28 THK LYCHEE AN 7 ]) LUNG AN 



statements with regard to the lychee, " We are assured that this fruit 

 is delicious; but it is dangerous when eat to excess; for it is so 



hot, that it occasions an eruption over the whole body The 



li-tchi which are carried to Peking for the use of the Emperor, in- 

 closed in tin vessels,' filled with spirits mixed with honey and other 

 ingredients, preserve indeed an appearance of freshness, but they lose 

 much of their favour. That this Prince might taste them in the 

 highest perfection, the trees themselves have been sometimes 

 transported to the capital in boxes; and they have been so well 

 managed, that, when they arrived there the fruit was near its maturity. 

 The other kind of fruit peculiar to the southern provinces is the 

 long-yen or dragon's eye; it is of a round figure, has a yellowish 

 skin, and its pulp is white, tart and juicy. It is said that the fruit of 

 this tree is not so agreeable to the taste as the li-tchij but is, however, 

 more wholesome, and may be eaten with great safety. " Sir George 

 Leonard Staunton * mentions a fruit, the see-chee (probably the 

 persimmon) with that of the Uc-clwc in the account of his journey 

 to Canton in 1797 found in his work concerning his embassy to 

 China. He says, "The Chinese want some European fruits, such 

 as gooseberries, currants, raspberries and olives; but abound in others 

 such as the sce-ckee, and the lce-chec t which are not produced in 



Europe The lee-chee is not much bigger that a large cherry, 



with a skin full of soft prickles. The taste of the pulp is tart; and 

 it covers a kernel, in proportion, large. The lee-chee is often pre- 

 served, and in that state has somewhat of a sweet taste." Jose 

 Monteiro de Carvalho 2 in his Diccionarie portuguez 1817, 

 devoted ten lines to the Lexia and says, " Leaves compact and wide 



of a yellowish, green color The fruit is somewhat like the 



shape of a green pear, the which is the most tasty and beautiful that 

 God has created in the Universe. ' ' 



The beginning of the 19th century witnessed a wider interest 

 in Europe in the culture of these fruits. The Transacliont of the 

 Horticultural Society of London,* '' 1818, contains a report on 

 their introduction into their gardens under the names of Dimocarpus 



1 Staunton, Sir George Leonard, An authentic account of an embassy 

 from the King of Great Britain to the Emperor of China. London, G. 

 Nicol, 1797, Vol. 2, page 463. 



2 Monteiro de Carvalho, Jose, Diccionarie portuguez da?, plantar, 

 arbustos. Lisboa, 1817, Tomo I, page 316. 



3 Royal Horticultural society, London, Transactions of the Horticultural 

 Society of London volume TI, 2d edition, London, 1818, pages 402 and 403. 



