Description de la Chine, part of Prevost's monumental 'l'Histoire General des Voyages' The plate depicts a low terraced building, upon the roof of which are various monumental astronomical tools. These are labelled and described in a lettered key at the top of the plate in French and Dutch. Among the instruments are a zodiacal sphere, a celestial globe, a sextant, a quadrant, an equinoctial sphere, and an azimuth marker. The subtitle to the plate attributes the illustration to the description of Louis le Comte (1655-1728), a Jesuit missionary who travelled to China in the 1687 mission led by the Jesuit mathematician and astronomer Jean de Fontaney. Le Comte produced a memoir of his journey, which was published in Paris in 1696. le Comte had a particular interest in the celestial knowledge of the Chinese, as well as their various religious and philosophical practices, and his memoirs were a major source for the debate in the Roman Catholic church over whether or not Confucianism was compatible with Christian belief.

The Histoire General des Voyages was a monumental eighteenth century general history divided according to geographic region. The original volumes were written by Antoine François Prevost d'Exiles, a French author, novelist, theologian, natural historian, and a priest of the Jesuit and Benedictine orders, but continued by numerous other authors after Prevost's death. The earliest books mostly deal with the Far East and South-East Asia, providing a general history of their regions, kingdoms, customs, culture, costumes, natural phenomena and religious beliefs. Much of Prevost's information is derived from the reports of Jesuit missionaries, Portuguese merchants, and famous explorers, from Marco Polo to Sir Francis Drake. Although written in French, the popularity of the Histoire among Dutch audiences meant that many of the illustrative plates and maps published to accompany the work were either re-engraved or subtitled in Dutch by the engraver Jakob van der Schley. Prevost himself had travelled widely throughout the Netherlands, launching his literary career in Amsterdam and the Hague after fleeing the Benedictines in France. Prevost's work on China, and indeed many of van der Schley's plates, owe a great debt to Johan Nieuhoff (1618-1672) , a Dutch traveller who explored much of China, India, and Brazil while in the employ of the Dutch East India Company. Nieuhoff wrote extensively, with a particular focus on China, for his memoirs, and his numerous drawings of Chinese places and people were much copied by later engravers for numerous works of Chinese interest. Nieuhoffs own book became a major source of inspiration for eighteenth century chinoiserie, and are amongst the first western illustrations to depict the Chinese people in a manner which was based upon personal observation rather than the tradition of oriental fantasy.--Sanders description.

Cf. Golvers, Ferdinand Verbiest, S.J. (1623-1688) and the Chinese Heaven, p. 336.
Dig. image [Schley Observatory 1749]

Ferdinand Verbiest and Jesuit science in 17th century China : an annotated edition and translation of the Constantinople manuscript (1676) / Noël Golvers and Efthymios Nicolaidis.
Jointly published: Athens : Institute for Neohellenic Research ; Leuven : Ferdinand Verbiest Institute.
In English and Latin.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 371-378) and index.

"This book contains two manuscript texts of Ferdinand Verbiest, S.J. (1623-1688), written in 1676 in Beijing to the attention of the Russian tsar, and brought by the legate Nicolas Spathary Milescu to Moscow. Both texts represent the oldest layer of the Astronomia Europaea corpus, and were until recently forgotten. Their recent discovery was in the form of a manuscript copy, which Chysanthos Notaras had made them in Moscow in 1693. The manuscripts have since then been kept in library of the Metochion of the patriarchate of Jerusalem in Constantinople. In this publication, the authors are reconstituting the Latin text, translating it in English and annotating it. In the Introduction, the manuscripts are situated within the corpus of Verbiest's Latin writings, and are depicted both the parts that were afterwards re-cycled in the well-known Compendium Latinum and Astronomia Europaea edition (Dilingen, 1687), and those that were eventually omitted. Moreover, the story of the Moscow manuscript, and especially that of its Constantinopolitan copy - until now the only remaining testimonium of it - is traced. This description also reveals an until now unknown reception of 17th century Jesuit astronomy, mechanics and physics in post-Byzantine Russia and South-Eastern Europe."--Publisher's description.

Local access dig.pdf. [Golvers-verbiest Jesuit science.pdf]

JapSin II, 39 MS
Minli puzhu jiehuo 民曆鋪註解惑.
By Tang Ruowang 湯若望 (Johann Adam Schall von Bell).

