Foo-chow

VIEW OF FOO-CHOW. - FROM A RECENT PHOTOGRAPH.

The city of Foo-chow, around which so much interest has lately gathered, on account of the operations of the French navy in its vicinity, is the capital of the Province of Fo-kien, which comprises a territory as large as Ireland, and nearly three times as populous. The city takes rank in the first class of Chinese cities, and has a population of about 600,000. Its situation is exceedingly beautiful, occupying the northern part of a vast amphitheatre, nearly twenty miles in diameter, formed by the mountain ranges which circle about it. The surface of the plain is dotted with beautiful knolls, and here and there a high hill rises, sometimes terraced from base to summit, and covered with growing vegetation, and sometimes presenting an almost perpendicular side of rugged granite. The River Min winds its course through the valley. Groves of orange, lungan, and other fruit trees, add variety and beauty to the plain. Both inside and outside the city walls the giant banyan-tree is frequently met, stretching out its long, horizontal branches, with grateful shelter from the hot rays of the sun. Often its branches are covered with graceful ferns. Here and there a beautiful camphor-tree stands in solitary grandeur, with its straight and symmetrical trunk rising for twenty-five or thirty feet without a branch, and all its deep, rich, dark-green foliage at the top. Hundreds of acres are covered with the green, waving rice crop. No fences mar the beauty of the scenery, the fields of different owners being separated only by little ridges of earth eighteen or twenty inches high, which are hidden from view as the crop attains its growth; so that as the observer, standing on a mountain-side, looks off over the plain, it seems like a vast carpet of richest green. Amid such surroundings as these the walls of the city rise, thirty feet high and twelve feet thick, constructed of brick, resting on a solid granite foundation. The wall is six and one-quarter miles in circuit, and from it many fine views of the city and surrounding country may be obtained. Native poets have not been insensible to the beauty of the situation, and one of them, indulging in a little poetic license, exclaimed:

“Ten thousand miles around Foo-chow,

Spread out the terraced hills.”

FOO-CHOW. - ISLAND JOSS-HOUSE.

FOO-CHOW. - GUARD-HOUSE NEAR THE GATE OF THE CITY.

The most prominent landmarks within the city are the White and Black Pagodas, and the North Watch-tower. The Pagodas are nine-storied towers, erected 900 years ago. They are not, as many suppose, temples for idolatrous worship; though a few idols may be found in the lowest story, just as they may in almost every public building and every private house. The Pagodas were erected to preserve the city from the evil influences of atmospheric currents, which, according to the theory of the Chinese, may be deflected by these high structures, and great calamities thus be warded off from the city. The North Watch-tower is a two-storied building, erected on top of the wall, at the summit of a high hill, which position makes it a prominent object. From its shape, and its location on this summit, it has been called by foreigners “Noah’s Ark.”

VIEW FROM PRINCESS’S GRAVE. - FROM A PHOTOGRAPH.

The city, of course, abounds in temples, many of which are elaborate and costly. One of the most celebrated is that erected in honor of the great Chinese sage, Confucius. It contains handsomely-cut pillars of dark granite, of great size and strength. The chief object of attention in the main room of the temple is the tablet of Confucius, which is of wood, six feet high and one foot wide, painted red and partially gilded. The inscription on it, in large tilt characters, is: “The Most Ancient Holy Teacher, Confucius.” Before this tablet, on stated occasions, the chief mandarins of the province bow down, in reverence for the great philosopher; and on his birthday numerous offerings are made, a prominent feature of which is an ox roasted whole. After the spirit of the ancient sage has satiated itself on the essence of the offerings presented, the worshipers and their attendants fall to and devour the substance with such gusto as to give assurance that the viands have not lost any appetizing quality by reason of the sage’s previous feast upon the essence thereof.

There are also large temples devoted to the worship of the gods of Buddhism and Taoism, and to various national and local deities of greater or less renown.

There are many yamens (or public offices). Chief among them are those of the Viceroy, the Tartar-general, the Governor, the Treasurer, the Provincial Judge, and the Rice and Salt Commissioners. The examination Hall, or Provincial College, is also a building of note. It is surrounded by a high wall, and consists of long rows of low compartments, provided for the students who come up to the provincial examinations. An avenue twelve feet wide runs through the centre, on each side of which the rows of cells branch off. Each cell is about two and one-half feet deep, four feet wide, and eight feet high. Ten thousand students are thus accommodated, who must remain for ten days (with two recesses of half a day each, however), and write essays upon themes given out to them by the examiners, to test their knowledge of the Chinese classics. Only 300 out of the 10,000 can receive the coveted degree.

