IN SEARCH Or NEW l'LANTS. 
401 
As far as I liarl an opportunity of judging, the 
vegetation of Livonia has a great i-esemblance 
to the Island of Java, and other parts of the 
Malay Archipelago. In the woods 1 was sur- 
prised to find so many species of the genus 
Ficus ; I should imagine that nearly one-half 
of the indigenous trees belong to this family. 
" After some trouble I discovered the 
locality of the beautiful Phalrenopsis amabilis, 
and procured a large supply of the plants for 
the Society. As my visit here was a 
secondary object, I had very little time to 
spare, and therefore took every means in my 
power to make the most of my time. I was 
in the habit of making an Indian's hut in the 
wood my head-quarters for a certain time, 
where I held a sort of market for the purchase 
of orchidaceous plants. The ground in front 
of the hut was generally strewed with these 
plants in the state in which they had been cut 
from the trees, and often covered with flowers. 
The Phahnnopsis, in particular, was very 
beautiful at this time. I was most anxious to 
get large specimens of this plant, and offered 
a dollar, which was a high sum in an Indian 
forest, for the largest specimen which should 
be brought to me. The lover of this beautiful 
tribe of plants will easily imagine the delight 
1 felt when I saw two Indians approaching 
with a plant of extraordinary size, having ten 
or twelve branching flower-stalks upon it, and 
upwards of a hundred flowers in full bloom. 
' There,' said they, in evident triumph, 'is not 
that worth a dollar?' ' You have gained the 
dollar,' said I, as I paid them the money 
and took possession of my prize. The same 
plant is now in the garden of the Horticultural 
Society ; and although a little reduced, in 
order to get it into the plant-case at Manilla, 
is still by far the largest specimen in Europe. 
" I found few other plants of value, except 
perhaps two species of Aerides, which I have 
inner yet seen in flower; these, however, 
with some other Manilla plants, are now in 
the Garden at Chiswick. Upon reference to 
the Garden Lists on my return, I find that 
out of four cases of Manilla orchideous plants 
no fewer than forty-live specimens of the 
PhaliEiiopsis have been given away to the 
Fellows of the Horticultural Society. 
" My allotted time having expired, I sailed 
for my old station in the north of China, and 
arrived there on the 14th of March. My 
principal object now was to make another col- 
lection of all my finest plants, which I intended 
to bring home under my own care. 1 had 
written to the Secretary of the Society, re- 
questing to he favoured with full returns of 
the state in which my various shipments had 
arrived in England, and these lists were now 
coming to hand by every mail. 'When I found 
from these lists that any of the species were 
47 
perfectly safe, I discarded them from my col- 
lections, and only kept the kinds which were 
either newly discovered, or those which we 
had been so unfortunate as to lose during the 
voyage, or which, if not lost, were in doubtful 
condition. 
" Foo-chow-foo, a large city on the river 
Min, was visited this summer for the first 
time, as well as some of the black tea districts 
in that part of the province of Fokein. The 
plants in this district, with a few exceptions, 
were the same as I had already found either 
in the south or in the northern part of the 
empire. This was naturally to be expected, 
as this part of the country lies about half way 
between the province of Quantung in the 
south, and that of Keangsoo in the north of 
China. When my examination of the country 
was completed, there was no English vessel in 
the Min, and I was therefore obliged to take 
a passage in a Chinese junk, which was bound 
for the city of Ningpo. On our voyage up 
the coast, we were attacked by fleets of pirates 
on two different days, and had I not been well 
armed we. must have fallen into their hands, 
where in all probability my career would have 
been soon terminated. 1 had a severe attack 
of fever at the same time, and altogether was 
in a most deplorable condition when I reached 
Chusan, where my countrymen were stationed. 
Having the greater part of my collections in 
the country near Shanghae, I was most anxious 
to know iu what state they were ; and finding 
an English vessel about to sail for the Yang- 
tse-Kiang, I immediately crawled on board in 
the best way I could, and, with a fair wind, 
we soon readied our destination. It would 
be unjust and ungrateful not to mention here 
the kindness and hospitality of Messrs. Mac- 
kenzie Brothers and Co., merchants in 
Shanghae, whose he-use was open to me as my 
home, and where, by the skill of Dr. Lockhnrt 
and Dr. Kirk, the fever gradually left me, and 
1 was enabled to attend to my collections. 
" In addition to the plants discovered last 
year, I obtained about this time some valuable 
species from Japan. Every means had been 
used during my early visit to Shanghae to 
induce the Chinese nursery -gardeners to im- 
port for me Japan plants in the junks which 
annually trade between Cliapoo and that 
country. Several collections had been brought 
me, but none of any value until this autumn, 
when some Azaleas and other plants of much 
interest arrived. 
" The whole of my plauts from the districts 
of Foo-chow-foo, Chusan, and Ningpo, being 
now brought together at Shanghae, 1 got them 
packed, and left the north of China for the 
last time on the 10th of October, on my way 
to Hong Kong and England. When I arrived 
at Hong Kong, I despatched eight glazed 
D L> 
