Chap. X. 
VILLAGE OF WOOSUNG. 
171 
and hoist her sail. The sailors, who were getting rather 
impatient, gladly obeyed these orders, and when the 
junk's crew saw what was going on they also gave their 
assistance, so that in a few minutes we were under weigh. 
Having gone as near the schooner as we considered 
prudent, the anchor was dropped, and a strong rope 
made fast to the two vessels in order to draw ours off the 
mud when the tide rose high enough to float her. This 
was accomplished during the night, and we were safely 
anchored in three fathoms of water. At daylight, how- 
ever, we found that our Chinese friends had made sail, 
and gone away without waiting to claim the promised 
rewai'd. 
The small village of Woosung, where one of the 
battles was fought during the last war, stands on the 
banks of another river, commonly known as the "Shang- 
hae river'' by Europeans, and at the point where it 
falls into the Yang-tse-kiang. This is one of the 
principal stations in China for the opium merchant 
vessels, and I believe latterly more of the drug has fjiy^^^/*^^^ 
been sold here than at all the other stations put f 
together. 
So much has been said about this trade and opium- 
smoking, that a few remarks upon the subject will not 
be out of place here. It is well known that the greater 
part of the opium Avhich is brought to the Chinese 
coast is grown and manufactured in our East Indian 
possessions. Those English or American merchants 
who deal largely in this production employ very fast- 
saiHng vessels for bringing it from India to Chma, and 
also keep up what are called receiving ships in many 
I 2 
