Directory_and_Chronicle_1841 — Page 344

330

Topographical Account of Chusan.

JUNE,

heen, or district, includes also all the islands to the southward as far as the Kewshan islands, and all to the northward of the group, except a few of the most northerly ones which belong to the next province. The position of the town of Tinghae is in lat. 30° 0′ 20′′ north, and long. 122° 5′ 18′′ east ; the island is 511⁄2 miles in circumference, and 203 miles long; the greatest breadth is 10 miles, and the narrowest 6 miles; the direction of the island is from northwest to southeast. The general aspect, and that of all the neighboring islands and coasts, is ridges of lofty hills, very steep and occasionally running iuto peaks. These ranges of hills inclose beautiful and fertile vallies; some of those in the interior of the island, are almost completely sheltered by the hills, but the greater number run from the interior towards the sea.

In passing around the island, the various vallies are seen to good advantage; all the larger ones have a stream of water running through them, which are sometimes honored by the name of rivers, though none of them possess a depth of water sufficient for large boats more than a mile and a half from the shore.

The mouths of those vallies that are open to the sea appear, without exception, to have a retaining wall or bound running along the beach, so as to inake the valley behind an alluvial plain of more or less ex- tent; in that, for instance, in which Tinghae is situated, the bound is fully two miles long, and the valley runs up into the gorge of the hills at least three miles in some parts, but this varies according to the slope of the hills. These retaining walls have sluices for regulating the quantity of water which flows from all the subordinate ravines. The plain is intersected by canals navigable for small boats, and consists principally of paddy fields, though here and there occur patches of brinjal, maize, and beans. Up the slopes of the hills, in every spot capable of cultivation, sweet potatoes, yams, or some other vegetable is grown; on those parts where the soil is unfit for general cultivation, a sort of dwarfish fir is planted for fuel.

In traversing the island, and ascending some of the higher ridges, cultivation is found to be carried even to the summit, in every spot where the rock is covered with earth. It would appear that much more rice is produced than can be wanted for the inhabitants; the surplus is either directly exported, or distilled into the spirit called samshoo; when the island was occupied, immense stores of this spirit ready for exportation were found in the city; in fact the chief trade of Chusan seems to have been in this article.

Timber trees are scarce, nor are fruit-trees plentiful; the timber for building, whether for houses or junks, is principally fir, aud comes