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.[2] 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,[3] and in thirty more to Sining-fu, crossing the Hoang-ho, or Yellow Eiver, twice in the way.
Sining[4] 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. There are stairs to go a-top of the Wall, and many travel on it from the gate at Sining to the next at Sochew, which is eighteen days' journey. This they do by the Governor's licence, out of curiosity, having a delightful prospect all the way from the Wall, as from a high tower, of the innumerable habi-
- ↑ From Astley's 'Collection of Voyages,' vol. iv.
- ↑ Macao.
- ↑ The capital of Shensi, once capital of China.
- ↑ On the western frontier of Kansuh, towards Kokonor. It is difficult to account for the crossing of the Hoang-ho twice, between Singan and Sining. The maps also place the Great Wall at a distance of 15 geographical miles from Sining, and its continuation to Suchau in Kansuh appears to be broken by palisades. Besides, there is no evidence on the maps that the Wall runs southwards from Sining to Quangsi, Yunnan, and Tibet.
