The Numbers
Carried By Chinese Junks Are Occasionally Still Enormous.
"In February,
1822, Captain Pearl, of the English ship Indiana, coming through Caspar
Straits, fell in with the cargo and crew of a wrecked junk, and saved 198
persons out of 1600, with whom she had left Amoy, whom he landed at
Pontianak.
This humane act cost him 11,000l." (Quoted by Williams from
Chin. Rep. VI. 149.)
The following are some other mediaeval accounts of the China shipping, all
unanimous as to the main facts.
Friar Jordanus: - "The vessels which they navigate to Cathay be very big,
and have upon the ship's hull more than one hundred cabins, and with a
fair wind they carry ten sails, and they are very bulky, being made of
three thicknesses of plank, so that the first thickness is as in our great
ships, the second crosswise, the third again longwise. In sooth, 'tis a
very strong affair!" (55.)
Nicolo Conti: - "They build some ships much larger than ours, capable of
containing 2000 butts (vegetes), with five masts and five sails. The
lower part is constructed with triple planking, in order to withstand the
force of the tempests to which they are exposed. And the ships are divided
into compartments, so formed that if one part be shattered the rest
remains in good order, and enables the vessel to complete its voyage."
Ibn Batuta: - "Chinese ships only are used in navigating the sea of
China.... There are three classes of these: (1) the Large, which are
called Jonuk (sing. Junk); (2) the Middling, which are called Zao;
and (3) the Small, called Kakam. Each of the greater ships has from
twelve sails down to three. These are made of bamboo laths woven into a
kind of mat; they are never lowered, and they are braced this way and that
as the wind may blow. When these vessels anchor the sails are allowed to
fly loose. Each ship has a crew of 1000 men, viz. 600 mariners and 400
soldiers, among whom are archers, target-men, and cross-bow men to shoot
naphtha. Each large vessel is attended by three others, which are called
respectively 'The Half,' 'The Third,' and 'The Quarter.' These vessels are
built only at Zayton, in China, and at Sinkalan or Sin-ul-Sin (i.e.
Canton). This is the way they are built. They construct two walls of
timber, which they connect by very thick slabs of wood, clenching all fast
this way and that with huge spikes, each of which is three cubits in
length. When the two walls have been united by these slabs they apply the
bottom planking, and then launch the hull before completing the
construction. The timbers projecting from the sides towards the water
serve the crew for going down to wash and for other needs. And to these
projecting timbers are attached the oars, which are like masts in size,
and need from 10 to 15 men[1] to ply each of them.
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