314 



TEA DISTEICTS OF CHINA. 



Chap. XVIII. 



As I glided smoothly and quickly down the river 

 I looked upon the difficulties and dangers of my 

 journey as at an end. Although between two and 

 three hundred miles to the westward of any of the 

 ports at which foreigners reside, yet the river seemed 

 like an old friend who had met me at Ching-hoo to 

 carry me safely home. 



Nothing further happened to damp the pleasure of 

 my journey. On my way down I paid another visit 

 to the pretty town of Nan-che ; I also stopped a day 

 at Yen-chow-foo to procure some plants of the weep- 

 ing cypress for Mr. Beale's garden at Shanghae, and 

 arrived at last at Nechow. 



The route which I had now before me has been 

 already fully described. I arrived at Shanghae in 

 due time, having been absent on this long journey 

 nearly three months. Although I had been eating 

 with chopsticks all this time, I had not forgotten the 

 use of knives and forks, and I need scarcely say I 

 heartily enjoyed my first English dinner. The tea- 

 plants procured in Woo-e-shan reached Shanghae in 

 good order, and most of them are now flourishing on 

 the slopes of the Himalayas. 



