une cité qui a nom Vuguen." This seems to mean from Cugui to Kelinfu 6 days, and thence to Vuguen (or Unken) 34 days more. But evidently there has been bungling in the transcript, for the es autre trois journées belongs to the same conception of the distance as that in the G. T. Pauthier's text does not say how far it is from Unken to Fuju. Ramusio makes 6 days to Kelinfu, 3 days more to Unguem, and then 15 miles more to Fuju (which he has erroneously as Cagiu here, though previously given right, Fugiu).

The latter scheme looks probable certainly, but the times in the G. T. are quite admissible, if we suppose that water conveyance was adopted where possible.

For assuming that Cugiu was Fortune's Chuchu at the western base of the Bohea mountains (see note 3, ch. lxxix.), and that the traveller reached Tsun-ngan-hien in 2 marches, I see that from Tsin-tsun, near Tsun-ngan-hien, Fortune says he could have reached Fuchau in 4 days by boat. Again Martini, speaking of the skill with which the Fokien boatmen navigate the rocky rapids of the upper waters, says that even from Puching the descent to the capital could be made in three days. So the thing is quite possible, and the G. Text may be quite correct (see Fortune II. 171-183 and 210; Mart. 110). A party which recently made the journey seem to have been 6 days from Hokeu to the Wu-e-shan and then 5 days by water (but in stormy weather) to Fuchau (Chinese Recorder, as above).

NOTE 8.-Pauthier supposes Unken, or Vuguen as he reads it, to be Hukwan, one of the hiens under the immediate administration of Fuchau city. This cannot be, according to the lucid reading of the G. T., making Unken 15 miles from the chief city. The only place which the maps show about that position is Mint'sing hien. And the Dutch mission of 1664-5 names this as "Binkin, by some called Min-sing." (Astley, III. 461).

The Babylonia of the passage from Ramusio is Cairo,--Babylon of Egypt, the sugar of which was very famous in the Middle Ages. Zucchero di Bambellonia is repeatedly named in Pegolotti's Handbook (210, 311, 362, &c.).

The passage as it stands represents the Chinese as not knowing even how to get sugar in the granular form: but perhaps the fact was that they did not know how to refine it. Local Chinese histories acknowledge that the people of Fokien did not know how to make fine sugar, till, in the time of the Mongols, certain men from the west taught the art.* It is a curious illustration of the passage that in India

*Note by Mr. G. Phillips. I omit a corroborative quotation about sugar from the Turkish Geography, copied from Klaproth in the former edition; because the author, Hajji Khalfa, used European sources; and I have now no doubt the passage was derived indirectly from Marco Polo.

coarse sugar is commonly called Chini, "the produce of China," and sugar candy or fine sugar Misri, the produce of Cairo (Babylonia) or Egypt. Nevertheless fine Misri has long been exported from Fokien to India, and down to 1862 went direct from Amoy. It is now, Mr. Phillips states, sent to India by steamers via Hong Kong. I see it stated, in a late Report by Mr. Consul Medhurst, that the sugar at this day commonly sold and consumed throughout China is excessively coarse and repulsive in appearance (see Academy, Feb. 1874, p. 229).

The fierce lions are, as usual, tigers. These are numerous in this province, and tradition points to the diversion of many roads, owing to their being infested by tigers. Tiger cubs are often offered for sale in Amoy.*

CHAPTER LXXXI.

CONCERNING THE GREATNESS OF THE CITY OF FUJU.

Now this city of Fuju is the key of the kingdom which is called CHONKA, and which is one of the nine great divisions of Manzi. great manufactures. to the Great Kaan.

The city is a seat of great trade and The people are Idolaters and subject. And a large garrison is maintained there by that prince to keep the kingdom in peace and subjection. For the city is one which is apt to revolt on very slight provocation.

There flows through the middle of this city a great river, which is about a mile in width, and many ships are built at the city which are launched upon this river. Enormous quantities of sugar are made there, and there is a great traffic in pearls and precious stones.

For many

ships of India come to these parts bringing many merchants who traffic about the Isles of the Indies. For this city is, as I must tell you, in the vicinity of the Ocean Port of ZAYTON, which is greatly frequented by the ships of India with their cargoes of various merchandize; and from

*Note by Mr. G. Phillips.

Zayton ships come this way right up to the city of Fuju by the river I have told you of; and 'tis in this way that the precious wares of India come hither.3

The city is really a very fine one and kept in good order, and all necessaries of life are there to be had in great abundance and cheapness.

NOTE 1.--The name here applied to Fokien by Polo is variously written as Choncha, Chonka, Concha, Chouka. It has not been satisfactorily explained. Klaproth and Neumann refer it to Kiangché, of which Fokien at one time of the Mongol rule formed a part. This is the more improbable as Polo expressly distinguishes this province or kingdom from that which was under Kinsay, viz. Kiangché. Pauthier supposes the word to represent Kien-Kwé, "the Kingdom of Kien," because in the 8th century this territory had formed a principality of which the seat was at Kien-chau, now Kienningfu. This is not satisfactory either, for no evidence is adduced that the name continued in use.

One might suppose that Choncha represented Tswanchau, the Chinese name of the city of Zayton, or rather of the department attached to it, written by the French Thsiuan-tchéou, but by Medhurst Chwanchew, were it not that Polo's practice of writing the term tchéu or chau by giu is so nearly invariable, and that the soft ch is almost always expressed in the old texts by the Italian ci (though the Venetian does use the soft ch).*

It is again impossible not to be struck with the resemblance of Chonka to "CHUNG-KWÉ" "the Middle Kingdom," though I can suggest no ground for the application of such a title specially to Fokien, except a possible misapprehension. Chonkwé occurs in the Persian Historia Cathaica published by Müller, but is there specially applied to North China (see Quat. Rashid., p. lxxxvi).

