À, 
e 
M. SEEMANN’S JOURNAL. 25 
sieve and formed Young Hyson, while those which had a roundish gra- 
| nular shape fell through last, and constituted Choo-cha, or Gunpowder. 
. It was my particular desire to obtain the plant of which the Rice- . 
paper is made. On my arrival, all I could learn was that the paper  — 
was manufactured from vegetable pith: respecting the name of the 
plant, its vegetation, and native province, the most contradictory 
_ statements prevailed. My first aim was to discover the vernacular — 
name of the plant; after I had succeeded in obtaining this, through - 
the aid of an intelligent missionary, Mr. Vogel, I experienced no 
further difficulty in collecting information, and in finding a Chinaman 
willing to procure specimens. The plant grows abundantly in the 
province of Yunnan, and in the work of Li-shi-chin there is a figure 
and description of it. Mr. Williams, the well-known author of ‘The 
Middle Kingdom,’ has kindly rendered that account into English for me, — 
and the following is a transcript of his version :—** The Tung-toh-muh, 
or, as it sometimes is called, Tung-tsau (2. e., hollow plant), grows on 
the sides of hills. Its leaves resemble the Castor Oil plant (Ricinus 
communis, Linn.) ; the stem is hollow, and has in its heart a white pith, 
which is prized for its lightness and whiteness, and collected in order 
to make ornaments for women.—Kuoh-poh says: ‘It grows in Kiang- 
nan, is about twelve or fourteen feet high, and has leaves which are 
large and fleshy, like those of the Nelumbium. In the stem is a very — 
white pith. Gardeners now sow the seed, and also transplant the | 
plant. If the stem is cooked with honey, and mixed with preserved — 
fruit, the taste is sweet and pleasant.’—Li-shi-chin says: ‘The stalks — 
of those plants which grow in the hills are large, several inchesin circum- — 
ference. The taste and virtues of this plant are sweet, cooling, and | 
innocuous. It aids the secretions, stops diarrhoea and excess of urine, - 
and helps the expectorations. A tincture of the burnt sedie reduced. 
to powder is good for lockjaw.' " | | 
Such is the account given by the Chinese of the Rice-paper sles 
and, judging from this description, the woodcut annexed to it, and a 
quantity of pith which I obtained at Canton, it would appear that the 
Tung-toh-muh belongs to the Natural Order of Malvacee.* It is also 
* The Chinese EES and describe anything they choose as the “ portu 
plant ;” probably because few are acquainted with it themselves. Our present volume - 
of the Miscellany will contain dno. and deseription ees pia 
be an Araliacea.—Ep, 5. 
VOL. IV. E 
