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IV. SHANG-HAI. THE port which we now arrive at bears an important relation to late events, as will be seen by a description of its situation and commercial character. Shang-hai is situated on the Woo-sung, which flows into the estuary of the great river YANG-TSE-KIANG, or, Child of the Ocean. This latter is one of the most extensive rivers in the world, and passes over two thousand seven hundred miles of country in its circuitous route.

The advantageous position of Shang-hai, not only with respect to this river, but to the most important tea-districts which lie to the south, has caused it to become a great emporium of trade in general. The distance from Ning-po, the last port described, to Shanghai, cannot much exceed one hundred miles.

The position of the capital of China, (Pekin,) and of the great canal which stretches nearly a thousand miles from north to south through China, should be traced on the map, in order that the reader may understand the importance of the towns which are seated at and near the embouchure of the Yang-tse-Kiang. From the fertile districts around the mouth of this river the supplies VOL. XXII.

of rice, tea, and other provisions for the capital are chiefly drawn; the northern provinces being for the most part sterile, and insufficient in produce. Hence it follows that an enemy gaining possession of the principal seats of trade on that part of the river, is enabled at pleasure to cut off the supplies from Pekin and the adjacent country, having at command that northern branch of the canal which affords the great means of conveyance. It is not surprising then that the occupation of Ching-kiang-foo, and the approach towards Nankin, (both on this river), lately effected by the British, should at once put an end to the war, by impressing on the Chinese the necessity of an immediate submission.

The privilege of trading at such an emporium as that of Shang-hai will be therefore highly advantageous for the British. It is the great means of communication with Shantung and the coast of the Manchoo Tartars on the north, and with the tea district on the south. The climate both at Shang-hai and Ning-po is in summer oppressively hot, but in winter very severe, so that there is a great demand for broad cloths and furs.

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In the passage from Ning-po to Shang-hai Mr. | Lindsay, in the Amherst, passed inside the Chusan archipelago, a passage then probably made for the first time by a European ship: it was accordingly named the Amherst's Passage. The set of the tide was found to run north-east and south-west, right out of the large estuary of Che-kiang, which does not appear to discharge a powerful stream into the ocean; the sea being quite salt at low water, but of a thick muddy colour. The depth of water varies from six to eight fathoms, with a soft mud bottom.

The northern group of the Chusan islands are bold and rocky; on the smaller ones scarcely a blade of grass flourishes, and they offer a great contrast to the verdure and beauty of the southern. islands. Few of them displayed any signs of cultivation.

As the Amherst proceeded, a sand-bank was seen near one of the northern islands, and the water gradually shoaled to four and a half fathoms, in which they came to an anchor.

Our situation was now noways agreeable; nearly out of sight of land, in an open exposed sea, with little more than four fathoms water, and apparently surrounded with shoals and sand-banks. Mr. Gutzlaff and myself ccordingly went in a boat to endeavour to procure a pilot from one of the numerous fishing boats around us. Most of them are Fokein vessels, of 100 to 150 tons, and carry twenty or thirty men. The first we boarded, the people were surly, and would give us no information; in the next we were more fortunate. Their boat having anchored, several came on board our ship, bringing fish, but no offers would induce any of them to pilot the ship into Shang-hai. This was evidently from fear of the mandarins; for though they all declared that no sum would tempt them to accompany us, yet one of them readily gave the following directions, to which we at the time paid not much attention, having so frequently received incorrect accounts from fishermen; but we eventually found them so accurate, that future navigators in these seas cannot do better than observe them:"Take your departure from the northern island, (which we named Gutzlaff's Island), and steer N.w. by N.; you will never have less water than four fathoms; and when you approach the channel between Tsung-ming and Keangnam, the water will gradually deepen to five and six fathoms." On the following morning we saw two large junks steering exactly in the course the fisherman had pointed out to us; we therefore immediately weighed, and shaped our course under easy sail in their wake, sending the long boat a-head to sound. At one P.M. we saw low land on the starboard bow, which was one of the low islands to the southward of Tsung-ming, and the tops of the trees on the mainland of Keangnam were soon after descried. We continued under easy sail, following in the rear of the two junks, and now steered west by north: the water gradually deepened as we advanced to six, seven, and eight fathoms. We now sailed at about four miles' distance from the land of Keangnam, which is one dead flat, richly cultivated and covered with high trees. The water was perfectly fresh from the time when we first saw land. At four P.M. we saw several war junks at anchor. On our approach, they got under weigh, and one hoisted an admiral's flag, and stood across our bow, firing several guns; but as we now set more sail and stood on, the fleet stood in to shore, manoeuvred in such a way as to allow us to pass by them at a considerable distance, and then stood on in our wake, firing guns occasionally, while one large row-boat pushed on a-head to Shang-hai. At five P.M. we passed an extensive bank to the northward, and now steered to north-west. To the north of this bank there appears to be a passage, for we saw many junks sailing up on that side. We now had a fine breeze, with which we stood on till eight P.M. On passing one of the junks we had been following, we inquired what distance there was to the entrance of the river, which was stated to be about eight miles distant.

