Chap. II. EMBAEK FOE HWUY-CHOW. 43 



A short time afterwards my servants returned, 

 bringing a boatman with them to have a chop made 

 out, and to have him "secured" by the innkeeper. 

 As soon as this was done to our satisfaction we left 

 the inn and walked down to the boat, which lay 

 alongside of one of the wharfs at the river side. 

 Several other passengers had also arrived, and we 

 were all to sleep on board, as the boat was to start at 

 daybreak on the following morning. To me this had 

 been an exciting and adventurous day, and I was not 

 sorry when the darkness closed around us and we all 

 retired to rest. 



The river Tcien-tang-kiang, on which I was now, 

 has its sources far away amongst the mountains to 

 the westward. One of its branches rises amongst the 

 green-tea hills of Hwuy-chow, another near to the 

 town of Changshan, on the borders of Kiang-see, and 

 a third on the northern side of the Bohea mountains. 

 These streams unite in their course to the eastward, 

 and, passing Hang-chow, fall into the bay which bears 

 the same name. All the green and black tea comes 

 down this river on its way to Shanghae, and at 

 Hang-chow is transhipped from the river-boats into 

 those which ply upon the Grand Canal. The im- 

 portance of Hang-chow-foo, in a mercantile point of 

 view, is therefore very great. All goods from the 

 south and westward must of necessity pass through 

 this town on their way to the large and populous dis- 

 tricts about Soo-chow, Sung-kiang, and Shanghae. In 

 the same manner all foreign imports, and the pro- 

 ducts of the low countries, such as silk and cotton, in 



