however, the former to be corred, which is not only juftified
by the teftimony o f the'author o f the Pentateuch, but by natural
appearances, it might perhaps be ihewn, with'no great
deviation from the generally received opinion, that, inftead of
Perfia being the hive in which was preferved a remnant o f the
ancient world for the continuation o f the fpecies, thofe who
have fuppofed Tartary to be the cradle, from whence the prefent
race o f men iffued, have adopted the more plaufible conjedure.
I f it be borne in mind that, in every part o f the bible hiftory,
the expreffions are accommodated to the underftandings o f thofe
for whom they were intended, rather than ftridly conformable
to fails, and more coftfonant to appearances than realities, it
may be fuppofed, without any offence to the moll rigid believer,
that by the mount Ararat was not ftrid ly meant the
identical mountain o f that name, which has been recognized in
Armenia, but rather the higheft mountain on the face o f the
globe; for, if this were not the cafe, the Mofaic account would
be contradidory in itfelf, as we are told that, “ all the high
“ hills that were under the whole Heaven were covered.” This
conceffion being allowed, we may fuppofe that the ark, inftead
o f refting in Armenia, firft ftruck ground in that part o f Tartary
which is now inhabited by the Eleuths, as being the moft
elevated trad o f country in the old world. From thefe heights
large rivers flow towards every quarter o f the horizon. It is
here that the fources o f the Selenga are found, defcending to the
northward into the lake Baikal, and from thence by the Ene-
fei and the Lena into the Frozen Ocean : o f the Amour, which
empties its waters to ttie eaftward into the gulph o f Tartary :
o f the two great rivers o f China flowing to the fouthward, and
3 o f
o f numberlefs lakes and rivers difcharging their waters to the
weftward, fome burying themfelves in deferts o f fand, and
others working their way to the great lake o f A ral and the Gaf-
pian fea.
From fuch a fituation, admitting the earth to have been peopled
in fucceffion, the two great rivers which took the foutherly di-
redion and croffed the fertile and extenfive plains o f China,
were fully as likely to direct the few furvivors o f the deluge to
this country, as that they fhould follow any o f the other ftreams;
and probably more fo, as thefe led to a wanner and more comfortable
climate, where fewer wants were felt and thofe few
more eafily fupplied. Confidered in this point o f view, the opinion
o f the Jefuits will not appear fo ill founded, which fup-
pofes that,Noah, feparating from his rebellious family, travelled
with a part o f his offspring into the eaft, and founded the Chinefe
monarchy; and that he is the fame perfon as the Foo-Jhee * o f
their, hiftory. -The words o f fcripture from the eq/i, an ingenious
commentator has obferved, ought more properly to be
tranflated, at the beginning. A t all events, the fa d I conclude
to be irrefiftible, that the Tartars and the Chinefe have one common
origin, and the queftion then is fimply this, whether the
fertile plains o f China were abandoned for the bleak and barren
heights o f Tartary, or that the wandering and half-famiihed
* A s a corroborating proof o f the Chinefe being, o f .Scythic origin, it may be
obferved, that the adjunft char after Shee (to the family, name Foo) is compofed o f a
Jheep, rich, an arrow, and the conjim<Stive charafter aljoi From whence may Be inferred
that he united the occupations o f Jhephcrd, agriculiurijf, and warrior.
Scythians