6 a6 
The VOYAGES and TR A FEES Book I, 
of remaining firm and united, which Teemed to be the 
only Means left for recovering again the Dominions they 
had loft, they fplit themfelves into feveral little Principa- 
lities, under To many Khans •, who, though their Territo- 
ries were not very wide, maintained neverthelefs their 
'Independency. Among the moft confiderable of thofe 
Cities which they ere&ed, were Kirin, Ula , and Kin- 
krita , all three of them feated on the Weft Bank of 
the River Sangoro , which falls into the great River Amur 
about twelve Days Journey above its Mouth. The City 
of Kirin is diftant from the Province of Leaoton about three 
hundred and fixty Miles. The City of Ula is in Latitude 
44° 20 / N. and was confidered as the Capital of the Ni- 
, euchen Moguls. The Khan of Ula however was far from 
being a confiderable Prince, had no fort of Superiority 
over the reft of the Khans of the Eaftern Tartars , was 
without Allies or Refources beyond the Power of his own 
Subje&s ; and yet, as we fhall fhew hereafter, it was this 
Khan Ula, that had the Courage to undertake, and the 
good Fortune to accomplifh the third Conqueft of Chinas : 
But at prefent we will leave the Tartars cultivating their 
Befarts, and return to the new-founded Empire of Tchou , 
and his Defcendants. 
The Dynafty, founded by this Prince, was called Ming , 
and the Emperor, who, as I have faid before, affumed the 
Name of Tai Tfou , reigned thirty-one Years with great 
Glory, and left the Empire to his Grandfon,who periftiedin 
a Civil War, and was fucceeded by his Unde, who, having 
been formerly King of Peking , transferred the Seat of the 
Empire thither. The fixth Emperor of this Family wasTng 
Tfong , under whofe Reign the Tartars made new Incur- 
fions into China-, tooppofe them, the Emperor marched at 
the Head of a great Army, and purfuing them confidera- 
bly beyond the famous Wall, they fuddenly faced-about, 
attacked, and defeated the Chinefe , making the Emperor 
Prifoner. His Son, who was but two Years old, was ad- 
vanced to the Empire, and the Brother of the captive Em- 
peror, whofe Name was King Ti , declared Protedor, which 
Promotion gave him an Opportunity of feizing the Em- 
pire. The Tartars , fome Time after, releafed Tng Tfong , 
who chofe however to lead a private Life, and leave his 
Brother in Poffeffion of the Empire, which he enjoyed to 
his Death ; and then the old Emperor was again feated on 
the Throne. 
The eleventh Emperor of this Race was Chi Tfong , 
who had the good Fortune to defeat the T artars in feveral 
Battles ; and it was under his Reign that the famous 
Francis Xavier preached the Chriftian Religion in theEaft, 
where he died in 1552. The Emperor Chi Tfong reigned 
forty- five Years, in the latter Part of which the Govern- 
ment began to decline very fenfibly, as it continued to do 
under all his Succeffors, down to Hoai Tfong , who was the 
fixteenth and laft Emperor of the Family of Ming . It 
was under his Reign that Zungt-hy , who was Khan of Ula , 
formed the Defign of making himfelf Mafter of China, 
notwithftanding that all the Force he was able to raife 
did not exceed fifteen thoufand Horfe. He began with 
entering into private Intrigues with fome of the Chinefe 
Mandanns, who were exiled into the Province of Lea- 
oton, by whofe Affiftance, he foon became Mafter of a great 
Part of that Povince. The Emperor fent againft him an 
Army more than fufficient to have forced him back into 
his own Country ; but he had fo much Addrefs, as to pre- 
vent the principal Officers of this Army from doing their 
Duty j fo that by Degrees, he mattered all the reft of that 
Province, and at laft took Poffeffion of its Capital 
While this Scene was tranfafted in the Eaft, and the 
whole Force of the Chinefe Empire employed there to fo 
little Purpofe, new Troubles arofe in the Weftern Pro- 
vinces, where feveral Bands of Thieves and Highway- 
men committed the., moft extravagant Outrages ; and, at 
laft, under the Command of one Lycoungz , an obfcure and 
infamous Fellow, plundered feveral Cities, and even whole 
Provinces, which encreafmg the Number of their Forces, the 
Rebel had at laft fufficient Power to attempt the Subvert!- 
on of the Empire. It was with this View that he marched 
directly to Pekin , where in three Days he became Mafter 
of the Place, and the Emperor finding himfelf abandoned, 
hanged himfelf on a Tree in his Garden. lycoungz im- 
mediately took the Title of Emperor, and endeavoured, 
by all the Methods he could devife, to bring over to his 
Iritereft Ou-fan-guei, who was General of the Army fent 
