“ or ever has been, upon the face o f the globe, the whole
“ would fall far Ihort, either as to number or quality, o f what
“ is to be met with in China.” Thefe, or fomething fimilar,,
are the words o f the learned. Ifaac Vofflus.
The teftimony given by the celebrated authors o f the Ency*
tlopedie. des Connoiffances bumaines is almoft equally ftrong'.
“ The Chinefe who, by common confent, are fuperior to alt
“ the Afiatic nations, in antiquity, in genius, in the progrefs
“ o f the fciences, in wifdom, in government, and’ in true phi-
“ lofophy}. may, moreover, in the opinion, o f fome authors,
“ enter the lifts, on all thefe points, with the moft enlightened
“ nations o f Europe.”
H ow flattering, then,, and gratifying mull it have been to.
the feelings o f thofe few favoured perfons, who had. the good
fortune to be admitted into the fuite o f the Britiih Embaflador,
then preparing to proceed to the court o f that Sovereign who
held the government o f fuch an extraordinary nation; how
greatly moft they have enjoyed the profpeit o f experiencing,
in their own perfons, all that was virtuous, and powerful, and
grand, and magnificent, concentrated in one point— in the city
o f P e k in !
And i f any doubts might have arifen, On confideration that neither
the learned Canon o f Windfor, nor the celebrated Authors-
o f the Encyclopedie, were ever in China; that the firft was wonderfully
given to the marvellous, and the latter had no other
authorities, than thofe o f the Jefuits, and other miffionaries for
propagating
propagating the Chriftian faith, yet fuch doubts were more
inclined to yield to the favourable fide, as being fupported by
the almoft unanimous concurrence o f a multitude o f teftimonies,
contained in the relations that have, at various times, been published
not only b y the miflionaries, but alfo b y fome other travellers.
T h e late Sir William Jones, indeed, who defervedly took
the lead in oriental literature, had obferved, in fpeaking o f the
Chinefe, that “ B y fome they have been extolled as the oldeft
“ and wifeft, as the moft learned, and moft ingenious, o f na-
1 tions; whilft others have derided their pretenfions to antiquity,
condemned their government as abominable, and
“ arraigned their manners as inhuman; without allowing
“ them an element o f fcien.ce, or a fingle art, for which
“ they have not been indebted to fome more ancient and more
“ civilized race o f men.”
It is true, alfo, the refearches o f Mr. Pauw, the fagacious
philofopher o f Berlin, and the narrative o f the elegant and
imprefiive writer o f Lord Anfon’s Voyage, convey to the
reader’s mind no very favourable ideas o f the Chinefe character
; yet, as the enquiries o f the one were entered upon in a
fpirit o f controverfy, and directed to one fingle point, and the
author, as juftly has been obferved o f him, delights fometimes to
take a fwiin againft the ftream, many deductions were clearly to
be made from the conclufionsof Mr. Pauw. And with regard
to the Narrative o f Mr. Robins, it may be remarked that, to
decide upon the general character o f the Chinefe, from the
dealings Lord Anfon had with them in the port o f Canton,
e 2 t would