In a Word, the Tartars came on, and an innumerable Company they were; how many, we could not tell, but ten thousand we thought was the leaft: A Party of them came on first and view'd our Poftute, traverfing the Ground in the Front of our Line; and as we found them within Gun-fhot, our Leader ordered the two Wings to advance fwiftly, and give them a Salvo on each Wing with their Shot, which was done, but they went off, and I fuppole back to give an Account of the Reception they were like to meet with; and indeed that Salute clog'd their Stomach, for they immediately halted, stood a while to confider of it, and wheeling off to the left, they gave over the Defign and faid no more to us for that Time, which was very agreeeable to our Circumstances, which were but very indifferent, for a Battle with fuch a Number.

Two Days after this, we came to the City Naun, or Naum; we thank'd the Governour for his Care for us, and collected to the Value of of a hundred Crowns, or thereabouts, which we gave to the Soldiers fent to guard us; and here we rested one Day: This is a Garrison indeed, and there were nine hundred Soldiers kept here; but the Reason of it, was, that formerly, the Mufcovite Frontiers lay nearer to them than they do now, the Muscovites having abandon'd that Part of the Country, (which lies from this City, West, for about two hundred Miles) as defolate and unfit for Ufe; and more especially, being fo very remote, and fo difficult to fend Troops thither for its Defence; for we had yet above

two

two thousand Miles to Muscovy, properly fo call'd.

After this, we pass'd several great Rivers, and two dreadful Defarts; one of which, we were fixteen Days paffing over, and which as I faid, was to be call'd no Man's Land; and on the 13th of April, we came to the Frontiers of the Mufcovite Dominions: I think, the first City, or Town, or Fortress, what ever it might be call'd, that belong'd to the Czar of Muscovy, was call'd Argun, being on the Weft Side of the River Argun.

I could not but difcover an infinite Satisfaction, that I was fo foon arriv'd in, as I call'd it, a Chriftian Country, or at least in a Country, govern'd by Chriftians; for tho' the Muscovites, do in my O-. pinion but juft deferve the Name of Chriftians, yet fuch they pretend to be, and are very devout in their Way: It would certainly occur to any Man who travels the World as I have done, and who had any Power of Reflection; 1 fay, it would occur to him; to reflect what a Bleffing it is to be brought into the World, where the Name of God, and of a Redeemer is known, worship'd and ador'd; and not where the People given up by Heaven to ftrong Delufions, worship the De vil, and proftrate themselves to Stocks and Stones; worship Monsters, Elements, horrible fhap'd Animals, and Statues, or Images of Monsters: Not a Town or City we pafs'd thro', but had their Pagods, their Idols, and their Temples, and ignorant People worshipping, even the Works of their own Hands.

Now we came, where at least a Face of the Christian Worship appear'd; where the Knee was Y 3 bow'd

bow'd to Jefus ;and whether ignorantly or not, yet the Chriftian Religion, was own'd and theName of the True God, was call'd upon, and ador'd; and it made the very Receffes of my Soul rejoice to fee it: I faluted the brave Scots Merchant I mention'd above, with my firft acknowledge. ment of this; and taking him by the Hand, I faid to him, bleffed be God, we are once again come among Chriftians; he fmil'd, and anfwer ed, do not rejoice too foon Countryman, thefe Mufcovites, are but an odd Sort of Chriftians; and but for the Name of it, you may fee very little of the Substance, for fome Months farther of our Journey.

Well, fays I, but ftill 'tis better than Paganifm, and worthipping of Devils: Why, I'll tell you, fays he, except the Ruffian Soldiers in Garrifons, and a few of the Inhabitants of the Cities upon the Road, all the reft of this Count try, for above a thoufand Miles farther, is inhabited by the worst, and most ignorant of Pagans; and fo indeed we found it.

We were now launch'd into the greatest Piece of folid Earth, if I underftand any Thing of the Surface of the Globe, that is to be found in any Part of the Earth, we had at least twelve hundred Miles to the Sea, Eastward; we had at leaft two thoufand to the Bottom of the Baltick Sea, Weftward; and above three thoufand Miles, if we left that Sea, and went on Weft to the British and French Channels: We had full five thousand Miles to the Indian, or Perfian Sea, South; and about eight hundred Miles to the Frozen Sea, North; nay, if fome People may berbelieved, there might be no Sca North-Eaft,

till we came round the Pole, and confequently into the North-West, and so had a Continent of Land into America, the Lord knows where, tho I could give fome Reasons, why I believe that to be a Mistake.

As we enter'd into the Mufcovite Dominions, a good while before we came to any confiderable Towns, we had nothing to obferve there but this; first, that all the Rivers that run to the Eaft, as I understood by the Charts, which fome in our Caravan had with them; it was plain, all thofe Rivers, ran into the Great River Tamour, or Gammour: This River, by the natural Course of it must run into the Eaft Sea, or Chinese Ocean; the Story they tell us, that the Mouth of this River, is choak'd up with Bullrushes, of a monftruous Growth, (viz) three Foot about, and twenty or thirty Foot high; I must be allow'd to fay, I believe nothing of; but as its Navigation is of no Ufe, because there is no Trade that Way, the Tartars, to whom alone it belongs, dealing in nothing but Cattle, fo no Body that ever I heard of, has been curious enough, either to go down to the Mouth of it in Boats, or come up from the Mouth of it in Ships; but this is certain, that this River running due East, in the Latitude of ries a vaft Concourfe of Rivers along with it, and finds an Ocean to empty it felf in that Lati tude, fo we are fure of Sea there!

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Some Leagues to the North of this River, there are feveral confiderable Rivers, whole Streams run as due North as the Tamour, runs Eaft, and these are all found to join there Waters, with the Great River Tartarus, nam'd fo, from

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from the northermoft Nations of the Mongul Tar tars, who the Chinese fay, were the first Tartars in the World; and who, as our Geographers alledge, are the Gog, and Magog, mention'd in facred Story.

These Rivers running all Northward, as well as all the other Rivers, I am yet to fpeak of, make it evident, that the Northern Ocean bounds the Land alfo on that fide, fo that it does not feem rational in the leaft to think, that the Land can extend itself to join with America on that fide, or that there is not a Communication between the Northern and the Eastern Ocean; but of this I fhall fay no more, it was my Obfervation at that time, and therefore I take Notice of it in this Place. We now advanc'd from the River Arguna by easy and moderate Journeys, and were very visibly oblig'd to the Care the Czar of Muscovy has taken to have Cities and Towns built in as many Places as are poffible to place them, where his Soldiers keep Garrison something like the Stationary Soldiers plac'd by the Romans in the remoteft Countries of their Empire, fome of which I had read particularly were placed in Britain for the Security of Commerce, and for the lodging Travellers; and thus it was here; for where-ever we came, tho' at these Towns and Stations, the Garrifons and, Governor were Ruffians, and profefs'd Chriftians, yet the Inhabitants of the Country were meer Pagans, facrificing to Idols, and worshipping the Sun, Moon, and Stars, or all the Host of Heaven, and not only fo, but were of all the Heathens and Pagans that ever I met with, the most barbarous, except only that they did not eat Man's Fiefh, as our Saj vages of America did,

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