Page:The costume of China, illustrated in forty-eight coloured engravings.pdf/89

 THREE VESSELS LYING AT ANCHOR

In the River of Ning-po.

The middle vessel, with the stern in view, was a trading ship without cargo; in this the peculiar construction of the stern is exemplified, being hollowed into an indented angle, for the protection of the rudder, which is lifted out of the water by a rope, to preserve it. The Chinese characters over the rudder, denote the name of the vessel; and the bisected cone against the stern, is appropriated to the same use as the quarter-galleries of our ships.

The small vessel was hired for the service of the Embassy, and employed in transporting baggage; the larger vessel conveyed a part of the Embassy from Ning-po, to Tchu-san, where they embarked on board the Hindostan, for Can-ton. The prow of this vessel has a singular appearance, the upper part of the stern terminating in two wings, or horns. Thesmall boat (or Sam-paan, as called by the Chinese) is a necessary appendage to vessels of this size.