Book I. 
5 "he Difcovery, Settlement, and Commerce 
than the Manufcript from which the Abbe Renaudot pub- 
lifhed it, and might probably be written 6 o or 70 Years 
after the foregoing Treatife. Thefe are all the Lights 
which, from an affiduous Study of thefe valuable Frag- 
ments of Antiquity, we have been able to give the Rea- 
der, and therefore we lhall detain him no longer from the 
Piece itfelf, which in the Original bears the following 
Title. 
fhe Difcourfe of Abu Zeid al Hafan of Siraf, con- 
cerning the Voyage to the Indies and China. 
31. Having very carefully examined the Rook I was 
directed to perufe, that I might confirm what the Author 
relates, when he agrees with what I have heard concern- 
ing the Affairs of the Sea, the Kingdoms on the Coaft, 
and the State of the Countries ^ and that I might add 
upon this Head, what I have elfewhere colle&ed concern- 
ing them, which is not to be found in this Book, I find it 
was written in the Year of the Hegira CCXXXVII. and 
that the Accounts the Author gives in regard to Things 
at Sea, were in his Time very true, and agreeable to what 
I have underftood from Merchants, who from Irak failed 
through thofe Seas. I find alfo, that all the Author writes 
is agreeable to Truth, excepting fome few Paffages. 
Speaking of the Cuftom of fetting Meat before the 
Dead, which he attributes to the Chinefe, he fays, when 
they have ferved up the Meat over Night, and find no- 
thing in the Morning, they cry, The Deceafed hath eaten. 
We had been told the fame, and believed it, till we met 
with a Man of undoubted Credit, who being afked con- 
cerning this Cuftom, he anfwered, that the Fa£t was not 
fo, and that this Notion was groundlefs, as well as what 
is vulgarly faid of the idolatrous Nations, that they ima- 
gine their Idols fpeak to them. 
He told us alfo, that fince thofe Days the Affairs of 
China wear quite another Face •, and fince much is related 
to fhew the Reafon why the Voyages to China are inter- 
rupted, and how the Country has been ruined, many 
Cuftoms abolifhed, and the Empire divided, I will here 
declare the Caufes I know of this Revolution a . 
32. The great Troubles which have embroiled the Af- 
fairs of this Empire, which have put a Stop to the Juftice 
and Righteoufnefs there formerly pradlifed, and which 
have in fine interrupted the ordinary Navigation from 
Siraff to China , flowed from this Source : An Officer who 
was confiderable for his Employment, though not of the 
Royal Family, revolted fometime ago ; this Man’s Name 
was Baichu 1, and he began with committing Hoftilities in 
the Country, marching his Armies into many Places, to the 
great Lofs of the Inhabitants, till, winning a Party over to 
him by his Liberalities, he got together a Multitude of 
Vagabonds and abandoned People, whom he formed into 
a confiderable Body of Troops. 
His Army thus {Lengthened, and himfelf in a Condi- 
tion to undertake any thing, he difcovered his Defign of 
fubduing the Empire, and marched ftrait to Canfu , one 
of the moft noted Cities in China , and at that Time the 
Port for all the Arabian Merchants.- This City ftands up- 
on a great River fome Days pittance from the Entrance, 
fo that the Water there is freffi. But the Citizens (hutting 
their Gates againft him, he refolved to befiege the Place, 
and the Siege lafted a great while. This was tranfadled 
In the Year of the Hegira CCLXIV. and of Chrift 877. 
At laft he became Matter of the City, and put all the 
Inhabitants to the Sword. There are Perfons. fully ac- 
quainted with the Affairs of China , who allure us, that 
befides the Chinefe who were maffacred upon this Occafion, 
there perifhed one hundred and twenty thoufand Moham- 
medans, Jews, Chriftians , and Parfees who were there 
on account of T raffick. The Number of the ProfefTors 
of thefe four Religions, who thus perifiied, is exaftly 
known, becaufe the Chinefe are exceedingly nice in the Ac- 
counts they keep of them. 
He alfo cut down the Mulberry-trees, and almoft all 
the Trees of other Kinds : But we fpeak of the Mulberry 
in particular, becaufe the Chinefe cultivate it carefully, for 
the fake of its Leaf, on which their Silkworms fubfift. 
This Devaftation is the Caufe why Silk has failed, and 
that the Trade which ufed to be driven therein through 
all the Countries under the Arabs, is quite at a ftand. 
Having facked and deftroyed Canfu , he poffeffed himfelf 
of many other Cities, which he attacked one after another, 
the Emperor of China not having it in his Power to flop 
his Progrefs. He advanced then to the capital City, called 
Cumdan j and the Emperor left this, his royal Seat, 
making a precipitate Retreat to the City of Hamdu , on 
the Frontiers, towards the Province of Tibet. 
