About three leagues from the point of land named Liampo by the Portuguese, and Khi-tu by the Chinese, there is a very safe and convenient harbour at the west end of this island, where the ships ride within call of the factory, which stands close to the shore in a low flat valley, having near two hundred houses built around for the benefit of trade.  The town of Chusan, of which the houses are very mean, is about three quarters of a mile farther from the shore, and is surrounded by a fine stone wall, flanked at irregular distances by twenty-two square bastions or towers; and has four great gates, on which a few old iron guns are planted, seldom or never used.  The chumpeen, or governor of the island, resides here, and the town contains about three or four thousand beggarly inhabitants, mostly soldiers and fishers; for, as the trade of this island has only been granted of late, it has not hitherto attracted any considerable merchants.

This island abounds in all sorts of provisions, as cows, buffaloes, deer, hogs, both wild and tame, geese, ducks, poultry, rice, wheat, calavanccs, cole-worts, turnips, carrots, potatoes, beets, spinach, and so forth.  It has, however, no merchandise, except what comes from Ning-po, Stan-chew,[326] Nankin, and other inland towns and cities.  Some of these I hope to see, when I have acquired a little of the Chinese language.  Tea grows here in great plenty on the tops of the hills, but is not so much esteemed as that which grows on more mountainous islands.  Although tolerably populous, this island is far from being what it was in the time of Father Martini, who describes it under the name of Cheu-xan.  The superstitious pilgrimages mentioned by him, must refer to the island of Pou-to,[327] which is nine leagues from this place, and to another island three miles to the eastwards, to which the emperor proposes coming to worship at a pagoda greatly renowned for its sanctity, in the ensuing month of May, being his birth-day, and the fortieth year of his age.  One of his bonzes is already come there, to get all things in order.

[Footnote 326:  Probably Hang-tcheon, a city about forty miles W. from Ning-po.—­E.]

[Footnote 327:  Pou-teou, is directly E. from the eastern end of Tcheou-chan.—­E.]

Sec.2. Ancient and modern State of the Country, and of the coming of the English to reside there.[328]

In my former letter, I informed you that the emperor designed to have come to worship at Pou-to in May last, being the fortieth year of his age, but I ought to have said of his reign.  After every thing was prepared for his reception, he was dissuaded from his purpose by some of his mandarins, who made him believe that the thunder at that place was very dangerous.  This Pou-to is a small island, only about five leagues round, and at the east end of Chusan.  It has been famous for the space of eleven hundred years, for the superstitious pilgrimages made to it, and is only