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piper, and several Obinese steam-launches | combined to give it an animated appearance. It in, however, evident to the most super- fcial observer that, malgré the position of Ho- kow and Kongkun at the mouth of the North River, the proper site for the treaty port naturally should be Bainam, a large and flourish- ing town, with a population of about 40,000, about three miles farther up the oreek, and which was plainly visible from the deck of the Wuchow. I could see through a field glass the banks of the stream at Sainam were lined with craft of various kinds, and that the town covered a con- siderable area and stretched far along the banks. It seems, however, that the existence of a sand- bank which extends across the river just before entering the port from Samshui, and on which for some months there is only from two to three feet of water, operates as an obstacle to this town being made the Treaty Port. From Sainam, no doubt, comes much of the oargo which the steamers take from Samahni, At Sainam are extensive godowns, a silk filature, large soy factories, and some tinning establish- ment, where rice birds and other dainties are put up for Hongkong and foreign markets.
We left Samshui soon after two o'clock p.m. and were abreast of Kongkun on our way out Into the West River, when we suddenly found the passage barred by a big timber raft, which had just come down the North River, and had put out anchors at both ends. Although signals were made from the steamer to the raft, they took no notice, and a great deal of tiresome delay took place. The engines had to be reversed, the parasite uushackled and slipped astern, and some delicate manœuvring gone through to avoid getting ashore on the other bank of the creek; but at length the task of steering between Soylla and Charybdis was safely accomplished, by the exercise of tact and patienos, and without any damage to the raft. Whilst this manœuver WAS in progress swarm of small boats put off from shore like a cloud of vultures ready to swoop down upon the débris of the raft in the hoped-for event of the timber being scattered by a collision with the steamer, when they would have claimed it as derelict.
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But these harpies were disappointed. The Wuchow steamed safely past the giant obstruc- tion without smashing it up and, entering the broad stream of the West River, went peacefully on her way.
cane, can be seen.
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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
our way,
[November 18, 1899.
prove healthy, as it certainly would be breezya but it would be terribly exposed in a galeamorg
gorges, the river narrowing there from over a mile to about a quarter of a mile in width. The mountains rose steeply on either side, 'The most conspicuous; building from the those on the left bank fairly covered with ve water is Messrs. Jardine Matheson & Co.'s new getation while those on the right were nearly hong, just erected. This firm have purchased tbare of foliage. This lovely pass is abou all the land eastward of the city walls, but the four and half miles long, and the hills that hem Customs have bought from them a site, next to it in are, I should estimate, from 1,500 to 2,500 the new hong, for a residence for the Commis feet in height. Near the entrance is an abrupt sioner. At present both the Customs Staff: break in the hills on the left, where they rise and the British Cousul occupy large house. in precipitous grandeur. They are all bold and boats moored close to the bank, but which are rugged, and some are strikingly picturesque. not too accessible from the shore in muddy At the other end of the gorge the river again weather. Wachow presents a rather imposing widens out to more than a mile in width, and appearance from the river, and the banks are a new and lovely panorama opens to the view. eulivened by the presence of a host of native: At the Shiuhing end of the defile on the craft, which pack thickly to the east_aud all; slope of the terminating hill on either side a along the banks of the Fu-ho. Among these rather_handsome temple has been erected, and the peculiarly shaped cargo-boats at once, at....... from the waterthey both appear to be in a good tract attention. These have deep bulging sides, state of preservation. Passing these, in a few which, seen end on, have a remarkable appear.. minutes the pagodas of Shinhing came into ance. They are built in this manner to render. sight in the distance, and the far-famed marble it difficult for the Customs officers to gange the rooks rose from the plain beyond in dim mya- quantity of cargo and thus enable the- tery in the purple light of evening. The sun was crafty owners to evade payment of full duty. dropping below the horizon as we came abreast The city, which has a population estimated, of the city, which loomed ap grey and sombre at 50,900. is fairly built and has a pro. in the dusk, but looking with its five pagodas sperous appearance. I went through the prin and strongly built walls more than usually imcipal streets and found the shops well supp,ied · | posing for a Chinese city. We stayed only a both with native and foreign goods l'ha provi- few minutes waiting for passengers, who came sion shops contained an abundance and a variety not, and then proceeded on
The of fish, fruits, and vegetables., I noticed baskets river after leaving Shinhing narrows some. full of small lizards for sale as food, and some › what between high hills and steep banks, of these are carried down to Hongkong, where then again broadens into a lake-like expanse they are sold as medicine for sick persons. I which appears to have no outlet, until another am sorry to say the Chinese skin these wretched sharp corner is turned and its broad tide spreads | reptiles alive, and they are sold without the for several miles straight ahead a track of bur-skin, which apparently has some commercial nished silver in the bright moonlight. Seen value. The pewter ware, which is often supposed under such oiroumstances the journey up a great | to be spécialité of Swatow, is manufactured both river through a strange land has a peculiar in Washow and Shiuhing; the designs at the fascination, and I lingered long into the night latter city are the more tasteful and charactert gasing on fresh scenes and weird effects as we istic. Wuchow possesses several fairly built bu... shot quickly by. It was very late when wa not peculiarly clean temples. On the opposite passed Takhing, and as it was dark when we side of the street to a temple in the centre of the passed this city on the return I saw little of it. city is a rather striking gateway having three-
The next morning found us steaming through archways, with more pretensions to architecture: the country par excellence of the bamboo. than structures of the kind in China usually : along the banks, which were steep and hemmed display. It certainly forms a most effective in by low hills, the bamboo grows laxuriantly outlook from the street and approach to the and in rich feathery masses anknown in the river, which lies some forty feet below, down
delta. It is here regarded as an article of com- a shelving mud bank. On the way down to merce, and large quantities are sent down the the landing place for small boats is planted a river by raft. This and the timber trade, which carved iron post stated in old chronicles to have appears extensive, and that in firewood, fuel and been one of a pair which formerly graced the ap fodder for eattle, and hides and horns, would proach to the Fu-ho, and it is believed to be seem to form the chief exports of the natives. upwards of seven hundred years old. Although Sugar-cane is also grown in small patches but neither the walls nor the temples show signs of any great age, it is known that Wushow is a not in large plantations as in the delta. shelving banks, whereon the river silt had been place of much antiquity. The city is said to left by the falling waters, had all at once been
have been erected in A. D. 592 and that an, eagerly annexed by the cultivator, and where earlier town existed a little below the present
site. few weeks earlier the water had flowed, there were now neatly planted patches of vegetables, e, many of which were already covered with green crops.
