no CHIN A. 



The capital of thefe people is called by Ptolemy^ Sera Metyo- 

 foils, and placed by him in Lat. 38° 36', which ib nearly agrees 

 with the latitude of King~cbnv in the province of Pe-che-liy as 

 to leave no doubt of that having been the fite. 1 have, at p. 8. 

 of the firft volume of this work, mentioned the Comedce, and the 

 ilation of thofe who were bound for the commerce with the 

 Seres. A branch of the /w^/zx runs from thence to the north- 

 eaft, and after fume fpace to the ealt. Part of the country to 

 the fouth-eaft of this chain is the Scytbia intra Imaum\ and the 

 part to the north-eall is the Serica Regio, or land of the Seres, 

 Various towns or cities of little ufe to note are mentioned by 

 Ptolewy. In his time the refling places of the merchants in their 

 road to the Sera Metropolis. We know no more than that there 

 was a commerce carried on with this country by caravans from 

 the more weftern world ; that it was interrupted by the Par- 

 tbia?is, who had polTcfled thcmfelves of moll of the country from 

 the Cafpian fea to this branch of the Imaus ; and by that naeans 

 the intercourfe was entirely cut off. 



Very long is the interval between that period and that in 



which we can find any travellers who had vilited this diflant 



country by land. In the year 1660 Nicolo Polo and his brother 



Maffio, illulirious Venetians, fet out on their commercial journey. 



They took their departure from Conjlantinople for the fplendid 



courts of th.c 'Tartarian princes, who lived in great magnificence, 



and gave the utmolt encouragement to the European merchants 



•and artifts to come among them, and improve them in the arts. 



RuBRVQuis. William Ruyjhroek, better known by the name of Friar Rubruquis^ 



made two journeys into great Tartary, and mentions Guillaume 



4 VOrfevre 



