Directory_and_Chronicle_1908 — Page 989

870

ICHANG

Gorge, or just about a thousand miles from the coast. The navigation of the river to this port, is comparatively easy for vessels of light draught, but great care is necessary for all vessels when in the neighbourhood of Sunday Island, owing to the shiftings and banks. Ichang is practically the present limit of steam navigation on the Yangtze. The anchorage is off the left bank, opposite the foreign residences, and is good, except in freshets, when the anchors should be sighted every two or three days. The port is the centre of a hilly country, the productions of which are rice in the valleys, cotton on the higher grounds, winter wheat, barley, and also the tungtzu trees, from which the ordi- nary wood oil is obtained by pressing the nuts gathered from the trees. In the sheltered valleys, amongst the mountain ranges west of the city, oranges, lemons, pomeloes, pears, plums, and a very superior quality of persimmons are grown, and find a ready market in the city and at Shasi. Ichang has increased in importance since the opening of Chungking. All cargo for the latter port is landed here and transferred to chartered junks. In the same way cargo brought down in chartered junks from Chungking and intended for the lower river and coast ports, is shipped here on river steamers, which make regular voyages to and from Hankow.

Native opium is largely grown from here westwards, and is increasing in quantity and improving in quality. The export in 1906 was nearly 50,000 cwts. The climate of Ichang is drier than that of the lower river ports-summers very warm, winters dry and pleasant. The native population was estimated by the British Consul in 1905 at some 40,000. The foreign residents are few in number, educated native agents re- presenting the four or five foreign houses (three British) doing business here. Fine new Consular and Customs buildings and shipping offices have recently been erected and have improved the appearance of the settlement very much. A German Post Office was opened in 1903.

The net value of the trade of the port was in 1906, Tls. 4,741,747, against Tls. 3,263,670 in 1905, and 2,961,227 in 1904, The gross value of the trade of the port in 1906 was Tls. 16,477,568, the total foreign imports representing a value of Tls. 5,125,298 of which, however, Tls. 4,045,148 were re-exported. The large increase shown in 1906 is in exports and is accounted for by a diversion of the trade in native opium from the land to the water route, brought about by the collection of a uniform duty under an inter- provincial arrangement.

BUTTERFIELD & SWIRE, Merchants

Yew Cheong Wong, agent

Agencies

DIRECTORY

China Navigation Company, Limited North Borneo Trading Co., Ld.

Union Insurance Society of Canton, Ld. Taikoo Sugar Refining Co., Ld.

Chau-song-nee-ch’euk

CHINA Merchants SteaM NAVIGATION Co.

Chy Moy-son, manager

Wu Yuet-chiao

Wong Kwo Hsin

CONSULATES

**✰✰ Ta fa-ling-shih-fu 府事頜法大

FRANCE

Acting Consul—A. Doire (Hankow)

Acting Vice-Consul-Eynard

GERMANY

Acting Consul-Dr. A. Nord (resid-

ing at Hankow)

Secretary-W. Frederking

*** Ta Ying ling-shih-fu

GREAT BRITAIN

also

AUSTRIA-HUNGARY

Consul-H. A. Little

JAPAN

門衙事本日大

Acting Consul-I. Katayama, for Shasi

and Ichang (residing at Shasi)

*

Ta-me-kwoh ya-men

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Consul General-Wm. Martin (Han-

kow)

Vice Con.-Gen.-W. B. Hull (Hankow)

WI-chang-kwan

CUSTOMS-IMPERIAL MARITIME Commissioner-W. T. Lay

Assts-C. E. Holworthy, P. Hisber, F. W. H. C. Biester, E. A. Mac- Donald

Digitized by

Google