One juan. Manuscript written on silk paper with red square frames, bound in one volume, European style, with Chinese and Arabic numbers on the folios. 28.4 x 16.3 cm.

The Latin inscription on the cover reads: “De electio dierum et alii additis in kalenda | rio (auctoribus Schall et Verbiest) MS. pretiosissimum!”

1. The preface of Hu Shi’an (folio 1) is exactly the same as in the printed edition.
2. The preface written by Adam Schall himself (folio 2) has two more phrases than in the printed edition, namely: 並摘先後三奏疏語，暨曉惑一則附後 (we hereby include quotations from our three memorials to the throne presented some time ago together with a declaration to some doubts). As the first appendix in the printed edition can be found also in the manuscript, but the second was added later on, when a new edition was made, these last two phrases in the preface were suppressed.
3. The manuscript omits the two-folio list of officials employed in the Imperial Observatory.
4. In the manuscript (folio 3b) the phrase 選擇義同鋪註 is added after the phrase 以理上論 in the table of contents.
5. On folio 1a (Arabic: 4a) of the main text in the manuscript the title of the edition is given together with names of the author and the reviser: 耶穌會士湯若望纂著，南懷仁校訂 (compiled and written by Tang Ruowang and Nan Huairen, both of the Society of Jesus).
6. Folio 1b in the main text of the manuscript gives a note in small characters: 擇吉日大合樂，此是重時日也, which last phrase is not found in the printed edition (folio 197b). Again, the manuscript gives: 四面之坐，象四時也，此是重方向也. The printed edition omits this last phrase.
7. Folio 2a, line 6, of the main text in the manuscript reads: 古之王者，有了天下，必須首頌正朔. The printed edition (folio 198a) reads: 古之王者，撫有天下.
8. Folio 3a, line 2, of the main text reads: 愛戴前代的美意. The printed edition (folio 199a, line 8) reads: 愛戴前代的原意.
9. The marginal notes given in folio 201b of the printed edition were added later. They do not appear in the manuscript.
10. Folio 9b–10a (Arabic: 12b–13a ) has the phrase: 選擇義同鋪註, which does not appear in the printed edition.

Source: Albert Chan, S.J., Chinese Books and Documents in the Jesuit Archives in Rome, pp. 333-334.

Library has two digital editions. One from edition displayed at the Galleons & Globalizations exhibition (USF 2010). In two parts with separate covers, partially disbound. Latin t.p. missing. Digitized with permission.
Local access dig.pdf. [Verbiest-Yixiangtu.pdf]

2nd (BnF) ed. online at Gallica.

For full bibliographic citation see: Ad Dudink & Nicolas Standaert, Chinese Christian Texts Database (CCT-Database).

JapSin II, 42, I. II. III.
Xinzhi lingtai yixiang zhi 新製靈臺儀象志.
By Nan Huairen 南懷仁 (Ferdinand Verbiest, 1623-1688).
Fourteen juan, sixteen ce; Chinese bamboo paper. Bound in three volumes, European style: I (juan 1–4; ce 1–4), II (juan 5–8; ce 5–9) and III (juan 9–14; ce 10–16). No date or place of publication.

The cover bears a label with the title of the book and a Latin inscription: “Theoria, usus, fabrica instru | mentorum Mathematicorum | variis tabulis stellarum | longitud. latit. cir. inclinationum | eclipticae etc. | a p. Ferdin. Verbiest, S.J. | continet 14. tomos.” Another Latin inscription reads: “Opera | mathematica | Patrum NN. | rarissima | pro curia | imperiali edita.”

