102 



CHINA. 



Formosa are very industrious and much more 

 energetic than those of any other Chinese 

 province, excepting, perhaps, Tartary. The 

 country is mountainous but fertile, and the 

 chief products are sugar and tea. The river 

 Min, with its many navigable tributaries, fur- 

 nishes an easy and cheap means of transporta- 

 tion to and from the interior. Foreign vessels 

 anchor in the river a distance of over ten miles 

 below the city of Foo-Chow, opposite Pagoda 

 Island, and goods are exchanged on lighters be- 

 tween the vessels and the city. Like all Chi- 

 nese cities, the principal part of the town is 

 surrounded by a wall, and, including the sub- 

 urbs and the literally " floating population " 

 living in boats on the river, it numbers about 

 eight hundred thousand inhabitants. For- 

 eigners occupy the right bank of the Min, and 

 have extended over the adjoining hills and into 

 the principal suburb. A large bridge, built of 

 solid masonry, connects the two river-banks, 

 and the foreign with the native population. 

 This foreign colony, though spread over a pro- 

 portionately vast area of ground, is but small, 

 consisting of but about two hundred persons, 

 half of whom are English, the rest composed of 

 Americans, Germans, Portuguese, and Parsees. 

 The climate is considered healthy, but all for- 

 eigners need careful protection from the in- 

 tense heat of summer, which ranges from 78 

 to 105 Fahrenheit, and is never below ten 

 degrees above zero in winter. 



2. Han-Kow. This city is in the centre of 

 the province Hu-Peh, on the Yang-tse-Kiang, 

 or Blue River, the most important river of the 

 empire. It is situated about 600 miles from 

 the mouth of the Yang-tse-Kiang, and splendid 

 steamers ply on its waters from this city to the 

 coast. The distance from Shanghai to the 

 three open ports on the Yang-tse-Kiang is as 

 follows: Tsin-Kiang, 150^- miles; Kin-Kiang, 

 445 miles, and Han-Kow, 582 miles. Steam- 

 boats of the first class make the trip from 

 Shanghai to Han-Kow generally in three days, 

 and remain for about six hours at each of the 

 ports between Tsin-Kiang and Kin-Kiang. 

 Slower boats take five days for the trip. The 

 downward trips are generally made in forty- 

 eight hours. The fares for passage are as 

 follows: to Tsin-Kiang, twenty-five taels; to 

 Kin-Kiang, fifty taels; to Han-Kow, sixty 

 taels; for the trip to Han-Kow and return, 100 

 taels a tael being about equal to $1.48, gold, 

 of American money. These three cities, of 

 which the two largest have each 600,000 in- 

 habitants, compose one centre of population. 

 A very large number of Chinese boats are al- 

 ways on the river Yang-tse-Kiang and on the 

 Han, and keep np constant communication 

 with the various points. The very favorable 

 location of Han-Kow, almost in the centre of 

 China Proper, and its facilities of communica- 

 tion with the surrounding populous and very 

 productive districts, by means of an extended 

 net of lakes, rivers, and canals, have given its 

 commerce great activity and importance. The 



customs return for the last year reports the 

 trade of Han-Kow as follows : 



Taels. 



Foreign goods imported 10,294,656 



Chinese " f ' 7,836,033 



Exports, 12,406,332 



Total 30,537,026 



3. Canton. This port lies on the left bank of 

 Pearl River, about sixty miles from the coast, 

 in the province of Kwang-Tong, of which it is 

 the capital. The mouths of the Pearl River, 

 at the eastern end of which is situated Hong- 

 Kong, and on the west Macao, are the grandest, 

 on account of their extent and of the numerous 

 islands. The steamers from Hong-Kong and 

 Macao pass here daily, and so also do innumer- 

 able Chinese junks. By the Pearl River, its 

 tributaries and over the many canals with 

 which this portion of China is richly inter- 

 sected, Canton has constant communication 

 with the surrounding tea and silk districts, 

 and with other fertile provinces near Twang- 

 Tong, such as Kwang-Si, Hun-Nan, and Kiang- 

 Si. Since Nanking has been destroyed by the 

 Taepings, and Peking has entered a downward 

 course, Canton is assuming the proportions of 

 the first city of the empire. Its population is 

 estimated at 1,000,000 inhabitants, and it is 

 the residence of the governor of the two prov- 

 inces Kwang-Tong and Kwang-Si. It has fully 

 recovered from the devastations caused by the 

 hostile incursions of "outside barbarians." 

 Though the first port opened to foreign trade, 

 it has preserved its Chinese character. The 

 foreign merchants own nearly the entire river- 

 shore at Ho-Nam, but they also have acquired 

 land on the right bank, where they have 

 erected large and splendid stone quays. The 

 permanent foreign colony of Canton numbered, 

 in 1869, about 100 persons, and among the 

 mercantile firms were five American, nine 

 English, and four German. Steamers only are 

 permitted to land opposite the city; foreign 

 sailing vessels must anchor at Wampoa, twelve 

 miles below Canton. The opening of other 

 more northern ports, principally of that of 

 Han-Kow, has considerably reduced the com- 

 merce of Canton, since the products of the cen- 

 tral provinces, which formerly passed through 

 the latter city, now find their way in a large 

 proportion through Han-Kow and similarly 

 situated ports. 



4. Kin-Kiang. Next to Han-Kow, in point 

 of importance among the ports open to the for- 

 eign trade on the Yang-tse-Kiang, stands un- 

 doubtedly Kin-Kiang, 445 miles from Shanghai 

 and 137 from Han-Kow, on the northern point 

 of the province of Kiang-Si. From here a con- 

 tinuous exchange of products is carried on with 

 the interior over the lake Pa-Jang to the south 

 and over the many rivers and canals which 

 are such great aids to the interior commerce 

 of China throughout the empire. The chief 

 products- of this province are tea, tobacco, 

 hemp, paper, porcelain, grass-cloth (made of 

 cotton and flax), paints, wax, etc. Up to with- 



