Chap. XIX. 



THE GLYCINE. 



335 



was about six feet high, the branches came out from 

 the stem in a regular and symmetrical manner, and it 

 had all the appearance of a tree in miniature. Every 

 one of these branches was now loaded with long 

 racemes of pendulous lilac blossoms. These hung 

 down from the horizontal branches, and gave the 

 whole the appearance of a floral fountain. 



The Glycine, or Wistaria Chinensis, has been long 

 known in Europe, and there are large trees of it on 

 many of our house and garden walls. It was intro- 

 duced into this country from a garden near Canton, 

 belonging to a Chinese merchant named Consequa ; 

 but it is not indigenous to the south of China, and is 

 rarely seen in perfection there. Indeed the simple 

 fact of its being perfectly hardy in England shows at 

 once that it has a more northern origin. 



Before the last war with China foreigners were 

 confined to narrow limits about Canton and Macao, 

 where they had no means of knowing anything of the 

 more hardy plants of the north, which they some- 

 times met with in gardens, and introduced into 

 Europe. Now, however, we can prosecute our 

 botanical researches in a country which is nearly a 

 thousand miles further to the north-east, and at 

 many other places which lie along that line of coast. 

 The island of Koo-lung-su, for example, near Amoy, 

 was taken by our troops during the war, and occupied 

 by them for some years, according to treaty, until a 

 portion of the ransom-money was paid. It seemed 

 to have been a place of residence for many of the 

 mandarins and principal merchants in peaceful times, 



