86 
WANDEKINGS IN CHINA. 
Chap. V. 
flooding the country in its course, and bearing every- 
thing 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 river. 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 even- 
ing, and informed that we must not proceed until day- 
light. 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 thing are managed 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 
80^ 6' K, and in longitude 120^ 29' E. It seems 
densely populated, and probably contains nearly as many 
inhabitants as Shanghae (270,000). The city is walled 
and fortified, in the same manner as all other places of 
this class. 
The canal passes round the city-walls, and forms a sort 
