HANG-TCHOO-FOO, the capital of the province of Tche-Kiang in China, is situated between the basin of the grand canal, and the river Chen-tang-chuang, which falls into the sea about 60 miles to the eastward, and in N. Lat. 30° 21'. E. Long. 129° 20'. Hang-tchoo-foo exports and receives vast quantities of merchandise to and from the southern provinces by means of this river. There is no communication by water between the river and the basin of the grand canal, in consequence of which all goods brought by sea into the river from the southward, must be landed at this city, in their way to the north. Its population is immense, being computed to be nearly as numerous as in Pekin, which contains about 3,000,000 of inhabitants. The houses are low, none exceeding two stories; and the streets, the middle of which is paved with smooth flags, and the sides with small flat stones, are very narrow. The principal streets contain nothing but shops and warehouses, many of which are equally splendid with those of the kind in London. Sir George Staunton informs us, that it is extremely difficult to pass along the streets, on account of the prodigious numbers of people, all engaged in their own concerns. Several men, but no women, attend in these shops behind the counters. The women are employed in the manufacture of silk, every part of which is done by them alone. In their dress they are not regulated by fancy or fashion, but by what is conducive to health, and the season of the year. Even among the ladies, there is little variety in their dress, except in the disposition of the ornaments of the head. The fair sex esteem corpulency in a man to be a beauty, but they aim at preserving a delicacy of shape as to themselves. They allow their nails to grow, and reduce their eyebrows to an arched line.

The natural and artificial beauties of the lake of Hang-tchoo-foo, in the opinion of Barrow, far exceeded any thing which he had the opportunity of seeing in the vast empire of China. The surrounding mountains are highly picturesque, and the valleys covered with trees of various kinds, among which are the laurus camphora, craton, fefiferum, and thuja orientalis. In the middle of the lake are two islands, to which company generally resort after having amused themselves with rowing, and in which a temple and several pleasure-houses have been built for their reception. The emperor has a small palace in the neighbourhood. This city has a garrison of 3000 Chinese, under the command of the viceroy, and 3000 Tartars, commanded by a general of the same nation. It has under its jurisdiction seven cities of the second and third class.