Leaving the ship within a few miles of the entrance to the river, Mr. Lindsay determined to proceed in his boat to the town. At each side of the entrance there is a fort: the northern one was found in better condition than most Chinese fortresses, and mounted eight guns on a platform. About a mile up the river is the small town of Woo-sung, where all vessels, on

The

entering and quitting, take their port clearance.
river Woo-sung, which gives its name to the village at
its mouth, is one of the most easily navigable in China.
The only difficulties in its access arise from the ex-
tensive but even bank of shallow water, which extends
between Gutzlaff's Island and the banks of Tsung-ming,
from which there is a passage, three to four miles in
breadth, and eight fathoms deep, to the river Woo-sung.
The bar of the river presents no kind of danger. After
leaving Woo-sung, the country is one dead flat, very
much intersected with dykes and ditches; it is richly
cultivated, and bears much resemblance to Holland. A
turn of the tide caused Mr. Lindsay to anchor and go
ashore. It was just the period of the wheat harvest,
and the whole population were actively employed in
gathering it in. The land appeared to be divided into
small portions, because at each cottage were observed
the women and children employed threshing and win-
nowing their portion of wheat as it was brought in.
A great deal of cotton was also cultivated, this being
the most celebrated district in China for that commodity.
On reaching the far-famed emporium of Shang-hai,
Mr. Lindsay found, from the vast number of junks, of
every variety both of size and description, which were
lying before it, that fame had not magnified its com-
mercial importance. This town is built on the left side
of the river, as indeed is the case with most Chinese
towns, which may probably be connected with the Chinese
custom of assigning the left as a place of honour.
Commodious wharfs and large warehouses occupy the
banks of the river, which is deep enough to allow junks
to come and unload alongside of them; in the middle
it has from six to eight fathoms, and is nearly half a
mile in breadth. On the landing-place there is a large
temple dedicated to the Queen of Heaven, from which
the city gates are distant about a quarter of a mile.
The streets are narrow, and many of them paved with
small tiles similar to Dutch clinkers, which give a far
more agreeable footing than the slippery granite. The
shops within the city are generally small, but wares of
every description are exhibited in them for sale. Mr.
Lindsay saw many with European goods.

The

The neighbouring country is dotted over with small villages, surrounded with trees in every direction. population appears to be very great, but healthy and well fed; wheat, in the form of vermicelli and cakes, forms the principal part of their food.

Whilst we were staying here, the land from which the wheat had just been cut, was ploughed up, irrigated, and again planted with rice, which could be cut on the ninth moon (September), a proof of the extraordinary fertility of the soil. The winters are said to be very severe, and that the snow sometimes lies several feet deep for more than a month. Ice is kept in great abundance throughout the summer, but is principally used for the preservation of fresh fish. Each family appears to cultivate a small portion of ground with cotton, which I here saw of a light yellow colour. The nankeen cloth made from that requires no dye. In every cottage were the requisite implements for carding, spinning and manufacturing the cloth sufficient for their use; the remainder they sell. In several I saw the whole process in action at the same time, and took specimens away of the yellow cotton, both in its rough state, and after being manufactured into cloth. The price for a piece is from three to four mace, and the nankeen cloth from Shang-hai is said to be the best in the empire.

Provisions of all sorts were found to be cheap and abundant, with the exception of beef, which Mr. Lindsay did not procure anywhere in China. Goats were very plentiful, and equal in flavour to the best mutton. The fruits were found to be superior to those further south; peaches, nectarines, loguats, small apples, the arbutus, and various kinds of vegetables, were all to be procured at a cheap rate.

