twenty Taëls, which are 
 above a hundred and twenty Livres for the Expence 
 of F'ruit. 
 
 Si lao yê fell upon his Knees, as likewife all the 
 Affiliants, and continued in that poilure while the 
 Officers of the Tribunal read the Elogium made 
 by the Emperor ; it was written in the 'Tartarian 
 Language upon yellow Paper ; this Elogium was at- 
 tended to with the moft profound Silence. 
 
 When this was finifhed we returned Thanks to 
 the Emperor by nine Proftrations ; after which Si 
 lao ye returned with all the Officers of his Tribunal, 
 without accepting of the Dinner which had been 
 prepared : The Mandarins of the Tribunal of the 
 Mathematicks and the principal Chriftians, who had 
 affifted at the Ceremony, (laid behind, and were treated 
 before they went home. 
 
 The fame Day, the Emperor being returned from 
 his Pleafure-Houfe, we went to the Palace to inquire 
 after his Health, and to thank him 'for the Honour 
 he had done to P. Verbieft ; as he was taking Repofe 
 when we arrived we were obliged to return the next 
 Day. 
 
 The 2 1 ft the Emperor went in State to the Temple 
 of Heaven to facrifice, according to Cuftom, on the 
 Day of the Solfticc. 
 
 The 27th the Emperor fet out with the Court to go 
 a hunting in the Mountains near the Great Wall ; he 
 did not deftgn to fpend above ten or twelve Days before 
 he returned to his Grandmother's Sepulchre, in order 
 to perform the annual Ceremony on the Anniverfary 
 of her Death. The 
 
China, Chines e-Tartary, &C. 341 
 
 The ï 8th the Emperor arrived at Peking, and we 
 were informed he had killed fix Tigers while he was a 
 hunting. 
 
 The 2Gth, which was the laft Day of the Chinefe 
 Year, the Emperor fent each of us a Stag, Phea- 
 fants, and excellent Fifh. brought from Leao tong ; 
 it was his Cuftom to make fuch a Prefent on the be- 
 ginning of the new Chinefe Year-, 'fome of the 
 Princes of the Blood and feveral Mandarins had 
 likewife fent us, on the preceding Days, Venifon, 
 Wild-Fowl, &c. We had alfo made them our Pre- 
 fents, according to the Cuftom obferved throughout 
 the Empire, by which Relations and Friends always 
 make Prefents to each other, and vifit at the beginning 
 of the New Year. 
 
 There are two forts of Vifits, the one among Friends 
 which live near each other ; this is made on the 
 laft Day of the Year after Sun-fet, when they aftemble 
 and wifh each other Health, proftrating thcmfelves to 
 the Ground, which is called Tfiifui : The other Vi- 
 fit is made with the fame Ceremonies on the firft Day 
 of the Year or the following Days ; the fooner they 
 perform this Duty r the greater RefpecT: and Regard 
 they are thought to fhew to the Perfons they make 
 them to. 
 
 In ihort the laft Day of the Chinefe Year, the fol- 
 lowing Night and the eighteen fucceeding Days arc, 
 as it were, the Chinefe Carnival, and the time of 
 their grand Feafts of rejoicing ; they think of no- 
 thing then but of Diverfions and Feafting ; the 
 pooreft of the People ufe their utmoft Endeavours 
 to purchafe, hire or borrow new Clothes for them- 
 felves, their Wives and their Children, and to have 
 wherewithal to treat their Relations and Friends, 
 who come to vifit them at this time : They not only 
 lay out all that they have gained the Year paft, but 
 I have been allured that they fell their own Ohifc 
 
 Z 3 dren, 
 
342 *The General History of 
 
 dren, and pawn themfelves in order to be able to ce- 
 lebrate theie Feftivals. 
 
 The 2 1 ft, being the firfl Day of the Chtnefi Year, 
 and the twenty-eighth of the Reign of Cang hi, was 
 fpent in receiving and paying Viiits, and making the 
 ufual Salutations -, it was begun by going to Court in 
 the Morning after the Emperor's Return from Tai 
 miao, or the Hall of his Anceftors, where he went at 
 Day-break according to Cuftom -, being feated on his 
 Throne he received the Refpect and Homage which 
 the Princes and Mandarins paid him, who were clad 
 in their ceremonious Robes. 
 
 He himfelf began with making his Honours to the 
 Queer.-Modier, who received them fitting on a Throne -, 
 the greateit of the Mandarins follow the Emperor, 
 when he goes to perform this Ceremony, into the A- 
 partment of the Queen-Mother': We made likewifc 
 the fame Salutation to the Empércr, and thanked him 
 for the Prefent he had fent us ; but we did not perform 
 this Ceremony in his Prcfence, but in the Prefence 
 of a Mandarin of the Bedchamber, who afterwards 
 treated us with Tea in the behalf of his Majefty. 
 
 The 26th we went to take leave of the Emperor, 
 who was to go the next Day into the Southern Pro- 
 vinces : His Majefty enquired alter the Names of the 
 Jefuits who lived in the Places we were to pafs 
 through, adding, that he would willingly fee them, 
 and would even vifit their Churches -, at the fame time 
 he commanded T'chao lao yé not to forget to carry 
 fomething to prefent them with. 
 
 We were then defirous of returning Thanks to his 
 Majefty for fo fignal a Favour, but he told us it was 
 not proper to return Thanks before the Benefit was 
 conferr'd, and that it would be time enough at his 
 Return. 
 
 The 27th his Majefty fet out with few Attendants, 
 that his Marches might be the more quick i hiscjdeft 
 
 Son 
 
China, Chinese-Tartar y, &*c. 34. 
 
 jtj 
 
 Son and eldeft Brother bore him Company -, the reft 
 of the Princes ftaid behind at Peking. 
 
 The 24th we received a Letter from P. Jofeph 
 Ocha, a Spaniard who lived at Tfi nan fou, Capital 
 of the Province of Chan long, in which he prayed 
 us to return the Emperor Thanks for the favourable 
 Reception he had had on account of the Fathers 
 which are at the Court. 
 
 This Father going to meet his Majefty a League 
 from Tfi nan, the Emperor called him as foon as he 
 perceived him, and ordering him to come forward 
 took him by the left Hand, and bid him ride near 
 his Perfon -, he likewife ask'd his Name, and feveral 
 other Queftions, and afterwards committed him .to the 
 care of two of the Mandarins of the Bedchamber, 
 one of whom is charged with all our Affairs that 
 concern the Emperor. 
 
 Thefe two Mandarins talked very familiarly to the 
 Miffionary till they entred the City, when they told 
 him they would come and fee him in his Church after 
 they were a little refted, as they in reality did, and 
 fell proftrate in the Church before the great Altar, 
 beating their Foreheads againft the Ground, which is 
 the greateft Teftimony of Veneration they can pof- 
 fibly give in China -, they told him that the Empe- 
 ror, who had fent them, had ordered them to act in 
 this manner ; after which they gave the Father twenty 
 Taëls as from the Emperor, but would not accept of 
 the Trifles which the Miffionary had prepared to pre- 
 ient to the Emperor ; they asked him feveral Queftions 
 concerning the time of his coming to China, his 
 Country, and his Arrival at Peking, then defircd him 
 to inform the Fathers at the Court of the good Re-* 
 ception his Majefty had given him upon their Ac- 
 count. 
 
 The 1 ft Day of March, P. Vallat, a French Jefuit, 
 
 about feventy-five Years of Age, arrived at our Houle 
 
 at Peking, after he had vifited the Churches of thePro- 
 
 Z 4 vincc 
 
The General History of 
 
 vince of Pe tche li during four entire Months of the 
 Winter -, he baptized during this time near feven hun- 
 dred Perfons, the greatefl Part of whom were at Years 
 cf Maturity. 
 
 The 20th we received Letters from P. Pro/per In- 
 torcetta, dated the twenty-eighth of February lafl, by 
 which he acquainted us with the fingular Honour the 
 Emperor had done him that very Day, when he went 
 to meet his Majefly about three Leagues from Hang 
 tcheou : This Father mentioned in his Letter that, be- 
 ing in a fmall Bark in a Place where the Imperial. 
 Bark was to pafs by, he kneeled on the Prow as foon 
 as ever the Emperor appeared, which his Majefly 
 perceiving enquired who that was in the fmall Bark, 
 and as the Anfwer they returned was that he was an 
 European Father belonging to the Chriflian Church at 
 Hang tcheou i he ordered the Miflionaries Bark to draw 
 near that it might be faflen'd to his own ; as foon as 
 he came into his Prefence the Emperor ask'd his 
 Name, Age, and the time of his Refidencein China, if 
 he ever had been at Court, if he underflood the Chinefe 
 Characters, what Place he had liv'd in, when he had 
 received Leters from the Jefuits at Peking, in what 
 Part of the City his Church was, and laflly if P. Fon- 
 taneywa.% now at Nan king. 
 
 The Jefuit having anfwer'd all thefe Qiieflions, he 
 gave him three Bafons of Fruit brought from Peking, 
 bidding him to eat, and affuring him that they were 
 good, and that it would be a difficult matter to meet 
 with fuch in thofe Parts : Afterwards the Jefuit de- 
 fired Permiflion of the Emperor to go and wait for 
 him at the Door of his Church by which he was to 
 pafs : His Majefly reply'd that to do that he muft 
 make very great hafle, for he himfelf mould go for- 
 ward as fait as pofîible : However the Father arrived 
 there before the Emperor,who feeing him as he pafs'd 
 by fmil'd, and nodded his Head in a gracious manner. 
 
 The 
 
China, Chines e-Tartary, &c. 345 
 
 The ill of April v?z receiv'd a fécond Letter from 
 P. Intorcetta, who gave us a particular Account of 
 the Honour his Majefty continued to do him during 
 his flay at Hang tcbeou. 
 
 Firft, faidhe, he fent Tchao lao yé 9 with two other 
 Mandarins w the Jefuits Houfe, with Orders to make 
 the accuflom'd Adoration in the Church ; it confided 
 in kneeling down, and bowing the Head feveral times 
 to the very Ground, which thefe three Officers per- 
 form'd accordingly -, after the Ceremony was over 
 they gave the Father twenty Taëls of Silver fent 
 by the Emperor as a Teflimony of his Favour : The 
 long Converfation which they afterwards had with the 
 Father was followed by a Collation, at the end of 
 which he fhow'd them feveral Curiofities, which he 
 had prepared to prefent to his Majefty. 
 
 Secondly, he went the fame Day to Court and re- 
 turn'd Thanks to the Emperor for the Honour he had 
 done him, and prefented him his Curiofities : The 
 Emperor having look'd on them would keep nothing 
 but a Cryflal Ball, faying that he accepted of it with 
 no other intent than to prevent the Father's Uneafinefs, 
 which might arife from his refufing them all. 
 
 Thirdly, the Day the Emperor left Hang tcbeou the 
 Father defign'd to accompany him according to Cu- 
 flom, and he took with him P. Laurif.ce an Italian, 
 who was juft arrived from Song hang the Place of his 
 Refidence, and came purpofely to wait on his Ma- 
 jefty : As they both flood before the Church-Gate of 
 Hang tcbeou, when the Emperor pafs'd by, he ftopt 
 and enquired who this new Mifilonary was, and from 
 whence he came -, when they had anfwered his Que- 
 ftions he continued his Journey, and fent immediately 
 to both the Fathers to meet him at the Place where he 
 was to embark. 
 
 They obeyed him, and flood in their Bark at the 
 Place where the Emperor was to pafs ; they were 
 {bon perceived by Tchao lao ye, who was looking for 
 
 them, 
 
The General History of 
 
 them, and of which he gave the Emperor notice : 
 His Majefty immediately look'd through a Window 
 and beckoned them with his Hand to draw near, 
 which they did ; the Emperor talked familiarly with 
 P. Laurifice, and made him a Prefent of twenty 
 Taëls ; after this he asked P. Intorcetta how far he 
 defigned to bear him Company, and the Father re- 
 plied he was refolved to follow his Majefty to Sou 
 tcheou : I am not willing, replied the Emperor, you 
 fhould takefo much trouble, forconfidering your Âge 
 fuch a Fatigue might do you a Prejudice, therefore 
 take great care of your Health ; he fent him back in 
 an honourable manner, and with Demonftrations of 
 his Favour in the fight of a great multitude who were 
 prefent, which could not fail producing good Effects 
 with regard to Religion. 
 
 As for P. Laurifice he followed the Emperor, and 
 that Prince defired him to be entirely eafy, and allured 
 him he fhould meet with no difturbance in his 
 Church : When he left the Imperial Bark his Ma- 
 jefty cauièd the fame thing to be proclaimed with a 
 loud Voice, that all the Mandarins of the Province 
 who were prefent might hear it, and underftand that 
 this Miftionary was under his Protection. 
 
 When the Emperor left Hang tcheou he ordered 
 the Tfong tou of the Province to take the Imperial 
 Seal from the Viceroy of the fame Province, and to 
 deprive him immediately of his Office ; the Tfian kun 
 and the Viceroy accufed each other, and his Majefty 
 fent two Court- Mandarins to pafs Judgment, who 
 found the Viceroy guilty, and condemned him to be 
 flrangled. 
 
 The Affair was referred to the three fupreme Tri- 
 bunals of Peking to deliberate upon it, who confir- 
 med the Sentence of the two Mandarins, and only 
 changed the kind of Death by condemning the 
 Viceroy to be beheaded, a Punifhment much more in- 
 famous in China than Strangling, becaufe the C 
 
 paffionatcly 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, cSfc. 347 
 
 Paflionately defire to have their Body preferred entire 
 alter their Death. 
 
 The 7th we went to meet the Emperor who re- 
 turned this Day from Peking -, we advanced as far as 
 his Majefty's Park, where we had the Honour to fa- 
 lute him as he paffed along ; when he perceived us he 
 fent Tchao lao yé, who was near his Perfon, to know 
 what we wanted ; we told the Mandarin that we 
 were come to inquire after his Majefty's Health, and 
 at the lame time to thank him for the Favours that 
 he had fhewn to the Jefuits as he proceeded on his 
 Journey. 
 
 This Mandarin carried our Compliment to the Em- 
 peror, and ordered us to come to Court the next Day 
 at Noon -, we faluted feveral Grandees of his Majefty's 
 Train whom we were more particularly acquainted 
 with, and among the reft Kiou kieou maternal Uncle 
 of the Emperor, and So fan lao yé grand maternal 
 Uncle of the Heir apparent : They both teftified their 
 Obligations for the Prefents that the Fathers Gabiani 
 and Fcntaney had made them at Nan king of fomc 
 European Curiofities. 
 
 The 8th we went to the Palace about Noon, and 
 after waiting a long while in a Porch, where the Em- 
 peror commonly receives the Memorials of the Tri- 
 bunal, they came at length to receive our Thanks for 
 the Honours his Majefty had done the Jefuits when he 
 was on his Journey. 
 
 The 1 2th Tcbao lao y S was fent to our Houfe by the 
 Emperor ; he brought with him an Objed-Glafs to 
 make a Telefcope of fifty Foot long, with a propor- 
 tionable Eye-Glafs ; thefe had been prefented to his 
 Majefty as he went to Nan king by P. Font aney, and 
 he ordered us to make proper Tubes for thefe GlafTes 
 that he might make ufe of them ; befides he brought 
 an Aftrolabe of a new Invention, which P. Font aney 
 likewife had made a Prefent of to his Majefty ; this 
 Aftrolabe, which is very plain, ferves to find all the 
 
 Eciipfes 
 
348 The General History of 
 
 Eclipfes of the Moon and Sun, the Year, Day and 
 Month in an eafy manner, and almoft in an Inftant -, 
 his Majefty ordered us to put the method of ufmg it 
 in Writing. 
 
 Tchao lao ye afterwards faid many advantageous 
 things of P. Fontaney, and affured us that the Empe- 
 ror had a great Opinion of his Skill in the Mathema- 
 ticks : His Majefty having asked if the Star of Canopus 
 might be feen at Nan king, the Father ingenuoufly 
 owned he believed not, but after having made the ne- 
 ceffary Calculations he found that it would appear 
 above the Horizon in the Months of February, 
 March and April, of which he immediately gave the 
 Emperor notice, who went in the Evening into the 
 Obfervatory of Nan king to obferve this Star, and 
 faw it in reality. 
 
 The fame 'tchao lao yé related to us feveral Adven- 
 tures which happened to the Emperor on his Journey, 
 which we had heard of before, and which chiefly 
 fhewed how popular the Emperor was, and how 
 joyful the People were to fee their Sovereign. 
 
 There was among the reft a good old Man of the 
 Province of Chan tong, who being heard to cry in the 
 middle of the Crowd, Where is the Emperor, pray let 
 me fee him ; his Majefty ftopp'd and ordered the Pea- 
 fant to come near, which when he had done he asked 
 of him very freely, are you my Lord the Emperor ? 
 And his Majefty telling him he was, the Peafant, after 
 he had looked upon him a little, faid, you feem yet 
 to be but young, which I am glad of -, and then get- 
 ting upon a wretched Horfe, which he had with him, 
 he took the Emperor's Horfe by the Bridle, faying 
 that fince he had nothing to offer his Majefty he 
 would have the Pleafure of leading his Horfe. 
 
 The Emperor being to pafs near a Village, among 
 the Mountains of the Province of Chan tong, the 
 Peafants having nothing to offer him they killed a 
 wild Boar, and laying him on their Shoulders went 
 
 to 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, êftv 349 
 
 to his Majefty -, having been informed, faid they to 
 him with great Simplicity, that our Sovereign was to 
 pafs this way, and Provisions being exceeding fcarce, 
 we went a hunting, and were fo happy as to kill this 
 wild Boar which we now make a Prefent of. 
 
 Other Peafants brought him fmall black Loaves, 
 fome in a Bag, others in the skirt of their Coat, 
 whilft fome burnt Incenfe before his Horfe ; they all 
 were eager to fee his Majefty, who iwftead of conceal- 
 ing himfelf gave every one the liberty of coming near 
 him : His Queftions generally were concerning the In- 
 tegrity of the Mandarins, and he received Informa- 
 tion from the People whether or no their Mandarin 
 was juft and moderate, and whether he did not op- 
 prefs the Subject. 
 
 This Affability of the Emperor, with refpeet to 
 the People, and his Companion in remitting part of 
 the Tribute which they were to pay the fame Year, 
 and particularly his Attention in examining the Be- 
 haviour of the Mandarins, gained him the Hearts of 
 his Subjects, and gave him AfTurance that his Name 
 lhould be Immortal among the Cbinefe, who had ne- 
 ver feen their Emperors fo condefcending, nor take 
 notice fo gracioufly of their Necefllties. 
 
 A Prieft, belonging to the Idols, being prefented to 
 his Majefty, and having proclaim'd with a loud Voice 
 that he was able to foretel future Events, the Emperor 
 flopping asked him this Queftion, tell me, faid he, 
 for what Reafon I undertake this Journey : The Bonze 
 replied that his Majefty was come to take the Air, 
 upon which the Emperor, who did not like this An- 
 fwer, faid thou art deceived, I am come to vifit the 
 Provinces, to fee how they are governed, and in what 
 manner the Mandarins treat my People. 
 
 He afterwards made a fign to one of his People 
 to be ready to whip this pretended Fortune-teller, 
 and then he asked him this other Queftion, Is this 
 Day fortunate or unfortunate ? The Bonze replied, that 
 
 it 
 
350 The General History of 
 
 it was fortunate : In fhort, faid the Emperor to him, 
 fince you are able to foretel future Events tell me what 
 I defign to do immediately ; the Bonze was in con- 
 fufion, and after fome hefitation faid, that he knew 
 nothing of the matter, upon which his Majefty made 
 a fign to him who had the Whip to give him feveral 
 Strokes, which was immediately done, and was ac- 
 companied with Reproaches concerning the infamous 
 Trade that he drove of deceiving the credulous Vul- 
 gar : The Gan tcha Jfee\ or chief Criminal- Judge of 
 the Province, ordered him to be taken into cuftody, 
 and would have condemned him to die for his bold- 
 nefs in impofing upon the Emperor, but his Majefty 
 pardoned him, faying that the Punifliment he had re- 
 ceived was fufficient to make him wifer for the future. 
 
 In the great Cities the People came in Crouds to 
 the Gate of the Palace, every one defiring to offer 
 fomewhat to the Emperor, even the very pooreft a- 
 mong them prefented Rice, Fruit, or fome fuch like 
 thing, and as his Majefty refufed them on purpofe not 
 to put them to any Expence they fell a weeping, and 
 forced him by their Tears to take their Trifles that 
 they might not be uneafy, and they returned back well 
 fatisfied if he did but take a few Grains of Rice. 
 
 The 2 2d we accompanied the Funeral of a Regulo, 
 who had fhewn us a great deal of favour in his 
 Life-time, and had been dead about a Month -, he had 
 been kept during that time in his Houfe expofed in a 
 great Hall, wherein the reft of the Reguloes and 
 Grandees of the Court had been to bewail the lofs of 
 him, according to the Cuftom obferved throughout the 
 Empire : He was carried this Day with a magnificent 
 Funeral-Pomp to his Pleafure-houfe, which is near 
 the City, to continue there for about two Months, 
 after which he was to be convey'd to his Sepulchre. 
 
 The eldeft Son of the Emperor was fent by his 
 Majefty to reprefent him in this Ceremony ; he was 
 followed and furroundcd with the other Reguloes and 
 
 Princes 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, Qfc. 351. 
 
 Princes of ths Blood- Royal, a prodigious number of 
 Mandarins doling the Proceffion : There were Camels 
 loaded with Tents and Moveables of all kinds, Jed 
 Horfès, fome magnificently faddled, others carrying 
 velvet Cloke-bags fet off with Gold or gilt Copper 
 and Jewels, others without Saddles ; each Horfe was 
 conducted by a Groom in a Mourning Habit ; there 
 were alfo Muficians playing upon warlike Inftru- 
 ments, Pikemen and Standard-bearers with the Dra- 
 goons of the Empire in gold Embroidery : The Body 
 of the Regulo was carried under a Canopy by a great 
 number of Bearers, clad in green Taffety, fpotted 
 with white, which is the proper Habit of the Re- 
 gulo's Bearers : The Children of the fourth Regulo, 
 accompanied with their nearcft Relations, and fur- 
 rounded with a great croud of Mandarins and their 
 Officers, walked on foot immediately before the Corps, 
 weeping as they paffed along according to Cuftom ; 
 the Wives, the Daughters, the Daughters-in-law, and 
 the other near Relations of the Regulo followed the 
 Corps immediately in their Chairs, weeping in the 
 fame manner -, afterwards came the Emperor's eldeft: 
 Son with the other Reguloes, who had no Tufts in 
 their Caps, which is a Sign of Mourning -, the Em- 
 peror's eldeft Son had a Tuft in his Cap as ufual ; they 
 threw in the Road a great deal of white Paper cut in 
 the fhape of Mony ; this Cuftom was introduced by 
 the Bonzes, who perfuade the People that this Paper 
 is turned into Mony, and that the deceafed makes ulè 
 of it as occafion requires. 
 
 When they arrived at the Place where the Corps 
 was to lie they laid it in a kind of Hall made ©f 
 Matts, according to Cuftom, and there they placed 
 every thing that was to be ufed for the Ceremony ; 
 the Emperor's eldeft Son advanced followed by the 
 Reguloes and great Mandarins -, they then renewed 
 their Lamentations for a fhort time, and made their 
 accuftomed OfferingSj after which the Children of the 
 
 deceafed, 
 
352 The General History, &c. 
 
 deceafed, leaning upon their Officers as if they had 
 not been able to ftand, went and returned thanks to 
 the Emperor's eldefl Son, or rather the Emperor in 
 his Perfon ; they then were conducted to the bottom 
 of a Terrafs, upon which this Hall of Matts was 
 erected -, they conftantly lent forth mournful Cries to 
 ihew that they were good Children ; but there is ufu- 
 ally more of Ceremony than Reality in thefe external 
 Signs of Grief. 
 
 The 26th we received Letters from the Fathers 
 Fontaney and Gabiani, who gave us an account of the 
 Honours his Majefly had done them at Nan king and 
 Hang tcheou, to which Place they bore him Company ; 
 he fent the Grandees of his Court to make Proftra- 
 tions in their Churches, made them a Prefent of 
 Mony and Fruit feveral times, and accepted part of 
 the Curiofities which they offered him : When they 
 were ready to return he made them enter his Bark, 
 and even his own Cabbin, where he talked with them 
 familiarly for half an hour in the View of the Man- 
 darins of the Province, who were not fo much as al- 
 lowed to approach the Imperial Bark. 
 
 While this was doing a great Officer of the Army 
 happened to arrive from the Province of Hou quang ; 
 his Majefly ordered him to draw near, and gave him 
 Orders, in the Prefence of the Fathers, to govern and 
 difcipline his Troops well, and then difmiffed him ; 
 his Majefty dcfired to know of the Fathers if they 
 thought he had fpoken right. 
 
 P. Fontaney relates an Adventure of which he was 
 an Eye-witnefs, and wherein the Emperor difcovered 
 a great deal of Judgment and Penetration : A Chinefe 
 having thrown himfelf into the Canal, and being 
 fwimming towards the Imperial Bark with a Petition 
 tied to his Neck, which he wanted to prefent to his 
 Majefly ; he cried out with all his Might demanding 
 Juflice of the Emperor againfl one of his Enemies, 
 at the fame time exaggerating, in the ftrongefl Terms, 
 
 the 
 
China, Chines e-Ta rtary, &c- 353 
 
 the Injury that had been done him, and concluded by 
 faying that his Enemy was the Firft Man in the 
 World for committing villanous Actions. 
 
 The Emperor, who fmiled to fee the poor Wretch 
 fo far tranfported with Paflion, as not to fee the Dan- 
 ger he was in by thus expofing himfelf in the pré- 
 fence of the whole Court, commanded one of his At- 
 tendants to ask him, Who was the fécond Perfon in 
 the World for committing a Villany ? 
 
 The 27th we went to the Emperor's Pleafure-Houfe 
 to enquire after his Health ; Tcbao lao yê infinuated to 
 us that it would be proper to make an Offer of our 
 felves to go into Tariary, along with thofe that were 
 appointed to terminate the Difference between the 
 Chinefe and Mofcovites. 
 
 Upon this we immediately defired Tcbao lao yê to 
 acquaint his Majefty, that as we did not think our- 
 felves very capable of doing him Service in this Af- 
 fair, we hitherto did not dare to ask for his Orders ; 
 but having learn'd 'that his Majefty was fending back 
 the fame Ambaffadors that were difpatched the Yeas 
 before, we would willingly bear them Company if he 
 thought our Service would be any way ufeful : Tcbao 
 lao ye carried this Mefifage to the Emperor, who fent 
 Orders to P. Pereira and myfelf to undertake this 
 Journey a fécond time. 
 
 The 23d of May there arrived a MefTenger at Court 
 from the Mofcovite Plenipotentiaries who were at Se- 
 lengba -, the Letter which he brought was addreifed to 
 the Emperor's Minifters, containing in fubftan.ce, That 
 his Majefty fhould name a Place upon the Frontiers 
 of both Empires to hold Conferences about the Peace -, 
 That he mould fend his Deputies thither, and appoint 
 the time of meeting, that both fides might be punctu- 
 ally there with a Train equal to that which the Chi- 
 nefe Deputies were to have : He like wife defired that 
 the Conferences of Peace might be managed accord- 
 ing to the Cuftoms obferved on fuch occafions, and 
 Vol. IV. A a , ended 
 
354 e ^ je General History of 
 
 ended with deiiring a pofitive Anfwer as foon as 
 poflible. 
 
 This Deputy was accompanied with about feventy 
 Perfons : When he delivered his Letter the Fathers 
 Thomas and Pereira were fent for to tranflate it -, there 
 was a Copy of it in Latin, which the Fathers trans- 
 lated into the Chinefe and 'Tartarian Languages in the 
 Tribunal of the Colao, which is within the Palace, and 
 it took up the whole Night in tranflating : Before 
 they began it the Emperor fent Tchao lao yé to ask 
 what was the Subftance of this Letter, of which the 
 Fathers immediately gave him an account in the pre- 
 fence of Colao who was there. 
 
 The 24 th the Emperor fent Orders to the Tribunal 
 of the Mathematicks, according to Cuûom, to ap- 
 point a Day for the Envoy's Departure, defiring him 
 to choofe one of the Days from the 21ft to the 26th 
 of the fourth Moon, that is from the 8th of June to 
 the 13th : The Tribunal appointed the 13th oïjune 
 for the Day of Departure. 
 
 The fame Day in the Evening, the Fathers were 
 fent for to the Tribunal of the Colao to tranflate from 
 the Chinefe into Latin the Emperor's Minifter's An- 
 fwer to that of the Mofcovite Plenipotentiaries : The 
 Tartarian Colao made and wrote himfelf this Anfwer 
 in the Tartarian Language, in the prefence of the 
 Fathers, and the two Chiefs of the Ambafly of the 
 preceding Year ; and as there arofe a difficulty for 
 the Emperor to clear up before the Letter could be 
 tranflated, and as it was already very late, the Tranfla- 
 tion was put off till the next Day : So fan lao yc put 
 P. Pereira in mind not to forget Mathematical In- 
 ftruments proper, to obferve the Latitude, Longi- 
 tude, &c. 
 
 The 25th the Fathers returned to the Palace to 
 tranflate the Anfwer which was made to the Mofavitc 
 Plenipotentiaries Letter ; this Anfwer was in fub- 
 ftance that his Majefty had determined Nipcbou, which 
 
 lies 
 
China, Chines e-Tartarv, &c. 355 
 
 lies North- weft of Tac/a, for the Place of holding 
 Conferences, and that the Deputies mould fet out the 
 13th of June, and make all poffible fpeed ; and that 
 as they fet out with an Intention to make a firm and 
 lafting Peace, they fhould have no greater a Train to 
 attend on them than was neceffary For the fafety of 
 their Perfons. 
 
 The 5th the Mofcovits MeiTcnger came to our Houfe 
 to make us a Vifit, with part of his Train ; after he 
 had obtained the Emperor's Permiffion, he was con- 
 dueled by an inferior Mandarin of the Tribunal of 
 Lympha . yuen, who attended on him in all Places : 
 This Envoy was a well-made Perfon, and during the 
 fhort time of his ftay at this Court he gained the 
 Reputation of a Man of Senfe : He was very plainly 
 dreffed, as well as his Attendants ; we went to re- 
 ceive him at the Gate, and conducted him to the 
 Church, where he proftrated himfelf feveral times, 
 after the Mofcovite manner, with a great deal of Mo- 
 deity and Reverence to do honour to the Images 
 which were upon our Altars -, afterwards we con- 
 ducted him into our Houfe, where we fhewed him 
 every thing that was curious ; we then made him a 
 Collation, and he behaved very genteelly in all refpects, 
 and his Anfvvers to all our Queftions were made with 
 a great deal of Spirit and Judgment. 
 
 He alTured us that the Emperor had retaken all 
 Hungary from the Turk's ; that the King of Poland 
 had made himfelf Matter of Caminiek ; that the Great 
 Dukes of Mofcovy had likewifè taken four Places, and 
 that Moldavia and TValachia had thrown off the Otto- 
 man-Yoke : We judged that this MeiTenger was either 
 an Englijh or a Dutchman, for he had nothing of the 
 Mofcovite Pronunciation, and underftood European 
 Characters, at leaft I faw him read French Words 
 with eafe : The greateft part of his Attendants under- 
 ftood the Mongol Language -, one of his Servants efpe- 
 cially fpoke it very well, and underftood a few Latin 
 
 A a 2 Words s 
 
356 The General History of 
 
 Words : When we conducted him to the Door he 
 would willingly have made our Church a Prefent of 
 two or three Sables, and about twenty-five or thirty 
 Crowns, but we cxcufed ourfelves from accepting this 
 Prefent. 
 
 P. Perdra went afterwards to Court, according to 
 Order, to give an account of what paffed in this In- 
 terview with the Mofcovites -, the Emperor feemed well 
 ilitisfied with our manner of treating him, and per- 
 mitted P. P. Suarez and Bouvet to repay the Vifit 
 he had made us, if thefe Fathers were willing -, but 
 his Majeily faid pofitively that neither P. Pereira nor 
 my feli mould be allowed to go. 
 
