VOL. XLVI.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. ' 7 



eastern countries of India, and those which lie between China and the Caspian 

 sea. On these dift'erent countries their history affords several informations, which 

 are not to be found in the Greek, Latin, or other historians. They had some 

 notions, but very confused, of the regions beyond the Caspian sea; such as 

 Syria, Greece, Egypt, and some parts of Europe. He does not speak of the 

 times of Gtentchiskan and his successors ; for then the Chinese were made ac- 

 quainted with Russia, Poland, Germany, Hungary, Greece, &c. from accounts 

 given by their own countrymen who followed that prince, his sons, and grand- 

 sons: but the monuments that remain of this their knowledge are very confused. 

 As to the countries to the east of China, there are proofs remaining in books, 

 that above 170O years since, the Chinese were well acquainted with the eastern 

 part of Tartary as far as the sea, and the river Ameur, Corea, and Japan. Their 

 books speak also in general, and without sufficiently entering into particulars, of 

 many countries to the east and to the north of Japan. With regard to the mo- 

 numents of the Cape of Good Hope, which have been mentioned by some, there 

 are none in China; and if there have been any, they are now lost. It was from 

 the Europeans that the Chinese have learnt the name and the situation of the 

 Cape. 



Two paper money-bills are of the reign of Hongvou. The year of Christ 1368, 

 was the first of the empire of Hongvou, founder of the dynasty of Ming. Du- 

 ring the dynasty of Yuen (who were Mogul Tartars) which Hongvou destroyed, 

 there was a great deal of paper money. There had also been some, 140 years 

 before, under the dynasty of Kin (Oriental Tartars) who reigned in the northern 

 provinces of China, and in Tartary. The Yuens destroyed this dynasty, as well 

 as that of the Song's, who were Chinese, that reigned in the southern provinces 

 of China. We find no paper money of the dynasties of the Yuens and Kins ; 

 and that of Hongvou is scarce. The Bonzes and Chinese empirics superstitiously 

 say, that this paper money laid upon children, brings them good luck. 



These 2 bills are the same with those, the figures and explanations of which 

 are to be seen in Father du Halde's Description of China, torn. 2, p. 168. 



A Catalogue of 50 Plants from Chelsea Garden, presented to the Royal Society, 

 by the tvorshipful Company of Apothecaries, for the Year \7A7 , pursuant to the 

 Direction of Sir Hans Sloane, Bart., F.R.S. N° 494, p. 331. 

 [This is the 26th presentation of this kind, completing to the number of 130O 



different plants.] 



