TEA SHRUBS. 91 



tolled. The writer of this work largely expa- 

 tiates upon the wonderful qualities possessed by 

 some trees, with all the vanity of a Chinese. 

 He treats upon the modes in which the tea shrub 

 is cultivated, and the crop gathered; but he 

 possesses too much learning to be a good bota- 

 nist, and quotes continually verses and the say- 

 ings of the ancients to embellish the subject. 

 There is certainly, in the whole, more learning 

 than good sense. He also treats upon how the 

 seed is to be sown, how the leaves of the tea 

 shrub ought to be prepared, and in what manner 

 the shrub is to be pruned in order that it should 

 produce luxuriant foliage. He also enters upon 

 minute details, how the tea leaf is to be plucked, 

 and afterwards dried and packed. Though the 

 subject is trivial, it would require some study to 

 make this work intelligible to Europeans. 



• The Rev. C. GutzlaiF, having looked over 

 this botanical work in the Chinese language, 

 favoured me with the above brief opinion on it. 



The Cycas revoluta (Fung, maee, cho, of the 

 Chinese) was planted in pots, and from being so 

 generally seen about the dwellings of the people, 

 I should consider was a favourite with them ; a 

 number of dwarf elms, bamboos, and other trees, 

 with a number of varieties of Hibiscus, Althcea, 



