BOTANICON SINICUM. 87 
quotations drawn from it, and preserved in the writings of authors 
of the Ming; but the General Description of China referring to 
this latter dynasty is still extant and is not a rare book, It was 
published by 4s ® Li Hien, with the assistance of others, in 90 
books, with numerous maps, in 1461, under the title Jy BY — i GR 
Ta Ming I t‘ung chi. 
The Great Geography of the Empire of the present dynasty, 
the Jo HR — HE GE Ta Ts‘ing I t'ung chi, was compiled by Im- 
perial command, and the first edition of it was published about 
the middle of last century. In this well known work, in 500 
books, the matter is arranged on the same plan as that adopted 
for previous works of this class. The different provinces are taken 
up seriatim, and the descriptive accounts, given systematically for 
each prefecture, conclude with an enumeration of the natural pro- 
ductions. 
Besides this there exist many detailed descriptions of single 
provinces of China, and special works treat even of the greater 
part of the prefectures and districts. One or more books in these 
topographies are always devoted to an account of the natural pro- 
ductions, + #§ t‘u ch‘an or Hy HE wu ch‘an. In some cases 
these are specified in great detail, accompanied by interesting 
remarks derived from local observers. I subjoin in the sequel a 
list of those native topographical works, or 7 chi, of the present 
dynasty, which I have had an opportunity of consulting, and 
which are frequently quoted in native botanical treatises. They 
have been published, for the most part, by Imperial authority, 
and the majority of them are based upon previous compilations, 
bearing sometimes the same titles. Some of these original accounts 
of the topography of the provinces, prefectures, or districts of the 
Empire can be traced back to a period as early as the 11th or 
12th century. A great number of them were published for the first 
time during the Ming period. 
The £& &f 33) x Ki fu t‘ung chi, or Topography of the Pro- 
vince of Chikli, published in 1729, ia 120 books. But a deserip- 
tion of this province was drawn up much earlier, in 1672. The — 
natural, productions are enumerated in books 56and 07.0 
a ae 
