243 
1861.] Notes on the "River Yang-tse-Kiang. 
flight. The position of Siichow according to Captain Blakiston 
is in — ■ 
Lat. 28° 46' 6" N. 
Long. 105° 7’ 0" E. 
The products of the neighbouring country are yellow and white 
silk, insect wax, bee’s wax, tobacco, honey, coal (220 Cash per 
picul), a small quantity of iron, which is worked close to the town 
and green tea. Sycee was worth 1,630 cash per tael. 
No one could be found to accompany us through the rebel districts 
to Chingtu, and we had therefore to ascend the river to Ping-shan in 
the hope of being able to get round them ; the only traffic above 
Siichow is in coal, which is brought down in boats ; above Ping-shan 
no trade at all goes forward. 
The country above Siichow is very mountainous and the river de- 
creases in width ; its average is about 250 yards ; twenty miles above 
the town it runs through a district in which coal is extensively worked, 
being dug out in galleries high up on the hill sides, and sent down 
in baskets sliding on stout ropes of bamboo, a full basket drawing 
up an empty one ; these galleries are often at such a height that a 
half way stage is necessary ; this coal district extends for 17 or 18 
miles along both sides of the river ; the coal appeared to be of a supe- 
rior quality to any seen below ; it was brought out in large and bright 
lumps ; in every place where coal was seen the rock was sandstone, 
and where washed by water was jet black and polished ; boats would 
carry coal from this district to Hankow in twenty days, to Ichang 
in ten. Many men here have brown hair ; this is not seen lower 
down the river. 
Above Siichow the geographical name of the Yang-tse is the 
“ Kin-cha-kiang” or river of gold ; it is called by the boatmen merely 
the Yunnan river ; nothing could be learnt about it above Ping-shan, 
but there are said to be falls at a distance of 100 li above ; our 
boatmen and Captain refused to go further, and would not proceed 
beyond Siichow until we promised to take them no farther than 
Ping-shan. 
Ping-shan, a small walled town on the left bank, is the farthest 
point to which we ascended ; no Europeans, as far as is known, have 
ever reached this point before us; the walls have lately been put in 
a state of repair, and strengthened on the landward side by traverses 
2 x 
