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CO NCLUSIO N. 1055 
Bulk of Mankind, and lefs likely to invite the Perufal, 
and then to fix the Attention of thofe, who, it is pro- 
bable, will reap the mofl; Benefit from fhk Kind of Read- 
ing, and who may afterwards, if they think fit, perufe 
thofe more refined Travels with much greater Satis- 
faflion and Pleafure. 
XIII. The third Book, and, as Things (land at pre- 
fent, the lafl: in this Colleftion, takes in the entire 
Defcription of Jfia. In order to effedl this, we have 
made ufe of thofe Writers that have the higheft Cha- 
rafler in Point of Accuracy, Sincerity and Abilities ; 
and, wherever the Subjedl required it, or the Helps re- 
ceived from later Writers put it abfolutely in our Power, 
we have improved, explained, and continued their Per- 
formances down to the prefent Times. Thus in Refe- 
rence to the Cuftoms, Manners, Laws, Policy, and 
prefent Condition of the Turks, we have augmented the 
Author from whom our principal Colleclions were 
made very confiderably, and this for two Reafons, firft, 
becaufe it was impoffible that in the fhort Space of 
Time which a Man fpends in his Travels, or even tho* 
he refid es a little longer in a Place, he fliould enter 
deeply into the Concerns of a great Nation ; and fe- 
condly, becaufe at the Time Mr. Thevenot travelled 
through the Turkijh Empire, the Ottoman Power was far 
greater than it is at prefent. We have therefore to his 
Remarks, joined thofe of a moft worthy and intel- 
ligent Turkijh Merchant, who refided a long Time 
in that Country, and many Years at Conftantinople ; 
and we have alfo, after proving that the Opinion of 
the Declenfion of the Ottoman ¥orct is well founded, 
pointed out the real Caufes of that Decay, and affigned 
the Reafons which render it very probable this Empire 
is fick of a mortal Difeafe, from whence it is fcarce 
polTible it fliould recover. 
The Travels of the Reverend and learned Mr. Maun- 
drell through the Holy Land are fuperior to Corredfion, 
and all we could do was to bring them v/ithin. proper 
Bounds, fo as to fuit with our Defign ; in order to 
which, we have done little more than was necelfary 
to reduce the Copioufnefs of the Stile, that we might 
bring the Matters of Faft clofer to each other. 
The Travels through Perfia, and the very full De- 
fcription of that extenfive Empire, was drawn from 
feveral Authors, but the belt Parts of it from the in- 
comparable Writings of the late Sir John Chardin, the 
laft French Edition of whofe Travels is certainly one 
of the befl; Books of its Kind that ever was publiflied. 
The fuccindt Hiftory we have given of that Empire, 
was in feme Meafure without our Bounds, and ought 
to be confidered as a Prefent made to the Publick, not 
the lefs valuable for being voluntary. It happened 
that while this Part of the Work was in the Prefs, the 
famous Shah Nadir, better known by his old Name of 
Thamas Koiili Kan, was murdered, and thereby a new 
Revolution brought about in that Country. This excited 
the Curioficy, and awaked the Attention of the Pub- 
lick, we were willing therefore to gratify the one, and 
do our utmoft to fatisfy the other. At the fame Time 
we did this, we afforded a Specimen of the Poflibility 
of bringing a modern Hiftory, even for a long Series 
of Time, and fruitful of great Events, within a very 
moderate Compafs. In this, and in the other Parts of 
the Colledtion relating to thefe oriental Regions, we 
have not failed to keep in View our primitive Purpofe, 
of giving, from the befl Materials we could obtain, 
an Account of their Commerce j and if this is not 
altogether fo accurate or fo ample as we could wifh, it 
cannot but prove acceptable, fince for the mofl: Part 
it is entirely new, at leafl: in regard to our Language, 
and the Fruits of thofe generous Communications which 
the Concern we expre&d for Things of this Nature, 
drew from feveral Perfons of as great Candour and 
defty, as of Knowledge and Experience. 
The Defcription, the Hiftory and Trade of the Eaji 
Indies, and more efpecially of the Mogul Empire, ha- 
ving been explained at large in the preceding Volume, 
there was no need of cur repeating any Thing here, 
which is the Reafon of our paffing diredlly to thofe 
VoL II. 143. 
