224 
Notes on the River Ycmg-tse-Kiang. [No. 3, 
mercy from a Chinese government, nor have their actions been 
such as to entitle them to it. 
Between Hankow and the entrance to the Tung-ting lake only 
two places, deserving the names of towns, are passed ; the first being 
Iving-kow on the right, and the second Singti on the left bank ; at 
the latter there is some trade and a custom-house, where all the 
junks coming down the river pay toll. 
Some miles before reaching the entrance to the lake, the river 
narrows to about half a mile between two bluffs of red sandstone ; 
soon after passing them a large rock about five feet above water in 
March, shows in mid-stream ; this is covered when the river rises, 
and would be dangerous until sufficiently under water for ships to 
pass over it. 
The river between Hankow and Tochow is straight for the first 
and last parts of its course ; part in the middle makes a loop twenty- 
eight miles round, the neck being only about a mile across ; a canal 
cut here would be a great assistance to the navigation ; the ground 
being perfectly flat and only a few feet above the river, there would 
be no difficulty in making one, and the current of the river would be 
sufficient to keep it clear ; in July we passed through a narrow cut 
made by the river, finding from four to ten feet of water, with a 
strong current across this neck ; the reach below the lake entrance 
is long and straight running about N. E. and S. W. On the way from 
the river to Yochow at the head of the lake, a great number of 
sheep and goats with a few ponies were seen grazing on a low grassy 
flat, covered in floods ; these were the only sheep seen on the river 
for a distance of 1,800 miles. 
From Hankow, Sir James Hope had taken a junk in tow for our 
expedition, the Coromandel and Bouncer being the only ships brought 
on farther than that town ; from Yochow the ships returned and we 
proceeded alone. 
On preparing to start we were informed that a canal called the 
“ Taiping” canal, connecting the Tung-ting lake with the Yang-tse, 
would shorten our route by five days ; we determined, however, on 
keeping to the river, in order to obtain all possible information 
about it. 
^ o o — *'**'■' 
Km-ho-kow” or the mouth of the golden river, by which 
