Transactions of the Horticultural Society. 423 



to be grafted upon W. floribunda, said to be a still hand- 

 somer species than the above. 



54. On the Yceonia Moutan, or Tree Pceony and its Varieties. By 

 Joseph Sabine, Esq. F.R.S. Sec. H.S. 

 From the information possessed by a correspondent on this 

 subject, and in order to throw some light on points of the 

 history of the Moutan, on which the secretary is doubtful, 

 we subjoin the following remarks : — " Mr. S. is rightly in- 

 formed as to the way of obtaining the Moutans at Canton. 

 They are not natives, nor are they cultivated there, but are 

 annually received from the provinces of Nankin and Honan 

 as presents to mandarins or merchants resident at Canton. 

 It is also true, that but little dependence can be placed on the 

 accounts given by some of the missionaries, as to the great 

 number of species in China, though it is very probable they 

 may possess many varieties. Indeed, from the concurrent 

 testimony of two most respectable gentlemen, Messrs. Duncan 

 and Arthur, (the former the medical attendant of the East 

 India Company's superintendents, and the latter the inspector 

 of tea at Canton in 1794,) there is no doubt that there are 

 many sorts in the northern provinces, which have not been seen 

 at Canton. The former of these gentlemen was particularly 

 engaged by the late Sir Joseph Banks, to procure the Moutan 

 for the royal garden at Kew, and succeeded in getting two or 

 three single plants at different times, which he sent home. 

 We believe the first was received at Kew in 1789, and one or 

 two more were received in the succeeding years, but these 

 never flowered in any perfection. In 1794, seven plants of 

 various kinds were brought to England in the Triton East 

 Indiaman, two for His Majesty, two for Sir Joseph Banks, and 

 three for Gilbert Slater, Esq. of Low Layton, Essex ; but that 

 gentleman's lamented death having happened before the arrival 

 of the ship (end of September, 1794), the Moutans, double 

 camellias, &c. were sent, in a very shattered condition (the ship 

 having been dismasted in the Channel), to the collection of 

 George Hibbert, Esq. of Clapham. The others for Kew, &c. 

 were delivered to Sir J. Banks's order, as soon as the ship ai*- 

 rived at Gravesend. All these were introduced under the 

 specific name of suffruticosa, and among them three or four 

 varieties, distinguished chiefly by the colour of their flowers, 

 as houng, red, fsu, pink, ivong, yellow, and pack, white. Those 

 sent to Mr. Hibbert were the red, the pink, and the yellow ; 

 the first and last of which did not survive the disasters of the 

 voyage. One of the Kew plants is said to have flowered in 

 1 795, but there were certainly flowers in 1 796 at both Kew and 



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