April 26, 1858.] LOCKHART ON THE YANG-TSE-KIANG, &c. 
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Chinese in California is that they seem more disposed to save their money than to 
spend it. They will not gamble or throw away their money foolishly. I do not 
wish to speak against the laws and regulations of my own country, but there are 
one or two circumstances connected with the Chinese on the Pacific coast 
which have more than a geographical interest. When there was a recommen- 
dation from the Governor of California to place some restrictions on the Chinese 
coming there, to make them pay a heavy tax, not in proportion to the trouble 
they put the State to, but in proportion to the amount of money they 
were supposed to lay up, the Chinese very justly remonstrated against it, 
and they drew up a paper, which was conceded to be a much more able docu- 
ment than the one which emanated from the Governor himself. At any rate 
the Legislature did not pass the law. I will make one remark with refer- 
ence to the Chinese river system. It has both a commercial and geographical 
signification. Geographically speaking, the river system of China is very 
similar to the river system of North America. Perhaps in civilised and 
commercial countries there are no two rivers so nearly alike as the river Yang- 
tse-Kiang and the Mississippi. But there is this difference, that while one has 
a population of 100,000,000 on its banks, the other has not more than 
10.000. 000 or 12,000,000. Now, when we come to consider the immense 
number of steamers running on the Mississippi to supply the wants of those 
10.000. 000, we can form some idea of the enormous number of vessels there 
must be on the Yang-tse-Kiang to supply the wants of that vast population of 
100.000. 000 or more. The Mississippi and its tributaries have in constant 
employment more than one thousand steamboats, and many of these of very 
large size. The Wabash canal connects the navigable waters of the Ohio with 
the great chain of lakes in the north, but there have been no railroads of any 
extent near these rivers until within the last six or eight years. The figures 
given of the number of steamers on the great river intersecting the interior of 
North America apply to a period before the main stream was intersected by 
one canal, before the whistle of the locomotive was heard on its banks, and 
before the entire valley had one town of a hundred thousand people. Were 
the same class of steamers introduced on the Yang-tse-Kiang that run on the 
American rivers — vessels drawing from 13 inches to 3 feet of water — it would 
inevitably give an enormous impetus to the traffic of that great river. 
Mr. George Eennie, f.r.g.s., quoted the opinion of a correspondent as to 
the amount of trade that would result from navigating the great rivers which 
traverse the interior of China, and the importance of opening out that trade by 
means of vessels such as the gunboats recently sent out by him to India, which 
only draw 2 feet water ; and with reference to the Yang-tse-Kiang said, that, if 
not the largest, it was the longest river in China — it was 2800 miles in length, 
and it drained a basin of 136,800 square miles. The Amur river was only 
2380 miles in length, but its basin was 145,000 square miles. The Hoang-ho 
was 2230 miles long, and it drained a basin of 134,400 square miles. 
Captain E. W. Vansittart, r.n. — A question has been asked about the 
Chinese emigrants. I have seen them shipped at Swatow, and so far as I have 
seen they are placed very comfortably on board, and seem very happy to go. 
One of the gentlemen who criticised Consul Alcock’s remarks about the extent of 
the internal trade of China, also made some remarks about the barbarities of the 
rebels as compared with the conduct of the Imperialists. We have all heard what 
Commissioner Yeh did at Canton. All I can say, in confirmation of the Impe- 
rialist barbarities, is this, that upon the retaking of Amoy they executed some 
1400 in about fifty minutes, until the very sea round us was covered with 
blood ; on landing upon the wharf I had the gore running over my shoes. 
The Rev. W. C. Milne. — The paper which my friend Mr. Lockhart has 
laid before us this evening has brought to recollection many of my most inti- 
mate associations. But to refer briefly to the theme of that paper, he has 