Folio 1a of juan 2 bears three large Chinese characters: 儀象志 (A record of the astronomical instruments); they appear also in juan 3–4, 6 and 8–13. The collaborators of the other juan (6–11 and 13–14) were:
Juan 6: Sun Yourong 孫有容, Bao Yingqi 鮑英齊, and Jiao Bingzhen 焦秉貞.
Juan 7: Bao Yinghua 鮑英華, Zhang Wenming 張問明， and Ning Wanbi 甯完璧.
Juan 8: Bao Xuan 鮑選, Yin Kai 殷鎧, and Zhang Dengke 張登科.
Juan 9: Zhu Shigui 朱世貴, Liu Yingchang 劉應昌, and Xue Zongyin 薛宗胤.
Juan 10: Xiao Jinli 蕭盡禮, Li Wenwei 李文蔚, and Feng Fangqing 馮方慶.
Juan 11. Xi Yigong 席以恭, Li Yingqian 李穎謙, and Zhang Wenchen 張文晨.
Juan 13. Zhang Shikui 張士魁, Lin Shengxiao 林昇霄, Li Shi 李式, and Liu Changyin 劉昌胤.
Juan 14. Feng Chengyin 封承廕, Xiao Jinxing 蕭盡性, Wei Qifeng 魏起鳳, Feng Mai 馮邁, and Ge Zhangzhen 戈掌鎮.

There are nine columns in each half folio with eighteen characters in the first column of each paragraph and seventeen in the rest of the paragraph. Annotations are given in double lines and with smaller characters. The title of the book is given in the middle of each folio, and the number of the juan and of the folio are given below the fish tail. The book consists mainly of tables. In his memorial to the throne Verbiest explained why he wrote this book:

When dealing with the [astronomical] instruments one problem is how to make them, and the other is how to use them. Furthermore, there is the problem of how to set them up for permanent use. Unless a full discussion is given with all the details, I am afraid that the knowledge will be confined to myself, and no one will be able to share it. This, to my mind, would be selfish and short sighted. For this reason I have tried to combine old learning with new experiences and, after careful consideration and analysis and by means of a process of inference, I have produced these illustrations, comparing and confirming them by explanations and tables. In all, there are 16 juan, with the title Xinzhi lingtai yixiangzhi [A description of the recently produced astronomical instruments]. It is hoped that the students in the imperial services will learn and understand and thus will find the instruments easy to manage. As to those who are to come after us, they too may do their studies by referring to our books. Your Majesty has been so kind as to allow me to take charge of the Calendar Bureau and in return I feel it my duty to render service to Your Majesty. Furthermore, your servant has one more request. Since this book is laid out clearly in its theoretical and mathematical side and is fully furnished with tables, it is hard to expect that everything will be arranged as neatly as one would wish. For this reason difficulties arise when anyone tries to copy or to draw from the book. Unless it is printed it will be impossible to provide for common use, still less, for the generations to come. I therefore, request your Majesty to give an order to the Ministry [of Works] to have printing blocks made and to deliver these to your servant for the printing of the books, which will be distributed among the students of the Imperial Observatory. The result of this will be that every student in the Academy will be provided with his own copy unfailingly . . .

The memorial [of Verbiest] was presented to the emperor on the twentieth of the first month of the 13th year of the Kangxi reign [1673]. On the third day of the second month [that same year] the imperial reply came which reads: Both the calendar and astronomy are closely related to the rites. From the memorial [of Verbiest] we have learned that the astronomical instruments are completed and that they have been made with great accuracy. Nan Huairen [Verbiest] had spared no energy in this labor; indeed he deserves high praise. He should be given special honors. Let me know about all the items that are discussed in the memorial [of Verbiest]. Let this be reported to the Ministry [of Personnel]. Enclosed are the [manuscript of] the book [of Verbiest] and the tables.

該臣（對哈納）議得南懷仁奏稱臣指授嘔心，業將諸儀安列於觀象臺上。以故覃精研慮，繪圖表次，為一十六卷。名曰新製靈臺儀象志，是書樊然不齊也，使非板行勢難盡人而給，且無以遺久。祈仰[束+力]部鏤板一副，交臣印刷，以資給發官生，則守是掌者，皆手習一編，而無缺餘（如？）之憾矣……康熙十三年二月二十日題，本月二十四日奉旨依議，欽此，遵。

Cf. Couplet, p. 42; Pfister, p. 353–354; Hsü 1949, pp. 465–469; JWC 2:163–179. See also NBC, p. 240; Van Hée 1913, pp. 3–4; ECCP 1:569 (Mei Gucheng); Joseph Needham, Science and Civilization in China, vol. III, pp. 451–452; Zhongguo tianwenxueshi 中國天文學史 (Beijing, 1981), pp. 230-231.
Source: Albert Chan, S.J., Chinese Books and Documents in the Jesuit Archives in Rome, pp. 340-343.