In the mouth of the Yang-tse-Kiang, and at about fifteen miles to the north-east of Woo-sung, is the island of Tsung-ming. This island is increasing yearly in

extent from the alluvial deposits of the great river. Its dimensions were estimated by Mr. Lindsay at above sixty miles in length, and from fifteen to eighteen in breadth. This island is interesting as being the largest and most populated alluvial island in the world, while it is one of the most fertile districts in China; its population is said to amount to half-a-million.

The approach to this island in a north-east direction is marked by two extensive sand-banks, joined together by a long flat which is probably passable by small boats at high water: the northern bank is overgrown with rushes, and had two huts on it. "In another century;" says Mr. Lindsay, "all these banks will probably form a fertile and inhabited island." After passing sundry bluff mud-banks and sands, to the north-west of this great bank, and meeting several junks 'lying at anchor, Mr. Lindsay's party landed up a small creek, and walked straight in-shore. The natives were at first very shy and timid, but sooned gained confidence; and a fine intelligent youth gladly undertook to accompany them to a town called Sin-kae, distant about three miles. The ground appeared rich; it was cultivated with rice, cotton, millet, and vegetables. It was intersected in every direction with dykes, which served the double purpose of draining the land, and irrigating it when requisite. The people do not live in villages, as is usual in most provinces in China, but hamlets, and single houses were scattered about in every direction. The population appeared immense; but the natives are healthy, vigorous, and of a fine ruddy complexion. Wheelbarrows, of a peculiar structure, are in common use for conveying the produce of the soil, and for the accomodation of travellers; they are furnished with a large wheel in the centre, which is covered, and the goods are arranged on each side of it: or the traveller himself may occupy a comfortable felt mattress on one side, and be balanced by his goods on the other. Several of these vehicles were met laden with salt of a peculiar whiteness, the produce of the island, several parts of which on the northern coast, though barren of every herb, yet have the quality of producing large quantities of this salt, which is at stated times carefully scraped from the surface. It is remarkable that the ground which possesses this peculiar property is often surrounded on all sides with fertile soil, but devoid of all saline particles.

The town is long and narrow, and contains some respectable houses and shops.

Among others, one attracted my notice, which announced in large characters that it sold Company's camlets and broadcloth; but on inquiry I was told that they had none of these precious commodities at present, but merely kept the characters on their sign to look respectable.

Apricots in abundance were sold at fruit-stalls; they resembled those of England, but were smaller in size and deficient in flavour. Having walked through the town, accompanied by a great concourse of people, and looked into various shops and houses, the party returned.

The friendly demeanour of these simple people, who now for the first time in their lives beheld a European, surpassed anything we had hitherto witnessed; and there being no mandarin in the place, no artificial check was placed to the natural friendly impulse of their hearts.

The people came in numbers with offerings of fruit, vegetables, and fish, earnestly expressing a hope that the strangers would return another day. A fine boy of about twelve years of age was so anxious to make Mr. Gutzlaff some present, that having nothing else, he took a neat bamboo carved comb, with which his hair was fastened, and gave it to him. By the time the party reached the boat, six hundred, at least, of the natives had assembled, all seeming to vie with each other as to who should be the most kind and friendly. And there is abundant evidence to prove that such is in general the true Chinese character when removed from the in

fluence and example of their mandarins; the people

desire a more extended intercourse with foreigners, and hitherto the government has anxiously interfered to prevent it.

The reader will gain a clearer idea of the immense advantages likely to result to British trade and enterprise by the opening of the port of Shang-hai from the following brief summary, abstracted from Mr. Lindsay's admirable report of the voyage of the Amherst to the northern parts of China, in the year 1832, to which we are mainly indebted for the details already given in the present article.

One of the chief causes of the importance of Shanghai is found in its fine harbour and navigable river, by which it becomes the sea-port of Yang-tse-kiang, and the principal emporium of eastern Asia; the native trade of the place greatly exceeding even that of Canton. On our first arrival I was so much struck with the vast quantity of junks entering the river, that I caused them to be counted for several successive days. The result was, that in seven days upwards of 400 junks, varying in size from hai. During the first part of our stay, most of these vessels 100 to 400 tons, passed Woo-sung, and proceeded to Shangtsin, and various parts of Manchow Tartary, flour and peas were the north country junks with four masts, from Teenfrom which place formed a great part of their cargo. But during the latter part of our stay the Fo-kien junks began to pour in, to the number of thirty and forty per day. Many of these were from Formosa, Canton, the Eastern Archipelago, Cochin China, and Siam.

