TIEN-TSIN — SALT-HEAPS. 
Chap. XIX. 
are, but steamed in at once and dropped anchor in 
the Pei-ho abreast of the forts. The next day I 
went up to the port of Tien-tsin in a gun-boat 
which was employed to take up the mails and 
stores for our troops, which still held possession of 
that city. 
A wonderful change has come over the Pei-ho 
since the days of Lords Macartney and Amherst, 
and of Staunton and Davis. Steam has now in- 
vaded its quiet waters, and gun-boats and other 
vessels go puffing and snorting upon it all day long. 
Instead of thousands of curious natives lining the 
shores and covering the salt-heaps as in the days 
of yore, English and French soldiers and merchants 
were observed in considerable numbers as we ap- 
proached the city, and our appearance seemed to 
be a matter of too common occurrence to be heeded 
by the natives. 
The wonderful collection of salt-heaps noticed 
by former travellers were still here and at once 
attracted our attention. During my stay in Tien- 
tsin I paid a visit to these salt-heaps in order to 
get some idea of their extent. They are placed 
on a piece of level land on the left bank of the 
river, just below the town. Many millions of 
bags, filled with coarse salt, are here heaped up in 
the form of hay-stacks. These stacks are about 
thirty feet in height, twenty in width, and of vari- 
ous lengths. To give an idea of the enormous 
quantity of salt collected here, I may mention that 
these stacks cover a space of ground fully a mile 
