GIN 



■». t, 712. JufT. 331. Clafsand order, DoihcanJria Mono- 

 gynia Nat. Ord. CalycanlheiDte, Linn. Salicari^, JufT. 



Gen. Ch. Cal. Perianth inferior, of one leaf : tube bcll- 

 fliapcd ; limb fix-cleft : fej^ments lanceolate, fpreadinfr, co- 

 loured, permanent. Cor. Petals fuc, roundifli, fpreading, long- 

 er than tlie calyx, with long claws infci ted into tlie neck of 

 the calyx. Slam. Filaments 12, a\vl-(haped, the k-nnh of 

 the calyx and infertcd into it ; anthers kidnev-fhaped Pi/}. 

 Germen roundifh, deprcfied ; (lyle awl-fhaped, as long as the 

 corolla, not deciduous ; ftigma obtufe Perk. Capfule 

 roundilh, depreffed. (hilling, coloured, with a])out four far- 

 rows and four valves, ef one cell, gaping at the top. Sc.Js- 

 numerous, minute; receptacle roundifh, lar^e. 



EiT. Ch. Calyx fix-cleft. Petals fix. Capfule of one cell, 

 with four valves, coloured, with many feeds. 



I. G. aKir'uaua. Lion. Sp. PI. 6.;.2. Jacq. Amer. t. 91. — 

 Native of the rocky and gravelly banks of rivers in the 

 ifland of Cub.i. This beautiful flirub has mucli of the af- 

 pecV of a myrtle, and bears its flowers and ripe fruit in 

 December. It rifes erecl to the height of three or four 

 feet, and its branches are round, fmQoth, and woody. 

 Leaves lanceolate, entire, fmooth, fpreading, on ihort foot- 

 llalks, oppofite, an inch and half long, numerous. Stalls 

 finglc-flowered, {lender, axillary and terminal. Flczuers 

 inodorous, witii a reddifh calyx, blue corolla, and dark-red 

 capfule, containing a moil beautiful berry. Seeds whitifh. 

 The capfule remains entire for fome time after the feed is 

 fhed, together with the calyx and part of the ftyle. The 

 natives call this plant Rofa del rio, or river Rofe — It has ne- 

 ver been introduced into the gardens of Europe, nor have we 

 even feen a dried fpecimen. 



GIN-PIN, in Geography, a town of China, of the third 

 rank, in Chan-tong ; 17 miles N E of Tong-chang. 



GIN-SENG, or Nix-SEXG, in Botany. See PiXAX. 



GiN'-SEVG; in the Materia Medica, is one of the prin- 

 cipal medicines of the Chinefe and Tartars ; and their 

 mofl; erain.ent phyficians have written many volumes concern- 

 ing its virtues. 



It is known among them by divers other names, exprefllng 

 only Jjiirit, or the pure fpirit of the earth ; the plant thai gives 

 immorlalily. Sec. It makes, in efFeA, the whole materia me- 

 dica for the people of condition, but is too precious for the 

 populace. 



AH the writers of the Chinefe affairs make mention of the 

 gin-ieng : as Martinius, in his Atlas ; F. Kirclier in his 

 China Illuftrata ; F. Tachard, in his Voyages ; and F. Le 

 Comte, in his Memoirs. 



And yet we knew but very- little of this plant before F. 

 Jartoux, a Jcfuit, and miffionary in China ; who, being em- 

 ployed, b V ovdirr of the emperor, in maldng a map of Tartaiy, 

 in tlie year 17C9, had an opportunity of ieeing it growing in 

 a village "bout four leagues from the kingdom of Corea, in- 

 habited by Tartars, called Calca-Tat'ze. 



Tuat father took this opportunity to make a draught of 

 the pL-.nt, and give an accurate deicription of it, with its 

 virtues and manner of prepari.ig it. The giu-feng, accord- 

 ing to his defcription and drawing, has a wliitc root, fome- 

 ■what knotty, about thrice the thicknefs of the item, and 

 which g.'-ows tapering to the ep.d ; at a few inches from the 

 head it frequently p;uts into two branches, which gives it 

 fome refcmbla;icc of a man, v.hofe thighs the branches repre- 

 fent ; and it is hence it takes the denomination giu-feng, 

 ^hich figniiics a figure of a man. 



