Page:History of the Indian Archipelago Vol 3.djvu/543

 ARTICLES OF IMPORTATION. 572 of transport is not proportionally enhanced, so much as in the case of the black teas. * The natural and obvious channels by which the teas of r^hina would be exported to foreign coun. tries are wholly different from that to which the Chinese force it. Black teas, instead of being con- veyed by a land journey of about 360 miles, to Canton, are readily conveyed to the maritime city of Fou-chu-fu by an easy voyage on the river Min, of four days, in the most favourable season, and by a voyage of twice that length in the least favourable. The green teas are still more easily transported to the coast on the Yan-che- kiang, one of the greatest and finest rivers in China, which runs through the province of Kiang- nan, and brings the teas from the spot on which they are produced, direct to the coast. The marts to which they are brought are exactly those places, especially those in Fokien, where the natives are the most remarkable for their mai-itime enter- prise, and from which, in fact, by far the largest portion of the native foreign trade of China is conducted. Including the province of Che-kiang, which produces the greatest quantity of the raw and manufactured silk of China, the provinces of Fokien and Kiang-nan are the great marts for dis- tribution to the more northern provinces, of the • I am indt-btt-d for many of the facts here adduced to a little printed tract by Mr Biill ol our factory at i]acao.