134 TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



which lias within recent years equally excited our surprise, not only by its 

 agricultural and manufacturing' advancement, but by exhibiting to us the 

 city of Jeddo, containing three millions of inhabitants, where order, moral- 

 ity and cleanliness reign supreme, thus shaming in the comparison all the 

 boasted cities of the so-called civilized and christianized nations of Europe. 

 Their histories now unveil to us the astounding fact that these vast and 

 populous regions, comprising continent and islands, occupying a remote 

 position, and secluded from European intercourse, became greatly advanced 

 in the arts and sciences countless ages ago, whilst Europe, now so preten- 

 tious of her modern advancement, was yet in a state of utter ignorance and 

 barbarism. 



The Chinese Empire comprises nearly the same latitudes as our own 

 country, with a climate which, in contrariety to that of Europe, is colder by 

 two degrees in similar latitudes than that of our Atlantic States, as the 

 Isothermal charts of Humboldt reveal to us. The Japanese islands cover 

 the same latitudes as our own land, with a climate ameliorated by the sur- 

 rounding seas. 



These two mighty countries, comprising half the inhabitants of our globe, 

 do, in consequence of their position and climatric character, offer us pro- 

 ductions which can here become readily acclimated. In accordance to this 

 climatic affinity, God and nature have stamped a similarity of character on 

 the vegetable productions of China, Japan and North America, which is 

 particularly interesting to the inquiring mind — it being far greater and 

 more striking than between any other sections of our globe. More than 

 twenty genera of trees and shnibs, comprising a vast number of species, 

 are nowhere found native in our wide spread earth, save in two Asiatic 

 countries and in North America. The magnolia, the glory of our forests, 

 the mulberry, deciduous cypress, gleditschia, deciduous azalea tree, caly- 

 canthus, illicium, hydrangea, wistaria, weigela, Ichisandra. To what is 

 this similitude in their vegetable productions attributable ? I can come to 

 but one conclusion, which is this: China presents the same slope to the 

 ocean as the Atlantic States of North America, and combines the same 

 latitudes, with a variation of climate of only two degrees in corresponding 

 latitude; whereas, there is a variation of ten degees between our Atlantic 

 States and Europe, and twelve degrees between China and Europe; and it 

 is found that similar difTerences exist between oi;r Atlantic slope and 

 China, when contrasted with the Pacific shores of the American continent. 

 Tlie conclusion, therefore, seems incontrovertible, that where there exists a 

 similarity of climate and of connecting circumstances, nature ever imparts 

 a corresponding similitude to their vegetable productions. 



Our intercourse with China until 1849 was confined solely to the port of 

 Canton, a city located on the southern limit of the empire, and just within 

 the tropics; and even there we were restricted to a narrow section of one 

 suburb, and not permitted to enter the city or to penetrate the country. 

 The productions of the district of Canton are svi generis, and being tropi- 

 cal were not suitable to our country. The tropical sugar cane, the Chinese 

 orange, rice, the dioscorea sativa or tropical yam, and other productions of 

 the district which Canton represents, have long since been acclimated to 

 the congenial warm regions of other portions of our globe. On the opening 



