99^ Geographical Defiription of - Baok III. 
well received. They, by Order of their Prince, en- that and Mufcovy were become Empires confinino- 
treated the Fmci? King’s Friendfhip, as well as made on each other by the Addition Tartary ^ And th^ 
Proteftations of their Mailer’s tender Regard for his AmbalTadors could not reach the before- mentioned 
Moll Chrijiicm Majeily ; and withal requefted, that he 
would pleafe to fend him fome Forces to remain in his 
Country for the Defence of it. And after the Expira- 
tion of feveral Years, the King of France fent Am- 
balfadors, and three Ships to Siam, where they fafely 
arrived, and were very well received and fpiendidly 
entertained *, belides which, large Privileges were grant- 
ed to the Chriflians on their Account *, for befides the 
AmbalTadors, in the three Ships, there came over with 
them a French Bilhop with feveral Monks, which, to- 
gether with three or four hundred Men defigned for 
the Defence of the King and Kingdom, were by the 
AmbalTadors left behind. 
This very much difgulled the Populace, but more 
the Priefts ; and feveral of the Chief of the Nobility 
look’d awry at it ; as did the Mahometans, who gave 
the King Poifon, of which he ficken’d and died. 
After which, the General and others rofe up, in Arms 
againft the Regent or Adminiftrator, maftered the City, 
and cut the above-mentioned to Pieces; and the 
King dying without Heirs, leaving only one Daughter, 
and this General having forcibly got into the Thtone, de- 
figned the immediate Dellrudion of the French ; but 
they perceiving his Intention, retired to a llrong well- 
fortified Place, which they fo bravely defended, that he 
was obliged to permit them to depart freely, and fur- 
nifh them with three Ships for their Voyage. 
17. Tartary borders North and North- weft On China, 
from which it is divided by the Great Wall : Thefe 
Nations are divided into Eaji and IVefi Tartars ; the 
latter conquered at the latter End of the Twelfth 
Century ; but about eighty Years afterwards were driven 
out of that Empire ; and the Eastern Tartars are at 
prefent polTefs’d of it, having leated themfelves on the 
Throne in the Year 1643. They are called Eajiern 
Tartars, not with Regard to China, of which they lie 
Northwards, but with refpetft to the other Tartars, 
which lie Weft of them, and are called JVeftern Tar- 
tars, 
T\\q Eajlern Tartars from China not 
only by the Wall, but by the Province of Leaotmg, 
which was not a Chinefe Province before the Tartars 
came through it into that Empire ; but being fituated 
without the Wall, it lay as a Barrier againft the Incur- 
fions of the Tartars ; and before it became a Pro- 
vince of China, was a Place of Exile, whither all ba- 
niflied Perfons were either ordered or fled of their own 
Accord for Refuge. Thefe and other Exiles alTifted 
Prince Oufangouei, who, with the Help. of the Tartars, 
drove the Ufurper Li or Licomg from the Throne, 
which the Tartars then afcended. After which, the 
Province of Leaotmg, in grateful Acknowledgment of 
its introducing the faid Tartars into China, was incor- 
porated to the Empire, and declared the fixteenth Chi- 
nefe Province, enjoying the fame Rights, Privileges and 
immunities with the fifteen ancient Provinces ; all 
whofe Tribunals and fuperior Courts of Juftice are fup- 
plied by an equal Number of Tartars and Chinefe, as 
are alfo all the Pre,fidentfhips. 
Since the Tartar conquered China, he hath extended 
the Frontiers of his Dominions in Tartary, for being 
Formerly but one of the petty Kings of the EaJi Tartars, 
he hath not only obliged the other Eajiern but 
even the Wejiern Tartars, to fubmit to, obey, and for 
the moft Part, acknowledge him their Sovereign Prince. 
And the Union of thefe two mighty Kingdoms and Na- 
tions, has fwelled this Empire to an extraordinary Bulk, 
and rendred it one of the nobleft Sovereignties ' in the 
World. By Means of this Vv^ide Extenfion of this Mo- 
narchy, China, or more properly Tartary, ftretches its 
Borders to Mufcovy, by which it is bounded Northwards. 