It is difficult to describe the general appearance of such a city as Foo-chow. As you stand on Blackstone Hill, and look out over the city below you, the first impression is that of a sea of tiles, as all the roofs are covered with gray tiles. Then the beautiful foliage of the banyans, the lichis, and the bamboos, attracts attention and charms the eye. The tall red poles, indicating official residences and temple grounds, are numerous. The Pagodas come in for their share of admiration. The river, with its thousands of curious boats, with sails of bamboo, or of cotton cloth, and great awkward junks with their big eyes, present an animated scene. The nearer mountains, in their quiet beauty, and the more distant ranges, towering up in grandeur, complete a picture seldom rivaled, and not easily excelled.

FOO-CHOW. - THE OLD FORT AT MINGAN PASS, SILENCED BY THE FRENCH.

The city is in southeastern China, in latitude 26° 5′ north, and longitude 119° 20′ east. As it is approached from the sea, Sharp Peak Island, with its beautiful hills, crowned with the sanitariums of the three Protestant missions at Foo-chow, is observed to the south of the entrance of the Min. Streaming slowly in, we seem confronted with great hills, and are wondering where there can be any passage through, when suddenly a little opening appears, and on we go through the narrow channel, between the precipitous sides of the Kinpai Pass. Here the Chinese forts, well built, and armed with Krupp guns, until the recent attack, guarded the entrance. Close down by the shore were batteries which, if effectively manned, ought to have made considerable havoc before they were captured. Now, on either side of us, are high hills, beautifully terraced. On the narrow plain at the base of one of these is the thriving market-town of Kwan-tau, with its native custom-house, and its noisy, bustling crowd of excited buyers and sellers. Little villages of one-storied wooden houses, with their tiled roofs, nestle along the mountain-sides. Now and then little mountain streams and sparkling cascades pour their waters into the river. As the steamer winds its way cautiously among the junks and sampans, we notice on the south bank a huge rock, resembling a man’s leg, and terminating in a well-formed foot, with heel and toe clearly discernible. Soon another narrow pass, called the Mingan Pass, appears, with a picturesque island in the centre, surmounted by fortifications. On the right was a pretty and prosperous village, which it is to be feared is now a scene of desolation.

PAGODA ISLAND. - FROM A RECENT PHOTOGRAPH.

Proceeding on our way, passing a few more villages and some fertile rice plains, we soon come out into a broad bay, twenty miles from the mouth of the river, whose ample waters afford a fine harbor for the ships and steamers engaged in foreign trade. This is now well-known Pagoda Anchorage, so called from a Pagoda on a large island situated on the north side of the river at this point. On this island were two ship-chandleries, or general stores, one owned by an American, and the other by a British, firm. A British Vice-consulate was also located here.

FOO-CHOW. - THE ARSENAL BEFORE THE FRENCH ATTACK. - FROM A PHOTOGRAPH.

At the upper end of this bay, on the mainland, was located the Arsenal. This was an immense manufacturing establishment of gunboats and transports, where, under direction of French and English instructors, native had learned to construct a gunboat from the engine down to a second-hand on a chronometer. It had numerous workshops, in which about 1,800 workmen were constantly employed. There were also schools of theoretical and practical navigation, designing, naval construction, engineering and chronometer-making. Many intelligent young Chinamen had been instructed in these various branches. On the grounds were large and commodious residences for the foreign instructors and the native officials connected with the establishment. About $70,000 monthly was paid by the Government in keeping it up. French shot and shell soon laid it all in ashes.

Just opposite the Arsenal is the east end of an island, fourteen miles long, which here separates the river into two branches, which reunite at the upper end of the island, as only vessels of very light draft can ascend the river any further. We are obliged to leave our steamer at the Anchorage, and stepping into a handsome steam-launch belonging to one of the foreign firms, we pursue our way ten miles further up the river to the foreign settlement on the large island just mentioned. On our right looms up Koo-shan, or Drum Mountain, whose summit is 3,000 feet above the level of the sea. Away off to the left, on the mainland south of the large island, is a precipitous cliff, where, high up in air, is an anvil-shaped projection. Foreigners have called it “Lovers’ Leap.” It looks like the veritable “jumping-off place.” Soon the buildings of the foreign settlement come in sight, most of them lying on the north side of a sightly hill. The handsome brick structure of Jardine, Matheson & Co., the oldest and best-known American firm in China, are among the most noticeable. In a fine position on the crest of the hill are the buildings of the British Consulate, and the residences, schools and church of the American Methodist Episcopal Mission, adjoining which is the British church, built of granite with facings of dark granite or porphyry. The hillsides for miles adjoining the foreign settlement are covered with Chinese graves.