 The fame Day in the Afternoon, the Emperor 
 fent Tcbao lao yê to talk with us, who asked a great 
 many different Queftions concerning feveral European 
 Affairs, and particularly concerning the Dutch ; he 
 afterwards enquired what Opinion the Europeans in 
 general had of the Chine fe ; we replied that they were 
 thought in Europe to have a good Capacity, but at 
 the fame time were efteemed luxurious, and given to 
 Over-reaching in Trade -, then he enquired what they 
 thought of the Mantchcoux -, from whence I took oc- 
 cafion to mention the Efteem they had at the Court of 
 France for the great Qualities of the Emperor, and 
 the Wifdom wherewith he governed his Empire, and 
 efpecially the Care that he took to inure his Subjects 
 to Hardfhips, of which he himfelf was an Example. 
 jTchao lao yê feemed to be greatly pleafed with this Dif- 
 courfe, and received very willingly fome fmall Pictures 
 made upon Talk, which P. Bouvet prefented him with. 
 
 The fame Day in the Evening P. P. Suarez and 
 Bouvet went in our Name to pay the MefTenger a Vi- 
 fit, who received them in a very handfbme manner : 
 When the Fathers returned they fent him a Prefent of 
 fome Pieces of Silk, Wine and Grapes, but he refufed the 
 Silk, and was very backward to accept of the Wine, 
 however he made a Prefent to the two Servants, who 
 carried them, of a Sable's Skin. The 
 
China, Chinese-Tart a r y, &c. 357 
 
 The 8th the Fathers Pereira and Thomas were lent 
 for to the Colao's Tribunal to tranflate a Letter, 
 which the two Chiefs of the Ambaffy appointed to 
 negotiate a Peace were ordered to write to the Mofco- 
 vite Plenipotentiaries, becaufe the MefTenger whom 
 they had lent had declared that he could not return 
 without bringing a Letter from Peking for his Mailers; 
 this Letter, which the Fathers translated, only con- 
 tained in fubftance, that his MajefLy had appointed 
 Nipt chou for the Place of the Treaty of Peace, and 
 that they mould fet out the 13th of this Month, and 
 fhould make all pomble fpeed, as his Majefty had al- 
 ready given them Advice by the Letter which his 
 Minifters had wrote. 
 
 The 10th the Fathers Perdra, Thomas, Bouvet and 
 myfelf went to Court, where we were admitted to an 
 Audience of the Emperor in his inward Apartment 1 
 his Majefty ordering us to draw near his Perfon, and 
 talking very gracioufly to us, after which he made 
 us dine in a Hall near his Room, and while we were 
 at the Table fent to ask us lèverai Queftions, particu- 
 larly concerning the great Drought this Year. 
 
 The 1 ith the Emperor fent Father Pereira and my- 
 felf each of us a Saddle, on which were embroidered 
 the Dragons of the Empire ; after Dinner we went to 
 return his Majefty Thanks for the Favour, and we 
 explained the Caufes of Rain and Drought, according 
 to our Orders the Day before, occafioned by the 
 want of Rain in the Province of Peking and feveral 
 others this Year. 
 
 The 1 2th we tool: leave of his Majefty, and re- 
 ceived his laft Orders j he told us that as he had per- 
 fect Knowledge of us he had nothing to recommend 
 to us, and he did not doubt but we had fufficient 
 Capacity and Affection to do him fervice in afiifiing 
 the Ambaffadors to put an end to the important Affair 
 they were employed about. 
 
 A a 3 Another 
 
358 The General History of 
 
 Another Journey of P. Gcrbillon into Tartary, 
 to which Country he attended on the Emperor 
 of China, in the Tear 1692. 
 
 THE 8th of September we fet out from Peking, 
 and after having travelled fixty Lys we arrived 
 at the Emperor's Baths. 
 
 The 9th we went feventy Lys, and lodged at 
 Hcchan. 
 
 The 10th we travelled ninety Lys. 
 
 The nth we went feventy Lys, as far as Kou pe 
 keou : The Emperor killed three Partridges and feve- 
 ral Quails ; the Garrifon of Kou pe keou were under 
 Arms at his Arrival ; the Emperor vifited the Sol- 
 diers Houfes, and that of the General or Ifong ping, 
 who ferved in a Collation : His Majefly diftributed 
 Fruit to the Grandees and Officers of the Court, and 
 alfo fent fome to me ; and the Emperor's eldefl Son 
 ihewed me a great deal of Favour. 
 
 The 1 2th we went feventy Lys, and encamped at 
 Ngan kia tun ; in the Evening theEmperor gave them 
 the Diverfion of a Wreftling Match. 
 
 The 13th we went eighty .Lys, and arrived at the 
 general Quarters near a Village called Humki ym : The 
 Emperor took the Diverfion of Fifhing, throwing 
 the Cafting-net himfelf with a great deal of Agility. 
 
 The 14th we travelled feventy Lys ; this Day we 
 made a Hunting-ring, and killed feven Stags, one of 
 which was fhot by the Emperor's fifth Son with a 
 Mufquet : The Emperor went a fifhing again near 
 $he Place where we were encamped, and <:aft a large 
 Net, but met only with very fmall Filh -, it was 
 plealant to fee the 'Mantcheottx throw themfelves into 
 the River, and walk without difficulty in order to 
 
 drag 
 
Chin a, Chinese-Tart ary, &*c. 359 
 
 drag the Net,, tho' the Water was very cold ; for they 
 took but little care of themfelves, notwithstanding the 
 Rigour of the Seafon. 
 
 The 15th we went feventy Lys, and when we were 
 about half way made a Ring, and inclofed a great 
 number of Stags and Roebucks : I law the Emperor 
 moot and mortally wound three great Stags and two 
 Hares ; he ihot one with fo great a Force that he 
 buried an Arrow in its Belly, the End of which was 
 nothing but Bone, and as blunt as the End of ones 
 Finger. 
 
 We encamped near a Village which was the lafl we 
 met with towards the North, for all the Land that is 
 beyond it lies fallow that the Game may not be drove 
 away, and there is a Prohibition neither to fow nor 
 hunt under very great Penalties : From this Village 
 towards the North, till we come beyond the Moun- 
 tains, all that vafl Space that lies Weflward and Eaft- 
 ward is referved for the Emperor's Diverfion, who 
 hunts here every Year. 
 
 From the Gate of the Great Wall thro' which we 
 paffed, tho' the Country is full of Mountains and Fo- 
 refts, yet there is a great number of Valleys and 
 Plains, the chief part of which are cultivated at pre- 
 fent, and the Soil of them is very fruitful ; the Grain 
 was very fine, efpecially the Millet : The Emperor, 
 who is greatly pleafed with the Happinefs of his Peo- 
 ple, was fo joyful to fee fuch plenty of Corn, that 
 he made choice of fome of it to fend a Sample of by 
 an Exprefs to the Emprefs Dowager and the Queens. 
 
 The 1 6th the Emperor fet out before Day to go a 
 Stag- hunting : We went twenty Lys before we reach- 
 ed the Place his Majeily intended to dine at, and we 
 fat down to eat as foon as we arrived ; after we had 
 travelled about ten Lys, they began to ufe the Stag- 
 call, and the Emperor, having advanced a little be- 
 fore into the Mountains, fhot one that weis-hed five 
 hundred Pounds - 3 he did not fall dead till he had re- 
 A a 4 ceived 
 
360 The General History of 
 
 ceived the fifth Musquet-fhot : His Majefty made a 
 Ring with his new Mantcheoux, to whom he had given 
 a fhort Veft of white Sattin to diftinguifh them from 
 the refc : He found nothing there but a few Roebucks 
 and fmall Stags. 
 
 From thence we entred into a pretty large Valley : 
 The Emperor ordering the Hunters to ftand in a Line 
 acrofs the Valley, went himfelf along it a Hawking, 
 and catched feveral Quails and Pheafants, of which 
 thefe Plains are full : About two his Majefty alighted 
 on the Bank of a fmall River which waters this Plain, 
 and ordered Supper to be got ready, it being the 
 Cuftom of the 'tartars to fup very early : He him- 
 felf cut and made ready the Stag's Liver which he 
 had killed : This is a part which is looked upon here 
 as the moft delicate, together with the Haunch : He was 
 accompany 'd with three of his Sons, whom he had 
 brought a hunting with him, and two of his Sons-in- 
 law, taking a pleafure in teaching them the manner of 
 cutting, preparing and roafting the Stag's Livers, ac- 
 cording to the Cuftom of the ancient Tartars, which 
 this politick Prince obferved as much as poftible to 
 keep his People in exercife. 
 
 After having cut and prepared the Pieces of Liver 
 to be roafted, he divided them among his Sons, Sons- 
 in-law, and fome of his higheft Officers ; he likewife 
 did me the honour to give me a Piece with his own 
 Hand, and every one applied himfelf to roaft his 
 Piece of Meat after the Emperor's Example : When 
 wc had fupped, we rode gently towards the Camp, 
 mooting at Pheafants and Quails, of which we took a 
 quantity, and killed feveral Roebucks which we met 
 with in the Valley : I law his Majefty kill one with a 
 fingle Arrow. 
 
 The 17th the Weather was rainy, which prevented 
 the Emperor from going a Stag-hunting -, he there- 
 fore contented himfelf with pafling thro' a Valley a- 
 fcout a League in length, full of Pheafants, Par- 
 tridges 
 
China, Chinese-Tartar y, &c. 361 
 
 tridges and Quails ; and ranging his Hunters in a 
 Line quite acrofs the Valley, their Bufinefs was to put 
 up all forts of Game : The Emperor went in the mid- 
 dle, fometimes letting his Faulcon fly at Quails, Par- 
 tridges and Pheafants, and fometimes mooting them 
 with Arrows ; fometimes he caufed thofe that were 
 near him to alight, and take the Pheafants and Par- 
 tridges which were tired with flying, and were only a- 
 ble to run along the Grafs. 
 
 At his Return he diflrituted, with his own Hand, 
 the greateft Part of the Game to the Mongcus and 
 Kalka Princes, who were come to make their Com- 
 pliments to the Grandees of the Court, and to the 
 principal Officers -, he likewife did me the honour to 
 give me fome in the fight of all the Company : The 
 bad Weather obliged his Majefty to return very foon, 
 and pafs the reft of the Day in his Camp. 
 
 In the Evening a Courier came from Peking, bring- 
 ing Letters written in the Tartarian Language from 
 the Mandarin who was fent to Cant en, the Subftance 
 of which was that Father Grimaldi would not return 
 this Year, becaufe not being able to come by Land he 
 was obliged to go back to Mofcovy in order to get a 
 PafTage by Sea : In the Evening the Emperor gave his 
 Court the Diverfion of W refiling, 
 
 The 1 8th the Weather was cloudy almoft all the 
 Day, and the Emperor did not hunt with a Stag-call, 
 but made feveral Rings, and by that means killed a 
 great number of Stags and Roebucks ; he likewife 
 went a mooting Pheafants, Partridges and Quails in 
 the Valleys: His Majefty dined, according to Cu- 
 ftom, in the open Field, cutting and roafting his 
 Meat himfelf; all the Hunters follow'dhis Example, 
 and he did me the honour to fend me fome from his 
 own Table, 
 
 The 19th the Emperor fet out at Day-break to go 
 a Stag-hunting, but before we came to the Place of 
 Rendezvous he perceived a Tiger running between 
 
 two 
 
362 "The General History of 
 
 two Mountains : His Majefty fent with all fpeed for 
 the Hunters, and caufed the Place to be furrounded 
 which he had feen the Tiger go into, but to no pur- 
 pofe, for he made his efcape without being feen by 
 the Centinels, and by his Flight hindred the Em- 
 peror from going a Stag-hunting with a Stag-call this 
 Day ; but he ordered three Rings to be made, in which 
 ' he killed thirty or forty Stags and Roebucks. 
 
 The Weather, which was ferene over Night, be- 
 came cloudy in the Morning, and it began to rain about 
 Noon, and lafted till the Evening ; however it did 
 not hinder his Majefty from dining in the open Field, 
 according to Cuftom, after hé had cut, dreffed, and 
 roafted his Meat as leifurely as if it had been the fineft 
 Weather in the World, whofe Prefencc and Example 
 obliged all the reft to do the fame thing : The Em- 
 peror was greatly pleafed to fee me, after the Exam- 
 ple of the whole Court, take a piece of Venifon and 
 roaft it myfelf without waiting for his Command ; 
 however he was fo gracious as to fend me part of the 
 Meat which he had cut, prepared, and roafted with 
 his own Hand : We returned afterwards to the Camp 
 throughly wet, and the Rain lafted till the beginning 
 of the Night, when a itrong North Wind arofe which 
 made the Air very cold. 
 
 The 20th at Day-break we fet out along with the 
 Emperor to hunt with a Stag- call ; his Majelty, as he 
 pafTed out of his Tent, was aware of me, and feeing 
 that I was not clothed in Fur, he asked me if I had 
 not brought fuch Garments along with mc ; I reply'd 
 that I had, but did not think it cold enough to make 
 ufe of them : Upon which he faid to his People that 
 our Europeans had a great deal of Courage, and that 
 we were made for Labour and Fatigue ; a few Days 
 afterwards he praifed me publickly in the prefence of 
 the Courtiers, becaufe I fpared no pains but followed 
 him every where, and was never found the hindmoft 
 of the Company : The kit Year, faid he to me ano- 
 ther 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &c. 363 
 
 ther time, I was under fome Fears about you, but 
 at prefent 1 look upon you as one of my own Peo- 
 ple, and wherever I go I am now no longer uneafy 
 about you. 
 
 The Stag did not anfwer to the Call, fo that we 
 were contented to make Rings as uiual ; we made 
 three, and killed a great number of Stags and Roe- 
 bucks, with five Wild-Boars -, three of the laft were 
 killed by the Emperor, who likewhe killed fix Stags: 
 After this Sport was over the Emperor dined in the 
 open Air as ufual ; he gave me Stags-Liver drelTed 
 with his own Hand, and fent me a Difh from his 
 own Table : A Mongous Regulo, to whom the 
 neighbouring Country called Onioth belonged, came 
 this Day to accompany the Emperor in Hunting -, 
 his Brother, with whom 1 had contracted an Ac- 
 quaintance the Year before, was arrived fome Days 
 before. 
 
 The 2 1 ft the Emperor fet out at Day-break to hunt 
 with a Stag-call, but he could entice none within 
 Mufquet-ihot ; they only anfwered the Call at a di- 
 stance and very weakly, infomuch that we were ob- 
 liged to make Rings : The Emperor fent for five hun- 
 dred Mongous from CortcHn^ which is at no great di- 
 flance from the Place where we were ; they had the 
 Reputation of excellent Hunters, and were very skil- 
 ful in making thefe fort of Rings : As thefe Mongous 
 hunted at thçir own Expence, and were mounted on 
 their own Horfes, the Emperor to fatigue them the 
 lefs divided them into two Companies, who were em- 
 ployed alternately. 
 
 This Day they made double Rings ; the firft and 
 • innermoft v/as compofed of thefe Mongou s-Hunttrs ; 
 the fécond confifted of the Emperor's Hunters, that 
 is the new Mantcheoux : Thefe latter marched fifty or 
 fixty Paces behind the others, and had Orders to 
 ihoot the Game which mould efcape the firff. Ring ; 
 on the infide of which there was another Company 
 
 of 
 
o 
 
 64. The General History of 
 
 of Pikemen, who with their long Pikes or Halberts 
 beated the thickelt Places of the Wood ; the Mon- 
 gols Hunters did not fhoot at all, their only care 
 being to hinder the Game from getting away, and to 
 make them run towards the Part where the Emperor 
 or his Sons were, who rode in different Places of the 
 Ring -, fome of the Officers of the Emperor's Train 
 followed his Majefty within the Ring, running here 
 and there to turn the Game towards the Emperor 
 and to kill them outright when they were wound- 
 ed by him ; for no one is allowed, but the Empe- 
 ror and his Sons, to fhoot within the Ring without 
 an exprefs Order from his Majefty, which he feldom 
 gives. 
 
 This Day they made two Rings, and there was 
 greater plenty of Game than I had yet feen : There 
 were killed eighty-two large Stags and Roebucks -, 
 there was fcarcely ever a more agreeable Hunting feen, 
 for the Place favour'd it very much ; the Ring was 
 made on the declivity of a Mountain quite covered 
 with Wood unlefs near the bottom, where there was 
 a great plain Field with nothing but Grafs and 
 Filbert-trees, which did not hinder die Horfes from 
 galloping : Beyond this Place there was a craggy 
 Mountain, fo that if any Stag happen'd to be hurt 
 when he came out of the Wood into the open Field, 
 which lies at the Foot of the Mountain, he was not 
 able to climb up, and was obliged to run along the 
 Valley between the two Mountains, and to endure the 
 Shot of the Emperor's Hunters who guarded the 
 Place, infomuch that there was fcarce any Stag or 
 Roebuck that was able to make his Efcape :' As fo 
 fuccefsful a Hunting was not expected, the Camels 
 and Horfes that were brought to carry off the Game 
 were not fufflcient, fothat they were obliged to fend 
 to the Camp for more : His Majefty dined in the 
 open Field, according to Cuftom, with the fame Ce- 
 remonies, and the fame Marks of his Favour as the 
 
 preceding 
 
China, Chinese-Tart ary, &c. 365 
 
 preceding Days ; he likewife diftributed fome of the 
 Game among the Mongous. 
 
 The 23d Rings were made in like manner, but the 
 Hunting was not fo fuccefsful, for there were but fifty- 
 Stags and Roebucks killed in all ; when they returned 
 to the Camp, and the Emperor hunted along a great 
 
 I Valley, as he was riding after a Roebuck his Horfe 
 met with a hole and fell down, and the Emperor with 
 
 1 him, but without receiving any hurt, for he only 
 changed his Horfe and continued to hunt as before. 
 
 The 24th we went a hunting as ufual, but it was 
 ftill lefs fuccefsful, being but little Game killed ; fo 
 that the Emperor returned early back to the Camp, 
 and in the Evening diverted himfelf with feeing fome 
 of his People wreftle before his Tent. 
 
 The 25th News was brought to the Emperor that 
 feveral Stags were heard the Evening before near a 
 Rock called Oidatai, a Place famous for hunting-, be- 
 caufe the Neighbouring Country is full of Hills, a- 
 mong which are Valleys and Plains interfperfed, with 
 Groves and Thickets very agreeable to the Eye, and 
 fo full of wild Beads, that for thefe twelve Years pall 
 which the Emperor has hunted here the Game does 
 not feem to be at all diminifhed : The Emperor fet 
 out an Hour before Day for this Place, and in the 
 Morning killed two large Stags which were decoyed 
 by the Stag-call, making afterwards two Rings in 
 which he killed a very great number -, the Emperor 
 killed nine Stags with his own Hand, after which he 
 dined in the open Fields, cutting and dreiïing the 
 Stag's Liver as ufual. 
 
 When Dinner was almoft ended there was News 
 brought that a Bear had been difcovered near the Camp, 
 and that the Grandees of the Court having notice of 
 it had caufed him to be furrounded in the Wood where 
 he was till his Majefty came himfelf to hunt him : 
 The Emperor immediately mounted his Horfe, and 
 fet out for the Place where the Bear was, attended 
 
 by 
 
366 *fhe General History of 
 
 by all his Hunters -, as he went along he ordered ' 
 the Fields to be beaten, and let his Faulcons fly at 
 Quails and Pheafants, of which the Country was 
 lull ; he likewife killed a Pheafant flying with one 
 Angle Shot : We arrived a little before Sun-fet where 
 the Bear lay, it was a fmall Grove of Trees growing 
 very thick where this Creature was concealed in a 
 kind of Fort : His Majefty at his Arrival ordered the 
 Horfemen to ftrike againft the Trees -, but they j 
 fhouted, beat the Trees, and cracked their Whips in 
 vain, for the Bear continued fafe in his Fort, and 
 could not be got out till they had pafled and repafTed fc- 
 veral times through the Wood -, and after he had roared 
 a long while, he at length run down the Mountain, 
 and croffed an open and unequal Country : His Ma- 
 jefty and the Hunters followed him on horfeback, 
 till he went into a Place where he might be eafily fhot : 
 The skilful Hunters placed themfelves on each fide the 
 Bear at the diftance of fifteen or twenty Paces, and 
 conducted him gently till they came to a narrow Paf- 
 fage between two Hills. 
 
 As this Animal is heavy, and cannot run fad any 
 long time, he ftopp'd on the declivity of one of the 
 Hills, and the Emperor ftanding on the fide of the 
 oppofite Hill fhot at him wich Pleafure, and with one 
 Angle Arrow pierced his Side, and gave him a deadly 
 Wound ; when the Creature found himfelf hurt he 
 gave a dreadful Roar, and turned his Head in a great 
 Fury towards the Arrow that ftuck in his Belly, and 
 endeavouring to pull it out, he broke it to pieces, and 
 running a lew Paces further he ftopp'd fhort ; then 
 the Emperor alighting from his Horfe took a Half- 
 pike which the Mardcheoux make ufe of againft the 
 Tigers, and taking four of the abldt Hunters, armed 
 in the fame manner, he approached the Bear, and 
 ftabbing him widihis Half-pike killed him outright: 
 At this caning was heard but Applaufes and Shouts 
 for Toy. 
 
 J ) Th: 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &cl 367 
 
 The Emperor fending for his Horfe I withdrew a 
 little out of the way to give him room to mount, and 
 after taking a little turn I approached the Bear to 
 view him a little nearer : As I was attentive in 
 examining his Head, which I held between my Hands 
 without confidering who was near me, the firft Eunuch 
 of the Bedchamber, who flood on my right Hand, 
 gave me a gentle ,Puih to inform me that the Empe- 
 ror was on my Left, and that I was almoft clofe to 
 him without knowing any thing of the matter : His 
 Majefty, who faw the Sign that the Eunuch made, 
 upon which I drew back thinking to go feme diilance, 
 ordered the Eunuch to let me look upon him at 
 leifure, and bid me not withdraw. 
 
 This Creature was very large, and five or fix Foot 
 }ong from the Head to the Root of the Tail ; his 
 Body was proportionably thick, the Hair being long, 
 black and mining like a Jackdaw ; his Ears and Eyes 
 were very fmall, and his Neck as thick as his Belly : 
 Thofe which I have feen in France were neither fo 
 large, nor had fuch fine Hair ; the Emperor owned 
 that he had never taken greater Pleafure in hunting 
 than now : We did not return to the Camp till Night 
 came on : As it was the fifteenth Day of the eighth 
 Chinefe Moon, which is a day of Rejoicing among 
 them, wherein Friends are wont to make Prefents of 
 Eatables, efpecially Cakes and Water-melons, the 
 Emperor caufed fuch things to be diftributed among 
 the Grandees of his Court and his principal Officers, 
 after which he gave Wine and Arrack to the Officers 
 of his Houfhold, both great and fmall, as likewife 
 to his Guards, Hunters, Eunuchs and Soldiers. 
 
 The 26th the Emperor went a hunting with a 
 Stag-call at Day-break ; half ' a League from the 
 Camp we perceived three large Stags going along a 
 fmall Plain wherein we were, at a fmall diflance from 
 them ; the Emperor alighted and ordered the Stag-call 
 to be made ufe of j the Male anfwered to it, but his 
 
 Majefty 
 
g68 'Tlot General History of 
 
 Majefty making a little Noife, having before him" 
 the Perfon who carried the Stags-head, the three Stags 
 were aware of the Snare, and ran away before they 
 came within reach of a Musquet-fhot : It was to no 
 purpofe that the Stags were called the remaining Part 
 of the Morning, for not one appeared, on which ac- 
 count they made two Rings as on the preceeding Days, 
 and killed above fifty Stags, and a few Roebucks, 
 with five wild Boars : A high Wind which arofe 
 obliged us to return early to the Camp. 
 
 The 27th we abode in the Camp, becaufe there 
 was a very ftrong and cold North- well Wind all this 
 Day : The Emperor,after Dinner, fent me fome Sirup 
 made on purpofe forme, and would have me drink 
 it out of his own Cup : In the Evening three of his 
 Sons who had been fent, during the heat of the Sum- 
 mer, into Tartary to recover their Health, arrived in 
 the Camp ; the four other Sons or the Emperor went 
 to meet them with all the Grandees of the Court, and 
 his Majefty went to receive them at the Gate of the 
 inmoft Inclofure made by the Tents : He was ex- 
 tremely joyful to find them in perfect health. 
 
 The 28th the Emperor went a hunting as foon as 
 day appeared ; it was fo very cold that we were al- 
 moft all clothed in double Fur as in the hardefl Win- 
 ter, and the Dew of our Breath that t'dl upon our 
 Beards froze in an inftant : The Emperor ftill conti- 
 nued his Chace, calling the Stags a long time, feveral 
 of which anfwered to the Call, but none came within 
 Mufquet-fhot : One of the Hunters, that accompa- 
 nied the Emperor, advancing foftly towards a btag 
 which he difcovered at a diftance, had fo good an Aim 
 that he killed him with his Bow and Arrows. 
 
 As the Wind ftill continued to blow the Hunters 
 were called back, and two Rings were made near each 
 other, where there was plenty of Game, and a great 
 number of Stags were killed : The Emperor killed 
 ten with his own Hand, and an Animal called Ghoulon, 
 
 23 
 
China, Chinese-Tart ary, &c. 369 
 
 as big as the largeft Wolf, the Skin of which is 
 greatly eiteemed for the Fur ; the Hair is long, foft 
 and ftrong : Thefe Skins are fold at Peking from 
 fifteen to twenty Crowns apiece : After thefe two 
 Rings were made, the Wind ftill continuing to blow, 
 we went early to the Camp : The Mofcovites call the 
 Animal 1 havejuft mentioned Liu, which 1 take tu be 
 a fort of a Lynx. 
 
 The 29th we continued in the Camp, but the Em- 
 peror fet out by Day-break to go to a Place in the 
 Mountains famous for the Plenty of large Stags which 
 are found there, and which is called Oulaftai ; the hunt- 
 ing began with the Stag-call, and the Emperor killed 
 very large Stags -, towards Noon the Ring was or- 
 dered to be made, in which above ninety were kill'd 
 with eight or ten Roebucks, infomuch that there were 
 brought to the Camp -a hundred and two of both forts ; 
 the Stags were generally very large ; the Emperor him- 
 felf killed thirty-fix, and that in a fhort time. 
 
 It was a Diverfion truly worthy of a Prince to be- 
 hold thefe Stags defcending on all fides from the 
 Mountains into a Place between two Hills very fteep, 
 and all covered with Trees, and as there is no Paf- 
 fage out fome endeavouring to climb back up the 
 Mountains, and others running againft the Hunters, 
 whom they fometimes threw from their Horfes ; how- 
 ever, as the Ring was double and very clofe, fcarce 
 one could make his Efcape : The Emperor had given 
 leave to his Officers and Hunters to fhoot all that 
 came near them. 
 
 One of the Pages of the Bedchamber was very near 
 the Emperor, and his Horfe prancing and throwing 
 him down at the very inftant he was fhooting a Stag, 
 he would have killed fome of his Companions if he 
 had not dextroufly turned his Bow, but unfortunately 
 the Arrow touched the Emperor's Ear ; the Horfe 
 ran away, and as he belonged to the Emperor's Sta- 
 bles the Page ran after him, and took this Opportu- 
 
 Vol. IV. B b nity 
 
370 7%e General History of 
 
 nity to abfcnt himfelf the reft of the Day -, he return- 
 ed at Night with his Horfe, and caufing his Hands 
 to be tied behind him, like a Criminal, he went and 
 kneeled down at the Door of the Emperor's Tent to 
 fubmit himfelf to his Majefty's Difcretion, and to 
 teftify by this Procedure that he thought himfelf cul- 
 pable and worthy of D^ath : The Emperor was con- 
 tented with fending him a Reprimand, and ordered 
 him to be told, thattho' he deferved to fufferhe would 
 grant him his Pardon, becaufe he looked upon this 
 Fault as the Blunder of a young Perfon, and yet upon 
 this condition that he mould be more careful for the 
 time to come, and more faithful in his Services. 
 
 The 30th we began to bend our Courfe towards 
 the South-weft, whereas hitherto we had itill gone 
 North- weft : Our Road hy chiefly Weft, and very 
 little to the South ; the Baggage was carried but thirty 
 Lys, but we went fixty with the Emperor, who be- 
 gan the Hunting as ufual with his Stag-call ; he killed 
 one and wounded another ; he afterwards made a Ring 
 much larger than ufual, and found ftill more Game: 
 They were feen to come out in great Companies from 
 among the Trees that were on the declivity of the 
 Mountain, and in this fmgle Ring were killed one 
 hundred and fifty-four Stags and eight Roebucks : The 
 Emperor killed twenty- two with his own Hand : He 
 afterwards took the Road to the Camp along a large 
 Valley which is watered with a Rivulet : This Valley 
 was full of Pheafants and Quails ; the Emperor fhot 
 feveral flying with Arrows : All the Valley was beaten 
 by a row of Hunters -, fometimes his Majefty let fly 
 his Faulcon upon Quails and Pheafants, fometimes 
 he fhot them with Arrows, fometimes they were taken 
 up by the Hunters when they were weary with Flying, 
 and endeavour'd to conceal themfelves in the Grafs : I 
 took one up my felf which ftopp'd fhort before my 
 Horfe, being neither able to fly nor run. 
 
 Soon 
 
China, Chinese-Tartar y, &c. 371 
 
 Soon after we arrived in the Camp the Grand 
 Lama of Kalka, with his Brother Tcuchetov.han, the 
 chief Prince of the Kalkas, came to falute the Empe- 
 ror in his Camp : His Majefty had difoatched, three 
 Days before, one of the principal Lords to invite 
 them hither : When they drew near the Camp the 
 Emperor fent feveral Lords to meet them, and when 
 they were entred his Majefty fent fix of his Sons to 
 receive them : I faw them all go forward on Foot out 
 of the Camp when they went to compliment the Lama 
 and his Brother. 
 
 Soon after thefe two Princes were admitted to an 
 Audience : They were both habited in their Robes 
 of State, which the Emperor had given them the 
 Year before, but their Caps were of their own Coun- 
 try-Fafhion ; as his Majefty had told me a little be- 
 fore that they came to have an Audience, and as I 
 was not prefent I am not able to relate the Ceremo- 
 nies ; all that I know is that the Emperor received 
 them into his Tent as into a Room, and made them 
 eat in his Prefence, but the principal Officers of their 
 Train were ferv'd without. 
 
 The 1 ft Day of OElober we continued in the Camp, 
 where the Emperor feafted the Lama, his Brother, 
 Sifter, and fome other of the Wives of the principal 
 Taikis Kalkas ; it was within the Inclofure of the 
 Tents that the Feaft was made : It confifted of Tables 
 leaded with large Pieces of roafted and boiled Meat, 
 but all cold : After the Repaft the Diverfion of Wreft- 
 ling was to have fucceeded, but it was prevented by 
 the Rain, and every one returned to his Quarters. 
 
 The 2d the Emperor fct out as ufual at Day- 
 break to hunt the Stag, and kill'd feveral in the 
 Ring which was made : At. his Return he fhot Phea» 
 fants and Quails flying ; at the entrance of the Camp 
 the third of the Kalka-Ynnczs came to falute his Ma- 
 jefty, accompanied with feveral confiderable Lamas, 
 and three or four of his principal Officers : This 
 B b 2 young 
 
ZJ2 Tie General History of 
 
 young Prince, who was not above twelve Years old, 
 was drove from his Country by the King of Ehttb, 
 who by the Affiftance of fome of his principal Sub- 
 jects took the Father Prifoner, and afterwards put 
 him to Death : The greateft Part of the Kalkas of 
 that Country were obliged to fubmit to the King of 
 • Eluth ; the reft died thro' the Hardfhips they under- 
 went, or were made Slaves, infomuch that this Prince 
 has but few Subjects left : As he had Recourfe to the 
 Emperor's Protection, and is become one of his Vaf- 
 fals, his Majefty made him quit the Title of Emperor, 
 and gave him that of Vang of the higheft Order, 
 which the Pcrtuguefe call Regulo ; he affigned him 
 Territories in the Neighbourhood of Konkou botun 9 
 gave him Mony, Cattle, Pieces of Silk, Cloth, &c. 
 When the Emperor perceived him he ftopp'd, and 
 asked him feveral Qucftions with a great fhew of 
 Kindn efs. 
 
