Chinese Scenery, Plants, and Gardens. .1 35 



a few of the most popular or curious sorts of both ; but the 

 best way for a beginner to get a collection is to send 51., 10/., 

 or 151., &c. to Mr. Goldie, or whoever may be his nursery- 

 man, and ask him to lay it out as far as it will go on the kind 

 of plants wanted. In our next Number will be found an 

 article by A. X. on orchideous plants, which, with preceding 

 papers on the same subject by Mr. Penny, Mr. Thompson, 

 and others, will have simplified the culture of another beautiful 

 family. Whoever can spare room for a group of hardy heaths 

 may plant among them the bog orchidese ; the chalk ones are 

 better by themselves. Hardy heaths, orchideas, ferns, and 

 bog American plants, may be considered as the gems of the 

 Botanical Flower Garden. — Cond. 



Art. II. Observations on Chinese Scenery, Plants, and Gar- 

 dening, made on a Visit to the City of Canton arid its En- 

 virons, in the Years 1793 and 1794- ; being an Extract from 

 the Journal of Mr. James Main, sent thither by the late Gilbert 

 Slater, Esq. of Lay ton, Essex, to collect the Double Camel- 

 lias, Sfc. Communicated by Mr. Main. 



On the first view of the coast of China the stranger con- 

 cludes that the inhabitants are a nation of gardeners. Even 

 the fields, in the southern provinces, are almost all cultivated 

 by manual labour ; and every thing shows the indefatigable 

 industry of the cultivators. 



On entering the mouth of Canton river, and having ascended 

 to the Bocca Tigris, (an old Portuguese name for a fortified 

 part of the river,) the banks begin to collapse, and present to 

 the exploring eye of the botanist their vegetable productions. 

 He sees the general surface of the country, a level, widely-ex- 

 tended, and well-cultivated plain, intersected in all directions 

 by navigable canals ; diversified by abrupt and craggy hills, 

 scattered here and there over the face of the country. Beneath 

 the brow of one stands a grove of laurus sasafras ; under the 

 cultivated slope of another is seen the citron tribes, mixed 

 with other fruits, and overhung by the majestic and splendid 

 Bombax ceiba. Within and around the grotesque yet airy 

 habitations which hang suspended, as it were, over the sedgy 

 margin of the river, is seen magnolias, ixoras, chrysan- 

 themums, &c. in great profusion. After an interesting passage 

 up the river, the stranger enters the suburbs of the city. Here 

 he is surprised to see the number of flowers and flowering 



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