Chap. III. the Empire of Cm n a. ' ' 9^9 
ter falling into it from the Hills is very bright and 
clear, and is conveyed into the City by the above-men- 
tioned Channels. 
Eaftwards alfo, near the City Wall, there runs a great 
River called Zhien ’Tangkiang, which at that Place is 
two Miles over, or as broad as the River Kiam^ but not 
fo deep, nor doth it extend fo far, as pajfTing through 
but one Province. 
The other large Cities of this Province are. Ktdking 
Fu, Xanking Fu, Nimpo Fu^ Kiuncheu Fu^ VenUeu Fu^ 
Niencheu Fu, Chinchem Fu^ Kingkoa Fu, Faicheu Fu^ 
and Ninchi Fu ; the whole Number being eleven. They 
prefide over feventy fix lefifer Cities ; to which is added 
ViicheuFu^ a City not lefs confiderable than any of the 
reft, and from it are brought very great Quantities of 
Silk. 
1 3. Kiangfi is a large Province, which plentifully 
abounds with all Neceffaries to human Life ; It borders on 
Nanking. A Lake or fmall Sea of three hundred French 
Miles in Bignefs, called Phojang Fu., takes up the great- 
eft Part of It, and is as navigable tor great Ships as the 
main Sea, and is furrounded by a Multitude of fine 
Towns and Cities. All the Rivers of this Province flow 
into this Meer, which difcharges itfelf into the Nankinftan 
River, and by Means of that is conveyed to the Ocean. 
This Province contains thirteen large Cities, the chief 
of which is Nanchang Fuy which, though a great City, 
is now ruined and reduced to a defolate Condition by the 
WarSj Vieicheu Fu., a City where the Porcelain or China 
Earthen-ware is made, is alfo in this Province. 
“ That this Porcelain is a common Manufafture in 
“ China, is acknowledged by all •, and that the oldeft is 
“ efteemed the beft, few are ignorant, partly on account 
“ of its beautiful Whitenefs, partly for its Antiquity, 
“ and by Reafon none fo good is at prefent made j be- 
“ caufe chat the Emperor appoints a Mandaryn at the 
“ Places where it is wrought, in order to choofe for his 
Ufe the finefl Pieces, for which he nocwithftanding 
“ pays but a very mean Price wherefore the Manufac- 
“ turers, not being able to fet their own Rate, or per- 
“ haps being but very ill paid, are difeouraged from 
“ making it better than ordinary, and will neither take 
“ Pains, nor endeavour to fhew any great Art in the 
“ manufadluring this Ware, without being richly re- 
“ warded. Our Author here relates the Manner of its 
“ Gompofition in his ufual plain Manner. But others 
“ (J. G. de Mendofa) tells us, that it is made of Chalk, 
“ which being beaten is thrown into a Pond clofely 
“ walled in, in which it diflblves and boils up, a thin 
“ Skum arifing, of which the fineft Porcelain is made, 
“ and the coarfer of the Remainder ; for the nearer the 
“ Bottom it grows, it becomes ftill coarfer. They 
“ work this into what Shapes they pleafe, in the fame 
“ Manner as we do, and gild or paint them according to 
“ their Fancies, which Colouring, or Gilding never fades. 
“ This, faith he, is what we know of our own Obfervation, 
“ and is more probable than that it fhould be com- 
“ pofed of Sea Shells which have lain a hundred Years 
“ under Ground to putrify, and are taken up, beaten, 
“ and then baked. Nieuhoff faith that it is made of a 
“ Sort of Earth which is brought from a certain Hill 
“ in the Province of Nanking *, that this Earth is not 
“ moift like Clay or Chalk, but dry like fine Sand *, 
“ that they diffolve it with Water, but not that of 
“ Hoeicheu in Nanking or the neighbouring Parts, it 
“ being impoflable to work it in that Water *, the Truth 
“ of which they have frequently been convinced of by 
unfortunate Experience •, but it is fuccefsfully temper- 
“ ed with the Water of Vieicheu Fu, and the adjacent 
“ Places. That having wrought it into VelTels of all 
“ Shapes and Sizes at Pleafure, they firft dry them in 
“ the Sun, before they venture them in the Oven, after 
“ which they put them into the Furnace, and let them 
“ bake for fifteen Days, and ftand fifteen Days after that 
“ to cool, before they take it out, ^c. Le Comte faith, 
“ That it is made of a more folid Earth than ordina- 
“ ry, which is found in the Stone Qiiarries of this Pro- 
“ vince : That this being cleanfed and beaten to a fine 
“ Powder, is moiftened and made into a Mafs, which 
is long and throughly mixed and beaten, in order to 
“ dear and refine it : That it is probable this Eatfh 
“ is moulded into feveral Forms at Pleafure by fuch a 
“ Wheel as is ufed for that Purpofe in Europe : That 
after this it is carefully dried in the Sun, when the 
“ Ground and Paint is laid on, and then is put into 
“ the Furnace, which is kept to a moderate even Heat i 
“ and, that being baked enough, after a long Time 
“ ftaying there, and becoming perfectly cold, it is taken 
“ out.’’ 
