A D V E R T I S EME N T .
T h e His to ry , and Present S ta te o f C h in a , as fa r as relates to its gov ernmen t, its sciences, and
its arts, has long been considered wo rth y o f th e deepest re search; and m u ch in fo rm a tio n has been
colleilcd o n these su b je fts , w ith eonsiderablc lab o u r and expence, u n d e r th e auspices o f several o f
th e m o st powerful courts in Europe . I f th e natura l produdtions o f th a t co u n try have attra£lcd less
a tten tio n , it is only because th e ir value and im p o rtan ce are less generally k n ow n ; u p o n be tte r
acquaintance th ey would a t once excite o u r a s to n ishm en t, and convince us o f th e ir u tility .
General readers are sometimes disposed to consider th e In se £ l W o r ld as too m in u te and frivolous
to deserve investigation. L e t th em remem b er, however, th a t to a foreign In s e ft th e staple
commodity o f th is kin g d om is indebted for its riche st d y e ; th a t from an o th e r we derive th e m o st
costly articles o f dress, and splendid o rn amen ts o f lu x u ry ; an d th e u tility o f m an y others is ap p a re
n t in various branches o f medicine, th e arts, and domestic economy.
Prompted by these reflections, th e A u th o r dete rmined to su bm it to th e P u b lic a Series o f E n gravings
illustrative o f th e Entom o lo g y o f C h in a .—B u t flattering as th e prospect o f encouragem
e n t to his project appeared, h e would n o t pre sume to publish his W o r k till th e result o f th e late
Embassy o f E a rl M ac artn ey to th a t co u n try was fully kn own : o f th a t th e p ublic are now in possession;
and, th o u g h , in com m o n w ith every friend to th e commercial advantages and scientific
inquiries o f th is c o u n try , th e A u th o r m u s t regret its issue, it is perhaps, on th e w hole, more
favourable to th e present Public ation th a n i f th e event had been different. I f indeed a more
general intercourse had been established between th e two n a tio n s, and th e language o f C h in a had
been be tte r understood, it is impossible to ca lculate th e advantages w h ich E n tom o lo g )', am o n g st
o th e r sciences, m ig h t have derived; for th e Chine se, like th e ir neig h b o u rs th e Jap a n e se , are well
acquainted w ith th e natura l productions o f th e ir em p ire , and Zoology an d B o ta n y , in p a rtic u la r,
are favourite studies amongst th em . To w h a t degree o f excellence th ey have arrived in th e ir
scientific researches we are n o t informed, b u t we m u s t n o t affeft to despise th e in s tru c tio n o f a
people amongst w hom th e m o st useful a rts , and sciences, first dawned and acquired a h ig h degree
o f perfection, w h e n E u ro p e had scarcely a few savages scattered over h er fo rests.”
T h e few, b u t in tere stin g h in ts, w h ich Sir George S ta u n to n has given on th e practical E n to -
niolog)' o f C h in a , induces us to look forward to a period w h e n some o f th e In s e c ts , as well as
P la n ts, o f th a t vast empire m ay be no less objects o f curiosity, th a n o f n a tio n a l u tility and im p
o rtan c e ; th e C h in e se Cochineal In se c t % and th a t from w h ich th e wax o f th e east is procured,
»Dr. Anderson has found eight species of Cocci at Madras. One of these, he says, was found on a young citron-free. Citrus
Sinensis, just landed from China; it was more deeply intersected between the abdominal rings than any of thofe of the coast
and he names it therefore C.Diacopcis.-Ci,//r/?,W c f LcfUrs f.-om MaJr.s, Q8, 1788. - T h e Cactus Cochinilifer has lately
been found by Mr. Kincaid, at Canton; its Chinefe name is J P a « T h i s has been transmitted to the iVo/.c/y-of the Hon.