NOTE 2. - The G.T. reads Caiton, presumably for Caiton or Zayton. In
Pauthier's text, in the following chapter, the name of Zayton is written
Caiton and Cayton, and the name of that port appears in the same form
in the Letter of its Bishop, Andrew of Perugia, quoted in note 2, ch.
lxxxii. Pauthier, however, in this place reads Kayteu which he
develops into a port at the mouth of the River Min.[5]
NOTE 3. - The Min, the River of Fu-chau, "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.)
[1] 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.e. "Kingdom of T'swan"
(chau), as possible explanations of Chonka.
[2] Mr. Phillips's views were issued first in the Chinese Recorder
(published by Missionaries at Fu-Chau) in 1870, and afterwards sent to
the R. Geo. Soc., in whose Journal for 1874 they appeared, 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 Fu-chau. 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.
[3] There is a capital lithograph of Fu-chau in Fortune's Three Years'
Wanderings (1847), in which the city shows as on a river, and
Fortune always 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 Fu-chau in one of these (reproduced
in Astley, iv. 33) shows a broad creek from the river
penetrating to the heart of the city.
[4] The words of the G.T. are these: "Il hi se fait grant mercandies
de perles e d'autres pieres presiose, e ce est por ce que les nes de
Yndie hi vienent maintes con maint merchaant qe usent en les ysles de
L'ndie, et encore voz di que ceste ville est pres au port de Caiton
en la mer Osiani; et illuec vienent maintes nes de Indie con maintes
mercandies, e puis de cest part vienent les nes por le grant flum qe
je voz ai dit desoure jusque a la cite de Fugui, et en ceste mainere
hi vienent chieres cousse de Indie."
[5] 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.
