The Sun. — London, England, 1842-12-01 00:00:00

It. . NEW CHINA SUN. The splendid advantages which the Treaty of Peace concluded with China will, without doubt, open up to England, place her at this moment in a truly elevated position. With the highest exultation and devout thank- fulness has the news been received throughout the king dom, not only on account of the military successes by which it has been preceded,but because further bloodshed is stopped, and because the honour accrues to British arms alone, of opening a mighty empire andits resources, to ourselves, and the other nations of the globe. Of this ancient and magnificent empire, with its mighty marts of commerce, its superb cities crowded with industrioue nhabitants, its means of traffic and communication, the nature of its vast territories, together with its past and present history and statistics, the subjoined columns have for their object to unfold a large body of explanatory and useful information, derived from the most authentic sources. For a period of many centuries China and its people appear to have remained jealously secluded within the limits of their own territories, and the pale of their own institutions. Intercourse with foreigners, from the ear liest times of their history, seems scrupulously to have been avoided ; and though anciently, it is supposed, that they in some slight measure traded with the Pharoahs, that they sent some of their silks and perfumes to Sa baco and Sesostris, that they corresponded with Ame nophis, and sent a bill of lading to the younger Menes ; yet these few instances are rather conjectural than cer tain, and may be set down in the light of extraordinary exceptions to what was otherwise an undeviating rule. In modern times the same disposition has reigned quite as absolutely as regards their bearing towards Euro peans, who, except by their own intrusiveness and per set-erance, which has in repeated cases been checked by the " flowery natives of the Celestial Empire," have never been able to become acquainted with more of the circuits of this " kingdom and its provinces" than with a few straggling specimens near the quays and custom houses of Canton and Macao. Preserving thus, from time immemorial, their inde pendence and their institutions, and tenaciously adhering to their own religion, habits, and customs, in spite of at tempts at innovation by the Missionary and the Jesuit, this people, while Europe, in common with other parts of Asia, has been shaken by rapid changes, political commotions, and tumultuous revolutions, have remained in apathetic quiet ; the other s kingdorns of the world have been con vulsed with tempests, while no wave of its turbulence has made the slightest pressure on their shores. So long as confined to themselves, and uninterfered with by foreigners or intruders from without, so long this most singular of the Asiatic nations sustained itself in a state of permanent stability, characterised by a calm, orderly, and unmoved tranquillity. This ancient and long enduring state of things is now about to be disturbed, and the revolution which will be effected in this respect is mighty. A large family of the human race, which for centuries has been isolated from .the rest, is now about to enter with them into mutual intercourse. Vast hordes of population, breaking through the ignorance and superstition which has for ages enve loped them, will now come out into the open day, and enjoy the freedom of a more expanded civilization, and enter upon prospects immeasurably grander. The mighty extension also, on the other hand, of the political and commercial influence of .England, is almost as enormous and unequalled as the most ample imagination could desire. The expectations of a nation have rarely been opened to more magnificent and glorious views. CHINA. DIVIDED INTO PRO- VINC LS. - Earth's Kingdoms and their glory His eye might there command, wherever stood City of old or modern fame, the seat Of mightiest empire : from the destined walls Of Cambalu, seat of Cathaian Khan, And Samarcand, by Oxus. MILTON'S P ARADISE LOST, b. xi., 1. 386. By the Emperor Xunus all China was divided into twelve provinces ibut the Yva, who succeeded him, about 260 years before the time of our Saviour, reduced the whole empire into nine provinces, which then, how ever, comprehended only the northern parts of China, having for their confines the river Kiang. But when the southern parts had been gained by conquest, the whole kingdom of China was divided into fifteen provinces ; since then it has been subdivided into eighteen. The sovereignty of the Emperor of China over these provinces extends tnus, according to its division, into smaller or greater cities :—The whole empire is summed tip into 145 capital cities, which, says a learned writer, "outshine all the rest both in greatness and glory." These contain 1,331 small cities, amongst which 148 may be compared, in magnificence, beauty, and people, with any of the chief cities. Besides these there are thirty-two great cities more, which are not subject to any other, 3et have not the title of capital, though they command over thirty-six small cities. In addition to these there aro three cities more, for the officers and commanders of the militia to dwell in. The forts and castles are 159, beides which there are seventeen great garrison cities, an;l sixty-six small garrison towns, which are never with out full companies and soldiers. The Chinese poll or register-book, in which is exactly set down the number of the people of each province (except those of the Royal family) shows the population to amount to 195,000,000 persons. The accuracy of this statement is made out by the custom adopted in the country for the express purpose of a correct census. EverY master of a family is obliged, under a great penalty, to hang out a little board over his door, upon which he is obliged to set down the number of his household and their condition. And, to prevent all fraud, one is appointed over every tenth house, whom they call Titang, which signifies the tenth man, or Tither : his office consists in taking an account of the number of the persons upon the board ; and if the master of the family fail to make it known truly, his business is to acquaint the Governor of the city with the abuse. TAXES PAID BY THE PROVINCES. No man possesses a foot of land in the whole empire without paying to the Emperor something out of it, so that it ceases to be a matter of wonder that over and above the common expenses which are made upon the account of petty viceroys, and military officers, there are more than three score millions of crowns brought yearly into the Emperor's coffers. The whole sum amounts to 130 millions of crowns, of which the Emperor has voluntary disposal, but the money is brought into the treasury, and if the King at any time desires a supply, the treasurer, on being written to, is not to deny the payment of it. The provinces bring in yearly in taxes 3,227,447 bags of rice, and one bag i s enough to serve 100 men for one. d a y ; 409 ; 949 pounds of raw silk ; 12,436 rolls of cloth, made of hemp ; 36,770 bales of cotton ; 91,730 rolls o f wrought silk. But the cit y o f Hu-cheu buys off this tax yearly for the sum of five hundred thousand crowns. The provinces bring in likewise 1 ,794,261 weight of salt, each weight being reckoned at 124 pounds, amount ing in all to 187,683,364 pounds ; 32,418,627 trusses of hay and straw for the King's stables, besides all ether taxes. PROVINCES ON THE SEA-COAST. " The rich Cathaian ccast."—Milt. Par. Lost, b. x., 1. 293. The border provinces of China, of which there are .levee, four being inland, and seven on the sea-coast, are the grand fences and strong securities to China. All the inland border is surrounded by territories subject to the Emperor, except the west and south-west of Yun-nun, and there is no great danger of invasion from that quar ter, the Burmese power being very inferior to that of China. It is thus only from the sea that China is at all vulnerable ; and a naval array only can annoy and injure the towns and cities on the coast. We now proceed to trace the frontier provinces of the empire, on the sea-ward side, and point out their leading characters : PE-TCHE-LE, CONTATICING rzlarg. TOTAL POPULATION, 27,990,871. Pe-tche-le is the most northerly province of the emrire ; it extends from '3B deg, to 401 deg. north ; its boundaries are, the Imperial Sea and Chan- twig on the east, Ho-nan on the south-west, Chan-si 'on the west, and Chinese Tartary on the Borth. • Besides Pekin, the capital, it contains nine eities of the first class, forty of the second, and 108 of the third. Its surface is estimated at 58,763 square miles. it has few mountains, and great part of the land is only two or three feet above the level of high-water in flit! tidal rivers. The tide on this part of the shore being a bay-tide, and one which i s much retarded by islands, does not give a rise of more than ten feet in the gulf ; the consequence is, that the rivers are navigable for long distances in comparison with their magnitude. The Pei-ho, as an instance of this, is a tidal river for 110 miles inland of the bay ; but there is a bar at the mouth, and outside the bar the water is only two fathoms deep. 11. CZAN-TONG. TOTAL POPULATION, 23,958,760. Phe cities of this province are—l. Tsi-nan-fou ; thi s capital is not built near the Great Canal, yet, all its trade is upon it ; about a league from it, is a large village called Leou-Keou, on the banks of the river Tsing-ho, which runs into the Imperial Canal, and by which all the merchandise of this town is conveyed to it : it is a large and populous place, and there are several lakes within its walls, from which canals have been made through the aity: there are within its district, four cities of the second order, and twenty-six of the third : in some of its moun *tins are iron-mines. 2. Yen-tcheou-fou ; the territory depending upon. this capital is enclosed between two considerable rivers. It has twenty-seven cities within its jurisdiction, four of the second order, and twenty three of the third. Tel-nimw-teheou one f them, seated in the midst of the Great anal, is one of the most con siderable marts of the empire. Tehai Chan, is the birth place of Confucius. ong tehang-fou ;on the banks of the Great Canal, and of great trade : it has three cities of the second order, and fifteen of the third. One of *hoe c ities, Lin-tsin-tcheou, has extensive glass-works, and i s very considerable for its trade, and it is th ere that ibe Gran Canall9 . . e ri ver P e i -ho. 4. Tsin-tchou- fe d wa l, int g. , , , well w a t ere d with rivers ; it h as b o - ' no.'nd thirte en o f the third order 1 A 5. Ten-tcheott-fott ; this city is * 4 4!4. ` 4"" 4- .