 The 3d we fet cut early for Hunting, and the Em- 
 peror had fcarcely began to call the Stag, but he had 
 notice of a Bear being difcovered in a neighbouring 
 Mountain, upon which his Majefty repaired thither, 
 and having furrounded the Thicket where the Bear 
 was lodged, on the declivity of a very fteep Moun- 
 tain, they beat the Trees and the Bear came out ; and 
 while he was climbing up to the top of the Moun- 
 tain, where the Emperor waited for him, his Majefty 
 mot feveral Arrows which made him return back, but 
 he did not go far before he fell dead of the Wounds 
 on the declivity of the fame Mountain : He was very 
 near of the fame itrength and bignefs as that I have 
 fpoke of before: I only obferved that upon his Belly 
 there were two Stripes of a tawny Colour of about a 
 Finger's breadth ; thefe two Stripes made an Angle 
 between his four Legs, and reach'd as far as the mid- 
 dle of his Body. 
 
 This Hunting being' over the Emperor ordered the 
 Stags to be called, when feveral anfwered, but none 
 
 came 
 
China, Chine s e-Tart)ar y, ®V. 373 
 
 came within Mufquet-fhot, infomuch that they were 
 contented with making two fmall Rings in Places un- 
 fit for the purpofe, lb that they met with but few 
 Stags, however to make amends a large Tiger was at 
 length difcovered : The Emperor caufed him to be 
 hunted as ufual, forcing him out of his Den between 
 two Mountains, and driving him up and down feveral 
 times by the Dogs which they fet upon him, and 
 which barked at him inceftantly : His Majefty having 
 wounded him with two Arrows, he ordered the Pike- 
 men to advance with their Half-pikes ; the Tiger fell 
 fiercely upon one of their Companies, by whom he 
 was pierced through and through, and fell down 
 dead at the foot of the Mountain : It was the longed 
 that I had everfeen, and was very old, according to the 
 Opinion of the Connoiftèurs : The Emperor fatisfied 
 with the Sport, and efpecially with the new Mantcheoux 
 who had performed well, he distributed the Bear's Flefh 
 among them in the Evening, which was very fat and 
 delicate : His Majefty dined in the open Field, and 
 diflributed Venifon to all the Hunters : We did not 
 return to the Camp till an hour and a half after it was 
 Night. 
 
 The 4th the Hunting began as ufual ; the Emperor 
 killed three Stags by means of the Call,, and a few 
 others in the Rings which he had made. 
 
 The 5th the Emperor fet out at Day-break to call 
 the Stags ; wc marched among Mountains extremely 
 fteepand full of Trees, and doing nothing but afcen- 
 ding and defcending : His Majefty killed one Stag 
 with a Call, and made a Ring but found no Game j 
 we travelled at leaft nine or ten Leagues to the North - 
 weft, and the Baggage five, and we encamped beyond 
 thefe high Mountains in a more open Country, but 
 full of naked Hills. 
 
 The 6th we continued in the Camp where the Em- 
 peror made a Feaft for the Princes, the Jfo/zfo-Lamas, 
 and the whole Court, 
 
 B b 3 The 
 
374 e ^ je General History of 
 
 The 7th we began to travel towards Peking, but 
 very (lowly, and hunting as we went along: The 
 large Baggage returned the fame way it came, and 
 the Emperor with a fmall Train went towards the 
 Weft to continue hunting among the Mountains in 
 thofe Parts, where he killed two Stags by means of 
 the Stag-call, and in a Ring killed both fome Stags 
 and Roebucks. 
 
 In the Evening, as he returned to the Camp, the 
 Emperor's Ninth Son arrived, who ftaid behind at 
 Peking, being ill of an Impofthume behind his Ear : 
 The Emperor fent for him, after he knew he was 
 cured, to give him the Diverfion of Hunting. 
 
 The 8th the Emperor informed us that he took but 
 
 few alorg with him, and that when I was alone, for 
 
 two other Jcfuits were arrived with the young Prince, 
 
 lad always required me to attend him, but fince 
 
 we were more in number he would not feparate us. 
 
 According to his Orders we left his Majefty, and 
 followed the Track of the feven Princes : The Em- 
 peror eould decoy no Stags with a Call, but caught a 
 great number in a Ring : They met with fix Tigers 
 in a very thick Wood, but could not kill them with- 
 out danger to the Hunters, fo his Majefty chofe ra- 
 er to lofe the Sport than hazard their Lives. 
 
 From hence he went towards the Camp, and at his 
 Arrival there continued on horfeback till the Tents 
 were put i 1 order, and afterwards fhot at a Butt with 
 irksmen among his Train : The Emperor 
 >ons admired their Skill ; feveral Mongou 
 Princes diiTinguifhed themfelvcs likewife ; the Em- 
 peror dined this Day in the Camp, and after he had 
 jpatched*fome Affairs, and fent away feveral Cou- 
 riers, he afterwards appointed a Wreftling for the 
 Diverfion of the Court. 
 
 The 9th the Emperor went as ufual to hunt with a 
 
 II, and ordered cne to follow him, which I 
 
 did : He killed but one Stag, becaufe the Hunting 
 
 was 
 
China, C hines e-Tart ary, &c. 375 
 
 was interrupted by the Difcovery of a Tiger, which 
 he purfued a long while among very fleep Moun- 
 tains : At laft the Tiger getting into his Den the 
 Emperor fent one of his Pages, with his own Gun, to 
 endeavour to moot him where he lay, or at lead to drive 
 him out : The Page executed his Commiflion fo well, 
 that making a Random-fhot where he judged he lay 
 hid he forced him out, and then mooting again killed 
 him at once : The lame Inftant he returned the Em- 
 peror Thanks, for the Honour he had done him, by 
 nine Proftrations. 
 
 They then made a Ring and killed feveral Stags, 
 after which the Emperor returned to the Camp without 
 eating in the Field as ufual, for fear left the great Fires 
 mould run along the dry Grafs, and fo lay hold of 
 the Trees. 
 
 The 10th the Emperor went as ufual to hunt with 
 a Stag- call, and we followed foon after with the 
 Princes, and a great Company of Hunters : His Ma- 
 jefty having fpent all the Morning without Succels, 
 made a large Ring wherein were killed a great num- 
 ber of Stags, and feveral Antelopes ; after which he 
 dined in the open Field. 
 
 The nth the Emperor hunted on one fide with 
 the 'Tartarian Hunters, and his Sons with the Mon-* 
 gous on the other : The Princes killed eighteen Stags 
 and a few Antelopes in two Rings, which, with what 
 the reft had killed, amounted to forty. 
 
 The 1 2th we continued our Hunting, and the Em- 
 peror killed two Stags in the Morning by means, of 
 the Stag-call ; the Princes followed foon after, and 
 made a Ring, in which they found a large Bear who 
 had made his Den among thick Bufhes, and notwith- 
 itanding all they could do they could not get him 
 out : They fet feveral Dogs upon him, one of which 
 going too near was torn in pieces -, they beat the 
 £ju(hes in vain, for he only went from one Thicket tq 
 
 B b 4 in<x% 
 
2j6 TJie General History of 
 
 another, always flopping in the thickcft Places: At 
 lalt he was fhot by the Emperor's ninth Son, and fell 
 down dead with the fécond Wound given him by an 
 Arrow : They continued Stag-hunting till they had 
 killed forty-nine, after which the Emperor dined in 
 the open Fields, and returned late to the Camp. 
 
 The 13th the Emperor called the Stags all the 
 Morning to no purpofe, upon which he made a Ring 
 in a Place famous for plenty of Stags, and killed 
 eighteen, and afterwards we encamped in a Valley near 
 fome hot Baths: His Majefty dined in this Place, 
 and bathed in th^ Evening -, he asked us feveral 
 Quefiions concerning the Baths, and told us he had 
 feen above thirty in different Parts of his Dominions; 
 and among others one about twenty Leagues weft- 
 ward of thefe, which fprings out of twenty diffé- 
 rent Places, but the Water has not all the fame 
 Tafte. 
 
 The 14th the Hunting began as ufual, and the 
 Emperor difcovered two large Tigers feemingly a- 
 fleep, and (landing on the Top of an adjacent Rock ; 
 he lliot twice at them with an Harquebufs, and 
 wounded the Paw of one with the fécond Shot, at 
 which they fled different ways ; they were immedi- 
 ately purfued, and killed by the Emperor's Sons ; 
 the Dogs were let loofe upon one before he was quite 
 dead, and the Tiger rofe up full of Fury feeking to 
 devour thofe about him : The Emperor order'd him 
 to be killed inflantly by the Pikemen, who gave him 
 three Stabs with their Pikes : This Creature made 
 aftonifhing Efforts till he was quite dead. 
 
 Afterwards the Emperor went in purfuit of ano- 
 ther Tiger which lay on the fide of a Hill in the 
 midir. of a Thicket : Elis Majefty flood upon an op- 
 pofite Eminence within Gun-fhot, and fhot three 
 tim< .- two firft Shoots difturbed the Tiger, and 
 third, lodging a Ball in his Body above his left 
 
 Shoulder, 
 
China, Chinese-Tart a ry, &*c. 377 
 
 Shoulder, made him get up and fly -, he had hardly- 
 gone twenty or thirty Paces on- the declivity of the 
 Mountain but he fell down dead : After this Hunt- 
 ing was over the Emperor dined in the open Fields, 
 and diftributed the Venifon to his Officers and Hun- 
 ters, which they had killed as they went along the 
 Road. 
 
 We returned to the Camp at the Edge of Night, 
 and after our Arrival the Emperor went out to fhew 
 the Grandees of the Court the Tigers he had killed : 
 They were both Males, and the larger! that ever were 
 Jeen -, and when they were examined more nearly in 
 was found that they were wounded in feveral Places, 
 not only with Shot, but with the Teeth and Claws of 
 other Tigers. 
 
 The Emperor ordered them to be flea'd, and gave 
 the Claws to the Surgeon of Macao who defired tbem, 
 becaufe they were good, as he laid, to difcover when 
 Children were troubled with the Wind, which is a 
 dangerous Diibrder. 
 
 He laid when the Children cry, and refufe the 
 Breaft, they lay a Tiger's Claw on their Belly, and 
 if the Diftemper is the Wind there arifes a fort of a 
 Bark upon the Claw : He likewife pretended that- 
 Tigers Claws were proper to make an Ointment of 
 for the King's-Evil, which I will not warrant to be 
 true. 
 
 The fame Day the five hundred Mongcus Hunters, 
 fubject to the Regulo of Cortchin^ were fcnt back to 
 their own Country ; the Emperor ordered a hand- 
 fom Repart for them before they departed, and diftri- 
 buted among them Mony, Cloth, and Tea ; and 
 Clothes and Pieces of Silk to their Officers and 
 Taikis. 
 
 The 14th we travelled thro' a large Valley full of 
 Pheafantsand Partridges, above two hundred of which 
 the Emperor killed and wounded : After we were en- 
 camped 
 
3 7 8 7#£ General History of 
 
 camped the Emperor went a Stag-hunting with the 
 Call, but without Succefs ; afterwards we had the Di- 
 verfion of Wreftling, and thofe who fignaliz'd them- 
 felves were rewarded with Mony. 
 
 The 1 6th we flill went thro' a large Valley culti- 
 vated in feveral Places : The Emperor, as he went a- 
 Jong, diverted himfelf with mooting at Hares and 
 Pheafants, feveral of which he kill'd. 
 
 The 17th before we fet out the Emperor fent the 
 two Fathers, and the Surgeon who came with his 
 ninth Son, to vifit one of his Brothers-in-law who lay 
 fick in a Village a hundred Lys beyond the Place 
 where we were encamp'd this Day : The Chinefe Phy- 
 ficians had given him over, for which reafon his Fa- 
 ther defired the Emperor to fend a European Doctor : 
 The Emperor, who greatly lov'd this Family, fent 
 immediately all the European Remedies he had, that 
 thofe might be chofen which were proper for his Di- 
 itemper, which was a malignant Fever. 
 
 This Day we travelled fixty Lys, flill in Valleys 
 watered with the fame River as the precedent, and the 
 Emperor diverted himfelf with killing Hares and Phea- 
 fants all the way. 
 
 When we were arriv'd at the Place defign'd for our 
 Encampment, while he waited for the Arrival of the 
 Baggage he went and took a little Repofe in the 
 Houfe of one of his Farmers, who cultivated the ad- 
 jacent Fields, and inform'd himfelf very minutely 
 from the Peafants concerning this Year's Crop, and 
 even defired to fee the different forts of Grain which 
 grew in this Country. 
 
 The iSth, as we were ready to fet out, an Exprefs 
 came to the Emperor with News that his Majefty's 
 Brother-in-law lay at the laft Extremity, and that 
 there was no farther Expectation from the ufual Re- 
 medies : Whereupon the Emperor fent the Poor's Me- 
 dicines which I had given him, but they came too 
 
China, Chinese-Tart ar y, &c. 379 
 
 iate, for he died foon after he had taken a Dofe of the 
 White Powder. 
 
 This Day the Emperor made two Rings in Moun- 
 tains very fteep and difficult to ftand upon, and kil- 
 led four Stags with his own Hand -, the Hunters like- 
 wife killed a few more, after which we encamp'd at 
 Ngan kia tun. 
 
 The 19th we encamp'd at K&u pe keou ; a little be- 
 fore our Arrival the Emperor learnt the News of his 
 Brother-in-law's Death, at which he lèem'd greatly 
 concern'd, and immediately lent the two Officers, who 
 brought the News, Poll to his Uncle with Compli- 
 ments of Condolence -, and at the fame time fent ano- 
 ther of his Brothers-in-law, v/ho is a Grandee of the 
 Court, to conduct the Corps to Peking : The Empe- 
 ror found all the Militia, who guard this Gate of 
 the Great Wall, ranged along the Plain, but with 
 no other Arms than a Sword -, they all kneeled down 
 as his Majefty pals'd by. This Morning the Empe- 
 ror lent me three Diihes of Meat from his own Ta- 
 ble, and I underftood he had fpoken of me over Night 
 before his Domefticks in a very obliging manner, 
 praifing more efpecially my Affection for his Service, 
 and Attachment to his Perfon. 
 
 The 2cth we went fifty Lys, and encamp'd in a 
 Village called Nan ichin tcboang: The Emperor went 
 almoft all the way by Water in a fmall Bark, and the 
 Hunters and Officers of his Train march'd on each 
 fide the River, beating the Fields to Itart Hares, and 
 driving them towards the River-Banks for his Ma- 
 jefty to fhoot them : He mot fome while he was in 
 the Bark, and others after he was landed ; he like- 
 wife fhot fome Ducks : This Day one of the prin- 
 cipal Reguloes of Peking came to meet the Em- 
 peror. 
 
 The 2 1 11 we went twenty Lys, and encamp'd in a 
 Town called Chili yn bien : The Emperor travelled 
 
 the 
 
g8o The General History, &c. 
 
 the firft forty and the laft twenty Lys on horfe- 
 back, and the other forty by Water, fhooting at 
 Hares as on the Day before, feveral of which he kil- 
 led, and took not a few Partridges and Pheafants 
 by means of his Faulcons : A great Part of the fupe- 
 rior Mandarins in Peking came to falute the Emperor 
 either in the Road or in the Camp. 
 
 The 2 2d the Emperor fet out two Hours before 
 Day that he might arrive in good time at Peking, 
 which is but fixty Lys from Cbui yn kien : After he 
 had traveli'd twenty Lys he was. met by his Son and 
 Heir, who fet out from Peking at midnight to meet 
 his Father ; they continued together the Remainder 
 of the Journey, and took a Repaft in a Village thir- 
 ty Lys from Peking ; the Emperor did me the Ho- 
 nour again to fend me Dimes of Meat from his Ta- 
 ble, as he had very often done during this Journey, 
 particularly for {even or eight Days part he never 
 fail'd Morning and Evening. We arrived at Peking 
 before Noon. 
 
 dftâfttfe 
 
 Geo- 
 

 Geographical Observations 
 
 ON THE 
 
 KINGDOM of COREA. 
 
 ■) Tartars their Neighbours, Solbof -, the 
 
 Taken from the Memoirs ç/'Pere Regis. 
 
 ^fP^M H E Kingdom of Core a is called by the 
 ~0i^ Chinefe, Kao Kn% and by the Mantcheoux 
 
 WLlW 
 
 ^jgv^v^ Name alfo of TchaoJJien is to be met with 
 EildS^lP j n t k e Chinefe Writings, either becaufe it 
 was then the Name the moil known in the Weftern 
 Part, or becaufe it was then the Name of the Capi- 
 tal City : I don't think it neceffary to give an Ac- 
 count of the other Names by which this Kingdom 
 hath been called for a little time ; it is fufficient to 
 know that for a great many Ages paft it hath com- 
 monly been called Kao li, and that no other Name is 
 to be met with in the Kiilory of the Imperial Family 
 Titen of the twelfth Century. This Kingdom is 
 bounded on the North by the ancient Country of the 
 Eaftern Tartars, very well known by the Name of 
 Mantcheoux^ fince they made themfelves Mailers of 
 
 * They fay Kao li kcu ; Koué fignifies Kingdom. 
 
 -J- The Tartars fay, Solho Kouron ; Kouron fgftifes Kingdom. 
 
 Vol. IV. 
 
 China ï 
 
The General History of 
 
 China : It borders on the Weft upon the Chinefe Pro- 
 vince called in Writings fometimes Leao tong, and at 
 other times Quang tong, which is feparated from Eaft 
 Tartary by a wooden Palifado, which the Chinefe cull 
 The Wooden-Wall ', Mou teou tching. The Sea, where- 
 in there are fome I (lands, bounds it on the Eaft and 
 on the South : The Breadth of Corea from North to 
 South is almoft nine Degrees, beginning about the 
 thirty-fourth, and ending at the forty-third Degree of 
 Latitude : Its Length from Eaft to Weft is unequal, 
 and fomewhat lefs than its Breadth, being in its 
 greateft Extent not more than fix Degrees, i did not 
 go far enough into the Kingdom, as I faid before, to 
 be able to fpeak with any Certainty concerning the 
 Nature of its Soil.; but what I faw of it upon the 
 Frontiers is very well cultivated after the manner of 
 the Southern Chinefe: A 'Tar tar Lord, whom the 
 Emperor hath fent here, attended by one of the infe- 
 rior Mandarins of the Mathematick Tribunal, gave 
 us an Account that the Country is good, and pro- 
 duces in great plenty whatever is neceffary for Life, 
 as Rice, Corn, Millet and other Grain : The fame 
 Lord hath brought along with him a Map of it, ex- 
 actly like that in the Royal Palace ; as he did not go 
 farther than the Court he only gave us the Length of 
 the Road which he took thither from the City of 
 Fong hoang tching, having had it meafur'd by a Line. 
 Fong hoang tching is at the Eaft end of the Palifado 
 of Quang tong : We were there, and it is from 
 this very Spot that we began to take its Dimenfions. 
 We found by immediate Obfervations its Latitude to 
 be ten Degrees, thirty Minutes, and twenty Seconds ; 
 and its Longitude appear'd to be feven Degrees and 
 forty two Minutes ; to the Eaft of this City is the 
 Weftern Boundary of Corea under the now reigning 
 Family -, for after the Wars of the Coreans with 
 the Mantcheoux, who fubdued them before they at- 
 tacked China, it was at laft agreed upon between them 
 
 that 
 
China, Chinese-Tart ar y, &c. 38 
 
 that there mould be left a certain Space uninhabited 
 between the Palifado and the Boundaries of Corea ; 
 Thofe Boundaries are marked upon the Map by 
 prick'd Lines : As I have not myfelf taken a View 
 of the inward Parts of the Kingdom, nor the Sea- 
 coaft, I am far from offering this Map as a finifh'd 
 Work, but only as the befl which has been publifh'd, 
 none having either Ability or Means to take a parti- 
 cular and exact Account of the Situation of the Cities, 
 and of the Courfe of the Rivers : The Bounds of the 
 whole North Part, and as far as I have furvey'd to 
 the Weft, having been meafur'd geometrically, and 
 fix'd by the Elevations of the Pole, we may hence- 
 forward make ufe of them for the bringing the other 
 Parts to their proper Longitude, for it's certain that 
 there is its greater!: Breadth. The Road likewife made 
 by the Tartar Lord, and meafured by the Line from 
 Fong hoang tching, has enabled us to judge of the Pro- 
 portion of the other Meafures of that Kingdom mark'd 
 upon the Royal Map : By comparing alio the Eleva- 
 tion of the Court of Corea, which the Chinefe Ma- 
 thematicians have found to be thirty-feven Degrees, 
 thirty-eight Minutes, and twenty Seconds, with our 
 own North Elevations, we are certain of its Extent 
 frcm North to South, at leaft for five Degrees and 
 an half : There mould be fome further Obfervations 
 upon the South and Eaft Sides, which would corn- 
 pleat the Account of Corea with refpect to the General 
 Geography of Afia. 
 
 The moft confiderable Rivers, which are its De- 
 fence as well as its Riches, are Ta lou and Toumen, 
 which are called upon the Map in the Mantcheoux, 
 Linguong, Talon oula, and Tonmen oula -, the Word 
 Onla in the Mantcheoux Language hath the fame Sig- 
 nification as the Word Kiang in the Chinefe, which 
 fignifies a River -, for which reafon the Chinefe call 
 thofe two Rivers Ta lou kiang, and Toutnen kiang : 
 They both rife out of the fame Mountain, one of the 
 
 higheft 
 
384 ^<? General History of 
 
 higheft in the World. The Chinefe call it Tchang pe- 
 chang, and the Mantcheoux, Chanalin ; that is the 
 ever- white Mountain : One of thefe Rivers takes its 
 Courfe eaft ward, and the other weftward ; they are 
 both pretty deep, and moderately rapid, and the 
 Water of them very good : The Courfe of the other 
 Rivers, which I have not feen, are marked upon the 
 Map according to the Corean Meafures. 
 
 The Houfes of the Coreans have only one Story, 
 and are ill built, as the Tartars informed me ; for I 
 was no further than four Leagues from the firfl Town 
 of Corea : The Houfes in the Country are made of 
 Earth, and thofe in the Towns generally of Bricks : The 
 Walls of the Towns are built after the Chinefe man- 
 ner, with fquare Towers, Battlements, and arch'd 
 Doors -, but the Great Wall, which the Coreans had 
 raifed to defend themfelves from the Tartars, and 
 which I have view'd in coafting along the Eaft Shore of 
 Toumen Quia, cannot be compar'd with the Eaft part 
 of the Great Chinefe Wall, not being terrafs'd, nor fo 
 thick : It has for about ninety Years pall lain almoft 
 entirely in Ruins ; for Corea was the firll which felt 
 the victorious Arms of the Mantcheoux their Neigh- 
 bours : The Capital is called upon the Map King ki 
 îao, and 'tis thus that the Coreans call it, but the Chi- 
 nefe call it Kong ki tao ; the rcafon is that it is not al- 
 lowed in the Imperial Palace, in fpeaking of the other 
 Courts, to make ufe of the Chinefe Word King ; that 
 Word, fiy the Chinefe, fignify only the Court of their 
 Emperors ; they pretend likewife that the Word 
 Sientfe van fold, and others of the fame fort, which 
 they give to their Emperors, are fo appropriated to 
 him that it is not allow'd to ufe them even in a 
 Tranflation to exprefs the Heads of other Kingdoms : 
 Neverthelefs I cannot iky, as one of our own Authors 
 does, in fpeaking of the Letters fent to S * Louis by the 
 firft Emperors of the Tuen y that thofe Words were 
 ///// of Pride, as ridiculous as impious -, becat. 
 
China, Chinese-Tar tar y, &c. 385 
 
 effecT: it is certain that altho' they may figaify accord- 
 ing to their import, the Son of Heaven, and t he Im- 
 mortal^ yet they are by long ufage brought to fignify 
 no more than the Emperor of China -, there being no 
 Chinefe who knows not that his Matter is a Man, and 
 the Son of a Man. 
 
 •The fame Remark holds good as to the Name that 
 is given to their Kingdom, and efpecially as to that 
 of Tien bia, ' by which the Chinefe mean their own 
 Empire alone 5 for they know very well that they are 
 not Matters of all the World, nor of the whole Earth, 
 altho' they think themfelves by much fuperior to all 
 the People of other Kingdoms : So the difficulty 
 which they make of giving the Name of King to 
 other Courts has the fame Foundation, and can never 
 be got over by any Ambaffador, whofe Prince would 
 treat with the Emperor upon an equal foot ; as to 
 what regards the AmbafTadors of Corea, as they re- 
 prefent a feuditary and tributary King, they are treat- 
 ed with no great diftinction ; they have not Prece- 
 dence of the Grandees, nor even of the Mandarins of 
 the fécond Rank -, they are as it were fhut up in the 
 Houfe where they are lodged, at leaft till after the 
 firft Audience ; afterwards, when they have the li- 
 berty of going abroad, they have an appointed num- 
 ber of Attendants, not fo much to fhew them refpecl 
 as to be Spies upon their Conducl : The Tartar Lord, 
 who went as Envoy to the Court of the King of 
 Corea, told us that he had like wife been kept under 
 great reftraint ; that there were Perfons in his Houfe 
 who conttantly watch ? d him, and that every thing 
 he faid was carried to the Palace by young Perfons 
 placed at convenient diftances along the Street. 
 
 The Coreans drefs after the Chinefe manner, which 
 was in ufe in the time of the laft Family of the 
 Emperors called Tai ming : They wear a Robe with 
 long and large Sleeves, a high Cap of a fquarifh Fi- 
 gure, a round Girdle, and Leather, Linen, or Sattin 
 Vol. IV. Çç Boots % 
 
86 The General History of 
 
 Boots : Their Language is different both from the 
 Chinefe and 'Tartarian -, and therefore when any one 
 goes into China he takes an Interpreter along with 
 him j the Emperor has alfo fome of them at his own 
 Expence both at Peking and at Fong hoang tching, 
 through which Places every one mud pafs who goes 
 into China -, the Chinefe Letters neverthelefs are in ufe 
 throughout the whole Kingdom : The laft Envoy, who 
 came to pay us a Vifit a few Years ago, made ufe of 
 a Pencil to make us underftand what he would fay 
 to us : He told us that the Doctrine of Confucius was 
 in great efteem amongft them, and that they kept the 
 Bonzes very low, who were not allowed to build 
 Pagods within any Towns : The Chriflian Religion 
 hath not as yet been preached in Corea, though fome 
 Coreans may have been baptized at different times at 
 Peking : To make a Settlement of it there muft be a 
 Permiffion had from the Emperor of China, a thing 
 more difficult than ever to be obtain'd, fince that Mif- 
 fion is almofl entirely deftroy'd by the Prohibition 
 which the Lipou * made in the Year 1724: But it is 
 certain that if, by a Miracle of the Divine Mercy up- 
 on that Nation, China mould become Chriflian, the 
 Converfion of Corea and Tartar y would be an Affair 
 but of a few Years : Such is the dépendance which 
 thofe Countries have upon China, fuch the regard 
 which the neighbouring Nations pay to the Chinefe. 
 
 The Form of Government of Corea is very like to 
 that of China ; the Kingdom is divided into eight Pro- 
 vinces, and each Province into different Jurisdictions, 
 which have the fame Rights and Prerogatives as the 
 Towns, that are called Fou in China, have over 
 thofe which are called Hien. 
 
 When a Criminal is to be punifh'd they don't put 
 a Gag in his Mouth, as is practis'd in China when 
 there is fome particular reafon for it ; but a Sack is 
 
 * Tribunal of Ceic monies. 
 
 ' own 
 
China, Chines e-Ta rtary, Sff . 387 
 
 thrown over his Head which comes down to his Feet, 
 partly out of defign to conceal his Shame, partly with 
 intent to have him in their Power. 
 
 That which is moll precious in Corsa is the Plarveit 
 of the famous Plant Gin feng, and the hunting of 
 Sables ; they carry on alfo a great Trade with Cotton- 
 Paper, which is ftrong and lading ; it is ufed even in 
 the Imperial Palace as Blinds for Windows, and for. 
 other like Ufes ; altho* there comes a great quantity 
 of it every Year, yet it continues to be fold dearer 
 than any other Paper in China. 
 
 Corea is a very an tient Kingdom, as may eafily be 
 fhewn by the Annals and the Books of greater! Anti- 
 quity in China : Vou vang, Founder of the Imperial 
 Family Tcheou, after he had defeated the laft Em- 
 peror of the Family Tng * made Prince Kitfé^ Uncle 
 to that unfortunate Emperor, King of Corea, even 
 without exacting from him either Tribute or Homage : 
 This mull have been about the Year 1120 before the 
 Chriftian i*Era, fince that Defeat according to Hiftory, 
 confirm'd by the Calculation of the Eclipies which it 
 gives account of, cannot be placed lower than that Period 
 of time : This Prince was in fo great repute for Wif- 
 dom that Vou vang would have made him Prime Mi- 
 nuter, and received from him the Inft.ruct.ions which 
 are collected in the fixth Chapter of the fourth Book 
 of Chu hug, a Book of the greateft Authority a- 
 mongft the Chinefe : The Prince did not care to take 
 upon him the Management of an Empire, that had 
 been taken away from his Nephew on account of his 
 Tyranny : The Emperor approv'd his Reafons, and 
 gave him all that Country which makes up the 
 Kingdom of Corea -, he furnifhed him alfo with the 
 means to make himfelf Matter of it, and to introduce 
 among that People the polite Manners of the Chinefe: 
 It is evident that the Wifdom of that Prince eafijy 
 
 * Chang, or Yng, is the fécond Imperial Family of China. 
 
 C c 2 over- 
 
388 The General History of 
 
 overcame all Difficulties, fince, according to the Cbi- 
 nefe Hiflory, four Years after he had taken poffeilion 
 of his Kingdom he thought he might be ablent from 
 it, and pay a Vifit to Vou vang, who received him 
 with great Demonftrations of Friendfhip, and fent 
 him back with magnificent Prefents : The Family of 
 Prince Kiife reigned above feven hundred Years, but 
 the Imperial Houfe infenfibly degenerating from the 
 Virtue of its Anceftors, loft by little and little their 
 hereditary Dominion ; among the Grandees every one 
 fortify'd himfelf upon his own Eftate, and took the 
 Title of Prince : They who had received the Title of 
 Prince from the firft Emperors would be called Kings, 
 and exercis'd regal Authority : Nothing but War was 
 to be feen among fo many difFerent States, and their 
 mutual Invafions reduced the Empire into feven great 
 Kingdoms, which were called Tfin, Tfou, Ten, Tcbao, 
 Han, Ifi, Ouei : The Kingdom of Ten, which at that 
 time comprehended no more than the prefent Province 
 of Petche li, made itfelf very foon Mafter of the 
 Province of Leao tong, and by pufhing on its Con- 
 quells by degrees towards the Eaft, Corea was at Jaft 
 brought under the Authority and wife Government of 
 Tchen pen : This Kingdom for a long time withftood 
 the ambitious Attempts of the King of Tfin, called 
 Tfin vang, but at laft it fell under his Power as the 
 other fix had done : Hi vang, King of Ten and of 
 Corea, was defeated, taken and killed in the Year 
 259 before the Birth of Chrift, according to the 
 Chinefe Hiflory, and Tfin vang was acknowledged for 
 Emperor of all China by the Name of Tfin chi hoang ti. 
 When he faw himfelf in quiet PofTcflion of the whole 
 Empire he had a defign of contracting its Bounds be- 
 tween the Great Wall to the North and the Ocean 
 to the South -, he fixed the Bounds of the Eaft at the 
 wooden Palifade, which we have fpoken of, fo that 
 what was beyond fhould from that time not belong to 
 the Empire, and Corea was looked upon as a foreign 
 
 Kingdom j 
 
China, Chinese-Tartar y, &c. 389 
 
 Kingdom ; tho' that continued but a fliort time : The 
 Son of Chi hoang ti loft in three Years all that great 
 Monarchy, and China was divided into twenty King- 
 doms : Tfan tou was made King of Ten, and Tien tchi 
 King of Corea, under the Name of Kiao tong, fo that 
 he would have been reckon'd the Head of the fécond 
 Family of the Kings of Corea, if that Eftablifhment 
 had lafted -, but in a few Years afterwards all was 
 overturn'd by the victorious Arms of Lieou pang, 
 Founder of the Imperial Family Han : Tfan tou was 
 defeated as well as the other King, and all the Empire 
 was brought under one fingle Mafter : Lieou pang, 
 the quiet Poflefibr of China, and known by the Name 
 of Hao tfou, fix'd, as Chi hoang ti had done, the Boun- 
 daries on the North at the Great Wall, but he con- 
 tracted it fomewhat on the Eaft by making the River 
 Pechou its Boundary : From that time there was left, 
 as it were abandon'd, fome Extent of Country be- 
 tween the Limits of China and Corea : Some fhort time 
 after an Officer, called Ouei, who was defcended from 
 theantient Princes of Ten, gather'd together his Friends, 
 and the Soldiers whom the Emperor had disbanded ; 
 and with a Refolution to pufh his Fortune entred 
 into that Country, where he eftablifhed himfelf fo well 
 by force of Arms, that he enjoy'd it peaceably with 
 full Sovereignty : He afterwards parted into Corea, 
 which he entirely fubdu'd ; he took the Name of King, 
 and fixed his Court at Van hien : This Kingdom 
 defcended to his Pofterity down to King Tu kiou ; 
 he fuccefsfcilly oppos'd the Arms of the Emperor 
 Hiao cu hoang, but afterwards he was betray'd and 
 murder'd by Nihi tfan, Governor of one of the Towns 
 of Ccrea, whom the Generals had corrupted. 
 
