1845.] PRESENTS OF SEEDS. 345 



from the various questions which he put, and his enquiry 

 after a map of the world, a telescope, &c., proved that 

 he was a well-educated, and very intelligent person. 

 Having intimated that he was aware that the map had 

 before been requested for the Examiner, and that he 

 should be happy to be the medium of conveying it to 

 him, I lost no time in obtaining it from the ship, pro- 

 mising him the telescope upon our final meeting at the 

 eastern island, where he had arranged to meet, and bring 

 the hat and other objects of interest. I left with him a 

 few seeds of various Melons, Cucumbers, Orange, Shad- 

 dock, Chinese Plum, Pumpkin, Mustard, Cress, and 

 Lettuce. This produced a further solicitation from him, 

 which seemed to imply that he undersood something of 

 Pharmacy. He produced specimens of the Strychnos or 

 St. Ignatius bean, which he informed me, he had obtained 

 from China, through Korea, and that he knew that it 

 was brought to China by an European vessel. I en- 

 deavoured to ascertain how he had obtained this fact, 

 and taxed him with having visited China himself. This 

 he denied, but admitted having been at one of the chief 

 cities of Korea, visited by the junks from China as well 

 as Japan. He was unwilling, or fearful, to afford me any 

 information respecting this latter place, but he most 

 distinctly combatted any idea of their being either de- 

 pendent or subject to any control but that of Korea. I 

 despatched a messenger to the ship for some of the beans 

 of the Strychnos, which had been presented to me by the 

 Padres of Batan, and begged him to accept them, in the 

 hope of obtaining further information, but the approach of 

 evening, and the presence of others, who seemed to act 