The city of course is FUCHAU. It was visited also by Friar Odoric who calls it Fuzo, and it appears in duplicate on the Catalan Map as Fugio and as Fozo.

I used the preceding words, "the city of course is Fuchau," in the first edition. Since then Mr. G. Phillips, of the consular staff in Fokien, has tried to prove that Polo's Fuju is not Fuchau (Foochow is his spelling), but T'swanchau. This view is bound up with another regarding the identity of Zayton, which will involve lengthy notice under next chapter; and both views have met with an able advocate in the

* Dr. Medhurst calls the proper name of the city, as distinct from the Fu, Chinkang (Dict. of the Hok-keen dialect). Dr. Douglas has suggested Chinkang, and T'swan-kok, i.c. "Kingdom of T'swan" (chau), as possible explanations of Chonka.

Rev. Dr. C. Douglas, of Amoy." I do not in the least accept these views about Fuju.

In considering the objections made to Fuchau, it must never be forgotten that, according to the spelling usual with Polo or his scribe, Fuju is not merely "a name with a great resemblance in sound to Foochow" (as Mr. Phillips has it); it is Mr. Phillips's word Foochow, just as absolutely as my word Fuchau is his word Foochow. (See remarks almost at the end of the Introductory Essay). And what has to be proved against me in this matter is, that when Polo speaks of Fuchau he does not mean Fuchau. It must also be observed that the distances as given by Polo (three days from Quelinfu to Fuju, five days from Fuju to Zayton) do correspond well with my interpretations, and do not correspond with the other. These are very strong fences of my position, and it demands strong arguments to level them. The adverse arguments (in brief) are these:

(1.) That Fuchau was not the capital of Fokien (" chief dou reigne"). (2.) That the River of Fuchau does not flow through the middle of the city ("por le mi de cest cité"), nor even under the walls.

(3.) That Fuchau was not frequented by foreign trade till centuries afterwards.

The first objection will be more conveniently answered under next chapter (p. 221).

But even now a

As regards the second, the fact urged is true. straggling street extends to the river, ending in a large suburb on its banks, and a famous bridge there crosses the river to the south side where now the foreign settlements are. There may have been suburbs on that side to justify the por le mi, or these words may have been a slip; for the Traveller begins the next chapter-"When you quit Fuju (to go south) you cross the river." †

Touching the question of foreign commerce, I do not see that Mr. Phillips's negative evidence would be sufficient to establish his point. But, in fact, the words of the Geog. Text (i.e. the original dictation), which we have followed, do not (as I now see), necessarily involve any foreign trade at Fuchau, the impression of which has been

* Mr. Phillips's views were issued first in the Chinese Recorder (published by Missionaries at Fuchau) in 1870, and afterwards sent to the R. Geo. Soc., in whose Journal for 1874 they will appear, with remarks in reply more detailed than I can introduce here. Dr. Douglas's notes were received after this sheet was in proof, and it will be seen that they modify to a certain extent my views about Zayton, though not about Fuchau. His notes, which do more justice to the question than Mr. Phillips's, should find a place with the other papers in the Geog. Society's Journal.

†There is a capital lithograph of Fuchau in Fortune's 'Three Years' Wanderings,' (1847), in which the city shows as on the river, and Fortune always so speaks of it; e.g. (p. 369): "the river runs through the suburbs." I do not know what is the worth of the old engravings in Montanus. A view of Fuchau in one of these (reproduced in Astley, iv. 33) shows a broad creek from the river penetrating to the heart of the city.

derived mainly from Ramusio's text. They appear to imply no more than that, through the vicinity of Zayton, there was a great influx of Indian wares, which were brought on from the great port by vessels (it may be local junks) ascending the river Min.*

Scene on the Min River, below Fuchau.-(From Fortune).

"E sachies che por le mi de ceste cité ba't un grant flun qe bien est large un mil, et en ceste cité se font maintes nés lesquels najent por cel flum."

NOTE 2.-The G. T. reads Caiton, presumably for Çaiton or Zayton. In Pauthier's text, in the following chapter, the name of Zayton is written Çaiton and Çayton, and the name of that port appears in the same form in the Letter of its Bishop, Andrew of Perugia, quoted in note 2, chap. lxxxii. Pauthier however in this place reads Kayteu, which he developes into a port at the mouth of the River Min.†

NOTE 3. The Min, the River of Fuchau, "varies much in width and depth. Near its mouth, and at some other parts, it is not less than a mile in width, elsewhere deep and rapid." It is navigable for ships of large size 20 miles from the mouth, and for good-sized junks thence to the great bridge. The scenery is very fine, and is compared to that of the Hudson. (Fortune, I. 281; Chin. Repos. XVI. 483.)

*The words of the G. T. are these: "Il hi se fait grant mercandies de perles e d'autres pieres presiose, e ce est porce que les nés de Yndie hi vienent maintes con maint merchaant qe usent en les ysles de Endie; et encore voz di que ceste ville est près au port de Caiton en la mer Osiane; et illuec vienent maintes nés de Indie con maintes mercandies, e puis de cest part vienent les nés por le grant flum qe je voz ai dit desoure jusque à la cité de Fugui, et en ceste mainere hi vienent chieres cousse de Indie."

† It is odd enough that Martini (though M. Pauthier apparently was not aware of it) does show a fort called Haiteu at the mouth of the Min; but I believe this to be merely an accidental coincidence. The various readings must be looked at together; that of the G. T. which I have followed is clear in itself and accounts for the others.