This Porcelain is compofed by the Mixture of certain 
Sorts of moift . and dry Earths t The dry comes from 
the Province of Nanking : From thefe two Ingredients 
this China Earthen Ware is prepared, moulded into le- 
veral Shapes, dried and baked ; and when it is be- 
come cold, or rather almoft: cold, the Colours are laid 
on, and it is glafed, once more put into the Oven, and 
baked in the Shape the Artift defires it fliould re- 
main 
The other large Cities are Kincheu Fu, Suicheu Fu, 
Nanhang Fu, ^oang fin Fu, ^ienchang Fu, Linkiang Fu^ 
Chungkue Fu, Tungcheu Fu, ai2d Nangan Fu. 
Thefe large prefide over feventy eight lefler Cities. 
14. Huquang, and Xienfi, already deferibed, are the two 
largeft Provinces of China. This contains in its Ju- 
rifdiiftion fifteen Cities, and more plentifully abounds 
with Rice, Corn and Fifh than all the reft ; being alone 
very well able to furnifli the whole Empire with fufllci- 
ent Quantities of Corn. For the Space of ten Years, 
this Province was miferably infefted with civil Wars and 
Difeord, which have cut off incredible Numbers of 
Men. 
The faiftious Lichuang, already mentioned in the De- 
feription of Leaotung, was the Caufe of all this Blood- 
fhed when he poflefled himfelf of this Province. 
And after an Interval of only a few Years Prince Vii 
Sanguei (who invited in the Tartars to his Affiftance) 
made himfelf Mailer of a great Part of it, and for the 
Space of feveral Years carried on a vigorous War 
againft the Emperor. 
There is a Lake in this Province^ the Circumference 
of which is above four hundred French Miles, into 
which feveral Screams and Rivulets fall; And at the 
Mouth of it are feveral Mountains and fmall Hands, 
from whence and from its boifterous Waves, it is not 
unlike the main Sea. It is frequented by an incredible 
Quantity of Ships, and from it defeends a very large 
River which falls into the famous Nanquingian River. 
On the four Corners of this Province are fituate, four 
Cities : The firft of which is called joebeu, and lies at 
the Mouth of the River, and is very ftrong, and the 
Key of all the reft. Vii Sanguei, King of Junan, took 
it. The Emperor’s Brother, whom he had created King 
of this Province, afiifted by the Imperial Forces, fat 
down before it with a very great Army, and very clofcly 
befieged it, lofing a great many Men before it. It 
happened one Night either in this Streight, to rid 
themfelves of ufelefs People, and unprofitable Mouths, 
or elfe in order to convey a great Number fafe over 
the Meer, they embarked on board three hundred Ships; 
but fuch a fatal Storm arofe, that all the three hun- 
dred Ships and fifty thoufand Souls were funk to the 
Bottom. 
But after the Death of Vii Sanguei, this City, as well 
as the whole Empire, fell entirely into the Emperor’s 
Hands. There are in this Province fifteen large Fu., 
fubordinate to which are an hundred twenty-five lefiTer. 
Vii Chang Fu, the Principal, is a very large City, 
which is interfered by a River, frequented by Multi- 
tudes of Ships that drive a very confiderable Trade 
here. 
Cotton grows here in flich vaft ' Abundance, that it 
is tranfported from hence to all other Places almoft: 
throughout the whole Empire. 
The other large Cities' are Hanjang Fu, Buangcheu 
Fu, Gangling Fu, Sangiang Fu, Juniang Fu, F egan Fu^ 
Jangiang Fu, Jocheu Fu, Changxa Fu, Packing Fu, 
Xincheu Fu, Ch angle Fu, ^angcheu Fu, and Jungcheu. 
Fu the whole Number being fifteen, whole Jurif- 
dirion extends over one hundred and twenty-five 
other Towns. 
15.. This 
