Book III. 
Degrees, to embrace that holy Faith. And what en- 
hances the Value of this Favour is, that if China could 
be converted, with the Bleffing of God, we may un- 
queftionably expecfl the Converfion of all India^ and all 
the more remote and diftant Nations ; of which China 
being the Head, the leffer Members, as Politicians 
obferve, would of Courfe follow 5 to which the Lord 
give his Bleffing. 
In this Mannef our Author concludes his Work, 
written in the true Patriot Spirit of a Chinefe^ and with 
all the Piety of a Chriftian, fhowing himfelf equally 
concerned for the Profperity of his Country, and for 
the Propagation of the Gofpel in his Country, which 
is a new Argument in Favour of his Writings, fince 
publick Spirit, and religious Zeal, without Views of In- 
tereft, which clofely confidered, will be found to be 
very near the fame Thing, are the true Springs of the 
moft noble and heroic Conduct, as well as the moft can- 
did and ingenuous Writings and though thefe may be 
fometimes diffembled, yet to do this, fo as to deceive, 
requires a much greater Meafure of Art, than our Au- 
thor feems, from his Book, to, have been endowed with 
by Nature, or to have acquired by Pradice. It remains 
to compleat our Author’s View, and the Defign of this 
Sedion, to continue this Hiftory as low as we can, that 
the Reader may be acquainted, as near as poffible, with 
the Chinefe Hiffory down to the prefent Times. 
This great Emperor Canghi reigned about twenty 
feven Years after the Conclufion of our Author’s 
Hiftory, and in that Space of Time, had feveral Dif- 
putes which were terminated by as many Negotiations 
with the late Czar^ Peter the Great. The Defigns of 
thefe two mighty Monarchs were in a Manner oppofite ; 
the Chinefe Emperor was defirous of preventing the En- 
croachments of the Ruffians upon his Territories, and 
on the other Hand the Czar propofed to himfelf the 
eftablifhing a regular Commerce in China. It was in 
order to accomplifli this, that by a new Treaty he regu- 
lated the Confines of the two Empires, upon -Condition 
of a free Paftage for the Caravans from Rujfia to Peking^ 
which fubfifted, tho’ not without fome Interruptions, du- 
ring the Reign of Canghi, who, diredly contrary to the 
Chinefe Maxims, admitted a Ruffian Refident to re- 
main conftantly at Peking. The Sieur de Lange who had 
that Charader, has publifhed his Memoirs, but they 
contain nothing that is very material \ on the contrary, 
they confift chiefly of his Difputes with the Emperor’s 
Minifters, who on the one Hand difliked the Trade by 
Caravans upon the old Principle of defpifing all foreign 
Trade, which produced a Balance in Favour of Fo- 
reigners, and on the other were in a Manner dif- 
traCfed at having a Ruffian Minifter in their Capital, 
who fometimes had Audiences of the Emperor, whole 
Notions with Refped to thefe Matters were not at all 
agreeable to his Minifters, that Monarch forefeeing, that 
without fome Conceflions in Favour of the Ruffian 
Trade, he fhould fometime or , other be expofed to a 
War with a Prince, capable of giving him infinitely 
more Trouble than the reft of his Neighbours; of which 
however the Chinefe Mandaryns, wedded to their old 
Maxims, and preluming on the irrefiftable Power of 
their Armies, had not the ieaft Conception. 
All this Time the Emperor of China, was engaged in 
an obftinate and bloody War with theWeftern Lartars, 
which was ended by a compleat Victory gained in the 
Year 1720. in Confequence of which the far extended 
Country of Phihet, and all its Inhabitants fubmitted to 
and acknowledged him for their Sovereign, by which 
Peace was eftablifhed on that Side. This was a Thing 
of prodigious Confequence to the Empire, as well as 
an Event remarkably glorious for the reigning Monarch. 
