1841.
Travels in Europe and Asia.
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same time, that he that plants, and he that waters, is nothing, and that none but God is capable to grant success to this great undertaking. The revolu- tion that happened in the kingdom of Siam has showed us, that God through the secret judgments of his providence, sometimes permits the best contrived measures, and the designs that are best laid for his glory, to miscarry, con- trary to our expectation. However, we shall have the satisfaction of having done our duty; and after all, we shall be too happy to acknowledge ourselves useless servants: we hope that all good Catholics will be willing to second this design, and to move the mercy of God by their prayers, since our sins perhaps hinder him from pouring his mercies upon China and Great Tartary."
Most of father Avril's observations, good and useful enough no doubt in his day, have been rendered valueless by subsequent and more accurate researches. Some facts and incidents are worthy of remark. The practice of medicine among pagan people which has attracted so much notice within these few years, is not a new thing. At Diarbeker, the capital city of Mesopotamia, our traveler was de- lighetd to find that the Jesuit fathers had made an advantageous use of physic, to settle themselves in a post most favorable to the Catholic religion, as appeared from the surprising progress they had made. Both in Kurdistan and Armenia the practic of physick had “gained more credit than the most authentic credentials."
The first book of the travels is filled with notices of Armenia. The second is occupied with memoranda of things seen or heard of in Tartary. The veteran traveler seems not to have thought much of the difficulties of passing across central Asia, nor would it be very strange if railways should erelong be constructed through those re- gions from one extreme of the continent to the other. Avril thus speaks of the way to China by land.
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Now in regard that every degree of the equator of the earth consists of twenty leagues, and every league of a thousand geometrical paces, follows, that every degree of the forti'th parallel, containing no more than fifteen leagues, and nine hundred and fifty-nine geometrical paces, the distance from Bokara to Peking in a straight line could be no more then about sixhundred and thirteen leagues, and to Kokutan the first city of the Chinese, four hun- dre'd sixty-three only. This being so, as it is easy for every one to be con- vinc'd of it, there is no question but that the way by land to China is much more safe and short than to go by sea, let the wind serve never so fair. I must confess that things speculatively consider'd, appear always more easy than they prove to be in practice, because we cannot certainly foresee all the accidents we may meet with in a long journey; nor do I pretend to warrant the
person that undertakes them from all accidents. But as I have travel'd long enough in the east to know what success a man may have; I dare
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