And by the Peace betwixt the Czar and the Emperor of 
China, concluded in the Year 1689 at FUfchou, by the 
Ambafladors of both Emperors, it appears that the Bor- 
ders on both Sides are fixed by Agreement in the Tati- 
iude of 55 Degrees ; which appeared very furprizing 
fiven rto Geographers themfelves^ they fcarce believing 
Frontier City, fituated on the utmoft Borders of Mvfco- 
vy from Peking, in lefs than fix Weeks Time, the Di- 
ftance being three hundred Leagues. 
The Empire of the Great Mogul, and feveral other 
Monarchies, were in like Manner formerly Provinces 
obedient to xEq Chinefe Empire, as is amply evinced by 
the prefent remaining Monuments in feveral Parts of 
India : But either their diftant Situation, political Inte- 
reft, or the Chinefe Seditions, have long fince torn them 
from that Monarchy. The Empire of the Great Mogul 
extends over all the Kingdoms_ and Countries betwixt 
the Rivers Ganges and Indus, to the Gulph of Bengal. 
The Inhabitants of Cambay, Bengal, and -other fub- 
ordinate Countries, drive a very great Trade with 
the Chinefe, and have alfo with their Merchandize 
introduced thir own, that is, the Mahometan Reli- 
gion. The Metropolis, where Great keeps 
his Court, as alfo the Province in which it is fitu- 
ated, is called Belli ; the Countries fubjed to him are 
very fertile, and what by reafon of the Gulph or Arm of 
the Sea, and the Rivers which on both Sides run by it, 
very commodioufly fituate for the Tranfportation of the 
Produce of that Country. Befides vaft Plenty of Corn 
and Fruit-trees which that Land yields, it affords alfo 
great ^lantities of Wax, Frankincenfe, Spices, and 
Drugs, as well as Diamonds and other precious Stones. 
The Number of Elephants is here fo great, that they are 
not computed by Hundreds, but Thoufands ; and ac- 
cording to theCuftom of this Country, the Horfe and 
Foot capable of taking Arms, and which upon a fhorc 
Warning may be raifed, are reckoned by Hundreds of 
Thoufands. The Commodities with which they chiefly 
trade in China, are rough and other Diamonds, 
Jewels, Elephants Teeth, Wax, IFc. The Emporium 
to which they and other Indians coming out of the 
Weft refort, as is already hinted, is Ztinning, a very 
great and commodious trading City, frequented by all 
Nations ; for though anciently no Foreigners were per- 
mitted to come to or trade in China, yet the wifer 
Tartars regarding their ov/n Intereft much more than 
obfolete Cuftoms, have allowed almoft all Nations to 
trade amongft them. All the Indians are fwarthy, and 
go naked, except only a Cloth, which both Men and 
Women wear about their Waftes. 
It was thought beft to infert the Whole of our Au- 
thor’s Account of the Kingdoms, anciently and at pre- 
fent depending upon China, juft as it ftands in his Book, 
and without any Remarks, that the Reader might per- 
ceive at once what the Situation of Things was at the 
latter End of the laft Century. We may very eafily 
difccrn from his Manner of Writing, that he was a 
very warm Friend to the Glory of his Country, and very 
defirous of reprefenting it as infinitely more glorious in. 
former Times than it is now. It is not eafy to fay, 
what his Sentiments would have been, of an Opinion 
that prevails amongft fome very learned Men, if he had 
been acquainted with them, vi%. that the Chinefe them- 
felves are but a Colony from Egypt. On one Hand 
indeed, this Notion derogates much from their Glory, 
as it makes them appear fo far below what they efteem 
themfelves, and of which they continually boaft, that 
they are an original Nation ; that many Nations have 
defcended from them, and that before the Conqueft of 
their Country by the Tartars, their Race was in a good 
Meafure unmixed ; yet confidered in another Light, 
this Notion feems to do them Honour, for if we reflect 
on the Accounts given us by Herodotus, Diodorus Siculus, 
and other antient Writers, concerning the Government, 
Cuftoms and Manner of Living amongft the origi- 
nal Natives of Egypt, they muft be owned for one of 
the wifeft and moft polite People of whom there is any 
Record in Hiftory. 
In Matters of this Nature, however, it is not 
enough to affert, there ought likewife to be fome 
kind of Proof, and thofe who give into this Sentiment, 
endeavour to fuftain it by three Arguments. The firft 
is, that the ancient Egyptians pofitively affert it, their 
having 