Now we have reached the foreign settlement, but we are still three miles away from the city. We must turn our faces northward, and the first thing to be encountered is the River Min. We at once cross from the large island to the small island in the river over a granite bridge, and are soon in the midst of a dense population, for this island, scarcely large than Governor’s Island in New York Harbor, has a population of several thousand. On leaving this, we enter upon a granite bridge, with forty solid buttresses placed at irregular distances, and connected by stones three feet square, and varying in length from twenty-five to forty-five feet. On these, as sleepers, are laid the stones which constitute the platform of the bridge. It has granite railings, mortised into granite posts. For nearly a thousand years has this bridge resounded to the steady tramp of the multitudes, crossing and recrossing; and it seems ready for another thousand years of service. So dense is the throng, that we sometimes find it difficult to keep our footing. Here is a peddler of wonderful salve cutting his own flesh, to show the marvelous curative properties of his salve. Here is a dentist, with a string of hundreds of teeth, the evidences of his skill. He pulls no teeth with cruel forceps, however, but puts a corroding powder about the tooth, which loosens it from the gum, until it can be taken out with the fingers. Here, too, are men with eyes and noses eaten away by disease, piteous applicants for charity. But the bridge is passed, and we plunge into the main street leading to the city. It is only about ten feet wide. There are no wagons or carriages. All the carrying of persons or goods is done by men. The coolies carrying the sedan-chairs, and moving at a rapid pace, call out to the burden-bearers, who are in the way, according to the burdens carried, either “Slop-buckets, out of the way!” or, “Turnips to one side!” or, “Opium, give us the road!”

Generally the crowd is good-natured, but once in a while there will occur a brisk fisticuff battle between coolies who have come into collision. On either side the street are stores and shops, some common enough, and others handsome and elegant. Swinging signs in front bear such high-sounding firm titles as, “Perpetual Longevity,” “Myriad Profits,” “Flourishing Prosperity.” Here is the “Eternal Happiness Oil-stone,” and there is the “Celestial Fragrance Drug-store.” Here are showy drygoods-stores, in which you may find rich silks and satins. Now, hold your nose as you pass the fish-market, for the odor is rather strong for unpracticed olfactories. Here are the carp, and mackerel, and suckers, and soles, and cuttle-fish, and eels, and catfish, and crabs, and lobsters, and clams, and muscles, and sturgeons, and sharks, and sea-blubber, and almost everything that sea or river or pond can produce. Now we come to the “Tea Pavilion,” an open, breezy saloon, where tea is furnished in delicate little cups, and rice and cakes and other delicacies may be obtained. But who are those men in cages, just at the entrance? The cages are high and narrow, just wide enough to hold a man. Their chins rest on the edge of a board at the top, and only the toes of their feet can touch the bottom. They are under sentence of death by starvation, and are purposely put where men are eating and drinking all the time, to aggravate their punishment. What is the crime that is met with such awful penalty? They have been found guilty of kidnapping girls from their parents for a life of shame. It seems a terrible punishment; but if all kidnapping were thus punished, perhaps no parents’ hearts would mourn, as do some in our land, besides Charlie Ross.

But we pass on, and soon find, by the sound of merry hammers upon the tin and copper and brass, that we are among the kettle-makers, for all the avocations are carried on in the front shops, and we see them all in active operation as we go along. Soon the broad arch of the South Gate is before us, the massive doors are open, and we are in the city. Our watches tell us that nearly an hour of fairly brisk walking has been required to bring us from the foreign settlement.