againft the Tartars , and the only Perfon capable; of dis- 
puting with him the Pofleffion of China. That General 
however rejected all his Offers with Contempt, which ob- 
liged Lycoungz to take the Field once again, and to march 
againft him with his numerous Army : Ou-fan-guei , who 
faw that it was fimply impoffible for him to think of mak- 
ing head at once againft the Ufurper and the Tartars, re~ 
folved to make Terms with the fairer Enemy of the two, 
and thereupon invited Zungt-hy to come to his Affiftance K 
This was precifely what the the Tartar Prince defired, 
and therefore he made no Difficulty of complying with his 
Demand. He left five thoufand of his own Troops in the 
Province of Leaoton, and then marched with ten thoufand 
Tartars, and twenty thoufand of the Inhabitans of that 
Country to the Relief of the Chinefe General, who received 
him with great Joy. They marched together direftly to- 
wards the Ufurper, and when they were upon the Point of 
giving him Battle, Zungt-hy obferved, in a Conference 
he had with the Chinefe General, that, as the beft Part of 
the Forces of the Empire, and efpecially thole of the 
fouthern and weftern Provinces were extremely afraid of 
the Tartars, it would be very expedient for him to cut 
the Tails of his Horfes after, their Manner ; by which 
Means the Army of the TJforper would take them all for 
Tartars. Ou-fan-guei following the Advice of the Khan, 
it had fo good an Efteft, that the Rebels were totally de- 
feated, and Lycongz obliged to fly with the Remainder of 
his Army towards Pekin. The victorious Allies continued 
their Purfuit without the leaft Intermiffion ; and on their 
drawing near the City, the Chinefe General made Procla- 
mation, that all fuch as did not take part vrith the Ufur- 
per, fhould trim their Horfes after the Manner of the 
Tartars, that they might the more eafily diftinguiffi them 
on all Occafions. This Stratagem had as great an Effedt 
as a fecond Victory : Such Multitudes declared themfelves 
againft the Ufurper, that finding it abfolutely impoffible 
to maintain his Ground, he firft plundered the Imperial 
City, and then retired with his Army loaded with Booty. 
When the Allies were in Poffeffion of Pekin , it was agreed 
that Zungt-hy , with his Forces, fhould remain there for 
the Security of the Place, and that Ou-fan-guei, with his 
Army, fhould purfue the Ufurper till luch Times as an 
End could be put to the War. 
The fame Arts, or rather the fame Virtues by which 
the Tartar Prince had gained the Affections of the Peo- 
ple of Leaoton , produced the like Confequences amongft 
the Inhabitants of Pekin •, and, as on the one hand, they 
were weary of living without the Support and Protection 
of a Governor, fo they flattered themfelves on the other, 
with enjoying all imaginable Happinefs under a Prince of 
fo much Humanity and fo great Abilities as Zungt-hy , 
and therefore, almoft of their own Accord, they declared 
him Emperor in the Abfence of the Chinefe General, who 
had himfelf Views upon the Throne, in which he had very 
g Afnrefent all the Eaftern dart ary is fubjea to the Chinefe Emperors, and is divided into two Parts ; the firft contains what may be called the he- 
reditenF Dominions ofthe Family now reigning in China. It is divided into three Governments, and the Inhabitants are diftingu.fhed by the Name 
Capital of this Country is called by the Inhabitants themfelves Mongdov, but by the Chnefe Chtnl W, winch at dm Day,* a 
well Deooled and well fortified City, where there is a Sovereign Tribunal for deciding all Affairs that relate to the Dominion of Pat t ary. 1 . - • -- 
Pa the Dominion of its own Princes, who have the Title of Khans, which they receive from, and are V affals to the 
Emperor of cS The Inhabitants are called fimply Mongols , or Mongous, and the Country pafles alfo under the fame Denomination 
not my Intention t0 give the Reader here a Hiftory of China, but barely to mention fuch Fafts as may be neceffary to explain wha 
been ^relLed before, and may occur in fucceeding Voyages, I did not think myfelf obliged to mention all the Emperors of this Family, and therefore 
have touched only on the Reigns of fuch as might beft anfvver my Purpofe. _ , , T , , f CnllrrAnm of a Fer'bn who ha; 
i Thefe Fate are fomewhat differently related by different Hiftonans ; but I have given them the Reade * 
taken great Pains to make himfelf Mafter of the Chinefe Hiftory, which he may probably be prevailed upon to publifh when he thinks it perfect enoug. 
to bear the Infpeftion of the Criticks. 
pro 
4 
