Chap. VI. PACKING CANTON SEEDS. ] 01 
" Burnt what ? " I asked, with a smile which I could 
not conceal. He repeated the assertion with all the 
gravity of a judge. The reader may probably be 
ignorant of the Chinese language, and I must therefore 
explain that a Chinese cannot pronounce our letter r ; 
he has not such a sound in his language. In tr3dng to 
pronounce any word in which the letter occurs, he 
invariably substitutes the sound of I for that of r. It 
was therefore burnt rice, or the husks of rice reduced to 
ashes, that he meant. I then asked him the reason 
why he used this substance in packing seeds, and he 
replied, in Canton English, " S'pose my no onixie this 
seed, worms makie chow-ckoiu he." Although the 
Chinese in Canton would consider this excellent English, 
it may be as well to explain that his meaning was, 
" Suppose I did not mix ashes with the seeds, worms 
would eat them." He alluded to a little maggot which 
would come out during the voyage. " Don't be angry," 
said I, "but we English fancy you do something to 
destroy the vitality of the seeds, instead of endeavouring 
to preserve it." " I know,'' said the old man, " you 
fancy I boil them ! " 
It is a most difficult matter to preserve the seeds ofl 
trees and shrubs in the south of China, owing to the 
attacks of maggots. This is, without doubt, one of the \ 
reasons why Canton seeds so seldom grow when they are 
received in England ; another reason is the age of the 
seeds. Old ones, gathered in former years, are generally f 
mixed up with the fresh ones, and are all sent together. 
Most assuredly, however, poor Aching does not boil 
them nor poison them in any way. 