As early as the latter part of the seventeenth century, the East India Company made an effort to establish trade with Foo-chow, but it proved unsuccessful. The treaties of 1842, following the opium war with Great Britain, named Foo-chow as one of the five ports to be opened to foreign trade; but there was great local opposition to the admission of foreign commerce, and so many difficulties had to be encountered, that foreign trade can scarcely be said to have fairly commenced until 1853 – the American firm of Russell & Co. being among the first to secure a permanent lodging there. From that time onward, for seven or eight years, every Summer witnessed the arrival of a splendid fleet of the swiftest American and English clipper-ships, which bore away their cargoes of fragrant tea, on which great profits were frequently made. But now all this has changed. The beautiful, clean and tidy clippers have given way to smoky steamers. The American flag began to disappear during the time of the Civil War, and is seen only occasionally on some bark or schooner at the Anchorage. The American firms have gradually withdrawn from the port until only one – that of Russell & Co. – remains. Business is precarious, and fortunes are not so easily made. Yet Foo-chow still holds a leading position among the great tea-ports of China, exporting annually about fifty million pounds, valued at somewhere near twenty millions of dollars, and importing about 560,000 pounds of opium, valued at about twenty-three millions of dollars. This gives some idea of the fearful ravages of the opium trade among the people. Twenty-five years ago only the wealthier classes indulged in the habit. Now men of all classes – officials, merchants, mechanics, farmers, soldiers, boatmen and coolies – are smoking opium. The victims of the habit soon begin to show its effects in their sallow faces, unsteady gait, and general weakness. Many are hurried to the grave by it. Patrimonies are squandered, ancestral lands go to waste, houses are ruined, furniture parted with, and even wife and children sold away, until the poor slave of opium is left penniless. Cases are frequently occurring in which suicide, sometimes from a purposed overdose of the drug, ends a life which it has rendered wretched and despairing.

These two items of trade overshadow everything else. There is considerable importation of cotton goods and of lead, which is mostly beaten into sheet-lead for the teaboxes; and large exports of sugar and of timber, of oranges and of olives, are made from Foo-chow to the more northern ports. As is true of all the other ports of China, the great bulk of foreign trade is in the hands of the English, whose interests are nearly five times as large as those of any other nation. Indeed, taking in her colonies, England has a considerably larger share both of imports and exports than all other countries put together.

It may be of interest to name here some of the peculiar customs of the people. Much has been said of the custom of bunding the feet of Chinese women. It prevails among some classes in all parts of the Empire, but it is, at Foo-chow, carried to an extent scarcely to be met with elsewhere. While at some ports all the women have bound feet, and the binding is more in appearance than reality, allowing them to walk about readily on feet not badly compressed, at Foo-chow the binding is a very real and serious matter. There is a respectable laboring class of women with feet of natural size; but the “real ladies” of Foo-chow wear shoes that are only from two and one-half inches to three inches in length on the sole. To make this possible, girls of five or six years of age have their feet bound with tight bandages of cotton cloth – all the toes except the great-toe being turned under the foot. This bandaging is kept up, in spite of the great pain occasioned by it, for several years, until the foot is crushed and distorted, and withers and shrivels up until it can be incased in a delicately-embroidered shoe with a two-and-a-half-inch sole. Of course the ladies who have this high mark of fashion are not able to walk, in the proper sense of the word. They go hobbling about, sometimes with a cane, sometimes resting a hand upon the shoulder of a child or a servant. But this class have little use for walking, as they spend most of their time in the inner apartments of the house, secluded from all observation, and with no companions but the other female members of the household, and when they go to visit other ladies, they are carried in close-covered sedan-chairs, to screen them from observation.

In time of a lunar eclipse, the people turn out with gongs, drums, old tin pans, and anything else that will make a noise, and beat away with great vigor. If the eclipse is total, as the darkness increases, the pounding becomes more vehement and excited; and when the whole surface is obscured, the din is perfectly terrific. Men shout, “Drum away! Pound away! The dragon has the moon all inside his mouth now. If we don’t make him give it up, it will be gone for ever!” Then, as more and more of the moon’s surface comes out clear, they encourage each other to keep on until the dreaded dragon is compelled to yield it up entirely. When finally the moon sails off fair and clear through the heavens, they go off home with gongs and drums under their arms, in the happy consciousness of duty discharged, and congratulating one another that the moon is saved for future usefulness.

