﻿15 
  

  

  moschetoes 
  were 
  now 
  becoming 
  very 
  tronblesome. 
  The 
  night 
  before 
  this, 
  neither 
  my 
  

   servant 
  nor 
  myself 
  had 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  close 
  our 
  eyes, 
  and 
  I 
  now 
  saw 
  with 
  dread 
  these 
  

   pests 
  actually 
  swarming 
  around 
  us. 
  Our 
  boatmen, 
  who 
  heard 
  us 
  talking 
  about 
  them, 
  

   asked 
  Sing-Hoo 
  why 
  he 
  did 
  not 
  go 
  and 
  buy 
  some 
  moscheto 
  tobacco, 
  which 
  they 
  said 
  

   might 
  be 
  had 
  in 
  the 
  village, 
  and 
  which 
  would 
  drive 
  all 
  the 
  moschetoes 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  boat. 
  

   I 
  immediately 
  despatched 
  him 
  to 
  procure 
  some 
  of 
  this 
  invaluable 
  substance. 
  In 
  a 
  

   few 
  minutes 
  he 
  returned 
  with 
  four 
  long 
  sticks 
  in 
  his 
  hand, 
  not 
  unlike 
  those 
  commonly 
  

   used 
  for 
  burning 
  incense 
  in 
  the 
  temples, 
  only 
  somewhat 
  longer 
  and 
  coarser 
  in 
  appear- 
  

   ance. 
  He 
  informed 
  me 
  they 
  cost 
  only 
  two 
  cash 
  each 
  — 
  certainly 
  cheap 
  enough 
  if 
  they 
  

   answered 
  the 
  purpose. 
  

  

  " 
  Two 
  of 
  these 
  sticks 
  were 
  now 
  lighted 
  and 
  suspended 
  from 
  the 
  roof 
  of 
  the 
  boat. 
  

   They 
  had 
  not 
  been 
  burning 
  five 
  minutes 
  when 
  every 
  moscheto 
  in 
  the 
  boat 
  sought 
  other 
  

   quarters. 
  We 
  were 
  quite 
  delighted, 
  and 
  enjoyed 
  a 
  sound 
  and 
  refreshing 
  sleep, 
  for 
  

   which 
  we 
  weie 
  most 
  thankful. 
  I 
  had 
  always 
  dreaded 
  these 
  insects 
  during 
  this 
  jour- 
  

   ney, 
  as 
  I 
  did 
  not 
  carry 
  curtains 
  with 
  me 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  their 
  bulk. 
  I 
  now 
  found, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  that 
  there 
  was 
  no 
  need 
  of 
  them 
  wherever 
  we 
  could 
  procure 
  the 
  moscheto 
  tobacco. 
  

  

  " 
  Various 
  substances 
  are 
  employed 
  by 
  the 
  Chinese 
  to 
  drive 
  away 
  moschetoes. 
  This 
  

   which 
  we 
  had 
  just 
  purchased 
  was 
  made 
  with 
  the 
  sawings 
  of 
  resinous 
  woods 
  — 
  I 
  believe 
  

   procured 
  from 
  juniper 
  trees 
  — 
  and 
  mixed 
  with 
  some 
  combustible 
  matter 
  to 
  make 
  it 
  

   burn. 
  A 
  piece 
  of 
  split 
  bamboo, 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  feet 
  in 
  length, 
  is 
  then 
  covered 
  all 
  over 
  

   with 
  this 
  substance. 
  When 
  finished 
  it 
  is 
  as 
  thick 
  as 
  a 
  rattan 
  or 
  small 
  cane. 
  The 
  up- 
  

   per 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  bamboo 
  has 
  a 
  slit 
  in 
  it, 
  for 
  hooking 
  on 
  to 
  a 
  nail 
  in 
  the 
  wall 
  or 
  the 
  roof 
  

   of 
  a 
  boat. 
  When 
  once 
  lighted, 
  it 
  goes 
  on 
  burning 
  upwards 
  until 
  within 
  six 
  inches 
  of 
  

   the 
  hook, 
  beyond 
  which 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  combustible 
  matter, 
  and 
  it 
  then 
  dies 
  out. 
  A 
  some- 
  

   what 
  fragrant 
  smell 
  is 
  given 
  out 
  during 
  combustion, 
  which, 
  at 
  a 
  distance, 
  is 
  not 
  disa- 
  

   greeable. 
  Sometimes 
  the 
  saw-dust 
  is 
  put 
  up 
  in 
  coils 
  of 
  paper, 
  and 
  is 
  then 
  burned 
  on 
  

   the 
  floors 
  of 
  the 
  houses. 
  Various 
  species 
  of 
  wormwood 
  are 
  likewise 
  employed 
  for 
  the 
  

   same 
  purpose. 
  The 
  stems 
  and 
  leaves 
  of 
  these 
  plants 
  are 
  twisted 
  and 
  dried, 
  and 
  pro- 
  

   bably 
  dipped 
  in 
  some 
  preparation 
  to 
  make 
  them 
  burn. 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  moscheto 
  has 
  a 
  mortal 
  aversion 
  to 
  all 
  these 
  substances, 
  and 
  wherever 
  they 
  

   are 
  burning, 
  there 
  the 
  little 
  tormentors 
  will 
  not 
  come. 
  I 
  procured 
  the 
  sticks 
  in 
  ques- 
  

   tion, 
  and 
  burnt 
  them 
  daily 
  after 
  this 
  ; 
  and 
  although 
  the 
  insects 
  were 
  often 
  swarming 
  

   when 
  I 
  entered 
  the 
  boat 
  or 
  an 
  inn, 
  the 
  moment 
  their 
  ' 
  tobacco' 
  was 
  lighted 
  they 
  quickly 
  

   disappeared, 
  and 
  left 
  me 
  to 
  sit 
  at 
  my 
  ease, 
  or 
  to 
  enjoy 
  a 
  refreshing 
  sleep. 
  Whoever 
  

   discovered 
  this 
  precious 
  tobacco, 
  was 
  a 
  benefactor 
  to 
  his 
  country, 
  and 
  should 
  have 
  been 
  

   honoured 
  with 
  the 
  blue 
  button 
  and 
  peacock's 
  feather 
  at 
  the 
  least. 
  But 
  I 
  suppose, 
  like 
  

   all 
  other 
  Chinese 
  discoveries, 
  it 
  is 
  so 
  old 
  that 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  its 
  original 
  discoverer 
  can- 
  

   not 
  now 
  be 
  traced." 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  memoirs 
  were 
  read 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  1. 
  Descriptions 
  of 
  five 
  new 
  butterflies, 
  by 
  W. 
  C. 
  Hewitson, 
  Esq., 
  with 
  two 
  coloured 
  

   plates. 
  

  

  Papilio 
  Telearchus. 
  Hab. 
  Sylhet. 
  

  

  Allied 
  to 
  P. 
  Paradoxa, 
  but 
  larger 
  ; 
  difi'erent 
  in 
  the 
  contour 
  of 
  the 
  wings 
  and 
  in 
  

   the 
  relative 
  distance 
  of 
  the 
  blue 
  spots 
  from 
  the 
  outer 
  margin. 
  

   Papilio 
  Pausanias. 
  Hab. 
  Surinam 
  and 
  the 
  Amazon. 
  

  

  Allied 
  to 
  P. 
  Choridamas, 
  and 
  especially 
  interesting 
  from 
  its 
  close 
  resemblance 
  

  

  