• , -"'" 11 , 4. • 14 itfiXi,4 4, r , ,• tart` :i.4 - i 'fri --.., /Ply " 7. •:s. ',,,'''' .tt ,;" 4 hies , ~ 5t......., ~ , <% -- built on the sea-shore, and has st very convenient har bour, with a strong garrison, and several vessels which guard the gulf : within its district are eighty cities ; one of the second order, and seven of the third ; part of these cities are on the continent, the others are sea-ports. 6. Lai-tcheou- fou ; built upon a promontory, surrounded by the sea on one side, and_ by mountains on the other ; it has two cities of the second order, and five of the third, within its jurisdiction, some of which stand by the sea side, especially Kiao-tcheou, the situation of which renders it almost impregnable. • • KIANG-TM:4 CONTAINING NANKXN TOTAL POPULATION, 37,843,501. „ The modern province of Kian-tsu is bounded by Shen-se on the east, Ste-chuen on the south, Tartary on the west, and the Great Wall on the north. The Yellow river flows northward across it. Its capital is a fine city, and once contained an imperial palace. In addition to Nankin, 1. (which we notice else where), there are also in the cities of this province 2. Sou-tcheou, which enjoys so delicious a climate and soil, that the Chinese books have the old proverb, ” Pa radise is above, but below is Sou-tcheou." It has six gates by land, and six by water. The Viceroy of the eastern part 4,f the province resides here. It contains eight cities—one of the second order and seven of the third. 3. Song-Kiang-fou. This city is built in the water, and the vessels enter the town on all sides, and from thence fall down to the sea, which is not far off. It has four cities of the third order. 4. Tching-cheou fou ; a city of great trade, situated near the Canal by which the barques go from Sou-tcheou to the river Yang tse-Kiang. It has five cities of the third order. 5. 'Thing-Kiang-fou ; about a league in circumference, and very considerable for its situation and commerce. It is the key of the empire towards the sea, and is also a fortress, where there is always a strong garrison. The walls are about 30 feet high in places, and built with bricks of four or five inches thick. 600 paces from the shore there is a mountain in the river, named Kin-than ; on the top of it stands a tower of several stories. 8. Ngan-kiang-fou. This city borders upon three pro vinces, and though but five days journey from the capi tal, it has a particular Viceroy. It is 'garrisoned by a fort that commands the lake Poyang, at the entrance of the province of Kiang-si. It is the chief thoroughfare for all that comes to Nankin, and contains six cities of the third order. 9. Hoei-tcheou, the most southern city of the province, and richest in the empire. It has six towns of the third order. It has mines of gold, silver, and cop per, and the best tea is grown here. 10. Ning-koue-fou stands upon a river, that runs into the great river, Yang tcheou-fou; it has six cities of the third order. 11. Tchi tse-Kiang , with six cities of the third order ; it stands on the banks of the Yang-tse-Kiang, and is environed with mountains. 12. Tat-ping-fou, a very opulent city, standing on the river Kiang, where it receives three arms of other rivers, making it appear like an island ; it is also watered by two lakes, and contains three cities, of which Vou-hou-hien is the richest. 13. Fong-yang-fott; this city is situated on a mountain not far from the Yellow River ; it contains in its district eighteen cities, five of the second and thirteen of the third order, besides a great number of Ma-teou, or places of commerce, settled upon the rivers for the convenience of trade, and collect ing the Emperor's dues ; it is larger than any province in Europe ; it is well peopled, but indifferently built iii the middle, but all the rest consists only of low-thatched houses or open fields, to bear tobacco, which forms the only wealth and commerce of these parts. 14. Lin tcheou-fou is rendered fruitful by the Lake Triao ; in the midst of which there is a mountain ; this district con- ains eight cities, two of the second order, and six of the IV. NGIIII7-1E OE. TOTAL POPULATION, 34,168,059 This, the western division of the old province of Nan kin, is in proportion of its surface to that of the eastern portion, nearly in the ratio of three to two. It is wholly an inland province, and, with the exception of the south ern hills, having the green tea districts on their slopes, the greater part of it is level. The Blue River passes through it near the south, and the northern part is watered by numerous branches of the Ilwang-ho, which rises in the province or Ho-nan to the westward, and, after traversing the provi ce, expands into the large lake of Hung-tse, which communicates with the Yellow River, near the spot where that intersects the imperial canal. V. TCHT.-ICIANG. TOTAL POPULATION, 25,256,784. This province lies eastwards towards the sea ; south and south-west is bordering upon the province of Fuh kien, but the rest joins to the provinces of Kiang-si and Ngan-hoe. It contains eleven chief cities, all of them little inferior to some provinces ; these command over sixty-three small cities, with towns and castles in great number under their command, and villages exceedingly populous. _ . T:le people in this province registered in the Chinese toll-book, appear to be 1,242,135 families, and 5,525,470 fighting men. The public revenues paid to the Emperor consist of 2,510,299 sacks of salt, 370,4661b5. of unwrought silk. 2,574 rolls of wrought silk. Besides which all the great ships of the Emperor called Jungychuen, arrive every year to lade with silk, which is very rich and curiously wrought, for the Emperor's own use. This silk is interwoven with gold, silver, and the feathers of several birds, very artificially mingled with all manner of colours ; noae are su&red to wear any of these silks called Dragon silks, but the Emperor and his courtiers. This province likewise furnishes the Court with 844,091 trusses of hay, 444.769 weight of salt. The whole revenue of this country is reckoned by some to amount to 15,000,000 of crowns. The cities of this province are-1. Hang-tcheou fou, the richest and largest city of the empire :' its situation and the conveniency of its canals renders its silk trade the finest in China : it is about four leagues in circumference, and contains 1,000,000 souls : without including the suburbs, the city alone levies taxes upon 300,000 families : its walls are high and thick : it has four great towers of several stories, with 7,000 men in garrison under the Tsian-kiun, or Tartar General, and 3,000 more under the Fou-yuen or Viceroy : the Tartar troops have a fortress,.which is separated from the city by a wall : the river Tcien-tang-kiang runs close by the walls, and is about a league in breadth. Han-tcheou is properly the region of silk ; 60,000 people are at work within its walls, and many hundred thousands in the adjacent parts. The lake Si-hou, about two leagues in circumference, close to the city, has in its middle two small islands ; it has causeways, and openings for boats to pass through. 2. Kia-hing-fou. The whole of this country is covered with lakes and canals ; the city is large, populous, and large of trade : canals and bridges abound : in th e neighbourhood of the city llai-yen, which is upon the sea-shore, there are salt-pits, Which give rise to a large manufacture. The country is flat, and without a mountain : it contains seven cities of the third order under it. 3. Hou-tcheou-fou : this city derives its name from the lake on which it stands ; its silk manufactures are very considerable : the 'tribute which one city in its dependence pays alone, amounts to 500,000 taels, or ounces of silver : it has under its jurisdiction, one city of the second order, and six of the third. 4. Ningpo.—This inVortant city is noticed else where by itself. 5. Chao-hing-fou.—This beautifhl city is an actual Venice ; no street is without a canal ; it contains eight cities of, the third order. 6. Tai tcheou-fou. This city, which has six others in its dis trict, stands on the bank of a river, in a very moun tainous country ; the neighbourhood of the sea supplies it with- all things necessary ; it carries on a great trade with Japan and the interior of the country. in making scabbards for cutlasses. 7. Kin-hoa-fou. This city lies in the heart of a province, and on the banks of a fine river ; its people are warlike, and long resisted all the power of the Tartars ; it has eight cities of the third order. 8. Kia-tcheou-fou. This city is situated on a river, and between two other smaller ones that run into it ; it is the most southern city of the province, and bor ders on the provinces of Kiang-si and Fuh-kien, but the road which leads to the last province, and is but three days' jou rne y, is difficult to travel, on account of ti e mountains to b e p asse d ; heou-fou ti , l o er n e the are fibvane ks ci o ti f es a in idis trict. 9. Y en - tc has ma n y m i nes o f copper ; the paper r r t esteemed ; six cities of the third order ...iinufacture is 10. Ouen-tcheou-f ou stan d s on r_- . are in its di s t r i c t. Marshy la n d, near t h e haven, and to it s wa ll s ; i t third order. 11. , f and five citie s o f t h e gable as far as the sea, the flux and reflu x o f :h aT, n has a safe and commodiou t he, eou.o u ' ("1 a river, navi s„ n encompassed with moun tains ; it h as ten. tides in its di str i ct. . and eneo VI. FUR-3EIEN. TOTAL POPULATION, 14,777,410. This, the least of the 18 provinces of China, lies to wards the east, south-east, and south, upon the Indian Sea. Towards the south-west it borders upon K wang . tung, west and north-west upon Kiang-si, and the remain ing part on the kingdom of Tehe-Kiang. It contains eight chief cities, and 48 small cities, and a great num. ber of forts built for tlie defence of the sea and hart our. The island of Forrithsa, and the island Teiwan, a l so be long to this province. The toll or register-book of these people mentions no less in this province than 59,20 Q families, and 182,677 fighting men. The — revenue of this province consists of 883,115 sacks salt, 194 lbs. of fine linen, and 600 rolls of wrought iii But the chief revenue consists of ships, which pay ac. cording to their burden so much per ton. The capital cities of Fuh-keen are-1. Fou-tcheou feu, the first and most considerable ; nine cities of the the third order are under its jurisdiction ; fine rivers carry the largest barques of Cbina almost up to the walls; it has also a bridge of 100 arches. 