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HANKOW.
Hankow is situated on the river Han at the point where it enters the Yangtsze and is in lat. 30 deg. 32 min, 51 sec. N., and long. 114 deg. 19 min. 55 sec. E. The natives look upor Hankow as only a suburb of Hanyang, which it immediately, adjoins, and which is a district city of the province of Hupeh. These two towns lie immediately facing the city of Wuchang fu, the capital of the province, which is built upon the south bank of the Yangtsze. Hankow is distaut from Shanghai about
600 miles.
Lord Elgin visited Hankow in 1858 and must have been one of the first aoreigners who ever entered this inland city. Attention was first drawn to it as p place of trade by Huc, a French missionary, whose writings on China are less lopular now than they used to be, but it is generally believed that this reverend father had never been within many miles of the place, and had drawn largely on his fertile imagination for his details. Sir James Hope and Sir Harry Parkes were in Hankow in 1861 when the port was opened.
Captain Blakiston, in his work "The Yangtsze," gives the following description of the place and its surroundings -"Hankow is situated just where an irregular range of semi-detached low hill crosses a particularly level coun ry on both sides of the main river in an east and west direction, Stationed on Pagoda Hill, a spectator looks down on almost as much water as land even when the rivers are low. At his feet sweeps the magnificent Yangtsze, nearly a mile in width; from the west and skirting the northern edge of the range of hilis alrealy mentioned, comes the river Han, narrow and canal like, to add its quta, and serving as one of the uighways of the country; and to the northwest and north is an extensive treeless flat, so little elevated above the river that the scattered hamlets which dot its surface are without exception raised on mounds, probably artificial works of a now distant age. A stream or two traverse its farther part and flow into the main river. Carrying bis eye to the right bank of the Yangisze one sees enormous lakes and lagoons both to the north-west and south-east sides of the hills beyond the provincial city."
When the port was op 'nd the natives, as at several other new ports, put many difficulties in the way of fixing a site for the British Settlement. They demanded exces ive prices for the lots marked off for occupation, and it was not till the port had been open for some time, and many residents had temporarily taken up an abode on the Hanyang shore, that a satisfactory arrangement was arrived at. A French Settl ment was subsequently fixed apon, but it has never been occupied. The population of Haukow is estimated at 600,000.
Great expectations as regards trade were entertained respecting the opening of Hankow. Freign commerce would, it was thought, be brought into immediate contact with the large internal populations of China, and a port established in the locality of the great tea producing districts. Tuese expectations, however, have been but partially realised. Tea is, of course, the staplo export, and it is at Hankow that the first steamers for home take in their cargoes. Of late, the business of commission merchants both at Hankow and Shanghai has begun to be superseded by men coming direct from bome. The total export of Tea from Hankow (inclu·ling re-exports from Kiukiang) amounted in 1878 to 455,704 piculs, as compared with 502,895 piculs shipped in 1877. In 1878 Opium was imported to the extent of 2,142 piculs as against 2,477 piculs in 1877. The revenue of the port in 1878 amour.ted to Tis. 1,545,501, and in 1877 to Tls. 1,690,434.
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