110 



TEA DISTRICTS OF CHINA. Chap. VI. 



scene to that presented by some highland river, 

 which, swelled after a storm by many mountain 

 streams, comes rolling down to the lowlands, flooding 

 the country in its course, and bearing everything 

 before it. 



Having discharged our Hwuy-chow boat, we pro- 

 ceeded through the town to the terminus of a small 

 canal, where another boat was engaged to take us on 

 to a town called Shang-o, or Tsaou-o, a place not very 

 far from the source of the "Ning-po Kiver. The canal 

 was narrow, and led us through a beautiful hilly 

 country. All the low land was evidently very wet, 

 and only fit for the cultivation of rice and vegetables. 



A few miles below Nechow we passed a small town 

 where there are Government salt warehouses. About 

 this part of the canal, boats are not allowed to go on 

 by night, in order, I suppose, to prevent smuggling. 

 We were therefore stopped about nine o'clock in the 

 evening, and informed that we must not proceed until 

 daylight. I thought this was quite settled, when 

 Wang came and asked me whether I wanted to go 

 on or not. He said, if I wished to proceed, it was 

 only necessary to pay the soldier who had stopped us 

 about twenty cash (one penny), and then I might do 

 as I pleased. This is the way these things are ma- 

 naged in China. We of course paid the cash and 

 went on. 



Next morning we arrived at a town of considerable 

 size, named Shaou-hing-foo. It is situated in latitude 

 30° 6' N., and in longitude 120° 29' E. It seems 

 densely populated, and probably contains nearly as 



