Scholars; and that they have always been more: follicitous about improving their Estates, than: their Minds: that notwithstanding this has been. the general bent of the Nation; fome few of them have ftruck into another road, fince, they ftill know how to calculate Eclipfes with tolerable Accuracy: that, this they do by rote, without knowing why or wherefore :) that, what is strange after this, there are few. or no Aftronomical Terms in the Damulic Tongue: that if more there are, they must be in the learned Tongue, the Samaserutam or Grandorice: that, however, the Damulic Lexicons mention the twelve Signs of the Zodiac, under much the fame Names we give them; Masham is Aries, Kishabam is Taurus, Midunam is Gemini,: or near upon the matter that they count them! from weft to eaft as we do: that they reckon twenty-feven Conftellations fcatter'd up and down, among the Signs of the Zodiac, but make little or no mention either, of the northern ar fouthern Stars: that they call the Ecliptic the Orbit of the Sun that they have alfo their Orbit of the Bull, Orbit of the Twins, Orbit of the Crab, and fo on that they have Terms to express the Sun's Motion from one Tropick to the other reciprocally: that the Word Uttavaianam fignifies his Courfe toward the North; and the Word Te cebavaianam, his Course toward the South.

::

Upon this our Author obferves, that the In dians cannot well be ignorant of the Obliquity of the Ecliptic; but, at the fame time thinks they have no knowledge of the Armillary Sphere He then proceeds, by way of remark, to tell us, That he finds, in a Lexicon of theirs, a very exact Definition of the new Moon, viz. That it is the Conjunction of the Sun with the Moon, After

ལ

After this, fays he, it is furprifing they fhould
run into fuch Extravagancies as they are guilty
of when they are about to account for the Phafes
of the Moon: for they imagine, it feems, that
Planet to be full of Ambrofia or Nectar, and that
the Gods come thither, to draw it, and fo on.
"But it is ftill more furprising, that they should
"be able to calculate Eclipfes, feeing they
"reckon the Moon to be farther removed from
the Earth than the Sun. It is not only the
common People that are of this Perfuafion
"A Bramin of Tanjaar, being in Prifon with
one of our ancient Miffionaries, had feveral
long Difputes with him: during which he,
patiently enough, bore with the Miffionary's
"endeavours to refute Idolatry, and permitted
"him to launch out as much as he pleas'dagainft
"Idols; but when he perceived thattheMiffionary
pretended the Sun was farther diftant from the
"Earth than the Moon, he grew downright an-
and would have no more to fay to him.
gry,
Their general Syftem of the World is very
"ridiculous. They admit feven fuperior, and
feven inferior, which they imagine to be in
"the Body of their God,

"Their Syftem of the Earth in particular is
"not lefs abfurd. They reprefent it a Dife,
"which they diftinguish into eight Cardinal in
"Points. Each Point has its God and a Giant to

66

guard it, and two Elephants, one Male, the other Female.

"Moreover, they hold that this World is "fuftained by a great Serpent. o buna gdɔ no They admit alfo feven great Inlands or "Continents, feven Seas, one of fresh Water, a fecond of falt Water, a third of Wine, "fourth of Milk, a fifth of Curds and Whey, " and the like.

66 They

-4.D-ok

Reflexions.

66

They admit alfo eight great Mountains, ❝ feven great Rivers; and to exprefs all thefe, have Terms in abundance.

Their learned Men, if fuch they are, are "very choice of their Knowledge, and take care that the World fhall fee as little of it as poffible.

"The R. Fath, Bouchet will have it, that the Indians, as well as we, divide the Ecliptic, and every other Circle in general, into three hundred and fixty Degrees, and each Degree "into fixty Minutes. I wish I had reafon to think along with him." This is a good modeft way of giving the Le. The Jefuits, we fee,ufe each other with great Tenderness and Refpect; Honour thy felf,and others will honour thee, feems to be one of their Maxims.

