1 004 A curious and conctfe Defcription of Book III I 
Diftrifts into which it is divided *, but the chief Cities 
are under the Diredion of particular Mandaryns, and 
the Troops both here and in the reft of the Provinces, 
are commanded by the Nobility or Perfons of Eftates, 
who raife them amongft their Vaflals, holding moft of 
their Lands from the King by a Sort of military Te- 
nure. The Corn and Fruits that grow in this Country 
are the beft in Corea^ which perhaps is chiefly owing 
to the great Caie taken in their Cultivation. 
The South-eaft Province of Corea is called Kin chan^ 
which is bounded on the Eaft and on the South by the 
Sea of Japan, abounds with Cities and great Towns, 
and there are five large and commodious Ports in this 
Diftridl ; the Southern Extremity, which is dired:ly 
over-againft the two great Iflands that form what we 
call Japan, is diftanced from thence about one hundred 
Miles, and there are Veflfels that pafs regularly from 
one Country to another thrice in a Week. It is necef- 
fary to obferve, that in thefe Streights which feparate 
Corea from Japan, there lie two fmall Iflands, Key and 
Dor, which are as it were in the Middlej from the Moun- 
tains, in both of them, the Coafts of each Country are 
very eafily difcovered. Thefe Iflands are fmall but 
very fruitful, and it would be no difficult Matter to 
erecft on either a Fortrefs capable of refifting any Force 
that thefe People could employ againft it •, fo that if 
any European Nation ffiould fettle themfelves here under 
the Diredion of a wife and prudent Governor, and 
with a competent Body of feafoned Troops, he might 
/naintain himfelf, and provided he attempted Nothing 
upon the oppofite Continents, might very foon compafs 
a free Trade with one, if not both Nations. 
The Province of Kchu fin occupies the South-weft 
Side of the Peninfula, lying over-againft the Province of 
Chan tong in China, from whence the North-eaft Ex- 
tremity of it is diftant about forty Leagues, whereas 
the South-weft Point of it is full two hundred Leagues 
diftant. The Name of this Province fignifies Ever 
Faithful, and alfo without Blemifo ; and it was fo called, 
becaufe in the Wars with the Japonefe it was never con- 
quered. The Air here is foft and temperate, for the 
moft Part, and though their Summers are pretty hot, 
the Soil is very fruitful 5 it is watered by feveral fine 
Rivers, and befides a Multitude of Villages, and a great 
Number of good Towns, there are in it four great Ci- 
ties. The People are very induftrious, not only in the 
Cultivation of their Land, but alfo in Manufaftures, in 
Navigation and Fiffiing, which makes them very ftout 
and hardy, fo that the beft Infantry in Corea are thofe 
raifed from thence. There are feveral confiderable 
Iflands along the Coaft, and at the Diftance of about 
ten Leagues from the South' weft Corner is the great 
Ifland of Fong or Fong ma, which is near feventy Miles 
in Circumference, and upon which, if the Europeans 
could make a Settlement, it would lie conveniently 
enough for the Trade of China and Japan, as well as 
Corea, fince it is not above eighty Leagues from the 
former, and not quite fixty from the latter. 
The eighth and laft Province in this Country is Tfuen 
lo, which lies between the two Provinces laft mentioned, 
and takes up the Middle of the Southern Extremity of 
the Peninfula, the Ocean waffiing its Coafts, which ex- 
tend about one hundred and fifty Leagues. It was an- 
ciently the Country of the Pien han, which was the 
third Tribe of that Nation, and is at prefen t inhabited 
by a very robuft and induftrious People, who are natu- 
rally civil and courteous to Strangers, and much addifl- 
ed to Commerce. The whole Courfe of this Country 
is, as it were, covered with Iflands, fome of which are 
rocky and uninhabited, others equally fruitful and po- 
pulous. There are many great Towns, and two large 
Cities, in this Province, and it is generally believed 
that there is more Shipping belonging to it than to any 
of the reft. The Ifland of Kelpaert lies about twenty 
four Leagues due South from its Coafts, and is much 
larger than any of the Iflands hitherto mentioned, but 
notwithftanding this great Diftance, it is in a Manner 
united to Corea by an Archipelago oi Iflands that lie to 
the North-weft of it, and reacn to the very Shore. 