Travels that lead us to the great Empire of China. 
Yet not fo diredlly, but that we take the vafl Coun- 
tries between Rujfia and China in our Way, thofe Coun- 
tries which have been hitherto the leafl: known of any 
in Afia, except the North Eafl: Regions within the Ar- 
tick Circle, and which however deferve to be as well 
known as any, notwithffanding thofe Reproaches of 
Stupidity and Barbarity which the Nations that inhabit 
them lie under, and which perhaps arife full as much 
from our own Prejudices as from their Ignorance. 
The Defcription of thefe Countries we owe to the 
indefatigable Pains of his Excellency Tsbrant Ides, Em- 
baflador from the late Czar Peter the Great, in the Be- 
ginning of his Reign, to that famous Chinefe Emperor, 
equally remarkable for the great Length of his Reign, 
the Equity and Moderation of his Temper, and his 
Contempt of thofe invariable Rules the Chinefe Policy 
preferibes, even to their Emperors, by which the moft 
abfolute Sovereigns are kept, as it were, in Chains. 
As the Account of China by that illuflrious Traveller 
is very fhort, he, and we following his Example, have 
fubjoined an ample Defcription of China by a Native ; 
and have alfo interfperfed throughout the Whole, fuch 
explanatory Remarks as were either communicated to 
us, amongfl: which we acknowledge that excellent Dif- 
fertation upon the making of Porcelain, or that we had 
an Opportunity of colledling from other Writers. We 
have alfo given many curious and entertaining Accounts 
from the Journal of the Sieur du Lange, who refided 
for a long Time in China with the Charader of Envoy 
from the Court of Petersburgh, not that fhort and 
meagre Journal which had been formerly publifhed in 
Englijh by way of Appendix to the prefent State of 
Rujfia, but from the Author’s own original Memoirs, 
in which we have a far better Account of the interior 
and exterior Commerce of that Empire, than are to be 
met with elfewhere, the great Coiledion of Father 
Luhalde not excepted. 
The Defcription, Hiffory and Difeourfes relative to 
the Peninfula of Corea are entirely new, and are not to be 
met with either in our own, or in any other Language, 
fo that it is hoped they will be found as pleafant and 
entertaining as they are ufeful and important; more 
efpecially as they tend to excite a Spirit of making new 
Difeoveries for promoting Navigation and improving 
our Commerce. The lafl: Sedion, in which the Reader 
has an Account of the latefl: Rujfian Difeoveries, corn- 
pleats the Hiftory of Afia, and of the whole trading 
World. 
It is true, that in preparing it, we trefpaffed not a 
little on the Patience of the Publick ; but when it is 
confidered from how great a Diftance Part of the Ma- 
terials v/ere to be expeded, and how much Care and 
Caution were requifite in difpofing and digefting them, 
we fhali ftand in fome degree excufed ; more efpe- 
cially, if now, when they are all put together, they 
fliould afford the Generality of the World a Variety of 
new Lights in reference to the Poflibility of opening 
frefli Channels of Trade, and thereby in a great Mea- 
fure changing the whole Commercial Syftem. 
There are indeed fome who think this Point drive 
rather too far, and that we have carried our Refpeds for 
Trade beyond its due Bounds. But if thefe Criticks 
imagine that this proceeds from a particular or over- 
weening Fondnefs for a Favourite Subjed, they are at 
leafl; in that Circumftance very much miftaken. In the 
Dedication prefixed to the firft Volume of this Work, 
we have at large affigned the Reafons why Commerce 
ought to he confidered in the Laght that we have placed 
it. We have there (hewn, that it procures moft of the 
real and fubftantial Bleffings which Mankind can either 
hope for or enjoy ; and that the only Way to avert the 
Evils and Miferies to which we are expofed, is to culti- 
vate and promote it. As there is in every Man a Spark 
of Ambition, there is and muft be the fame in Nations. 
Now this natural Defire of Greatnefs and Fame, can be 
gratified only by an inceffant Application to War, or 
by a conftant and uniform Regard to Commerce. The 
former may indeed, though it feldom does, render a 
j2 M Nation 
