Colour of the
water.
Tides on the
western side of
the Gulf.
Bottom of
Gulf.
very bottom of the Gulf, it could not be discerned till in
three and a half fathoms. I t may be said generally, that at
ten miles distance the soundings are from four and a half to
six fathoms; at twelve miles, from six to eight fathoms.
There is a wonderful uniformity in the depth from the Pei-ho
round to the south-east corner of the Gulf; the bottom is
mud, sometimes a little gritty, particularly towards the
southern parts.
The colour of the water was mostly of the same dirty
yellow or green which was observed off the Pei-ho, but we did
not observe any red coloured water, as was frequently
noticed a t that place; a t the bottom of the Gulf, indeed,
there were several changes in the colour of the water,
accompanied by long lines of foam, indicating, it would
seem, the vicinity of a great river.
On the west side of the Gulf the ebb tide runs to the
south-east by south, and the flood north-west by west;
the periods are very regular, being generally about six
hours: they vary, however, in rapidity. As we anchored
on the flood we were enabled to measure its velocity; as we
got deep in the Gulf it decreased : at the Pei-ho it frequently
ran two and two and a half knots, but far south it was
sometimes hardly perceptible; it is worthy of notice, too,
that the perpendicular rise and fall decreased from ten feet
off the Pei-ho, to one, or a t most two feet, in the bottom of
the Gulf.
The most southern point of our track was 37° 15' north ;
a t this time we eould perceive the low coast stretching to the
east and west; the distance it is difficult to assign very
accurately, but it was probably seven or eight miles, for
with a glass we could perceive a number of people on the
shore. I took great pains to ascertain the latitude stated
above, by the meridian altitudes of several stars; the
longitude is 1 ° 39' east of the Pei-ho, or 119° 28 east of
Greenwich.
The coast from the south-west corner of the Gulf to the southeastern side different
peninsula of Teu-choo-foo, is of a totally different character
from that opposite to it, for it is high, and well marked : 'a
iange of mountains stretches from south-west to north-east,
at the distance of three or four leagues inland; their outline
is peaked, and they are intersected by deep ravines without
any verdure ; the summits are also barren.
One of these mountains is very remarkable, having two MoimtEiiu.
peaks or paps by which it can be distinguished a t the
distance of fifty miles, and bears the same aspect when
viewed from all parts of the Gulf. I t lies in 37° 6 north,
and 2° 1 1 ' east of the Pei-ho, or 120° east of.Greenwich. I t
has been called Mount Ellis, in honour of Mr. Ellis, the third
commissioner of the Embassy.
Between this range of hills and the shore, there is a lower Aspect of ,i ° coast.
belt of elevated ground in a state of high cultivation, covered
with many towns and villages, and interspersed with scattered
trees and several extensive woods; the ground, too,
presents a varied surface, so that the whole offers a pleasing
contrast with the rugged land behind. There are two small
islands on this line of coast; the southern one lies in 37° 21'
north, and 2 ° 5' east of the Pei-ho; the other is in 37° 2 8 ',Me,> I,k‘-
north, and 2 ° 19' east of the Pei-ho. Dongia» uiand.
There is a dangerous shoal about five leagues off the Dangeromshoai.
shore, abreast of these islands, upon which the Lyra nearly