LETTER VII. 175 



with a fmall Key give a quick found, but of dif- 

 ferent forts or tones, which could not be, were 

 they all of the fame kind of natural Stone. 



30. At prefent I fee but one objection ariiing 

 againft this general opinion -, viz. That fuch a Pil- 

 lar could bear no great Weight, nor be of any 

 confidetable duration. To this may eafily be an- 

 fwered 5 That there is certainly no great Weight 

 laid upon thefe fmall Pillars, they being chiefly 

 defigned for Ornaments, and that if a reafonable 

 weight was laid upon them, they might notwith- 

 ftanding be of vaft duration. Witnefs the famous 

 Wall which feparates China from Tartary^ and is 

 the eighth as well as far the greateft Wonder of 

 the World, being fifteen hundred miles in length, 

 almoft wholly built with Brick (which with Glafs, 

 Rock work, and Potters ware of all kinds, I reck- 

 on among the number of Artificial Stones) and 

 has flood above Eighteen hundred years without 

 much decay. Again, China Ware is made of a very 

 ftiff Clay, or rather foft white Stone, which is 

 pounded, made into pafte, and afterwards brought 

 to perfeftion, partly by the Sun, partly by air in 

 the fliade, and partly by baking them in furna- 

 ces: However, the fine Porcellane Tower at 

 Nankin in China is faced with it, and though it is 

 now above three hundred years old, does ftill ap- 

 pear wondrous beautiful. 



