was about fifty-two degrees at fun-rife, to feventy degrees at
noon. A conftant clear and cloudlefs iky.
T h e numeious canals and rivers, tbat in every direction inter-
fedt the province o f Kiang-nan, and by which itis capable o f being
flooded to any extent in the dryeft feafons, render it one o f
the moft valuable and fertile diftrias Jn the whole empire. Every
part o f it, alfo, having a free communication with the Yellow
Sea by the two great fivers, the Whang-ho and the Tang-tfe-
kiang, it has always been confidered as the central point for
the home trade ; and, at one time, its chief city Nankin was
the capital o f the empire. That beautiful and durable cotton
of the fame name is here produced and'fent to the port o f
Canton ; from whence it is ffiipped o ff to the'different parts
o f the world. The Chinefe rarely wear it in its natural
colour, except as an article o f mourning; but export it chiefly,
taking in return vaft quantities o f unmanufadlured white cotton
from Bengal and Bombay, finding they can purchafe this
foreign wool at a much cheaper rate than that at which the
nankin fells. For mourning dreffes and a few other purpofes
white cotton is made ufe of, but in general it is dyed black or
blue : among fome o f our prefents were alfo pieces o f a beautiful
fcarlet. Near moft o f the plantations o f cotton we Obferved
patches o f indigo; a plant which grows freely in all the
middle and fouthern provinces. The dye o f this ffirub being
no article o f commerce in China Is feldom, i f ever, prepared
in a dry ftate, but is generally employed to communicate its
colouring matter from the leaves, to avoid the labour and the
lofs that would be required to reduce it to a folid fubftance.
We
We obferved that, in the cotton countries, almoft every cottage
had its garden o f indigo. As in ancient times, in our own
country, when every cottager brewed his own beer'; kept his
own cow for milk and butter ; bred his own ffieep, the wool o f
which being fpun into yarn by his own family was manufactured
into cloth by the pariih weaver ; and when every peaiant
raifed the materials for his own web o f hempen cloth ; fo it ftill
appears to be the cafe in China. Here there are no great farmers
nor monopolifts o f grain; nor can any individual nor
body o f men, by any poflibility, either glut the market, or withhold
the produce o f the ground, as may beft fuit their purpofe.
Each peafant is fuppofed, by his mduftry, to have the means
o f fubfiftence within himfelf; though it often happens that
thefe means, from adverfe circumftances which hereafter will
be noticed, fail o f producing the defired effeâ.
In the province o f Kiang-nan each grows his own cotton ; his
wife and children fpin it into thread and it is woven into a web
in his own houfe, fometimes by his own family, but more, frequently
by others hired for the purpofe. A few bamboos con-
ftitute the whole machinery required for this operation. Money
he has none ; but his produce he can eafily barter for any little
article o f neceffity or luxury. The fuperfluities o f life, which
thofe in office may have occafion to purchafe, are paid for in
bars o f filver without any impreffion, but bearing value for weight,
like the Roman as or the HebrewJhekel. Thé only coin in circulation
is the Tchen, a piece of fome inferior.metal mixed with
a fmall proportion o f copper, o f the value o f the thoufandth
part o f an ounce o f filver ; with this fmall piece o f money the
4 c little