237 
1861.] Notes on the River Yang-tse-Kiang. 
chandise such as silk, wax, and hemp come principally from the 
districts near Kiading on the Min, from which place they are shipped ; 
these districts are now in the hands of the rebels, Kiading being 
their head quarters, so that trade with that side of the country is 
at a stand still ; the great objection to Chung-king as a port open 
to foreigners is the state of the river between it and Ichang ; above 
Quaichow the navigation is comparatively easy, but eighty miles 
of dangerous ground would have to be passed above Ichang. From 
Quaichow to Ping-shan properly constructed river steamers could 
easily ascend, but as no trade is at any time carried on above Siichow 
there would be little inducement to go beyond that town. Chung- 
king is the depot for the whole commerce of the West, and is the 
largest and most flourishing city in the West, being of greater- 
extent and population than the capital of the province ; none of the 
buildings have the tumble down appearance so common in many 
Chinese towns ; a stone wall, said to have eighteen gates, surrounds 
it ; it is built close to the river ; opposite the town on the right 
bank is an extensive shoal of shingle, but good anchorage would be 
found near the walls and in the Hochow ; Captain Blakiston’s ob- 
servations place the “ Taiping-mun,” one of the water gates, in — 
Lat. 29° 33' 8" N. 
Long. 107° 5' 0" E. 
Population. It contains, according to the statement of some 
French missionaries resident here, a population of 200,000, of whom 
between 2,000 and 3,000 are Christians, and 500 families Musul- 
mans ; in Chingtu there are said to be 1,000 Musulman families. 
The Toutai of Chungking was not inclined to be civil, and the 
French missionaries warned us that the soldiers intended to murder 
us ; a very sharp letter was sent to the Toutai in which he was 
warned that the responsibility would rest with him if any Chinese 
lost their lives, which they would most assuredly do if they attempted 
to molest us ; after this he became very civil and we were received 
at his Yamun with all honour ; the soldiers had to be shown that 
they could not insult every one with impunity, but we were fortu- 
nately not obliged to use our fire arms. 
Besides the three rivers already alluded to by which merchandise 
is brought to the Yang- 1 sc, several small ones come in from the 
2 n 2 
