famous for its hams, dates, and all the good things of this life, according to the Chinese.  In this city I recognise Polo’s Zen Gi An of Ramusio.  Does its description justify me in my identification?  ‘The city of “Zen gi an",’ says Ramusio, ’is built upon a hill that stands isolated in the river, which latter, by dividing itself into two branches, appears to embrace it.  These streams take opposite directions:  one of them pursuing its course to the south-east and the other to the north-west.’  Fortune, in his Wanderings in China (vol. li. p. 139), calls Lan-Khi, Nan-Che-hien, and says:  ’It is built on the banks of the river, and has a picturesque hill behind it.’  Milne, who also visited it, mentions it in his Life in China (p. 258), and says:  ’At the southern end of the suburbs of Lan-Ki the river divides into two branches, the one to the left on south-east leading direct to Kinhua.’  Milne’s description of the place is almost identical with Polo’s, when speaking of the division of the river.  There are in Fuchau several Lan-Khi shopkeepers, who deal in hams, dates, etc., and these men tell me the city from the river has the appearance of being built on a hill, but the houses on the hill are chiefly temples.  I would divide the name as follows, Zen gi an; the last syllable an most probably represents the modern Hien, meaning District city, which in ancient Chinese was pronounced Han, softened by the Italians into an.  Lan-Khi was a Hien in Polo’s day.”  —­H.C.]

Kin-hwa fu, as Pauthier has observed, bore at this time the name of WU-CHAU, which Polo would certainly write Vugiu.  And between Shao-hing and Kin-hwa there exists, as Baron Richthofen has pointed out, a line of depression which affords an easy connection between Shao-hing and Lan-ki hien or Kin-hwa fu.  This line is much used by travellers, and forms just 3 short stages.  Hence Kin-hwa, a fine city destroyed by the T’ai-P’ings, is satisfactorily identified with Vugiu.

The journey from Vugui to Ghiuju is said to be through a succession of towns and villages, looking like a continuous city.  Fortune, whose journey occurred before the T’ai-P’ing devastations, speaks of the approach to Kiu-chau as a vast and beautiful garden.  And Mr. Milne’s map of this route shows an incomparable density of towns in the Ts’ien T’ang valley from Yen-chau up to Kiu-chau. Ghiuju then will be KIU-CHAU.  But between Kiu-chau and Chang-shan it is impossible to make four days:  barely possible to make two.  My map (Itineraries, No.  VI.), based on D’Anville and Fortune, makes the direct distance 24 miles; Milne’s map barely 18; whilst from his book we deduce the distance travelled by water to be about 30.  On the whole, it seems probable that there is a mistake in the figure here.

[Illustration:  Marco Polo’s route from Kinsai to ZAITUN, illustrating Mr. G. Phillips’ theory.]

From the head of the great Che-kiang valley I find two roads across the mountains into Fo-kien described.