FUCHOW  , FU-CHAU, Foocxow, a

city of China, capital of the province of Fu-kien, and one of the principal ports open to foreign commerce . In the local dialect it is called Hokchiu . It is situated on the river Min, about 35 M. from the sea, in 26° 5' N. and 119 ° 20' E., 140 M . N. of Amoy and 28o S. of Hang-chow . The city proper, lying nearly 3 M. from the north bank of the river, is surrounded by a wall about 30 ft. high and 12 ft. thick, which makes a circuit of upwards of 5 M. and is pierced by seven gateways surrounded by tall fantastic watch-towers . The whole district between the city and the river, the island of Nantai, and the southern banks of the Min are occupied by extensive suburbs; and the river itself bears a large floating population . Communication from bank to bank is afforded by a long stone bridge supported by forty solid stone piers in its northern section and by nine in its southern . The most remark-able establishment of Fuchow is the arsenal situated about 3 M. down the stream at Pagoda Island, where the sea-going vessels usually anchor . It was founded in 1867, and is conducted under the direction of French engineers according to European methods . In 187o it employed about moo workmen besides fifty European superintendents, and between that date and x88o it turned out about 20 or 30 small gunboats . In 1884 it was partially destroyed by the French fleet, and for a number of years the workshops and machinery were allowed to stand idle and go to decay . On the 1st of August 1895 an attack was made on the English mission near the city of Ku-chang, 120 M. west of Fuchow, on which occasion nine missionaries, of whom eight were ladies, were massacred .

The

port was opened to European commerce in 1842; and in 1853 the firm of Russell and Co. shipped the first cargoes of tea from Fuchow to Europe and America . The total trade in foreign vessels in 1876 was imports to the value of £1,531,617, and exports to the value of £3,330,489 . In 1904 the imports amounted to £1,440,351, and the exports to £1,034,436 . The number of vessels that entered in 1876 was 275, and of these 211 were British, 27 German, 1 x Danish and 9 American . While in 1904 480 vessels entered the port, 216 of which were British . A large trade is carried on by the native merchants in timber, paper, woollen and cotton goods, oranges and olives; but the foreign houses mainly confine themselves to opium and tea . Commercial intercourse with Australia and New Zealand is on the increase . The principal imports, besides opium, are shirtings, T-cloths, lead and tin, medicines, rice, tobacco, and beans and peas . Two steamboat lines afford regular communication with Hong-Kong twice a month . The town is the seat of several important missions, of which the first was founded in 1846 . That supported by the American board had in 1876 issued 1,3000,000 copies of Chinese books and tracts .