The Ta-dong River, at the estuary of which Chin-am-po lies, is one of the most important and picturesque streams in the country. It drains the southern and south-eastern divisions of Pyöng-an Province; upon its banks, sixty-seven miles from the sea, is Pyöng-yang, the early capital and oldest city of the Empire. Around Pyöng-yang still lingers a host of romantic associations, historical and legendary. Towns and villages are found upon the banks of the Ta-dong; there is much rugged beauty in the scenery, and the water-shed has landmarks of great physical and historical importance. The velocity of the river current during the spring tides averages three and a quarter knots. During the ebb, over against the Chin-am-po bank, there is an increase of two knots caused by a projecting point upon the opposite shore of the river. The formation of the Ta-dong inlet is irregular; many indentations, which mark the outline of the anchorage, become mud flats at low water. Prior to the selection of Chin-am-po as a treaty port, the native village consisted of a few straggling huts and a population of less than one thousand. Now, however, the old order has given way to the new. The mud flats have been reclaimed and so many improvements have taken place in the general conditions of the port that a bright future may be confidently predicted for it. Chin-am-po, the settlement, is situated upon the northern shore of the Ta-dong inlet, about fifteen miles from its entrance in the extreme south-west of Pyöng-an Province. The port was opened to foreign trade in October 1897. During the few years of its existence as an open port, Chin-am-po has made no little progress. At the present time it gives promise of becoming an exceedingly important commercial centre. The increase of the foreign trade and the flourishing condition of the native market have attracted the attention of the Japanese, who have already made a considerable settlement in the port. Estimates of the native population vary from fifteen to forty thousand, the smaller figure being nearer the mark. The trade compares favourably, in point of value and bulk, with that of ports of equal capacity, similarly situated. Its development is somewhat restricted, the two great forces contributing to its material economy being the impetus which has been given to local agricultural resources, and the mining industry. When the concessions of the American and British Mining Companies at Un-san and Eun-san were granted, Chin-am-po became the port of shipment for much of their traffic.