NOTICES OF BOOKS. 249 



through the iuformatiou supphed from tmie to time by the Jesuits ; 

 taking up James Cumiingham's discoveries (1700-1701), the 

 researches of Osbeck, Sparrmann, and other Swedish collectors, and 

 ending with the botanical notices in the ' Description Generale de 

 la Chine,' published in 1785 by the Abbe Grosier. In the words 

 of the author, he starts "from that period when these regions 

 became first known to us through the learned and hard-working 

 Jesuit missionaries, the illustrious pioneers of oriental studies in 

 the far East," while he does not " extend the area of [his] 

 researches beyond the Linnean period." Some notion of how 

 much was noticed by these early observers, as well as of how much 

 yet remains to be done in China, may be gathered from the remark 

 that " there are still in the interior of China many common 

 Chinese plants known to us only from the description of the Jesuits, 

 as for example the tree which yields the varnish for making the 

 well-known Chinese lacquered ware, or the llliciam aidsatum of 

 China (Loureiro). No specimens of these trees have, as far as I 

 can judge from what has been published with respect to Chinese 

 plants, come to the notice of later botanists." Dr. Bretschneider 

 has taken every care to identify when possible the plants mentioned 

 by the various authors he quotes, giving in many cases the name 

 in Chinese characters ; and in glancing through the pages many 

 interesting facts meet the eye. Litchis, for example, are first 

 mentioned in Europe by Mendoza in 1585, who says, " the Chinese 

 have a kind of plum that they call leechias, of an excellent gallant 

 taste." The same author mentions the cultivation of maize among 

 the Chinese, which is interesting in connection with the fact that 

 maize is not indigenous to China, but has been introduced since the 

 discovery of America. Ginsing is mentioned by Semedo in 1643, 

 who is the first of the missionaries to notice tea, and to give an 

 account of the preparation and use of the leaves. The same 

 writer refers to the lamp -wicks, with which large boats are often 

 laden, and which, as Dr. Hance has shown (Journ. Bot., 1875, 

 pp. 106-7), are the pith of Jwicus ejfusus. PcBonia MoiUan is first 

 mentioned by Martini in 1655, and we might proceed, did space 

 permit, to extract similar items of information. 



The plants of James Cunningham, " the first European who 

 made botanical collections in China, and whose rich herbarium 

 arrived safely home," receive detailed notice, and a few of the plants 

 are identified. Dr. Bretschneider will be glad to know that these 

 collections still exist in the British Museum, scattered through 

 various volumes of the ' Sloane Herbarium.' Most of the speci- 

 mens could be readily identified by anyone familiar with Chinese 

 botany ; they are mostly localised under the general title of 

 "China," but some (Herb. Sloane, 255, 257,263, 267) are from 

 "Emuy" (Amoyj, and others from Chusan (H. S., 252, 269, 272). 

 Among them is the type specimen of Ciuminghaniia sinensis, 

 established by Brown in 1826, and named by him " to com- 

 memorate the merits of Mr. James Cunningham, an excellent 

 observer in his time, by whom this plant was discovered, and in 

 honour of Mr. Allan Cunningham " (Misc. Bot. Works, i. 461), 



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