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what I faw at Macao ; which was brought from 
Mifliffippi into France. 
We have not in Europe the tree, from vvhofe fruit 
the Toeng yeou is drawn. It were to be wilh d they- 
could raife it there. The Toeng yeou is an oil, or 
natural varnilh, drawn by expreffion from the fruits, 
which I have fent you, of which they make a very 
great trade in China. It coils but very little, the 
pound weight being worth about 7 or 8 fols of our 
money. I heard fay, that they fell it at Paris under 
the name of China varnilh. It is excellent for pre- 
ferving furniture, giving them a polifh not inferior 
to our varnilhes of Europe, which coll fo much 
money. Perhaps they may make fome attempts to 
ufe it in Europe ; but they will not fucceed, becaufe 
they know not how to prepare it. This oil is fo 
common in China, that the greatell part of the peo- 
ple, in tolerable circumllances, rub over their tim- 
ber with it, giving it what colour they pleafe. It not 
only adorns their houfes, but alfo preferves the wood. 
The. columns, that fupport their houfes, and thofe 
of the great room where the emperor s throne is, 
are varnilh’d with no other than this oil. 
The Kou chou is a tree, of the bark of which they 
make the bell paper in China. The common paper 
of their books, which looks yellowilh, is made of 
particular fp cies of Bambou, of which they prepare 
the young {hoots, as we prepare hemp. They whiten 
it, by boiling it in lime water: in this manner they 
prepare the Kou chou. There is no lilken paper in 
China ; all the different kinds of paper here are 
made cither of bark, hemp, or of tho ftraw of corn 
or rice. Sometimes they blend with this lall the 
ftalks 
