Sands; yet, by his continual furnishing them from his own Stores, the
Merchants travelling are reliev'd on good Terms, and meet both with
Convoy and Refreshment.

More might be said of the admirable Decorations of this Journey, and
how so prodigious an Attempt is made easy; so that now they have an
exact Correspondence, and drive a prodigious Trade between Muscow and
Tonquin; but having a longer Voyage in Hand, I shall not detain the
Reader, nor keep him till he grows too big with Expectation.

Now, as all Men know the Chineses are an Ancient, Wise, Polite, and
most Ingenious People; so the Muscovites begun to reap the Benefit of
this open Trade; and not only to grow exceeding Rich by the bartering
for all the Wealth of those Eastern Countries; but to polish and
refine their Customs and Manners, as much on that side as they have
from their European Improvements on this.

And as the Chineses have many sorts of Learning which these Parts of
the World never heard of, so all those useful Inventions which we
admire ourselves so much for, are vulgar and common with them, and
were in use long before our Parts of the World were Inhabited. Thus
Gun-powder, Printing, and the use of the Magnet and Compass, which we
call Modern Inventions, are not only far from being Inventions, but
fall so far short of the Perfection of Art they have attained to,
that it is hardly Credible, what wonderful things we are told of
from thence, and all the Voyages the Author has made thither being
imploy'd another way, have not yet furnish'd him with the Particulars
fully enough to transmit them to view; not but that he is preparing a
Scheme of all those excellent Arts those Nations are Masters of, for
publick View, by way of Detection of the monstrous Ignorance and