The river Woo-sung proceeds from the great lake, Tahoo; it then traverses the great canal, and thus communicates with the Yang-tse-Kiang, the Yellow River, and Pekin: thence it enters the Pang-shan Lake, and flows by Soo-chow-foo, the capital of the southern part of Keang-soo, one of the most commercial, wealthy, and luxurious cities of the empire. From this place numerous navigable rivers communicate and traverse each other in every direction. Thus it appears that this river affords a commodious water-communication with the remotest parts of the empire, from Pekin to Yunan, from the eastern coast to the centre of the deserts of Tartary. The advantages which the English may derive from the liberty of trade with this place, are incalculable. Here is a nation in population nearly doubling that of all Europe, combined with a sea-coast of fully 3000 miles, abounding with the finest rivers and harbours in the world. Its ports and cities are filled with an industrious, enterprising, wealthy, and commercial population, who would all hail the establishment of foreign trade with joy.

While we dwell with pleasure on the advantages likely to result to Britain from the opening of this port to tude the means thus placed in our power of sending the her merchants, let us not forget to contemplate with gratilight of the Gospel among these deluded worshippers of many gods, whose superstitions, yet but partially known to us, are in some sort to be traced in the national character, of which deceit and lying form a principal feature.

I USED to wonder why people should be so fond of the company of their physician, till I recollected that he is the only person with whom one dares talk continually of oneself, without interruption, contradiction, or censure.-Mrs. H. MORE.

MEN of wicked lives would be very glad there were no truth in Christianity at all; and if they can pick out any one single article in the Christian religion, which appears not agreeable to their own corrupted reason, or to the arguments of those bad people, who follow the trade of seducing others, they presently conclude that the truth of the whole Gospel must sink along with that one article. This is just as wise as if a man should say, because he dislikes one law of his country, he will therefore observe no law at all; and yet that one law may be very reasonable in itself, although he does not allow it,

or does not know the reason of the lawgivers.—DEAN SWIFT.

A CHEAP CAMERA LUCIDA,

BY SIR GEORGE S. GIBBES.

In the Saturday Magazine, Vol. XXI., p. 144, we called the reader's attention to an economical form of Camera Lucida, recently submitted by Sir John Robison to the Society of Arts for Scotland.

After the publication of that notice in our pages we received

a communication from Sir George S. Gibbes, directing our attention to a similar contrivance invented by him, and made known to the public through the Philosophical Magazine, so long ago as February, 1812. The priority of claim to this useful invention undoubtedly rests with Sir G. S. Gibbes, and we readily avail ourselves of his kind permission to copy his figures and republish his account,-agreeing with him that, "a revived description may be of general interest."

THE great simplicity of the instrument about to be described may entitle it to rank among the most useful of delineators: because, to the advantage of its simple structure and applicability without straining the eyes, it adds a degree of truth not to be exceeded. Without requiring the aid of additional reflecting surfaces, this instrument represents objects as in an ordinary mirror, while it allows sufficient light to pass for the guidance of the hand behind it. Thus, by a little management both the hand directing the pencil, and the object to be traced,

may be equally well-defined and clear. The following diagrams and description will fully explain the construction of this instrument, and enable the amateur, with the assistance of a cabinet-maker, to procure one for his own

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The feet must be exactly at right angles with the frame, so that when the plate is placed upon an even table it will stand perpendicular. The upper part of the frame at b is furnished with a long groove for the reception of a brass sight, an inch broad, furnished with a small eye-hole: this is fastened at the top by the screw d, which may be loosened at pleasure.

The frame (fig. 2) is divided into two equal parts beginning at the upper part, from the groove b (fig. 1), to the bottom of the feet a, or of the brass wire. The lower part from e is subdivided into eight equal parts, and on each side of the frame are eight equidistant holes

Fig. 3.

the same as that of the frame. It contains two brass The board, fig. 3, is called the table. Its breadth is pins, which exactly fit the holes in the frame. The table can thus be raised or lowered, so as to magnify or diminish objects correctly, according to the size required. On the opposite side of the table, at each corner, are supports, so placed that they may be conveniently pushed up or down. The supports pass through two holes in the table, and in each are eight small holes of the same size as those in the frame, so that by means of a brass wire under the table it may be kept firm in a horizontal position.