Nearly two thirds of the way up to the summit of Koo-shan, the high mountain near Foo-chow, is located this celebrated Buddhist monastery. It is reached by a gradual ascent over solid granite steps, circling up the mountain-side, with rest-houses here and there, in which the coolies put down their sedan-chairs and refresh themselves with a pipe of tobacco while they rest. Half way up is a tea-house, where cups of the fragrant beverage are always in readiness for the travelers, and the attendant priests are always ready to receive large fees for dispensing the same. The views from some points of this road back over the plain below, and out beyond the hills at the mouth of the river to the open ocean, are exceedingly beautiful. The near approach to the monastery is amid most charming scenery. The broad and ample stone pavement winds in a graceful curve around a spur on the mountain-side. On each side are immense camphor-trees, tall and beautiful pines and graceful bamboos, whose delicate leaves gently rustle in the lightest breezes. The sweet tones of the ancient bell, constantly tolling, sound out more and more distinctly; and soon the numerous buildings of the monastery are in sight, their tiled roofs gray with age, nestling in a sequestered nook, surrounded by camphor-trees.

The first temple was built here in the year 899, and others have been added at various times. Three immense images of Buddha, each represented as sitting on a lotus-leaf, occupy the rear end of the main temple, while on each side are images of nine of his ancient disciples. In the large area in front of the Buddhas are kneeling-stools, upon which, twice a day, the eighty priests of the monastery kneel as they commence the recital of the ritual service before the gods. Afterward they march in single file around every row of their stools, chanting as they go, two priests taking the lead, one of them jingling a small bell, and then pounding upon a queer-shaped hollow piece of wood.

In their other temples are images of Kwan-yin, the Goddess of Mercy, and of various deified Emperors and other divinities – Chinese additions to Buddhism. In the main temple, incense is kept burning night and day before the great Buddhas, and it is a strange thought that, for a thousand years, the fire of the incense has not gone out at these altars of Buddha.

Weird legends connected with the places are numerous. It is said that a king of Foo-chow was once on his way up the mountain-side, attended by some of his soldiers. A very holy priest was sitting with his legs crossed, in devout meditation, directly in the king’s path. A soldier commanded him to get out of the way; but he remained imperturbably in his place. At a second, and more vehement command, he got out of the way, but in such a manner as to astonish the whole company. He rose directly up into the air for a considerable distance. The king begged him to descend, and promised to give him whatever he might ask. The modest priest responded with a simple request for as much ground as he could cover with his robe. This was readily granted, and the priest began to spread out his robe, when, lo! It expanded as he spread, until it covered the whole mountain-side, and the fields below clear to the river. Thus it was that Koo-shan became consecrated ground.

In a shady dell, not far from the monastery, is a trickling rill, with high sides of precipitous rock. The appearance of the bed of the rill impresses one with the idea that it must some time have been a stream of considerable size. The legend is that a devout priest was once seated in meditation near the stream, and being disturbed by the noise of its waters, called out, “Hak!” (Stop!) Immediately the rush of waters ceased, and ever since the stream has been only an insignificant rill.

Another legend tells how a pious priest died, and after his death his hair continued to grow. Barber after barber was summoned to shave it, but could not succeed. At last a sister of his, living many miles away, heard of the trouble, and made a pilgrimage to Koo-shan. When she arrived the dead man opened his eyes. She announced her purpose of shaving his head, which she did with entire success. She promised to return periodically and perform this kind office, which promise she faithfully kept until she was sixty years old, when she asked him what he would to do when she died. The old man made no answer, but wept; and from that period his hair ceased to grow.

These are only specimens of scores of quaint legends with which the priests entertain visitors to this sacred spot.

On one side of the monastery is the inclosure for the sacred animals – cows and pigs, deer, goats, chickens, ducks, geese – that have been presented to the monastery, and are fed and protected until they die a natural death – the Buddhists believing that there is great merit in preserving animal life.

In front of the fish-pond, which for 750 years has received many varieties of fish, and where they are allowed to live out their natural lives. It is one of the amusements of visitors at the monastery to throw crackers into this pond, and witness the struggles of the fish, as they come to the surface and chase the floating crackers all around the pond, in their eagerness to get possession of them.

The Roman Catholics publicly began their work in Foo-chow over 200 years ago. They suffered very greatly in the persecution which prevailed about the middle of the last century; and during the present century their efforts seem to have been mostly directed Foo-chow about 3,000 converts, mostly among the boat population; and in the whole Province of Fo-kien about 30,000.

Protestant Missions entered upon the work in Foo-chow in 1846, when the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions opened a mission there; and were followed the next year by the American Methodist Episcopal Church, and in 1850 by the English Church Missionary Society.