2. Tsiten-teheou fou, a city of great trade ; it is built on a promontory, and almost surrounded by water ; the largest barques en ter within its walls ; it has seven cities of the third rank, all populous, and great traders ' • a bridge h er e , with 300 st one p i ers, was b u i lt by the Governor of the city, to preserve the boats and people from being conti nually upset by the violent tides ; from this it has a prodigious traffic ;it cost 1,400,000 ducats. 3. Kien nine•-fou. This city contains eight cities of the third order under its jurisdiction ; it is situated on the side of the river Min-ho, and is a place of plentiful trade. and all commodities carried up and down the river pass through it ; as the river ceases to be navigable near the city of Pou-tching hien, which is about 30 leagues from Bien-ping, the goods are unloaded there, and porters carry them over the mountai ns to a large town near Kiang-tchan, in the provinc e o f T che-Riang, to embark them on another river ; 13,000 porters are employed there to attend the barques, and carry the burdens to and fro over the moun tains ; the road is paved, and all along are little towns filled with inns for the accommodation of travellers ; there is an office at Pou-tching-hien to receive toll of all goods, and the revenue produced thereby is appointed for keeping the road in repair. 4. Yen-ping-fou, ,tbeislnolavtuwrhalile)h it is n s side e a o r f g a e, h b il u l accessible mountains, the barque s of the whole province Min-ho ; pass under its walls ; it is commonly called the Silver City from its abundance and fruitfulness. 6. Hing-hoa lieu. The name of this city signifies a springing flower, and it is the most beautiful country of the province, and near the sea : it has no more than two cities of the third, order within its district, yet it pays a very considerable tribute in rice: the towns are occupieil by very rich mer chants, and the roads are broad and well-paved. 7. Chaou-ou-fou. This city is one of_ ...the great keys-of the province, has become very considerable, and its situation renders it a place of strength, and very com modious, it is surrounded with forts and strong places, which are well-garrisoned : it has four cities of the third order under its jurisdiction. 8. Tchang-tcheou-fou. This city, the most southern of the province, has in its jurisdiction ten cities of the third order; it stands on a river which ebbs and flows, lying near the port of Amoy; it is aplace of very great trade, and all commodities pass continually up the river that washes the walls ; it is ex ceedingly- populous. VIZ. ZWE-CllOlTe. TOTAL POPULATION, 528,219. The province of Kwe- chow borders E. and S.W. on the province of Kwang• se ; N. and N.ll'. on Sze-chuen. N.E. it borders on the province of Hon-pe, and the re mainder on Yun-nan. It contains eight chief cities, not very large ; ten small cities, four small garrison cities, be sides castles and forts in great numbers. The Chinese toll-book sets down 45,305 families, and about 231,365 fighting men. The revenue consists of 47,658 bags of rice and 5,900 pieces of cloth ; this, how ever, is not found sufficient to maintain the forts, whereby the Emperor is necessitated to supply what is wanting out of his other revenues. VIII. ICIVANG-ST. TOTAL POPULATION, 713,895. Kwang-se borders E. on the province of Kwan-tung ; S.W. upon Ton-king ; W., on the country of Yun-nau ; N.W. on Kwe-chow, and the remainder on Hoo-nan. It contains eleven capital cities ; one chief garrison city and one principal city. The forts are only two. In the toil or register-book of this province, is set down 186,719 families, and 154,760 fighting men; The revenue consists of 431,359 bags of rice. IS. XWAN-TUNG, CONTAINING CANTON, TOTAL POPULATION 19,174,030. This province stretches along the south coast from the middle of the northern shore of the Gulf of Toupin, to nearly opposite the island of Formosa. The widest part of it is traversed by the Canton river, along which the road crosses the Mei-ling mountains to the interior. The island of Hainan belongs to it, and there are very many smaller islands and shoals along the coast. The surface contains about 90,000 square miles. The great plain in the vicinity of the capital is nearly one hundred miles in length and of considerable breadth, the whole in a state of the highest cultivation. Besides the capital; the province contains nine first-class cities ; and those of the lower ranks, especially the third one, are almost in numerable. Though the rice and sugar ground of this province are low and fiat, they are far from unhealthy. The coast, with its numerous bogs and little islands, fish, and also mollusca, crustacea, tortoise, and other pro ducts of the sea, is, as indeed is the case not only in all the inland but also the maritime provinces, with its. waters almost as fertile as the land, and as many inhabi tants derive subsi s t ence . Th e in l an d b oun d ar i es o f Kwan-tong, taken in their order from east to west, are 'brined by the provinces of Kwe-cho w, 110- nan,Kwang- se, and Full-hien. As the province of Kwan-tang is a maritime province. and the furthest distant from the Court, its Government is one of the most considerable of the empire. 1. The first city is Canton, of which we speak largely else. where. 2. Chaou-tcheou4ou, situated at the con fluenceof two navig a ble riv ers ; it h as s i x c i t i es o f t h e third order within its jurisdiction ; within a league of it is a monastery of Bonzes, which they say formerly con tained a thousand of them. 3. Nan-hiong- fou ; a large trading city, seated at the foot of a mountain, which separates the province of Kwan-tung from Kiang-si, from which run two great rivers, one south, the other north. This city has but two cities of the third order under its jurisdiction ; bstween Nan-hiong, the last province of Kwan-tung, and Nan-npn, the first of the province 'of Kiang- si, a remarkable road leads over the mountain Mei-lin, being a distance of ten leagues from one place to the other. 4. Hoei-tcheou-fou; this city is almost surrounded with eater, and built in the most fertile part of the whole province ; it has eleven cities in its district, ono of the second order, and ten of the third ; it has two remarkable bridges, one of which has 40 arches, the other crosses a lake which is a league in circuit, and waters the wails of the town. 5. Tchao tcheou-fou. This city, is situated near the mouth of the river Han-kiang, where the tide ebbs and flows ; it has a fine bridge on the east ; there are 11 cities in its district. It is separated from Fuh-kien by mountains. 6. Tchao-king-lou—the best built city in the province, and the residence of the 'l'sonton of the two provinces of Kwang-tung and Kwang-si. It is situ ated on the river Taho. There is a tower of nine stories high, east of the city. The haven is very spacious; and is at a place where three rivers or canals Meet, one of which runs to Canton. From Tchao-king to Canton, both sides of the river are lined with villarr ' es, one of which, Fochan, contains 1,000,000 of souls., 7. Kao tcheou-fou. The tide flows and ebbs as far as thi.; town, so that the Chinese barques go up to it. This city has within its district one city of the second order, and five of the third. It is surrounded on one side by the sea, and on the other by mountains. 8. Lien-tcheciu-fou. This city is a very convenient harbour for the Chinese barques. It has but one city of the second order, and two of the third. It lies on the borders of Tong-king, from which it is separated by inaccessible mountains. Here is a pearl fishery. 9. Loui-teheou-fou. 'rho territory of this city is the most fine and fertile of all the western cities of this province. It is almost all surrounded by the sea, and is separated from the island of Hainan by a small strait. Within its district are only three cities of I the third order. INLAND BORDER PROVINCES. a. CREN-sr, TOTAL POPULATION, 10,207,256. Chen-si is situated among the northern dominions, and lies about 30 degrees west. Part of the kingdom of Tartary bounds it on the west, the Great Wall and forts making the separation. The remaining parts of the country borders on the bank of the river, find is open to extensive dry and barren sand-fields ; the Yellow River and sufficient fortifications defend the rest. To the south run very high mountains, which are strong bulwarks, and separate it from the provinces of Hunan Sze-chuen and Chan-si. Want of rain makes this country very dry, bitt yet it produces great store of wheat, barley, and Turkish corn, but very little rice. The beasts feed all winter upon corn. There are several gold mines in the country, but they are not suffered to be opened by the Emperor. Chen-si contains 8 capital cities ; and 107 small cities, besides castles and forts.• The chief forts are eight, and there are fourteen small ones of consequence. The Chinese Register reckons the number of families in this province tube no less than 831,651; and 3,934,176 fighting men. — The — taxes which Chen-si pays, are 192,957 bags of wheat ; 3,650,00016. weight of linen ; 9,218 pounds of all sorts of wrought silks ; 17.2701 b. of cotton ; 827,7701 h, of calicoes ; besides 1,514,749 trusses of hay for the King's stables. 11. CHAN-Si. TOTAL POPULATION 14,004,210. This province lies westward of Pekin, and though nei ther so large nor so populous, is more fruitful and or more antiquity, for it is from thence that the 0.. 