894 
MR. FOIITUNE'S MISSION TO CHINA 
Begonia dipetala. 
Begonia Meyerii. 
Leaves oblique, ovate, peltate. 
Begonia peltifolia (acida, pauciflora, peltata). 
Begonia vitifolia. 
Stems erect, branching, fleshy at the base. 
Begonia homonyma (sinuata.) 
Begonia parvif'olia (floribunda, semperflorens). 
Begonia Dregei (parviflora, fioribunda, sem- 
perflorens). 
Stems erect, branching, not fleshy at the base. 
Leaves oblique, ovate, acute. 
Begonia Fischeri. 
Begonia rupestris. 
Begonia acuminata. 
Begonia hirtella (acuminata). 
Begonia Martiana (diversifolia). 
Begonia incarnata. 
Begonia zebrina (undulata). 
Begonia Evansiana (discolor, bulbifera). 
Begonia undulata. 
Begonia argyrostigma (maculata, punctata). 
Begonia odorata (suaveolens, sinuata). 
Begonia sinuata (odorata). 
Begonia nitida. 
Begonia aptera. 
Begonia laurina. 
Begonia sanguinea. 
Begonia coccinea (rubra). 
Begonia ulmifolia. 
Begonia castanerefolia. 
Leaves ovate, obtuse, often unequal at the ba?e. 
Begonia semperflorens (Hookeri, spathulata, 
grandiflora). 
Begonia cucullata (spathulata, semperflorens, 
grandiflora). 
The names inserted in parentheses are 
synonymes applied to the plants in different 
collections. 
MR. FORTUNE S MISSION TO CHINA IN 
SEARCH OF NEW PLANTS. 
The last published part of the Horticultural 
Society's Journal,* which, by the way, is the 
most interesting that has yet appeared, con- 
tains a sketch of this mission, written by Mr. 
Fortune, since his return to England ; from 
this account we shall quote somewhat fully : — 
" When the news of the peace with China 
first reached England in the autumn of 1842, 
the Council of the Horticultural Society of 
London, believing that an extensive field of 
Botanical and Horticultural treasures lay un- 
explored and unknown in the northern parts 
* The Journal of the Horticultural Society. Vol. I. 
Part III. London. Published for the Society, by 
Longman & Co. 1846. 
of that empire, appointed me as their col- 
lector. I left England early in the spring of 
the following year, and arrived in China on 
the 6th of July. Several cases of living plants 
were sent out under my charge, as well as a 
large quantity of vegetable and flower seeds, 
the greater part of which arrived in excellent 
order. The fruit-trees and vegetable steds 
were greatly prized by English residents in 
the northern parts of the country, where such 
things succeed much better than they do in 
the south. Captain Balfour, H. M. Consul at 
Shanghae, kindly offered me ground in the 
garden of the Consulate, where I could plant 
the trees, and where they were to be con- 
sidered as public property: that is, any one 
who might apply was to be supplied with 
grafts at the proper season of the year. By 
this means the kinds would soon be multiplied 
and secured in the country until the fruit 
could be seen and appreciated by the Chinese 
themselves. Such things are of great value 
in China, owing to the very bad varieties of 
both apples and pears which the Chinese at 
present possess. 
" The voyage out was too much like others 
of the same kind to afford much worthy of 
notice, until we reached the beautiful islands 
in the Java sea. The vessel anchored abreast 
of the village of Anger, in Java, for the pur- 
pose of procuring a supply of water and other 
fresh provisions, and during the time required 
for this purpose I gladly availed myself of 
the opportunity of going on shore. Here I 
found the fine new variety of Dendrobium 
secundum, which I afterwards sent home, and 
which has been given away to several of the 
Fellows of the Society. 
" Having a fair monsoon up the China Sea, 
we arrived at Macao in a fortnight after leav- 
ing Java. The first view we had of the 
shores of this celebrated country was far from 
promising. The islands which lie scattered 
over this part of the sea, as well as the shores 
of the mainland, have a most bleak and barren 
appearance. Granite rocks are seen every- 
where protruding through the soil and rearing 
their heads above the scanty vegetation. The 
soil of the hills is a reddish clay, containing 
very little vegetable matter, and is mixed with 
portions of the granite in a decaying state, 
and generally has a cracked and burnt appear- 
ance. It is of course a little richer in the 
ravines and valleys, where the best portions 
are annually washed down by the rains ; but 
even here it is far from being good soil, at 
least what would be considered as such in 
England. 
" When I landed at Hong Kong, my letters 
of introduction, both from the Government 
and from private individuals, procured me 
many friends, who were most anxious to for- 
