A CRUISE UP THE YANGSTZE IN 1858-59. 221 



anything finer than this. The Ta-keang, coming down 

 from its birthplace in the north-west, rushes down to 

 meet an almost equally great discharge from an inland 

 sea, which drains an area of country greater than all 

 France. Their confluence is marked by islands and 

 shoals, great holes of deep water, and whirlpools of 

 current, which twisted our big frigate about as if she 

 was a cockboat, though drawing fifteen feet six inches, 

 and going at full speed. Leaving on our left the 

 well-marked and promising entrance to the Poyang, 

 as well as the prettily-situated town and fortifications 

 of Hokow, we advanced up an 18-feet channel to 

 Kew-keang, or town of " six streams," an important 

 walled city of the first class, situated on the southern 

 bank of the Great Eiver, just above the junction with 

 the Poyang Lake. In every respect this was a most 

 important position to have reached with vessels of the 

 size of the Furious, and of the small steam-power of 

 the Cruiser; and as our subsequent detention here 

 gave us good opportunities of making ourselves 

 acquainted with the neighbourhood, we were able 

 to form a pretty good idea of its importance. 



The town, though little else than the walls now 

 remain, stands on the southern bank, but on the 

 northern slope of a range of hills of a 200-feet eleva- 

 tion. The area represents a quadrangle varying from 

 2| to 3| miles in length and breadth. Seven-tenths 

 of the town was an utter ruin, the very bricks of 

 which the buildings had been built having been taken 