1 „:: derive their rise and origin. On the north ': i ; t3 . nrovin t; has for its confines the Great Wall, - , ;elm — reaches from cast to west through the whole . e _..:, rv. ate Fellow ativet, anti is sepa of the province lies upon ' " . The ' t ' 51 ' 1 ° rated by it from the produces the sw . province of Chen-si. Thi s prov i nk Chinese - then ..,etest and fairest gr a p es o f a ll A 4la, h ut the ip . - AKC no use of the m , but oonly'a*ty them, and T th 7... carry them through all China to the market. .211TOughout the whole of this country are naptha springs, in the same manner as there are water wells lit Europe, which the people use fo r drelaing their meat in thi s man , ner. The mouth of the well is stopped very elo*, and only a place left open to set the pot upon by which me thod the pot boils without any trouble. This province likewise produces stores or eoal as good as that which is dug out of the hills of England, and used by the inhabi. tants for fuel, who also use stoves in their houses as wti do. Chan-si contains five capital cities 92 small eltieS, and several forts, of which 14 are remarkably strong. The poll or register-book of the province reckons 589,959 fa milies, and 58,415 fighting men. In taxes the country pays to the Emperor yearly 2,274,022 bass of rice, 501bs. of fine linen, 4,776 all stuff's, 4 20,04 Q weight o f salt, and 3,544,850 bundles of hay, bet : sties several other taxes. T :OPUL , ATION, X 7 -: iBZZi -C H MIN . ' larg2el,a4n3ds'6ft7aSiltfid, b'Orhit e Sz s e o - n e t . ; :te n , i e a I The r t: , id . or i n T i oy . u A o l : pf and by north upon Chen-sr:iesotnwaKr3;ll Wdh-east The whole of this province eontairn Thibet, and southward upon the province of l'ita,nai;°" 8 C b hief i citiea, , t great and little cities, 4 garriso-i cities, other towns and places. ' . I :ne " couritry' silk and other rich co:, mo di ties , iron, tit. a d ittt mo urt h , fetched from the mounta i ns i n tu geeat Anantit'ies among which is a ; - ,reeat store of salt-pits, so productive that the inhabitants cannot use one-fourth of it. The Toll-hook gives the population of this country to be 464,129 families, and 224,170 fighting men, without P;3ol:c3e3Bll‘tteral reckoning the soldiers, who arc very numerous in the eutantry. The entire population amounts to 21,435,678. This province pays in taxes to the Emperor yearly 616,660 bags of rice, 6,3391b5. of wrought and unwrought silks, .74,8511b5. of cottons, 149,177 weig ht o f sa l t, b es i des other taxes paid to the Emperor in some parts of the pro vince. Sze-chnen is the largest of the provinces, having 175,000 square miles of surface. The Blue River forms a part of its south-western boundary, and then winds through the province, leaving it near the north-east. There are many large branches of this river in the pro vince, the general slope of which is towards the river. The forts and strongholds are more numerous than in most of the other inland . province s . Th ey were erected as defences again s t the incursions of the Tartars ; who often assailed this province, and in 164 . 6, almost entirely destroyed Ching-too-foo, the capital. Some of the cities are very tine, and the inhabitants of one or two of them are hereditary soldiers. THE CHINA SUN, LONDON, 1842. XV. YUN-NAN TOTAL POPULATION, 5,501,320. Towards the E. a-ad S.E. Yun-nan borders on livrang se ; tuwards S.'on Laos and Tonking ; W., it reaches as far as the utmost borders of the kingdoms of Mien and Pey ; N.W., on the kingdom of Sifan • N., on Sze chuen ; N.E., i t reaches to the extreme ' boundari es of the province of Kwe-chow. It contains 12 great cities 8 chief garrison cities ; 88 small cities ; besides several castles and forts. The yearly toll-book estimates the population ati 230,958 families ; and 1 , 4 33,110 fighting men. The revenue of the province consists of 1,400,568 bags of rice ; 56,96.5 weight of salt ; besides other large im posts and taxes. CENTRAL PROVINCES. L'2lo-NA.N. TOTAL POPULATION, 23,037,171. ; The province of Ho-nan lies E. and S.E. with Nankin, N. and N.E. with Pekin and some parts of Chan-tong, and Hou-pe ; W. it borders on the province of Sze-chuen and with the remaining part ofChen-si. Ho-nan contains 8 great cities, and 100 small cities, besides forts and castles. The population, according to the toll-book of the Emperor, amounts to 589,296 families, and 516,270 fighting men. The income of the revenue amounts yearly to 2,414,470 bags of rice, 23,5091bs of unwrought linen, 9,9591b5. of several sorts of silk ; 3411b5. of cottons, which are very scarce in this coun try.; an 4 lastly of 2,280,844 trusses of hay for the King's stables. Ho-nan produces also fine copper. Kae fung-foo, the capital of this province, is situated on the south bank of the Yellow River, andupon ground which is lower than the water, especially when,. it is flooded. In consequence of this, it has strong dykes around it, by which the flood is restrained. The main bulwark against the river is a strong embankment of nearly 100 miles in length. In any other country this dyke would be looked upon as a stupendous work of art. When the city was besieged by rebels in 1641 ; -the Commander of the Imperial Army sent to relieve it, ordered a breach to . be made in the dyke for the pur pose of drowning the besiegers. The breach was made, and ithe 100,000 besiegers destroyed ' • but the flood came down in desolation up on the city, demolished it, and drowned .300,000 of those within the walls. As it is a point of conveyance for several of the lines of road that intersect the country, the city was rebuilt, but . on an inferior scale, and it will probably never attain its former magnitude and splendour. Ho-nan-foo is situated westward of Kae-fung-foo, and on the same side of the ricer, among craggy mountains. Z TOTAL PofErLRAT°IoUN,P27:37O,O9B. This province, together, with Ho-flan, which lies im mediately south of it, are two divisions into which the ancient province of Hoo-kwang has been arranged,,,in consequence of its great extent and numerous population. The inhabitants of Heu-pe are esttrinated at 27 millions, though the province is not a very extensive one. It has Sze-chuen on the W., Chen- si op i Ahe N.W., Ngan-hoe on the E., Keang-se on the S.E.; and Ho-nan on the S. It is situated in the valley of". the Blue River,•but. chiefly )on the north side of it, and the - Han-keang, one of the. principal branches of the Blue River, and itself a river of no mean magnitude, enters it near the N.W., and joins the Blue River towards the east of the province. The central part of the province is low, and abounds with lakes. In consequence of the magnitude of thwßlue River, and of the number of streams, lakes, and artificial water-conveyances, this province,- the most central in the whole of. China Proper, has even greater advantage than if one side of it were riashed . by the sea. Woo-chang-foo, the capital, which is situated on the Blue River, near the confluence of Han-kiang, is a great resort for Chinese merchants, and from the vast number of vessels which frequent its harbour, it has much the appearance of a sea-port. The se vessels, though inferior in size, and not fitted for so long voyages, are sometimes even more numerous titan those in. the Thames at Lon don ; for the river is wider than the Thames, and six miles in length of it are sometimes entirely ,Covered with vessels. To possess a port, even for dothestie trade, almost in the very centre of its land, is an incalculable advantage, and it is an advantage which scarcely any.. country but China possesses. Taking the windings of the river, the port is between 500 and 600 miles inland, and, therefore, is completely out of the reach of any in vadino• fleet, if the conductors of which we re , as t h ey would be, ignorant of the shoals and other dangers of the navigation. 1100-NAN. TOTAL POPULATION, 1'3,652,517. This province, which is rather larger than llou-pe, is the southern division of the old province. Its bounda ries are summit-levels all the way round, except toward the N.E., where the large lake Tung-ting-ho empties its waters into the Blue River, at a point where that stream takes an extensive curve to the south. All the rivers which water the province, flow into this lake ; vast quantities of rice grow on the low grounds, and cotton on those that are more elevated. The mountains, like almost every mountain-ridge in China, are rich in mine rals. Chang-chow-foo, the capital, is situated on the. bank of one of the rivers which empty th9mselves into the lake, but it is not a city of first-rate importance. xv XXANG-SI. TOTAL POPULATION, 30,426,999. This province li es eas tward of Hoo.nan ; its extent i s estimated at. 27,000 squa re miles, and its populatio n a t more than 30,000,000. The soil is in general clayey and of a rich alluvial character near the Po-yang Lake, though the immediate banks of this great and stormy piece of water are muddy and sterile to a great extent. ;`The centre of the province is watered by the main stream of the Kan-keanz, which must not be confounded with th e river of the - Itme name in 1 - lou-pe. The great • road from Canton passes along the bank - of this river, the na vigation of which, as soon CS it begins to be available, is employed for the conveyance , of merchandise, which is borne thence down the Blue River, and so by the Impe rial Canal, to the naVigation of the rivers. in Pe-fiche-le, along which it is borne to Pekin. This navigation is interrupted by a portage between the Canton rivers; and the main . stream of this province; - the of great domestic commerce. but excepting this, there is water-carriage across 'rho, whole empire from S. to N. Nan-chgno:-foo, the capital, carrying, a ril p , e la r, ce and is' riot wiry an entrepot in None of the produce of the soil, excepting rice, is ex ported, the people finding entire subsistence on what the province furnishes. The village of King-te-ching„ to the eastward of thwyo-yang lake, and on a navigable river which empties*waters into that lake, is th e p r i nc i pa l t r seat of .porcelalii!inanufaeture i n th e prov i nce ; though l o a n t l i j o - n a . vi ß ll ) a , g m e e i a n u p s oi o n f t of f e rivers an rani;, it is a great c ity i n pop n - and lake thi s or ot h er commodities can b. conveyed to all parts of the interior, or it may be sent to the coast, d own the Blue River to Nankit2 portage,southwtao Fu chow.rdt o oC . anton, or sout h- eastward b y the road ofoo in Fuh-kien. THE. FIVE PORTS. . . .. SHANG-HAE (or . CHANG-IIAI) FOO-CHOW FOO, CANTON, AUOY, AND NINGPO. The magnificent prospects opened up to British enter prise and commerce, by throwing open these five great ports, will be understood by the general reader in a clearer point of view, from the following detailed account of each, drawn up from authentic sources ;-- SELO2SM-14AE (O Cll Al The city Shang-hae is situated on the right bank of the Woo-sung, about twenty or tmeht,,,,_n te p a tio t i p . Th e anchorage at the mouth of 16 riser is iu lat. 31 deg. 25 win. north ; lot, lca d eg. 1 min. 30 see. east. It has been seve r a l l imes v i s i ted by foreigners since 1332,- when the Lord Amherst first touched there. Shan;-Lae is approached immediately from the sea by the Tchang-Ilai channel, . which is of considerable breadth. Woo-sung lies at the entrance of the river, and the side opposite is defended by ti range of forts. It possesses the means u €'!:!nlmunication with the great Tai Lake, the brolas of which are peeuliarly rich in the character or their soil, and extensively laid out in luxe- , riant rice .j Imperial Canal, whi c h p asses b y t h e marg i n r,,-,;unds, and silk distri c t s . Hang-tehou, situ of the Tai Lake, has a larg e d ep o t for :ills and silk at°q., on the weaving, and Sou-tchou also carries on a very important ti ready means of acCeS3 to N an ki ng , an d t h e co tnit r y trade:or the same article, andjapartned goods, It forms everyw herb ithilind is the finest imaginable for produc tilti!