1
WENCHOW.
366
365
unique
the river Ou-kiang, about twenty miles from its mouth, in lat. 27 deg. 18 min 4 se N., lng. 120 deg. 38 min. 28 sec. E. The site is a well cultivated plain, bounded on all sids, but at a distance of some ten miles, hy lofty bills. The walls are said to have been first crected during the fourth century, and enlar ed and re-built by toe Emperor Hung-Wu in 1385. They are formed of stone, diagonally laid, and measure about six miles in circumfi reuce. The streets are wider, straighter, and cleaner than those of most Chinese cities. They are well paved with briek and kept in car ful and constant repair by the housebolders. They slope down on either side to water ways, which in their turn communicate with canals permeating the whole city. The streets therefore are not only easily kept clean, but this is specially accomplished by bands of scavengers, who go round every morn ag at daylight, sweeping and scrupulously removing every atom of dirt or refuse. Wenchow, in this particular, among Chinese cities, which are chießy remarkable for their filthiness. There are numerous large temples in Wênchow. The Custom-house, out-ile the east gate, the Taotai's Yamen, in the south-west corner of the city, aud the Foundling Hospital, near the centre, are the other chief public buildings. The latter institu- tion, built in 1748, contains one hundred apartments. It is supported by the interes of invested subscriptions and the rental of aliuril lands presented to it by the Governunt. The number o! foundlings on the establishment's buks at one time varies from two to three hundred, When of suitable age the boys are either articled to tradesm n, or adopted; the girls are betrothed as wives, or employed as There is also a Beggar's Asylum outside the south-west gate. It was built during the 14th century, and is supported by the state. The monthly allowance for each recipient is one tael and a balf, but it is reported that few avail thems Ives of the charity. Among the objects of greatest interest and curiosity to the stranger are two pagolas situated on an island abreast of the city. Ther are both of great antiquity and are reputed to have been for some time the retreat of Ti Ping, the last Emperor of the Sung dynasty, when seeking to escape from the Mongols under Kublai Khan. The estimated population of the city is 83,000,
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bouse servants.
a
Wenchow was formerly a great seat of the tea trade, and previous to 1861 was the only port in the departinent at which tea was allowed to be exported. The city was then in a flourishing condition. But in order to prevent the teas from falling into the bauds of the Tai-p'iug rebels, who ov r-ran the whole district during that year, this regulation was exchanged for one which authorize the export of tea at any of the Customs stations along the coast; consequently the tra le soon gravitated to Foochow on the south and to Ningo on the north. It was thought that on the conversion of Wenchow into a treaty port it would speedily recover its old position as a ta exporting place, but this has not so far proved to be the case, nor las the trade in any way been of a character to meet the expectations formed, ali bough it is estimated that tea could be put on the Wenchow market for $2 per picul less than at Foochow owing to the higher cost of transport to the latter port. At present there is no foreign settlement, and the foreign residents are
inere handful, consisting entirely of officials and missionaries. The obstructive action of the officials in trying to impose additional burdens on imports help d to check the expansion of commerce, and there has so far been little encouragement for foreigners to establish themselves at the part. There is a considerable native export trade in wood and bamboos, brought down the river in rafts from Cl'u-chow. The annual value of this trade is estimat d to be not less than $2,000,000. The shops and yards engaged in it are situated in the west suburb, where immense quantities of bamboos and poles are kept on hand. Wenchow is also celebrated for The net value of the foreign imports for the year 1882 was Tls. 281,657, as against Tls, 322,742 in 1881. The export of Congou Tra has been as follows:- 1877, 278 picule; 1878, 680 piruls; 1879, 728 piculs; 1880, 1,284 piculs; 1881, 619 piculs, and 1882, 2,243 piculs. In 1882, 181 piculs of Opium were imported, 2 compared with 190 piculs in 1-81.
The value of the whole trade of the port for 1882 Was Tls. 407,385, compared with Tls. 487,775 in 1881.
its oran es.
Consulates.
WENCHOW—NINGPO.
DIRECTORY.
大英國領事衙門 Ta Ting-kwok-ling-sz-nya-mun. GREAT BRITAIN.
Acting Consul--E. H. Parker Constable―John Compton
GERMANY.
In charge E. H. Parker
A CSTRIA-HUNGARY.
In charge E. H. Parker
SWEDEN AND NORWAY,
In charge E. H. Parker
Imperial Maritime Customs. 甌海關
Ou Hai kuan.
Assistant in charge—G. d'Arnoux desistout-D. J. Macgowan
Clerk-Saml. Hanisch
Medical Officer D. J. Macgowan,
M.D.
Chinese Clerk-Wong Kwai Ching
Assistant Examiner-P. Cunniffy
Tidewaiters--G. D. Sharnhorst, F. R
Maitin
Missionaries.
CHINA INLAND MISSION.
Rev. G. and Mrs. Stott
Rev. J. and Mrs. Wheeler
Rev. J. A. Jackson
ENGLISH UNITED METHODIST FREE
CHURCH MISSION.
Rev. W. E. Soothill
NINGPO.
Ningpo is situated on the river Yung, in the province of Chekiang, in lat. 29 deg. 55 min. 12 sec. N., and long. 121 deg. 22 min. E. It was one of the five ports thrown open to foreigners in 1842. Foreigners had, however, visited Ningpo at an early date. Portuguese traded there in 1522; a uumber of them settled in the place in that and succeeding years, and there was every prospect of a rising and Fuccessful colony soon being estal·lished. But the lawless acts of the Portuguese soon attracted the at-ution of the Government, and in 1542 the Governor of Chokiang ordered the settlement to be destroyed aud the population to be exterminated. A large force of Chinese troops soon lesieged the place, destroying it entirely, and out of a population of 1,200 Portuguese, 800 were massacred. No further attempt at trade with this port was made till towards the close of the 17th century, when the East India Company established a factory at the island of Chusan, some forty miles from Ningpo. The attempt to found a trade mart there, however, proved unsatis- factory, and the factory was abandoned after a very few years' trial. The port was deserted by foreigners for many years after that.
When hostilities broke out between Great Britain and China in 1839, the fleet moved north from Canton, and on the 13th October, 1841, occupied Ningpo, and an English garrison was stationed there for some time. In March, 1842, an attempt was made by the Chinese to retake the city, but the British artillery repulsed them with great slaughter. Ningpo was evacuated on May 7th, and, on the proclamation of peace in the following August, the port was thrown open to foreign trade.
Ningo is built on a plain, which stretches away to a considerable distance on either side. It is a walled city, the walls enclosing a space of some five miles in cir- cumference. The walls are built of brick, and are about twenty-five feet high. They are fifton feet wide at the summit, and twenty-two at the base. the town by six gates. A large moat commences at the north gate and runs along Access is obtained to the foot of the wall for about three miles on the landward side, until it stops at what is called the Bridge Gate. The main street runs from east to west. Peculiarities of the place is a number of walls built across various portions of the One of the