-j^ CHINA. 



the Emperor, befides others innumerable, the property of mer- 

 chants, or of private people, who hire them to travellers. They 

 are all richly ornamented, efpecially the imperial, which carry 

 on them the dra^^on of five claws, the arms of the empire. The 

 traveller, if he takes the route of fluang-fi and Hu-quang, is 

 under no neceffity of ever quitting his bark from Canton to Pe- 

 king ; he meets with rivers and lakes till he falls in again with 

 the Tu-Ho, or Royal Canal, as it is named by way of pre-emi- 

 nence. On that canal the voyager is only obliged to quit his 

 veflcl once in nine hundred miles ; the mountain Meylin inter- 

 venes, and makes it necelTary for him to take a day's journey 

 before he can again benefit of the royal work. The fliipping on 

 the canal and rivers are often fo numerous as to fill the channel 

 for a mile or two, and quite obftrudl for a time their progrefs. 

 Great Fair on Great fairs are alfo kept on the rivers. " One feafon," fays 



THE Water. ^^ •/ , ^ ^ • ■, r r 11 



Hamilton, " at one place, and in other lealons at other places ; 

 " and though there may be 10,000 veflels alTembled at a fair, 

 " yet there is as good order and decorum kept as in a well- 

 " governed city. All fliips and boats who have the fame fpecies 

 " of goods are moored together, along a certain place on the 

 *' river fide allotted for them by proper magiftrates, and at night 

 *' watches are fent to prevent thieving and diforder, and of- 

 " fenders are feverely punifhed without refpeft of perfons." 

 J. NiEUHOFF. John Nieuboff', the celebrated traveller of the laft century, is 



the. only one* who gives an account of the entire inland voyage 

 from the fouth to almolt the very north of the mighty empire. 



• Sir George Staunton's Account of the fpirited and well-conduced Embaffy to China was 

 not pubiiflied at the time this work was compofed. E. 



9 That 



5i 



