Chap. VII. 



SILVER ISLAND. 



115 



CHAPTER VIL 



Kintang or Silver Island — Its inhabitants and productions — Bay of 

 Chapoo — Advantages of an inland route — New year at Shanghae 

 — Flower-shops and flowers — Sacred bamboo — The Chrysan- 

 themum — Mode of cultivating it — Weather-prophets — Sail for 

 Hong-kong — A game-ship — The Enkianthus — Canton seeds, 

 and mode of packing them — False notion regarding their being 

 poisoned. 



On my arrival at Ning-po I engaged a Chinese boat 

 to take me to Kintang. Kintang or Silver Island is 

 one of the islands of the Chusan archipelago, situated 

 between Chusan and the mouth of the Ning-po river, 

 in about the 30th degree of north latitude. It is about 

 seven miles in length, and from two to three in 

 breadth at its widest part. I found two opium vessels 

 at anchor in the little harbour of Leh-kong, and was 

 kindly received by Captain Priestman, who gave me 

 quarters on board his ship. 



Silver Island, although near Chusan, was rarely 

 visited by the English during the time they held 

 that place. All sorts of stories used to be told about 

 it. It was said to be a place of banishment for 

 mandarins who had offended the Government ; and 

 this circumstance, taken in connexion with its name, 

 led us to believe that it was a place of wealth and 

 luxury. Moreover, the Chinese Government had 

 requested that none of our officers or soldiers might 



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