214 MR. FORTUNE'S VISIT TO CHINA, 



I had already secured, and sailed for Ningpo on my way to the 

 south. 



Here I had the same difficulties to encounter as I had at 

 Shanghae, owing to the jealousy of the Chinese. Ultimately, 

 however, I discovered several Mandarins' gardens and nurseries, 

 from which I made additions to my collections. All these 

 things were of course out of flower, and some of them leafless at 

 this season of the year ; but it will be seen afterwards that many 

 of them proved most remarkable plants. Hei'e, as at most other 

 places, I made many inquiries after the supposed Yellow Ca- 

 mellia, and oflTered ten dollars to any Chinaman who would bring 

 me one. Any thing can be had in China for dollars ! and it was 

 not long before two plants were brought to me, one of which 

 was said to be light yellow, and the other as deep as the double 

 yellow rose. Both had buds upon them, but neither were in 

 flower. I felt quite certain that the Chinaman was deceiving 

 me, and it seemed so foolish to pay such a sum for a plant which 

 I would in all probability throw away afterwards, and yet I 

 could not lose the cliance, slight as it was, of possessing the 

 yellow Camellia. Moreover, there was a written label stuck 

 in each pot, both of which were old, and apparently the labels 

 and writing had been there for some years. At last we com- 

 promised the matter ; I agreeing to pay half of the money down, 

 and the other half after the plants had flowered. On these con- 

 ditions I got the Camellias, and took them with me to Hong 

 Kong. It is almost needless to say that when they flowered 

 nothing was yellow about them but the stamens, for they were 

 both semi-double worthless kinds. 



I now hired a Chinese boat, and crossed over to Chusan, 

 where I arranged my collections and sailed for the south, arriv- 

 ing at Hong Kong on the 19th of January, 1844. My chief 

 object now was to get cases made, and my collections packed 

 and shipped for England. About eighteen cases were sent home 

 in three different ships about this time, and several small packets 

 of seeds were sent by the overland mail. 



As it was autumn when I was travelling in the north of China, 

 many of the plants on the hills were in seed, and it was impos- 

 sible for me to say whether their flowers were ornamental or 

 not. I made a selection however upon chance, considering that 

 there would be, at least, some goods things, amongst them, and 

 that by this means a season would be gained. I did not intend 

 them to be given out to the country until they were proved at 

 the garden, or until I could have an opportunity of seeing them 

 in bloom on the Chinese hills, and of sending a description home. 

 The seeds being in good condition were soon raised, and \mfor- 

 tunately many of them were given away, which did not prove at 



