REPORT OF M. GUILLEMIN. 15 



and the young seedlings bad assumed a greener tint. Capt. 

 Cecille took great interest in the safety of my proteges, and 

 v.'hile the leakage of some of the water casks had compelled 

 him to put the whole ship's crew on a slender allowance of 

 water, he ordered me an increased quantity for the benefit of 

 the Tea shrubs. 



On the 24th of July, the Heroine cast anchor in the har- 

 bour of Brest, and while anxiously awaiting directions for 

 the disembarking, and forwarding to Paris, of my dearly 

 valued treasures, I visited the western extremity of the de- 

 partment of Finisterre. Here the soil and climate appeared 

 to me peculiarly suitable to the culture of Tea, and subse- 

 quent observations have confirmed this opinion. In no part 

 of the French territory are Camellias raised so fine in the 

 open air ; and the nature of the ground bears much resem- 

 blance to that of Brazil, while the low price of handicraft 

 works among a poor and ignorant population, would form a 

 strong additional recommendation. 



The Brazilian Tea shrubs reached Paris in the end of 

 August, and M. Mirbel charged the chief gardener at the 

 Royal Gardens to prepare frames and beds in which to de- 

 posit the surviving plants, which are 1,500 in number, about 

 one third of the original stock, including young seedlings. 

 M. Houlet continues to pay attention to them, and I quite 

 expect that by next spring, they may be fit for removal to 

 those parts of France that shall be judged most suitable to 

 their attempted culture on an extensive scale. 



And now to come to the important question, whether the 

 growth and preparation of Tea can furnish an advantageous 

 branch of agriculture in France, — the decision rests on so 

 many contingencies, of the quantity of respective produce 

 from a given portion of soil, and the price to be realized by 

 the article when produced, that it is very difficult to arrive at 

 a satisfactory and correct answer. In Brazil, where, as I 

 have stated above, the culture of the shrub succeeds perfectly 

 well ; where the gathering of the foliage proceeds with hardly 

 any interruption during the entire year, where the quality 