 Corea was reduced into Provinces and divided into 
 different Governments y but that Divifion lafted but 
 a little while : As foon as the Imperial Family Han 
 began to be divided, and to be weaken'd by Civil 
 Wars, Corea, taking Advantages of this Declenfion 
 
 Cc 3 of 
 
90 I7je General History of 
 
 of Power, made itfelf a King; who to obtain Peace 
 with the Emperor of China, paid him Homage, and 
 prefented him, by way of Tribute, feveral things 
 which his Kingdom produced : This may be affirm'd 
 to be the confiant condition of Corea, for whatever 
 Interruptions there may have been in it in fo many 
 Ages, it hath always fooner or later return'd to it. 
 The Family Soity being come to the Empire, and 
 having a defign to reduce Corea into a Province, at- 
 tacked it with one of the molt numerous Armies which 
 was ever feen in China ; but the Succefs was unfor- 
 tunate, and there were only fome few thoufand Chi- 
 nefe who returned from that Expedition, all the reft 
 being loft in it : However the Coreans, unwilling to 
 try a fécond time the Fate of Arms, chofe to fend 
 Ambaffadors to the Emperor to tender him the ufual 
 Homage and Tribute, which was accepted : The fame 
 thing happened a little while after under the Founder 
 of the Family Tang ; he briskly attack'd the Coreans, 
 but without Succefs ; neverthelefs the Coreans ofFer'd 
 to pay Tribute to his Son, and he accepted their Of- 
 fers ; the fame Conditions were accepted by the Impe- 
 rial Family Song, the Chinefe and the Coreans living 
 jn a good Understanding, and lending their Troops 
 mutually to one another when they were at War with 
 any foreign Nation : This is what, in the time of the 
 Emperor Song, drew down upon the Coreans the Arms of 
 JLàft-Tartarjy which Hiftory at that time calls Niu 
 tche : The Princes of thofe Tartars enter'd into Corea, 
 plundered it, and at lad fubdued it, notwithstanding 
 the Chinefe Armies came to their afliitance, and 
 were defeated ; they afterwards penetrated into China, 
 and made themfelves Mafters of the North Provinces, 
 and from that time took the Titie of Emperor, and 
 gave the Name of King to their Family : However 
 it is not plac'd among the other Families in the Chi- 
 nefe Annals, becaufe it never had the fole Government 
 of the Empire ; the Family which flrft put an end to 
 
 that 
 
China, Chines e-Tartary, &*c. 391 
 
 that of the King, and afterwards that of the Song, made 
 the ftrongeft Efforts for reducing Corea into a Pro- 
 vince ; the Founder of that Family, who took the 
 Name of Tuen, and who is known in Europe by the 
 Name of Zing hi, or Xing his kan, but whom the 
 Chinefe Hiftory calls Tchin hife, and Tai (fou, after he 
 had conquer'd the King had thoughts of carrying the 
 War into Corea : His General, called Leou co imme- 
 diately made himfelf Mafter of the Towns fituated 
 upon the Eaft of the River Ta lou -, but the Emperor, 
 who was taken up with Wars of greater Confequence, 
 having ordered him to finifh that, and the King of 
 Corea, called Tche vang, having offer'd the Tribute, 
 that Kingdom continued upon its antient footing : His 
 Succeffor, whom our Writers call Out ai, and whom 
 the Chinefe, according to the Genius of their Language, 
 O ho tai, would have had the Coreans receive Governors 
 of his immediate appointment, but they were fo far 
 from receiving them, that they murder'd them : To 
 punifli them, fays the Chinefe Hiftory, the Emperor 
 lent the Tartar General Tfa lit a, who took from the 
 Coreans more than forty Towns ; their King Tche 
 vang difpatch'd his Brother Hoai gan to intreat the 
 Emperor to acknowledge him as a Tributary King, 
 but that Step was ufelefs, and he gained nothing by it ; 
 the Emperor, on the contrary, order'd the conquer'd 
 Country to be divided into Governments, to place 
 throughout it Mandarins, and to fortify the important 
 Pofts with good Garrifons : The King of Corea re- 
 tir'd towards the Eaft Part on the Sea-coaft: The 
 Year following the Towns of Corea which had been 
 forc'd to receive the Mandarins, tooks Arms and put 
 all Foreigners to the Sword ; at that News the Gene- 
 ral Tfa lita came again into the Country, and engag- 
 ing the Corean Army was killed by an Arrow ; here- 
 upon they entred into a Treaty of Peace : The King 
 of Corea and his Son, called Chun, were permitted to 
 pay their Compliments to the Emperor Oft ai as he 
 
 Ç c 4 was 
 
o 
 
 9 2 72^ General History of 
 
 was hunting -, the Emperor received him with Marks 
 oi" diftinction, and was fat is Bed with only keeping his 
 Son among the Plottages, which he' had of feveral 
 Princes and Commanders in chief, which were brought 
 up and educated at his Court, and at his own Expence : 
 The Peace continued under the Son of Otlai, called 
 by our Hiflorians Kojou, and by the Chinefe, Kouei 
 you ; (the fame to whom <S" 'Louis deputed fome of the 
 Religious Orders, and fent Prefents) but he having 
 reigned but a few Years the War with the Cor earn be- 
 gan under his Succefibr Mango, or Mangou, accord- 
 ing to our Authors, and Mong co according to the 
 Chinefe : One of the Princes of the Blood called Te 
 hou, and General Hong fou yuen entred into Corea, 
 and took feveral Towns, yet could not oblige the Co- 
 ream to abandon their King •, who, befides that he had 
 offered always to pay the ufual Tribute, had fent one 
 of his Sons to treat of an Accommodation : During 
 thefe Tranfadtions the Emperor Mong co died, and 
 Coblai or Hobilai, called in China, Hou plie, fucceeded 
 him ; this Prince endeavour'd to conform himfelf in 
 every thing to the Government of the Chinefe Em- 
 perors his PredecefTors : In the firft Year of his Reign 
 one of the Grandees, called Lien hi, drew up a Placet 
 in favour of Corea, which was exprefs'd almoft in 
 thefe Words. 
 
 The King of Corea has never failed to offer Tribute 
 to the Empire -, one of his Sons, called Tien on, has 
 come by his Orders, and that often to this Court ; 
 the laft time that he came he could not fo much as 
 obtain an Audience ; the Emperor, the Predeceffor of 
 your Majefty, was engag'd in preparing for the War 
 which he had defign'd againft the Song ; this Prince 
 has jufb received Intelligence that his Father is dead ; 
 if he is fent back to his Kingdom, what Efteem will 
 he not have for the excellent Virtue of your Majefty, 
 and what will not be the grateful Returns he will 
 make to your Empire ? 
 
 The 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &c. 393 
 
 The Demand expreffed in that Placet was approv'd 
 of by the Emperor, and he commanded that the Prince 
 fhould be re-conducted with a fuitable Retinue at the 
 Coft of the Empire ; nay more, he fet at liberty all 
 the Corean Priibners, and publifh'd a general Amnefty 
 for all that was pad ; the King of Corea for his part 
 did Homage, ofFer'd Tribute as ufual, and received 
 the Chinefe Almanack for the current Year, which 
 was the third of Coblai, who alfo in Hiftory is called 
 Chit fou : From that time Corea hath kept the fame 
 Form of Government, its Kings having reigned with 
 Dépendance upon the Chinefe Emperors without lof- 
 ing the Rights of Sovereignty, which they have over 
 their Subjects : As foon as the Founder of the firfh 
 Family of the Ming had drove out of China that of 
 the Tuen, the King of Corea offered Homage and 
 Tribute, which was received without the leafl oppo- 
 fition : The reigning Family Ifing, fince it hath been 
 in quiet PoffeiTion of the Empire, hath exacted of the 
 Coreans no more than the fame Services : As foon as 
 the King of Corea is dead, the Emperor deputes two 
 Grandees of his Court to the Son to confer on him the 
 Title of Roue vang, that is King ; when the King of 
 Corea is appreheniive that there may be Difturbances 
 after his Death, he names during his Life an Heredi- 
 tary Prince, and defires the Emperor to confirm him : 
 The Prince receives the Invefciture upon his Knees, 
 and prefents to the Envoys a certain number of de- 
 terminate things, and a Sum of Silver which amounts 
 to eight hundred Taëls : After that the Minifler of 
 Corea brings the Tribute, and touches the Ground 
 with his Forehead in the Emperor's prefence ; the 
 Princefs alfo, the. Wife of the King, does not take 
 the Title of Queen till fhe has received it from the 
 Emperor ; as the Ceremony is regulated, there is 
 never any caufe of Difpute or War : Hence it is that 
 Corea hath enjoy'd the Sweets of Peace for a great 
 many Years. 
 
 An 
 
394 The General History of 
 
 An A b r i d g m e n t of the 
 HISTORY of CORE A, 
 
 This Account of Corea is taken out of three different 
 Authors : From a Theatre of the World, entitled, 
 Tfien kiokiu loùi chu ; from a general Abridgment 
 of ' Chorography, which hath for its Title Quang yu ki i 
 and from a Survey of Univerfal Geography, entitled ', 
 Tang yu ching tio. In the ejfential Points I have 
 contented my felf with a hare Tranflation, and have 
 added to it a Chronology ', which is look'd upon as un- 
 quejlionable. 
 
 f^OREA, which may juftly be called the Cherfo- 
 * w ne fus of China, fince it is contiguous and tributary 
 to it, is a large Peninfula which runs out in the form 
 of a Cape into the EafternSea between China zr\<\ Ja- 
 pan : The Sea of Japan wafhes it on the Eaft ; theGulph 
 of Leao tong divides it from the Provinces of Pe tche li 
 and Chang tong on the Weft -, on the North it bor- 
 ders on the Country of * Niu tche, on the South it 
 hath the Ocean, and the River Ta lou, which bound- 
 ing it between the South and North, divides it from 
 Leao tong : Its Extent from Eaft to Weft is twelve 
 hundred Lys, and from North to South two thou- 
 fand and between two and three hundred Lys. 
 
 Cûrea hath formerly been inhabited by different 
 People ; the principal were the Mé, the Kao kudi, 
 
 * Tims the Chinefe Geographers call that part of the Court > • , 
 nuhich is inhabited by the Mantcheoux-Tartars, tho this Narne is 
 unknown to them. See what hath been laid of it in the Geographical 
 Obfer'vationSy p. 88. 
 
 and 
 
China, Chines e-Tartary, fePr. 395 
 
 and the Hun : Thefe laft were fubdivided into three 
 forts, viz. the Ma ban, the Pien ban, and the Tch'm 
 ban: Thefe People ereéted many Kingdoms, fuch as 
 was that of Tcbaojfien, and that of * Kalo : whence 
 we have corruptly call'd it Corea. It hath at laft 
 taken the name of Tchaojfien, under the Dynafty that 
 now reigns, which is of the Family of Li : But 
 although in publick Inftruments this latter Title 
 is only given it in China, yet in common Difcourfe 
 it keeps ftill its firft Name : • The Mantcbeoux call 
 Corea, Sol ho kouron, or the Kingdom of Sol ho. 
 
 Corea is at this time divided into eight Provinces, 
 which have a command [over forty Kiun, or great 
 Cities ; thirty three Pou, or Towns of the firft Rank ; 
 fifty eight Tchou, or Towns of the fécond Rank ; 
 and feventy Hién, or Towns of the third Rank. 
 
 The firft Province, which is in the Heart of the 
 Kingdom, and where the King keeps his Court, is 
 call'd King ki, or the Province of the Court : The 
 Eaftern is call'd Kiang Yuen, or the Source of the 
 River, the antient Habitation of the Mê\ the 
 Weftern is call'd Hoang bai, or yellow Sea ; it takes 
 in Part of the antient TcbaoJ/ien, and the Country of 
 the antient Mahan : The Northern is call'd Ping ngan 9 
 that is the Calm or the Pacifick -, it was formerly in- 
 cluded in the antient Kingdom of Tcbaojfien : The 
 Southern is call'd - ïçuenlo ; it was the Habitation of 
 the Pien ban : The South-weft Province was call'd 
 Tchufin, the Faithful and Pure ; it is the antient Ma- 
 han: The North eaft is call'd Kien King, the Happy ; 
 it is the antient Territory of the Kaokiuli : Laftly the 
 South-eaft is call'd Kin cban, it is the antient Country 
 of the Tchin ban. 
 
 Han ching is the Capital of Corea ; (according to 
 the Name it hath gone by for near thefe laft hundred 
 
 * Under the Dynajlj of the Family of the K.ao^ ivbo reigridfor a 
 long time in Corea, 
 
 Years :) 
 
;g6 "The General History of 
 
 Years :) it is fituate in the thirty fixth degree of Nor- 
 thern Latitude, and ten degrees more in Longitude 
 than the City of Pekin : This is the Situation which 
 the Chinefe Printer gives it ; the People of Corea 
 were fubjecl; to the Chinefe from Tao, who began to 
 reign 2357 Years before the Chriflian iEra, to the 
 Emperor Tai king of the Dynafty of the Hip, who 
 began to reign 2188 Years before the Chriftian JEva ; 
 the bad Government of this Prince made them re- 
 volt : Under the Reign of Kiê, which began 181 8 
 before the Chriftian iEra, they were brought to pay 
 their Tribute ; but his tyrannical Government engaged 
 them in a freffi Revolt, and put them upon invading a 
 Part of China : Inching tang, who began to reign about 
 the Year 1766, before the Chriftian iEra, after he 
 had deprived Kiêoï the Crown, and founded the Dy- 
 nafty of the Chang, made War upon them, and 
 brought them back to their Duty : Under the YLm- 
 ■çqxov c tcha:^ ting, who began foreign 1562 Years 
 before the Chriftian JEra, they attacked China -, and 
 afterwards they fometimes fubmitted, and fometimes 
 revolted ; this Alternative of Obedience and Revolt 
 continued to the Year 1324 when Ven ting began to 
 reign -, the Weaknefs of this Prince gave them oppor- 
 tunity of making themfelves Matters of the Provinces 
 ofKiang nan and Chan tong, where they maintain'd their 
 ground till the time oîTfin tchi hoang,yN\\o fubdued them, 
 and difpers'd them in the Empire -, but fo little of the 
 Affairs of their Hiftory is known before the Dynafty 
 of the Tcheou, that the Chinefe Hiftorians are in the 
 right to begin the Eftablifhment of that Monarchy 
 with Kitfe, from whom to this prefent time it hath 
 continued two thoufand eight hundred and fourteen 
 Years without comprehending in this account the 
 times in which it was reduc'd into a Province : Ki tje, 
 that wife Prince of the Dynafty of the Chang , is look'd 
 upon as the Founder of the Kingdom of Tcbat 
 His wholfom and free Advice drew upon him the 
 
 Rt-fentment 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &c. 397 
 
 Refentment of Tcheou his Nephew, who was Emperor 
 I of China: This Tyrant, far from following his wife 
 Counfels, which would have fav'd him and his King- 
 dom, condemn'd him to a clofe Prifon, where he was 
 confin'd till he was taken out by Vou vang, who de- 
 priv'd Tcheou both of his Crown and Life, and founded 
 the Dynafty of the Tcheou in the ii22d Year before 
 the beginning of the Chriftian iEra : Ki tfe was no 
 fooner at liberty but he thought of withdrawing 
 himfelf from the Dominion of him who had taken 
 away the Empire from his Family -, he found no Place 
 fo proper for his Defign as TchaoJJien, where he efta- 
 blihVd himfelf: Vou vang,. far from difapproving his 
 Conduct, made him King of the Country, and freed 
 him from the Uneafinefs it mull have given him to 
 have been in fubjection to the 'Tcheou : The Defen- 
 dants of Ki tfe held TchaoJJien in Sovereignty to the time 
 oïTfin chi hcang, who began to reign in China 246 Years 
 before the beginning of the Chriftian JEra. ; this Em- 
 peror annex'd TchaoJJien to Leao long, upon which he 
 made it dependant, yet without taking the Pofleffion 
 of it from the Houfe of Ki tfe : The Princes of this 
 Houfe were Makers of it with the Title of Heou, or 
 Marquis, for more than forty Reigns, till Tcbun took 
 that of Vang, or King : A Chinefe call'd Ouei man, 
 originally of the Province of Pe tche li, knew how to 
 make his advantage of the Troubles occafion'd by the 
 Civil Wars, which fhook China about the beginning 
 of the Reign of Cao tfou, the Founder of the Dynafty 
 of the Han, which began to reign about 206 Years 
 before the Chriftian JEra. 
 
 After having defeated Tcbun in feveral Battles, he 
 made himfelf Mafter of his Country, and took the 
 Title of King of TchaoJJien -, Ouei man put an end to 
 the Houfe of Zz tfe, and freed TchaoJJien from the Dé- 
 pendance it had been in upon the Government of 
 Leao tcng ; however he was a long time before he 
 could obtain from the Chinefe Emperors the Confirma- 
 tion . 
 
398 Tie General History, &>c. 
 
 tion of his ufurped Crown ; but at laft Hoei ti, who 
 began to reign 122 Years before the Chriftian JEra, 
 and Liu heou his Mother, who govern'd under his 
 Name, created him King of TchaoJJien, by the Coun- 
 fel of the very Man who had formerly been Gover- 
 nor of Leao tong ; this gave Ouei man an opportunity 
 to pufh his Conquefts further, and accordingly he 
 brought under his Yoke the Mê, the Kao kiuli, the 
 Ouo tfiu, and feveral other People : Teou kiu, Grand- 
 fon of Ouei man, having killed Che ho, Envoy of 
 the Emperor Vou ti, about no Years before the 
 Chriftian iEra, drew upon himfelf a dangerous War : 
 The Emperor fent Tan pu and Sun tche to chaftife 
 his Infolence, but without Succefs -, a little while af- 
 ter Teou kiu was affafllnated by his own Friends who 
 came to deliver him up voluntarily to the Emperor. 
 Vou ti reduced TchaoJJien into a Province, which he 
 called The Province of Tfan hai : This Prince, after 
 he had brought under his Obedience the Kingdom 
 with its Conquefts, that is all Corea, divided it into 
 four Kiun, or Provinces, which were Tchin fan, Lin 
 tong, Lo lang, and Hiuen tou ; he reduced Ouo tfm 
 and Kao kiuli to the Rank of Towns of the third 
 Order. The Emperor Tchao ti, who began to reign 
 eighty-fix Years before the Chriftian JEra., laid afide 
 the Governors of two Provinces, and left only that 
 of Lo lang, and Hiuen tou, fo that Corea was made 
 up of but two Provinces. 
 
 The Kao kiuli were defcended from the Fou yu * ; 
 thefe Fou you muft have been a People of Eaft Tar- 
 tary, but their Origin, according to the Account they 
 give of it is altogether fabulous, and the following 
 
 * The Chinefe often give the fame Name to the King, te the King- 
 dofn, and to the Inhabitants ; for infancr, the People of this Name 
 and their Kingdom are called indifferently, Fou yu ; fometimes alfo the 
 King is meant by it ; thd there are but feiv, yet there are fame Ex- 
 amples of its being usd in that Senfe. 
 
 Re- 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &*c. 399 
 
 Relation of it will mew you to what a height the 
 Credulity of thefe People and • their Hiftorians is car- 
 ried : It is true indeed Idolatry gives fome Air of 
 Probability to thefe fort of Extravagancies ; the Ro- 
 man Hiftory, which in other refpects affects to appear 
 ferious, furnifhes us with Examples of the like Extra- 
 vagancies -, this then is their Account : 
 
 The Prince of the Kao kiuli had got in his Power 
 the Daughter of the God of Hohang ho, whom he 
 kept fhut up in an Houfe : One Day, as the Sun 
 fhone very violently upon her, me conceiv'd, and 
 was afterwards deliver'd of an Egg as big as a Bufhel ; 
 it was broke, and there was found in it a Male Child ; 
 when he was grown up he was cail'd Tcbu mong, 
 which fignifies in the Language of the Country, Good 
 Archer : The King of Kao kiuli made him Intendant 
 of his Haras ; Tcbu mong let the good Horfes be lean, 
 but took great care to fatten up the bad, fo that the 
 King took the fat for his own ufe, and left him the 
 lean : One Day, as they were hunting, the King hav- 
 ing given him leave to moot what Game he met 
 with, he kill'd a great number of Fallow Deer, which 
 put the King upon the Defign of making away with 
 him, 
 
 Tcbu mong, who perceiv'd the King's Defign, left 
 his Mother and fled, attended only by Mata ; whilfl 
 he was hotly purfued he came to a River whofe Paf- 
 fage was very difficult -, Ah ! faid he, mall I, who 
 am the Offspring of the Sun, and Grandfon by my Mo- 
 ther of the God of Hohang ho, mail I be flopped on 
 the Banks of this River, and not be able to furmounc 
 this Obftacle to my Efcape ? He had fcarce ended 
 thefe Words, but the Fifh and the Tortoifes, fatten- 
 ing themfelves together, made a Bridge of their Bo- 
 dies, which he pafîèd over -, he was no fooner got 
 over the River Pouchui, but he faw three Perfons; 
 the firft was drefs'd in Hempen Cloth, the fécond had 
 
 on 
 
400 77?e General History of 
 
 on a pink'd Garment, and the third was cover'd with 
 Sea Weeds ; they join'd him, and came together to 
 the Town of Kii ching'kou, where he took the Name 
 of Kao for that of his Family, to fliew that he was of 
 Kao kiitli. 
 
 Quang vou ti, who was the Rcflorer of the Dy- 
 nafty of the Han, and who began to reign thirty-five 
 Years before the Chriftian iEra, took away the Go- 
 vernors of Lotang and Huien tou, and made the 
 Kingdom of TchaoJJien a fécond time dependant upon 
 the Government of Leao tong, which was in the 
 Hands of Tcbii tong, whofe Juûice and Probity ren- 
 dered him formidable : The King of Kao kiuli laid 
 hold of this Juncture to take Arms, and brought un- 
 der his Dominion the Mé, Japan, Han, and Fou yu, 
 continuing however the uiual Tribute to the Chinefe 
 Emperors. Kong, King of Kao kiuli, was the firft 
 who carried the War into the Territories of the Em- 
 pire ; he befieged the Town of Hiuen ton, and having 
 taken it put all the Officers to the Sword : Tcbai 
 fong, Governor of Leao tong, was kill'd in a Battle 
 he fought with him, but Kong was in his turn defeated 
 by Ouei tai kieou, the Son of the King of Fou yu, and 
 left his Son Soui tching for his SuccefTor. 
 
 Soui tching deliver'd up Hien ton into the hands of 
 the Emperor, and fubmitted to the Payment of the 
 ufual Tribute -, but during the Weaknefs of the Go- 
 vernment under the Emperors Hoan ti and Ling ti, 
 he carried the War into the Territory of Hiuen tou. 
 Kenlin, Governor of the Province under Hien ti, who 
 began to reign in the Year 196, drove him out ; Kong 
 fun tou made war upon him, and feiz'd upon his 
 Kingdom: The Defcendants of Kong fun tou reigned 
 over the Part they had conquer'd down to Kong fun 
 yuen, whofe Kingdom was deftroy'd by the Dynaity of 
 the Ouei, the Founder of which was Tchao tchao : Y ymo 
 fled, and fix'd his Court at the Foot of the Mountain 
 
 Qua 
 
China, Chinese-Tart ary, &c. 401 
 
 Oua tou chan : Ouei kong fucceedcd T ymo his Father ; 
 he was valiant and wife, and joined with the Dynafty 
 of the Ouei in making war upon the Succeflbrs of 
 Kong fun tou, under the reign of Ming ti, who began 
 to reign in the Year 322 ; he plunder'd Ngang ping, 
 and Leaofu in the Province of Leao tong : Mou kieou 
 hen, who was Governor of it, repuls'd and defeated 
 him, upon which Ouei kong fled ; but Mou kieou kien 
 gave Orders to Vang ki to purfue him, which he did 
 crofs Ouo tfiu for more than a thoufand Lys ; at laft 
 he came to the Country of the Sou chin (thus the Peo- 
 ple of Eajl-T'artary are call'd) and, after having en- 
 graven the Succefs of his Expedition upon a Stone 
 Monument he there erected, he returned home : Du- 
 ring his Stay in the Country he inquired of the Inha- 
 bitants if there were Lands and People beyond the Sea, 
 who inform'd him that there Fimermen were often by- 
 Storms carried to an Ifland, whofe Language was dif- 
 ferent from theirs, and that thefe Iflanders had an an- 
 nual Cuftom of drowning a Virgin in the Sea in the 
 feventh Month : They faid further, that there was 
 another Kingdom inhabited only by Women, which 
 conceiv'd of themfelves, and carry'd the Child in the 
 forepart of the Stomach ; that they had no Breafts, 
 but that inftead of them they had behind the Neck a 
 Tuft of Hair, from whence there flow'd a Liquor 
 like Milk ; that they fuckled their Children no longer 
 than an hundred Days, and that thefe Children grew 
 more in that time than another Child who did noc 
 take this Liquor would in four Years ; that on the 
 Sea-coaft there were Men with two Faces, who un- 
 derfiood no Language, and who would ftarve them- 
 felves to death if they were taken ; that there was once 
 taken a Man clothed with Stuff after the Chinefe Fa- 
 fhion, whofe Sleeves were thirty Foot long -, laftly, 
 that this Place was at the molt Eaftern Boundary of 
 Ouo tfiu. 
 
 Vol. IV. D d Under 
 
402 The General History of 
 
 Under Tong kia, * tchao, Great-great-grandfon of 
 Kong, was created King of TchaoJJien : Mou yong 
 hoang drove him from Oua tou, which he demolim'd : 
 tchao eftablifh'd his Court at Pin jam, which bore 
 alfo.^ the Name of Lo lang -, Mon yong pao fubdu'd 
 Ngan, King of Kao kiuli, and made him Governor 
 of Ping tcheou. During the Dynafties of the tfin, 
 the Song, the tfi, the Leang, the latter Ouei, the lat- 
 ter tcheou, the Kings of Corea were always created 
 by the Emperors. Under the Dynafty of the Soui, 
 Tuen King of Corea came at the Head of the Moko to 
 make an Incurfion into Leao ft, in the Province of 
 Leao tong -, the Emperor Tang ti fummon'd him to 
 appear before him, and upon his Refufal went in Per- 
 fon to carry the War into Corea in the feventh Year 
 of his Reign, which was the Year of Grace 611 ; 
 but the Cor earn retiring into their Towns defended 
 themfelves vigoroudy, and for want of Provifions the 
 Emperor was forced to retreat : He thrice invaded 
 Corea, but each time with as little Succefs. Tuen be- 
 ing dead his Son Kien vou fucceeded him ; the Foun- 
 der of the Dynafty of the tang, who began to reign 
 in the Year of Grace 620, created him King of Co- 
 rea with the Title of Chang tchu hué, that is The 
 Pillar of the State of the fir ft Order : There was at 
 that time a certain Kai fouuen, of the Family of the 
 tfuen, who pretended to be the Son of a River- God, 
 the better to feduce the Cor earn by the Splendor of his 
 
 * Another Hijlory rc/ates, that Kao lien, King of Kaoli mrrde 
 bimfelf Majier of Corea, and took Pinjam, nvhere he fix 'd bis Court 
 under the fame Yong kia ; that be pupVd bis Conquefis quite to the 
 River Leao, and ?nade bimfelf Majier of part of Leao tong, which 
 is to the Eafl of that River, and which is property called Leao tong, 
 or Eaft-Leao ; that Tarn cai tçong recover* d it, and that part of 
 Leao tong, called Leao fi, or Weft-Leao, nvas :■ mfeftei nuitb 
 the Incur/tons of the Kaoli : This Account makes Ka». tchao and Kao 
 
 lien to be the fame Per foil. 
 
 imaginary 
 
Chi na, Chinese-Tartary, &c. 403 
 
 imaginary Birth : He was cruel and fierce, and had 
 fucceeded his Father in the Government of the Eaft 
 Pou ; for Corea was at that time divided into five 
 Pou, or Governments ; viz. that of the Court, or 
 Middle, and thofe four Parts of the Kingdom which 
 anfwer'd to the four Parts of the World : This perfi- 
 dious Wretch aiTafTinated Kien vou, and after he had 
 treated his Body with the utmoft Inhumanity flung 
 it into a Layftall ; he immediately fet tffang, a 
 younger Brother of Kien vou upon the Throne, and 
 having referv'd to himfelf the Pofc of Molitchi, or 
 Mayor of the Palace, he govern'd as M after : In the 
 mean time the Coreans, in conjunction v/ith the Pet ci, 
 had declared War againft the People of Sin lo, and 
 had already made themfelves Matters of two of their 
 Towns ; the Sin lo fent to defire Succours of %"ai tfong, 
 who began to reign in the Year 627 ; Tai tfong, who 
 had been inform'd of the cruel manner in which Kien 
 vou had been murder'd, fent a powerful Army, which 
 he intruded to twenty Commanders in chief, the two 
 firft of which were Tchang leang and Litfing, to chat- 
 ftife Kaifouuen as he deferv'd, and gave Orders at the 
 fame time to the Kings of Kit an hi, Pe tfi^ and Sin 
 lo, to join him with their Troops -, after which the 
 Emperor fet out and came to Tin tcheou, where he re- 
 view'd his Army -, the Goodnefs which he fhew'd to 
 the Soldiers, and the Orders which he gave for taking 
 care of the Sick and Wounded, greatly encourag'd his 
 Troops : Li tfing attack'd the Town of Meou tchin, 
 took it, made it a Town of the fécond Order, and 
 call'd it Ti tcheou : Sun fa yn befieged the Town of 
 Pe y ai with the fime Succefs ; he gave it the name of 
 Ten tcheou, and placed it among the Towns of the 
 fécond Order : Li tfing befieg'd the Town of Leao 
 tong, and l'ai tfong coming before the Place, and fee- 
 ing the Soldiers carrying Earth for filling up' the 
 Trenches, he put his Hand to a Load to help them, 
 which the Officers perceiving they all ftrove to join 
 
