Chap. IX. RESOLVE TO VISIT BLACK-TEA DISTRICTS. 159 



CHAPTER IX. 



Leave Ning-po for the Bohea mountains — My guides — A flag and its 

 history — The Green River again — Spring scenery on its banks — 

 Yen-chow and Ta-yang — A storm in a creek — Boatwomen — A 

 Chinese Mrs. Caudle and a curtain lecture — Natural productions 

 — Funereal cypress and other trees — Our boat seized for debt and 

 the sail taken away — A Chinese creditor — Town of Nan-che — 

 Its houses, gardens, and trade — Vale of Nan-che — Productions 

 and fertility — City of Chu-chu-foo — Moschetoes and Moscheto 

 " tobacco " — Arrive at Chang-shan. 



I was not quite satisfied with the result of my journey 

 up the river Min. Although one of my men had 

 brought me a fine collection of tea-plants and seeds 

 from the celebrated black-tea country, and although 

 the expedition was planned so that he could scarcely 

 have procured them elsewhere, had he wished to 

 deceive me, I confess I felt that it would be much 

 more satisfactory if I could visit the district myself. 

 I did not like the idea of returning to Europe with- 

 out being perfectly certain that I had introduced the 

 tea-plant from the best black-tea districts of China 

 into the Government plantations in the North-western 

 Provinces of India. There may also have been a 

 lingering desire to cross the Bohea mountains and to 

 visit the far-famed Woo-e-shan. At all events I 

 made up my mind to make another attempt, and deter- 

 mined to start from Ning-po, where the people are 

 not so greatly prejudiced against foreigners as they 

 are farther to the south, about Foo-chow and Canton. 



