ARTS AND MANUFACTURES. 109 



of manufadlure. I imagine tliat the Chinefe hiave not at prefent 

 fufficient quantity of raw materials, as great quantities are fuid 

 of late to have been imported from India. 



Of the woollen manufadtures I can fay very little. In the Woollens. 

 province of Shenji the fheep and goats are fheered thrice a year ; 

 and of the wool of the one and the hair of the other, mixed, is 

 made a fluff much in requefl. The Iheep are the great tailed 

 kind. 



The Porcelain is of unknown antiquity. The Jefuit UEn- Porcelain-. 

 trecolles who had a church in a town in the province of King-te- 

 chingi a firft rate city which contained upwards of a million of 

 people, could not trace the origin. That reverend father has 

 been indefatigable in his enquiry ; and has produced a mofl 

 elaborate account of the materials and procels. 



The firfl knowledge which the Europeans had of China was Seres. 

 by the means of the Seres, inhabitants of the northern parts of 

 the empire. Thefe very diflant people were among the nations 

 whom the fame oi Augufius had reached, and who complimented 

 him with an embafTy, which took four years journey to perform. 

 They prefented the emperor with pearls, pretious If ones, and 

 elephants. Silk is not mentioned ; yet probably Virgil learned 

 from them that it was the produdion of their country, as I re- 

 mark from the line of his at p. 107. Horace informs us how 

 expert the Seres were in the ufe of the bow. 



Puer quis ex aula capillis 

 Ad cyathum ftatuetur urnftls 

 Doftus fagittas tendere, Sericas 

 Arcu paterno. 



The 



