SWATOW
181
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 21 acres have been reclaimed from the sea, the greater part of which is now covered with shops and
houses.
The climate of Swatow is reputed to be very salubrious. The town occupies, however, an unenviable position as regards typhoons, on account of being opposite the lower mouth of the Formosa Channel, and it has on many occasions been 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 32,500.
The foreign trade of Swatow has never been large, but of late years it has shown a slight increase. The proximity of the port to Hongkong, which can be reached in from 15 to 20 hours, no doubt tells against it, as it enables the Chinese to conduct their own import business. The quantity of Opium imported in 1890 was 7,760 piculs as compared with 7,088 piculs in 1889. The quantity of Tea exported is very small, and reached only 8,403 piculs in 1890. A considerable trade is done in Sugar, there being 754,218 piculs brown and 738,221 piculs white exported in 1890. The China Sugar Refining Co. of Hongkong have a large Sugar Refinery here, but work has for some time been suspended. A large beancake factory was also started in 1882. The value of the trade of the port for 1880 was Tls. 24,935,095, as compared with Tls. 21,986,703 in 1889.
DIRECTORY
記德 Tey-kee
BRADLEY & Co., Merchants
Thomas Wm. Richardson (London)
Robt. H. Hill.
J. D. Monro
R. L. Richardson
A. Bryson
Chee Pek-low
Agencies
Hongkong and Shanghai Bankʼg Corpn. New Oriental Bank Corporation, Ld. Chartered Mercantile Bank British North Borneo Co. Lloyd's
China Shippers' Mutual S. N. Co. Peninsular and Oriental S. N. Co. Shire Line of Steamers Ben Line of Steamers
London and Oriental Stm. Transit Ince. Amicable Insurance Office of Calcutta North China Insurance Company Royal Insurance Company Imperial Insurance Co., London (Fire) China Fire Insurance Co., Limited Straits Insurance Co., Limited
Straits Fire Insurance Company, Ld. Singapore Insurance Company, Ld. Standard Life Insurance Company
New York Life Insurance Company
古女
Tai.koo
BUTTERFIELD & SWIRE, Merchants
H. G. Dowler, A.C.A.
L. Grunauer
H. E. Shadgett
Agencies
Chartered Bank of India, A., & China Comptoir National d'Escompte
Scottish Oriental Steamship Co., Ld. China Navigation Company, Limited Ocean Steamship Company
Union Insurance Society of Canton, Ld. The Sea Insurance Company, Limited Royal Exchange Assurance Assoon. London and Lancashire Fire Insce. Royal Insurance Company
CHINA MERCHANTS' S. N. Co. Liao Tze San, agent
Agency
China Merchants' Insurance Company
CHINA SUGAR REFINERY
Jardine, Matheson & Co., agents
W. A. Cruickshank, agent
CONSULATES
DENMARK
Consul-W. E. Allum (absent)
Acting Consul-W. A. Cruickshank
官事領副國德大
Ta-ti-kwok fu-nian-sso-kwan
GERMANY
Vice-Consul-Ivo Streich
Consular Clerk-
Interpreter-Fang Topui
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