Letter 0769

Fol. 17 Worthy Sir Chusan August 26. 1702 I received yours (being the first since I left London) by Mr Corbet in the Maclesfield which arrived here the 6th of this instant. You have formerly so preingaged me by your extraordinary favours that I can never reckon myself sufficiently capable to acknowledge the same. And now I must return you my hearty thanks for these Books you were pleasd to send me; any thing thats new & curious will allways be very acceptable. If youll but entertain the assurance of my incli- nations to serve you in the advancement of Natural History or any thing else, there will be no need of tedious Apologies when times & places are not favorable thereto, by reason of our floating circum- stances no way answering our expectations. I was upon the point of returning home in the Sarah-Galley, being there is no hopes of a settlement here, but upon the Presidents pressing desire & promise of better encouragement in the business of Pulo Condore, & withall the thoughts I had of making more considerable improvments and discoveries, I have been induced to make a longer stay in these parts. I have sent you a Book of Plants about 100 Specimens such as I have mett with since I wrote to you by the Eaton Frigatt, & likewise a few shells I procurd from Achem, such as they are youll be pleased to accept; & be persuaded that on all occasions I shall not fail to acknowlege how much I am Sir Your most Obliged & most Humble Servant Cuninghame For wants of better entertainment I send you a paragraph of a letter about the affairs of Japan written from Pekin to one of the Fathers at Ning-po was pleasd to communicate it to me a few days ago. Hoc anno (scil. Proterito) misit Imperator Mandarinum domus suo in Japoniam ut omnia quucung posit exploraret, et diligenter explorata ad se referret; hic nomine Vang vir imprimis sagax et ad exploratoris partes agendas peridonaus; peractis mandatis verity Pekinum circiter 8um Decembris, et relatis ad Imperatorim iis qua explorarat die 9a ejusdem, palam narrabat in Palatio, Japonum adium esse impla- cabile in Christianum legum, cogi advenas abiis ad conculcandum sacram Imaginem, visitari omnes libros in Nebi allatos, et exquirian an nomen Tien-tchu, aut ye-sou habeant; Hollandos ex Europais solos ibi sse, qui suis artibus alios arcerent. Rem tanti momenti penitus esse cognoscendum ratus, adere hominem institui post discessum Imperatoris in Tartarium die 23a Igitur 30 ad ejus domum perexi, domung cum nactus die 26a Decembris, ab eo quesibi quenam adii in sacram Dei legem Japones signa, proferrent Subjecit ille percunctans edicerem primum quam ab causam Japones odium illus in nos concepissent, et summ⠣autel arcerent a finibus suis; tandem illum cum urbanitate induxi et prius mihi ad quesitum responderet. Ubi inquit anchora jacta est, et Japones cum inter- pretibus et Scribis suis advenerunt, singulorum nomina excipiunt, etatem ad Religionem Deinde legunt unum diploma satis amplum contra legem Christianum et Christianos plenum gravissimis imprecationibus, et opprobriis; quorum tamen aiebat se non memi nisse, que tamen supprimere videbatur, ubi et multa alia, veritus caram me ea, utpote auditu gravia, proferre. Cum autem rursum urgeret ut causam tanti adii proferrem, dixi cum satis ibi explorasse authoritatem Bonziorum, qui non solum populi sed magnatum animos inflecterent, nostros olim ibi legem Christi predicantes eorum frauds aperiusse, quo fiebat ut, cum antea multa millia aureorum acciperent syngraphis suis in aliam vitam trans- mittenda, postmodum summa inopia premerentur; qua in rabiem acti, in Christiane legis predicators insurrexerunt: Non ita est inquit, sed Pradicatorum ope et industria Europoei Japoniam armis occupare volueruntl at subjeci, quam vana est illa cogitatio quod Europoei distantes a Japonia 90 millibus stadiorum Sinicorum, cum duabus aut tribus nabibus vellent Japoniam occupare, quae duenta millia armatorum potest educere, et Japones armis maynopere prestent: tum ille predicatores inquit ibi olim multos contertement ad suam legem et conati fuisse dicuntur ope multorum Christi- anorum vegnum occupare: Et hoc est inquit causa ob quam Japones tam atrocibus edictis summa ddidit ab Hollandis soveri illud odium et similes Japonum cogitations. Ex ipsa Japonium Historia hanc suspicionem falsissimam et nobis injuriosissimum amobi ut potui. Cumg discedertem ad portam comitaretur, rogareng amice ut si quid ultra vederat bel audierat, mihi exponeret; resporidit se duobus diebus omnia narrare de Japonia non potuisse Imperatori, ideo tam prolixe narra- tioni tempus deesse. &c. By which account one would suspect that the Jesuits interest at Pekin is upon the declining hand; for besides, we hear that the connivance of a French Settlement at Canton procurd by their means is orderd to be gone.