366 Dr. Cantor on the Flora and Fauna of Chusan* 



brought him every specimen they saw worthy of notice. At 

 Canton, the whole collection of plants, minerals, and other 

 objects which had been collected were put on board H.M.S. 

 Alceste, the ship that brought the embassy to China. The 

 loss of that vessel in Gaspar Straits, and with her Dr. AbeFs 

 entire collection and the notes appended to it, deprived the 

 world of much valuable information. Except a very few spe- 

 cimens he gave to some friends at Canton, everything he had 

 collected perished with the Alceste. Among these preserved 

 specimens Sir Joseph Banks found some new plants, one of 

 which, Abelia chinensis, commemorates the zeal of the natu- 

 ralist. Since this expedition nothing of importance has been 

 done in any department of natural history, excepting botany. 

 To this branch a few of the gentlemen attached to the Hon. E. I. 

 Company^s factory have paid some attention. The Horticultu- 

 ral Society of London in 1819 sent out Mr. Kerr, a gardener, 

 to collect and buy living plants and send them home, but his 

 success was only partial. Many new plants have been discover- 

 ed among those which have been sent home by the residents at 

 Canton. The steady demand for these, both among foreigners 

 and natives, has induced the Chinese to bring rare plants to 

 this city; they are kept for sale at Fahte, the ^ flower-gardens' 

 near Canton. The number of plants shipped to Europe and 

 America yearly is considerable, and the demand is increasing. 

 According to Livingstone, not one in a thousand reaches their 

 destination; yet from the immense number sent in a long 

 course of years, we may safely infer, that one-half of all known 

 Chinese plants have been discovered and named in this way. 

 Great care is necessary to preserve them on board ship in a 

 voyage of such length, and from the want of this care con- 

 sequently many of them die. Different plants require such 

 different attention, that what saves one kills another. But 

 the number of names probably far exceeds the number of spe- 

 cies, for the Chinese gardeners are skilful in altering the ap- 

 pearance of flowers, and finding it for their interest so to do, 

 they devote much time to the pursuit. From this short sketch 

 it appears, that in the natural history of the Chinese empire 

 much remains to be done. The Chinese works on this sub- 

 ject are voluminous, and they contain dissertations on plants 

 of all kinds and qualities, chiefly those used in medicines ; on 

 gems, of which they ai'e fond ; on quadrupeds, birds, fishes 

 and insects ; and even shells and mollusca are not overlooked 

 by them. On the same pages we also find accounts of tiger- 

 elephants, dragons, and other similar fantasies. The entire 

 range of natural science in the Chinese empire will require 

 thorough investigation, for what has been done needs to be 



