From This City Of Sian-Fu, To Another Called Sin-Gui, It Is Accounted
Fifteen Miles To The South-East.
This city, though not very large, has a
prodigious number of ships, as it is situate on the greatest river in the
world, called Quiam [l5], being in some places ten, in others eight, and in
others six miles broad.
But its length extends to a distance of above an
hundred days journey from its source to the sea, receiving numberless
navigable rivers in its course, from various and distant regions, by which
means incredible quantities of merchandize are transported upon this river.
There are about two hundred cities which participate in the advantages of
this river, which runs through, or past, the boundaries of sixteen
provinces. The greatest commodity on this river is salt, with which all the
provinces and cities which have communication with its water are supplied.
I, Marco, once saw at Singui five thousand vessels, yet some other cities
on the river have a greater number. All these ships are covered, having but
one mast and one sail, and usually carry 4000 Venetian Canthari and
upwards, some as far as 12,000. In these vessels they use no cordage of
hemp; even their hawsers or towing ropes being made of canes, about fifteen
paces long, which they split into thin pieces from end to end, and bind or
wreath together into ropes, some of which are three hundred fathoms long,
and serve for dragging their vessels up or down the river; each vessel
having ten or twelve horses for that purpose.
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