170 



TEA DISTRICTS OF CHINA. 



Chap. IX. 



importance and value. Groups of pine-trees were 

 observed scattered over the country. They marked 

 the last resting-places of the dead, and had a pleasing 

 and pretty effect. Amongst these pines I frequently 

 observed the beautiful weeping cypress (Cupressus 

 funebris) which I had discovered in the green-tea 

 country the autumn before. It is certainly a hand- 

 some and striking tree. 



The camphor-tree is also common in this valley, 

 and so is the tung-eau or oil-tree, which I have 

 already described. Amongst grains, rice is cultivated 

 in the low lands, whilst wheat, barley, millet, and 

 Indian corn are grown on higher elevations, where 

 the land is comparatively dry. 



About three o'clock in the .afternoon, the stream 

 having become less rapid, we proceeded on our jour- 

 ney. Between Ta-yang and JSTan-che we had many 

 rapids to pass, but the wind being fair we made good 

 progress. The next day, about two o'clock, we were 

 within 30 le of Nan-che, and had every prospect of 

 being able to reach it the same evening. A circum- 

 stance happened, however, which detained us by the 

 way. We had been sailing quickly up the right side 

 of the river for some time, and, as we had reached a 

 rapid, it was necessary to cross to the other side to 

 pass it "close in-shore." As soon as we got across, 

 four men, who had been concealed behind a bank, 

 suddenly jumped up and seized our boat. A noisy 

 altercation now took place between our crew and the 

 strangers in a dialect which was perfectly unknown 

 to me. I called Sing-Hoo, who, Chinaman like, was 



