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| The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.2 |
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Citation Information
234
MARCO POLO Boox II.
But few trees are met with ; a banyan here and there, but no camphor-trees along this route ; but there is one extremely interesting feature on it that would strike the most unobservant traveller, viz. : the Loyang bridge, one of the wonders of China." Ilad Polo travelled by this route, he would certainly have mentioned it. Pauthier remarks upon Polo's silence in this matter : " It is surprising," says he, " that Marco Polo makes no mention of it."—H. C.]
NOTE 2. — The G. T. reads Calton, presumably for Çaiton or Zayton. In Pauthier's text, in the following chapter, the name of Zayton is written Çaiton and Çayton, 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 developes into a port at the mouth of the River Min.*
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 corn-pared to that of the Hudson. (Fortune, I. 281 ; Chin. Repos. XVI. 483.)
CHAPTER LXXXII.
OF THE CITY ANIS GREAT HAVEN OF LAYTON.
Now when you quit Fuju and cross the River, you travel
for five days south-east through a fine country, meeting
with a constant succession of flourishing cities, towns,
and villages, rich in every product. You travel by
mountains and valleys and plains, and in some places
by great forests in which are many of the trees which
give Camphor.' There is plenty of game on the road,
both of bird and beast. The people are all traders and
craftsmen, subjects of the Great Kaan, and under the
government of Fuju. When you have accomplished
those five days' journey you arrive at the very great and
noble city of ZAYTON, which is also subject to Fuju.
At this city you must know is the Haven of Zayton,
frequented by all the ships of India, which bring thither
spicery and all other kinds of costly wares. It is the
port also that is frequented by all the merchants of
* 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. The various readings must be looked at together ; that of the G. T. which I have followed is clear in itself and accounts for the others.
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