48 
will have no idea of the richness of the world in beautiful plants. 
I look upon this region as the central point from which the 
Temperate Flora has originated, or has been broken up into 
numberless species 
I note what you say about fluviatile shrubs; but here I am 
quite confined to my office and cannot get away on trips, and 
so I am unable to make observations in quantity. I am also 
spending a lot of time at the study of the Lolo language, as 
I think it a pity to leave such an interesting field unexplored. 
I have completed a good-sized dictionary, and translated a 
number of booklets. There is much to be done Nc in the 
study of living plants, but, alas! I haven't the time. I am 
dependent, sed for the great richness of my collections in 
alarge measure on the excellent native, old Ho, who is working 
for me here as he did at Mengtze. The handling of the collec- 
tions, labelling, packing, keeping free from insects and mould 
takes up a good deal of time indeed. My Yunnan numbers now 
reach 3.700, i.e., 1,200 new ones since the Mengtze collection. 
I scarcely find. the Hasan surroundings so interesting as 
Mengtze, s the forests are very uniform, and high mountains 
don't occ I hope that the turn of the Service wheel may 
he way p^ which the flora changes as one goes westward from  — 
Kwangsi ores deni and from Mengtze to Szemao. m 9 
pıcking in with the Szemao set a number of plants sent me 
from Lungchow by Mr. Morse; but two packets of duplicates 2 
€ et ges sent by him were destroyed i fire 7? the 
Manhao; a very annoying accident He found 
T pilice een Hance, which is a wonderfully Beautiful 
tree. 
I hope you will succeed in growing San-ch’i. It should re 
tried in the shade; and er will be of benefit, 
this is done by the ‘cultivators. This plant is mainly cultivated 
by the Yao aborigines who live in the mountains from Kwangsi 
east to near here. These = eople are a at sub-genus 
Er ress i 
addicted to little cultures, such as of indigo, San-ch'i, &c. Their 
language is unlike that of any of the other aborigines ; ; and 
they merit a study. : 
I am too far north for Benzoin. You ought to write in 
connection with it to the Consul of Chiengmai, in Siam. ‘a 
EXTRACT from letter from Dr. A. Henry, F.LS., to R oyal 
jardens, Kew, dated Szemao, par  Laokay, Tongking, a 
December 20, 1898. 
Collecting still goes on, and I have two boxes of Szemao plants 
ready for Kew. There will be quite a large number of pete 
hitherto supposed to be Indian only. I have just found Clematis 