It is h.-ird to fay, why the Chinefe fliould call it gin-feng, 

 a word which fignified [figure or reprefeni alien of a man: nei- 

 ther that father, nor any he enquired of, could e?er find', that 

 ;t bore more refeinblance to tin; figure of a man than is grdi- 



G I N 



narily /l-en among other root.. The Tarurs, with more rea. 

 Ion, call It orhota, that is, the f.rft of plants. It grows to 

 the height of about eighteen inches. 



The plant dies away every year : the number of its yearn 

 may b« known by the number of ftalk3 it has (hot forth, of 

 which there always remains fome mark. 



Thofc who gather the gin-feng preferve only the root , 

 and all they can get of it in ten or fifteen days time they bury 

 together, in fome place under ground ; then they take care 

 to walh It well, and fcour it with a brufli ; then dip it in fcald- 

 ing water, and prepare it in the fumes of a fort of yellow mil- 

 let, wh;c!i gives it part of its colour. The millet is put in 

 a veffel, with a little water, and boiled over a gentle fire ; the 

 roots are laid over the veffel, upon fmall tranlverfe piece's of 

 wood, being firft covered with a hnen cloth, or fome other 

 veffel placed over them. 



They may alfo be dried in the fun, or bv the fire ; but 

 then, though they retain their virtue well enough, they have 

 not that yellow colour which the Chinri'"e fo much admire 

 When tiie roots are dried, they mull be kept clofe in fome 

 very dry place ; otherwife t!u;y are in danger of corrupting, 

 or of being eaten by worm.s. 



As to the place where this root grows, it is between tlie 

 thirty-ninth and forty-feventh degree ef north latitude, and 

 between the tenth and twentieth degree of ealUongitude, 

 reckoning from the meridian of Pckin. Here is found a 

 long tract of mountains, which thick forefls, that cover and 

 encompafs them, render almoll impaffable : it is upon tlic 

 declivities of thefe mountains, and in thefe thick fonjfts, 

 upon the banks of torrents, or about the roots of trees, 

 and amidft a thoufand other different forts of plants, that 

 the gin-feng is found : it is net to be met with in plains, \-al- 

 leys, mardies, tlie bottoms of rivulets, or in places too much 

 expofed and open 



If the foreft takes fire and be confumed, this plant does 

 not appear till two or three years after ; it alfo lies hid from 

 the fun as much as pofTible, which fliews that heat is an ene- 

 my to it. 



The places w here the gin-feng grows are, on even" fidf, 

 feparate.; from the province of Quang-tong by a barrier of 

 wooden flakes, which encompaffes this whole province, 

 and about which guards continually patrol, to hin- 

 der the Chinefe from going out and looking after this 

 root. 



Yet, however vigilant they are, greedinefs after gain in- 

 cites the Chinefe to lurk about privately in thefe dtferts,fome- 

 times to the number of two cr three thoufand, at the hazard 

 of lofing their hberty, and all tlie fruits of their labour, if 

 they are taken either as they go out of or come into the 

 province. 



The emperor, in order that the Tartars fliould reap all 

 the advantage that is to be made of this plant, rather thin 

 the Chinefe, gaveorder.% in 1 709, to ten thoufand Tartars, 

 to go and gather all they could find of the gin-feng, upon 

 condition that each perfon fliould give him two ounces of tlie 

 befl, and that the rell fhould be paid for, weight for weight, 

 in pure filver. ', 



It was computed, that, by this means, the emperor would 

 get this year above twenty thoufand Chinefe pounds of it, 

 which wuKld nut coll him abo\e cue-fourth part of its 

 value. 



We met, by chance, fays F. .lartoux, «Hth fome of thefe 

 Tartars, in the midll of thofe fright£iil deferts ; and their 

 mandarins,^ who were not far out of the wav, came, one 

 after another, and pflercd us oxen for our. fublilleacc, ac- 

 cordin;r to tlie commands ihev had received from the em- 



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