Indian Antiquary Vol 31

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 24

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comes from Cantão thither is through only a span of water.
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[JANUARY, 1902.
in the middle portion of the road always towed with hooks, sometimes There is another similar one from the range to other provinces.
This mountain range has on the Cantão side a city, and on the other side another: the range lies in the middle; from one to the cther there will be some six or seven leagues, 100 As regards the range, it is a steep and very difficult country. It is a great thoroughfare, because the whole country of the twelve provinces passes through here; those who wish to come to Quiençy and to Cantão in one day pass along this road on mules or asses. The water of the rivulets that runs from these ranges both from one extremity and the other to the foot of these ranges on both sides unites and begins to form rivers having in places two spans of water, and the boats go grating on the pebbles; this in many places for some eight to [f. 113v] ten leagues downwards from the range, and in some places it is deep. From this range to Cantão all the merchandise that comes and goes is by this river; all the mandarins who come and go do so by this river. By land there is a road paved with stones (?), and there are some rivers on the way that they cross; however by it they go but little, because there are robbers all along the road and on the rivers. As I have said, the roads of the country are not safe. All the traffic and journeys in the country of China are by rivers, because the whole of China is intersected by rivers, so that one cannot go two leagues by land without crossing twenty rivers: this is throughout the whole country, and there is only one province that has no rivers,
All the craft of Cantãos in which the people and merchandise go to the mountain range and to other parts of these two provinces, viz., Cantão and Queançy, all is made in the city of Cantão close to the sea in places surrounded by rivers of fresh water and by mountains; because from Cantão right up to the mountain range there is not a single tree from which a single boat can be made. In Cangi which is far from here, they build some large boats for merchandise, but not many: all the manufacture is in these outskirts of Cantão and around Tanção." If these boats of Cantão were destroyed, help could not come from other provinces, because they have no roads by land. So that, whoever should be master of the district of Cantão, all the advantage is on the border of the sea and twelve, fifteen, twenty miles inland: all this is divided up by rivers where every kind of boat can go. This is the most suitable race and country of any in the whole world to be subjugated, and the whole aim lies in this district of Cantao. Certainly it is a greater honor than the government of India further on it will be seen that it is more than can be described. If our lord the king had the real truth and information as to what it is so much time would not pass.
[f. 114] This province of Cantão is one of the best in China, from which the king receives much revenue, because there are rice and food-stuffs incalculable, and all the wares of the whole country come to be shipped here by reason of the sea-port and of the articles of merchandise that come from other kingdoms to Cantão; and all passes into the interior of the country of China, from which the king receives many dues and the mandarins large bribes. The merchants live more honestly than in the other provinces which have no trade. No province in China has trade with strangers except this of Cantão: that which others may have on the borders is a small affair, because foreign folk do not enter the country of Chins, nor do any go out of China. This sea trade has made this province of great importance, and without trade it would remain dependent on the agriculturists like the
The city on the Kwangtong side of the pass is Nanhiung; that on the Kianghat side is Nanngan. (See Mid. King. I. pp. 113, 159, 174.)
100 According to Williams (Mid. King. L. p. 159) the road between Nanhiang and Nanngan is twenty-four miles in length.
1 Cf. Barrow, op. cit. p. 542.
The orig. has "em recados de p" which is unintelligible. Sr. Lopes suggests enrocado de pedras, which I have adopted, though I am not quite satisfied with it.
An error: there is no riverless province.
⚫ It must be observed that the Portuguese Cantão represents both the province of Kwangtung and the city of Kwangchau-fu.
I think this should be Tancão, and that the place referred to is Tungkwan on the Tungkiang or East River. (See infra, ff, 1197, 121v.)