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WUCHOW.
All
The
THE SHIUHING GORGES. For some miles the river flows between rather low banks, on which good crops, often of sugar. Near the town of Wong. chow, a Chinese steam-launch was seen high She had gone and dry on the shelving bank. ashore when the river was higher, but, at the time we passed she was some distance from the water, and two boats with a number of soolies were busily engaged in cutting a passage down to it in the sand. As the launch had been ashore quite two months it is evident the work did not progress very quickly, and it seemed to me that John Chinaman was using We had now entered the province of Kwangsi,
■ very false economy in his tactics. A steamer and about 9 a.m. the pagoda on the hill near might easily have towed the launch off when Wuohow, but on the opposite bank of the she first went ashore, but John probably could river, became visible, and before long the city not bring himself to incur the cost of salvage in opened out to view. A small rocky island, that way; he thought it would be cheaper to dig ponnected by a sand-bank with a smaller rock, the craft out by the aid of coolies, and never cal is passed just before reaching the city. The enlated the loss of interest on his capital while river is here about a mile and a half broad and she was lying high and dry on the river bank. has a fine sweep. Wuchow is well situated, the
- A4.30 the steamer got abreast of the con-
houses and walls climbing up the hills in the siderable town of Kwang-li, situated on the background for some distance near the Fa-ho, right bank of the river. A pagoda with
or Kwei river, which for:as the western bound- several pawnshop towers and the lofty matary of the city, and there flows into the West roof of a native theatre stood up promin- ently over the houses, which appeared to be of a good class: We were now nearing the famous gorges of Shiuhing, and the scenery was growing more beautiful with every mile. A long line of bold and lofty mountains, rising in some cases to a height of some 3,000 feet, bounded the view in front and seemed to bar further progress. On the left we passed the town of To-kai; only the roofs of which were visible, partly owing to the trees in which it is embowered and partly to the lower level of the plain on that side. A small octagonal pagoda stood on the river bank close to the head of the towns Meantime we were rapidly approaching the foot of the mountains, and a sharp bend suddenly brought us to the entrance to the
and wash-
Wushow is subject to floods in the summer, when the rivers rise many feet above their banks, or a total of more than fifty feet differ- ence between summer and winter levels. I sawi the flood marks on some trees near: Messrs:: Jardine, Matheson & Co.'s compound, which prove that at certain seasons the people haves to betake themselves to the upper stories of their houses for refuge. These floods are, however, regarded very philosophically, and no provision is
apparently made to cope with them. Whether they are, as some of the natives think, a not unmixed evil, is perhaps a matter for debate; but they do not appear to work much serious damage.
A TRIP UP THE FU-HO. Having through the aid of some friends at Wachow chartered a steam-launch for the pur pose, we made up quite a party after tifflu'and as- cended the Fu-ho river to a place called, so far I could make out, Ang-how, about fourteen miles from Wuchow. On leaving the str. Wuchow
River. Wuchow occupies a very similar posi tion to Hankow: the Fu-ho, like the Han, coming down from the north ingous side of the city. Instead, however, of a second city like Hanyang occupying the op we steamed to the mouth of the Fa-ho and pro- posite bank of the Fu-ho, there is only a small ceeded slowly through the native shipping which suburb, with one fine temple and a bill, which lines both banks of that river for about has been purchased as a site for the projected half a mile. The water of the Fu-ho is clear and British Consulate. En passant I may remark green, in striking contrast to the red or tawny that this is, from the point of view of the pub-water of the West River, which holds so much lic convienence, the most unsuitable spot that could have been chosen for the purpose. any time it is remote from the anchorage where foreign vessels lie, and when the spring freshets come down the Fu-ho it will be almost inacoes- sible, as its waters rush with such force that it cannot be forded. Probably the site might
At
sand in solution. The outer suburb of Wuebow I remarked, was a mass of charred and blackened ruins, the result of the raid made upon it about a fortnight previous by a band of about one bundred armed robbers. Curiously enough, the tall pawnshop, which was the central point of their attack, stands still uninjured among
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