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Fig. 4.

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The blind (fig. 4) is made of a piece of wood, bevelled, one foot long, one inch and a half wide, and one inch in thickness. A brass or iron rod is bent so as to form a square to which the wood serves as a support. This frame is then covered with writing paper of moderate thickness.

place the object (h, fig. 1,) which is to be copied, upon a In making use of the apparatus thus far described, drawing paper on the right hand; and between the flat table on a level with the window: place some blank object and the drawing paper place the transparent reflecting plate of glass, mounted in its frame, and shown in fig. 1. The blind (fig. 4) is to stand at k (fig. 1), at right angles with the glass on the right hand, so that the drawing paper may lie in the broken shade, and a person looking through the glass from the left side will observe the object depicted on the paper. If the figure be not sufficiently distinct, you darken the blind by hanging a sheet of paper upon it: if it darken too much it may be removed further from the glass.

It is of consequence that the proper degree of shade be thrown upon the paper; because, if it be too dark, the lines of the drawing and the point of the pencil cannot be seen distinctly; and if it be not sufficiently dark, the representation will be too faint. In copying

with the assistance of the apparatus as already described no eye-hole is used, because the eye is easily kept in a suitable position when the drawing is properly placed; but in the experiments about to be described, where the objects are diminished or magnified, whether a picture or a prospect in perspective, the eye-hole must be used, since it is necessary to look constantly at the same precise point of view.

The diminishing of an object is effected by raising the height of the table. Since an object placed on the left side of the glass is always represented on the right side, although the surface of the table be not of a uniform height, it will be found that, by taking a fixed point of view, the object will be diminished, the nearer the reflected image approaches to this point, and will be magnified as the reflected and transmitted image is made to recede from the eye. Or rather, the image will appear larger than the object when it is removed further from the eye in a fixed position than the object itself, and vice versa.

This may be more clearly illustrated by referring to fig. 2. The parallel lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, represent the different heights of the table. If now the line h were to be diminished, it would be reduced upon the table at 1, at 2, at 3, and at 4, as is shown by the lines of sight where the parallel lines intersect.

Fig. 5.

and be placed upright. Behind the holes two perpendicular pieces of wood, a a, are fastened; and at the upper part two props which may pass into the holes of the table, into which the feet were before fixed, so that the table may be secured both at the top and bottom, and all shaking prevented.

Holes from c to d are to be bored in the board for the reception of the sight-piece, shown in the next figure. This sight-piece may be of brass or wood: its height is about six inches, and it is furnished at the top with a round brass plate one inch in diameter, in which is the eye-hole.

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Fig. 5 represents the instrument, where the letter B is diminished one half; the table with the paper being placed in the fourth hole (fig. 2.) The object must be viewed through the eye-hole, which is on the left. By this method of diminishing, it is easy to take in prospects and objects in perspective.

In order to depict vertical objects the following simple additions to the apparatus are necessary :—

Fig. 6.

Fig 6 is a board two feet and a half in length. At the distance of six inches from one end, and at the width of the glass plate with its frame, two holes are bored so that the supports of the table may pass through

paper, then covers the space between the glass plate and the table, so that the opening g may be on the right hand. The sight-piece is then placed in one of the holes, so as to give the desired power of diminishing, the observer taking care that his head does not intervene between the object and the glass. In this way objects are diminished, and may easily be drawn upon the upright paper. All kinds of objects, such as plants, academy figures, &c., may thus be copied under circumstances in which the camera obscura, as usually constructed, could not be conveniently employed.

MR. HORSLEY, in his Britannia Romana, making a sort of apology for that work in his preface, has these words: "I have always looked upon it as an instance of Divine Wisdom, that it should be so ordered that different men have such different tastes and inclinations. By these means the several parts of knowledge are more cultivated: and I think we owe our thanks to any one who will apply himself to the study of any particular thing, though it seem minute, and may not suit our taste or inclination to pursue it ourselves. This gives us, at least, an opportunity of knowing, on easier terms, what can be said on that subject."

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