 D d 2 the 
 
TJje General History of 
 
 the Soldiers, and bear a part in the work : The Em- 
 peror was every Day on horfeback ; one Day, which 
 he thought proper for the Execution of the Project 
 he had iorm'd, he fet fire to fome combuftible Matter 
 which he had order'd to be got ready ; the Wind car- 
 ry'd the Fire into the Town, and occafion'd a gene- 
 ral Con fu (ion in it, fo that there perifh'd in the Flames 
 more than ten thoufand Men ; the Town was reduc'd 
 to the Rank of thole of the fécond Order, and called 
 Leao tcheou : After this Tai tfong march'd his Army 
 towards the Town of Ngan chi \ Kao yen chcou and 
 Kao hoei tchin came at the Head of an hundred and 
 fifty thoufand Moko to relieve the Town : The Em- 
 peror gave his Orders in the Night, and having ob- 
 ferv'd the Fall of a flying Star, which light upon the 
 Camp of the Moko, he Jook'd upon it as an Omen 
 of Succefs ; the next Day the Emperor attack'd them 
 in their Camp, and they were drove out of it, and 
 taken in the Defeat ; Kao yen cheou and Kao hoei tchin 
 furrendred themfelves to the Clemency of the Empe- 
 ror, who reftor'd them their Liberty, and gave them 
 Pofts j but order'd three thoufand of the Moko of Pin 
 jam to be buried alive: He gave the Name of 
 Tchu -pi chan to the Mountain at the Foot of 
 which he was encamp'd -, and laftly he order'd Hiu 
 king tchong to compofe an Infcription, and engrave it 
 on a Stone Monument. Under the Kao tfong, which 
 began in the Year 650, AmbafTadors came from 
 Sin lo to defire Succours of him againft the Coreans 
 and the Moko, who had jointly declared War againft 
 them, and had already taken from them thirty-fix 
 Cities ; the Emperor granted their Requeft, and or- 
 der'd Tching min tchin to command the Succours. Du- 
 ring thefe Tranfactions Kaifouuen died, and Nanfeng 
 his Son fucceeded him in his Poft of Molitchy, Nan 
 feng falling out with his younger Brothers Tfuan nan 
 kien and 'lfuen nan tchan, came in Perlbn to implore 
 the Emperor's Afiiftance: From another Quarter 
 
China, Chines e-Tartary, (ffc. 405 
 
 Tfing tou, the younger Brother of Kai fouuen, waited 
 upon Kao tjong, and yielded up to him part of his 
 Dominions ; Kao tfong made Li tfing General iifimo, 
 and appointed for General-Officers under him Kipi, 
 OH, Sue gin kouei, Pang long, and others, with Or- 
 ders to make war upon the Coream : This Event hap- 
 pen'd in the feventeenth Year of his Reign, that is in 
 the Year 666 N. S. Kao tfong, inquiring one Day 
 what would be the Succefs of this Enterprise, Kia yen 
 tchong, Cenfor of the Empire, made him this An- 
 fwer: The Coream will infallibly be defeated ; the 
 fecret Memoirs declare that the Dynafty of Kao fhall 
 not continue full nine hundred Years in the Poflèfïïon 
 of Corea, and that it fhall be overturn'd by a Gene- 
 ral who mould be fourfcore Years old : Now this is 
 the nine hundredth Year fince the Han, that the Fa- 
 mily of Kao hath reigned in Corea -, the Generaliffi- 
 mo Li tfing is fourfcore Years old, the Famine is great 
 in the Country, the People rife up againft and betray 
 one another, the Wolves and the Foxes come into 
 their Towns ; thefe Prodigies have terrify'd all their 
 Spirits, and this Expedition will put an end to the 
 Sovereignty of the Kao: Li tfing began with the 
 Siege of Pin jam, but Tfang, King or Corea, fent 
 Nan tchang, attended by an hundred of the chief 
 Men of the Kingdom, with a white Flag in his 
 Hand, and furrendred himfelf to Li tfing, who re- 
 ceiv'd him honourably -, Nan kien continued to fu- 
 ftain the Siege, and did Acts of wonderful Bravery in 
 many Sallies, but was always repuls'd with Lofs -, 
 his GeneraliiTimo, Sou ten fin tchiag, made his Peac^ 
 underhand- with Li tfing, and promis'd to give up th* 
 Place ; Li tfing fet fire to one of the Gates of th? 
 Town, as had been agreed upon with Sou tou fit 
 tching, and made himfelf matter of it ; Nan kien 
 was made Prifoner, and his Kingdom was divided in- 
 to five Governments, made up of an hundred and fe- 
 venty principal Towns, and fix hundred and ninety 
 
 P d 3 thou- 
 
7?je General History of 
 
 thoufand Families. The Kingdom of Corea was then 
 changed into a Toutoufcu, which had a Command 
 over nine 'Tcheou, and forty-two Hien ; the other 
 Towns were made Towns of War : Sue gin kouei 
 was made Tout of ou of it, and Generaliffimo of the 
 Forces which mould be left for the Defence of the 
 Country. Under the Reign of the Emprefs Vou heou 9 
 that is about the Year 6$y, Pao yuen, Grandfon of 
 the King of Corea, called -Tfang, was created Kiun 
 vang, or King of the fécond Order of Tchaoffien -, and 
 thus Corea changed its Name of Kaoli to that of 
 Tchacffien. About the Year 927 Vang kien, who then 
 governed Corea, took upon him the Dignity of the 
 Kao, and began to reign over it ; he conquered the 
 Kingdoms of Pe tfi and Sin lo, quitted Pin jam, 
 which till then had been the Seat of the Kings of Co- 
 rea, and leaving it the Name of Si king, or The Weft 
 Court, he removed his Court towards the Eaft at the 
 Foot of the Mountain Song yo : For three Reigns un- 
 der the Outa the Kings of the Houfe of Vang paid 
 their Tribute regularly to the Emperors ; under the 
 Reign of Tchi tfong, of the Dynafly of the Tcheou, 
 who began to reign about the Year 954, Vang tchao, 
 King of 'IchaoJJien, prefented to the Emperor a large 
 number of ancient Books, but all full of Fables ; the 
 fame Prince fent to pay Homage to the Emperor Tai 
 if ou, the Founder of the Dynafty of the Song, who 
 began to reign in the Year 960 \ after the Death of 
 Vang tchao, the third King from him called Tchi 
 was forced to pay Homage to the Kitan (thefe are the 
 Tartars which reigned over the Northern Part of 
 China by the Name of the Leao ; ) Tchi dying his 
 fécond SuccefTor, called Vang Sun, loft fix Towns 
 of his Dominions, which the Kitan took from him ; 
 Sun remov'd his Court to another Place to be farther 
 from them ; having afterwards made a League with 
 the Niulché, (thefe are the People who exterminated 
 the Lcao, and reign'd over the Northern Part of C 
 
 by 
 
Chin a, Chinese-Tart ary, &c. 407 
 
 by the Name of Kin,) he found means, by the Stra- 
 tagems which heufed, to drive the Kit an intirely out 
 of his Dominions ; after this he began again to pay 
 Tribute to the Chinefe Emperor, and gave him an 
 Account of the Acts of Hoftility which had been 
 done him by the Kitan, and the Emperor treated his 
 Ambaffadors with Diftinclion. 
 
 The fourth in Succeffion from Tun was Vang kiai -, 
 he fent Ambaffadors to the Emperors upon every oc- 
 cafion, fo that they were not able to furnifh the Gra- 
 tuities ; whence it was then faid that the Tribute of 
 the Coreans brought no Advantage to China, but on 
 the contrary was the Caufe of many Evils: The 
 Leao on this fide complain'd that tho' the Coreans 
 were, as they alledg'd, their ValTals, yet the Chi- 
 nefe Emperors continued to treat their Ambafïà- 
 dors with Diftinction : The Niutché * were formerly 
 
 Vaffala 
 
 * The Niutché antiently, that is in the time of Vou fang, 'were 
 called Sou chin, and lon% before that under the Han they bore the 
 Name of Yieou ; under the Ouei that of Ukii ; under the Sous they 
 tvere called Moko ; under the latter Tang they began to have the 
 Na?ne of Niutching : Tloe Song changed the Termination tching for 
 that of tche, hecaufe tching was the Name of a Tartarian Emperor 
 of the Dynajiy of the Leao ; however it does not follow that thefe 
 different Names were common to all thofe People who inhabited that 
 waft Trail of Land which lies between the Rivers Hoen tong kiang 
 and He long kiang, Corea and the Eaitern Sea, as it is at this time 
 among the Chinefe ; but it was probably the Name which the People 
 who at different times had the Supreme Power in the Country nvere 
 calPd by : Thus they may at this time he calPd Mantcheoux, though ' 
 that Name Jiriclly tahen belongs only to a Nation the leaf numerous of 
 that Country: Thus likewife the Moko, nvho efablijhed there a 
 powerful Kingdom, called themfelves Pchai ; they were created Kings 
 by the Emperor Jui tfong, of the Dynajiy of the Tang, but the Leao 
 quickly fubdued them : In Jhort the N canes of Countries, Towns, and 
 Kingdoms in China and Eaft Tartary alter at the Will of their Princes', 
 one mujl not therefore be furprifed to find the Inhabitants of the faîne 
 Country called by different Names. The River He long kiang, or ra- 
 ther Ou long kiang, is called by the Mantcheoux, Saghalien oula, 
 
 D d 4 and 
 
77je General History of 
 
 VafTals of the Core ans, but Affairs taking another 
 turn, and the Niutchê becoming powerful, the Co- 
 reans were in their turn fubject to them. 
 
 The Emperor Kao tfong, of the Dynafty of the 
 Song, who began to reign in the Year 1127, fent 
 Houli Ambaffador to Corea for fear the Coreans mould 
 enter into a Confederacy with the Kin, or Niutchc, 
 who had juft deftroy'd the Leao -, at the fame time 
 the Kin fent Fang tchu to Corea with Letters- Patents 
 to create hipi King of Corea, being under the 
 fame Apprehenfion, left the Coreans mould join the 
 Chinefe : Under the Reign of Li tfong of the Dynafty 
 of the Yuen, Tché, King of Corea, fent his Son Tching, 
 the prefumptive Heir of the Crown, to pay Homage 
 in Perfon, but Yché dying he immediately return'd to 
 take porTeffion of his Kingdom, of which he receiv'd 
 the Confirmation from Yuen : From the Year in which 
 he was created King, to the thirty-firft Year of the 
 Reign of Hon biiai, as the Tartars call him, (he is 
 the Coblai of Mark Pol) or Chi tfon, as the Chinefe 
 call him, that is to the Year 1291 he had paid Tri- 
 bute thirty- fix times : It was at this time that Hou 
 hilai would undertake the Conqueft of Japan ; as he 
 knew Corea to be a Neighbour to it, his Defign was 
 to make ufe of the Coreans for an Entrance into it ; 
 with this View he fent Ping che he ii in quality of 
 Ambafïàdor to Japan, and gave him Orders to pafs 
 
 and h the Mofcovites Amour, or Yamour : The Chinefe hate rcu- 
 dredthe Word Saghalicn by he and ou; nc-.v he in the Language of 
 the Vulgar, and hou in that of the Learned, fignify black, and long 
 ftgnif.es Dragon ; they give the Superwttevdency of the Waters to Dra- 
 gons, fo that Ou long kiang fgnifes the River of the black Dragon. 
 It is to he ch{cr r Sd, that the m fur. ^rnnovvced as it is in 
 
 Spanifh and Portuguefe, or as the French frmounct the n final in the 
 Words pain, vin; the n final} :->:crd as if it ncas a 
 
 nn, or followed by an c mute, that is as the French pro- 
 nounce une, mine. 
 
 through 
 
China, Chinese-Tart ary, ere. 409 
 
 through Corea, and take Guides from thence ; but 
 not obtaining them he was obliged to return back 
 again, which began to make Tchin out of favour with 
 Yuen -, tho' he did not omit paying his Tribute, yet 
 the Emperor feiz'd upon Si king, (that is, as I have 
 taken notice, a little above Pin jam) reduc'd it to a 
 Town of the firft Order, and nam'd it Tong ràn fou : 
 T'ching died, and was fucceeded by his Son Chin, who 
 afterwards chang'd his Name to Kiu : He married a 
 Princefs of the Blood of Yuen, a Daughter of the Em- 
 peror, and receiv'd from him the Seal of Fou ma^ 
 or of Son-in-law of the Emperor, and the Title of 
 King of Corea ; Kiu dying his third Succeflbr was 
 called Song: From Fang kien to Vang fong, the Family 
 of Vang reckon twenty-eight Kings of Corea, and 
 more than four hundred Years in duration. 
 
 The firft Year of the Reign of Hong vou, Founder 
 of the Dynafty of the Ming, that is in the Year 1368, 
 the King of Kaoli, or Corea, called Tchouen, fent to 
 pay Homage to this Prince, and to congratulate him 
 upon his Advancement to the Empire ; Hong vcu 
 created him King of Kao li, and gave him a Silver 
 Seal, with the antient Privileges of offering up fo- 
 lemn Sacrifices to the Gods of the Rivers and Moun- 
 tains of Corea : In the eleventh Year of Hong vou 
 the AmbafTadors of Corea refufed to do the ordinary 
 Homage -, they had enter'd into the Confpiracy which 
 Houvi vong had form'd againft that Prince ; the Af- 
 fair being difcovered, Hong vou order'd the Governor 
 of Lea tong to proclaim the Coreans Enemies ; the 
 Ambafîadors of Corea came in a little time after to 
 Lea tong, of which the Governor having given the 
 Court Advice, the Emperor receiv'd the Satisfaction 
 they made him, and commended their Fidelity : 
 Tchouen died, and was fucceeded by Kiu, who how- 
 ever was not his Son : In the twenty-fecond Year of 
 Hong vou, the Commander of the Garrifon of Kao 
 ha nou, was fent into Corea to buy Hcj'fes -, the King 
 
 refufed 
 
410 7%e General History of 
 
 refufed to receive any Mony for them, but the Em- 
 peror had them valued, paid the Price of them, and 
 at the fame time ordered the Coreans to reftore the 
 Towns of Leao yang and Chin tching, which they had 
 made themfelves Matters of in the Province of Leao 
 long ; fome fhort time after Li gin gin, Prime Mini- 
 fter of Corea, dethroned Kiu, and advanced Vang 
 tchang to the Crown : Li tching kouei, Son of Li gin 
 gin, took the Crown from Vang tchang, and put it on 
 the Head of Vang yao ; foon after he took it from 
 him, made himfelf be crowned King of Corea, and 
 removed the Court to Han tching : Thus ended the 
 Houfe of the Vang, which pofTefTed the Kingdom of 
 Corea from the Ou tai : Li tching kouei chang'd his 
 Name to Tfan ; he fent a folemn Ambafîage to 
 China to defire a Confirmation of his Ufurpation, 
 and that the Name of Tchacjfien might be given to 
 Corea with the ufual Formalities : His Placet was 
 couch'd in fomewhat too haughty Terms : The Em- 
 peror infilled upon knowing who drew it up, and 
 the AmbafTador having inform'd him that it was 
 Tching tfe he refufed the Prefents, and order'd that 
 Tching tfe mould be fent to him ; Tan obeyed, and 
 Tching tfe was banifh'd to the Province of Tun nan ; 
 Tan refign'd his Kingdom to Fang yuen his Son, with 
 the Confent of Yong lo, who began to reign in the 
 Year 1403, and who granted him what he in vain de- 
 fired of Hong vou ; Fang yuen having underflood that 
 long lo had affign'd to the Garrifon of Leao tong fome 
 new Lands, he fent ten thoufmd Oxen as his Tribute 
 for the Hocking them -, foon after thefe Tranfactions 
 he died, and his Son Tao fucceeded him -, he paid his 
 Tribute in Gerfalcons, or Sea-Eagles, but the Em- 
 peror refufed them : Precious Stones, faid he, and rare 
 Creatures are not what I like ; let him not any more 
 prefent them. Under the Reign of Kia tfing, Vang 
 ki k'w.cn, or rather Vang ki hûuan, King of Corta, in- 
 treated the Emperor to erafe out of the Book intitled 
 
 Tai 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &c, 411 
 
 Tai ming hoêi tien, (that is the Body of the Ufages 
 and Cuitoms of the Auguft Ming) the Article where 
 it is related, that Tching kouei had dethron'd his law- 
 ful Sovereign and ufurp'd his Crown -, giving this 
 reafon, That he had done it, but at the Solicita- 
 tion of the People, and that he was pujQYd on to it 
 by the Grandees of the Kingdom : His Requelt was 
 granted. 
 
 In the 20th Year of the Reign of Van lie, that is, 
 in the Year 1592, * Ping fiecu kii, Chief of the Ja- 
 ponefe, invaded Corea ; he was nrft a Slave to an In- 
 habitant of Samo, and afterwards a Retailer of Fifh ; 
 one Day as Kii was afleep under a Tree, Sin tchang, 
 Captain of the Japonefe of -f Chan tcbing, over whom 
 he was \ Kouan pê, as he was going a hunting met 
 with him ; he intended to kill him, but Kii pleaded 
 his Caufe with fuch Addrefs that the Kouan pê took 
 him into his Service, and made him Intendant of his 
 Haras, and gave him a Name, which fignifies in 
 Japanefe^ The Man from under the Tree : Pingfteou 
 kii rais'd his Fortune by little and little ; Sin tchang 
 gave him an Eftate, intruded him with all his moft 
 fecret Affairs ; and if Sin tchan had followed his Ad- 
 vice he would in a little while have been Mailer of 
 more than twenty fmall Provinces : Sin tchang was 
 murdered by O ki tchi his Counfellor ; Ping .J eon kii 
 put himfelf at the Head of Sin tchang s Troops to re- 
 venge his Death, kill'd O ki tchi, and fucceeded Sing. 
 tchang in the Dignity of Kouan pê ; he conquer'd by 
 Cunning and by Force fixty fix fmall Provinces : 
 From the Mountain Kin cbang j| of Corea the Ifland 
 
 * Ping iieou is the Name of bis Family, Kii bis paper Name. 
 
 f Chang tching is probably Meacho. 
 
 % This Kouan ré Was a Title of Office \ âno$her author 
 of the King of japan, ijcho nvas called Tien tching vang, that is 
 the True Celcfial King, fays that he did not govern himfelf, but 
 left the whole Management of Affairs to his I . and Kouan pé. 
 
 || Another Author fays, that the Pa J ten this I/land and 
 
 Corea is not more than t'joo or three Days wit b t, it md. 
 
 of 
 
412 Tie General H istory of 
 
 of 7oui ma tao in Japan is feen, and fo Jikewife is the 
 Mountain from the Ifland ; there was always mutual 
 Commerce between the two Nations, and they were 
 allied by Marriages. 
 
 hi fen was at that time King of Corea, a Prince fo 
 entirely given up to Pleafures and Debauchery, that 
 he never fo much as thought of being upon his 
 Guard ; * Ping feou kit, having formed the defign of 
 attacking Corea, intruded Hing tchang and Tftng tcbing, 
 two of his Chief Commanders, with this Commiffion, 
 and gave each of them a numerous Fleet -, they landed 
 at Feou chan, a large Village -, pafîèd Lin tfin undif- 
 covered, and dividing their Troops furpriled Fonte, 
 and feveral other Towns -, the Coreans, who, had for 
 
 ' a long time enjoy 'd the Sweets of a profound Peace, 
 and who were altogether unexperienced in, and not 
 inur'd to the Hardfhips of War, tied and fo aban- 
 doned their Towns at the firft approach of the Japa- 
 nefe -, the King quitted his Court in hafte, and leav- 
 ing the Reins of Government in the Hands of Li 
 hoei, his fécond Son, retir'd to Pinjam ; quickly af- 
 ter he took refuge at Y tcheou, in the Province of 
 Leao tong, and humbly intreated the Emperor to re- 
 ceive him into the number of his Subjects, and to 
 make his Kingdom a Province. 
 
 The Japanefe pafs'd the River Ta tong chiang, and 
 block'd up Pinjam ; they had already made them* 
 felves Mailers of the Court, had overturn'd the Se- 
 pulchres, plunder'd the Treafury, and taken the Mo- 
 ther, the Children, and the Officers of the King ; 
 the eight Provinces were almoft entirely fubdued, and 
 the Japanefe were making Preparations for palling 
 
 ' the River Ta Ion hang, and entring Leao tong ; the 
 King of Corea fent Courier after Courier to the Em- 
 peror to demand fpeedy Succours ; Sue po was fent 
 
 * The particular Account cf this War Is taken fiom a complete 
 Hijlory cf the Djnajly of the Ming, tubicb is of undoubted credit. 
 
 by 
 
China, Chinese-Tartar y, &c. 4.13 
 
 by the Emperor, with a promife that Succours fhould 
 arrive with all fpeed ; in the mean time the Japanefe 
 were already come to Penjam ; the King of Corea, 
 not thinking himfelf fafe at Ttcheou, retired to 
 JSgai tcheou ; Brigadier Che pu marched towards Pin- 
 jam, but as he knew little of the Country, and as 
 great Rains had fallen, he was defeated and kill'd in 
 an Engagement -, Lieutenant-General Tfou tching hiun 
 came to his afilftance with 3000 Men, and pafs'd the 
 River Ta lou kiang ; his Troops alfo were cut in 
 pieces, and he himfelf narrowly efcaped ; Song yu 
 tchang was fent in quality of * King Ho, that is Su- 
 perintendant- General ; the Chinefe Troops came in 
 large bodies to the rendezvous -, Ring tchang, and the 
 other Japanefe- Generals, who were cunning and active 
 Officers, insinuated to the Chinefe that they had no 
 intention to attack them, but their defign was only to 
 gain time ; Che fing, firfb Prefident of the Tribunal 
 of War, was of. opinion that Acts of Hoftility 
 fhould be deferr'd till the Sentiments of the Japanefe 
 could be founded ; in the mean time Ping fieou kit 
 came to the Ifland of Tom ma tao, and fpread a Re- 
 port that he was coming to fupport his Forces ; the 
 Japanefe fortified themfelves in the Court of Corea^ 
 and afllgn'd to Hing tchang, and his other Officers, 
 the moll important Pofts to guard them from all At- 
 tacks : It was during this time that Ping fieou kii di£ 
 pofTefs'd the King of Chan tching, and took the Title 
 of Tai-ko-vang, or King of Tat ko -, Chin vi king, 
 who was charg'd with the founding the Japanefe^ 
 came to Pinjam -, Hin tchang receiv'd him with ex- 
 traordinary Honours, and having bent the Knee, The 
 Celeftial Dynafly, laid he, (that is the reigning Dy- 
 nalty^) hath fufpended the march of its Armies, we 
 
 * King lio is a Vijltor extraordinary, <who hath the power of Lift 
 and Death both over People and Soldiers, and a general Infpèflion 
 inte all Affairs of whatever sature they be. 
 
 fliall 
 
414. Hoe General History of 
 
 fhall not make a long flay here, but return fhortly to 
 Japan ; the River T'a tong tchlang fhall be the Boun- 
 dary of our Conquefts, and we will give up to the 
 Corcans all that lies Eaft of Pinjam : However in the 
 twelfth Month Li ju fong was made Generaliffimo ; 
 he pafs'd thro' Leao tong with an Army of 60000 
 Men, croffing the Mountain Fong hoang chan with 
 great difficulty, in which PafTage all his Horfes 
 iweated Blood ; when he came to the Banks of the 
 River Ta lou kiang the Mountains of Corea ap- 
 pear'd in view ; There, faid Leou hoang t change In- 
 fpector of the Army, there is the Place where it 
 depends upon our Valour to recover the hereditary 
 Dominions. 
 
 In the twenty- firft Year of Van lié, in the firft 
 Month, Chin vi king took the firft fteps in his en- 
 deavouring to deceive Hing tchang, by perfuading 
 him that the Chinefe came to bring Letters-Patents 
 from the King to his Mafter, and it was agreed be- 
 tween them that on the feventh Day of the Month 
 the fâtou, called Li, fhould deliver them to him ; on 
 the fourth the Army arriving at the Gate of Souning, 
 Hing tchang fent twenty Officers to receive it ; Li ju 
 Jong gave Orders to Brigadier Li ning to feize them, 
 and take them alive, but they defended themfelves 
 with fuch Courage and Bravery, that they cou'd ta'ke 
 no more than three -, Hing tchang having demanded 
 of Chin vi king what that Violence meant, it mufl needs, 
 faid he, have happened from not rightly understand- 
 ing the Interpreters -, Hing tchang fent two Perfons of 
 fingular truft, viz. Siao fi fci, and Tcben cbeou teng 
 along with Chin vi king to compliment on his part 
 Li ju [org \ he treated them well, and fent them 
 back ; on the fixth the Army arriv'd in fight of Pin- 
 jam ; Hing tchang fat upon a Tower, whence he 
 cou'd fee the Standards border'd with Dragons, 
 and the whole Procefilcn : The Japanefe finely drefs'd 
 made a Lane to receive Li ju fong, who drew up his 
 
 Troops 
 
China, Chlnese-Tartary, &c. 415 
 
 Troops in order of Battle, and march'd them into 
 the Town -, the Chinefe Officers fhew'd the Japanefe 
 fome Contempt, which difcover'd the Stratagem to 
 them, and put them immediately upon their De- 
 fence. 
 
 Pinjam on the South-eaft fide is defended by the 
 River -, a fteep Mountain defends it on the Weft ; on 
 the North fide there is an Eminence, which is the 
 mod important Poft, and was guarded by the Japa- 
 nefe; Liju fong fent thither fome Troops to skirmim, 
 with orders to retire after the firft Charge, in order to 
 draw the Japanefe from thence ; in the Night the Ja- 
 panefe attack'd the Camp of Liju pé, but they were 
 repuls'd with lofs; Li ju fong gave Orders to his 
 Officers to keep advancing, and not flop to do execu- 
 tion. On the eighth at break of Day there was a ge- 
 neral AfTault made; the main Attack was on the 
 South-eaft fide, and the Japanefe at firft made the 
 Chinefe give ground ; Li ju fong kill'd with his own- 
 Hand the firft that ran away, and made the fcaling 
 Ladders be (et ; he fent Tang yuen, and fome others 
 with him, to fcale the fmall Weftem Gate, whilft 
 Liju pé did the fame at the great one-, the Horfe of 
 Li ju fong was kill'd under him by a Canon-Ball, and 
 Quel tchong was fhot quite through the Breaft with a 
 Musquet-Ball, and yet continued to encourage his 
 Men to the Fight ; Li ju fong took a frefh Horfe, 
 and running into the Ditch of the Town, where was the 
 hotteft of the Engagement, he continually pufh'd on 
 his Troops, till at laft the CBnefe made themfelves 
 Mafters of the Wall, and the Japanefe retired to the 
 Fort. About midnight Hing tchang, follow'd by 
 many others, pafs'd the River Ta tong Bang, and 
 fhelter'd himfelf on the Mountain Long cban ; the 
 Chinefe in this Engagement kill'd two hundred eighty 
 five Japanefe ; the reft perifh'd in the Flames, and a 
 vaft Number of them leaping into the River were 
 drown'd ; Li ning and Tcha ta cheou, at the Head of 
 
 three 
 
4i 6 Ttie General History cf 
 
 three thouflind choice Men, went to form an Ani- 
 bufcade for the Fugitives upon their Retreat, of whom 
 they flew three hundred fixty two, and made fome 
 Prifoners -, the 19th Li ju pê took the Town of 
 Fou kai by Storm, where he kill'd one hundred fixty 
 five Japanefe ; this Viclory took from the Japanefe 
 four Provinces of Corea, viz. Hoang haz, Ping gnan, 
 King ki y and Kiang Yuen -, Tching king was M after of 
 Hiang king, but as foon as he had intelligence that 
 Kia tching was in the hands of the Chinefe, he aban- 
 don'd his Poft, and retir'd to the Royal City -, Hien 
 king and Tchou tfing were as Bulwarks to him : The 
 27th the Chinefe Army was come- within feventy Lys 
 of the Royal City ; the Coreans gave intelligence that 
 the Japanefe had abandon'd it, and were retired -, Li 
 ju fong believ'd the Report, and putting himfelfatthe 
 Head of the light Horfe advanc'd to the Poft of 
 Piffi kouan, which is not above thirty Lys from the 
 City ; as Tacho kiao was galloping to the Bridge his 
 Horfe ftumbled and fell, and he receiv'd a Contufion 
 in the Forehead, which was like to have proved mortal. 
 Then the Japanefe iffued out of their Ambufcade, and 
 furrounded him ; both Officers and Soldiers fought 
 without any hopes of him for ten tjours, even till 
 Noon, fo that their Quivers were almoft quite empty : 
 A Japanefe Commander, who had on a Golden 
 Cuirafs, prefs'd hard upon the Generaliffimo Li ju 
 fong ; Lieutenant- General Li yeou ching cover'd him 
 with his Body, and kill'd many of the Japanefe, but 
 being thrown down by a Hook he was cut to pieces 
 by the Japanefe -, Li ju pé, and Li ning encompafs'd 
 Li ju fong, and fought along time with an extraor- 
 dinary Bravery -, at laft Li ju hoei fliot the Japanefe 
 with the Golden Cuirafs through with an Arrow, 
 and threw him quite down ; at the fame time Tang 
 yuen came to their Relief, and having broke the Ja- 
 panefe he put them to flight ; but the braveft of the 
 Chinefe Army were loft in this Engagement, and not 
 
 nc 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, ç®rc. 4.1J 
 
 one of them who had pafs'd the Bridge efcap'd : There 
 had fallen a great deal of Rain, and the Parts about 
 the Town were full of Foundaries, which, added to 
 the Ice that was at the bottom, filled the Country 
 with fo much dirt that the Chinefe Cavalry could not 
 charge ; the Japanefe on the contrary were advan- 
 tageouily polled, they had a River in front, and a 
 Mountain in the rear, and their Camps had a Com- 
 munication with each other - f they had rais'd within 
 the Town high Machines full of variety of deilruclive 
 Weapons charg'd with fmall Shot, fo that all who 
 came before them would be infallibly kill'd ; the 
 Chinefe Army was obliged to turn back and re- 
 treat to Kai tching : About the third Month the Spies 
 gave an account that in the Royal City there were 
 200000 Japanefe y and that there went a Report that 
 tfaiko their King was coming to command them in 
 perfon, and that they had abundance of Corn -, the 
 Chinefe were fo fortunate as to fet fire to it: The 
 Japanefe feeing they were in danger of wanting all 
 forts of Provilions, began again to treat of Peace by 
 the Interpofition of Chin vi king, who having per- 
 fuaded them to deliver up the Capital the Peace was 
 figned on the 1 8th of the fourth Month -, Li ju fong 
 enter'd the Town, and found in it more than forty 
 thoufand Bufhels of Rice, and Forage in proportion ; 
 the Japanefe fent Siaofifei along with Chin vi king on 
 the Embaffy to China to make their Submiffion % yet 
 they attack'd Hien ngan and Tfm tcheou, and grie- 
 voully harafs'd the Province of *ïçuen lo^ into which 
 there is hardly any entrance but by the Tov/n of 
 Nan yuen fou : In the 7th Month the Japanefe pafs'd 
 thro' the Gate of Feou chan to Sifimpou^ and deli- 
 ver'd up the Children of the King of Corea, and 
 his chief Officers ; in the twenty-fecond Year oïVan 
 lie the King of Corea humbly intreated the Emperor 
 to accept of the Tribute the Japanefe offer'd, and, 
 create Ping fieou hi King of Japan as he defir'd : 
 Vol, IV, Ee This 
 
4*3 T*he General History of 
 
 This was agreed to upon thefe three Conditions, firfL 
 That the Japanefe fhould deliver up all the Places they 
 had pofieis'd themfelves of in Ccrea ; fecondly, That 
 after I'aiko fhould be created King he fhould not 
 fend any AmbaHador into China -, thirdly, That they 
 fhould iwear not to make any Attempt upon Corea ; 
 Li tfong tcbing, Marquis de Lin boat, was fent Envoy 
 to Japan to create Taiko King, but did not arrive till 
 the beginning of the 24th Year of Van Ho. Chin vi 
 • crofs'd the Sea before that along with Hing 
 tehkrig to carry the Prefents, and marrying a Daughter 
 of Arima fettled among the Japanefe -, Li tfong tcbing 
 was much given to Women ; as foon therefore as he 
 was come to Tout ma tao, the Governor Y tcbi y 
 who had married the Daughter of Hing tchang, and 
 who knew the Ambafiador's Foible, gave Orders 
 for the finding out two or three handfom young Wo- 
 men, whom he fent by turns into his Tent : Thefe 
 he lik'd very well, but being afterwards inform'd 
 that the Governor's Wife was a Woman of extraordi- 
 nary Beauty, he had the impudence to demand her of 
 her Husband, who could not forbear fhewing his Re- 
 fentment : It happen'd in this Conjuncture that a Ja- 
 panefe Gentleman, call'd Long, a Son of the Sifter 
 of Sie tcbcou fe difputed the way with Li tfong tcbing ; 
 he endeavour'd to kill Long, but he having made a 
 fignal to the Japanefe of his Retinue, Li tfong tcbing 
 had but juft time by a fudden flight to avoid the 
 Death which he would have othervvife hardly efcap'd ; 
 he left every thing behind him, even to the Seal of 
 the EmbalTy : He wander'd about all the Night, and 
 in defpair hang'd himfelf upon a Tree, but thofe 
 who went after him came in time to his afiiftance ; he 
 fled to King tcbeou where he was tried by the Empe- 
 ror's Order, who had been inform'd of his ill Con- 
 duct, and who fent Tang fang heng in his room. 
 
