212 
WANDERINGS IN CHINA. 
Chap. XIII. 
amongst the mountains in this direction, and for 
a great part of the way our road led us along its 
banks. 
This river had many rapids, its bed was full of large 
rocks and stones, and it was not navigable even for 
small boats. On the morning of the third day after 
leaving the Woo-e hills, we arrived at the foot of a very 
high range of mountains, and at the source of the river 
along whose banks we had been travelling. This was a 
little beyond a small town named Shemun, where we 
had passed the night. 
The scenery which presented itself as we ascended the 
gigantic mountain surpassed anything I had seen in 
China. It had quite a different character from that of 
Woo-e-shan. The sides of the mountains here were 
clothed with dense woods of the lance-leaved pine 
{Cunninghamia lanceolata). This was the first time 
I had seen this fir-tree of sufficient size to render it of 
value for its timber. Many of the specimens were at 
least eighty feet in height, and perfectly straight. 
There was a richness too in the appearance of its 
foliage which I had never seen before ; sometimes it 
was of a deep green colour, while at others it was of a 
bluish tint. There are, doubtless, many varieties of this 
tree amongst these hills. It must be of great value as a 
timber-tree in this part of China. 
An excellent paved road led us up through a deep 
ravine. Frequently the branches of the trees met above 
our heads and darkened the way. Everything had a 
wild appearance. Streams were gushing from the moun- 
tain sides and fell over rocky precipices, when they were 
