We have afterwards an Extract of a Letter Extract of from Fath. Gaubil to our Editor, wherein he Letter from Gau fuggefts, that Aftracan muft be feven or eight bil to Sou Degrees more Weftward than M. de Lifle has ciet. placed it.

Plan and

To this is fubjoined, or rather annexed, a Plan and Defcription of Pekin. The Author Defcription reckons it a League and half, of thofe that goof Pekin. twenty to a Degree of Latitude, from North to South; that it is about one of the fame Leagues from Eaft to Weft, and that it contains, at leaft, three Millions of Souls. But this very populous City, it feems, is but a Neft of Beggars, the Mandarins and the Princes excepted. Let it be obferved, by the way, that according to this account, Pekin hardly ftands upon fo much, or more ground, than what we commonly call London; and at the fame time is but one Story high. Quare, Whether fuch a Space of fuch Buildings, with broad Streets, can be well made out to be able to afford Accommodation for three Millions of the most miferable Souls upon Earth? In our lofty and denfely-built City of London, it is difputed whether we amount to quite a Million; and, all things confider'd, we do not feem to have room for three times that number, tho' it is likely, by this account, that for one Apartment in Pekin, there are three in London. But to return whence we digreffed, at Pekin there is Some Para pretty general Toleration in religious Matters, ticulars on and their own Temples are very fine, one of Religion them, it is faid, containing an ancient Copy of Pekin. "Our Holy Bible" in Hebrew. Those Apoftolic Souls, the Jefuits, emulous of the Chi nefe Pageantry, more than mindful of the at tractive Simplicity of the Gospel, have three fpacious, fine and well-built Churches here.

The

Some Par:

The Japanese never come to Pekin. The ticulars of Mofcovites and Coreans may refort thither. The sheChinese Kings of Siam and Tonquin frequently fend Polity. Ambaffadors hither. The Lama's or idolatrous

The Situa

Abode of

Lama.

Priests of Tibet have admittance when they come. Here is alfo an Indian Pagod. The Europeans and Moors of India have leave to enter the Ports of Fokian and Ganton, but must not think of going further into the Country. The Perfians, the Armenians, Uzbeks, Moguls of Cochemire and Agra, ftop on the Frontiers of Chenfi ; the fame must all thofe obferve who trade with China by Land, from all thofe parts in general. The Chinese themselves are allowed to go no where to trade, but to Tonquin, Cochinchina and Siam. Thofe of them who go to Sumatra, Java, Malacca and Manila, are fuch as have been a long while fettled in thofe Parts, or, at least, pafs for fach.

Then follows the Situation of Putola, the Ation of Pû-bode of the great Lama, of the Springs of the tola, the Ganges, and of the circumjacent Country, from the great Chinese and Tartar Maps; by Fath. Gaubil, with Remarks by the fame Father. By this we learn, that M. de Lifle, in his Maps, places Laf fa, Latzan, or Barantola, the City near, as it is called, the Lama's Hill of Pûtola, at least fix Degrees of Longitude nearer to Pekin than it ought to be. We learn alfo, that the fame Geographer places the Hill itfelf of Pûtola, at leaft five Degrees of Longitude too near to the fame Capital; and about two Degrees of Lati tude too near to the Pole. Thus we find it by comparing that celebrated Geographer's Maps, with the Account before us. Again, Fath. Gau bil, in his Note on the Word Patola, having declared it to be the Name of the Hill, whereon dwells

dwells the great Lama, immediately fubjoins, that the Name of the Town is Laffa, &c. as ifit was juft at hand; whereas M. de Lifle places them forty of the longest Leagues diftant from each other. In fhort, our account, were it plotted down, would pretty much alter the face of that fpot of Afia comprehended under the Title of this Article.

