ACCOUNT OF TRAVELS OF JOHANN GRUEBER, JESUIT.

The Missioner set out for China, as we conjecture, in the year 1656. According to the first letter, he went from Venice to Smyrna by sea; from thence to Ormuz by land in five months; from Ormuz by sea in seven months to Makau. There landing, he passed through China partly by water, partly by land, to Peking in three months. He stayed in China three years: in one of which, viz. 1660, he says the fifty-six Jesuits who were then in that empire baptized more than fifty thousand men.

In his return he took a road never perhaps attempted by any European before. Grueber left Peking in the month of June, 1661, in company with Albert Dorville, of the same society. In thirty days he came to Singan-fu, and in thirty more to Sining-fu, crossing the Hoang-ho, or Yellow River, twice in the way.

Sining is a great and populous city, built at the vast Wall of China, through the gate of which the merchants from India enter Katay or China. Here they stay till they have licence from the Emperor to proceed forward. The Wall at this place is so broad that six horsemen may run abreast on it without embarrassing each other. Here the citizens of Sining take the air (which is very healthful, coming from the desert), and recreate themselves with the prospect as well as other diversions.