960 



CHINA. 



not embellished with statutes or other carving, all their beauty consisting in their prodigious 

 height, which at a distance gives them a noble appearance. The arches of the gates are built 

 of marble ; and the rest of large bricks, cemented with excellent mortar. Most of the streets 

 are built in a direct line ; the largest are about 120 feet broad, and above 2 miles in length ; 

 but the houses are poorly built in front, and very low ; most of them having only a ground 

 floor ; and few exceeding one story above it. They are often showily ornamented with gilded 

 sculptures. Among the rich the door^ are often of aromatic wood, richly carved ; glass is not 

 used in the windows, and its place is supplied by paper. Of all the buildings in this great city, 

 the most remarkable is the imperial palace ; the grandeur of which does not consist so much in 

 the nobleness and elegance of the architecture, as in the multitude of its buildings, courts, and 

 gardens, all regularly disposed. The population of Pekin is supposed to be about 1,500,000. 



J^anking was the royal residence till the 15th century, but it is now a declining city, and a 

 large space witliin its circuit is uninhabited. It is regularly built, and is a neat if not handsome 

 town. Near the entrance are two temples, one of which is rendered interesting by the skilful 

 execution of the figures of about 20 Chinese philosophers and saints, surrounding a great hall. 

 The city has obtained celebrity by the porcelain tower, and by the manufacture of nankeen. 

 Population, 500,000. 



Canton is the largest port in China, and the only port that has been much frequented by 

 Europeans. The city wall is above 5 miles in circumference, with very pleasant walks around 

 . it. From the tops of some adjacent hills, on which forts are built, you have a fine prospect 

 of the country. It is beautifully interspersed with mountains, little hills, and valleys, all green ; 

 and these are pleasantly diversified with small towns, villages, high towers, temples, the seats 

 of mandarins and other great men, which are watered by delightful lakes, canals, and small 

 branches from the river, on which are numberless boats and junks, sailing different ways through 

 the most fertile parts of the country. The streets of Canton are very straight, though general- 

 ly narrow, and are paved with flag-stones. There are many pretty buildings in this city, great 

 numbers of triumphal arches, and temples well stocked with images. There are many private 

 walks about the skirts of the town, where those of the better sort have their houses, but which 

 are very little frequented by Europeans, whose business lies chiefly in the trading part of the 

 city, where there are only shops and warehouses. It is computed that there are in this city 

 and its suburbs, nearly 1,000,000 persons, and there are often 5,000 trading vessels lying 

 before the city. What is called the boat-town is composed of thousands of boats occupied 

 by individuals, some of whom are not even allowed to enter the city. 



Singan^ upon a branch of the Hoangho in the western part of China, is one of the largest 

 towns, and strongest fortresses, in the country. It is said to have a population of 3,000,000 

 souls. Hangcliou, near the coast to the southeast of Nanking, is a large town with extensive 

 manufactures and commerce, and a good harbor ; its population is estimated at 600,000. 

 Souchou, upon the imperial canal, is a flourishing place, and is said to contain 700,000 inhab- 

 itants. There are many other large towns in China, the seats of manufacturing and commercial 

 industry, but Ihtle remarkable except for their size and population. The Chinese towns have 

 no proper name ; but are merely designated from the district of which they are the capital, as 

 the city of Canton, that is, of the province of the name ; or from some other circumstance ; as 

 Peking, the northern court, that is, the northern residence of the Chinese court, &c. i 



JMacao, upon a peninsula on the southern coast of China, belongs to the Portuguese ; it is 

 fortified and has considerable commerce, but is much sunk in importance. Its population is 

 about 30,000. The English have also a factory here, but the police of the place is under the 

 superintendence of a Chinese mandarin. 



10. Agriculture. The soil in China is considered to be the property of the emperor, every 

 tenant paying one tenth of the produce of the land as a rent. Such tenants often underlet por- 

 tions of their estate upon half profits. The processes of agriculture are very imperfect, and the 

 artificial methods of cultivaUon practised in Europe are unknown. In the vicinities of the great 

 cities, every inch of ground is carefully cultivated, and the hills are diligently formed into ter- 

 races ; but a great part of the land, even in China Proper, is quite waste, and in the other parts 

 of the empire husbandry is still less attended to. 



11. Manufactures. China is so happily situated, and produces such a variety of materials 

 for manufactures, that it may be said to be the native land of industry ; but it is an industry 

 without taste or elegance, though carried on with great art and neatness. The Chinese make 

 'paper of the bark of bamboo and other trees, as well as of cotton, but not comparable, for 



