The diameter o f the mainmaft o f one o f the larger kind of
Chinefe veifels, fuch as trade to Batavia, is not lefs than that of
an Englilh man o f war o f fixty-four guns. And it is fixed
in a bed o f maffive timber laid acrofs the deck. On each
maft is a fingle fail o f matting, made from the fibres o f
the bamboo, and ftretched by means o f poles o f that reed,
running acrofs, at the diftaace o f about two feet from each other.
Thefe fails are frequently made to furl and unfurl like a fan.
When well hoifted up and braced almoft fore and aft, or
parallel with the fides o f the fhip, a Chinefe veffel will fail
within three and a half, or four points o f the wind ; but they
lofe all this advantage over Ihips o f Europe by their drifting to
leeward, in confequence o f the round and clumfy fhape o f
the bottom, and their want o f keel. T he rudder is fo placed,
in a large opening o f the ftern, that it can occafionally be
taken up, which is generally done on approaching fands and
ihallows.
T he Chinefe, in fa d , are equally unikilled in naval archi-
tedure, as in the art o f navigation. T h e y keep no reckoning
at fea, nor poifefs the leaft idea o f drawing imaginary lines
upon the furface o f the globe, by the help o f which the pofi-
tion o f any particular fpot may be affigned; in other words,
they have no means whatsoever o f afcertaining the latitude or
the longitude o f any place, either by eftimation from the diftance
failed, or by obfervation o f the heavenly bodies, with inftru-
ments for that purpofe. Yet they pretend to fay, that many
o f their early navigators made long voyages, in which they
were
were guided by charts o f the route, fometimes drawn on paper,
and fometimes on the convex furface o f large gourds or
pumpkins. From this circumftance, fome o f the Jefuits have
inferred, that fuch charts muft have been more corred than
thofe on flat furfaces. If, indeed, the portion o f the convex
furface, employed for the purpofe, was the fegment o f a fphere,
and occupied a fpace having a comparative relation to that
part o f the furface o f the earth failed over,, the inference might
be allowable ; but this would be to fuppofe a degree o f knowledge
to which, it does not appear, the Chinefe had at any time
attained, it being among them, in every period o f their hiftory,
an univerfally received opinion, that the earth is a Iquare, and
that the kingdom o f China is placed in the very center o f its
flat furface.
The prefent fyftem o f Chinefe navigation is to keep as near
the ihore as poffible; and never to lofe fight o f land, unlefs
in voyages that absolutely require i t ; fuch as to Japan, Batavia,
and Cochin-China. Knowing the bearing, or diredion o f the
port intended to be made, let the wind be fair or foul, they
endeavour, as nearly as poffible, to keep the head o f the fhip
always pointing towards the port by means o f the compafs.
This inftrument, as ufed in China, has every appearance o f
originality. T he natives know nothing, from hiftory or tradition,
o f its firft intrpdudkm or difcovery; ,and the ufe o f the
magnet, for indicating the poles o f the earth, can be traced,
from their records,, to a period o f time when the greateft part
o f Europe was in a ftate o f barbarifm. It has been conjedured,
indeed, that the ufe o f the magnetic needle, in Europe, was
firft brought from China by the famous traveller Mario Polo
the