FOOCHOW
209
The scenery surrounding Foochow is very beautiful. In sailing up the Min river from the sea vessels have to leave the wide stream and enter what is called the Kimpai Pass, which is barely half-a-mile across, and enclosed as it is by bold, rocky walls, it presents a very striking appearance. The Pass of Min-ngan is narrower, and with its towering cliffs, surmounted by fortifications and cultivated terraces, is extremely pictu- resque, and has been compared to some of the scenes on the Rhine. The Yung Fu, a tributary of the Min, also affords some charming scenery, the hills rising very abruptly from the river bank. The Min Monastery, the Moon Temple, and the Kushan Monastery, all occupying most romantic and beautiful sites, are fine specimens of Chinese religious edifices, and are much resorted to by visitors. Game abounds in all the ravines and mountains in the vicinity of Foochow, while tigers and panthers are common in the more remote hills, and some of these beasts have been killed within ten miles of the city.
On the 1st August. 1895, a fearful massacre of missionaries occurred at Hwasang, a village near Kucheng, 120 miles west of Foochow, nine adults (eight of them ladies) and one child being killed and another child receiving injuries from which it died some days later.
Foreign vessels, with the exception of those of very light draught, are compelled to anchor at Pagoda Island, owing to the shallowness of the river, which has been increasing of late years, and the difficulties of navigation; even at the anchorage the river is silting up in several places, so that it is now almost impossible to go straight across from Losing Island to the mainland at low water. The limits of the port of Foochow extend from the City Bridge to the Kimpai Pass. The Mamoi Arsenal, near Pagoda Anchorage, is an extensive Government establishment, where several good sized gunboats have been built. The Arsenal was bombarded by the French on the 23rd-24th August, 1884, and reduced to partial ruin, but has since been restored. The establishment is now being reorganised, and is administered by French experts. The construction of a new dock in connection with the Arsenal was commenced in November, 1887, on Losing Island. The dock is over 300 ft. long and has very powerful pumps and a good steel caisson. A small daily paper called the Foochow Echo is published. The population of Foochow is estimated at 1,000,000.
Of Opium 3,569 piculs were imported in 1896 as against 3,702 piculs in 1895. The net value of the trade of the port for 1896 was Tls. 14,622,764, for 1895 Tls. 14,022,015, and for 1894 Tls. 13,450,932.
Hip-100
DIRECTORY
ANDERSON & Co., ROBERT, Merchants
Henry Schlee
ARSENAL IMPERIAL
High Commissioner-H. E. Yu Luk,
Tartar General
Directors-Su, Yang, Shen, Wei Han,
Taotais. Li, Yang
Chief manager-Ch. Doyère, inenieur
de la marine française
Assistant do.
-L. Berthet, do.
Engineer-Ch. David
Prof. of Mathematics-L. Médard
Assistant-A. Legall
Secretary-E. Bollot
Translator-Kao Eurh-Kien
★ Tai-hing
Bathgate & Co., Merchants
John Bathgate (Calcutta)
John C. Oswald
Branch House: Bathgate, Pim & Co.,
Calcutta and Colombo
Agencies
Nippon Yusen Kaisha
South British Fire and Marine Insce.
Imperial Marine Insurance Co., Ld.
裕與 Hing-eu
BRAND & Co., H. S., Public Tea Inspectors
and Commission Agents
H. S. Brand
Agency
Phoenix Fire Office
古太
Tai-koo
Butterfield & SWIRE, Merchants
H. Baker, tea inspector
Agencies
Russo-Chinese Bank
Yokohama Specie Bank
China Navigation Company, Limited
Ocean Steamship Company
British and Foreign Marine Insurance Royal Exchange Insurance Company London and Lancashire Fire Insce. Equitable Life Assurance Soc. of U.S.A. Taikoo Sugar Refining Company, Ld.
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