Chap. XXI. TRANSPORTING SEEDS AND PLANTS. 357 



in this manner, I had still a large quantity of seeds 

 — about a bushel — remaining on hand. These I de- 

 termined to dispose of in the following manner. Two 

 glazed cases had been prepared to take a collection 

 of camellias from China to the Botanic Garden at 

 Calcutta. The tea-seeds were emptied out in front 

 of these cases and a small portion of earth thrown in 

 amongst them. A layer of this mixture, which now 

 consisted of about one part earth and two parts seeds? 

 was laid in the bottom of each case, and the camellia- 

 plants were lifted gently out of their pots and placed 

 upon it. The spaces between the plants were then 

 filled up to the proper height with this mixture of 

 tea-seeds and earth, and a little soil was sprinkled 

 upon the surface to cover the uppermost seeds. The 

 whole was then well watered, bars were nailed across 

 to keep the earth in its place, and the lids of the 

 cases were fastened down in the usual manner. 



My collections of plants and seeds, which now 

 filled sixteen glazed cases, were in this state when I 

 left Shanghae with the Chinese manufacturers and 

 implements, as described in the last chapter. This 

 was on the 16th of February, 1851. The north-east 

 monsoon was now blowing steadily along the coast of 

 China. This being a fair wind, all sail was set, and 

 in four days we anchored in the bay of Hong-kong, 

 having run little less than one thousand miles. We 

 at once went onwards in the steam-ship " Lady Mary 

 Wood," and arrived at Calcutta on the 15th of 

 March. Here we took up our abode with Dr. Fal- 

 coner, the superintendent of the ELC. Botanic Garden, 