We fhall have Occafion to mention this Ifland here- 
after, and lhall not therefore dwell any longer upon 
it here. ^ 
Thus the Reader has a^ clear and diftina a Geoora- 
phical Defcription of the whole of this Country as^^we 
have been able to give him, after comparing together a 
Multitude of different Accounts, fome of which were 
written above an hundred Years ago, when it feemsi 
that Corea was better known to the Europeans than it is 
at prefent. Within the Compafs of thefe eight Pro- 
vinces they reckon forty Cities, to whom Mandaryns 
are fent direftly from the Court, and of which there 
are generally three in each. Befides thefe, there are 
thirty three great Towns of the firft Order, like thofe 
which in China are called Fou, upon which are depend- 
ing fixty of the fecond Order, equivalent to thofe which 
the Chinefe call Fchou, and no lefs than feventy Hien, 
or Towns of the third Order, every one of which has at 
leaft fix or feven, fome of them upwards of twenty Vil- 
lages in their Diftridls. The Northern Provinces are 
mountainous, and the Air fharp and cold, notwithftand- 
ing which they produce all the Neceffaries of Life, have 
Woods of moft excellent Timber, in which are Abun-* 
dance of wild Beafts that produce Furs, little if at all 
inferior to thofe of Siberia and on the Frontiers of 
thofe Provinces towards Fartary, the greateft Plenty of 
Ginfeng is found, of which they make a great Profit 
by felling it to the Chinefe. There are alfo Mines of all 
Sorts, and even of Gold, of which a confiderable Quan- 
tity is annually fent to China. The Southern Provinces, 
that IS to fay, the three laft mentioned, are as rich and 
fruitful in Grain and Corn as any in the World. 
The Reader is to obferve, that when we fpeak of 
Corn, it is to be underftood, in the Northern Parts, of 
Barley, and in the Southern Parts of Rice *, and thouerfl 
they want not other Grain of various Sorts, they have 
alfo excellent Roots, fome of which in Tafte refemble 
the Potatoe, but are of a much larger Size. As for 
Fruits, they have thofe of Europe, fuch as Apples and 
Pears in the Northern Provinces, and the richeft Fruits 
of China in the Southern. As for their Timber, it con- 
fifts of Oak, Chefnut, Pine, Fir, and of feveral Sorts 
that are not known in Europe. Silver and Lead they 
have in great Plenty, but the latter is not fo good as 
that of Europe, which in all Probability is owing to < 
their Want of Skill in managing the Oar, for its De- 
fers confift in being hard and brittle. Horfes and 
Cows are in vaft Abundance, and they make ufe of 
Oxen to plough their Land, and to draw their Car- 
riages 5 in the Woods they have Bears and Foxes, Zib- 
belins and Caftors, wild Boars in great Numbers, a 
good Breed of tame Swine, chiefly black. Their Ri-, 
vers are well ftored with Filh, and would be much 
better ftocked if they were not infefted with Crocodiles, 
and thofe too of a moft enormous Size, fome of thirty 
Foot long. They have alfo great Plenty of all Sorts of 
Fowl, fuch as Swans, Geefe, Ducks, Storks, Herons, 
Pidgeons, Woodcocks, Pheafants, and tame Fowl, 
that are excellent. They have likewife Eagles, Falcons, 
Kites, and other Birds of Prey, and many Kinds of 
very beautiful Birds, which are not known in Europe, 
fome of great Value, with party-colour’d Feathers in 
their Tails which are three Foot long, and thefe are 
commonly either exported to China or Japan, and make 
alfo Part of the annua] Prefent fent to Pekin for the 
Emperor. 
5. The Inhabitants of the Northern Provinces are 
generally tall, aftive, well ffiaped, healthy, robuft 
People, with very little about them of the Tartar, but 
thofe of the South are of a more fickly Complexion, 
weaker Bodies, and in their Perfons and Temper very 
much refembling the Chinefe. In the Northern Provinces, 
Moft People wear a Kind of Furr Caps, filk Vefts, 
which in the Winter are lined with Lamb-skin 5 and 
the Women wear their Jackets and Petticoats flounced 
and fringed with Gold Lace. Moft Perfons of Quality 
affedt to have their Robes of Violet- colour’d Silk in 
the other Provinces both Men and Women are dreft in 
painted Linnen or Chinees, but are, generally Ipeak- 
ing, adorned with Silver and Gold Ornaments notwith- 
ftanding. As they have Hemp and Flax in the Nor- 
theni, 
