AMOY.
383
Spanish ships, which were allowed to trade at Amoy. The vessels of other nationa- lities, however, continued to visit the place, and did so till the city was captured in 1841. The Treaty of Nanking was signed soon afterwards, and foreigners have since been allowed to live there in peace and security.
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In describing Amoy, Dr. Williams says:-"The island (upon which Amoy is built) is about forty miles in circumference, and contains scores of large villages besides the city. The scenery within the bay is picturesque, caused partly by the numerous islands which define it, surmounted by pagodas or temples, and partly by the high barren hills behind the city. There is an outer and an inner city, as one oaches it seaward, divided by a high ridge of rocky hills having a fortified wall g along the top. A paved road connects the two. The entire circuit of the and suburbs is about eight miles, containing a population of 300,000, while that nd is estimated at 100,000 more. The harbour is one of the best on the t; the is good holding ground in the outer harbour, and vessels can anchor in , within a short distance of the beach, and be perfectly secure; the tide rises ls from fourteen to sixteen feet. The western side of the harbour, here from sir bundred and seventy-five to eight hundred and forty yards wide, is formed by the island of Kulangsu. It is a picturesque little spot and maintains a rural population of 3,500 people. Eastward of Amoy is the island of Quemoy or Kinmun (Golden Har- bour), presenting a striking contrast in the low foreground on its south shore to the high land on Amoy." The population of the city is, however, now estimated at 95,600.
There is little to be said about the city. It ranks as a third class city in China, but it bears no comparison to Canton in wealth or general appearance. It is con- sidered, even for China, to be very dirty, and its inhabitants are unusually squalid in their habits. There are several places of interest to foreigners in the vicinity, and excursions can be made to Chang-chow-fu, the chief city of the department of that name, and situate about 35 miles from Amoy. The island of Kulangsn is about a third of a mile from Amoy, and the residences of nearly all the foreigners are to be found there, although most of the foreign business is transacted on the Amoy side. There are three granite docks at Amoy, the largest being 310 feet by 60 feet; they are owned and managed by foreigners. A small shipping sheet called the Amoy Gazette is published daily. The foreign residents number about 280.
There has always been a comparatively good trade done at Amoy. There is frequent and pretty regular steamer communication with Hongkong, Śwatow, and Foochow. Direct communication with Manila and the Straits Settlements is also maintained. The total export of Tea for 1887 was 162,211 piculs as against 158,284 piculs in 1886. The export of Sugar for 1887 was 245,788 piculs, compared with 22032 pieuls in 1886. The net importation of Opium for 1887 was 6.362 piculs as compared with 7,768 piculs in 1886. The total value of the foreign trade of the port for lee7 was Tls. 12.163,602, against Tis. 11,398,546 in 1886.
Consulates.
DIRECTORY.
"H¶¶★★ Tai Ying ting.su-ge-moag.
GREAT BRITAIN.
R. J. Forrest, consul
་
interpreter
門衙事頜國美大
Tai-me-kok ling-su go-mong.
UNITED STATES.
(For Amoy and Formosa).
Wm. S. Crowell, consul
W. B. Fitzgibbon, acting assistant and Francis Cass, vice-consul
Post Office agent
C. P. Simões, clerk W. Lewis, constable
W. M. Davis, marshal ani clerk
U Lai Un, interpreter
U Koon Ping, writer
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