426 NOTES, 



nefe, that the Emperor Tam caufed a concert of vocal and in- 

 ftrumental mufic to be played by his band, in the air, over Yamt- 

 Cheou, which greatly furpri zed the inhabitants of that city. It's 

 diftance from Nankin, where the Emperor might be then fup- 

 pofed to refide, is about eighteen leagues. However, if he was 

 at Fekin, as JMagnillans gires us to underhand, when he fays, that 

 the Courieif from Yamt-Cbeou was a month on the road, in car- 

 rying him the news of that extraordinary mufic, which they 

 afcribed to the inhabitants of Heaven,, the alVial journey was 

 175 leagues in a ftraight line. 



But without departing from tlie faft as it fiands, if Father le 

 Comte had ittn at noon-day, as was done by the whole inhabitants 

 of Paris, of London, and of the other moll confiderable cities of 

 Europe, Philofophers fufpendcd by globes above the clouds, car- 

 ried 40, nay, 50 leagues from the point of their departure, ami 

 on{;,of-them croffing, thi'ough the air, the arm of the Sea which 

 feparates England from France, he would not fo haftily have 

 treated the Chi nefe tradition as a fable. I find, befides, a great 

 analogy of forms, between thofe magnificent tbrmes, and thofe 

 tlcuds ^ix'hich gradually defcendeJ o-ver the city of 1 amt-CheoUy and 

 our aëroftatic globes, to which it is fo eaJily poMible to give thole 

 voluminous decorations. The conducting fwans alone feem to 

 prefent a dilîiculty in the managenK'nt of this aerial navigation. 

 But wherefore ihould it be deemed impoffibie tor the Chinefe to 

 have trained fwans to flight limply, herbivorous birds, fo eafily 

 tamed to the purpofesof domefticliie, when it isconlidbred, that 

 we have inftrufted the falcon, a bird vat prey ahva) s wild, to purfue 

 the oame, and afterwards to return to the wrift of the fowler r 

 The Chinefe, living under a much better police, more ancient 

 and more pacific than we, have acquired an infight intp Nature 

 which our perpetual dil'cords permitted not us to attain till a 

 much later period : and, undoubtedly, it is this profound infight 

 into Nature which Father k Cotnte, otherwile a man of under- 

 {landing, confiders as iruigic, pretendeil or real^ in which he ac- 

 knowledges the Chinefe furpalfed all Nations. For my own, 

 part, Ij who am no magician, think I h-^ve a glimpfe, conform- 



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