184 



TEA DISTRICTS OF CHINA. 



Chap. X. 



was no use, however, now to indulge in vain regrets ; 

 so with a Chinese umbrella over my head I jogged 

 along, consoling myself with the thought that, at 

 least, I enjoyed a better view of town and country in 

 this chair than if I had been shut up in a more 

 comfortable one. 



I had now passed through the crowded street of 

 Chang-shan, and was already in the open country. 

 It had rained heavily during the night, but, as the 

 morning was fine, the late showers had only tended to 

 increase the natural beauty of the country. There 

 was a coolness in the atmosphere too which was most 

 agreeable. The grass on the hill-sides and the 

 young rice in the valleys were of the liveliest green. 

 Every bush and tree was loaded with heavy drops of 

 rain which glistened in the sunshine. Altogether the 

 scenery was delightful, and, with the freshness of the 

 morning air, put me in the highest spirits. 



The road on which we were travelling was one of 

 the broadest and best I had met with in the country. 

 It was well paved with granite, about twelve feet in 

 width, and perfectly free from weeds, which proved, 

 if other proof had been wanting, that there was a 

 great traffic upon it. The general aspect of the 

 country was hilly, but there was abundance of good 

 land in the valleys amongst the hills. It reminded 

 me of some of the pretty islands in the Chusan 

 archipelago. No mountain-passes had to be crossed 

 on our way, for the little hills seemed, as it were, to 

 open up a passage for the road as we went along. 



For the first few miles after leaving Chang-shan 



