however the beft that it was poffible for them to procure by any
exertions.1
Havihg finifhed this land journey, o f about twenty-four
miles, in the courfe o f the day, we lodged at Pu-Jhan-Jhein, a
fmall city o f mean appearance and the following day embarked
on flat-bottomed barges, remarkably long and narrow, on the
river Long-Jbia-tong; but two complete days, o f heavy rain
obliged us to remain quietly at anchor.
On the 24th o f November we dropped down the river which
by the rains was fwelled to an enormous fize and in fome
places had overflowed its banks, though in general high and
rocky compofed o f a deep brown-coloured freeftone. Several
rice mills were fo completely inundated, that their thatched
roofs were but juft vifible above the furface o f the water;
others were entirely walhed aw a y ; and the wrecks o f them
fcattered upon the banks o f the river. A veflel o f our fquadron
was upfet upon the roof o f one o f thefe mills.
During two days fail the furface o f the country was hilly
and well wooded with camphors, firs, and taliow-trees; but as
we approached the Po-Tang lake, a fmall inland fea, it began
to afliime the uniform appearance o f an extended marih, without
any vifible figns o f cultivation : here and there a few fmall
huts, Handing on the brink o f pools o f water, with twice the
number o f fmall boats floating or drawn up on ihore, fuificiently
indicated the occupation o f the inhabitants. In this part o f the
country
country we had an opportunity o f feeing the various .means
praitifed by the Chinefe to catch fiih: rafts and other, floating
veflels with the fiihing corvorant: boats with moveable planks
turning on hinges, and painted fo as to deceive fiihes on moonlight
nights and entice them to leap out o f the water upon the
planks; nets fet in every fo rm ; and wicker baikets made ex-
aftly in the fame manner as thofe ufed in Europe. Large
gourds and blocks of wood were floating on the water, in order
to familiarize the various kinds o f water-fowl to fuch objeifs,
which gave the Chinefe an opportunity, by flicking their heads
into gourds or earthen pots and keeping their bodies under
water, to approach the birds in a gentle manner fuificiently
near to take them by the legs and draw them quietly under
the water; a method which is faid to be pradifed by the natives
o f South America.
The nearer we approached the great lake Po-yang, the more
dreary was the appearance o f the country ; and for the diftance
o ften miles around it, or at leaft on the fouth and weft fides,
was a wild wafte o f reeds and rank grafles, fuch as the Scirpus,
Cyperus, and bulruihes, interrupted only by ftagnant pools o f
water. Not a human dwelling o f any defcription was to be
feen. This place may juftly be confidered as the fink o f China,
into which rivers fall from every point o f the compafs. It is
fcarcely poffible for the imagination to form to itfelf an idea o f
a more defolate region than that which furrounds the Po-yang
lake. The temperature was fo reduced, by the circumambient
waters, that on the 27th November, with drizzling fhowers,
the thermometer was down to 48-° in the forenoon. We failed
near four whole days over the fame kind o f country and came,
towards