552 
FOURTH BULLETIN OF 
[1846. 
one of the mandarins to procure some for me from the interior, but, unfortunately, 
before it arrived from the country the effort made to save the bishop stopped all 
intercourse. 
July , 1845. — Owing to the jealous and restrictive policy of the Chinese, with 
regard to foreigners, I was prohibited from visiting the neighborhood of Canton, 
and my only resource to obtain any thing from the interior, was to employ a Chi- 
nese to go into the country, and obtain seeds of their cultivated plants, and such 
other objects as he thought might be of interest to me. 
By this means, I obtained a large variety of seeds, and also insects in a good 
state of preservation; while in the meantime I employed mj^selfin examining 
what could be found in the markets, inspecting their manufactories, the articles of 
export and import, and, by a certain deportment, which I found most agreeable to 
them, I ascertained that I could gain access to places where but few foreigners 
had ever been allowed to go, and with a small present always found the atten- 
dants polite and courteous, though while passing through those streets but sel- 
dom visited by foreigners, the crowds of spectators rendered progress almost im- 
possible, while at the same time the stranger is saluted with the most base and 
insulting language — the words “fan-qui-lo” (foreign devil man) being repeated 
with peculiar emphasis. But I observed that it was only the lowest orders of Chi- 
nese that were thus uncivil to foreigners ; but this prejudice, no doubt, has been 
fostered by the more influential class, who, from education and breeding, cannot 
themselves thus treat a stranger. 
Indeed I am able to say with assurance, that, with a proper course of conduct, a 
stranger might pass to any part of t he empire, without the least molestation ; but it 
would be necessary to use the nabit of the natives, and conform in all respects to 
their peculiar manners, and avoid all collision with them, and, in intercourse with 
them, the more urbanity and courtesy that was used, the greater would be the suc- 
cess. Iam induced to say this in consequence of the oft reiterated remark, that it 
is impossible for strangers to visit the interior of China; and indeed it would be an 
impossibility to visit it, as travellers commonly journey in foreign countries, in their 
own dress, which only attracts attention. But if the traveller’s object is to obtain 
a knowledge of the countrv, its productions and inhabitants, the proper course 
wmuld be that of Dr. Hovsefteld, (an American,) who visited Java some years since, 
who, by adopting the dress of the Javanese, and conforming to their customs, was 
enabled to travel through that country with perfect safety, and highly respected 
for his medical skill. 
The only persons who of late years have had an opportunity of visiting China, 
have been embassadors and their retinue, and certain Jesuits. The former have 
had but little opportunity of examining the productions of the country, or obtaining 
much information, in consequence of the hurried manner in which they passed 
through the country; and the latter, from being devoted entirely to religious sub- 
jects, have not been prepared, or neglected, to investigate the natural productions 
of the country so much desired, and which no doubt would be of great importance 
to the United States, as the Chinese empire is similarly situated, being on the eas- 
tern side of a large continent, in the northern hemisphere, under similar degrees of 
latitude, and having the extremes of summer and winter nearly the same. Being 
celebrated for their agricultural and horticultural knowledge, which has scarcely 
been interrupted for the space of three or four thousand years, we may expect therefore 
that there are many productions in their extended country which would be profitable 
in our own, and flourish there ; for it is a singular fact that many species of plants 
in the two countries are identical ; and part of their country lying in the tropics, 
it is very probable that they have succeeded in gradually acclimating many pro- 
ductions of the tropics to endure the more rigorous winters of the temperate zone. 
Nearly all the productions of the temperate regions which are valuable have 
been derived from the tropics, which during along coarse of gradual acclimation 
have become naturalized ; but many require the preservation of their seeds through 
the winter, without which they would soon become extinct. This capability of 
naturalizing vegetable productions should always be taken into consideration when 
plants are introduced into temperate climates from the tropics, always preferring 
those which grow farthest north, or on the most elevated ground. This was well 
illustrated by the morus multicaulis, which first reached the United States from 
