CONTENTS .
C H A P . I.
PR E L IM IN A R Y M A T T E R .
IntroduBion. General View of what Travellers are likely to meet with in China—
Mijlaken Notions entertained with regard to the Britijh EmbaJfy— correBcd by the
Reception and Treatment of the fubfequent Dutch Embaffy— Suppofed Points o f
Failure in the former, as Jlated by a French Mifionary from Pekin, refuted—
Kien Long’s Letter to the King o f Holland.— Difference o f Treatment experienced
by the two Embafies explained— Intrigues o f Millenaries in foreign Countries----
Pride and Self-Importance o f the Chinefe Court.— Lift of European Embaffies, and
the Time of their Abode in Pekin— Conclufon of Preliminary SubjeB. Page I
C H A P . II.
Occurrences and Observations in the Navigation o f the Yellow
Sea, and the Paffage up the Pei-ho, or White River.
Different Tefiimonies that have been given o f the Chinefe Character— Gomparifon o f
China with Europe in the fxteenth Century.— Motives o f the Mffionaries in their
Writings— Britijh Embaffy paffes 'the Streights of Formofa— Appearance o f a
Ta-fung Chufan Ifands— In f once o f Chinefe Amplification— Various Chinefe
Veffels— Syftem of their Navigation— their Compafs, probably o f Scythian Origin
—foreign Voyages of— Traces o f Chinefe in America— in an Ifiand i f the
Tartarian Sea— in the Perfian Gu/ph— traded probably as fa r as Madagafcar—
Commerce o f the Tyrians— Reafons fo r conjeBuring that the Hottentots may
have derived their Origin from China— Portrait of a Chinefe compared with that
of