The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1857-05-15

STATE DKPAHrnENr.


correspondent who has resided for the last thirteen years
in Ningpo writes follows:
Ningpo is destined to become important mart.
whenever it shall suit the interest of foreigners TO avail
themselves of its peculiar advantages The city stu
ated between the fork of the river which divides into two
branches at this point with populous suburbs either
side The streets wider than those any city have
before in China and the people the merchants and
gentry apparently superior in their physical develop
ment to those of Canton, Annoy Shanghai, and Of
fairer complexion,
son my return here there some eight ten for
eign vessels of different nations in the port and
fleet of junks and also Chineseowned steamer in
dcative of the of the Chinese trade this port
scores of smaller craft were laid up and housed upon either
bank of the river the wooden anchors buried in the mud
to protect them from the influence of the These
vessels chiefly employed in the coastng trade and
thus protected while waiting for the northeast mon
The approach to the port of Ningpo presents par
ticular difficulties. Good anchorage be obtained of
keaw point, in the inner or outer harbor OF Chusan
on at Lookong, opposite TO and about ten miles distant
from Chnhai The harbor of Chinhai is perfectly safe and
capable of aong entrance to vessels of large draught
The river although in places having only two and
half fathoms in the channel at low water, has no dan
gers such have been laey created by the repre-
hensble practice of throwing ballast overheard and at
the top of high water, vessels of heavy draught might
be safely towed out to sea by steam tug
In consequence of the prevalence of piracy upon this
coast considerable share of the carrying trade of China
is carried in foreign bottoms will be seen, most
of the vessels employed under other than American
flags Many of them old and unseaworthy ships,
which have been purchased by the Chinese for this pur
pose These vessels have been allowed 70 enter freely
and discharge their cargoes and reload again ut the
ports of Wan-chau and Png-uyan, (or Bing-tn,) in
this province and also at Swallow and other portss
in the provinces of Fuh-kien and Canton This trade
promises to increase and is worthy of important
consideration, not only capable of furnishing en-
ploymcnt to quite number of American vessels that
are sometimes detained waiting for cargoes but tend
ing to throw open to foreign trade ports in China to which
foreigners not allowed by existing treaties IL
appears to that American vessels of draught not OK
cecdng sixteen feet (when loaded might be very adva
tagcousy employed in this trade between Ningpo and
Fuh Chou, between Swatow and Hong Kong and that
if arrangements could be made to Their cygoes many
Chinese merchants would gladly avail themselves OF the
opportunity to employ them. ts%
..During the month Of April 1856, there arrived at
Ningpo vessels under the American flag under Brit
s under Hamburg, and under Danish flag
sAt Chinha at the mouth of the Yung river there is
high water at full and change of the moon, 4 hours
rise and fall Of tide 6 feet AT Ningpo IL statute miles
from Chnha, high water at full and change OF moon,
Sc minutes; rise and fall Of the tide, IL feet Max
mum temperature ia August l02 deg. Fahrenheit; mini
mum in February % deg Number OF rainy days in one
year, 1872 amount of rain in year. 80 TO 80 inches
The to rise before the current turns to
run up the river and the ebb makes at the sides of the
river some time before the current has ceased to run up in
its middle After heavy rains the current frequently con-
nues seward for two three days During strong north
easerly winds the ebb is retarded and the water rises
and change. The converse holds good during s, w.
winds BY the time vessel at anchor in the middle OF
the river begins to swing with the tide the water has
already fallen from three to six feet The department OF
Nngpo produces annuPy about 90 900 chests large and
smaD of green teas, about TO- 600 pcus The picnl
Is the same as that at Canton, 1884 pounds The de-
partmcnt of Shanging adjoining Nngpo, produces
n,aly about 40, 900 chests Qarge and small or about
II 900 Is piculs Green teas may also be brought
to Nngpo from Ycacan Tor Nyintsin) in this province,
and from Hwinchan, in the province OF Nganhw adj
Joining Chikiang These teas carried to Shang
hal inland at considerable expense for transportation,
and must pass the custom-house at Hangohau where
for every picul weight transit duty is levied of five
Tor nace) upon the teas two duty upon the
lead used in the lining of the teaches and mace for
inspection fees, &c. E.
o these has been added since the breaking out Of the
Kwang- 81 rebellion military duty of eight mace, ma
king total of tacl six per picul gross weight
In addition it is said that the custom officers at Hang
chau extort from the tea merchants by compelling them
to reckon 70 cates picul and to pay duties accord
ngly
If the teas above referred to brought TO Nngpo,
they might be shipped at considerably lower price than
they be shipped for at Shanghai by this route the
cost of transportation would be much diminished, and
the transit duties and extorons of the Hangchau custom
house would be entirely avoided There three estab
sments in Ningpo for asserting and preparing green
teas for the foreign market, the workmen in which are
principally from Hwinchan 1t is very difficult to
tain what additional transit duties have been imposed
upon foreign goods at these inland custom houses since
the commencement of the rebellion but from the best
information can obtain believe it amounts upon do
mestcs' to from ten to twenty cents per bale.
1.-THE following enumeration embraces the different
kinds of green teas grown and prepared in the vicinity Of
Nngpo:
ssGunpowdcr first, second and third quality; young
hyson, first second third, fourth, and fifth quality
imperial Hover first and second quality imperial pearl
first and second quality Lunglo, first quality old
ond quality, old Tyson, hyson skin