resort; from thb earliest p e rish of the-uhiondf the-Ghi-s
irgse, ,into one- empire. The 'annals otkthets cbun.d^, con-
firmed fiy tradition, mention that»a northerhifbranch of
thejgreat Yellow riyer on.ce fell into ■the^gulf^of P ekiii;
and continued in that courser, until thdrvlolen*p^®toir'
rents raised a-mound which ^ increased hy^prodagicins 42s
forts of human labour, threwThe woil^iof the^rivdBan-to
the eastern biancfi^twhic^^bw^cejaye^ts the total-.jhra’S.s
pf waters^ of that' vas,t flood through ,theiipjEpyihpe; oT
Kiang-nan into the Yellow; sea. . The .aneient map|edf
China show the original ,diyr#;n of the, Yellow^iver into
two branches; but those maps so ^ ififu ^ k 'rtd incorrect,
-that it is not perfectly ol^Srjw.h'4t#pf theinortHerrl
branchvwas added to the rivers- at T ie n -S g ^ e r whether
it joined the gulf alone* »but if theforftter twexe tjp j^ s ^
the expanse of waters round which-that,oi?|s*.;was erefcfc
ed* must have been still moio?4cinsId^:b|e ihl&ifel rfow
appears; jfeid it is according!y%ifij^Osented>;in »ancient
m a p much larger-, than it is at prji&Hk, particularly in
that of Marco Polo, in which Tien-sing-ois^cafl-ed»Gitta'
celeste. It was already, at that timet ^in^^fe^f-h’^ f e n ih
century) in the rafik of ,a c i t f ; but it longibeSfeeir-aRvits
former termination .of Tieii-sing-wee in the. Chinese
tongue implies^the character only of a town, of little note
and confined jurisdictions WherCYer a town was built
in remote antiquity, and is still inhabited, the original
houses must have often, in the course of ages, yielded to
shew "eieVeioW raised, ih sra ^ tti^ su re , upon The former Passage up
ruins. The foundations of buildings in'existence now, =*■■■.■
are"‘cfifefcf()ie’^ u ro fe ^ l e\ratetl,■ tfiajr those whieh stood
prior^tfo^uch ^^uaMteEumtolktaon.’ Tuef present city
S^e^gpcToft^ecjueft'tly, tOT^pfuillHan a rising ground,
»tho'-'.-'di^^'dty siiS|'f^e’rCou*n‘tr^ falls iniWM perfect flat,
'awd^tlike thc'fst'a4pfl'fe%i,iTs one simul’ilWbpHS plane f ermif
Mitt drotilV b“y r livuto] iron.
The lands, ^asothc^Ciadrass^ipr^deeded’ »continued to
appei^cultiYStbcl w ith $]$hitWosr Litre. Mbstlofilhe fields
*\Vt fp( (ifdTfhjs iMi rffFWli, i"m I, of Tien¥rng^wi'th the
^^c^for^/fMfe/bibBarbadoes.iil'illdvdiftiSLgui^hed b y »the
GhineS'Sfeuhdef'the mi mb aV%^r-rf?dng; or ^ofty corn.' It is 1
cbfe'apbn rrqr th era.’pbWijiclIsf: where
'^db^bly4t?H^ ^ th e’g rfi!ts# airltiv 'ated , -as ,it apptears in,-
«Infffent <Chil^’Pbol)ft,s,) thaf'mpalsrirts’ ai^tljlaoit-y were
# f^ riaM ^ a'scerfain’ed by trariilmbe^s/bflhisgrain which
^he^fcontained..' Thais ohibilj'uhdred«grains .would fill a
tMo ,-oand this measure'was', multiplied and divided in
^eormal ^proportions. Distances,?or mealtp-es of l'ybgth,
»and afe'o WeightS'i ’ Were Iiib^se-'calcurlated from standards
taken from the ^mfeSgfain. The straw or stalks.of
thi#5ehM^^i^l)o-^tiff and firm for tlfe^u-^^g wjhiph - such
a Material is'!'gtnferally applied1 :el's^<H%g. But coarse
mats aresometime^made »©f them, and laths -to'receive
plaster for 'wall| and :-ceilings. The lower part of the
^ alk , together’with the c-root,, 'serve for fuel, .except