Page:Journal Of The Indian Archipelago And Eastern Asia Series.i, Vol.4 (IA in.ernet.dli.2015.107697).pdf/187



As the large inland city of Chiang-chau has been but seldom visited as yet by any European, a short account of a visit which I paid to it lately may not perhaps be altogether uninteresting That city lies in a westerly direction, or west by north, about 35 or 40 miles from the city of Amoy, and is the chief city of the large district of Chiang-chau in the province of Hokkien. This was the second time I had been there, so the scenery which presented itself to my view, though still full of exciting interest, appeared divested of much of the strangeness which its whole aspect bore on my first visit.

It was on the morning of Friday the 28th of December last, that with a few friends I went before daylight on board a Chiang-chau fast boat which we had previously engaged, and at once we com- menced sailing up the inner harbour of Amoy. When day began to dawn we found ourselves opposite Pagoda Island, and already passing it lying on our left. The wind and the tide both being in our favour we soon left the island far behind us, and were proceed- ing rapidly in a westerly course across the expansive bay towards the mouth of the Chiang-chau river. Our boat-men knew the course well, otherwise we should have been somewhat at a loss to know whither to steer, as nothing appeared before us for a long time but a seemingly unbroken boundary of land. But on approaching nearer, the river gradually opened out before us, the winding direction of its course behind the rising ground having previously hidden it from our view. While proceeding up the river we saw traces all along of its having formerly spread itself over a wide extent of ground lying at each side of its course. But now extended embankments keep it within narrower limits, and the recovered land is usefully employed in the production of paddy, or of a long sort of grass from which ropes and mats are made. Still sailing rapidly with the tide up the river, we soon arrived opposite the large and picturesque-looking town of Hai-teng; and after about another hour's sailing we reached the town of Chioh-bey. This town lies about half way between Amoy and Chiang-chau; and both it and Hai-teng are on the south side of the Chiang-chau river. Chioh-bey is a long and narrow but very populous town, the houses generally forming nearly parallel rows running along in the direction of the river. I have been twice visiting the people of that town, and have found them,—like the generality of the inhabitants of the towns and villages around Amoy,—always very affable and friendly. In increasing crowds they followed us walking along their streets; eagerly they accepted the Christian tracts or books in their language which we had taken