S10 



CHINA. 



that tboe who Mil upon the river, can perceive through 

 thrtc op ningt 6< Ids behind the village. In thil pro- 

 vince, at the entrance of the bay of Canton, is the Por- 

 tuguese port, called Macao, which they are laid to have 

 obtained trom the Chineie, ss a r. ward fur the auisUncc 

 which they afforded, in d M roving a noted pirate who 

 infeted thr coan. But they pay, nevertheless, a tri- 

 bute of 100,000 ducats, for the liberty of chooung their 

 own magistrate*, and of living according to their own 

 custom*. There are, beside*, a multitude of Chinese in 

 the place, who arc under the inspection of a mandarin ; 

 a circumstance which sometime* occasions a clashing of 

 authorities, and render* the nit nation of the Portuguese 

 governor extremely embarras*ing. The town is situated 

 upon a peninsula or rather small island, almost entirely 

 separated In m the continent by a river, and connected 

 with it only by a small neck of land, which is inclosed 

 by a wall. It is built in the form of an amphitheatre, 

 upon a rising ground, and is distinguished at a considera- 

 ble distance by tin- whitened walls of the houses. It is 

 defended by a wall and a few forts, and garrisoned by a- 

 bout 1.50 sepoys. It contains gome convents and a num- 

 ber ot fine churches, which the Portuguese inhabitants 

 attend on Sunday? with great punctuality. On the east 

 side is a pretty extensive quay, which affords a cuol walk 

 in the warm season, and in the vicinity of which the great- 

 er part of the Europeans have their residence. Others, 

 however, occupy the west part of the town, from which 

 they have a view of the port, and of a remarkable island 

 tailed the Greeu isle, which is completely covered with 

 trees, and finely contrasted with the arid and naked moun- 

 tains, by which it is surrounded. It was upon this island, 

 that the Jesuit missionaries first took up their abode, and 

 passed over, during the night, to preach to the Chinese ; 

 but it is now entirely desolate, the church in ruins, and 

 the garden laid waste. 



Tchao-tcheoo foo, the second city in the province, is 

 clicoo-foo. delightfully situated between two navigable rivers, abound- 

 ing in fish, and is surrounded by fertile fields, rich in 

 fruits, pasturage, and rice ; but the air is uiihealthful, 

 and contagious distempers arc very prevalent and fatal, 

 particularly from the middle of October to the beginning 

 of December. In its neighbourhood is a celebrated 

 monastery of the Bonzes, which is supposed to have ex- 

 isted 800 or 900 years, and it was at this city that the 

 British Embassy found young girls employed in the ma- 

 nagement of the ferry-boats. The town is about half 

 the (ize of Canton, and contains about 10,000 families. 

 The principal manufacture is nankeen stuffs, and the prin- 

 cipal article of trade is a kind of oil, extracted from a 

 plant named tcha-tchoo. This place is about 77 leagues 

 distant from Canton, and is surrounded with walls, which 

 are old and ruinous. Kao tchoo foo is likewise finely 

 situated, in a fertile country, and is remarkable chiefly 

 for a singular kind of stone, found in its vicinity, re- 

 sembling marble. The veins have so much the appear- 

 ance of tree*, mountains, and rivers, that the slabs into 

 which it is cut for tables, and other pieces of furniture, 

 seem to have a multitude of landscape* painted upon 

 them. Crabs, resembling those of Europe, are caught 

 upon the coast near the town, but they are said to be- 

 come petrified as toon as taken out of the water. Lien- 

 tcheoo-foo possesses a convenient harbour, and is situ- 

 ated on the borders of the kingdom of Tunkin, from 

 which it in separated by inaccessible mountains. Loui- 

 tcheoo-foo is separated from the island of Hai-nan, by 

 I>Und of a narr0 w strait, in which pearl* are said to have been 

 Hai-nan. formerly fished The other cities of this province are 

 unrounded with a rich country, and carry on consider- 



Tchao. 



able trade, l.ut have nothing particularly deserving of no- Topogri. 

 tier. Tin- island of Hal nan, w'm h ii within the juris- l' 1 ')^ 

 diction of this province, is one of the largest islands of '""V"'' 

 Asia. It i about 70 leagues in lenpth from east to 

 west, and 4-3 from north to south. Its c.ipital. Kuin- 

 tcheoo-foo, stands upon a promontory, and the shipg 

 come to anchor under its wall*. Part onl> of the island 

 is under the dominion of the Chinese ; and the moun- 

 tainous districts have still preserved their independence. 

