a city of the province of that name, in the kingdom of Tonquin in Asia, situated in E. Long. 105° 31', N. Lat. 22° 15', at about 80 leagues distance from the sea. It is prodigiously crowded with people, inasmuch that the streets are hardly passable, especially on market days. These vast crowds, however, come mostly from the neighbouring villages; upon which account these villages have been allowed their halls in particular parts of the city, where they bring and dispose of their wares. The town itself, though the metropolis of the whole Tonquin kingdom, hath neither walls nor fortifications. The principal streets are wide and airy, but the rest of them narrow and ill paved; and except the palace royal and arsenal, the town has little else worth notice. The houses are low and mean, mostly built of wood and clay, and not above one story high. The magazines and warehouses belonging to foreigners are the only edifices built of brick; and these, though plain, yet, by reason of their height and more elegant structure, make a considerable show among those rows of wooden huts. From the combustibility of its edifices, this city suffers frequent and dreadful conflagrations. These spread with such surprising velocity, that some thousands of houses are often laid in ashes before the fire can be extinguished. To prevent these sad consequences, every house hath, either in its yard or even in its centre, some low building of brick, in form of an oven, into which the inhabitants on the first alarm convey their most valuable goods. Besides this precaution, which every family takes to secure their goods, the government obliges them to keep a cistern, or some other capacious vessel, always full of water, on the top of their house, to be ready on all occasions of this nature: as likewise a long pole and bucket, to throw water from the kennel upon the houses. If these two expedients fail of suppressing the flames, they immediately cut the traps which fasten the thatch to the walls, and let it fall in and waste itself on the ground. The king's palace stands in the centre of the city; and is surrounded with a stout wall, within whose circuiture are seen a great number of apartments two stories high, whose fronts and portals have something of the grand taste. Those of the king and his wives are embellished with variety of carvings and gildings after the Indian manner, and all finely varnished. In the outer court are a vast number of sumptuous stables for the king's horses and elephants. The appearance of the inner courts can only be conjectured; for the avenues are not only shut to all strangers, but even to the king's subjects, except those of the privy council, and the chief ministers of state; yet we are told, that there are staircases by which people may mount up to the top of the walls, which are about 18 or 20 feet high; from whence they may have a distant view of the royal apartments, and of the fine parterres and fish ponds that are between the circuiture and them. The front wall hath a large gate well ornamented, which is never opened but when the king goes in and out; but at some distance from it on each side there are two porters, at which the courtiers and servants may go in and out. This circuiture, which is of a vast circumference, is faced with brick within and without, and the whole structure is terminated by wide spacious gardens; which, though stored with great variety of proper ornaments, are destitute of the grandeur and elegance observed in the palaces of European princes. Besides this palace, the ruins of one still more magnificent are to be observed, and are called Libatia. The circumference is said to have been between six and seven miles; some arches, porticoes, and other ornaments are still remaining; from which, and some of its courts paved with marble, it may be concluded to have been as magnificent a structure as any of the eastern parts can show. The arsenal is likewise a large and noble building, well stored with ammunition and artillery. The English factory is situated on the north side of the city, fronting the river Song-koy. It is a handsome low-built house, with a spacious dining room in the centre; and on each side are the apartments of the merchants, factors, and servants. At each end of the building are smaller houses for other uses, as storehouses, kitchen, &c., which form two wings with the square in the middle, and parallel with the river, near the bank of which stands a long flag-staff, on which they commonly display the English colours on Sundays and all remarkable days. Adjoining to it, on the south side, is the Danish factory, which is neither so large nor so handsome. On the same side of the river runs a long dike, whose timber and stones are so firmly fastened together, that no part of it can be stirred without moving the whole. This work was raised on those banks to prevent the river, during the time of their vast rains, from overflowing the city; and it has hitherto answered its end; for though the town stands high enough to be in no danger from land floods, it might yet have been otherwise frequently damaged, if not totally laid under water, by the overflowing of that river. Some curious observations have been communicated to the Royal Society concerning differences between the tides of those seas and those of Europe, viz. that on the Tonquin coast ebbs and flows but once in 24 hours; that is, that the tide is rising during the space of 12 hours, and can be easily perceived during two of the moon's quarters, but can hardly be observed during the other two. In the spring tides, which last 14 days, the waters begin to rise at the rising of the moon; whereas in the low tides, which continue the same number of days, the tide begins not till that planet has got below the horizon. Whilst it is passing through the six northern signs, the tides are observed to vary greatly, to rise sometimes very high, and sometimes times to be very low; but when it once got into the southern part of the zodiac, they are then found to be more even and regular.