Chap. III. 
“ There is a Law in Force in China which extends 
the Punifhment of Rebels to the ninth Generation. 
“ The prefent Emperor Canghi, who is a mild Prince, 
“ and difcovers a very great Averfion to Cruelty, 
“ found himfelf oblig’d, in Compliance with the Laws 
“ ol the Land, to put to Death the Children and fome 
“ other Relations of Oufangeii, by Reafon he was con- 
“ vidted of Rebellion : But to teftify his Averfion to 
“ any fuch Pradlice, he caufed Proclamation to be made 
“ before-hand, that it was not he that had condemned 
“ them, but that he was conftrained by the rigid Laws 
“ of the Empire, the general Affembly of the Princes 
of the Blood, and the fupreme Courts of Juftice of 
“ the Land, not to delay the Punifliment of any Per- 
“ fon who was convidied of Rebellion.” 
It is indeed true, that not long before fome Lords 
rofe up againft the Emperor, and carried on a War 
againft him, which did not prove fuccefsful, by Reafon 
of their mutual Divifions: Yet incredible Numbers of 
iVfen were killed ; fome talk of forty Millions, others 
fay four Millions : Infomuch that human Blood (in 
an unheard of Manner) flreamed from Mountain Tops ; 
that the deep Channels were filled with dead Bodies, and 
the deeper Vales piled up and levelled with the Hills. 
This happened during the Minority of the prefent Em- 
peror Canghi^ he being then not much above fourteen 
Years old. 
As his Father’s Acceffion to the Throne was not ac- 
companied with any Fatigues or Uneafinefs, fo his Reign 
•was very peaceable •, leaving the greateft Difficulties for 
his Son to ftruggle with, who by his great Wifdom, 
heroick Courage, Royal Virtues, and exalted Endow- 
ments, hath overcome them all. 
We ffiali now turn towards the Southern Provinces, 
and take Leave of thefe Northern Countries, with fay- 
ing that Leaotung is a very fine though fmail Province, 
containing not above twelve as well large as frnall Ci- 
ties : And adding that in this Province grows the famous 
Medicinal Root Ginfeng, acknowledged by the Phy- 
ficians to be an excellent Cordial Reftorative. The Chi- 
nefe Dodtors ufe it in Hedick Peftilential Fevers, and 
feveral other dangerous Difeafes : It is prepared 
by Mixture with feveral other Drugs. Thofe of 
thefe Roots which are large, bright and weighty, are 
chofen as the beft ; they wrap them up in Paper, and 
keep them in dry Earth, and alfo in Pepper : They 
commonly boil two or three Grains of it minced frnall, 
in Chicken Broth, or in fair Water : But particular 
Care muff be taken that the Pot be clofe covered, by 
Reafon that in an open Kettle a great Part of its Vir- 
tue evaporates. 
“ The Reader will naturally expedl to have fome 
“ Account of this famous Plant, beyond what our 
Author, to whom it was common and familiar, has 
“ thought proper to fet down here. The Ginfeng is a 
perennial Root that produces an annual Stalk of the 
“ Size of a large Quill, which riles not very high, and 
“ opens with Eve Leaves. Some fay, that this Plant 
“ bears white and beautiful Flowers ; others, that it 
produces no Flower at all. The Roof, which is the 
Fart moft valued, is of the Size of a frnall Parfnip, 
not very unlike it, and generally divides itfelf into 
“ two. It is held to be the greateft Reftorafive in the 
‘‘ World, and the Chinefe Phyficians have written whole 
“ Volumes about it, in which they tell us many Things 
“ that feem to furpafs all Credit. It is however to be 
obferved, that the figurative Stile, and tiie very con- 
cife Deferiptions in thefe Sort of Books, very often 
hinder Europeans from comprehending their true 
Senfe j fo that we are apt to rejeft, as a ridiculous Ro- 
mance, what with them paffes for a well- wrought Al- 
“ legory, or a tifeful Fable. The Miffionaries, gene- 
“ rally fpeaking agree that it is both an ufeful and an 
“ efficacious Medicine 5 that it removes Vapours, raifes 
“ the Spirits, fupplies Strength, and promotes Secre- 
“ tions in a wonderful Manner. The Leaves are ufed 
as Tea, and have a very great Effedl that Way, but 
the Root is far preferable, and the true Way of ufing 
“ it is thus. Divide an Ounce of Ginfeng into ten Parts, 
