Chap. III. 
the Rmpire 
it wonderful, or even fingular, except that_ it is of the 
Size of a little HoTfe j but they have a Kind of Deer 
that never grow any bigger than an ordinary Dog, 
which from the Beauty of their Shape, and. Clofenefs of 
their Hair, are real Curiofities. As to the Horfe Ty- 
<yer, that lives in the Water, and is covered with Scales 
as thick and as hard as Tortoife-Hiell, it is a mere In- 
vention, contrived to impofe upon weak People, and 
to make wifer IVIen laugh. But all thele Kind of Tales 
be»in to be exploded, for the Tartars are a Sort of 
People that do not at all affedt them, but defpife the 
Ch'inefe for believing and telling gravely known Falte- 
Toods and palpable Abfurdities, 
There are fome wild Elephants in China^ but not 
many \ the Emperor has a Stable of fifteen oi twenty 
of them, which are Prefents from Foreign Princes. 
Their Horfes are of middle Size, the ftrongeft and moft 
ferviceable come from Rartary ; there are alfo Mules and 
Camels, Oxen, Cows and Buffaloes, alfo Wolves, Bears, 
Tygers, and other Beads of Prey in the mountainous 
Farts ok the Country., Their Sheep are like thofe of 
'Turkey with great Tails that weigh feveral Pounds. Deers 
and Hares they have in great Numbers. Their Hogs 
are black, and have Bellies that reach the Ground, they 
are efteemed very good Food; notwithftanding the Heat 
of the Country, for indeed this is made no Obje6lion to 
of Flog’s Flefh in the Ead. 
Geefe, Hens and Ducks, and all Sorts of Poultry, 
are mighty cheap, tlieir Eggs are hatched in Ovens or 
Dunghills in moft Places : As to the Birds of China^ 
chey*^have Paroketes extreamly beautiful in their Co- 
lours, and that are as eafily taught to fpeak as thofe that 
come from Awericci, They have alfo a Kind of Hawks, 
which they call Hat tjhing^ larger than our Falcons and 
ftronger, but thefe are very fcarce, and are fcldom 
feen but in the Emperor’s Court. It is very true, that 
in Chinefe Writers there are very curious and copious 
Defcriptions of Birds ohat refemble the Phoenix of the 
Ancients, but then it is chiefly in this Particular, that 
though often defcribed, they were never yet fcen ; fo 
that There is no Need of fwelling this Chapter by in- 
ferting fuch Defcriptions. The firft Miffionaries how- 
ever were very excufable in giving Place to them in 
their Writings, becaufe it was impoITible for them 
to perceive, but in Length of Time, how little 
Credit was due to thofe Authorities. Geefe, Hens, and 
Ducks, as we obferved, and indeed all Sort of Poul- 
try, are exceffively plentiful, and prodigioufly cheap, 
throughout the whole Empire, and yet there are num- 
berlefT Families that live by Feeding and Selling them. 
As for the Ducks, thofe that deal in them, become al- 
moft as much Aquaticks as the Commodity they deal 
in, for their Houfes are fixed upon Barges, and as the 
Ducks live in, fo they and their Families pafs 
their Lives upon the Water, and their Children are 
often three or four Years old before they fet their Feet 
upon the Land. Wild Fowl are alfo plenty, and they 
may very w'ell be fo, for with refpefif to tnofe, as well 
as to Animals, the Chinefe eat without Ceremony, eat 
all that come to Hand, let them breed or feed how 
they will. 
There are Butterflies in China of an extraordinary 
Beauty, and of a very extravagant Size, but they are^ 
found only on a Angle Mountain in the Province of 
Rluangtcung ; and thefe too are generally fent to the 
Emperor. They ftick upon Trees and Flowers in the 
Day, immoveable with their Wings clofe ; but if once 
difcovered, are eafily taken : Towards Evening they 
fly about like Bats, and the Exterit of their Wings is 
very little if at all inferior to thole ot Bats in Rurope, 
The Colours in their Wings are beautiful almoft be- 
yond Defcription, finely and regularly variegated with 
White, Green, Blue and Crimfon ; the Body, which is 
almoft as tliick as a Man’s little Finger, is cover’d with 
a yellow Down as bright and as refplendent as burnifh’d 
Gold. I'here are a fmaller Sort of Butterflies taken in 
the Mountains of Sichang^ not far from Pekin, which 
have very vivid Colours, but are far inferior to thofe 
VoL. IL N9CXXXVIL 
<?/ China. 987 
enormous Butterflies beforementioned, and which make 
Part of the Furniture of the Imperial Cabinets. 
