Chap, l v . 
i^LUKA. 
47 
tropical character have entirely disappeared, and in their 
places we find others related to those found in temperate 
climates in other parts of the world. I here met, for 
the first time, the beautiful Glycine sinensis wild on 
the hills, where it climbs among the hedges and on 
trees, and its flowering branches hang in gracbful fes- 
toons by the sides of the narrow roads which lead over 
the mountains. The Ficus nitida, so common around all 
the houses and temples in the south, is here unknown ; 
and many of those beautiful flowering genera which are 
only found on the tops of the mountains in the south 
have here chosen less exalted situations. I allude more 
particularly to the Azaleas, which abound on the hill- 
sides of this island. Most people have seen and admired 
the beautiful azaleas which are brought to the Chiswick 
fetes, and which, as individual specimens, surpass in 
most instances those which grow and bloom on their 
native hills : but few can form any idea of the gorgeous 
and striking beauty of these azalea-clad mountains, 
where on every side, as far as our vision extends, the eye 
rests on masses of flowers of dazzling brightness and 
surpassing beauty. TNor is it the azalea alone which 
claims our admiration ; clematises, wild roses, honey- «^ 
suckles, the Glycine noticed above, and a hundred 
others, mingle their flowers with them, and make us con- 
fess that China is indeed the " central flowery land. ''J 
The tallow-tree (Stillingia sebifera) is abundant in in 
the valleys of Chusan, and large quantities of tallow and ' 
oil are yearly extracted from its seeds : tallow-mills are 
erected in several parts of the island for this purpose. 
The Laurus camphora, or camphor-tree, is also abun- 