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by breaking it-, for it is affirmed, that Experience 
fiaows it lofes mmeh of its Virtue by being cut with 
a Knife : One of thefe Portions is fufficient for a 
“ Dofe, and is to be put into an earthen Pot, with a 
Pint of Water, and being clofdy covered, muft be 
“ fet upon a flow Fire, till by ftewing, it is reduced to 
“ about a Qjarter of a Pint. This Liquor is to be fweet- 
" ned with white Sugar Candy, and fo drank moderately 
“ hot. Then half that Quantity of Water may be 
put upon the fame Root and being half confumedg 
the Liquor is to be taken in the like Manner. The 
“ former fliould be taken in the Morning, faffing, the 
“ latter in the Evening, and nothing eat after it. There 
are various Reafons why this Drug does not anfwer 
in Europe *, one is, that bearing a high Value, we are 
“ often cheated, and fome other Root fent us, inftead of 
“ Ginfeng j another and a better Reafon is this, that the 
“ Root itfelf is very apt to corrupt and fpoil, fo as to 
“ lofe all its Virtue. I knew a Phyfician that made 
“ Ufe of a Tincfure of it, brought by the Chinefe to ■ 
“ Batavia^ with great Succefs, but this Tindfure was 
extravagantly dear, fince at the firft Hand it coft 
three Founds an Ounce. The Ginfeng commonly 
grows in woody Places, under the Shade of 
large Trees. It has been plentifully found in Canada^ 
where it was difeovered by a French Jefuit one Father 
Lafitau. It is alfo found in Maryland^ and under the 
“ Title of the Maryland Plant is very well delcribed by 
‘‘ Mr. Ray. There is another Plant more common in 
“ Phyfick, the Latin Name of which is Hepatka No- 
“ hilis Tragi., that is hdd to be very little inferior in its 
“ Virtues to the Ginfeng., and ought therefore to be 
“ more in Ufe. It were to be wifhed that fome of the 
“ Jefuits fettled in that Empire were well verfed in 
Chemiftry, and then there is no Doubt they would 
be able to prepare Extrads from this famous Root, 
“ that would reftore and eftablifli its Credit in Europe.^ 
and prevent our Phyficians from believing, that the 
Chinefe Dodors, either through Ignorance or Prepof- 
“ feffion in Favour of their Country, have extolled this 
“ Drug far above its Deferts. But till this be done, it 
“ would not certainly be amifs to make fome Experiments 
“ on the American Ginfeng, of which we might have con- 
“ fiderable Quantities from Maryland ; and as to the 
“ Liverwort before-mentioned, one can hardly believe 
that fo good a Judge as Schroder fhould commend 
it to fuch a Degree, if it had not really fome very 
“ confiderable Qualities ; but we are too apt to neg- 
“ led Simples, and leave them entirely to the Vulgar 
“ and to Quacks, who very often perform fuch extra- 
“ ordinary Cures by them, as not only raifes their Cre- 
“ dit, but is prejudicial to that of regular Phyficians, 
“ who are more enamoured of Botany as a Science, 
“ than attentive to its Confequences, as it is a Branch 
“ of the Art of Medicine.” 
II. Having deferib’d the Northern, we come to 
fpeaking of the Southern Provinces or Kingdoms of 
China. 
Nanking, which we named firft, is very large, and 
is governed by two Viceroys : The chief City is called 
Nanking, or rather at prefent Kiamning, the Tartars ha- 
ving changed its Name. This was formerly the Me- 
tropolis j and the Imperial Court, now kept at Peking, 
antiently refided here. This is the largeft City in 
China *, and at prefent is fixteen or feventeen French 
Miles in Compafs j but formerly contain’d three Cir- 
cuits. The firft or outermoft and largeft Circuit was 
thirty Miles ; but fince the Tranflation of the Seat of 
the Empire, it is run to Decay, and become fo far de- 
folate, that its fecond Circuit contains but fixteen or 
feventeen Miles, in which Compafs are above thirty 
Hills. 
“ The Footfteps of thefe 'Walls yet remain viTible ; and 
“ feem rather (faith Le Comte, to have been the Bounds 
“ of a Province than a City : And though Peking is 
“ large and very populous, and Nanking very much de- 
dined from its former Grandure, it is ftill more popu- 
loLis than the other. The Reafon of the Remo'/al of 
‘‘ the Court is hinted in the fecond Chapter.” 
II N Ws 