 Pingfieou kii faded and bath'd tor three Days, then 
 he went out cf the Town to meet the Emperor's 
 
 Patent -, 
 
China, Chinese-Tart ary, &c. 419 
 
 Patent ; he proftrated himfelf fifteen times, and was 
 created King with the ufual Ceremonies : The King 
 of Corea had intended to fend his Compliments of 
 Congratulation by the Lord and Prince of Konang 
 hai, but by the advice of his Favourite Li Ichin he 
 only fent him a Deputy-Governor of a Town of the 
 fécond Order, with a Prefent of fome plain pieces of 
 Silk ; Ping fieou kii was nettled at this fight ; hath 
 your Mafter, faid he to the AmbafTador, already for- 
 got that I have conquer'd his Kingdom, and that I 
 had not reftor'd it to him, but out of regard to the 
 Emperor ? Who does he take me for that he fends 
 me fuch a Prefent, and by fuch a MefTenger as you ? 
 Is this affronting me or the Emperor ? Since he acts 
 thus I will leave fome Troops in Corea under Che 
 man tfe, till the Emperor chaftifes the King your 
 Mafter : The next day he made ready his magnificent 
 Prefents in order to pay the Tribute, and prefented at 
 the fame time two Placets, the one containing his 
 Acknowledgments to the Emperor, the other his De- 
 mands of Juftice upon the King of Corea. 
 
 The 25th Year of Van lie, T'fing tching invaded 
 Corea with a Fleet of two hundred Japanefe Ships, 
 upon which the War was immediately renew'd ; Ma 
 koitei was made Generaliffimo of the Chinefe Forces : 
 In the fixth Month there arriv'd feveral Barks, and 
 a large number of Ships at Corea -, Chin vi kin, who 
 was a Japanefe Spy, was taken : In the eighth Month 
 Xfwg tching befieg'd Nan yuen fou -, Nan yuen com- 
 manded in it, but he fled on Foot at the very firft 
 Approaches ; Tfuen-tcheou, which is not above one 
 hundred Lys from Nan yuen, was inverted, and taken 
 by the Japanefe, who already very much harafs'd 
 the Province of Tçuen lo : The Court of Corea is in 
 the Heart of the Kingdom -, on the Eaft fide lies 
 Niao ling, and Tchong tcheou, and on the Weft Nan 
 yuen, and fjken tcheou, which command the narrow 
 Paffes, fo that thefe two Towns being taken the 
 E e 2 Coure 
 
420 llie General History of 
 
 Gourt was in a manner block'd up by the Japanefe-, 
 Tching tching and Hing tchang retir'd, the latter to 
 the Town of Tun tfing, which is fix hundred Lys 
 diftant from the Capital of Corea -, the former to King 
 change which is four hundred : The Chinefe laid Siege 
 to it, but upon a Rumour that Succours were arriv'd t 
 their Commander Hao kouei ran away, and left them ; 1 
 upon which they difpers'd, and the Japancfe kill'd 
 above ten thoufand of them. Upon a Review it was 
 found that they had loft twenty thoufand Men ; Hao 
 koaci was broke, and put into the Hands of Juftice to 
 be punifhed. 
 
 In the 26th Year of Van lie, in the ninth Month, 
 Leou ting march'd to befiege Hing tchang in his 
 Camp ; he deputed Ou ifong tao to invite him to an 
 Interview, wherein they might treat of Affairs in an 
 amicabie manner ; Hing tchang promis'd to come to 
 the Place appointed, attended with fifty of his Of- 
 ficers ; Leou ting, overjoy'd at this, laid an Ambufcade 
 of his Troops on all fides in order to feize him 
 when he fhou'd giye the Word ; he made one of his 
 Officers take his Place and Name, and he himfelf 
 appear'd as a common Soldier ; his Orders were 
 that when he came out of the Tent the Canon 
 fhould be fir'd, and then every one mould make 
 the utmoft fpeed to inclofe Hing tchang, and his At- 
 tendants, and put them all to the Sword ; accordingly 
 the next Day Hing tchang came attended, as he had 
 promis'd, with no more than fifty Horfe j he who 
 perfonated Leou ting receiv'd him with extraordinary 
 Honours ; as they fat at Table Hing tchang, caflino- 
 his Eyes upon Leou ting, who was difguis'd like a 
 Soldier, and had a Bottle and Glafs in his Hand -, I 
 am much deceiv'd, fiid he, if this Soldier be not 
 unfortunate i Leon ting, furpris'd at this Speech, 
 leaves the Tent, and gives the Signal agreed on ; Hing 
 tchang, who had difcover'd the Ambufh, mounted 
 in an inflant, and his Attendants forming a triangu- 
 lar 
 
China, Chinese-Tart ar y, &*c. 421 
 
 Jar Squadron flew off like Lightning, forced their way 
 through the Chinefe, killing on both fides every one 
 that oppos'd them, and fo got clear off: The next 
 Day Ring tchang fent to thank Leou ting for his En- 
 tertainment, who endeavour'd to excufe the improper 
 Firing of the Cannon which difturb'd the Mirth of 
 the Entertainment : Hing tchang pretended to be fa- 
 tisfied with thefe Excufes, but the next Day fent Leou 
 ûng a Woman's Head-clothes : Leou ting immediately 
 made an AiTault, but without Succefs, the Chinefe be- 
 ing almoft totally routed ; at laft the News of the 
 Death of Taiko, which came the ninth Day of the 
 feventh Month, in the twenty- fixth Year of Van lie, 
 which falls in with the Year of our Lord 1598, 
 made the Japanefe think of returning into their own 
 Country. The 17th of the eleventh Month Ling 
 tching firft fet fail, and was foon after followed by 
 the reft of the Japanefe ; thus ended this War which 
 had continued feven Years. 
 
 The Prince, who at this time reigns in Corea, is of 
 the Houfe of the lame Li, and is called Li tun ; it 
 cannot be difagreeable to infert in this Place the Placet 
 which he prefented to the Emperor Cang hi in the 
 Year 1694. 
 
 " The King of Tchaoffiep prefents this Placet with 
 '' a Defign to fettle his Family, and to make known 
 " the Defires of his People. 
 
 "I, your Subject,, am a Man whole Fate is not 
 " over-fortunate ; I have been a long time without 
 " having anyone to fucceed me, at laft I have a Son" 
 " by a Concubine, whofe Birth Jiark given me an in- 
 " credible Pleafure : I immediately refolv'd to. raife 
 " the Mother who bore him, but in this I have 
 *.' committed a Fault, which hath been the caufe of 
 " many Jealoufies : I obliged Queen Min chi * to re- 
 
 * The Word Chi is added to the Family Name of Women ; Min 
 chi, for example, fignifies of the Family cf Min ; Tchang chi of 
 the Family of Tchang : The fame is alfo praclifed <voitb regard }o 
 Men tpon certain oçcajions. 
 
 E e 3 ^ (|rf 
 
422 TToe General History of 
 
 " tire to a private Houfe, and I made my fécond 
 " Wife < Tcha?ig chi. Queen in her ftead ; I at that time 
 <c gave your Majefty a particular account of this Af- 
 " fair ; now I rerlecl: that Mln chi hath receiv'd the 
 " Patent of Creation from your Majefty ; that fhe 
 " hath managed my Family -, that me hath afllfted 
 " me in Sacrifices ; that fhe hath waited upon the 
 " Queen my Great-grand-mother, and the Queen my 
 " Mother -, that fhe hath partook with me in a three 
 *' Years Misfortune ; according to the Laws of Na- 
 * c ture and Equity I ought to have treated her with 
 " Honour, but I gave way to my Imprudence ; af- 
 " ter the thing was done I was extremely concern'd 
 " at it -, now, to conform myfelf to the Defires of the 
 " People of my Kingdom, I intend to reftore to 
 " Min chi the Dignity of Queen, and reduce Tchang 
 4C chi again into the Rank of Concubine : By this 
 " means the Government of my Family will be ÏQx- 
 " tied, and the Foundation of good Manners, and 
 cc Converfion of the whole Kingdom, will be fct to 
 " rights^ again. 
 
 " I, your Subject, although I debafe by my Igno- 
 " ranee and Stupidity the Title I have inherited from 
 " my Anceftors, yet I have been the VafTal of your 
 " Sovereign Majefty thefe twenty Years, and owe all 
 " that I am to your Beneficence, which, like Frovi- 
 " dence, fhieids and defends me : There is no Afiair 
 " either domëhuck or publick, of whatever nature 
 " it be, that I dare conceal from your Majefty: 
 w This is what emboldens me to trouble your Ma- 
 " jefly three or four times upon this Affair j I am 
 £C indeed afliam'd thus to exceed the bounds' of Re- 
 " fpecl, but as it is an Affair which concerns the 
 cs Order that ought to be kept in my Family, and 
 ct that it tends to inform you of the Defires of 
 " my People, there is good reafon that I fliould with 
 4 ' all Refpecl: acquaint your Mnjrfty with it. 
 
 The Emperor anfvver'd this Placet by this Order: 
 Let the Couit, to which it belongs, confider and in- 
 form 
 
Chin a, Chinese-Tart ar y, @V. 423 
 
 form me of it -, the Court, to which it belong'd, is 
 the Court of Ceremonies : The Court was of opinion 
 that the Demand ought to be granted, which was 
 confirm' d by the Emperor : Some Officers of his Ma- 
 jefty were fent to carry the Queen her Letters of Crea- 
 tion, magnificent Robes, and every thing that was 
 neceffary for creating her Queen with the ufual For- 
 malities. 
 
 The rext Year the King fent a Placet to Cang hi> 
 which the Emperor having read gave this Order. 
 
 " I have read the Compliment of the King ; I 
 " would have it laid before the Court to whom it 
 " belongs ; the Terms of this Placet are not proper, 
 " it wants Refpect ; I order that it be examin'd, con- 
 " fider'd, and an Opinion given me upon it." Upon 
 this Order the Li pou> or the Court of Ceremonies, 
 condemn'd Li tun in a Fine of ten thoufand Chinefe 
 Ounces of Silver, and to be depriv'd for three Years 
 of the Returns affign'd him for the annual Tribute he 
 pays : He fends every Year an Ambafiador to receive 
 the Chinefe Almanack, which is iffued out the firft 
 Day of the tenth Month for the enfuing Year. 
 
 I mould now give fome account of the People of 
 Corea : They are generally well made, and of a fvveet 
 and tractable Difpofition ; they underftand the Chinefe 
 Language, delight in Learning, and are given to 
 Mufick and Dancing : There come more confiderable 
 Perfons from the Northern than Southern Provinces ; 
 the Northern People are naturally warlike, and make 
 excellent Soldiers -, their moll common Drefs is Fur* 
 Caps, and Brocade- Clothes ; the Women wear Edg- 
 ing or Lace, both upon the upper and under Petti- 
 coat ; the People of Quality do ufually wear purple 
 Silk ; the Men of Learning, who are diftinguiûYd by 
 two Feathers which they wear in their Cap, apply 
 themfelves more particularly to Mufick : After Ki tfe 
 had publifned his Code, which confided only of eight 
 Laws, the Manners of the Core.ws became fo well 
 
 E e 4 . regu=. 
 
7%e General History of 
 
 regulated, that Theft and Adultery were Crimes un- 
 known among them, fo that there was no occafion to 
 fhut the Street-doors in the Night -, and although the 
 Revolutions, which are fatal to all States, may have 
 fomewhat chang'd this former Innocence, yet they 
 have flill enough of it left to be a Pattern to other 
 Nations. 
 
 In their publick AiTemblies they wear brocade 
 Robes, adorn'd with Gold or Silver -, there are abun- 
 dance of vagabond y< ung Women among them ; they 
 have frequent Meetings of young Men and Women, 
 who marry together by mutual Inclination, without 
 making any nuptial PreJcnts, and without any Cere- 
 mony : The PrincefTes of the Blood are married to 
 none but Princes of the Blood, and the Grandees of 
 the Kingdom obferve the fame Rule with regard to 
 their Families, though under the Reign of Tun this 
 Cuflom was fomewhat alter'd : They do not bury 
 their Dead till three Years after their dcceafe; they 
 wear Mourning for Fathers and Mothers three Years, 
 for Brothers no more than three Months : After they 
 have buried their Dead they place by the fide of the 
 Tomb their Clothes, their Chariots, their Horfes, and 
 in general every thing that they had a regard for in 
 their Life-time, and give them up to be plunder'd by 
 thofe who attended the Funeral : They are naturally 
 fuperflitious, and dread the killing any living thing ; 
 they obferve the Law of Fo -, they are moderate in 
 eating and drinking, and ufe at their Meals Dimes 
 and Plates : The Mandarins affect in their Carriage a 
 great deal of Gravity. 
 
 Their Houfes are thatch'd, but they have no Beds 
 in them -, they make Wine of a fort of Grain call'd 
 Paniz ; they breed but few Silk-worms, for they ge- 
 nerally make ufe of Hempen Cloth ; they never take 
 Phyfick : The Salaries of the Mandarins arc paid in 
 Rice i every one hath Ground allotted him in pro- 
 portion to the number of Perfons the Family confifts 
 
 of; 
 
China, Chinese-Tartar y, &c. 425 
 
 of; the King pufferies no Lands as his own Property. 
 The Arms of the Soldiery, which are plain and 
 without Ornament, are Crofs-bows, and very long 
 Sabres ; their Punifhments are gentle even for the 
 moll enormous Crimes ; the abufing of Parents is a 
 capital Crime, and they who are guilty of it are be- 
 headed ; lefler Criminals are whipt, and then dif- 
 charg'd : Crimes which would otherwife deferve Death 
 they punifh by Banifhment into the Neighbouring 
 Iflands ; there is every three Years an Examination of 
 Doftors, another of Batchelors, and a third of Matters 
 of Arts. When any one is to be fent upon an Embaffy 
 he undergoes an Examination in the Tribunal of the 
 Ministers. 
 
 The Trade of Corea confifts in white Paper, Pencils 
 made of the Hair of a Wolf's Tail , Ginfeng, Gold, 
 Silver, Iron, yellow Varnifh, which is fo very beau- 
 tiful that whatever it is laid upon feems to be gilt ; 
 the Tree whence this Gum diftils is Jike the Palm- 
 tree ; Fowls whofe Tail is three Foot long ; Ponys 
 about three Foot high, Sable Skins, Caflor and Mi- 
 neral Salt ; when Merchants offer Books to Sale they 
 are drefs'd in their fineft Clothes, and burn fome 
 Perfumes before they treat of the Price : Though 
 Corea be mountainous it is yet fertile, efpecially the 
 Provinces of aching tjtng, King change and Tçucnlo, 
 which are very rich and fruitful. 
 
 The chief Mountains of Corea are Peyo to the 
 North of the Court- Province ; Oua tou chan to the 
 North-eaft of the Capital of the Kingdom ; here it 
 was that the King of Kaoli, call'd Tymo, heretofore 
 eftablifh'd the Seat of his Empire, till Mou yon hoang 
 demolifh'd it under the Dynafty of the Tfin ; Chin 
 fong chan *, call'd alfo Son yo, in the diftriét of the 
 
 * Chan, nvhich fignif.es Mountain, is added to the Names ef 
 Mountains; as Kiang, which fignifies River, is to the Names of 
 Rivers : Ifonepleafes it may be left out, but the Chinefe fcarce ever 
 Hje it without joining the Noun Appellative to it. 
 
 Town 
 
426 The General History, &c. 
 
 Town of Kai tching, where Vang kien fix'd his Court \ 
 Lou yang chan, to the North-eaft of Pinjam, and 
 Hoang chan in the Province of T tching tfing. 
 
 The Rivers of Core a are the Li kiang, which is in 
 the Court Province -, the Ta tong kiang, which is in that 
 of Ping ngan -, the Ta lou kiang, which takes its rife 
 in the Mountains of Tchang pe chan, and at its Mouth 
 is three hundred Lys broad ; and the Han kiang, 
 which is to the South of the Capital of the Kingdom. 
 
 I clofe this Account with a thing which deferves 
 fome regard : In the Abridgment of Chorography, 
 intitled Quang yu ki, we find that the Place or Town 
 of Tchaojfien, that Ki pé made choice of to fix his 
 Court there, is in the Territory of Tong ping fou, a 
 Town of the firft Order in the Province of Pe 
 tche li : The Truth of this Fact, being granted, it 
 feems neceffary to conclude that this Place was at that 
 time dependant upon Corea, and that the Gulph of 
 Leao iongi which at this time feparates ancient Ichaof- 
 fien from the Kingdom of Corea, was not form'd till 
 Jong after ; for it is not at all probable that a Sove- 
 reign would fix his Court out of his Dominions, 
 efpecially if it was parted from them by any long Paf- 
 fage by Sea: This Conjecture, which fcems at firft 
 fight to have no great matter of Probability in it, is 
 not altogether without Foundation, as may be ken by 
 taking the thing a little higher ; the juft Title with 
 which the Chinefe Pofterity have honoured the Me- 
 mory of this Prince, when Tu, I fay undertook to 
 make a PaiTage for the Waters that had overflow'd 
 all the flat Country under the Empire of Chun and 
 Tao -, he began with the River Hoang ho, as that 
 which did the moil damage : He went in his Difco- 
 very after it to the further!: Parts of C J\ , and 
 
 having brought it to the Southern Boundaries of 
 Chan fi and Chenfi, which it divides, he opened a 
 Pafiage for it through a Mountain, whence the River 
 rolls down with a Torrent, and by its Fall makes a 
 
 CaK 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, ê?r. 427 
 
 Cafcade equal to thofe of the Nile : Thence he car- 
 ried it, by a gentle Stream, crofs the Province of 
 Ho nan, and having at laft, following flill its Chan- 
 nel, brought it into the Province of Pe tche li, he 
 drain'd the Lake Ta Ion, which was form'd by the 
 Difcharge of the Waters of Hoang ho: This Lake 
 took up that whole Space of Ground in which at this 
 time are included the Diftricls of Chun te fou, a 
 Town of the firfl Order, of Tchao tchcou, and 
 Ching tcheou in the fame Province ; at laft to weaken 
 its rapid C curie he divided it into nine Channels, and 
 compell'd it to empty itfelf into the Sea by as many 
 Mouths. 
 
 Some are of opinion that thefe nine Channels ter- 
 minate in one, before its Difcharge into the Eaflern 
 Sea, to the left of the Mountain Kie che chan, Avhich 
 at that Place makes a Promontory ; but whether all 
 the Streams of this River go into the Sea at the Foot 
 of this Mountain, or whether it be only that of its 
 direct Courte, this is certain that the Hoang ho in the 
 fpaceof 3921 Years (for itisfo long fince Tu began 
 this great Work) is at a great diflance from its an- 
 tient Channel ; and inftead of emptying itfelf, as it 
 did formerly, directly into the Sea at about forty De- 
 grees of Latitude, it at this time empties itfelf into 
 the River Hoai ho, a little above Hoai ngan fou, a 
 Town of the firfl Order of the Province of Kiang 
 ngan, that is in near thirty-four Degrees of Latitude ; 
 and the Mouth, at which the Waters of thefe two 
 Rivers ifTue out into the Sea, takes its Name among 
 the Chineje from Hoai ho, and not from Hoang ho : 
 Befides it is to be obferved that this Mountain Kie 
 che chan, which was at that time joined to the firm 
 Land of long ping fou, is now five hundred Lys fur- 
 ther in the Sea to the South of this Town, fo that the 
 Sea enlarging its Bounds by little and little hath at 
 laft fwallow'd up this whole Tract of Land. 
 
 In 
 
428 The General History of 
 
 In Objection to this it may be faid, that the Chi- 
 nefe Hiftory fpeaks not one word of this extraordi- 
 nary Change ; it is allow'd, but neither hath it taken 
 notice that the Sea hath cover'd five hundred Lys, 
 which are now between the Mountain Kie che chan 
 and the firm Land of Tong ping fou, and which make 
 part of the Gulph of Leao tong. 
 
 Eefides the Changes which happen to the Surface 
 of this Globe we dwell upon are not obferv'd, unlefs 
 they be fudden and furprifing -, thofe that are brought 
 about leifurely and imperceptibly, and without alarm- 
 ing Nature, eafily efcape the Obfervation of Hiftory : 
 Of this kind are the Changes in Lands, which the 
 Seas overflow and leave, and which the Life of Man 
 is too fhort to come to the knowledge of: It is alfo 
 probable that all Archipelagos are formed in this 
 manner, and the reafon why thofe who dwelt near 
 them have not preferved any Remembrance of the 
 Event, is that which I have juft now given ; an inftance, 
 which may help to confirm this Conjecture, may be 
 produced without going out of China. 
 
 Chin tfung tchong being fent Ambafiador into the 
 Country which lies North of Hoang ho, obferv'd as 
 he coafted the Mountains of Tai hang chan, that the 
 Downs of the Rock, which were perpendicularly 
 fteep, were full of Oifter-fhells, and other Shell- 
 fifh, and Beds of Gravel which furrounded them like 
 a Girdle, which makes it credible that the Sea here- 
 tofore wafh'd the Foot of thefe Mountains, tho' they 
 arc now a thoufand Lys from it : Tchu uenkong is not 
 indeed of this Opinion ; he fuppofes that thefe are 
 the Marks of the Hoang ho, which antiently wafh'd 
 the Foot of thefe Mountains -, but tho' it would be 
 no difficult matter to overthrow his Opinion, yet if it 
 be only doubtful whether the Sea hath not heretofore 
 cover'd this vaft Tract of Land, it is enough to 
 prove that nothing can be concluded from the Silence 
 of the Chine fc Hiftory, as hath been afferted. 
 
 A 
 
Krl.ir./iay. + i,#. 7 f 
 
China, Chinese-Tart ary, &*c. 429 
 
 Afuccînft Narrative of Captain Beerings'^ 
 travels into Siberia. 
 
 A LTHO', according to the Scheme which I firft 
 laid down for this Work, I might have clos'd 
 it with the Account of that Part of Siberia which is 
 fubject to China, and that I am by no means oblig'd 
 to enter upon that other Part which belongs to the 
 Ruffians, yet I thought that a new Difcovery, by the 
 Order of the late Czar, could not fail of being very 
 agreeable to thofe who have a Tafce for Geography. 
 
 Not long "ago, as publick Accounts inform'd us, 
 this great Prince, who hath been always employ'd in 
 perfecting the Arts and Sciences, and who has in a 
 manner created in his Dominions a quite new Nation, 
 ordered Captain Beerings to go as tar as Kamtfckatka 
 in order to examine the Frontiers of thofe Countries 
 which lay to the North-eafl, and to endeavour to dis- 
 cover whether, as fome are of Opinion, they joined 
 to North-America, or whether there could be found 
 any PafTage by Sea. 
 
 Captain Beerings having punctually executed his 
 Orders return'd to Petersburgb on the firft Day of 
 March 1730, and brought a fhort Account of his 
 Voyage, with a Map which he had made of it : 
 This Map was fent to the moft ferene King of Po- 
 land, as a Prefent worthy of his Regard and Curio- 
 fity -, and his Majefty having been pleafed to com- 
 municate it to me, with a Permiffion to make what 
 ufe of it I plcas'd, I thought that the Publick would 
 be fome what oblig'd to me if I added it to all the 
 others which I had promis'd. 
 
 On the 5th of February 1725 Captain Beerings re- 
 ceived orders from Count Apraxim, Admiral of Ruff a, 
 
 to 
 
430 77je General History of 
 
 to travel into Siberia: He was oblig'd, according to 
 his Infirmerions, to inform himfelf fully of the Bounds 
 of this Country, in order to the forming a Judgment 
 what might be the Diftance between the utmoft Eaft 
 or North-eaft Point of Siberia, and the Continent 
 of North-America. He was allow'd, as he pafs'd 
 through the Cities of Siberia, to take with him what 
 Number and Sort of People he might have occafion 
 for ; the Admiralty had alfo ordered a Lieutenant and 
 twenty-five Men before, with twenty-five Horfes 
 loaded with Baggage and neceffary Inflruments, and 
 Captain Beerings's Retinue confuted of thirty Perfons 
 including his Domefticks : He came up with the De- 
 tachment of his Lieutenant at Vuolagda, and tra- 
 velling towards Tobolsk pafs'd thro' the Cities of 
 Totma, Vvirug, Vvelikoi or Great Oufiioug, Soli, 
 Vvitziogda, Kaigorod, Solikamski, Vercho turia, Tu- 
 rinski or Japantzin, and Tumen : He arrived at To- 
 bolsk the 1 6th of March, but the advanced Seafon 
 making it impoflible to purfue his Travels in the 
 fame way, he flaid there till the fifteenth of May ; 
 then he left Tobolsk, and putting his Retinue and Bag- 
 gage on board four large Barks, he fell down the Ri- 
 ver Irtifch to Samarof ko yam : From Tobolsk he took 
 along with him a Monk of the Order of St. Jerom, 
 a CommifTary, fome Subalterns, and thirty-feven Sol- 
 diers. 
 
 A little below the Poll or Relay of Samarof k he 
 entred the River Obi, and in going up it he paifed by 
 the Cities of Surgut and Narim, and a little above the 
 latter he came into the River of Keta, which brought 
 him to Makofsk, which is a Fortrefs (or as fome will 
 have it a Monaftery ) : The People which inhabit 
 this Country from Tobolsk are the OJliakes ; they were 
 formerly Pagafis, but fome time ago, by the care of 
 the Metropolitan of Tobolsk, they embraced Chri- 
 flianity. From Makofsk we went by Land to the 
 City or Fort of Senifeiski ; there he took with him 
 
 thirty 
 
Chin a, Chinese-Tart ary, &C'. 431 
 
 thirty Men, as well Carpenters as Smiths, and as he 
 had done before embark'd in four VefTels : From the 
 River îenijjee he entred Tunguska ; this River has 
 three great Cataracts, and feveral other ftrong Cur- 
 rents, which take up the whole breadth from one 
 Bank to the other -, befides the Channel of the Rivet- 
 is pretty full of Rocks or Shelves, which do not ap- 
 pear above the Water ; all thefe Obftacles make the 
 Navigation of this River very difficult, and in feve- 
 ral Places interrupt it, fo that they ran great Hazard, 
 and endured great Fatigue before they could get clear 
 of it : From the River I'unguska they palled into the 
 Slim, but the Siberian Barks, which had got thus far, 
 could not get up this River which has fome Falls in 
 it, and is very mallow ; the Captain therefore ordered 
 the heavieft of his Baggage to be put in \'m\e Boats, 
 which were fallen down for that purpofe from the Ci- 
 ty of Hi??iski, and the reft was put upon Sledges : 
 As foon as he came to Himski he ordered his Lieute- 
 nant to march before till he fhould come to the River 
 Uskut, or Kuta, and the Lena ; he put under his 
 Command fome Subalterns, and about thirty-nine 
 Carpenters, who might in the Winter build fifteen 
 Barks to ferve him to go down the Lena: As for 
 himfelf, finding it inconvenient to go further, he took 
 up his Winter-Quarters at Himski with the reft of his 
 Retinue : It was necefTary to take in frefh Proviiions, 
 and becaufe about Jakutski, whither he was to go by 
 the Lena, there was no Corn, he had Orders from 
 the Chancery of Tobolsk to the Cities of Irkutski and 
 Himski to furnifh him with it. 
 
 In the Winter the Captain went to Irkutski to hav% 
 a Conference with the Vvaivode, or Governor, who 
 had been formerly at Jackutski, and who could bet- 
 ter than any one elfe inform him of the Nature of the 
 Country he was to pafs, the manner of travelling in 
 it, and the Road to Ochotski and Kamtschaika : The 
 Captain's Company were reinforc'd at Irkutski with 
 
 twenty 
 
a3 2 The General History of 
 
 twenty Perfons, Smiths and Carpenters, among which 
 there were two Coopers : The Country thro' which 
 run the Rivers Tunguska, Slim, and Lena, to the 
 Vvitm, is inhabited by a People calied Tungufes -, they 
 are very careful of their Rain- Deer, becaufe they re- 
 ceive great Advantage from them ; but thofe among 
 them who have no Rain-Deer dwell nearer the Rivers, 
 and fupport themfelves by Fifh : Their Veffels are Ca- 
 noes made of the Bark of the Birch. Thefe Tungufes 
 are Heathens. 
 
 Towards the end of the Winter the Captain fet out 
 again with Sledges to Uskut, and in the Spring 1726 
 went down the River Lena in fifteen flat-bottom'd 
 Barks to Jakutski : Both fides of the Lena below the 
 River Vvitim are inhabited by the Sakutes, and by 
 fome Tungufes-, the Sakutes have plenty of Cattle, 
 Horfes, and horned Beafts, which fupply them with 
 both Food and Clothing ; and they who have little 
 or no Cattle live upon Fifh : They are Pagans 
 and worfhip the Sun, Moon, and Birds, fuch as the 
 Stork, the Eagle, and the Crow -, and they have 
 a great Opinion of their Sorcerers, whom they call 
 Schanlans : Befides this they have in their Houles 
 Bohvaners, or little Images, which are called in their 
 Language Scheitans -, in other refpects this People 
 feem to have the fame Origin with the other Tar- 
 tars. 
 
 At his Arrival at Sakutski the Captain demanded 
 a Supply of Perfons proper to facilitate his March, 
 and having obtained it he ordered a Lieutenant to 
 follow with the greateft Part of his Retinue 2 and the 
 heavy Baggage, and to keep the Courfe of the River 
 Lena to the Place where the Aldan flows into it, 
 and to go up the whole Courfe of the Rivers Aldan, 
 Maya and Tudoma, imagining that by this way they 
 could go quite up to Tudoniske Krefta, and by that 
 means the Voyage would become eafy, and lefs trou- 
 blefome than by Land : He himfdf, with a few At- 
 tendants 
 
China, Chi nese/Tartary, &>c. 433 
 
 tendants whom he kept with him, got on horfcback 
 at Takutski in order to crofs the Country to Ochotski ; 
 he put his Provifions upon Horfes, five Puds weight 
 upon each, (a Pud is a Weight in Rajfia of about 
 thirty-five or forty Pounds) and in the whole had a- 
 bout fixtêen hundred Puds weight in Provifions and 
 Baggage \ there was doubtlefs no pofiibility of con- 
 veying it upon Carriages in a mountainous and boggy 
 Country : The Captain left a Lieutenant at Takutski 
 to winter there, with Orders in the Spring to take 
 the fame way by Land towards Ochotski Oftrog, and 
 in the mean time he went himfelf to that Place, where 
 he found about the Fort no more than ten Ruffian 
 Families. 
 
 About the end of Dece?nber 1726 he received Let- 
 ters from the Lieutenant that he had parted from 
 Takutski, by which he underftood that having been 
 furprifed by the Ice at the Entrance of the River 
 Gorbea, at about 450 Vverftes , or 108 French 
 Leagues, fhort of Tudomskakrefta, he had built long 
 and ftraight Sledges, upon which he had loaded tho 
 moft neceffary Baggage, and that he march'd on Foot 
 with his Detachment : The Captain judg'd it proper 
 to go meet his Lieutenant, taking with him, befides 
 his Attendants, fome of the Inhabitants of Ochotski ; 
 the Provifions were drawn by great Dogs, but at lait 
 the Lieutenant and his Troop arrived at Ochotski the 
 1 ft of January 1727 -, they had left the River of Gor- 
 bea the 4th of November before, and as they could 
 not carry a fufficient quantity of Provifions, they were 
 conftrainecj by -extremity of Hunger to eat the Flefli 
 of the dead Horfes ; and made ufe of all the Skins 
 they could find, after they had rubb'd them bare, to 
 cover their Body and to defend their Feet from the ex- 
 tremity of the Cold ; they were forced to leave their 
 Baggage in three different Places, being deftitute of 
 every thing in a Road intirely defart : All the Supply 
 they met with was only a few Meals which the Cap- 
 Vol, IV, F f uw 3 
 
434 ^e General History of 
 
 tain, by the dropping of fome Cattle who died of 
 Fatigue, was obliged to leave at Tudo??iskakrefia. 
 
