434 A. D. 1^78. • 



daining, that no lands fliould go into the poflefllon of any perpetual body, 

 either by donation or by fale ; and that any land, fo difpofed of by col- 

 lufion, fliould be entered upon by the fuperior lord, or, in cafe of his 

 negled or failure, by the king, \vho fhould put it into the pofleflion of 

 fuch as would contribute their fervices to the defence of the realm. 

 [7 Edzv. I.} As the king only adverted tO' the deficiency of military 

 ftrength occafioned by the ecclefiaftical monopoly of lands, it is pretty 

 evident, that the pernicious anti-commercial tendency of it never occur- 

 red to him or his council*. 



The great, fertile, populous, induftrious, and wealthy, empire of China, 

 which was fir ft attacked, and in part fubjeded, by Zingis-khan, was 

 now completely fubdued by his grandfon Cublai. The conqueror next 

 afpired to the dominion of the fea and the iflands. But the fleet, which 

 he expected to make him mafler of Zipangu (fuppofed to be Japan), was 

 twice wrecked, and a hundred thoufand Moguls ar-d Chinefe perifhed 

 without achieving any conquefl. Notwithfianding this revolution, the 

 Gonflitution, the manufadures, and the commerce, of China remained 

 unimpaired. The army of the conquerors was foon lofl and blended 

 among the infinite numbers of the conquered : and the empire feemed 

 rather to have adopted a new dynafty of princes, than to have fuffered 

 a revolution. [See Gibboti, V. xi, pp. 414, 427, and authorities quoted by 

 bi?ii.'] 



The emperor Cublai, obferving that many lives were loft every year 

 in tranfporting the produce of the fouthern provinces to the capital by 

 fea, conftru6ted a canal by turning the waters of fome lakes into arti- 

 ficial channels extending northward and fouthward 840 geographical 

 miles. {Hi/}. Sin. ap. 'Thevenot, V. ii, p. 67.] This canal, which is the 

 longeft artificial navigable water in the world, by its connedlion with 

 the great rivers effedls an inland navigation, with very little interrup- 

 tion from portages, between Pekin and Canton, cities fituated at the 

 oppofite extremities of the empire, and is continually covered by in- 

 numerable barges employed in conducting the greateft part of the trade 

 of the moft populous country on the face of the earth, and alfo in con- 

 veying paflxingers, the journies being moftly performed by water f . 



1280, July 17"' In confequence of fome differences between the 



merchants of London and thole of Zeland, the later in the year 1275 



• It appears Ly tlie patent rolls 27 EJw. I, m. fo monadic focicties were tlien called. \_RyIfy, 



I, and Fa-flera, V. ii, /. 1004, that Kdward did Plac. pari. p. 644.] A very iifiial expedient for 



not fcruple to infringe this ftatiilc himftlf, and al- evading- tlic law was to make an exchange of one 



low others to infringe it. And, not to multiply j)iece of land for another with the fuperior of a 



inilances in the fame and fuccceding reigns, whieh iiionaflic ellahlilliment, as may he feen in alinoft 



might be produced by hundreds, it may fuffice to every page of tlie Calendar of the patent rolls. 



oblerYC, that in the year 1329 it was reprefented f Sec the defcription of the navigation of the 



to Edward III and his privy council, that, if they Cliiiicle tiuiid in ^Uiuntor'i j4aouNt of an cmbit^y to 



were not very attentive to prevent it, his whole China. 

 dominions would fuoii be in the hands of religion } 