 These unconquered tribes used to carry on a considerable 

 traffic with the Chinese subjects ; but all intercourse with 

 them han been prohibited. They are of a copper co- 

 lour, very diminutive in stature, aiul defornv-d in per- 

 son, but are extremely dexterous ii. : i the bow 

 and arrow. The island produces dragons- blood, o.tton, 

 areca, and a variety of valuable wood, of which the 

 most esteemed is called rose wood, on account of its 

 smell, and is reserved for the sole use of the emperor. 

 Among the aninuls wlrch it contains, is a species of 

 black ape, which is said to bear a must striking resem- 

 blance to the human features and form ; and a number 

 of curious birds, especially crows, with a white ring 

 around the neck, and blackbirds of a deep blue colour, 

 with yellow ears. 



The province of Quan ton ia one of the most consi- 

 derable in the southern part of the empire, remarkably 

 fruitful, and finely diversified with plains and hills. In 

 the south, from the city of Canton to the village of 

 San-tchoui-hien, a space of 30 leagues, the river is bor- 

 dered with fine open plains, in a high state of culture ; 

 but from this place to Han hiong foo, are lofty and ro- 

 mantic mountains, sometimes approaching close to the 

 bai'ks, and abounding in numerous quarries and collieries. 

 The soil is dry, clayey, sandy, aud of a yellowish colour, 

 but often red, upon a bottom of clay. It produces rice, 

 sugar, indigo, tobacco, cotton, silk j gold, tin, copper, 

 mercury, marble, saltpetre, pearls, and precious stones ; 

 aromatic woods, particularly rose wood, eagle- wood, 

 iron- wood, and the common kinds of tea. Besides most 

 of the fruits of Lurope, and several which belong to 

 India, it yields some which are peculiar to itself, viz. 

 the leetchee, and the long y-ven, the former of which 

 is of a heating nature, and has a taste like that of a soft 

 insipid onion; the latter is mor- of a cooling nature, and 

 resembles the taste of musk. At the city of Canton the 

 temperature is very high, especially in the months of 

 August and September. In November, December, and 

 January, there is a considerable degree of cold, so as 

 sometimes to produce ice, but there is very rarely seen 

 any snow. The coasts of this province abound in fish, 

 oysters, crabs, and tortoises of immense size. Prodi- 

 gious numbers of tame ducks are raised by the inhabi- 

 tants, and are generally hatched in ovens and dunghills. 

 They are put into small barks, earned down to the shore 

 to feed upon shell fish, and are collected at night by 

 the sound of a bason, each fl -ck returning to its own 

 boat. The Chinese salt the flesh of these fowls, sn as 

 to preserve it* original flavour ; and prepare the egg*, 

 by covering them with a coat of clay, mixed with salt. 

 The air of this province is pure, and the inhabitants 

 healthy, industrious, and imitative in the highest degree; 

 but more insolent and contemptuous towards foreigners, 

 than in any other province of the empire. 



VII 1. FO-KIEN contains 9 cities of the first class, and Fo-Ucn. 

 63 of the third. Foo tcheoo foo, its principal city, is 

 distinguished by the beauty of its i-itu.-.tion, the con- 

 venience of its port and rivers, the number of its learn- 

 ed men, and the magnificence of its bridges. Tsuen- 

 tchoo-foo i* nearly equal to the last-mentioned city in 



