Chintt. \ 



ORIENTAL COMMERCE. 



481 



in the Chinese taste. Among this kind of porcelain there is some that is 

 ornamented with a very fine blue with white scrolls ; the glazing of this 

 kind is remarkable for being a true white enamel ; whereas that of the other 

 sorts is half transparent, for the Chinese glazing is never entirely so. All 

 the above sorts of porcelain are manufactured in the province of Kiamsi. 

 In the neighbourhood of Canton is made the kind we commonly see, and 

 that is known by the name of 



VI. India China. — The paste of which this is manufactured, is long 

 and yielding ; but in general the colours, especially the blue and the red, 

 are far inferior to what comes from Japan and the interior parts of China. 

 All the colours except the blue stand up in lumps, and are very badly laid 

 on. It is of two kinds, the best of which is denominated Nankeen China. 



The articles brought to Europe consist of table and tea services, painted 

 jars, garden pots and stools, butter-cups, fruit-baskets, &c. 



50 cubical feet of China-ware are allowed to a ton. 



The Company allow 20 tons of China-ware, fans, pictures, and lackered 

 ware to be brought on each ship from China ; in other ships only two tons 

 are allowed in each, on paying the Customs, and to the Company 9 per cent, 

 on the sale value of China and lackered wares, and on other articles 7 per 

 cent. ; all exceeding are charged £30 for each ton, and so in proportion for 

 a greater or less quantity. 



Cinnabar, a ponderous, red, sulphureous ore of mercury, produced 

 in various parts of the world, as well as in China. It comes from the 

 latter place in pieces of an irregular size, with a smooth outside. It is 

 of an elegant deep red colour, both externally and internally, which is much 

 improved by grinding the lumps to powder. The heaviest cinnabar should 

 be chosen free from earthy or stony matter, and such as will leave a beauti- 

 ful red on white paper ; by beating a piece of iron red hot, or by holding a 

 little on the blade of a knife by the fire, you may discover if it is mixed ; 

 when genuine, it will burn entirely away, but if foul, there will appear a 

 black or white powder, according to what it is mixed with. The Chinese 

 sometimes impose a red earth upon purchasers for cinnabar. A red sulphuret 

 of quicksilver, or factitious cinnabar, (Shetigerf, Hind.) is prepared in India. 



Contra ykrv a (so called because the root is an antidote to the juice, 

 which is said to be poisonous), is the root of the Dorstenia^ a small plant 

 growing in the East and West Indies, It is in pieces from one to two 

 inches long, and half an inch thick, full of knots, surrounded with fibres 

 of a reddish yellow colour externally, and pale within ; it has a peculiar 

 kind of aromatic smell, a somewhat astringent, warm, bitterish taste, with 



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