158 



Province of 

 Kyang-nan. 



Isle of 

 tsong-ming. 



CHINA. 



" nothing in \vinter; it is certain' they do not feed them 

 " for three or four months at Peking, while the very cold 

 *« weather lafts; M'hatthey hve on in the mean time, under the 

 *' ice, it is not eafy to underftand, except we fiippofe, either that 

 ** they fnid httle worms in the roots of herbs, which grow at 

 " the bottom of the ponds, or elfe, that pieces of roots them- 

 *•' felves, being foftened by the water, become proper food for 

 " them ; but thofe which, to prevent their being frozen, are 

 " taken into the houfes, and kept all winter in a chamber, often 

 *' flmt up in a china veflel, without being fed at all, are 

 " towards fpring put into the bafins again, where they fport 

 " with the fame ftrength and agility as they did the year before. 

 " One would imagine they knew their mafters, and thofe who 

 " carry them food, by their being fo ready to rife at their ap- 

 " proach. The greateft lords themfelves delight in feeding 

 " them with their own hands, and fpend fome time to obferve 

 " their nimble motions, and fporting in the water." 



From the eftua-ry of the Tchen-tang-tchiang the land bends 

 towards the north-weft. The next province to Tcbe-tchang is 

 Kyang-nan. On the fouthern fide of the entrance into the bay 

 of the great river leading to Nafiquin, is the illand of 'Tfong-ming, 

 ninety miles in length, in the breadth about twenty. It was 

 originally a fandy fpot overrun with reeds, to which it was cufto- 

 mary to banifli robbers and all kinds of profligates ; neceffity 

 compelled them to induftry ; they cleared the ground, fowed 

 the few feeds they brought with them, and by the affiftance of 

 fome Chinefe who came from the continent to fettle among 

 them, made a barren land fruitful. Other families arrived ; the 

 4 ifland 



^ 



