ch'ien-t'ang river 185 



The people are not wealthy, and this is 

 evidenced by occular proofs of the value of 

 their river commerce and the size of their 

 fields and their small industries. But they 

 impressed us as being contented and satis- 

 fied with their lot. 



During the interview with the magistrate 

 I said to him that he presided over a 

 beautiful district and I thought ^he had 

 little or no trouble in governing as the 

 people looked happy. He replied that the 

 people were not difficult to control, but that 

 they were poor and took life easy. 



The province of Chekiang is the smallest 

 of the eighteen provinces of China. The 

 province is poor in minerals, but agriculture 

 is in a prosperous state and the productions 

 from that industry are valuable, more so on 

 account of the net work of navigable streams 

 suitable for native commerce. The part of 

 the province lying south of Tayii-ling is 

 mountainous, but between Ningpo and 

 Hangchow, and to the west and north and 

 northeast of Hangchow are large and fertile 

 plains. The central and upper regions are 

 mountainous with broken and picturesque 

 hills, and some parts of the western region 

 are fairly well wooded. The agricultural 