Grafhoppers are exceeding troublefome in China, and 
frequently devour the Fruits of the Earth in fome Provin- 
ces ; there are alfo feveral Kinds of Serpents, particularly 
the Cobra Capella, or hairy headed Serpents; which have 
been defcrib’d in our Accounts of /Ki//a.Filli abound in their 
Rivers and Canals, and befides Nets and other Engines; 
which are ufed in Europe to catch them, they breed up large 
Fowls like Herons, which are as much under the Fiflier- 
man’s Command as our Dogs, and Hawks are under 
the Huntfman’s ; they keep them perched on the Sides 
of their Boats, and when they give a Sign; every Bird 
takes its Flight to look for the Prey, and will divide 
themfelves the whole Breadth of a River or Lake ; when 
they have feized a Fifti they bring it to their Mafter, and 
if it be coo big for one, they will help one ano- 
ther ; it is faid when they have brought it to the Boatj 
they immediately take their Flight again in Search for 
more ; but they have a String about their Necks, which 
prevents their Swallowing the Fifii, till the Mafter 
thinks fit to leave off his Sport, and then they ara 
fuffered to prey for themfelves, 
There are alfo all thofe Kinds of Fifli in their Wa- 
ters, which are met with in Europe, and many more, 
particularly one, which is called the Gold and Silver 
Fifh, which is wonderful beautiful, and kept by the Qua* 
licy in large Bafons in their Gardens. They are about 
the Length and Bignefs of one’s Finger, the Male of 
a fine red, from the Head to the Middle ofTis Body, 
the reft with the Tail is of fuch a bright and glitter* 
ing Gold Colour, that uo real Gildings can come 
near it. The Female is of a pure Silver White, the 
Tail of either of them is not fiat, but gathered thick 
like a Nofegay, which is an Addition to their 
Beauty. They, are a very tender Animal, and foon fen* 
Able of the Alteration of the Weather ; therefore Con- 
trivances are made to fhelter. them from the Heat, and 
their Water often changed. And if they are to be re- 
moved from one Bafon to another, great Care is taken 
not to touch them, for the lead Touch, it is faid, will 
kill them, as will fometimes the Noife of great Guns, 
loud Thunder, or an offenfive Smell, fuch as Pitch or 
Tar. But it is needlefs to infift longer on this Subjedf, 
fince Numbers of thefe Fifh have been of late Years 
brought over into Europe, and even into England, which 
has afforded the Curious an Opportunity of feeing that, 
though the Chinefe often exaggerate, yet fometimes they 
keep at leaft pretty near the Truth. 
The Mountains of China are held to be the richeft in 
the World ; fome fay, on Account of their Mines of 
Gold and Silver ; but perhaps their Charader may be 
maintained, even fuppofe their Title to thefe rich Me- 
tals could not be made out. Yet this is very far from 
being the Cafe; for it is certain there are two Silver 
Mines open, one in the Province of Se tchun, and the 
other in that of Tu nan, which ftill produce confiderably, 
and were formerly exceffively rich. The Emperor 
Canghi caufed another Silver Mine to be opened^ and 
wrought for fome Time, but it was afterwards difeon* 
tinued. It is believed alfo that they have very rich 
Gold Mines •, at leaft it is very certain, that in tbs 
Mountains on both Sides of China there are very rich 
Lavadores, as the Spaniards call them, that is. Places 
where Gold Sand is wafhed out of the Rocks. The 
Chinefe, who are equally refcrved in their Polfticks, and 
in their Books and who in their Converfation fpeak 
Truth or Falfehood, juft as it fuits their Purpofes beft, 
affed to fay, that though they have rich Mines of thefe 
Metals, yet they lie in Places inacceffible, and where it 
would coft more, to come at them, than ever Gold and 
Silver are worth. 
This, however, is but a Pretence, fince the very 
Mine they laft wrought was difeontinued for being too 
rich I and the Secret of this Policy lies here : The Em- 
perors of China have fixty Millions of Subjeds, and at 
prefent the Country being perfedly well cultivated, they 
are plentifully fupplied with Necefiaries, Conveniencies 
1 1 S and 