 The Country about the Rivers Aldan and Maya 
 are inhabited by the fame Takutes who dwell upon 
 the Lena -, but another People, who are called Sea- 
 Tungufes, or, according to their Name in their own 
 Language, Lamukti, poffefs both fides of the River 
 Uudoma, and the Country around the Fort of Ocbo- 
 ta ; they have abundance of tame Rain-Deers, which 
 carry them, and furnifh them with both Food and 
 Clothing : Their Religion is the fame with that of the 
 Takutes. 
 
 The Captain, at the beginning of February, fent a 
 Lieutenant with ninety Men and fome Dogs to bring 
 upon Sledges the Baggage which had been left up- 
 on the Banks of the Tudoma : The Lieutenant re- 
 turned to Ocotski in April, but not having had Strength 
 enough to bring back all the Baggage, the Cap- 
 tain therefore ordered a fécond Detachment of twenty- 
 ïeven Men to Tudomska Rrefta, who returned to him 
 in May. 
 
 The Snow falls in this Country in fuch abundance 
 that it covers the Ground generally a Ruffian Fa- 
 thom deep, or five and an half French Feet, and 
 fometimes more-, fo that for three or four Months 
 one muft travel on foot, and draw ones Baggage 
 ones felf upon little Sledges, with not more upon 
 them than fifteen Pounds ; it was after this manner 
 that the Troop of the Lieutenant, upon leaving the 
 River Gorbea, travelled to Ochotski, and as it was in 
 "Winter thofe poor Travellers had no better way to 
 defend themfelves in the Night from the killing 
 Cold of that fevere Climate, or to fhelter themfelves 
 from the Wind, than by burying themfelves deep in 
 the Snow. 
 
 The 30th of June the Captain put on board a 
 Bark newly built, a Lieutenant with all the Baggage 
 and Tools, in order to crofs over from the Harbour 
 
 of 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &c. 435 
 
 of Ochotski Ofirog to the Mouth of the Bochaya or 
 Great River: This Lieutenant had Orders to fend 
 over to Kamtfchatka the Under-builder, and the Car- 
 penters of the Retinue, to cut Wood neceffary for 
 the building of a Ship, after which he was to re- 
 turn with all fpeed to the Captain : In the mean 
 while the Lieutenant, who had been left at Takutski, 
 arrived the 3d of July at Ochotski, bringing along ■ 
 with him, according to the Orders he had received 
 of the Captain, 2300 Puds of Meal. The Bark 
 which came back from the River of Bolchaya, and 
 another likewife which came in from the fame Place, 
 being loaded with the Provifions and the neceffary 
 Baggage, the Captain embarked the 21ft of Auguft 
 to pafs from Ochotski Oftrogto the abovementioned 
 River : He left a Pilot to take care of that Part of 
 the Provifions which was left in the Ice at the En- 
 trance of the River Gorbea, till he could fend back 
 his Provifions by the River Notora, which falls in- 
 to the Aldan, where he was to deliver them to the 
 Chancery of Takutski, taking a Receipt of this De- 
 livery ; after which the Pilot, and the Men left with 
 him, were to join the Captain at Kamtfchatka, flored 
 with fome Provifions, and loaded with Iron, Pitch, 
 and Tar, but they did not arrive till 1718. 
 
 The Captain being come to the Entrance of the 
 Bolchaya rerea, ordered his Baggage to Bolchayrecski 
 Ofirog, or the Town of fmall Barks upon the great 
 River : There are round the Fort which is in that 
 Place only fourteen fmall Ruffian Families, From 
 thence the heavy Baggage was carried up the River 
 an hundred and twenty Vverfies near to High Kam- 
 tfchatka, to get quite thither they made ufe of Sledges 
 drawn, according to the Cuflom of the Country, by 
 Dogs ; and after this manner they croffed the Coun- 
 try that lies between the River Bolfchaya and the 
 Kamtfchatka. During this March great care was ta- 
 ken to bury themfelves deep in the Snow in th? 
 F f 2 Night, 
 
436 Tfie General History of 
 
 Night, which by its Depth was their chief Defence : 
 There are in thefe Parts very violent Hurricanes, 
 which are called Purgi, and when Travellers are 
 caught on a fudden by them before they have time 
 to lodge themfelves under Shelter, they are in great 
 danger of being buried under the Snow. 
 
 High Kamtfchatka confifts but of feventeen Ruffian 
 Families, but in the Low there are fifty, and a little 
 further, where the Church Hands, there are fifteen : 
 This may be inferr'd from the manner of Expref- 
 fion ; and the Map fets down diftinclly three Towns, 
 High, Middle, and Lew Kamtfchatka: The Garri- 
 fons of thefe Ports did not at that time confift of 
 above a hundred and fifty Soldiers, and thefe are on- 
 ly placed there to raife the Taxes which are laid up- 
 on the Inhabitants: We paid thefe Inhabitants for 
 the Carriages they had furnifhed us with from Bol~ 
 fchayrecski Oflrog three hundred Puds weight of the 
 Fat of a Whale which had been call on Shore 
 the Autumn before, and a little Chinefi Tobacco, 
 which compleatly fatisfy'd thefe People, and per- 
 haps better than Mony would have done : On the 
 South of Kamtfchatka there is a Nation called Ku- 
 rile; on the North fide there are few among the 
 Kamtfchakdales to whom any Religion can be afcrib'd ; 
 there is but little difference among them all in their 
 Language. 
 
 The Ruffians eftablifh'd at Kamtfchatka have not, 
 any more than the Natives, either Corn or Cattle ; 
 they have every where Dogs, which they ufe in con- 
 veying any thing they pleafe from one Place to ano- 
 ther, and whofe Skins alfo afford them Clothing ; they 
 live upon Fifh, and in the Summer they have fome 
 Game, befides Carrots and Beans : However there is 
 fome Corn about the Convent of Pakutfiska, which is 
 no more than one Uverfte from the Church of Kamtf- 
 chatka ; there is like wife fome Hemp, and Radifhes, 
 and in the Plantations of the Ruffians, which are more 
 
 on 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, @rc. 437 
 
 on this fide the Fort, there are extraordinary 'Pur- 
 neps, half a dozen of which weigh one Pud. The 
 Captain brought to the above-mention'd Convent fome 
 Rye and Oats, which Corn was fown during his 
 Stay in the Country, but he never faw the Produce 
 of it ; befides its freezing very early in this Country, 
 dunging the Ground is a thing unknown there, and 
 the whole Tillage of it muft be perform'd by Men, 
 becaufe they have no Cattle : The People, who are 
 fubject to Rt(Jfia> pay their Tribute in Furs. 
 
 The Cuftoms of thefe People are very barbarous ; 
 if a Mother is brought to bed of two Children the 
 Cuflom is to ftifle one of them as foon as it is born, 
 and the keeping it alive would be accounted a Crime ; 
 another Cuftom, at lead as barbarous, is this, when a 
 Father or Mother falls fick, altho* all SicknefTes are 
 not mortal, yet the fick Perfon is carried into a neigh- 
 bouring Foreft, as well in Winter as Summer, where 
 he is left with Provifion indeed for a few Days, but 
 it feems hard for any of them to recover -, there are 
 fome of them who leave their Houfe if any one hap- 
 pens to die in it ; they don't bury their Dead, they 
 only juft draw them into the Woods, where their 
 Bodies are devour'd by the Dogs : The Kurdes burn 
 their Dead, and it hath been forbidden hitherto to no 
 purpofè. 
 
 The Captain, being come down to Low Kamtfchatka^ 
 found the neceffary Timber, which had been drawn 
 thither by Dogs for the building of a Ship, almoft 
 ready : The Ship was put upon the Stocks the 
 4th of April 1728, and finifhed the ioth of July : As 
 there was no Pitch and Tar, the want of it was fup- 
 plied by burning a certain Wood call'd Lifnifchnik y 
 and extracting its Juice, which was till then unknown 
 to the Inhabitants of this Country : There was made a 
 kind of Aqua Vitse for the intended Sea- Voyage, and 
 Salt of the Sea- Water ; the Provifions confifted of 
 Carrots for want of Corn, the Fat of Fifh uncured 
 
 F f 3 ferved 
 
8 The General History of 
 
 ferved inftead of Butter, and Salt-Fiih fupplied the 
 place of all other Meats : The Ship was loaded with 
 fo great a quantity of this kind of Provifion as might 
 be fufficient to maintain forty Men for a whole Year. 
 
 The 14th of July we got out of the River of 
 Kamtfchc.tka, that we might fully comply with the 
 Orders of the Court of Ruf/ia, and the Inftructions 
 of the Czar, Peter the Great, figned by his own Hand. 
 
 On the 8th of Augufi wc found our felves in 
 64 Degrees and 30 Minutes of Latitude, and pre- 
 fently eight Men got into a Leather Bark, quitted the 
 Shore and made towards the Ship -, they inquired 
 whence it came, and for what Intent ; after which 
 they inform'd us that they were Tzuktfchi, which is 
 the Name of a Nation that hath been a pretty while 
 known to the Ruffians, and who indeed inhabit this 
 Quarter : Thefe Tzuktfchis were fpoke with feveral 
 times, and at laft one of them was fent off, who 
 came to the Ship floating upon the Skins of the Sea- 
 Dog -, but a Moment afterwards the others alfo came 
 up -, they told us that the Sea-fhore was full of little 
 Towns of their Nation, and inform'd us that the 
 Terra firma extended towards the Weft : They fhew'd 
 us likewife an Ifland which was not far off, and 
 which appear'd plainly as we went from thence, but 
 we did not fee any one upon this Ifland, although 
 there appeared fome Houfes -, we gave it the Name of 
 St. Laurence, becaufe this Day was the Feflival of this 
 Saint, which is on the 10th of Augufi. 
 
 On the 1 5th of the fame Month the Latitude was 
 found to be 67 Degrees, 18 Minutes ; this was the 
 Ne plus ultra of Captain Beerings, who thought he 
 had fufHciently executed his Commiflion, and ful- 
 filled the Orders he had receiv'd ; efpecially, as he 
 could not perceive that the Land kept the fame Courfe 
 to the North, and was alfo apprehenfive that in going 
 further, if he fhould be overtaken by any contrary 
 Wind, it would be impoffiblc for him to return to 
 
 Kamt- 
 
China, Chinese-Tart ary, &c. 439 
 
 Kamtfchatka before the end of the Summer, and, alas! 
 how could he think of wintering in fuch a Climate, 
 in danger of falling among People who were never 
 under any Government, and who have only the Figure 
 of Men ; the whole fide of the Land, from the Place 
 of his departure from Kamtfchatka, had appeared like 
 a Wall by a continued ridge of Mountains covered 
 with Snow. 
 
 On the 20th of Angitft on his Return there came 
 about forty People towards the Ship in four Canoes, 
 they were Tzuktfchi as well as thofe we before fpoke 
 of; they brought us fome Meat, Fifh, and frefh Water ; 
 they brought alfo fifteen Pieces of Furs ; they had two 
 forts, one of which was that of a white Fox ; they 
 had befides four Teeth of a Sea-horfe ; the Captain's 
 Servants had them all for Pins, and Steel to ftrikc 
 Fire with : Thefe Savages inform'd us that their 
 Countrymen went towards the River of Kohlima, which 
 falls into the frozen Sea at the Eaft of the Lena, with 
 Commodities drawn by Rain-Deer -, and that they 
 always went by Land and not by Sea: The Ruffians 
 have been long known to them, and one of them par- 
 ticularly had travell'd to the Fort of Anaàirjhi, 
 
 On the 7th of September we return'd to the Mouth 
 of the Kamtfchatka, and winter'd at Lew Kamtfchatka* 
 The 5th of June 1729, the Ship being in a Con- 
 dition to go to Sea again, the Captain went out of 
 the Mouth of the Kamtfchatka, making his Courfe to 
 the Eaft, and this upon the Information the Inhabi- 
 tants of Kamtfchatka had given him -, that when the 
 Weather was clear and fair one might at Sea difcover 
 Land : But, altho' we at nrfl made more than two 
 hundred Vverjies right forwards in an open Sea, no 
 Land appeared -, for which reafon the Courfe was al- 
 ter'd, and directed South on the fide of Schatzik, (the 
 Narrative does not tell us what it is) in order to 
 double the Point of Bolfchay recki, that is of the Con- 
 tinent of Kamtfchatka, of which we had no Know- 
 
 F f 4 lec ! 
 
77:e General History of 
 
 ledge before that which is here given of it : In the" 
 Courfe of this Voyage there was deliver'd to the Go- 
 vernors of Kamtfcbatka and Bolfchayrecski eight hun- 
 dred Puds weight of Meal or Oatmeal, and dry'd 
 fait Meat. 
 
 From the Mouth of Bolfchay they crofs'd the Sea 
 to the Mouth of the Ochota, where they arrived the 
 23d of July : The Ship, and all that belong'd to it, 
 was deliver'd to the Governor of that Fort that is in 
 that Place -, after which the Captain took the Road to 
 Sudoneska krefta, upon Horfes, which he hired for that 
 Journey ; after this he made ufe of flat-bottom'd 
 Boats to go down the Rivers of Maya and Aldan , 
 quite to the Entrance of the Belaya, where he took 
 Horfe to get to Takutski : This whole Journey from 
 Ochotski was made from the 23d of July to the 3d of 
 September : From 'Takutski he got on board two flat- 
 bottom'd Barks to go up the River Lena, which was 
 perform'd by the firft of Oclober. He was obliged 
 to flop at the Village of Peledun, where the Ice be- 
 gan to hinder failing. 
 
 The Snow falling, and the River Lena being froze, 
 on the 2d of Oclober he fet forward for Himski, and 
 from thence to Tenifeiski : On this Road there are 
 Villages and Houfes of the Ruffians : From Tenifeiski 
 he took a different way from that he travelled when 
 he went out, and came to the City of Tomski by the 
 River Tfchulim, meeting in the Road with Villages of 
 Ruffians or Tartars newly converted : There were 
 alfo fome of them between Tomski and Tfcbeuski, which 
 is higher up the Obi : From Tfcheuski he took the 
 Roâd by the Defarts of Barabut, at the going out of 
 which he crofs'd the River Iriifib ; from whence quite 
 to Tobolsk there were Villages of Ruffians, or, to fpeak 
 more properly, almoft all Tartars: On the 10th of 
 January 1730, he arriv'd at the Metropolis of Sibe- 
 ria.', on the 25th of the fame Month he let out for 
 Peler sburgh by the fame Road he went, and enter*d 
 it the 1 it Day of March. 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &*c. 441 
 
 Geographical and Hifiorical Ob/èrvations upon 
 the Map of Thibet, containing the 
 territories of the Grand Lama, and the 
 neighbouring Countries which are fubjefl to 
 him, as high as the Source of the Ganges. 
 
 A S there are feveral Particulars relating to finbet 
 •^ inlerted in the Account I have given of Tartary, 
 wherein I have taken notice of the Manners and Cu- 
 floms of thefe People, their Way of living, their 
 Form of Government, their Religious Worfhip ; the 
 Sovereign Power of the Grand Lama, who is re- 
 verenced as a God, and who is the Chief of all the 
 other Lama's, to whom the utmoft Refpecl is paid, 
 and whole Words are fo many Oracles which deceive 
 a ftupid and credulous People ; all that is further ne- 
 celTary is to give an Account of the Method that has 
 been taken for the drawing the Map of this vaft 
 Country, which hitherto hath been fo little known 
 even to the mod able Geographers. 
 
 About thirty Years ago there happened a Divifion 
 among the Lamas of Thibet ; one fide had taken the 
 yellow Hat to exprefs their Attachment to the Family 
 of Tai tfing, which at this time reigns in China ; the 
 other adher'd to the red Hat, which is the Colour 
 that the Grand Lama hath always made ufe of, who 
 hath ever lived in an intire Indépendance of the 
 Chinefe Emperors : The late Emperor Gang hi fent a 
 Lord of his Court to Thibet to endeavour to reunite 
 them, and fix them in his Interefts : This Lord took 
 along with him fome of his own Tribunal, and during 
 the two Years Stay he made in the Kingdom of Thi- 
 bet he employ'd them in making a Map of all the 
 Countries, which are immediately under the Dominion 
 of the Grand Lama : In the Year 1 7 1 1 this Map 
 
 was 
 
Tûe General History, of 
 
 was laid before Pere Regis, in order to have it brought 
 into the fame Form with the Maps that had been made 
 of the Provinces of China; but after he had examined 
 it, and ask'd thofe who drew it feveral Queftions, he 
 declin'd undertaking the Work ; what deterr'd him 
 was that he found no hx'd Point in it, and that the 
 Diftance of Places was not fet down according to 
 Meafure, but only by the Computation of the People 
 of the Country : However this Map, with all its de- 
 fects, difcover'd the Country to be of much greater 
 Extent, and fuller of Particulars worth our notice 
 than our very belt Maps of Afia had done, which 
 fet down but very few things, and enter not at all 
 into Particulars. 
 
 The Emperor having been inform'd that the Map 
 brought from Thibet could only have pointed out fome 
 Towns and Rivers, which were in that vafl Extent of 
 Country, refolv'd to have a more exact one made, 
 and one that might fatisfy him ; for this purpofe he 
 made choice of two Lamas, who had learn'd Geome- 
 try and Arithmetic in a Mathematical Academy 
 eftablifh'd under the Protection of his third Son : He 
 order'd them to make their Map from Si ning in the 
 Province of Chen fi to Lafa the Reiidence of the 
 Grand Lama, and from thence to the Source of the 
 Ganges ; fome of the Water of which River they 
 were order'd to bring him ; and this is what they in 
 effect executed : In the Year 1 7 1 7 this Map was, by 
 the Emperor's direction, put into the hands of the 
 Geographical Mifîionaries for their Examination ; they 
 found it beyond all comparifon better than that laid 
 before them in 1 7 1 1 ; and tho' it appear'd to them 
 by no means free from Faults, yet out of regard to 
 the School which thefe Lamas were of they at that 
 time did no more than correct the grolTelt Miftakes, 
 and fuch as would offend the Emperor's Sight, and 
 even left Lafa under the 30th Degree of Latitude, 
 where the Lamas had plac'd it, preferring the actual 
 Meafure which thefe Lamas had us'd to Aftronomi- 
 
 cal 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &*c. 443 
 
 cal Obfervation -, yet afterwards the Miffionaries 
 thought that by refettling this important Point, and 
 upon which almoftall the other depend, according to 
 its true Latitude -, by making ufe of the number of 
 Cbinefe Furlongs, which they have taken the meafure 
 of i by joining together feveral Itineraries from the 
 Town of Si ning in the Province of Chen fi, from 
 Ta kien leou in Se tchuen, and from Li kiang tou fou 
 in Tun nan to Lafa+ which make the South- well, Weft, 
 and North-weft Roads ; laftly, by making a good ufe 
 of the Informations, which hadbeen communicated to 
 them by Men of Understanding, who have made 
 thefe Roads better known than ever, fince the War that 
 hath been of late Years ; from thefe Materials I fay, 
 the Miffionaries thought themfelves enabled to make 
 a Map of the whole Country of Thibet, which for its 
 Correctnefs might deferve the Approbation of the 
 Publick, fince there is no other Map wherein any 
 particular Account of the Towns, Mountains and 
 Rivers of this Country were to be met with. 
 
 The Kingdom of Thibet is calPd alfo Barantola ; 
 this is a Name that different Tartar Nations give to all 
 thofe Countries, that lie between the great River 
 Ta long, and the Source of the Ganges, and which 
 include more than twenty Degrees from Eaft to Weft, 
 and more than eight from North to South : The In- 
 habitants of Cachemire, and the Towns fituated on 
 the other fide the Ganges, call'd it Bouton or Boat an ; 
 the Chinefe call it Tjan, and Tfan li, becaufe the 
 People who inhabit this Country call the River that 
 runs crofs it Tan pu ; both the one and the other fre- 
 quently call it Laja, becaufe the Pagod, where the 
 Grand Lama refides, is in the Country of Lafa, and 
 becaufe it is the chief Province of all Thibet, moft 
 populous, and the belt for every Accommodation of 
 Life which is to be found in it, and for the delight- 
 ful Sight of a great number of Lamas and Pilgrims. 
 
 In the Account which the great Lord I mention'd 
 gave the Emperor, he did not conceal an infamous 
 
 Cuftom . 
 
The General History of 
 
 Cuftom which prevails in that Country, according 
 to which a "Woman may have feveral Husbands ; 
 moft commonly of the fame Family, nay, Brothers ; 
 the Children are difpos'd of among them after this 
 manner ; the Firft-born belongs to the eldeft, and 
 thofe which are born afterwards to the younger ; when 
 the Lamas are tax'd with this fhameful piece of Lewd- 
 nefs, they offer in excufe the fcarcity of Women 
 which are in Thibet, as well as in Tartary, where in 
 reality in every Family there are more Males than 
 Females ; but this is a frivolous Excufe, which only 
 helps to eftablifh the Crime, and which is fufficiently 
 refuted by the Behaviour of the Tartars, who do not 
 allow of the fame Irregularity. 
 
 Since the War the Thibetians have had with the 
 Elutb Tartars, there is no very certain account to be 
 given of their prefent Form of Government -, before 
 tliefe Troubles the Grand Lama was Mailer of all Thi- 
 bet ; but as by profefiion he is never to concern himfelf 
 with wordly Affairs, he therefore makes choice of 
 fome Native, to whom he gives the name of Tip a, 
 with a Power of governing the People in his Name ; 
 this Tipa wears the Habit of a Lama, tho' he is under 
 no Obligation to obferve the Rules of the Order ; 
 thefe Rules are both fevere and numerous ; no one 
 Lama undertakes to obièrve them all, but they divide 
 the Load among them -, one is oblig'd to the obfervance 
 of one particular Precept, and another to the Practice 
 of another, and fo of the reft ; yet have they fome 
 common Prayers which they fing in a manner 
 agreeable enough ; they are all oblig'd to renounce the 
 Pomps of the World, to live unmarried, and not to 
 carry on any Trade. 
 
 The Grand Lama docs not live in the City, but 
 near it, in one of the fineft of the Pagods, which' 
 are very numerous upon the Mountain .Poutala : He 
 is plac'd upon a fort of Altar, fitting with his Legs 
 ncrofs upon a large and magnificent Cufhion : In this 
 Pofture he receives the Refpects, or rather Adorati- 
 ons, 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &c. 44.5 
 
 ons, not only of the People of the Country, but of a 
 furprifing multitude of Strangers, who undertake long 
 and painful Journeys to offer him their Homage up- 
 on their Knees, and to receive his Blefling : A great 
 number of thefe Pilgrims come from IndouJian x who 
 take a great deal of pains to reprefent their Merit to 
 the Grand Lama, by relating and exaggerating al- 
 moft every Day the Trouble and Fatigue they have 
 undergone on the Road from India to Lafa : Next 
 to the Tbibetians the 'Tartars are moil affiduous in 
 paying their Duty to the Grand Lama, of whom 
 fome come to Lafa from the moft diftant Countries ; 
 at the time the Army of the Eluthians invaded Thi- 
 bet, there was at Lafa a Tartarian Princefs with her 
 Son, who dwelt to the North of the Cafpian-Sea^ 
 between Aflracan, Saracot, and the River J auk : Her 
 fon was Nephew to Ayuki ban of the Tourgours Tar- 
 tars -, this Princefs applied to the Emperor, who af- 
 ter he had maintain'd her at his own Expence, and 
 given her fome Territories in Tartary, obtained for 
 her the Permiflion of a free Paflage through Siberia, 
 and ordered fome of his Subjects to efcort her to her 
 own Country. 
 
 Princes are no more exempt from thefe debafing 
 Ceremonies than the meaneft of the People, nor have 
 they more Refpect fhewn them by the Grand Lama : 
 He never returns any Salute, never pulls off his Hat, 
 nor ever gets off his Seat for any one whatfoever ; he 
 only puts his Hand upon the Head of his Adorers, 
 who believe that by this means they receive Remif- 
 fion of their Sins. The Lama who made the Map, 
 being ask'd how he, who bore the Character of Kin 
 tchai, that is Envoy of the Emperor, had been treat- 
 ed by the Grand Lama, evaded the Difficulty, and 
 gave only this Anfwer ; That the Grand Lama did 
 not kneel down, as the Tartarian Princes themfelves 
 are ufed to do, when they inquire after the Emperor's 
 Health ; that he only made a fmall Motion upon his 
 Cuihion, refting upon one Hand, as if he intended to 
 get off his Seat. The 
 
44-6 The General History of 
 
 The high Opinion, which both Princes and com- 
 mon People of this large Country have of the Power 
 and Holinefs of the Grand Lama, makes them rea- 
 dily fubmit to all thefe fervile Rites ', they are per- 
 fuaded that Fo lives in him, that he knows all things, 
 fees all things, and underflands the Secrets of the 
 Heart, without asking any Queftions, or receiving 
 any Informations ; and if at any time he does it, it 
 is only for Form fake, that he may leave the Infidel 
 and Ill-defigning no room to complain -, that he is 
 Immortal, and that when he feems to die he only 
 changes his Abode, being born again in an intire 
 new Body -, that all that is to be done then is to make 
 Inquiry what Place he hath pleafed to take this new 
 Birth in, and that he never fails making fome Difco- 
 very of it : How happy is the Country in which he 
 is found ! The Tartarian Princes themfelves go fome- 
 times upon this Search^ yet after all they are obliged 
 to refer it to certain Lamas, who alone underftand 
 the Marks by which he may be known, or rather 
 who alone are acquainted who the Child is, that the 
 preceding Grand Lama hath appointed to be his Suc- 
 ceflbr. 
 
 Thus does Superflition blind the Eyes of fo many 
 fine Genius's of the Eaftern Part of the World, who 
 are in other refpects very dextrous in the manage- 
 ment of Affairs, and no lefs mindful of their Inte- 
 refl ; they feem not to perceive the grofs Artifices of 
 their Teachers, and even when any Doubt arifes in 
 their Minds, they are too much delighted with their 
 Errors to be willing to be undeceived : The wondrous 
 things which are afcribed to the Lamas, and fome fur- 
 prifing ones which they fometimes do, do not a lit- 
 tle contribute to the keeping up fo flupid, and yet 
 fo general a Superflition, although the Stories that 
 are told of them are not more extraordinary than 
 what are related of fome European Magicians ; and 
 befides the Grand Lama, who is the Head of their 
 Religion, and Sovereign of Thibet, there arc other 
 
 Princes 
 
Ch i n a, Chines e-Ta r t ar y, &c. 447 
 
 Princes in the Country, if they at all deferve that 
 Title, who have Cities and a pretty many Subjects 
 under them -, they wear the Habit of a Lama, and are 
 call'd the Chief Officers of the Grand Lama, though 
 in reality they are fubject to him no further than they 
 pleafe: In many Places, which are almoft all fetdown 
 In the Map, there are large Pagods, wherein the 
 Lamas of greateft diftinction dwell : Of their diffe- 
 rent Titles of Honour, that of Houtoullou is one of 
 the higheft, and is given to thofe only who pafs for 
 fo many lefler immortal Foes : Thefe Houtouhous are 
 not however oblig'd to dwell always in thefe Places, 
 but have the liberty of fettling in any Country that is 
 mod agreeable to them -, they are not confin'd to Thibet , 
 but are to be met with alfo in the neighbouring 
 Kingdoms, and feveral Places of Tartary. 
 
 The Dignity of Lama is not confin'd to the Inha- 
 bitants of Thibet, other Nations may arrive at it, and 
 there are Tartars and Chinefe too who are ambitious of 
 this Honour, and who refort to Lafa to obtain it ; 
 they who gain admiffion into the Rank of Difciples 
 of the Grand Lama, who are not to be more than 
 two hundred, look upon it as a real and great Hap- 
 pinefs : From among thefe the Inferior Grand Lamas 
 are chofe -, the Houtouhous alfo, (how great foever 
 the Marks of the imaginary Prefence of Fo are) are 
 not acknowledged as fuch, at leaft till they have been 
 a certain time in the School of the Grand Lama ; but 
 they are no fooner made Houtouhous, than they live 
 in Honour and Plenty by the quantity of Prefents 
 that are made them by a Crowd of Worfhippers, who 
 come to them from all the neighbouring Countries : 
 Among thefe Tartar Lamas who dwell in Thibet, 
 the richeft and moft confiderable are thofè whom the 
 Chinefe call Mongfan; they are Matters of a large 
 Territory North of Likiang tou fou, between the fine 
 Rivers of Kin cha kiang and Vou leang ho ; Oufanguei, 
 whom the Mantcheov.x Tartars made King of Tun nan 
 after they had conquer'd China, yielded them up this 
 
 Territory 
 
48 2^? General History of 
 
 Territory to engage them in his Interests, and by 
 their means to attach firmly to him all the Lamas of 
 Thibet. 
 
 The Language of Thibet is quite different from 
 that both of the Mongous and Mantcheoux Tartars ; 
 it is very near the fame with that of the People 
 call'd Si fan, and differs from it only in fome Words 
 and Pronunciations ; the Country of the Si fan bor- 
 ders upon three Provinces of China, viz. Chen Ji, 
 Se tchuen, and Tun nan, from the 35th Degree of 
 North Latitude to the 30th, and reaches on the Weft 
 to the River Talong Hang, as the Chine fe call it ; 
 this Agreement in Language is the reafon why the 
 Chine fe, notwithstanding the Difference in their Form 
 of Government, in their Manner of living, and in 
 their Drefs, include under the Name of Si fan not 
 only thefe People, who border upon them, but all the 
 People of Thibet ; and fometimes they extend it, as 
 may be feen in their Writings, to all the Nations 
 Weft of their Empire -, for this reafon the Language 
 and Characters of Thibet are frequently calfd by the 
 Chinefe, Si fan hoa, the Language of the Si fan -, Si 
 fan tfe, the Characters of the Si fan : Their Characters 
 are alfo called the Tangouth Characters -, and it is 
 common with the Tartars by this Expreffion Tan- 
 gouth Gergen, to mean the Characters of Thibet ; 
 however it is probable that the Name Tangouth, 
 which is to be met with in our Maps of Afia, is a 
 Name common to all thofe Countreys from the Ter- 
 ritories of the Kokonor Tartars, which lie contiguous 
 to the Territories of Swing a City of the Province 
 of Chen ft, ftretching thence South-weft to the Source 
 of the Ganges, and that in this Senfe it not only in- 
 cludes Thibet, but thofe large Plains alfo, and all the 
 Defarts that lie to the North and Weft of it, which 
 we find in the Map bounded by Chains of Moun- 
 tains : There are alfo upon thefe Plains fome Tents of 
 Tartars, with their Herds of Cattle, who are at 
 this time Vaifals of the King of the Eluths, who is 
 
 called 
 
China, Chines e-Ta r t a r y, &c- 449 
 
 called Tfe vang raptan : It is alio poffible ( for Tar- 
 tary is the Country of Invafions and fudden Revolu- 
 tions) that heretofore thefe Tartars were more nu- 
 merous, that they fpoke the Language of Thibet, and 
 had the command over their Neighbours ; at leaft it 
 appears by the Travels of the Fathers D'Orville and 
 Greber, in the Year 1661, that there was among 
 thefe Tartars a Monarchical Form of Government ° s 
 that they had a King, a Court, and Ofncers, whofe 
 Drefs and Behaviour they give a Defcription of -, fo 
 that, according to them, Tangouth feem'd to be a 
 powerful Kingdom, including within it feveral other 
 Kingdoms, and amongft them Barantola : Whatever 
 may have been the antient Condition of Tangouth, it 
 is certain that between Thibet and the Country of the 
 Tourfan, and other fmall Towns that are fubjeel: to 
 Tfe vang rapt an, there is not now any Kingdom that 
 hath Towns in it ; that there is nothing to be met 
 with but Herds of Tartars under their Chiefs or Petty 
 Princes, who' live upon their Cattle, and who are 
 not very numerous, but firmly attached to the In- 
 terefts of the Grand Lama their Neighbour. 
 
