the capital city of the empire of China in Asia, where the emperor generally resides. It is an exact square, and divided into two parts; namely, that which contains the emperor's palace, which is in the new city, or the Tartars city, because it is inhabited by Tartars ever since they conquered this empire; the other, called the Old City, is inhabited by the Chinese. The circuit of both these together is 52 Chinese li, each of which contains 240 geometrical paces. The gates of this city are high and well arched, supporting buildings of nine stories high; the lowest of which is for the soldiers when they come off guard. The gates are nine in number; and before each is an open space, which serves for a parade. The streets are as straight as a line, most of which are three miles in length, and about 120 feet wide, with shops on both sides; but the houses are poorly built, and have only a ground-floor. It is surprising to see what numbers of people there are in the streets, and not one woman among them; there is always a great confusion, occasioned by the vast numbers of horses, camels, mules, asses, waggons, carts, and chairs, without reckoning the several mobs which gather about jugglers, ballad-singers, and the like. Persons of distinction have always a horseman, who goes before them to clear the way. All the riches and merchandises of the empire are continually pouring into this city. There are always hackney-horses and chairs in various parts, which stand ready to be hired for a trifle; and the owners of them know every street and house where any considerable person lives. All the great streets are guarded by soldiers, who patrol night and day with swords by their sides, and whips in their hands, to chastise those who make any disturbance, or take them into custody. The little streets have lattice-gates at their entrance into the great streets, which are shut up at nights, and guarded by soldiers, who suffer no assemblies in the streets at that time, and examine all that pass along. The emperor's palace is of vast extent, and surrounded with a brick wall, with pavilions at each corner, encompassed by galleries supported by columns. But it would be endless to give an account of the different apartments, with their ornaments and furniture, as well as of the different magazines, and rich commodities kept therein; not to mention the supreme courts of justice, which are six in number, and are only to be controled by the emperor and the grand council. Those who have computed the compass of this city a different way, observe, that it is 20 miles in circumference, and that the number of inhabitants is at least 2,000,000; that the walls are so high that they cover the town, and are broad enough for several horsemen to ride abreast; and there are strong towers a bow-shot distant from each other. The walls of the emperor's palace, including that and the gardens, are about two miles in length; and the architecture of the structures entirely different from that of the Europeans, for they are covered with tiles of a shining beautiful yellow. The temples and the towers of this city are so numerous, that it is difficult to count them. The country about it is plain, but sandy, and not very fruitful; yet provisions of all kinds are exceeding plentiful, they being, as well as the merchandises, brought from other parts by means of canals cut from the rivers, and always crowded with vessels of different sizes. An earthquake which happened here in 1731 buried above 100,000 persons in the ruins of the houses, which were thrown down. E. Long. 116. 41. N. Lat. 39. 54.