U 
e, me eastern 
a part of the Chinese coast, where the continent converges beat s 
ie the Pacific, as if to form a cape; its northern. headland’i ‘is Yang- 
tsz’ Cape, an alluvial flat, formed by the great river of that name; 
‘ the opposite headland is ofa very different character, being formed 
~~ by the terminationg at Ketow Point, of the Nain-ling chain of 
mountains. Thus, on one side the shore i is so low, and the bay 
' so shallow as to render it perilous to navigators, while at the 
other, there is a bold evast and deep water. From Ketow Point 
to Yang-tsz’ Cape, the distance is sixty miles, which is the width 
of the estuary. A line intersecting it, drawn from the mouth of 
the river, would be about seventy- “five miles. A portion of the 
Chusan Archipelago, is included in the sontheastern part of the 
bay. Although these islands are generally separated. by deep 
channels, the descent of the submarine ground on this part of the 
coast is extremely gradual, owing to the ever accumulating detri- 
tus of the great rivers. The bay itself, is very shallow, and con- 
stautly decreasing in depth, the channel being wholly obliterated 
towards the T siev-tang. At its southern boundary it receives the 
water of the ‘Va-hiah or Ningpo river, whete the tides are in no 
of the T'sien- tang, Chang-ngo is disembogued, in which river the ~~ 
ped have a great and rapid | rise and fall. 
vigators are well acqnainted ial the force of tidal ctirrents 
“the Chusan islands, and in the other part of the bay,;_ 
. 
there is a rapid increase of their velocity as youradv the. 
 fnnnel-shaped frith, where sey rush at sixteen miles an hour. In 
the neighborhood of Chapoo,, where they are more modera vale 
flow is ‘between el nd twelve knots, with a fall of-tw enty- 
eight feet. Vessels approaching this part of the coast are thus in 
_ danger of being lost among sands without sighting the low shores, 
Captain Collinson, when bap 1 Fike to find a chanuel to Wi oe 
chau in the H.C. Steamer Phlegethon, experienced a of 
“eleven and a half knots, when pe wie miles distant rl the 
Chapoo Hills, and two from the shore. ‘Traversing the river 
[estuary] which at this point is about fifteen miles wide, there was 
‘ho continuous channel found, although there were some deep 
spots. When the Phlegethon was exposed to this ude, she had 
au anchor down, with a whole cable, (having previously Inst an 
anchor and cable in eee to hag up,) Was. U ; 
_ power of steam, with sails set, and was still driving.” Whales 
= are not unfreqnently Pict iu by this vortex, and left donundering 
- 0n the strand or in shallow water by the receding wave; scme 
: a the accidents recorded of the uufortuuate Celacea are worth 
voting 
