As to the benefit which the Religion may draw from our Journey, I have spoken elsewhere; it sufficeth to say that the Emperor, to whose Will we cannot make the least resistance, without exposing all this Mission to a manifest Danger, has order'd us to follow him. I ceased not however to speak twice to that Lord of the Court, who is our particular Friend, to excuse us for the time to come from these long Journeys, and especially me, _who am not of an Age fit for it_: I tried to obtain at least that they would be contented to take only one of us; the Letters of our Fathers were daily brought us during the Journey, and I had the convenience of writing to them, by means of the Couriers which continually went to and came from the Royal City: I write all this in haste, that I may continue to give you an account of our Affairs. _An Explanation, necessary to justify the _Geography_ supposed in these Letters._ It may seem wonderful, that the Author of these Letters makes mention in his former, of a kind of War between the _Oriental Tartars_ and the _Muscovites_, notwithstanding the extream distance these People appear to be from one another in our Geographical Charts; but those who know how much the _Muscovites_ have extended the Bounds of the Empire along the _Tartarian_ Sea, will judge the thing less difficult, besides those who have seen these Countries, have made Discoveries much differing from those which our Geographers have informed us of hitherto. Very lately _Monsieur D'Arcy_, who commands one of the King's Ships, in the Fleet of _Monsieur Le Marescal d'Estrees_, informed us, that having served in _Poland_, and having been made Governor of a Place towards _Moscovy_, the _Moscovite_ Ambassadors in their return having pass'd by him, and being by him treated in such a manner as put them into a very good Humour; one of them shewed him a Chart of the Countries between _Moscovy_ and _China_: and told him, that from three Cities which he shewed him, whose Names were _Lopsla_, _Abasinko_, _Nerginsko_, all three under the Government of the great Dukes, tho' situated in the great _Tartary_, there was a way to _Pekin_, which was not more than 25 or 30 Days Journey. This Map it seems must be kept very secret in _Moscovy_: For the next Day the _Moscovite_ was in despair, for having given it, saying that if it should be known, he should come to great Damage. The Officer being come back since into _France_, has given a Copy to the King, and another to _Monsieur Le Marquis de Signelay_. To confirm this, it may be added, what a _French_ Man has writ from _Moscovy_ within this two Months, that they are actually raising Troops to go to War with the _Chinese_. _Some Observations and Conjectures concerning the _Chinese_ Characters. Made by _R. H._ R. S. S._