Nov. 22, 1858.] AND THE PEIHO RIVER. 77 



The above price at Pekin was, of course, a famine one, but it was 

 not so at Tientsin, for two-thirds of the grain expected had arrived 

 safely, and the local harvest of wheat was an average ; yet we saw 

 hundreds of athletic men starving, and the major portion of the 

 labourers looked but ill-fed on boiled beans and tares, which wo 

 should only have fed cattle upon. This trade for the rice of Akyab 

 and Siam will be the first and readiest opened with Northern China, 

 apart from her coasting trade ; it will then remain for the Chambers 

 of Commerce of Manchester, Leeds, and Sheffield to bestir them- 

 selves, by employing active agents to ascertain the wants of these 

 provinces, and then to strive and produce it letter and cheaper than 

 they can make it. It is very certain that the commercial houses 

 now in China are too well satisfied with the rapid fortunes made in 

 their present course of export trade to speculate in new markets. 

 People who, in three or four j'cars, can clear 30,000/. in exporting 

 tea and silks, very justly will object to entering on new lines of 

 commerce. Our import trade into China must be watched and 

 fostered from home, or other nations more enterprising and specu- 

 lative, will monopolize the metallic wealth which lies fallow in the 

 North of China as it did in the Indies in former days, when all nations 

 bought and none sold there. American drills and Eussian broad- 

 cloth were plentiful in Tientsin : the former might have some right 

 there ; but now that Eussia has become too wise to continue to tax 

 those of her subjects who drink tea, so as to furnish Chinamen with 

 cloth cheaper in Pekin than a Eussian can buy it at Moscow, the 

 fault will be ours if, in Christmas, 1859, a yard of anything but 

 Yorkshire broadcloth is sold in the province of Chili. 



All supplies needed for the table were most abundant at Tientsin ; 

 sheep, poultry, vegetables, and fruit procurable to any extent. We 

 ordered beef, and cattle came ; there were occasional laments, on the 

 paii of the authorities, at our voracious consumption of an animal 

 so usefal for agricultural purposes, but there was no lack of them. 

 The following tariff was laid down by the allied Commanders-in- 

 Chief, in concurrence with the magistrates, as fair market prices ; 

 and, according to our ideas of money, everything was very cheap. 



Tariff of Prices established at Tientsin 28th May, 1858. 



Bullocks (average 4 cwt.) 10 dollars = 40s. each. 



Sheep 2 dollars = 8s. 



Fowls (per dozen) 1 dollar = 4s. 



Ducks „ 2 dollars = 8s. 



Geese „ 2 dollars = 8s. 



Eggs (per 1000) 3 dollars = 12s. 



Vegetables (per (picul) cwt.) .... 1 dollar 50 cts. = 6s. 



Ice (per cwt.) 200 cash = 2d. 



Pigs according to size From 1 dollar 50 cts. = 6s. 



Yams (per cwt.) .. 1 dollar = 4s. 



Pears and apples (per 100) .... 1 dollar = 4s. 



