490 Retrospective Criticism. 



wall, but at the distance of about 20 ft. from it, was a pond of water, the 

 space between being occupied by a border and walk : the soil a stiffs or even 

 slightly clayey, loam. Mr. Barrett, the gardener there, a man celebrated in the 

 neighbourhood for his skilful culture of wall and other fruit, has informed 

 me that this fig tree used annually to bear a copious crop of delicious fruit ; 

 and this fecundity Mr. Barrett imputes to the contiguity of the pond, into 

 the mud and water of which the roots of the fig tree had made their way, 

 as by duly scrupulous examination he had fully satisfied himself. In tran- 

 scribing this fact from my memory, I will not vouch for having remembered 

 the width of the border with accuracy ; but the broad facts of the fig 

 tree's fecundity, and the connection of its roots with the water in the pond, 

 may be -fully relied on. The fig tree has long since been displaced, and the 

 pond filled up ; but the facts are still fresh in the memory of Mr. Barrett, 

 who ever cites them when the culture of figs is conversed on ; because, as 

 Mr. Barrett remarks, they oppose the commonly received opinion of the 

 fig's affection and preference for a dry border and calcareous soil. The 

 remarkable vigour evinced by Ficus stipulata Thunberg, when its roots had 

 access to a cistern filled with water, as will be hereafter described, may also 

 be a fact more or less relative to the question at issue. — J. D. 



The Tea Plant. — Mr. Murray (p. 89.) may rest assured, that whatever I 

 may have written relative to the manufacture of tea was derived from the 

 best authorities, viz. Messrs. Duncan and Arthur, the former physician to the 

 Company's officers, and the latter inspector of tea at Canton in 1794. But 

 lest these gentlemen may have been mistaken, I present the following ex- 

 tracts : — " The Chinese all agree there is but one sort of the tea tree ; 

 and that the difference in tea arises from the soil and manner of curing." 

 (F. Pigou, Esq., in Asiatic Register, 1809.) " This fact is farther confirmed 

 by Lord Macartney and Sir George Staunton." ( See Macartney'' s Em- 

 bassy to China, vol. hi. p. 296.) As to the Tartars knowing little of black 

 tea, this may be accounted for from another remark in Mr. Pigou's paper, 

 viz. " The tea sent into Tartary is mostly green, in the proportion of seven 

 to two." — J. Main. 



Thea viridis is figured in the Botanical Magazine for April, t. 3148. ; 

 where it is well remarked, and reasons why are adduced, that Then viridis 

 must be specifically distinct from T. Bohea : the only astonishing fact is, 

 that a contrary opinion could ever have prevailed. Almost two pages of 

 text are offered on the interesting question, From how many or how few 

 distinct species or varieties of tea plant are the teas of commerce derived ? 

 But, although contributions towards an answer are adduced, no positive 

 answer is presented : in fact, Mr. Main's excellent article (Vol. IV. p. 454.) 

 anticipates all that is adduced ; except that, in the article of the Botanical 

 Magazine, Mr. Hooker's informant (Charles Millett, Esq., of Canton, who 

 holds a high official situation in the East India Company's factory there) 

 states that the teas are derived from two species of tea plant, but that all 

 the varieties can be made from either species. Dr. Hooker quotes Dr. 

 Abel in corroboration of this view ; and, from the quotation, it appears 

 that Dr. Abel deems the two kinds of tea plant spoken of to be the Thea 

 Bohea and the Thea viridis. The words quoted from Dr. Abel are these : — 

 " From persons conversant with the Chinese method, I learned that either 

 of the two plants will afford the black or green tea of the shops ; but that 

 the broad thin-leaved plant (our T. viridis) is preferred for making the 

 green tea." Dr. Hooker follows these quoted opinions, by remarking that 

 " Kaempfer's figure of the Japanese tea plant, which is evidently the plant 

 in general cultivation in that empire [in which Kaempfer travelled], is of 

 the Thea Bohea, not the Thea viridis." After stating that the geographical 

 range of the tea districts in China is very extensive, and showing that sixty 

 cognisable kinds of tea are manufactured, Dr. Hooker remarks : — " All 

 these different kinds of tea may be distinguished, by the experienced mer- 

 chant, merely by the taste. The situation of assayer of teas, at Canton, 