 Thibet hath not always, as to its Temporal Go- 
 vernment, been fubjeel to the Grand Lama ; at the 
 beginning of the lafl Age it had a King -, and the 
 Territories under the Dominion of the Grand Lama 
 were then only a certain, and not very large Di- 
 ftrict: There are Letters extant of Pere Andrada, 
 who in 1624 travelled from Agra, a City of Mogol y 
 to Chaparangue, and having difcovered the Source of 
 the Ganges came to Thibet with an Intent to preach 
 the Gofpel there ; by thefe Letters it appears that the 
 King had entertained fo great an Efteem and Love 
 for the Chriftian Religion, that he ferioufly intended 
 to embrace it -, this obliged the Miffionary to return 
 with all fpeed to the Indies, in order to bring thence 
 fome Companions who might affift him in thefe Apo- 
 flolical Labours :, In the mean time the Grand Lama 
 having obferv'd that the King was alter'd in his 
 
 Vol. IV. G g Re~ 
 
4.50 The General History of 
 
 Refpects to him, and that he was not fo confiant in 
 paying him the ufual Homage, complained loudly of 
 it ; thefe Complaints produced an Infurreftion of 
 fome Tartarian Princes, who, after they had intire- 
 iy defeated the Army of this Prince in a Battle, put 
 him to death. 
 
 The Tartars relate this Affair pretty much after 
 the fame manner : The Grand Lama, fay they, juft- 
 ]y provoked at the King, by whom he began to be 
 flighted, called to his Affiftance the Tartars of Koko- 
 ncr 9 his Neighbours, a Nation fo ftrongly poffefs'd 
 with the Notion of the Prcfence of Fo in the Grand 
 Lama, that they firmly believe that his whole Divi- 
 nity dwells in him bodily, and that confequently he 
 deferves an abfolute Obedience : Prince Couchi han, 
 with the AfTiflance of Hong tai ki, and other Princes 
 of his Family, immediately enter'd Thibet with a 
 great Army, attack' d King Tfampa, and after fome 
 Engagements defeated him in a general Battle, and 
 having taken him Prifoner, focn after put him to death : 
 It is to this Prince that the Grand Lama owes the 
 Sovereignty of Thibet ; for he was contented, as the 
 Fruit of his Victory, with being his Vaffal, and re- 
 ceiving from his Hand the Title of Han, which he 
 had not before, and which is the highefl Title that the 
 Ambition of the Tartars can aim at. 
 
 This new Han, in obedience to the Orders of the 
 Grand Lama, fettled with all his People in the 
 Neighbourhood of Lafa, in order to fècure to the 
 Grand Lama the Conquefl he had made, and to pro- 
 tect him from all thofe who would diflurb him in 
 his new Dominion : This Sovereign Power, added to 
 the Spiritual he had before, hath contributed very 
 much to the increafing the Veneration which thefe 
 People have for this Idol : The Son and Succeffor of 
 Couchi ban did not defire to return into a Country 
 that his Father had abandon'd, and continued to pro- 
 tect the Grand Lama with all his Forces. 
 
 It 
 
China, Chinese-Tartar*-, &c. 45? 
 
 It was the Grandfon of Couchi ban, called 'Talat 
 ban, whom 7fe vang raptan hath been at War with; 
 his View was, as he fa id, to reduce the Lamas to the 
 antient Footing of Dependence upon the Goodneis 
 and Power of the Princes of the Country : He que- 
 ftion'd alfo the Quality of the Grand Lama, al- 
 ledging that he was a falfe Lama : Though Talai 
 had prefently got together an Army of twenty 
 thoufand Men, bcfides fome Companies of foreign 
 Tartars whom he had incorporated into his Troops, 
 he was defeated and kill'd in an Engagement with 
 the Army of Tfe vang raptan, which was only be- 
 tween five and fix thoufand Men, but was under the 
 Command of a great General, and his Relation : 
 The Country of La/a was ravag'd, the Towns ta- 
 ken as foon as befieg'd, and the Pagods intirely 
 plunder'd ; even that of the Grand Lama did not 
 efcape, wherein there were found immenfe Riches, 
 which had been for many Years heaping up ; all 
 the Lamas which could be met with were put into 
 Bags, and laid upon Camels, in order to trarifport 
 them into Tartary. 
 
 The Lamas who made the Map narrowly cfcap s d 
 being taken, and without doubt, if they had, they 
 would have met with no better Treatment than the 
 reft, becaufe they were of the Yellow Plats, who 
 had forlbok the Protection of the Princes of the 
 Country : This Hat is made of, gold TifTue, with 
 Leaves of Gold laid upon a fort of Varnifh, which 
 makes it ftifF, and hard to bend : Our Geographical 
 Lamas, upon the firft Rumour of the March of the 
 Troops of Tfe vang raptan, haften'd the finifhing 
 their Work, and indeed they were hardly return'd 
 from the Source of the Ganges before the Enemy's 
 Army enter'd 'Thibet, which oblig'd them to get a- 
 way as fafb as pofiible : If this had not happened 
 they would have been able to have gone further ; 
 but they could only make the Map of the Source of 
 the Ganges, and the Countries around it, from the 
 
 G g 2 Ac- 
 
45 2 The General History of 
 
 Account of the Lamas who dwelt in the neighbouring 
 Pagods, and from the Memoirs they found at the 
 Grand Lama's at Lafa : But they were fhort in one ef- 
 fential Point, which was in not taking the Latitude 
 near the Mountain Kentaiffe, or as the Cbinefe call it 
 Kan te chan (for they extend that Name to the whole 
 Chain of Mountains which goes to the Weft) or at 
 leaft in the Pagod where they refided, in order to 
 their being informed of the Courfe of the G* 
 which iffues out from the Weft of this Mountain, 
 whilft the Tfanpou, whofe Courfe they follow'd and 
 meafur'd, flows from the Eaft towards Lafa : This 
 made the Jefuits of China conclude, that the Lati- 
 tude of this Point, which hath no other Support 
 than thefe Meafures, flood in need of fome Observa- 
 tion which might help to fix intirely the Point of 
 Kentaiffe: They were of opinion that the Part in- 
 cluded between Kafhgar and the Cafpian-Sea, hath 
 been very fuperficially defcribed ; and that in order 
 to add it to their Maps with fome degree of Particu- 
 larity and Exactnefs, fuch as might, if not quite, yet 
 come up pretty near thefe Maps, it would be proper 
 that it fhould be run over again by fome Perfon who 
 might be able to join together all the Draughts of it, 
 which it is much eafier to have in Europe than China, 
 and better than the Eaftern Geographers and Hifto- 
 rians can furnifli upon this Subject. 
 
 M. d'Anville, Geographer in ordinary to the King, 
 who from the particular Maps drawn by the Jefuit 
 Miffionaries of China , hath made the General Maps 
 contain'd in this Work, voluntarily undertook to ac- 
 complifh their Defign, being beforehand of opinion 
 that this Part was capable of being amended ; of 
 which he was the more convinced by the great num- 
 ber of Maps that thefe Fathers put into his Hands : 
 Befides, this Part]! of ïarlary feem'd to him to deferve 
 a more exact and particular Examination, becaufe it 
 bears a greater Share than any other in what we at 
 prefent have of Hiftory relating to Tartary ; for this 
 
 rea- 
 
China, Chines e-Tar tar y, &c. 453 
 
 reafon M..d'Anville hath taken a great deal of pains 
 about it, and hath been pleas'd to give me an Account 
 of his Work in a fhort Memoir, which I think my- 
 felf obliged to communicate to the Publick. 
 
 This Country, fays M.- d'Anville in the Hiftories 
 of the Mahometans, is known by the Name of Mav- 
 ver annahr, which fignifies the fame as Trans Oziane, 
 the Name in common Ufe : It is alio called Zagathai, 
 becaufe it was allotted to one of the Sons of the 
 Mogul, Zingkiskan the Conqueror, who bore that 
 Name : It is at this time laid afide for that of ano- 
 ther Tartarian Prince, who hath given his own 
 Name Usbek to one Part of the Tartars, and the 
 Country that is under their Dominion : It is alio actu- 
 ally called Boùkbâria the Great, to diftinguifh it from 
 the Lejjer which lies towards Kajhgar and Terghien ; 
 this Name Boukbdria denotes particularly the Country 
 and the People where the Boukbdria» Tartars fettled, 
 upon the driving out the Nomades who were fcatter'd 
 over and had the Dominion in the two Boukbdria' s . 
 M. d'Anville could not place all thefe different Names, 
 (each of which hath its particular Ufe) in the Repre- 
 sentation of the Country to which they belong, for 
 fear of occafioning fome Diforder and Confufion in 
 the Geographical and Effential Circumftances of this 
 Country, as it is reprefented by way of Supplement in 
 the general Map. 
 
 As all the Parts of that General Map are done 
 from the particular Maps, This Part likewife was 
 taken from a more particular Map or Draught 
 which Mr. d'Anville had made in order to fix the Situ- 
 ation of Places with more Exactnefs, wherein he had 
 allowed 15 Lines to each Degree of Latitude, where- 
 as he allowed but 5 Lines in the Reduction of the 
 General Map. 
 
 It may not perhaps at firft View be imagin'd that 
 M. d'Anville could receive more Affiftance and Cer- 
 tainty for the fixing the Pofition of this Country, by con- 
 fidering its diftance from Paris, than from Peking^ but 
 Vol. IV. G g 3 it 
 
454- 7>&£ General His tory ^f 
 
 it is really fo : By the Analyfis of feveral Meafures con- 
 tinued without Interruption from Paris to Aftracan^ 
 M. d'Anville concluded that the difference of Longi- 
 tude between Paris and Aftracan muft be 48 Degrees, 
 and about $5 Minutes; but this difference of Longi- 
 tude, according to him, cannot be fo much, unlefs his 
 Hypothecs of the Earth's growing narrower upon its 
 Parallels be admitted, which leffens the Extenfion al- 
 lowed by the Graduation of the Longitude a thir- 
 tieth part : For, according to this Extenfion of Gra- 
 duation, the diftance between Paris and Aftracan can- 
 not be more than 47 Degrees, and about 18 Minutes: 
 If Aftracan did not differ in Longitude, with refpedt 
 to the Meridian of the Obfervatory at Paris, more 
 than 47 Degrees, and lefs than 20 Minutes, the diffe- 
 rence of the Longitude between Aftracan and Peking 
 muft be fomewhat more than 66 Degrees and an half, 
 fince Peking differs from Paris 113 Degrees 51 Mi- 
 nutes, and 30 Seconds according to the immediate 
 Obfervation of Father Gauhil, which hath alfo brought 
 the Meridian of Peking nearer by 25 Minutes of a 
 Degree on the foregoing Determination. 
 
 M. d'Anvffle, perfuaded that he iliould not allow 
 of fo great a difference in Longitude between Aftracan 
 and Peking, cannot think that it mould contain ïo 
 great an Extenfion in the ordinary Graduation of Lon- 
 gitude, as there is between about 5 Minutes lefs than 
 48 Degrees, according to the Longitude he gives to 
 Aftracan, and 113 Degrees, 51 Minutes and a half, 
 the Longitude according to Obfervation at Peking, 
 which is the diftance of 64 Degrees, 56 Minutes and 
 a half: And if it be true, as he is perfuaded, that 
 the Degrees of Longitude are in reality a thirtieth 
 part lefs in Extenfion, than is fuppofed in the ordi- 
 nary Graduation, it follows that thefe 64 Degrees, 
 56 Minutes and an half, take up no more Space or 
 Extenfion than 61 Degrees, 46 Minutes and an half, 
 or thereabouts of Graduation in the common way of 
 reckoning: Now M. d\ not thinking it pro- 
 
 per 
 
China, Chines e-Ta rtary, &c- 45 5 
 
 per to make the general Map we are fpeaking of, 
 upon any other fort of Graduation but the common, 
 which is that made ufe of in the particular Maps of 
 China , hence it is that Aftracan appears on the iore- 
 mention'd general Map in the laft difference of weftern 
 Longitude, with regard to the Meridian of Peking. 
 
 However, if the diftance between Aftracan and 
 Peking was no more than 62 Degrees, 46 Minutes 
 and an half, the diilance between Aftracan and Paris 
 would be 51 Degrees, 5 Minutes; but this cannot 
 come into the diftance obferv'd by M. d* Anville be- 
 tween Paris and Aftracan ; and ftill lefs according to 
 the common Extenfion of the Graduation, than ac- 
 cording to the Hypothefis of the Longitude's growing 
 narrower, fmce this diftance cannot be more than 
 47 Degrees, and about 18 Minutes of Graduation, 
 according to the common Extenfion, as I faid above ; 
 it is eafily feen that the difference between 47 Degrees, 
 -18 Minutes, and 51 Degrees, 5 Minutes, amounts to 
 3 Degrees, 47 Minutes -, and that is, according to 
 the diftance of 113 Degrees, and about 50 Minutes, 
 fet down between Paris and Peking, exactly this 
 thirtieth part of the common Graduation of the Lon- 
 gitude, which M. d' Anville is of opinion ought to be 
 deducted to bring it to an agreement with the real 
 Graduation, according to his Hypothefis of the Earth's 
 growing narrower upon its Parallels : The particu- 
 lar Account of the Meafure between Paris and Aftra- 
 can, would be too much in this Place to undertake the 
 Difcuftion of -, what feems to have been mark'd with 
 leaft.exactnefs in this extenftve Space, is the diftance 
 between the Don and Aftracan, which at moft does 
 not exceed 5 Degrees and an half out of 49, which 
 M. d y Anville computes to be between Paris and Aftra- 
 can : Now it is fuppos'd that a Space of 5 Degrees 
 and an half is not large enough to give room to any 
 great Miftake in a Space of Longitude nine times as 
 much, 
 
 G 2 4 Tha* 
 
The General History of 
 
 Tho' there might be a reafon aflign'd for the Pofi- 
 tion of each Place, which make up this part of the 
 Map in queftion, yet I fhall only touch upon the 
 mo' i efïèntial : Moll of the Places fituate, as well up- 
 on the Sihon as the Gihon, were fix'd in confequence 
 of the Pofition of the famous City of Samarcande : 
 M. âArmlle was of opinion that the difference of 
 Longitude fet down in the Tables of Ouloug beg, be- 
 tween the Cities of Sultanie and Samarcande, exactly 
 agreed with the Notion that might otherwife be 
 form'd concerning the diftance of thefe Cities : The 
 Pofition of Sultanie feemed to him as known, relatively 
 from that of Ifpahan, and the fouthern Part of the 
 Cafpian-Sea, by his Obfervations, and a- particular 
 Proof of the Map, which he had made of Perfia : 
 Samarcande being fix'd M. cVAnville hath joined to it 
 Bokara, and the Places fituate upon the Gihon quite to 
 'Termed ; and from Balk and 'Termed, reaching quite 
 up the River to BadakJJjan : The Latitudes of thefe 
 Cities are given us by the eaftern People ; the diffe- 
 rence which they fet down in their Longitudes, feems 
 often to agree with the diflances fet down by the Geo- 
 graphers or Hiflorians. 
 
 The firft Place fituate upon the Sihon, or Sirr, hath 
 been Kogende : M. d'Anville is of opinion that the 
 Latitude of this Place, and the difference of Longi- 
 tude with Samarcande^ as it follows from the Table of 
 the Aftronomer Naffircddin, agree with the diftance of 
 thefe Cities fet down by the Geographer of Nubia 
 and others : Almoft all the Cities, which are above 
 Kcgende, in the Country of Fergana, and thofe which 
 are below it, viz. Aljhajh, Tuncat, Esfijab, Otrar, 
 Taraz, and others, have their Latitude and difference 
 in Longitude fet down in the Tables of Naffir eddin, 
 ugbegi and the other eaftern Aftronomers cited by 
 Aboulfeda: M. d'Anville having read over carefully, 
 not only the profefs'd Geographical Writers, but the 
 Hiflorians alfo, who have treated of the Wars and 
 Revolutions with which this Country hath been fo 
 
 violently 
 
China, Chinese-Tartar y, &c. 45 
 
 violently fhook, could not but obferve that the Por- 
 tions of the Cities of .Sibon could not poffibly agree, 
 and be reconciled with a variety of particular Cir- 
 cumftances collected by him, as well with rcfpect to 
 the Situation of thefe Cities, as to the Knowledge of 
 other Geographical Circumftances of the Country in 
 queftion : He cannot poffibly imagine that the Great 
 Quloug beg, who was King of Trans Oziane, and who 
 hath given us more exact Tables of the Longitudes 
 and Latitudes of the Stars, than any other eaftern 
 Writer, mould be ignorant of the Latitudes of the 
 chief Cities of his Kingdom : The eaftern Aftrono- 
 mers agree in placing Akfikat and Andugan, which are 
 the chief Cities of Fergana^ between the ,pd and 43d 
 Degree of Latitude ; it is therefore furprizing to find 
 them in fome Maps (which are, without examining 
 them, much valued) placed between the 35th and 
 40 th. 
 
 It is true indeed the Aftronomer, commonly call'd 
 Alfragan becaufe he was bom in the Country of 
 Fergana, giving a particular Account of the Cities and 
 Countries according to their Climates, feems in a great 
 hurry to fpeak of his own Country in reckoning it 
 under the fourth Climate, which ends at the 39th De- 
 gree : This is a Circumftance that Gclius himfelf, the 
 Tranflator of Alfragan, could not let (lip ; and upon 
 which he makes no fcruple of preferring the exact 
 and concurring Determinations of all other Aftrono- 
 mers, with regard to the two Cities of Akfikat and 
 Andugan : A careful Reader will confult the Remark 
 of this able and judicious Tranflator and Commenta- 
 tor ; there might be many other Circumftances rais'd 
 if it were intended by a particular Deduction to fhew 
 the great Confufion wherein M. d'Anville found the 
 Geography of this Country. 
 
 All that is ftill neceiTary is to fpeak fomething of 
 
 the Country of Karaffin ; M. d'An-ville's Opinion is, 
 
 Pofition of Urgene cannot be better fix'd than 
 
 by the difference of the Longitude, kt down in the 
 
 • Tables 
 
The General History of 
 
 Tables of Naffir eàâin and Ouloug beg between EJier 
 abad, which is at the South-eaft Angle of the Cafpian- 
 Sea and this City of Urgenz : He hath found a greater 
 Proportion on this fide, than on that of Samarcande : 
 The new, and to the Geographers of feveral Ages 
 unknown Particulars relating to the two Arms of the 
 Gibon, and the Alterations that have happened in the 
 Courfe of this and feveral other Rivers, are taken 
 from the Sultan of Karafs'm, Aboulgafi Bayadurkbau's 
 Hiftory of ths Tartars, and from fome particular In- 
 formations : It is to be obferv'd that there are two 
 different Situations of the City of Kaht ; one agree- 
 able to the common Geographers, the other laid down 
 in a different manner in the particular account of the 
 aforefaid Hiftory of Aboulgafi : The diflance of Urgenz 
 from the Cafpian-Sea hath been made known to us 
 by feveral ways, which hath contributed to the fettling 
 the eaftern Shore of this Sea in a very different man- 
 ner from the Map fent by the Czar : The North and 
 Ncrth-eaft part of this Sea mould likewife be revis'd, 
 to make it agree with the particular Account of 
 Jenkinfcn's Voyage. 
 
 Thefe Particulars are enough to give a fhort Idea 
 of the Work, whereby M. d'Anville thought to fatisfy 
 the Defire of the Jefuits of China, where it is 
 lefs in a Man's Power than here to come to an exact 
 and particular Knowledge of this Country. 
 
 Though Thibet may be one of the leafr. famous 
 Parts of Afia, yet it hath been known for a very long 
 time : Mark Paul, the Venetian^ who wrote in the 
 thirteenth Century, and who was in the Retinue of 
 the Tartars known in China by the Name of Yuen 
 tchao, fpeaks very clearly of the Head of the Reli- 
 gious Orders of Tartars call'd Lamas, and of the 
 wonderful things which they did by the force of En- 
 chantments and Magic, which drew both to them and 
 their Religion the Admiration of the whole Court, 
 where they were become very powerful : Their Power 
 in China continued the whole time that the Imperial 
 
 ■lily 
 
China, Chinese-Tart ary, &c. 
 
 Family of the Yuen fat upon the Throne ; there are 
 {till remaining at Peking fome Monuments built out of 
 regard to the Lamas of thofe times ; but the Chinefe 
 having got the upper-hand under Hong vott, Founder 
 of the Ming Dynafty, the Lamas were drove out with 
 the reft of the Tartars. 
 
 Their Credit is re-eftablifh'd under the prefent Fa- 
 mily, which is of the Mantchecux Tartars-, although 
 the Nation never had any Lama, yet as foon as it at- 
 tempted the Conqueft of the neighbouring Tartary, 
 whether out of Intereft or Policy, it began to be fa- 
 vourable to them -, the Grand Lama himfelf, proud 
 as he is, omitted nothing that might gain over Chun 
 tebi, when he faw him Mafter of the Empire -, he 
 carried it fo far as to leave La/a, the Place of his Re- 
 sidence, and go to Peking to congratulate the Empe- 
 ror, and to fîiower down the greateft Bleffings upon 
 the new Family Tai tfing ; the Emprefs a little after 
 built a magnificent Pagod for the Lamas ; this Ex- 
 ample was follow'd by lèverai, both Princes and Prin- 
 ceffes, and other rich People ; and it is not at all fur- 
 prifing that to fill fo many Pagods, the Lamas mould 
 be fo much increas'd in China ; they mud needs alio 
 be very rich, for moft of the true Lamas appear 
 drefs'd in fine yellow and red Sattin, and with the 
 fcarceft Furs ; arc well mounted, and attended by a 
 greater or lefs number of Servants, according to the 
 Degree of their Mandarinfhip ; for the Emperor al- 
 lows them to have the Cufhion, and other Marks of 
 Honour annex'd to the quality of a Mandarin. 
 . As to the Lamas of Thibet they generally wear 
 Woollen Cloth, which is very like our Frife, only 
 narrower, and not fo clofe ; it is calPd in China Pou 
 lou^ and it is us'd in covering Saddles, becaufe it is 
 Jafting, and keeps its Colour : The Geographer Lama 
 inform'd us, that when he fiw the Grand Lama at 
 La/a he had on a red Cloak of this Stuff, and a yellow 
 Hat gilt -, befides the Hat the Lamas have feveral 
 kinds of Bonnets, which they ufe" according to the 
 
 Rank 
 
"The General History of 
 
 Rank they are of ; for there are among them different 
 degrees' of Honour to which they are rais'd in pro- 
 portion to their Services : Of thefe Bonnets that 
 which ftrikes the Eyes of an European moft is fome- 
 what like our Bifhop's Mitres : they wear it onhorfe- 
 back as well as afoot, the (lit of this kind of Mitre 
 anfwers to the middle of the Forehead. 
 
 There are among thefe People fome pretty good 
 Phy.ucians to be met with ; and feme who know how 
 to compute the Motions of the Stars, and to foretel 
 Eclipfes : What is moft feldom met with among the 
 Lamas, who are the Doctors employ'd to inftruct 
 the People, is the underftanding of their antient 
 Books -, moft of them cannot fo much as read them, 
 which fome of the moft confiderable among them 
 have honeftly confefs'd ; their Ignorance arifes from 
 hence, that the Characters of thefe Books are very diffe- 
 rent from the Characters in ufe in Ihibet and Tartary^ 
 and the Language in which they are wrote, is a quite 
 dead Language, which they cannot ufe at all, either 
 in Converfation or in Writing. 
 
 Some able Phyficians have had a Notion, that in 
 thefe antient Books there are fome Footfteps of our 
 Holy Religion, which was preach'd there, as they 
 think, in the time of the Apoftles, but that it hath 
 in procefs of time, by the ignorance of feveral Ages, 
 been blended with and loft among the prevailing Su- 
 perftitions : The probable Evidences, upon which 
 they found their Conjecture, is the Drefs of the Lamas, 
 which is pretty like that in which the Apoftles are re- 
 prefented in our antient Paintings ; the Subordination 
 which is vifiblc among them, and which bears fome 
 refemblance to the Ecclefiaftical Hierarchy ; feveral 
 of their Ceremonies which are not very different 
 from ours -, the Notion they have of an Incarna- 
 tion ; and laftly, the Maxims of Morality which 
 their ableft and moft learned Doctors lay do 
 but all this would require a thorough Know- 
 ledge in their antient Books that are at L 
 
 and 
 
China, Chinese-Tartary, &c. 
 
 and the Remains which might be met with there ; 
 however to judge of it from the common Difcourfc 
 of the mod learned Lamas, it appears that all the 
 knowledge we can have of it from thence tends folely 
 to the difcovery of the Tranfmigration of the Soul ; 
 for the Fo 9 who is incarnated feveral times in diffe- 
 rent Perfons, and under different Shapes, is fo much 
 the foundation of their whole Syftem, that by this 
 fingle Supposition all that is faid by them of their chief 
 Idols may be accounted for ; as for inftance, of their 
 Menipê with feveral heads of different Forms ; and 
 indeed to this they always have recourfe, when they 
 are clofe prefs'd with the great and wonderful things 
 which they afcribe to them. 
 
 The Similitude of certain Ceremonies with ours 
 proves no more than this, that all Nations have a 
 Notion of Religion : The antient Paintings of the 
 Apoftles, tho' they were allow'd to be as old as 
 Conftantine^ which is not very probable, yet are, no 
 lefs than the prefent Paintings, the Productions of the 
 Painter's Fancy, fince it is morally certain that they 
 were drefs'd like the Jews in Judœa, and in other 
 Kingdoms probably like the Inhabitants of the Coun- 
 try ; if the Lamas have among them feveral Degrees 
 of Subordination, this is vifibly the Cafe of the Reli- 
 gious Orders among the Idolaters and Mahometans ; 
 the common Reafon of Mankind is of it ihlf able to 
 appoint Diftinctions among the Members of the fame 
 Body -, nor is there more room to hope for greater 
 Difcoveries from the antient Books of the Bronzes, of 
 which there is a large Number ; all the Advantage 
 that could be reap'd from this kind of Study, would 
 be the knowledge of the Miftakes of their Doctrine, 
 which, in Difputes with them, might furnifh matter 
 for found reafoning, which they mould not dare 
 contradict, and to which they could give no An- 
 fwer. 
 
 But to bring this to pafs it is neceflary that Thi- 
 bet mould enjoy an uninterrupted and lafting Peace -, 
 
 and 
 
Tne General History of 
 
 and there feems fome room to hope for it, fince after 
 fome Engagements the Emperor's Troops have ob- 
 liged thole Tfe vang raptan to retire into their own 
 Country : However, as the Tartars do not care to 
 build but in an open Country, it would be of no 
 great ufe to the Thibet ians to fortify their Cities ; and 
 there is not any of them in a condition of Defence ; 
 their Cities are very (mall, Lafa it felf, where the 
 Grand Lama keeps his Court, is rather a famous 
 Temple than a City. 
 
 The multitude of Lamas fcatter'd over Thibet is 
 incredible -, there is fcarce a Family without a Lama, 
 cither out of a fuperftkious Reverence for the Fo in 
 him, or out of hopes of becoming one of the Of- 
 ficers of the Grand Lama ; or more generally from 
 both thefe Motives together : So long as the Grand 
 Lama continues Mafter of Thibet, it is in vain to ex- 
 pec! that Chriftianity can make any Progrefs in it •, 
 when Father Regis and Father Jartoux were at 
 Si ning in 1708, where they made the Map of this 
 Country, two Reverend Capuchin Fathers, the one an 
 Italian and the other a Frenchman^ wrote to them 
 to intreat the Emperor of China, to give them 
 leave to build a Church at Lafa : The Conjuncture 
 could not be lefs favourable to fuch a Propofal •, all 
 was in confufion in Thibet, and the Emperor threat- 
 ned every one with his heavy Difpleafurc who would 
 not come into the methods of Accommodation he had 
 propos'd 
 
 There is no certain and particular Account of the 
 Plants which Thibet produces, nor of the Advantage 
 that might be drawn from thence by Trade -, this one 
 may be inform'd of by the way of Bengal, for the 
 Road from thence to Thibet hath been known there a 
 great while. 
 
 Of fo many Rivers which appear on the Map, 'tis 
 not known which are they that furnifh all that Gold 
 that is brought to China, and which bears a greater 
 Price than what comes from any other Part ; 1 
 
 muft 
 
China, Chinese-Tartar y, &*e. 4J& 
 
 mud needs be fome Gold found in the Sands of feve- 
 ral of thefe Rivers ; and it is certain that the great 
 River Kin cha hang, which comes into the Province 
 of Tun nan, carries down a great deal of it in its 
 Sand -, for its Name imports the Gold Sand River : 
 The great River, which runs quite through Thibet, 
 is call'd Tar ou tfanpou, or Dfanpou ; though Tfan pou 
 is a Name common to all the great Rivers of this Coun- 
 try, yet it is cuftomary to ufe it particularly of this 
 great River ; juft as in China the general Name Kiang, 
 which fignifies a River, is become almoft the particu- 
 lar Name of the great River Tang tfe hang^ which di- 
 vides that large Empire. 
 
 It is no eafy matter to tell where feveral of the Ri- 
 vers, which water Thibet, empty themfelves ; it is 
 certain that the Non hang enters the Province of Tun 
 nan, and after it hath ran fome hundreds of Chinefe Lys 
 it changes its Name, and is call'd Lou hang -, after 
 that it runs into the Kingdom of Ava : The Lan tfan 
 kiang enters likewife the Province of Tun nan, and 
 after feveral other fmall Rivers have fallen into it, it 
 becomes the great River Kion long hang, that is the 
 Nine-dragon River, and empties it felf in the King- 
 dom of long king : The Kin cha kiang runs on the 
 North Side of the fame Province, and after a long 
 Courfe flows into, and is loft in the great River Tang 
 tfe hang -, but where does the great River Tfan pou 
 difcharge it fdf? There is no certain Anfwer to this 
 Queftion ; but 'tis probable that it runs towards the 
 Gulph of Bengal -, for this at leaft is certain, that from 
 the Boundary of Thibet its Courfe is South- weft to the 
 Sea, and consequently in runs towards Aracan, or near 
 the Mouth of the Ganges in Mogol, which the Thibe- 
 tians call Anonkek, or Anongen : The other Rivers, 
 which are on the Weft of Tfan pu, run immediately. 
 into Countries which are but little known : The Chi- 
 nefe Maps, (which the Geographical MiiTionaries found 
 in the Tribunal of the Province of Tun nan, in the 
 Houfe of the chief Mandarins) as well as the People 
 
 of 
 
464 The General History, &c. 
 
 of the Country, give the Name of Nom y to the People 
 who lay beyond the River Nou kiang ; and thofe who 
 are contiguous to the North Boundaries of the King- 
 dom of Ava, they call Lijfe -, but in all probability 
 thefe are not the Names which thefe People them- 
 fclves ufe, who, according to all Accounts, inhabit 
 the Mountains, and who are ftill half Barbarians -, it 
 is probable that fome of the Rivers of Thibet, fet 
 down on the Map, mull run thro' this Country. 
 
 This Difference of Names caufes an Obfcurity 
 which perplexes the Geographer, and expofes him to 
 the Danger of committing grofs Faults, as for in- 
 fiance in the multiplying of Cities. This is a De- 
 fect that fome of our antient Maps are not free from : 
 It is not now at all known which are the Cities that 
 are called Cialis and Aramut in the Itinerary of the 
 Jefuit Goes, who was fent to difcover Cathai ; tho' 'tis 
 not in the leaft doubted but that by Chiaicum is meant 
 Hiayu koen, and that what he calls Socciou is indeed the 
 City of Sou tcheou, becaufe the Account he gives of 
 them makes it plainly appear that he is fpeaking of 
 thefe Cities ; but the fame thing cannot be faid of 
 other Cities that are called by quite different Names ; 
 all that can be faid is this, that probably they are 
 Cities which have two different Names in different 
 Languages, which is apparent from what I have 
 faid above concerning the Name that the Thïbetiaus 
 give to Mogol : This is the Reafon that in the Map 
 made from the Memoirs of the Lamas, who live near 
 the Head of the Ganges, the Names which they have 
 fet down are adhef'd to, as being much more certain 
 than thofe which Travellers fet down, who only 
 pafllng through a Country bring us Names of Cities 
 and Rivers fo disfigur'd that there is hardly any 
 knowing them. 
 
 rfhe End of the Fourth and loft Volume. 
 
-