Chap. XXIII. COLLECTIONS SENT TO ENGLAND. . 387 
prosperous voyage home the worthy medical mis- 
sionary bade me adieu, and returned to his arduous 
duties in the far-famed capital of Cathay. As it was 
my intention to return to Tien-tsin by boat down the 
Pei-ho river, I had taken the road which leads 
from Peking to the city of Tong-chow, at which 
place boats were to be procured for the voyage. 
A short distance on the north-west of Tong-chow 
I passed the now celebrated bridge and battle-field 
of Pali-kao. On arriving at Tong-chow I found 
no difficulty in engaging a boat, and we sailed 
rapidly and pleasantly down the stream. 
As opportunities for leaving Tien-tsin for the 
south were few and uncertain, I had to remain 
some days there before I could get onwards. At 
last, owing to the kindness of the French com- 
mandant at Taku, I procured a passage in the 
despatch boat ‘ Contest,’ and reached Shanghae 
on the 20th of October. Here I found my 
Japanese collections (which I had left in Mr. 
Webb’s garden) in excellent condition, and I em- 
ployed the next fortnight in preparing them for 
their long voyage home round the Cape of Good 
Hope. The collections were divided into two equal 
portions, and, as a precautionary measure, were 
put on board of two ships. These cases have now 
reached England, and nearly every plant of im- 
portance has been introduced alive. Long shelves 
filled with these rare and valuable trees and shrubs 
of Japan have been exhibited during the last two 
summers by Mr. Standish at the different botanical 
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