Cuap. VIII.] TRADE OF SHANGHAE. 123 
very great inducement to bring their teas to 
Shanghae. I am aware that people generally sup- 
pose the black-tea districts to be nearer the port of 
Foo-chow-foo than either Ning-po or Shanghae ; but 
it must be recollected that very few of the black 
teas now imported to England are from the Bohee 
hills, as these teas are considered coarser, and much 
inferior in quality to other kinds, which are from 
a very different country, much farther to the 
north, and on the northern side of the great moun- 
tain range. The large silk districts of Northern 
China are close at hand; and there can be no doubt 
that a large proportion of that commodity in a 
raw state will be disposed of at Shanghae. Taking, 
therefore, all these facts into consideration — the 
proximity of Shanghae to the large towns of 
Hangchow, Soo-chow, and the ancient capital of 
Nanking; the large native trade, the convenience 
of inland transit by means of rivers and canals ; 
the fact that teas and silks can be brought here 
more readily than to Canton ; and, lastly, viewing 
this place as an immense mart for our cotton 
manufactures, which we already know it to be,— 
there can be no doubt that in a few years it will 
not only rival Canton, but become a place of far 
greater importance. And, when I add that the 
climate is healthy, the natives peaceable, and foreign 
residents respected, and allowed to walk and ride 
all over the country to any distance not exceeding 
a day’s journey, it will be acknowledged that, as a 