&4l, The salt-pits of Shang-hae yield a very large Wupply, and the trade carried 911114chiE) commodity is far from limited, .. The best . appt:ttti,ill id Alutti g --6, ; inaneasterly dime tien; la by the Y'atiosae-liiang jiver ; the banks of Which *WWII out t'd a tat distatieb ; the Water about it; how ever; eat beingiih i dfe }bur feet n depth, but With very rnslilitt soundings. Pilots from hence conve . . vessels to the Shang-hae river, the low coast of which; a ter a short sailing, is -rende r ed conspieitoila by it grove 0 .trees near the shore. TM peak Of a stall island, the most , i ir , northerly of the archipelago, and which tied. by the Chinese Sen-Kaug4htt!i; iS tile WAY lalidiiiir - which On steering Mr this ;gland. This possesses a sate intoner tige, and man y o f th e j un k s destined to Shantg - hae 7 , 4 in this harbo ur f o r a favourable Wind: .Steerdid from hence is made in' a liditth4kteril direction, and arrival isgenellillY made in ,W a ,c 1 ) 8 Or truer itt the mouth of the Woe-sung river, wh i ch A to, Slialig-lidei On, till the bank.;, t& peVerA lEtiaLli.a. tit 6 year, there is flesh wittot . ) ea sd tong as ne. re filar pildtage is established, And no survey of the 134nks ' - ~lion; the entrancevililcen tin.de to be daii . eibili t o i shiPs. So extensive an erdpo- MAI, 'owever, it has been remarked, well deserves the attention of hydrographers, if the spirit of, mercantile en terprise can give a stimulus 0 dig aft cif ilioJiaVl44tOr: The 9eost *!?t-tfkiVlieN tin the aPproach to Shang- hae is the ti.ei,Wliese titi.aoe It liiii4bh 11 (. 4 0il; tldssitig ; a It - 4 41‘d tkhrfottiL TwO forge built °A rititr shore of conSickeillslA Ailiii..ei giins. The entrance is about six fA.thidnis in depth, b ut towards the right shore the water, shoals, so as to l eave only a channbl tbr the tiaskiii di' sea., well 'etiltiVittid, anal tqiii a western directioii. vessels. On the left is 'ii. k'6.,lii'.'; a Canal leading to Nan kin branch** Me ispeet atilt Cenntry . in the vicinage i of l Slia i ng 7 hae is generally a &idle flat s hot Miieli iihel."..e the 'Orel of the ~ . . ravtkvs becasioned by inuadatiOns are verY great, as no banks of the loamy alnlclestoe marsh soil can resist trill swollen river. without the least hill. The marshy which requlres tt idtili ar4 iiiiii4t .i.:6il. 'ro cultivate this tgtiTituntelir itck t a h ts tn e r tott a h lt i e .otl e i aj t o ;..e tti t .tir i a ic in e: commodity ; ai'isk to -f*....-isn their tribute of srain to the capital ; Whit in these parts is 'very Colislderitble, the people direct all their energy aikti aft enabled to raise two crops of grantfioM thi.tu rffle soil—one of rice and another O't ii , l4.,At. Shang-he, as a trading town, ranks 'after Canton in ithportance. Though it may not be the only emporium near the Yang-tsze-Kiang, and thus, the only place for importation to Keang-nan, the junks from all the southern provinces are prohibited from proceeding to the harbour s north of this riv er . _ . The trade here carried on is always brisk i and now that Europeans are admitted to its port, it will no doubt increase to a miraculous degree. The consumption of foreign articles, among the many millions who inhabit Central Asia, is very great. Owing to this circumstance, the imports far exceed the exports ; the latter consist chiefly of raw silk, silk stuffs, and teas, besides manufac tures fabricated by the. skilful hand of the Keang nan people. Ships bo Ind to this port can touch at Cha-poo in Che-jieg t , l o province, Hang- e h oo district, and at Soo-chow, a little south of IfiVoo-sung river. - This latter'plaee is one of the most populous and. delightful districts of the whole Chinese empire, - and might • fully claitn the poetical name of Arcadia. That so large a field for mereantile.enterprise has been hithert o overlooked is surprising. The fear of infringing Chine ie laws has deterred ships from even attempting to op en commercial intercourse. . . . ........, -. The hamlets scattered everywhere over the elltril'ai soil which surrounds it are generally built, as regards their cottages, among clusters of trees, and would be very pleasant if care were taken to keep them clean. The fields, though they yield luxuriant crops, have their most abundant harvests sufficiently consumed by the number of inhabitaiti. The military usually kept bere in bar racks were poor and inefficient ; the war-boats insuffi cient to keep out the smallest well-armed ship, and the people have for a long time highly disapproved of the restrictions made upon their trade. The junks which crowd up to this city are for the most part of an oblong form, and have generally four masts, and canvass sails. They seldom exceed two hun dred tons burden, are all of them numbered, and have the place to which they belong written in very large letters along the side ; most of them are very bad sailers, and are frequently wrecked. They visit, principally, the harbours of Leaou-tung, or Mantchou Tartary, frinn whence they import oil-cakes and peas, whilst they ex port silks, and other manufactures of Keang-nan. The city of Shang-hae is built on the left side of the river. It Is ascended by a stone pier, in front of a temple, dedicated-to the Queen of Heaven, who seems to have many temples and worshippers in all the trading towns. "The hones are generally very low, the streets narrow, the shops pumerous, the temples very magnifi cent, and the bustle - excessive. It is the great emporium of Central Asia. When Glitzlaff visited this city in his second voyage :along the -coast, the following scene ensued, fully de scriptive of the jealousy entertained by the Chinese rulers againSt the trading of foreigners at this port. So soon as the vessel arrived, the Taou-tae, or principal Magis trate, appeared, and without waiting to be addressed by the officers or their party, said, in a very stern voice, Why don't you go to Canton. and trade there ? It is an unheard-of thing for any ship to come to Shang-hae. Coaform to the established laws of the Celestial Empire, ang don't trouble us with. your - presence." To this was answered, " The trade with Canton is in a state of confu sion, but that dos not concern Keang-nan province. As we allow junks (tom Shang-hae to enter our ports, we think it_rilitter'haykthe same privilege of coming hither 'with-nor vessels.." - When the Taou-tae heard this, he gfew angry, afid said, " Po-not permit them (the people of'Shang-hae) to . come to your harbours then, but drive them away." " That is impossible," answered our party. " Why ?" " Because 'our Government understands rea son, and does not treat any nation unreasonably." After a great deal of altercation, a withdrawal was made, and next morning an order was sent us to depart: • POO-CHOW-POO: Foo-chow-foo is situated on the right bank of the river Min, about midway on one side, where it forms two broad branches, which arc separated' by an oblong island of some extent. The embouchure of this great river, by which the city is approached troni the sea, has its en trance crowded with an archipelago of islands, which con tain among themselves spots both safe and hazardous to navigation. Among those Of which more special mention may be made, is the cluster of about twenty islands known by the name of the Crocodiles, which stand out at some distance from the shore. Nearly close to the mouth of the river is Ting-hai, which possesses a very good - and commodious anchorage. Beyond this, a group of rocks appe ar , an d a s h ar p peak, of which the seaman takes the precaution to make clear steerage. On the left bank of the river stands King-pae Fort, and a short dis tance upon the opposite side Kuan Tow, cr Mandarin Head, together with a temple of some size and isc portance. After passing by Foo-chow-foo, and bringing up to its walls an amount of wealth and commerce lavish in its calculation, this river, to which it stands, in a great measure, indebted for its greatness and prosperity, flows through the range of the Wool Hills, which abound on their summits with the cedar, orange, and lime, in their most imposing growth and aspect, and continues to pro ceed in the same northernly direction, till cloSe upon the city of Yen-ping, at which point it branches off, taking an easterly course, • and traversing one of the richest bohea tea districts in the empire. At the foot of the Pou-tching Pass, where it ceases to be navigable, an ex cellent road commences, which, passing through the Poustching mountains, and shortly after curving down wards to the city of Kin-tchou, forms a junction at that point with the Tchen-tang-Kiang river, which, after the travel of a few miles, joins itself to the termination of the Sha-ho, or grand Imperial Canal. From this statement, it will be perceived that Foo-chow-foo presents an open ing for trade and commerce, which may thence be car ried through the richest tracts of the interior of the empire, and its most important cities ; while, by means chiefly of water-carriage, communication can be had through the medium of the Royal Canal with Pekin itself, and the very heart of the empire, together with a range of at least four provinces, abounding in Populous towns and cities ; and, providing a good