To proceed to the next, Kong-Ki-Tao, a The Situa Name we find in no Map we have, tho' it is tion of the the Capital of Corea, as fees, is by an Ob- Capital of fervation, taken by fome of the Mandarines of Corea. the Tribunal of the Mathematicks at Pekin, and by order of the late Emperor Cambi, in the Latitude of thirty-feven Degrees, thirty Minutes, and fifteen Seconds North. It is computed to be ten Degrees, thirty Minutes Eaftward of Pekin. By a much prior Obfervation, taken, by the Command of Coblay, the Grandfon of fenkisKhan, the Capital of Corea is in the Latitude of thirty-feven Degrees, twenty-feven Minutes North. This is found in the Aftronomy of the western Tartars. In M. de Lille's Maps, Chinyan, as he calls it, feems to be meant for the Capital of Corea, but then it is in the Latitude of fortytwo Degrees North, and but five Degrees to the Eastward of Pekin. Kian-Kiai, in the fame Maps, comes neareft to Kong-Ki-Tao in Name, is in about forty-one Degrees of North Latitude, and about ten Degrees Eaft of Pekin; but Chaufien, in the fame Kingdom, is, accord-" ing to the fame Geographer, nearly in the very Latitude, and Longitude, as is pretended above, of Kong-Ki-Tao, and must therefore, we think, be the fame Place, tho' M. de Lifle has not expreffed it as the Capital of the Kingdom. No XVIII. 17328 25UniVOL. III.

which

We

Chronolo

We will dwell no longer on the Geographical Clafs of this Collection, which goes on with very great Variety, let the Accuracy be what it will. Whofoever would take on him the Task of correcting the Map of Afia, might, perhaps, meet with fonte Lights from what is here faid with a great air of Exactnefs, and pretended to come from the moft knowing and faithful hands. We fhall only add, that among the reft we find a pretty long and circumftantial Differtation on the Chinese Manner of varying the European Alphabet and Pronunciation, of which having already given a copious Example from Bayer's Chinefe Study, who may, in good part, have borrowed from hence, we imagine, that a Repetition of the fame thing would be a little unacceptable.

1

The Chronological Obfervations open with gical fome Remarks on the Beginning of the Chinese fervations. Year. By them we are told, it is doubted, whether or no under the Dynasties of Theon or Tebeon, Chang and Hia,they intercalated the Year as now. Thefverft Turning over the next Leaf, we find a ChroMogul nological Abridgement of the Hiftory of the Emperors. first five Mogul Emperors, extracted from the Chinese Hiftory by Father Gaubil, together with fome Geographical Difcuffions. It is a piece fomewhat more curious than pleasant to read: but because we perceive fome of our Readers will not excufe us if we pafs it over, we will endeavour to abridge this Abftract.

Jenghiz
Khan.

Yuen Taitzu was the firft Emperor. This is Jenghiz Khan, call'd Tiemutjin. His Father's Name was refoubay, his Mother's Yuelun. The Mogul Hoard under Yehoufay was contiguous to that of the Naymans, near the Town of Holin, in the Latitude of forty-four Degrees eleven Minutes

A

Minutes North; its Longitude being ten Degrees, eleven Minutes Weft of Pekin. Fenghiz Khan was born in the Year 1162, with clotted Blood between his Hands. His Father died a young Man, and left him and four Brothers to the care of his Widow Fuelun. She had much ado to preserve her Son in the Poffeffions of his Father, against the Attacks of Gemúka, a Tartar Prince, at enmity with the Moguls.

Certain Princes, called Kin, who came bri ginally from the Country which lies North of Corea, were, in thöfe days, Mafters of Leaotung, and a great part of China. Corea, and both the one and the other Tartary, from the Latitude of forty-nine or fifty Degrees, to nineteen or twenty Degrees of Longitude West of Pekin, paid them Tribute.

The Tatars, a People on the Rivers Kerlon and Onon or Amur, to the North of Corea, revolting, the Emperor of the Kin order'd the tributary Princes to march against the Rebels. The Tatars were reduc'd, and Tiemútfin, for fo Fenghiz Khan was firft called, having greatly diftinguished himself at the head of the Moguls, as well as a Prince called Toli, at the head of the Keli, the Emperor rewarded both him and the other. Tiemutjin was honour'd with a very great Poft in the Army, and Toli was declared a King61

This new King was fome time afterwards, driven out of his Country by the Naymans; and Tiemúljin restored him again to his Poffeffions and Dignity. This caufed almost all the Princes of Tartary to enter into a League against the 002 Re

The Tartarsin general would be more properly called Tatars. See the Preface to the English Translation of the Life of Fenghiz Khan, and the Plan of the Universal History.