182 MifcdUne^CuYtofa, Vol. Ill, 



and other Devouring Beafts, you can fcarce 

 find a Honfe, but only feme foor Reed Hutts^ 

 upon the fides of fome Brooks and Streams- 

 All the Cities and Burrow-towns which I have 

 feen in tlie Province of Leao-tum^ and which 

 are in very great Numbers are intirely ruined : 

 One can fee nothing thro' the whole Cduntry, 

 but old ruined Walls with Rubbel, Bricks and 

 Stones. In the out-fkirts of thefe Cities there 

 have been of late fome few Houfes built, but 

 without any order. Some of them made of 

 Earth, others of the Rubbifli of the old BuildT 

 ings, the moft part of them covered v/ith Straw 

 or Thatch, and but few with Tiles. There is 

 now not the leaft Footfteps remaining of a 

 great number of Towns and Villages which 

 were here before the War- Becaufe the pet- 

 ty King of the Tartars^ who began to kindlo 

 this War having but a very fmall Army, 

 caufed the Inhabitants of thofe Places to take 

 Arms,, which Places he forthwith deftroyed, 

 that he might take from his Soldiers the hopes 

 of ever returning again to their own Homes. 



The Capital City of Leao-tum^ which is 

 called Xin-Tam^ is a City very fair and pret-^ 

 ty intire, it has as yet the Remains of an 

 Antient Palace, It is (for as much as I was 

 able to remark by divers Obfervations) of 

 the Latitude of 41 degrees '^6 77iinutes'^ that is 

 to fay, two degrees above Pekin^ tho^ hither- 

 ro both the Europeans and the Chinefe have 

 given that City the Latitude of 41 degrees, 

 I'here is in that City no declination of the 

 Magnet ick Needle, as I have found by many 

 reiterated Obfervations. The City of VU 

 which was almofr the veryExtream of our Jour- 



n^ey^ 



