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“ A municipal council was formed, and by 1863 a great embankment and a roadway were completed along the river, which has the awkward fashion of rising as much as 50 feet or more above its ordinary levels, and not unfrequently, as in 1849 and 1866, lays a large part of the town under water. On the former occasion little was left uncovered but the roofs of the houses. The success of the foreign settlement has not been so great as was anticipated: even in 1866 the number of foreign residents was 125 instead of 150 as in 1863. ”

“ Chinese merchants have rapidly got even the foreign trade into their hands: in 1873 they began to run steamers on the river; in 1875 they purchased the property of the Shanghai Steam Navigation Company; and in 1876 they had 57 steamers flying the national flag. Besides tea, which is the staple, the exports of Hankow are leaf tobacco, of which 6,700,000 ℔ was sent to Europe in 1876, raw silk mainly obtained from Szechuen, rhubarb, gall-nuts, and musk. ”