SANTU
Santu (Santuao) was voluntarily opened to foreign trade by the Chinese Govern ment on the 8th May, 1839. The port includes the whole of the magnificent Samsab Inlet, which is situated some 70 miles North of Foochow. The foreign settlement is on the island of Santu in the centre of the Inlet. The harbour is certainly one of the finest on the China cost: the approaches to it are well-defined, and vessels of the largest size may enter at any time, regardless of the state of tide. H.M.S. Waterwitch surveyed the whole of the Inlet in 1899, and an Admiralty chart has been published." A telegraph cable was successfully laid from the mainland to the Settlement in July, 1905, and communication established with all China ports.
The port of Santu serves important Tea districts. Much of the Tea exported from Foochow to Europe is first shipped from Sintu; and there is a growing demand in North China for certain varieties grown in the neighbourhood. The chief towns of the district are Funing, Fu-an, Ningte, and Shouning. There is a prosperous and increasing junk-trade, and it is somewhat surprising that the port is without regular steamship communication with the provincial capital. The net value of the trade of the port for 1905 was Tls. 2,220,052 (of which Tls. 2,182,442 represents tea exported), against Tls. 1,995,276 in 1904, and Tls. 1,959,069 in 1903.
LA
Fu-hai-Kwan
CUSTOMS-IMPERIAL MARITIME
DIRECTORY
Acting Commissioner-Fred. W. Carey Assistant--E. Lebas
Assistant Examiner–D). Davies Tidewaiters-F.E.Jackson, O.Sorensen
F. Thompson
JARDINE, MATHESON & Co., Merchants
Agencies
Indo-China Steam Nav. Co., Ltd. Canton Insurance Office, Ltd.
MISSIONS
For Protestant Missions sec e nd of China.
Directory
局政郵都三清大
Post Office, Imperial Chinese
Postmaster-Fred W. Carey
(N.B.-Letters should be addressed:
Santu v a Foochow)
FOOCHOW
Fuh-chau
Foochow (or Fuh-chau-fu) is the capital of the Fokien province. It is situated in lat. 26 deg. 20 min 24 see. N., and long. 119 deg. 20 min. E. The city is built on a plain on the northern side of the river Min, and is distant about thirty-four miles from the sea, and nine miles from Pagoda Island, where foreign vessels anchor.
The attention of foreigners was early attracted to Foochow as a likely place where commercial intercourse could be profitably carried on in the shipment of Bohea Tea, which is grown largely in the locality. Before the port was opened, this article used to be carried overland to Canton for shipment, a journey which was both long and difficult. The East India Company, as early as 1830, made representations in favour of the opening of the port, but nothing definite was done till the conclusion of the Trenty of Nanking in 1842. The early years of intercourse with the natives were anything but what was anticipated. The navigation of the river was difficult, there was no market for imports, and several attacks by the populace rendered the port an undesirable place of residence for some time. It was not until some ten years after the port had been opened that there was much done in the export of tea from the interior, but after that
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