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KAN-POO — SOURCE OF WEALTH. Chap. XV. 



spectable-looking houses, but its streets reminded 

 us of a quiet country-town, and had none of that 

 busthng activity which is visible at a flourishing 

 Chinese seaport. 



Although the shifting sands and rapid tides of 

 the estuary have long ago cut off communication 

 with the sea, yet the old city has a mine of wealth 

 within itself, which it is likely long to retain. It 

 is situated on the border of a rich silk country, 

 and large quantities of this valuable article are 

 annually produced, both for home consumption 

 and for export. The natives were now (June 1st) 

 busily employed in reeling the first crop of coc- 

 coons. In almost every other house in some of 

 the streets the clack, clack, clack, of the winding- 

 machine fell upon our ears as we passed along. 

 We frequently stopped to examine this part of the 

 process, which will be found fully described in a 

 subsequent chapter, if the reader condescends to 

 accompany me through the centre of the great 

 silk country to the silk-towns of Nan-tsin and 

 Hoo-chow-foo. We did not observe any other 

 articles of manufacture in Kan-poo worthy of 

 notice. The natives seemed clean and comfort- 

 ably-looking in their appearance, and treated us 

 very civilly. We were not inconvenienced by 

 those crowds of noisy vulgar-looking fellows who 

 generally surround foreigners when they make 

 their appearance in their inland towns. 



In order to engage canal-boats to continue our 

 journey we walked onward to a place named Luh- 



