z66 OS BECK'S VOYAGE. 



fignifies one, but on the other it (lands for five. 

 If you count by thoufands, ioo, or 20, &c. 

 the firfl row on the right is one, the fecond 

 10, the third 100, the fourth 1000. If the 

 Chinefe knew how to reckon with cyphers, 

 they would do their bufinefs very quickly, 

 fmce all their weights, meafures, and money 

 accompts, are decimals ; videlicet, when I 

 have 464 kanderins, I immediately fee they 

 mark four tel, fix mefs, and four kandarins. 



The inhabitants of this country, whom we 

 call Chinefe, are quite white, excepting thofe 

 who are tanned by the fun. Mod of them 

 look alike ; they have fhort nofes, fmall eyes, 

 ihort black eye-brows, a broad face, great 

 ears, and black hair, which the men always 

 (have off, having a tuft at the top of the 

 head, which grows as long as it will, and is 

 made up into a broad ftiff plait. In this man- 

 ner the Chinefe have worn their hair ever fmce 

 the Tartars began .to reign over them. They 

 formerly let the hair grow on the whole head, 

 which we fee the Chinefe in Botflvia do dill. 

 Old men, who have few hairs, make their 

 plait more confpicuous with ribbands, left at 

 firft fight they fhou'd be looked upon as crimi- 

 nals, whofe hair is cut off, if we may believe 



the;? 