understanding can be effected and maintained with the people and au thorities in the various departments of the kingdom,- an unrivalled trade may be established which shall be na less - beneficial to the inhabitants of China themselves, than promotive of kindly interchanges with Europeans, with the freer circulation •of money, and the reciprocal benefits arising from a magnificent trade. Fooschow-foo, which:is to be regarded as one of the most important of the ports temporarily put into th, hands and disposal of the British by the recent overtures, has a name in common with othercities of the same appel lation in China. There is a seventh-rate city of the sane denomination in Kiang-si, the third province of China. which must not, of course, be confounded with that whose cession has just been' made to us, and which rank:: as the first capital city of Fokien, which is the fourth of the great provinces of China. This. generalization of name; attaching to several cities in the Celestial domains, arizes from the circumstances.of their structure or position. Foe a particle of the compound word, signifies a city, ant chow, a ditch. This term serves to distinguish tilos( cities which are Burr funded with a ditch, instead of ram. parts or walls, as is almost universally the case with tis cities of China—Foo•chow-foo, meaning no other than ; city with a ditch or circumvaliation. Among the various commodities grown about its vici nity, or which from other portions of the empire are made substance of traffic into the interior, as als with the adjacent islands on, its sea coast, of the islands of Formosa, Java, Loo-Choo, the more dis tant Philippines, and Japan, there may be recited, silk, hempen-cloth, precious stones, calico, steel, musk, and quicksilver. The importations fromother countries con sist principally of cloves, cinnamon, pepper, sandal wood, anibes, coral, and many other commodities of this nature. This great capital, by means of its river, can carry the largest barques of China immediately up to its walls. Across its bay it has a noble bridge, consisting of more th in 100 arches, built of fine white stone, end magnifi cent as a work of art Foo-chow-foo has no less than nine cities of the third order tinder its jurisdiction. Rendered famous by reason of its situation, the commerce which it carries on both by its ports and the interior of the country is in the high est degree important and extensive. Incomparably fer tile as regards its soil, it produces upon the surface of its territory not only the common and universal commodities indigenous to this part of the world, such as the finest tea, rice, and grain, but yields a better sugar than is elsewhere to be had, and which, by the art of its manu facturers, is rendered of the choicest and most refined de scription. In addition to these, it grows multitudes of those trees which bear the fruits Li-chi and Long-ynen, which form the most exquisite treat at the tables and desserts of the . Emperor and his most patrician courtiers. The former, which is remarkable for its deep-tinted ruby rind, is described by one of the-old Jesuits who ate of it in this province, when fresh and glittering from the bough; ' tta " eo agreeable to th e t aste, t h at w h en you eat it you know flat When to have .7 0ne . ,, The second, though much coveted, is not so rich as the Lichi. For the purpose of sending them as dainties to the remotest parts ci the empire, these fruits are dried, and a very lucratitt piece of trade is established from them, for they are not only regarded as delicacies, but are con sidered highly wholesome, and are medicinally adminis teem to sick people. So great and populous a city as Foo-chow-foo cannot, of course ; iti art empire where intellectual merit is viewed with the highest veneration, be supposed to be without its crowd of colleges and institutions of an academic order, in which corresponding multitudes of learned men abound. Literature flourishes here, as ornamentally and us tullY ' is elsewhere in th e g r ea t to w ns o f Chi na . Th e probable utilitV• of these bodies of men to foreigners may be stirmised, From the circumstance that every city of the plc/Vitt& has its particular dialect, which differs from all the rest, and, of course, proves highly incommodious to the traveller. fofoohow•foo 'is that district whence the greatest quantity of Ms is furnished for consumption in Europe. The hills 4ieYe the tea is cultivated stretch abroad in every dife'ctiosi, The soil does not yield a sufficient quantity Of rice for home consumption ; however, the exports of timber, bamboo, and teas, more than balance the imports of rice and cotton. The whole region is very FtiniAntie ridges of undulating hills, naked in part, mid rattly cultivated, in form of terraces, up to the to, give • the whole a most picturesque aspect. Th e rier, -- 010 h leads up to the capital, is broad and v'na vigable as far as the city. Here are no fragments of att edifices, or other classic ruins, but a display of Chinese 'IL — art' e • A-o,l.try And skill in all its Variety. The vil lager and hamlets are • very numerous all along th e river ; often in beautiful situations. The Dutch anciently traded at this port ; but even tin; i . c , me iii!?ra!lee 2 f it is 6. ° 6, lon. now idstt The entrance of the river is inns,- 119. 55. Vertile fields, sown with wheat, nalsela 4- and plains Of sand, gave a divaraißed respect to the whole env.lrOnS,l A The river Min Is two miles broad where it &Sid& irate two branchei; We, rierthdra tad largest of which leads to Foci-chdtViko,.. TIIOO,IS mOdritain; bearing north- Wesi one-half west fri3id this i iipdi iii 4 iiorth bank of the river is a large canal, with two fathomi *ater on the south varying from one to three fathoms. On a nearer approach, numerous small craft are found, coasters from the Che-keang province, and vessels constructed purposely for the carriage of timber and bamboo. The next object which arrests attention is a great stem bridge ; a rude, but substantial structure, built quite across this broad river. It has a very long street, both sides of which are lined with shops, richly supplied with :every variety of merchandise. Many dwellings are spacious and commodious ; and, though of wood, ago built In an elegant Chinese style. The stone bridge which it possesses is about four hun dred and twenty pa !es long, built upon thirty-five huge pillars of geanite, and bears the name of Wan-show, " Myriads of ages !" Though built with extreme rude ness, and having all the defects of unskilful architecture, it is one of the m ea t f amous bridges in Cie empire. Du rability is a praise which it well deserves, considering its great length, the rapidity of the current, and the total absence of arches, The natives speak with admiration of Min-g tin, a for tress built on the declivity of a hill. The puce is ascended by granite steps; from the top is seen one of the finest views imaginable. The fortifications are built in the for nof tmaces ; several large trees overshadow the pre 6ipitous sides ; gardens adorn both valley and fort ; and 'the town is situated ut the foot of this ;auntie CANTON. Canton (Chinese Kwang-chow-foo and Chan-Chong) stands on the eastern bank of the Pekiang river, which flows from the interior in a navigable stream for 300 miles to this town, where it is fully broader than the Thames at London-bridge ; and after an additional course of 80 miles, falls into the southern sea of China. The town is surrounded by walls with a broad and deep ditch about five miles in circumference. It stretches about five miles along the banks of the river, and three miles in a contrary direction. It is defended towards the river by two high walls, mounted with cannon, and two fortresses built on two islands ; on the land side it has a strong wall and three forts. These forts and walls, how ever, would be totally unavailable in case of a regular attack conducted according to European warfare. No correct estimate of the population has ever been ob tained, but it is supposed to be fully as great as that of Calcutta, or nearly 1,000,000. The principal street ap propriated to Europeans is denominated China-street. Here are to be found the productions of every quarter of the globe. The factories of the different European Powers extend a considerable distance along the banks of the river at about 100 yards from the water. They consist of large handsome houses, on which are hoisted the flags of the different nations trading with the coun try. The British factory far surpasses all others in ele gance and extent. For the space of four or five miles opposite Canton, boats and vessels are ranged parallel to each other in close order, many of them 'occupied by numerous families who reside constantly on the water. In the middle of the river lie the Chinese junks, which trade with the Eastern Islands. Some of the junks are from 600 to 1,000 tons burden. They are extremely ill-built, almost unmanageable except before a wind, and . . require a crew of at least thirty men to every hundred tons. Canton was the only port in China open to vessels of every European nation. CANTON FORTS. The Chinese Government has expended very large stns in the vain endeavour to render the entrance of the Canton River impassable to European ships of war. The Alceste frigate forced her way, in 1816, almost without opposition,Thut since that period, additional forts have been built, and all the guns that could be collected have been placed in them with something•lilte a determination to succeed in the object. The armament of the forts is at present as follows, made by ships on the spot : Embrasures. Starboard hand, Old Anunghoy Fort 16 Starboard hand, New Anunghoy Fort 40 Larboard hand, Island battery, double tier Tiger Island battery ..