In the fucceeding Year, the Chinefe Inhabitants of the 
Ifland of Formofa, refolved to make a brifk Effort, in 
order to ftiake off the Yoke of Par tars, in Hopes that 
lying at a Dillance, they might be able to preferve their 
Independency, and by the Acceffion of their Country- 
men from different Provinces, become powerful enough 
to eftablifh themfelves in the Dominion of that and 
the adjacent Iftes. In Confequence of this wild and 
ill concerted Scheme, they made a hidden Infurreftion, 
murdered all the Mandaryns^ and drove the Imperial 
Troops out of moft of the Cities in that Ifland. When 
the News of this Revolt was brought to Peking, the Mi- 
niftry would have perfuaded the Emperor; that the Peo- 
ple had been excited to it by the Dutch, and this with a 
View to irritate him againft Foreigners, but he was too 
wife to entertain any hich _ Notions, and immediately 
ordered Part of the Forces in the Provinces oppofite to 
Formofa to be tranfported thither, which in a very flioit 
Space of Time extinguiflied the Rebellion, by extir- 
pating the greateft Part of thofe who had any Concern 
in it, and forcing the reft to fly for Shelter in the Moun- 
tains, where they lived by Rapine and Plunder, till by 
Degrees they were rooted out as Robbers and Thieves 1 
infomuch that this,likeall Rebellions, that are fuppreffed, 
ferved only to fix the Government, they intended to 
throw off, more ftrongly. The Year after the Suppref- 
fion of this Rebellion, the Emperor being at his Coun- 
try Palace, mentioned by his Excellency Mr. Tsbrant 
Ides, and going acrording to his uftial Cuftom to hunt 
early in the Morning in a very rigorous Winter, he 
found himfelf fuddenly ftruck with a Chilnefs, which 
difabled him from continuing on Horfeback, fo that re- 
turning to bis Palace, he took his Bed immediately; 
and his Phyficians declaring that his Blood was coaou- 
lated, and that there was no Hopes of his Life, he or- 
dered his principal Minifters to attend him, and ap- 
pointed his fourth Son to be his Succeffor in the Go- 
vernment, foon after which he expired. This happen- 
ed on the 9th of Sepemher 1722. according to our 
Stile, about eight in the Morning, in the feventieth 
Year of his Age, and the next Day his Corps was tranf- 
porced to Peking. 
The new Emperor, who was about forty five Years of 
Age, took the Name of Tong Peking, which fignifies, 
fettled Peace, and from the Day of his Acceffion, dif* 
covered not only great Abilities, but a very fteady and 
refolute Temper ; he found the Imperial Family very 
numerous, and many of his Brethren were poffeffed of 
the firft Employments in the Government, in which re- 
lying on the paternal Tendernefs of the late Emperor, 
they had not behaved with fo much Circumfpedlion as 
they ought, more efpecially the ninth Brother, who had 
the Direction of Part of the Publick Revenues, him 
the Emperor called to a fevere Account, and not fatis- 
fied with his reftoring Part of what he had embezzled, he 
caufed him to be banifhed into Partary, where he died 
not long after. Another of his Brothers, who was at 
the Head of the Army, had like^vife the Misfortune to 
incur his Difpleafure, was deprived of his Poft, and 
other wife punifhed. Thefe Aefts of Juftice, his con- 
ftant Application to Bufinefs, and his great Tendernefs 
to his Subjeds in general, gained him univerfal Repu- 
tation, and procured him the ftrideft Obedience. In 
his Father’s Life-time he had never fhewn any Lik- 
ing to, or Confidence in the Miffionaries, but on the 
contrary, behaved towards them with great Coldnefs and 
Referve, and yet the Jefuits themfelves confefs, he was 
as great a Lover of Learning as his Father, and as 
much inclined to proted and promote the Sciences as 
any of his Predeceffors. 
There is a great Probability, that the Reafon of hi» 
Difiike to the Chriftian Fathers was owing to their In- 
fluence over the deceafed Monarch, and of his obferving 
that they made life of that Influence, not only in re- 
gard to publick, but even to Family Affairs, and a Jea- 
loufy perhaps they were averfe to, and had empLy- 
ed their Intrigues for preventing hisSucceffion. We find 
this afferted by one who was in the Train of Ruffian Mi- 
nifter at his Court, and it is the more probable, becaufe 
an Italian Monk, of great Simplicity of Manners, of 
exemplary Piety, and who amufed himfelf with Pain- 
ting, continued ftill in his good Graces, and was not re- 
moved out of the Palace. Nay, Father Kegler, who 
was Prefident of the Tribunal of Mathematicks, enjoy- 
ed alfo his good Graces, and was treated not only 
with all the Refped due to his Charader, but even pro- 
moted to a fuperior Rank ; which fliews that he di- 
ftinguifhed between Religion and Manners, and knew 
how to fet a juft Value upon worthy Men, notwith- 
ftanding they were of a different Religion, 
What. 
