nothing but the external rubs of time and accident can thoroughly efface.

He informs me of his intentions of quitting Mofcow the first opportunity, and travelling by land to Amfterdam. I must therefore, upon his arrival, entreat the continuance of your friendship; and beg of you to provide him with proper directions for finding me in London. You can fcarcely be fenfible of the joy I expect upon feeing him once more: the ties between the father and the fon among us of China are much more closely drawn than with you of Europe.

The remittances fent me from Argun to Moscow came in fafety. I cannot fufficiently admire that fpirit of honefty, which prevails through the whole country of Siberia: perhaps the favages of that defolate region are the only untutored people of the globe that cultivate the moral virtues, even without knowing that their actions merit praife. I have been told furprising things of their goodness, benevolence, and generofity; and the uninterrupted commerce between China and Ruffia ferves as a collateral confirmation.

Let us, fays the Chinese law-giver, admire the rude virtues of the ignorant, but rather imitate the delicate morals of the polite. In the country where I refide, though honefty and benevolence be not fo congenial; yet Art fupplies the place of Nature. Though here every vice is carried to excefs; yet every virtue is practifed alfo with unexampled fuperiority. A city like this is the foil for great virtues and great vices; the villain can foon improve here in the deepest mysteries of deceiving; and the practical philofopher can every day meet new incitements to mend his honeft intentions. There are no pleasures, fenfual or fentimental, which this city does not produce; yet I know not how, I could not be content

to

to refide here for life. There is fomething fo feducing in that spot in which we firft had exiftence; that nothing but it can pleafe; whatever viciffitudes we experience in life, however we toil, or wherefoever we wander, our fatigued wishes ftill recur to home for tranquillity, we long to die in that spot which gave us birth, and in that pleafing expectation opiate every calamity.

You now therefore perceive that I have fome intentions of leaving this country; and yet my defigned departure fills me with reluctance and regret. Though the friendships of travellers are generally more tranfient than vernal fnows, ftill I feel an uneafinefs at breaking the connexions I have formed fince my arrival; particularly I fhall have no fmall pain in leaving my ufual companion, guide, and inftructor.

I fhall wait for the arrival of my son before I fet out. He shall be my companion in every intended journey for the future; in his company I can fupport the fatigues of the way with redoubled ardour, pleafed at once with conveying inftruction, and exacting obedience. Adieu.

LETTER CIII.

From Lien Chi Altangi, to Fum Hoam, firft Prefident of the Ceremonial Academy at Pekin, in China.

OUR fcholars in China have a most profound veneration for forms. A first-rate beauty never ftudied the decorums of drefs with more affiduity; they may properly enough be faid to be cloathed with wifdom from head to foot; they have their philofophical caps

and

and philofophical whifkers, their philofophical flippers and philofophical fans; there is even a philofophical ftandard for measuring the nails; and yet with all this feeming wifdom, they are often found to be mere empty pretenders.

A philofophical beau is not fo frequent in Europe; yet I am told that fuch characters are found here. I mean fuch as punctually fupport all the decorums of learning, without being really very profound, or naturally poffeffed of a fine understanding; who labour hard to obtain the titular honours attending literary merit, who flatter others, in order to be flattered in turn; and only ftudy to be thought students.

A character of this kind generally receives com pany in his ftudy, in all the penfive formality of flippers, night-gown, and eafy chair. The table is covered with a large book, which is always kept open, and never read; his folitary hours being dedicated to dozing, mending pens, feeling his pulfe, peeping through the microfcope, and fometimes reading amufing books, which he condemns in company. His library is preferved with the most religious neatnefs; and is generally a repofitory of fcarce books, which bear an high price, because too dull or useless to become common by the ordinary methods of publication.

Such men are generally candidates for admittance into literary clubs, academies, and inftitutions, where they regularly meet to give and receive a little inftruction and a great deal of praife. In converfation they never betray ignorance, because they never feem to receive information. Offer a new obfervation, they have heard it before; pinch them in an argument, and they reply with a fneer.

Yet how trifling foever thefe little arts may appear, they answer one valuable purpose, of gaining the practifers the esteem they with for. The bounds

of a man's knowledge are eafily concealed, if he has but prudence; but all can readily fee and admire a gilt library, a fet of long nails, a filver ftandish, or a well-combed whisker, who are incapable of distinguishing a dunce.

When Father Matthew, the Firft European miffioner, entered China, the court was informed that he poffeffed great skill in aftronomy; he was therefore fent for, and examined. The established aftronomers of ftate undertook this talk; and made their report to the emperor that his skill was but very fuperficial, and no way comparable to their own. The miffioner, however, appealed from their judgment to experience, and challenged them to calculate an eclipfe of the moon that was to happen a few nights following. "What," faid fome," fhall a

st

Barbarian without nails pretend to vie with men in aftronomy, who have made it the study of their * lives, with men who know half the knowable cha"racters of words, who wear scientifical caps and σε flippers, and who have gone through every literary degree with applaufe?" They accepted the challenge confident of fuccefs. The eclipfe began ; the Chinese produced a moft fplendid apparatus, and were fifteen minutes wrong; the miffioner with a fingle inftrument was exact to a fecond. This was convincing; but the court aftronomers were not to be convinced; inftead of acknowledging their error, they affured the emperor that their calculations were certainly exact, but that the ftranger without nails had actually bewitched the moon. Well then, cries the good emperor fmiling at their ignorance, you fball ftill continue to be fervants of the moon; but I conftitute this man her controller.

China is thus replete with men, whofe only pretenfions to knowledge arife from external circumtances; and in Europe every country abounds with VOL. III.

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them in proportion to its ignorance. Spain and Flanders, who are behind the reft of Europe în learning at least three centuries, have twenty literary titles and marks of diftinction unknown in France or England: they have their Clariffimi and Preclariffimi, their Accuratiffimi and Minutiffimi; a round cap entitles one ftudent to argue, and a fquare cap permits another to teach; while a cap with a taffel almoft fanctifies the head it happens to cover. But where true knowledge is cultivated, these formalities begin to disappear; the ermined cowl, the folemn beard, and fweeping train are laid afide; philofophers dress and talk and think like other men; and lamb-fkin dreffers, and capmakers, and tail-carriers now deplore a literary.

For my own part, my friend, I have seen enough of prefuming ignorance, never to venerate wifdom but where it actually appears. I have received literary titles and diftinctions myself; and, by the quantity of my own wisdom, know how very little wifdom they can confer. Adieu,

LETTER CIV.

From Lien Chi Altangi, to Fum Hoam, firft Prefident of the Ceremonial Academy at Pekin, in China.

THE time for the young King's coronation approaches: the great and the little world look forward with impatience. A knight from the country who has brought up his family to fee and be feen on this occafion, has taken all the lower part of the houfe where I lodge. His wife is laying in a

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