444 MEMOIR ON THE 



gmger. It bears a purple flower ; its fruit 

 is covered with briflles, like the Indian cheft- 

 nut J and its feeds, which are as round as 

 peafe, are good to eat. They are boiled 

 with meat, and mixed alio with rice, and 

 different kinds of ragouts. This plant is 

 ufed likewife in medicine ; audit produces 

 a fine faffron-coloured dye. It ought to be 

 cbofen frefh, heavy, compad, juicy, and of 

 a beautiful yellow colour. The beft comes 

 from Carfung^ in the province of Honan, 



Quicksilver. 



THIS fluid, heavy mineral, which pene-r 

 t rates gold and filver, is a natural produc- 

 tion of feveral parts of China and the Eaft- 

 Indies. It is generally found in the moun- 

 tains^ covered with a kind of foft ftones, as 

 white as chalk. It is remarked, that the 



plants 



