Directory_and_Chronicle_1883 — Page 330

SWATOW.

Swatow, which was first thrown open to foreigners by Lord Elgin's Treaty, is situated at the mouth of the river Han, near the eastern border of the Kwangtung province, in lat. 23 deg. 20 min. 43 sec. N., and long. 116 deg. 29 min. 3 sc. E. It is the shipping port for the city of Cha'o-chow-fu, the seat of the local government, 35 miles inland, and San-Ho-Pa, forty miles farther up the river.

Swatow is built on the northern bank of the Han, which forms part of an alluvial plain through which the branches of the river flow. The shore on the opposite side is bold and striking, th hills stretching away to the coast and forming what is known to sea-going people as the "Cape of Good Hope;" Pagoda Hill rises at the opposite side; and in a direct line from this lies the large island of Namoa.

The first foreign trading depôt in this locality was inaugurated at Namoa, where the opium vessels used to anchor, but it was subsequently removed to Double Island, which is situated just inside the river and is four miles from Swatow. Foreigners here made themselves notorious in the early years of the settlement by the kidnapping of coolies, and so strong was the feeling shown against them by the natives that no foreigners were safe far from Doule Island, while they were strictly forbidden to enter Swatow, and it was not until 1861 that they could do so. In the country round Swatow the antipathy to foreigners was of much longer duration. The British Consul was held technically to reside at Cha'o-chow-fu, and subsequent to 1861 several in- effectual attempts were made to pass through its gates. In 1866 a visit was made under more favourable circumstances, but it is only within the last few years that the population has refrained from annoyance an insult to foreigners within its walls, In 1862 the lease of a piece of land was applied for and granted to the British Government on the north bank of the river about a mile from Swatow, but so strong were the demonstrations of the populace against it that the matter fell through. Foreign residences, however, commenced to spring up here and there, and many of them are consequently somewhat scattered, though the majority are in or near the town of Swatow. The yearly increasing traffic of the port has led to much over- crowding on the narrow strip of land on which it is built, and since February, 1877, no less than 213 acres have been reclaimed from the sea, the greater part of which is now covered with shops and houses.

The climate of Swatow is said to be very salubrious. The town occupies, how- ever, an unenviable position as regards typhoons, on account of being opposite the lower mouth of the Formosa Channel and it has on many occasio:s ben subjected to all the violence of these terrible storms, which almost every year sweep across the lower coast of China. The population of Swatow is estimated at 30,000.

The foreign trade of Swatow has never been large, but of late years it has shown a slight increas. The proximity of the port to Hongkong, which can be reached in from 15 to 20 hours, no doubt tells agai st it, as it enables the Chinese to conduct their own import business. The quantity of Opium imported bas decreased very considerably lately, the total in 1881 being 4,665 piculs as compared with 8,760 piculs in 1880, and 10,063 piculs in 1879. The quantity of Tea exported is very small, and reached ouly 4,898 piculs in 1881. A consid rable trade is done in Sugar, there being 1,237,326 piculs exported in 1881, which shows a steady rate of production. The value of the trade of the port for 1881 was Tls. 19,942,301, as compared with Tls. 21,176,684 in 1880 For several months in 1881 trade was largely interfered with by a dispute between the Customs and the Guild, to which cause may be ascribed the decrcase recorded.

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