• 32 Mounted Gunc. Total guns ll3 In the above account 'are not included two smaller - forts, which may be passed out of gun-shot range. AVIOY. • Amoy, which is variously called Etimuy, or Hiamen, is situated near the south-east coast of China, annexing the province of Fuh-kien. In circuit, it has a compass of about fifteen miles. and the great fort which was lately captured by the British arms was resorted to formerly by Europeans, but abandoned when foreign commerce was restricted to Canton. There are to be met with in its interior, and on the coast, several very large temples, par ticularly one of great celebrity, dedicated to the god Fo, whose statue, of colossal size, towers to a great height, and is much frequented by throngs of worshippers. The images of numerous other divinities are also seen, to gether with a host of strange allegorical paintings, and incense is burned perpetually on the altars. Amoy fort lies at the back of the town, about 400 yards from the shore, upon an eminence of small size. The front of the village is composed of a cluster of small houses, before which a long battery runs all along the shore, and much resembles Algiers, in appearance, from the sea. Imme diately opposite the town is a harbour, and -the channel itself is about three quarters of a mile in width, sepa rating Amoy from the island ofKoo-lang-soo, which also has its battery. The ckannel is about twelve fathoms in depth, and affords very excellent anchorage on the north part of the town. Amoy is the residence of numerous merchants, who are the owners of more than 300 large junks, and wlb carry on extensive sommerce not only to all the ports. of China; but to many. also in the Indian Archipelago, am! to Japan. It is considered as the grand emporium u the Fokien province. Most of the Formosa trade, which is extensive, is carried-on by-. the junks appertaning Amoy ;they go to all the western ports of the island, and eitherrreturn loaded with rice, -or go up to the north of China loaded_' With sugar. With regard to Fokien, its chief revenue arises from -the Amoy vessels, which pay according to ibeir burthen so much a ton. Th 6 Conceiving historical account will serve to show the various attempts which have been made on the part of the British from early times, to enter into mutual com merce with the people. As early as 1670, the English Company had instituted a very fair trade at Amoy, which tbr a time proved tolerably successful, but through some cause it gradually declined, and at length proved so un profitable and vexatious, that the Company in 1681, or dered their establishments there, as also at Formosa, to be withdrawn, and a trade, if possible, to be esta— blished in their stead at Cinton and Foo-chovv. Amoy was then taken possession of by the Tartars. These people have always shown a great disinclination to foreign trade, and the consequence was, that from the moment of their being planted in these parts, the Eng 'lish have been excluded from Ningpo and Amoy, having traded at this last place only while it remained indepen lent of the Mantchows, when they supplanted the Tar tars by conquest, and also some time after the rest of China had submitted to them. In 1685, the ship Delight was sent out by the English to attempt the re-establishment of the trade at Amoy, and about the same time active exertions were made by the Company towards securing a regular commerce at Canton. This trial, and others which succeeded, were ittcnded with various success, for the high duties and extortions which the rapacious Mandarins at this port endeavoured to put upon the English, drove them away in disgust. " The ignorance of the Amoy merchants," complain the English traders at this period (1734), "and the little encouragement they gave us, makes us almost despair of doing any business at that place." Another instance of the obstinacy of the Amoy Mandarins to trade with the British occurred in 1744, when the Hard wicke proceeded into the inner harbour. Her mer chants then showed no disposition to trade, while in fact . . there seemed few to trade with, and accordingly, after fifteen days of ineffectual trial, the Hardwicke left, and proceeded to India, during the monsoon, without a single article of cargo. In the attempts made in 1832 by the Lord Amherst, a small country ship, sent in charge of one of the Com pany's servants, accompanied by Mr. Gutzlaff, to estab- iish - if possible a surreptitious trade in opium at the pro hibited ports, Amoy was tried. On this occasion no device, or ingenuity, or enterprise, was spared to dispose of the goods on board, and to establish a traffic with the natives. These showed a very hospitable disposition towards strangers, but all commerce was effectually pre vented by the Mandarins, except in one or two instances. Vigilance was everywhere exercised to prevent trade. The people of Amoy, and those along the coast, ite tain an hereditary aptitude for the sea, and chiefly sup ply the Emperor's war-junks with sailors and comman ders. Two circumstances probably tend to maintain the maritime propensities of the inhabitants. First the pro vince near which it is situated is so far removed from the Grand Canal as to afford fewer inducements to inland navigation ; secondly, the proximity of the opposite coast of Formosa keeps up a constant intercourse by sea. The language or dialect of Amoy also, in common with that of the rest of Fuh-kien, is so peculiar as to be hardly intelligible elsewhere ; ch is always pronounced t; and hence the difference between the cha and tea for the great staple production of China ; the first name for tea being adopted by the Portuguese from Macao, and the second by the English from Amoy, when this port was first the seat of the English trade. Du Halde gives a highly favourable account of Amoy. He pronounces it to be a " famous sea-portr and form ing one of the best harbours in the world as a place for ships to ride at anchor. "It is hemmed in," he says "on one side by the islands, which are high, and shelter it from every wind ; it is also so spacious withal that it can contain many thousands of. vessels, and the sea there is so deep that the largest ships may come up close to the shore, and ride there in perfect safety. You see there" he continues, "at all times, a great num ber of Chinese barques, which are on their voyage to the countries bordering upon China, and about twenty years ago you might see there many European vessels, but now they come hither but seldom, and all the trade is removed to Canton. The Emperor keeps six or seven thousand men there in garrison, under the com mand of a Chinese General. In entering into the haven you double a cape or rock, and this divides itself into two, almost as the Mingaut does in the port of Brest. The rock is visible, and rises seve ral feet above the water, Three leagues thence stands a little island, having a hole through which you see from one side to the other, and on this account called the Bored island. Between this port and the• isle of Formosa, the islands of Pong-hou form a small archi pelago, which are occupied by a Chinese garrison, and the Mandarin who resides there has a, constant eye upon vessels that trade from China to Formosa, and from Formosa to China." Another traveller speaks of it in ,he following words:—" The coast of Amoy is washed )y the Chinese sea, which forms itself into a channel making the passage of Amoy. This channel is at all Practicable, though at those periods when the their changes, this, like all other parts of unsafe. Amoy is perhaps one of to be found along the coast ; •trface ; its depth of water of great burden, breakwater, val4t, nonsoons •he Chins shores, .... 'he best heitifal harbours t is ample, and getyerOly ealor e_ ;enders it capable . of teceiving Tem.- Ind the island of Formoss lies, like a grez. as a Menge foi the coast!' iiritctro, Ningpo is the chief city of a de-partnrent, and a place of extensive trade. The plain of Niftgtei which re sembles a garden for its levelness and cultivation, is livided by 66 canals made by the waters that fall from .he mountains ; this vast quantity of water, fertilising he plain, causes it to yield two crops of rice : t he w a ll s )1 Ningpo are 5,074 geometrical paces in circumference, mud from the eastern to the western gate, through a greet which lies almoSt in a perfect line, there are reckoned 5,274 large paces; the walls, built of free-stone, ire in good repair, and capable of resisting every thing mt cannon-balls. There is an entrance into the city through five gates, two of which are towards the east, is the port is on that side ; not to speak of the two water-gates, so called by the Chinese, which are two great arches that open through the walls to give passage for the barques in and out of the city to Lhe canals. On the south-west side there are no build ,ngs worth notice, except one tower, several stories 'sigh, built of brick, and before the eastern gate, which lies southward, there is a bridge over the Kin made of 16 flat-bottomed barques, fastened together with iron chains. The entrance into Ningpo is difficult, especially for large vessels, there being but 15 feet water over the bar in the highest tides. In coming up the river,.the.city , Tia -hai° hien, which is under its jurisdiction, is passed on the left hand ; it is c omman d e d by a citadel built on a high rock, by the foot of which all vessels must necessarily pass, at half the distance of a pistol-shot ; the river here is seven or eight fathoms deep, having salt-houses on each side, with towns. Ningpo is situated o n th e north bank, five or six • leagues up the river Ta-hea, the mouth of which is about nine leagues distant from Chusan harbour. Directly to the north-westward of this river is's deep gulf, the disemboguement of the river Tseen-tang. A few miles up the gulf is Hang-chow-foo, the capital of the province Che-kiang, a place celebrated for its silk. manu factures, and the seat of an extensive maritime as w ell'as inland trade. Kan-poo was formerly the port of Ilang chow, but the gradual accumulation of sands has ref dered it useless. BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF AUTHOR]. TIES AND PERSONS IN CHINA. CONFUCIUS, 'THE' CELEBRATED PHILOSOPHER. Lout Confucius was born in a town of the kingdom of of in the province of Chan-tong, just about two Yea of before the death of Thales, one of the seven sag the , Greece. He was contemporary with the famousTitt o ' st floras, and Socrates appeared soon after China ha" old this philosopher. Confucius was but three yearsdiea when he lost his father, called Tchc-lean - -he , wh° t est Ctina sw at the age of 73. 