The Rebel, puffed up by thefe great Succeffes, and 
perceiving himfelf Matter of the Countries, fell upon the 
other Cities, which he demolifhed, having firft flain moft 
of the Inhabitants, with a View, in this general Butchery, 
to involve all the feveral Branches of the Royal Blood, that 
none might furvive to difpute the Empire with him. 
We had the News of thefe Revolutions, and of the total 
Ruin of China , which ftill continues. 
Thus were Affairs fituated, and the Rebel flood uncontrol- 
led by any Difadvantage that might abafe his Authority b . 
33. At laft the Emperor of China wrote to the King of 
Tagazgaz in Turkejian, with whom, befides the Nearnefs 
of his Dominions, he was, in fome Degree, ally’d by 
Marriage •, and, at the fame time, fent an Embaffy to 
him, to implore his Affiftance for reducing this Rebel. 
Upon this, the King of Tcgazgaz difpatched his Son, at 
the Head of a very numerous Army, to fight this Op- 
preffor ; and, after many Battles, and almoft continual 
Skirmiffies, he utterly defeated him. It was never 
known what became of the Rebel : Some believe he fell 
in Battle, while others thought he ended his Days in an- 
other Manner. 
The Emperor of China returned then to Cumdan , and 
although he was extremely weakened, and much dilpirited 
becaufe of the Embezzlement of his Treafures, and the 
Lofs of his Captains and beft Troops, and becaufe of all 
the late Calamities, he neverthelefs made himfelf Mafter 
of all the Provinces which had been conquered from 
him. However, he never laid Hands on the Goods of 
his Subjects, but fatisfied himfelf with what-- was yet left in 
his Coffers, and the fmall Remainders of publick Money, 
his Condition indifpenfably obliged him to take up with 
what his Subjects would give him, and to require nothing 
from them but Obedience to his Mandates, forbearing to 
fqueeze Money from them, becaufe the King’s Governors 
had exhaufted them already. 
Thus China became almoft like the Empire of Alexan- 
der after the Defeat and Death of Darius % when he di- 
vided the Provinces he took from the Perfans amongft I 
fo many Chiefs, who erefted themfelves into fo many 
Kings ; for now each of thefe Chinefe Princes joined with, ; 
fome 
8 The Account here given by our Author, very plainly proves, that the Trade to China was confidered in his Time as very ancient, and of very 
great Confequence, infomuch that whatever affefted the Peace of that Country, was looked upon as a Thing of common Concern to all the Nations 
of the Eaft. But till thefe Travels were publifhed, who could have imagined this ? Who would have fufpefted that the Affairs of Cbm a were io well 
known to the Arabs ? And therefore when thefe Things are maturely weighed, who can doubt that we had Reafon to advance it as a Thing highly 
probable, that long before this, the Empires of China and the Indies were in the moft flourifhing Condition, as well in point of foreign Commerce, as 
° f b °T fs 1 a ve?y C <hfficuft thing to pretend to fettle the Chronology of the Chinefe Empire ; and the very learned Editor of thefe Travels, confeffes that 
Jhe is noi able to give any fatisfaciory Account of this Revolution. It fo falls out, however, that Father du Halde, in his Hiftory of fhipa, lately puo- 
lifhed, has enabled us to fet this Matter right, or at leaft very nearly right. He informs us, that in the Reign of the Emperor Hi ^wywhowas 
the eighteenth of the Dynafty of Tang, the Affairs of China fell into very great Diforder, from the heavy Taxes laid upon the People, and a great 
Famine, caufed by the Inundation of Rivers, and infinite Numbers of Grafs-hoppers that deftroyed their Harvefts. While Things were “ ^situ- 
ation, there happened feveral Revolts in the Provinces, which encouraged a certain Rebel, whofe Name was Hoan if a, to put himfelf at the flea . 
of the Malecontents, and that with fuch Succefs, as to drive the Emperor from the Imperial City, of which he made himfelf M after ; bat hew 
afterwards defeated, and the Emperor reftored. It muft be owned, that there is about twenty Tears Difference between the Time mentioneq y 
our Author, and the Date of this Revolution, afligned by Father du Halde. I fhall not take upon me to decide where the Miftake lies ; but I conceive 
that the Reader will be of the fame Opinion with me, in concluding this to be the Revolution mentioned in the Text. , . . 
c All the Oriental Writers agree in giving a different Account of the Divifion of the Empire of Alexander tne Great, fr ° m J hat * “A? 
by the Greeks j and that this Notion of theirs was ancient, appears from what we are told by the Author of the firft Booh of Maccabees, w o 