Four Reflexions follow on the back of the foregoing Remarks, Two of them long, and two of them fhort. The two laft fhall content us. 1. It thence appears, that the Indians believe the Sun moves, and not the Earth. 2. That by talking of the Orbits of the fixed Stars, they may have fome notion of their Progreffion.

The Aftronomical Obfervations made by the Aftronomical Obfer- Jefuits, we have mentioned, in China, take up vations of ninety four of the fucceeding Pages, but beLate Years. caufe in them we perceive nothing for our pur pofe, we fhall pass them over.

Geographi- The Geographical Obfervations come next. cal Obfer- They open with a trifling and tedious account vations. of the Latitude and Longitude of Pulo-Condor, Pulo-Can- or the Inland of Condor, once in poffeffion of the English, who being unhappily maffacred, the French laid hands on it, and have call'd it the Inle of Orleans. This Ifland, tho' the most confiderable of thofe on the Coafts of Cambodia and

dor.

Cochine

Cochinchina, does not, we think, deferve to have fixteen Pages lavished away upon it. Befides it and its few, no way remarkable, Productions being extreamly well known to our Nation, we Thall be filent thereon.

In the next place, we have a Defcription of Canton. Canton, its Latitude and Longitude; which our People ought to know pretty well. According to this account, it is about two Miles from North to South. It is not fo broad as long. The north part of the Tartar Town has feveral void Spaces, and is but indifferently peopled, but the rest is fine, and well built; but we will not dwell on a Place fo well known. We will only add,

That the great number of Veffels, of all Sizes, "which are continually failing up and down s "Ways, or, if you will, Walks bordered, not with Trees, but with Embarkations; waft Plains fown with Rice, and cut into Canals; or rather, that have no other ways but Ca**nals covered with fhipping, which fail along by thousands, while the Corn, the Trees, and the Pafture hide the Waters from fight; all this exhibits a noble Profpect to the Eye, a "Profpect well worthy of being furveyed."

a fournal

kin.

The next thing obfervable is, an Extract of Extract of a Journal kept by the Fathers Gaubil and Jacques, by Gaubil from Canton to Pekin, wherein are several Geo- and Jacques graphical Remarks on the Situation of the Pro-from Canvinces, Cities and Canals which occurred to them ton to Peon their way. This is by Father Gaubil. It is fhore, and thonot properly new, is curious enough. Among other matters it is here obferved, That Voutban, Honian and Hankeou make the greateft, and one of the most confiderable Parts of the Empire of China. That when you fee the prodigious multitude of Barks there,

fome

fome of which are as big as Ships, together with the inconceivable number of People eternally going and coming, you would fay, That the whole Empire crouded to this City. "In my life I never faw fo great a Confufion, or fo vaft a Concourfe of People. Hankeou "is the Place where all the Plants, Medicinal "Herbs, Drugs, &c. of the growth of the

Empire are to be had." Our Chymifts, Botanifts, Apothecaries and Phyficians, might here, it seems, have wherewithal amply to fatisfy their Curiofity. Going ftill forwards, we are told, the Province of Honan, the Capital whereof is Caifumfu, fo far as our Travellers faw it, is a remarkably fine Country. "It is a vaft "Plain. At every Step, you on all fides meet "with Towns and Villages, and the ways-lead"ing to every one of them, are border'd with 86 very fine Trees. The grand Road—is higher “than the rest. It is properly a Bank, from "whence you difcover delightful Plains. From "League to League there are Pofts erected, "which inform you how far you are advanced, "and how far you have ftill to go. At conve"nient distances are publick Houses, where you "may refresh yourself, and in the Towns, Villages

and Hamlets, are large Innis, where you may "lodge. Every one muft carry his Bed with "him; and if a European does but take with « him a Person who knows how to dress Victuals, "he may travel much more conveniently in "China, than in France." With all this, it feems, that Caifumfu, the Capital of this happy part, though it be a large City, is fadly built, and thinly peopled. Two or three Days journey: to the northward of Caifumfu, the Country(dist fenny, with magnificent Caufeys,b colpos

We