P r o v in c e o f
K y a n g - n a n .
I s l e o f
T so n g - m in g .
“ nothing in winter; it is certain they do not feed them
“ for three or four months at Peking, while the. very cold
u weather lafts; what they live on in the mean time, under the
“ ice, it is not eafy to underftand, except we fuppofe, either that
“ they find little worms in the roots of herbs, which grow at
“ the bottom o f the ponds, or elfe, that pieces o f roots thetn-
felves, being foftened by the water, become proper food for
“ them j but thofe which, to prevent their being frozen, are
“ taken into the houfes, and kept all winter in a chamber, often
“ flint up in a china veflel, without being fed. at all, are
“ tow'ards fpring put into the bafins. again, where they fport
“ with the fame flrengfh and agility as they did the year before.
“ One would imagine they knew their maflers, and thofe who
“ carry them food, by their being fo ready to rife at their ap-
“ proach. The greateft lords themfelves delight in feeding
ft them with their own bands, and fpend fome time to obferve
“ their nimble motions, and fporting in the water.”
F r o m the eftuary o f the Tcben-tang-tebiang the land bends
towards the north-weft. The next-province to Yche-tchang is
Kyang-nan. On the fouthern fide of the entrance into the. bay
of the great river leading to Nanquín, is the ifland of Yfong-ming,
ninety miles in length, in the breadth about twenty. It was
originally a fandy fpot overrun with reeds, to which it was cufto-
mary to banifla robbers and all kinds o f profligates; neceflity
compelled them to induftry; they cleared the ground, fowed
the few feeds they brought with them, and by the afliftance of
fome Cbinefe who came from the continent to fettle among
them, made a barren land fruitful. Other families arrived; the
4 ifland
ifland was divided among them, and the fhares granted in perpetuity,
on the payment o f a fmall yearly rent o f the produce of
their labor. It is at prefent well flocked with buffaloes and hogs, -
and bears the ufual grain and fruits o f the neighboring
continent; among the laft, it is remarkable for its fine
peaches.
T h e a p p r o a c h to Nanquin is n o w v e r y d i f f i c u l t , t h e c h a n n e l
b e in g o b f t r u d t e d b y fa n d , fo t h a t t h e g r e a t e r ih ip s c a n n o t e n t e r .
The Chinefe poffibly might remedy this, but it is fuppofed they
wiihed rather to promote their inland trade than launch into
diftant commerce.
T h e great and rapid Whang-ho-hoo- alfo empties itfelf r IVEr -
into the ocean near the northern boundary o f this province. Whang‘ho-
Some leagues farther, oppofite to the little ifle Yun-tay-pan, in
about Lat. 34° 31', begins the province of Shan-tung. From
thence the land changes its courfe, and trends to the north-eaft
as far as Ghin-pan-wey. 'The correfpondent coaft to China, all
the way from the mouth o f the Yellow river, is the kingdom o f
Korea, and the intermediate fpace is named Whang-hay, or the
Yellow fea. The promontory o f Shan-tung advances greatly, and y e l l o w S e a
forms the entrance into the gulph o f Pe-che-li, which is bounded
by part o f the province of Shan-tung, of Pe-che-li, and o f Lyau-
ting, a portion o f Chinefe Tartary, and finally by the weftern
coaft o f Korea.
W i t h i n the gulph, in Lat. 37* 48', is the city and port o f T e n - c h o o - f o o .
Ten-choo-foo.. On the part o f the province more falient, towards
the north, a number o f fmall ifles ftretch out ftill further. This
port is a very fine one, and has a ftrong garrifon and fleet to
guard the cpaft.
A m o n g