409 
“The spp. of Clematis are about 20 to 25 species; Oaks 15 
Rubus 15; Primulas 10 (these have been very disappoi nting in 
number, and none is conspicuous in any way). The Conifers 
nclude Cunninghamia, oh niles ia, Keteleeri ia, and three 
species of Pinus; one of these is P. massoniana ; another 
is very remarkable for its a ar white ces k and large 
cones, RA ur edible seeds, perhaps allied to P. koraiensis and 
P. Arma the third I have ju et os iius It is one — 
big tree ated on om top of a mountain r four graves. I 
haven't yet secured cones. It is | bone afully 3 2 aad in a ie 
and with delicate, very green foliage, and a port different from 
any pine I have seen in China 
“ Talking of soap-trees, there are two here, Gleditschia elavay, 
with its enormous pods, some 20 inches long, an 
SUM m The latter is an exact eras of Sapindus PM IR 
Of c e it differs technically in flowers and indumentum of the 
leaves, Qe t no mere non-botanist n dream of putting them 
in Eod. genera. I will send plenty of fruit of both (and — 
: eg uminosce are very numerous ; Desmodium, Lespede. 
and PUMA running riot in number of pario ^ have secured 
some very northern forms, as a Fagus, a Betula, 
“Tam inclined to think that isolation, as in Ec by its 
multitudinous ee and valleys, must MUR a great part in the 
invention of species, and the study of the flora of this 
important factors in this evolution. One of the most curious so- 
called species here is Hhretia corylifolia ; it is a distinct species, 
ut how near it is to the common KHhretia macrophylla ! if Idon't 
mistake, I think I shall get connecting links. Pari passu with 
diversity of the genus Homo. One is inclined at first to think 
that all the iia one hears of must be the same people often 
under à new That is not so; the languages are distinct, 
and the anial baratos are often very well marked, too. 
* I have two Lolo MSS. and as yet can’t get a Lolo to come and 
explain them. he investigation of this writing will throw, 
I believe, a new light on Chinese. the native languages, 
three great stocks (Miao-tze, Lolo, Shan) are of the Chinese 
pe, t.e., monosyllabic, tonal, non-inflecting, noted uin bó 
cum question of tones is a difficult e. One scarcely under- 
tand any people beginning à M UA with past an slash: 
ai as the Shan words :— 
ma to come, 
ma a dog, 
ma a horse, 
and so on in five or six ways altogether. I have an idea of the 
origin, which I won't give away just yet. What do you think ? 
Give a guess. Do you suppose such ‘hingi. as tones are original 
and fundamental, or derived and secondary ? 
“ Malay, which is poly syllabic and non-tonal connects on to the 
Chinese group by certain peculiarities which don't occur in other 
groups of visse Ps The Chinese group (¢.¢., Chinese, Miao-tze, 
Lolo, Shan, Annamese, Siamese) display one curious s sub-division, 
in some the adjective follows the noun always, in others (as 
Chinese) it precedes the noun 
16390 A2 
