Page:A wandering student in the Far East vol.1 - Zetland.djvu/81

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THE IMPORTANCE OF HANKOW.

47

Tientsin for the position of second commercial city of the empire, and is deserving of passing notice.

In more ways than one Hankow is a remarkable town. It is, according to the members of the Blackburn Commercial Mission, "the greatest centre of distribution in the empire." Its position is certainly unique. Situated at the junction of the Han river with the Yang-tsze, 600 miles from the coast, it is nevertheless visited by ocean-going steamers at certain seasons of the year, and is at all times in communication with Shanghai and the sea through the medium of a perfect flotilla of river steamers of considerable speed and size.^[1]

It is at the

↑ The following list of steamships plying exclusively upon the Yang-tsze at the present time will give some idea of the vast proportions which river navigation may be expected to assume when China becomes a modern industrial nation:—

I. Shanghai—Hankow.
The China Merchants Steam Navigation Co.	5	large steamers.
Messrs Butterfield & Swire	4	{{{1}}}„{{{1}}}„
Messrs Jardine, Mathieson, & Co.	4	{{{1}}}„{{{1}}}„
(The above three companies form a shipping combine.)
The Osaka Shosen Kwaisha (Japanese)	4	{{{1}}}„{{{1}}}„
The Nippon Yusen Kwaisha (Japanese)	3	{{{1}}}„{{{1}}}„
A French company	3	{{{1}}}„{{{1}}}„

[p47-1] The following list of steamships plying exclusively upon the Yang-tsze at the present time will give some idea of the vast proportions which river navigation may be expected to assume when China becomes a modern industrial nation:—
I. Shanghai—Hankow.
The China Merchants Steam Navigation Co. 5 large steamers.

Messrs Butterfield & Swire 4 {{{1}}}„{{{1}}}„

Messrs Jardine, Mathieson, & Co. 4 {{{1}}}„{{{1}}}„

(The above three companies form a shipping combine.)

The Osaka Shosen Kwaisha (Japanese) 4 {{{1}}}„{{{1}}}„

The Nippon Yusen Kwaisha (Japanese) 3 {{{1}}}„{{{1}}}„

A French company 3 {{{1}}}„{{{1}}}„

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