KIUKIANG.
Kiukiang is situated on the river Yangtsze, near the outlet of the Poyang Lake, and is a prefectural city of the province of Kiang-si. It is distant about 137 phical miles from Hankow and 445 miles from Shangbai.
geogra-
Kiukiang was at one time a busy and populous city; but it was occupied by the Taiping rebels in 1853, and before it was given up to the Imperial troops it was utterly destroyed, presenting one of those melancholy spectacles which these hordes of usurpers left so often behind them. A gentleman (Mr. Laurence Oliphant) who visited it in 1858 speaks of the deso'a ion of the city in the following terms:-"We found it to the last degree deplorable. A single dilapidated street, composed only of a few mean shops, was all that existed of this once thriving and populous city; the remainder of the vast area comprised within its walls, five or six miles in circumference, contained nothing but ruins, weeds, and kitchen gardens." When the foreign settle- ment was established there, however, the population soon retur:.ed, and it has con- tinued to increase rapidly: it is now estimated at 48,000.
The city is built close to the river, the walls ru: ning along the banks of it for some 500 yards. Their circumference is about five miles, but a considerable portion of the space enclosed is not occupied. The city contains no features of interest. There are several large lakes to the north and west of it, and beyond the principal suburb lies the foreign settlement. On the opening of the port considerable trouble was experienced in securing the land on which to build the foreign residences, the Chinese demanding extortionate prices for it. Indeed, so bitter was the opposition manifested that before the ground could be cleared some of the native houses had to be forcibly demolished.
The idea which led to the opening of Kiuking was, no doubt, its situation as regards communication by water with the districts where the Green Tea is produced. But the hopes entertained respecting Kiukiang have never been realised. The total quantity of Tea exported in 1880 was 261,495 piculs, of which 57,015 piculs were Green, the export for 1879 being 249,531 piculs. Opium was imported to the extent of 2,290 piculs in 1880, and 2,153 piculs in 1879. The total annual value of the trade of the port for 1880 was Tls. 12,741,616, and for 1879, Tis. 11,254,458.
Consulates.
大英領事
Ta-ying Ling Shih Kuan.
BRITISH CONSULATE.
Consul-George Jamieson
Constable-Charles Rowe
法領事官
Ta-fa Ling Shih Kuan.
FRENCH CONSULATE.
Consul-F. Scherzer (Hankow)
大美國領事官
Ta-moi-kwok-ling-shih-kwan.
DIRECTORY.
UNITED STATES CONSULate.
Consul-I. F. Shepard, residing at Han-
kow
大荷蘭國領事官
Ta-ho-lan-kwoh-ling-shih-kwan.
NETHERLANds Consulate.
Vice-consul-J. H. Anderson
大澳領事官
Ta Ao Ling-shih-kwan.
AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN Consulate.
Consul―George Jamieson
大丹國領事官
Ta-tan Ling-shih-kwan.
DANISH Consulate.
Consul-George Jamieson
Imperial Maritime Cu-toms.
九江新關
Kiu-kiang-hsin-kwan.
Commissioner—G. B. Glover
Assistants-S. Campbell, L. von Eries, H.
de la Bestide
Harbour Master and Tide Surveyor-J.
Armour
Examiner-T. G. Lant
Assistant Examiners-J. Mesney, C. V. Bono,
E. V. Dalver
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.