Chap. XYI. LAKES AND MARSHY COUNTRY. 



339 



the lakes, and rather important from the central 

 position which it occupies. Fine navigable canals 

 lead from it to all the important towns of this 

 large and fertile plain. A very fine one leads on 

 to the city of Hoo-chow to which I was bound. 

 On one side it has a substantial paved pathway, 

 which is a high road to foot-passengers, and is 

 also used by the boat-people in tracking their 

 boats and junks. I was now able to leave my 

 boat to be sculled slowly along, and walk along 

 the banks of the canal. 



I had reached the eastern borders of the great 

 silk country of China — a country which in the 

 season of 1853-54 exported upwards of 58,000 

 bales of raw silk. 



The mulberry was now observed on the banks of 

 the canal, and in patches over all this part of the 

 country. The lakes which I had passed through, 

 and which I have endeavoured to describe, were 

 now left behind, and a broad and beautiful canal 

 stretched far away to the westward, and led to 

 the great silk-towns of Nan-tsin and Hoo-chow- 

 foo. Hitherto the country had been completely 

 flat, but now some hills at a great distance on my 

 right-hand came into view. These I afterwards 

 ascertained were the Tung-t'ing-shans, situated on 

 the T'ai-hu Lake — one of the largest lakes in China, 

 which covers a considerable extent of country 

 between the cities of Hang-chow-foo and Soo- 

 chow-foo. As we passed along the country seemed 

 exceedingly rich and fertile ; and mulberry-planta- 



2 A 