The work was very slow at first, as many prejudices had to be overcome, many suspicions as to the real object of the missionaries to be obviated, and much preliminary work in the study of the language, the preparation of books, and the instruction of the people, was to be accomplished. Nearly ten years elapsed before a single convert was received, since which time considerable progress has been made. The American Methodist Episcopal Church now has an organized Conference in the field, with five foreign missionaries and twenty-two ordained native ministers constituting its membership. Besides these, there are forty-five unordained traveling ministers, and forty local preachers. The number of full members is about 1,700 of probationers about 900, and of baptized children about 600 – making a Christian community of about 3,200 souls connected with this mission. The English Church Mission has nearly the same number, and the American Board Mission several hundreds, so that the three missions now aggregate a Protestant community of about 7,000 souls.

The native Christians are subjected to many persecutions by their heathen neighbors. Ancestral lands are often left to descendants, with provision for annual ceremonies of an idolatrous nature, to be performed in turn by the heirs. When the Christians refuse to perform such ceremonies they are often obliged to relinquish their share in the inheritance. Sometimes the dwellings of the Christians are destroyed, and their farming implements carried away by their heathen neighbors. Occasionally a Christian has to render his life a forfeit in fidelity to his religion. Yet, in general there is toleration for Christianity, and in many places a feeling of even decided friendliness toward the Christians.

Of late years, one of the most important developments of the mission work has been that of the Woman’s Foreign Missionary Society. The work of lady physicians in treating native women, in hospital and dispensary, and at their homes, not only medically, but surgically, and in cases requiring very skillful and delicate operations, is coming to be very greatly appreciated by the natives, and opens doors for the missionary work which would otherwise long have remained closed. The work of Christian ladies in the schools, and in training native women to act as “Bible women,” or “evangelists,” in taking the gospel from house to house, has also been of inestimable advantage to the progress of the missions.

The societies support many day-schools, and a few large boarding-schools for boys and girls. The Methodist Mission has a printing-office, which prints several millions of pages of Scriptures and tracts every year. Bishop Wiley is now on his way to China, and expects to visit Foo-chow, and to open the Conference Session there on the 19th of November.

It may be well, in closing this article, to correct a few of the mistakes into which the newspapers have fallen in their notices of recent events. We have frequently seen the heading, “Bombardment of Foo-chow.” It will be readily seen, by the readers of this article, that Foo-chow has not been bombarded at all; and that no French shot or shell have fallen within several miles of the city – the Arsenal, which was the chief point of attack, being located ten miles below the city, and no vessels, except of very light drought, being able to proceed further; and the forts subsequently attacked being between the Arsenal and the mouth of the river, and, of course, still further away from the city of Foo-chow. To speak of the bombardment of Foo-chow is like calling the bombardment of Fort Wadsworth, on Staten Island, the bombardment of New York.

One dispatch spoke of the “foreign settlement” as being looted by a Chinese rabble after the French attack; but the foreign settlement is ten miles up the river from the scene of disturbance, and the buildings looted must have been the few buildings occupied by foreigners at Pagoda Anchorage, in the neighborhood of the Arsenal.

The Tribune informed us that the Island of Hainan belongs to the Province of Fo-kien, and is governed by the Viceroy of Kwangtung and Fo-kien. The island belongs to the Province of Kwangtung, off the coast of which it lies, and which province is not associated with Fo-kien in a viceroyalty.

A Chinese doctor is represented as saying that most of the streets of Foo-chow are as clean as Broadway. That is a statement that must be taken with very many grains of allowance. Some of its streets are respectably clean, as compared with other Chinese cities; but no one who has ever walked through them would think of soberly comparing them with Broadway for cleanliness. So, too, the statement that the British Consul lives in a Buddhist temple is very misleading. He lives in a handsome consular residence in the foreign settlement, built by the British Government. He has, however, a building on Blackstone Hill, in the city, which was once a temple, but is now used as a place of recreation by the consul and attachés of the consulate, who occasionally spend a few days there.

Foo-chow is an interesting city, as to its situation, its surroundings, its people and their avocations, and its important connection with the past history and future prospects of the great Empire of which it forms a part. Long may it be preserved from the ravages of war, and allowed to work out in quiet and peaceful industry an honorable history among the great cities of the world!

FOOCHOW. - UPPER BRIDGE AND FOREIGN SETTLEMENT.

(First published in Frank Leslie’s Popular Monthly, vol. xviii. - July to December, 1884, written by Rev. Stephen Livingstone Baldwin.)