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I fhall fay no more upon this fubjedl ; but hope, 
that Mr. Coftard, and many other gentlemen in Eng- 
land, France, and elfewhere, will lay alide their 
doubts or prejudices about the Chinele aftronomy 
and antiquities. It is, indeed, really difficult, to take 
the juft medium between thofe, who too highly ex- 
tol, and thofe who too much defpife, the Chinefe 
literature. 
I thought, that Father Hallerftein w’ould not have 
gone fo foon to Macao ; and when he w T as obliged to 
go thither, the plan of Peking, which I order’d to be 
copied for you, with fome explications of it, was not 
finifhed. I have now received it, but I cannot fend 
it by the poft with this letter ; nor can I fend it till 
next year, when I fhall have a favourable opportu- 
nity for it. I fhall then likewil'e fend fome other pre- 
terit for your illuftrious Society. 
On the 15 of Auguft, an ambaffador from the king 
of Portugal arrived at Macao, with prefents for the 
emperor of China. It were to be wiffi’d, that this 
embafiy might produce fome advantage to us • but 
this is extremely doubtful. The queen-mother of 
the king of Portugal order’d the embaflador to defire, 
that Father Hallerftein, whom ffie perfonally knew, 
might come to him to Macao, with a mandarin fent 
by the emperor. The emperor confented to this 
without any difficulty, and difpatched the mandarin 
and Father Hallerftein to the embaffador. He will 
be here again in May. 
I am of opinion, that the reigning emperor will 
never permit any miffionaries in the provinces 5 and 
that they will find it very difficult to conceal them- 
lelves. But there is no appearance, that we fhall be 
fent 
