of
Fo-Kien and Che-Kiang on the main land.

As its name implies, it is a "beautiful" island, especially on its
southern extremity, which has been described as a fruitful garden,
producing delicious fruits and grain of every description, and exporting
vast quantities of rice, sugar, tobacco, and camphor.

The Chinese call it Te-wan; it extends between the degrees of twenty and
twenty-six north latitude, is about fifty miles wide, and is separated
from the province of Foo-Kien, of which it is a dependency, by a channel
of from eighty to ninety miles in breadth.

It is equidistant from Japan and the Philippine Islands, being about one
hundred and fifty miles from each, and appears to have been placed
directly in the highway of commerce.

As yet it has been but little explored, and of its harbors, with the
exception of Kelung, not much is known. This harbor is on its northern
extremity, in latitude 25 deg. 9' north of Greenwich, by a late observation.
There is a good anchorage here for vessels drawing not over sixteen
feet, and water and supplies can be obtained from the town, which
contains about two thousand inhabitants, said to be very civil and
obliging. They are principally engaged in fishing and the cultivation of
the land, which is set down as luxuriant in the extreme.

Coal is said to be very abundant in this neighborhood, and many
excavations have been made in the surrounding hills, some of them having
been tunnelled over forty feet, and a distinct stratum exhibited of
about four feet thick, hard and easily detached, lying between blue soft
shale and sandstone. The quality of this coal was described by a person
who visited the mines, to be very good, heavy, easily detached, igniting
readily, and burning with a bituminous gassy flame, leaving a very small
quantity of ashes of a reddish white color. From specimens which I
have seen, do not suppose it equal to the English Cannel or our own
Pittsburgh; but have known coal of a not much superior quality to have
been produced from the first workings of mines in the valley of the
Ohio, and who can say but that much better veins exist, of which these
are but the openings?

In this however does not consist entirely the mineral wealth of this
prolific island, and in the range of mountains which run through its
centre is found gold and silver, iron ore and copper. Whilst in the
valleys at their feet, the labors of the husbandman are bountifully
rewarded in extensive c