Cuar. XIIL.] SOO-CHOW VISITED. 257 
engaged in other agricultural operations, but a 
small proportion had feet of the natural size. 
A few miles on the east of Soo-chow there is a 
large and beautiful lake, twelve or fifteen miles 
across, through which the boats from Sung-Kiang- 
foo and other places in that direction approach the 
city. After passing this lake the canal, which 
had widened considerably, now began to contract ; 
bridges here and there were passed, villages and 
small towns lined the banks, and everything de- 
noted the approach to a city of some size and 
importance. It was a delightful summer's evening 
on the 23rd of June, when I approached this far- 
famed town. The moon was up, and with a fair 
light breeze my little boat scudded swiftly, its 
masts and sails reflected in the clear water of the 
canal; the boats thickened as we went along, the 
houses became more crowded and larger, lanterns 
were moving in great numbers on the bridges and 
sides of the canal, and in a few minutes more we 
were safely moored, among some hundreds of other 
boats, under the walls of this celebrated city. 
Having taken all the precautions in our power 
against another nightly visitor, my servant, the 
boatmen, and myself, were soon fast asleep. 
With the first dawn of morning I was up, and 
dressed with very great care by my Chinese ser- 
vant, whom I then despatched to find out the 
nursery gardens in the city, in order to procure 
the plants which I wanted. When he had obtained 
this information he returned, and we proceeded 
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