Ii6 Augtiji 1749. 



the roots look pretty like it. The French 

 ufe this root for curing the afthma, as a 

 ftomachic, and to promote fertiHty in wo- 

 man. The trade which is carried on with 

 it here is very brifk ; for they gather great 

 quantities of it, and fend them to France, 

 from whence they are brought to China, 

 and fold there to great advantage *. It is 

 faid the merchants in France met with 

 amazing fuccefs in this trade at the firll 

 outfet, but by continuing to fend the Gin- 

 feng over to China, its price is fallen con- 

 fiderably there, and confequently in France 

 and Canada ; however, they ftill find their 

 account in it.^ In the fummer of 1748, a 

 pound of Ginfeng was fold for fix Francs, 

 or Livres, 2X^ebec ; but its common price 

 here is one hundred Sols, or five Livres, 

 During my flay in Canada, all the merch- 

 ants at ^lehec and Montreal, received orders 

 from their correfpondents in France to fend^ 

 over a quantity of Ginfeng, there being an 

 uncommon demand tor it this fummer. 

 The roots were accordingly colleded in 

 Canada with all pofTible diligencej the 



* Mr. OJbeck feems to doubt whether the Europeans reap 

 any advantages from the Ginfeng trade or not, becaufe the 

 Chinefe do not value the Canada roots fo much as thofe of 

 the Chinefe-Tartary and therefore the former bear fcarce half 

 the price of the latter. See Ofoeck's Voyage to China, Vol. 

 I. p. 233» F. 



Indians 



