216 
DCLXIIL—CHINESE PRINTING BLOCKS. 
The Re of Chinese printing blocks has for some rn 
time — M attention of this establishment, the 
useums hav cently Penner possessed of =. examples 
through the E of Mr. W. R. Carles, Her Majesty's Conse 
at Foochow, it has been thought of sufficient interest to review 
the question in the Bulletin of the Royal Gardens, and hopes are 
entertained that specimens of all the woods and blocks prepared 
therefrom for this industry, together with dried specimens of the 
plants to cde aa determine their botanical origin, may be 
forwarded to Kew 
Application was first made to the Foreign Office early in April, 
1884, for imeem f blocks prepared from the wood of the well- 
known Tallow-tree eram ibia Roxb.), which was supposed 
to be used for that purpose, and though the matter was kindly taken 
up by Mr. Baber, then Chinese Secretary of Her Majesty’s Legation 
at Peking, who issued a memorandum for circulation amongst 
various of Her Majesty’s Case in China, no specimens came to 
hand; later, Dr. A. Henry, to whom the Royal Gardens have 
become indebt ed for many interesting and unique donations, 
drew further attention to the subject in his * Notes on the 
Economie Botany of China," p. 9, under the heading of “ Queries 
from w." Such in brief i is the record of an interesting 
economie subject of — full particulars are detailed in the 
following correspondence : 
EXTRACT from letter from Royal Gardens, Kew, to Foreign 
Office, dated April 2nd, 1884. 
“ The wood of the well-known Tallow-tree (Sapium sebiferum, 
Roxb. Stillingia sebifera, Michx.) is one of those sai b 
used by the Chinese y printing blocks, and Sir J. D. Hooker 
would be ata if one of Her Majesty's Consular Officers in China 
could procure specimens of such blocks for the Kew Museum. 
He would also like w procure printing blocks in which any other 
kinds of wood have been used if only the nature of these can be 
authentically determined. 
* Sir J ooker has no means of indicating in what parts of 
China application for these specimens might be most conveniently 
ad has no doubt that Mr. Baber would assist with his 
advice as he so kindly did in the case of the enquiries which Earl 
Granville was Looney to direct should be made in the case of 
Chinese White Wax 
FOREIGN OFFICE to ROYAL GARDENS, KEW. 
April 24th, 1884. 
son letter of the 2nd instant upon the subject of ihe woods 
used in China for printing blocks was referred to Mr. E. C. Baber 
for his observations and oe a xm I am now directed by 
Earl Granville to transmit mpanying draft instruc- 
tions to certain of Her Malco 8 er in China which has been — 
drawn up by that em vs 