'The old man enjoye b d the higi. t. offices in the kingdom of Song, and left no other iiiheriv ante to his son but the honour of descending froni l lg the 27th Emperor of the second race o f Chang% mother, whose name was Ching, and who had her °r'l4; from the illustri o us f am ily of the Yen, lived : I ' l Y ea after the death of her husband. A grave and s e ri ous a i r mar k e d hi s youn ger daYs °el . t. A .Dt t 15, he applied hims e lf t o th e ser i ous stu dy of the m books, and stored his mind with maxims of virtue. . ho the age of 19 he married, and had •but one wife, vs f brought him a son c all e d Pe-yee, who died at t he age 50 ; his heir was T sou -t se , who trod in his father )'ears steps. The changes which he eff e ct e d w ithin a feff , in all the little kingdoms of which the empire consi st ._ e, were marvellous. His salutary ordinances banish ed and set up everywhere i n it s stead, modesty, virtue, i,eres perance, and sincerity. When at the age of 55 ' is : Lou raised to one of the chi e f o ffi ces i n t h e ki ng dom c" as his native country a in less than three month:3 ll s face s ; to changed, and the grandees and people had regi e ,. e the none but him. From thence he passed threttg ; ", f kingdoms of Tsi, Guci,. and Tsou, and the aust, el ;„ 44 c : o ll his morals made everywhere dreaded. His i n5 t ;7;; . 1 , 5 0- work of Tchun-tsiou was completed after his l' f 73 phical labours, and he finally died at the age ° in Tsou. A few days befor e hi s l as t di s t emper h e t o ld 1' m dise ciples, with tears in his eyes, that he was overe:ci in with grief at th e s i g ht o f the disorders which reig n ., t oo the empire. " The mountain is fallen," said he' ti ,p high machine is dem o li s h e d, an d t h e sages are all cc peared,"—meaning th ere by th at the edifice of P er '''' ve" which he had endeavoured to raise, was almost e ti the thrown. From that time h e b egan to l angu ish, ir ds seventh day before his death, turning himself tei v i low his disciples, "The Kings," said he, " refuse to fell my maxims, and since I am no longer useful on the e a s e it is necessary that I should leave" it."of words, he fell into it lethargy, and died in the en his disciples. LAMENTATIONS AT HIS DEATUr . t hen the first news of Confucius' death, .Ngai Cong, wa?, The reigned in the kingdom of Lou, broke into tears- ° s i n ce Tein (or . God) is not satisfied w ith me ," cr ied he, The y it has taken away Confucius." His SEPuLeualr h o s lts built his sepulchre ne ar th e c i ty Ki ou -f ou , on the - . c o - of the river S u , in dm same place, where he was i w i s ed turned to assemble his discipl es ; this has since been ine day , within walls, and lo o k s lik e a small city to this very' PERSON OF CoNrucies--His stature was tail RIV; a i r proportioned ; his breast and shoulders large ; es grave and majestic ; his complexion olive ; h is f i' s t large ; his beard long and black ; his nose a little fore , i his voice strong and sharp. On the middle of h is head there was a swelling or prominence, which a n the •lisfigured him, for which reason his father gave h!' lame of Kieou, which signifies Little Hill ; this mo ds sty ye -.vise the name he sometimes gave himself out of 111° of I ind humility. His DOCTRINES—The whole doctrine its . 1 :his philosopher tended to restore human nature 14 ' (twiner lustre. and that first beauty it received • tr. 1 I leaven, s i nce su lli e d b y t h e darkness of ignoiane.„:,---s -the contagion of vice. TAOU-K WANG, THE PRESENT EMPEROR OF . CHINA. of tbis This monarch, who no w swa y s th e destinies immense empire, ascend e d th e th rone on the SePteetal ber, 1820, upon the death of his father, lielvainF tai l although a contest for th e success i on b e t we en h°l2,a -his brother was at first apprehended, the claims of -L" t ;k. Kwang were peaceably ack now l e d ge d ; an d on his d i e ;I ing on himself the reins of Gov ernmen t, he assior we , name of Yuen-hung, under which he is scarcely' 'i n fs among Europeans. Taou-Kwang, is, on the whole 4 0 ;„ vourably spoken of, being represented to be de be° ,, e ltf lent disposition, and not given to th ose acts oL , ~,„ ow or despotism which have disgraced many of his a lit tors. He has several children by the late Ea l P do). The second son, having shown signs of a rebellious .„, t , .position, has been dispatched to the Monkdon A ft "' with strong injunctions to treat him with severitP, Taou-Kwang, although a despotic Monarch, i s be tirely at the mercy of the ministerial Mandarins , l i e f , form " the interior Council Chamber," and the , e ,, v 3 Councillors are four in number, two Tartars, ano t ,4 Chinese ; the former always taking precedence. 13e h 'er these are a number of assessors, who form the c " - p l ar, ' Council of State. A peculiar feature of the Govev° 3 „, e s. is the office of censors, who are, properly speaking , , s „reti By the ancient custom of the empire they are Pril„,,,"" o at to present any remonstrance to the Sovereign, "'Air danger of losing their lives, but they are frequently ter s graded, if their advice is unwe l come . Th es e Mill t he also dictate the measures to be pursued, and ke e p , his Emperor entirely ignorant of the principal eve nts .i.aloted empire; and he in all p r ob a bility was no t aCqu with the formidable arm amen t i nva di ng his territe r at till the thunder of the British ar till er y resoundet b i ers Nankin, and awakened him from hi s ce l e stial sill° of fatal security. • free s Taou-Kwang, genealogically derives his origin ce e: Tartar extraction, and from the following cireumste n —ln the year 1644, Pekin was besieged and takl i oe s the rebel Li-tse-tching, who, on th e E m peror Heai: t we d and his consort killing themselv es i n d e spair, ss .u 3eo - the imperial title ; he was opp ose d by Prince Ou . . st Kouei, who invited the Mantchow T ar t a rs to his mince.; when upon the usurper bei ng defeated, a l ( 1 t he length killed by some peasants, the Tartars Ow e a ge. nephew of their Sovereign, a child o f seve n years of on the throne of China. n att o In 1649, the Tartars, having completed the eeq, n 0" of China, the year is reckoned as the first of the rati o/ 4 Chun-tsi, with whom began the twenty-second cir„ o w of Tsing, of which race the sixth Emperor is " reigning. a g, First Emperor, 1649, Chun-tsi ; Second Li tl ,rg ; 1664, Kang-hi ; Third Emperor, 1734, Yong -— r er, Fourth Emperor, 1735, Kien-long ; Fifth EmP i e seo, 1796, Kea-king ; Sixth and prese n t Emperor, Taou-Kwang. The lofty title Taou-Kwang, " the glory of re si n. L gb tu was chosen by the Emperor fo r hi mse lf; and . tha s better in his personal character than hi s father, yell as yet been hardly supported. The most disgrac e :7 3o of of his administration has been th e mur d e r, in I," the Mahomedan Tartar Prince, J e h ang hir, v n l o ises• surrendered himself in reliance on th e f a ith of Pr° to Taou-Kwang is now about fifty-six years of Dr.. ; e , and thin, and of a dark compl ex i on . O n his deee'". t o Regency is expected. Occasion a lly thi s g reat rul er r ; ac lord of ten thousand years, cond escen ds to give s i oro count of his conduct to his people; but his petal' s t t4e.• clamation is chosen from the best models of hiss t he cessors, just as one might make a poem out elide d " Gradus ad Parnassurn. ' The greatest points t itt res - io are, that it should be exceedin g ly c l ass ical in 1; i eat sion, and written in a very elegant hand. It iS w..,„fre• into the Pekin Gazette, and distributed over the °gob. The late Emperor issued one just before hi s bieotl , Having caught cold out hunting, he informs his 5 .. , 11 st of "Having whipped my horse across the rootlin' ;- d sr Kwan-jiu, I felt the phlegm rise to suffocation, a rl s t hat le . prehended I should not recover." He then ord er the ~19 , all the great officers should cut off their tails, s_ o ds, ladies of the harem and the Empress shave their for a and that all public • documents should be written twelvemonth in blue ink. nO l,llll. THE LATE CHINESE EMPRESS, NEVirIC- •re The Chinese Empresses of the Celestial .e___ ln P i n o; neither in the ancient nor modern history of Chi R o yal with particular mention. Mere appendages to th e ..,„ sir' person of the Emperor, there appear to have beena w cumstances which have called for their appear: 6 'w° yond the walls of the Imperial Palace. 1 Leo a Empress Newkooluh appears, however, to have wits person of great worth, and at her death a new ci_ l o °_!,' issued, in which her excellent virtues were held I the strongest ing with kindness towards all, lovely and winning, sh e language of conjugal affection. OveLroliveld 2ontrol over the hearts of those around her not by al' or BreP er , authority, but by gentleness and forbearance. The her, confessed in this document his strong atta,chmeat bu s _ re _ and on account of the above sterling qualities wt.Lo,Phitt, •Vailed upon to make her his spouse, and the head " r h s lightened the burden of government, and the hearts. transfused around the Court conciliated all th eir e d to e ar r: harem. Three happy years thus passed : her icnitl cnolus Soon, however, were these scenes of bliss eliang sadness, and her unfortunate partner felt hinasoera. or_ and forsaken. Ther e was on e good quality since she she was especially eminent—filial piety, aila name was became a pattern to the Court, her posthumous il__wa___ srdered by the Emperor to be " Ileaou-tseue , ! 01 "b; how, Empress Perfectibility of Filial Obedience.. very were , lendour. The Mongol Princes as great • the Korea; tribute -bearer white The burial of Newkooluh was celebrated go in mourning, and even h all Lis suite, the whi ordered to wear' sincerely s laoented brightest Her decease was dream of mourning. Hf h was one ea the brigh cl that by all who knew her, 1,2 r e But when we rea urine jewels in the highest eirc.es- e•rief, the mono for a time, with d t o strike after so much display of sincereordered ~its re up t o make the ca. almost th directed t o according ofriclioing mostto Chinese voig, then we sound with the merry peal of • „ e ither all feel `rains o din form, or the m t totes of were ing was absorbed were to be exchanged for the e ; deep-felt suffering Itiviionuersiete eatiicirsu,e_tattille dull care for ever. revel and mirth, to expel doubt whether, in this land of cerelmoneje,rn,.o CHINESE OFFICERS. ADMIRAL KIVAN.—It was this Chinese officer vvb° conducted the transactions with Sir Frederick Maitland, and at a later period commanded the squadron of war" junks, that e ncountered the Volage and yacinth' No%ewber 3d. He mustered his fleet in considerable force at ChuenPee, and prepared for aggressive me ss with great celerity, aided by a multitude of ftesveoge' ' 1/4