vaft volume o f water feems to be indifpenfably neceflary to
carry on this operation o f nature and, accordingly, we find
that volcanic mountains are generally clofe to the fea coaft, or
entirely iniulated. Thus, although a great part of the lilands
on the coaft o f China are volcanic, we met with no trace o f
fubterranCan heat, either in volcanic produdts or thermal
fprings, on the whole continent. Yet earthquakes are faid to
have been frequently felt in all'the provinces, but flight and o f
fhort duration.
About feven miles to the fouthward o f the temple in the rock,
the mountains abruptly ceafedf^and we entered on a wide extended
plain which, to the fouthward and on each fide, was
terminated only by the horizon. This fudden tranfition from
barrennefsto fertility, from the fublime to the beautiful, from
• irregularity to uniformity, could not fail to pleafe, as all ftrong
contrails ufually dot The country was now in a high ftate o f
tillage; the chief produdts were rice, fugar-canes, and tobacco
; and the river was f'o much augmented by the tributary
dreams of the mountains, which we had juft left behind,
that it was nearly half a mile in width. Canals branched
from its two banks in every direction. A t the city o f San-
Jhwee Jhien, we obferved the current o f the river receding, being
driven back by the flux o f the tide. ^
On the roth we halted before a village which was juft within
fight o f the fuburbs o f Canton. Here the Embaifador was
mit by the Commiflioners o f the Eaft India Company, whom
the Chinefe had allowed to proceed thus far from the fadlory,
and
and to which place the fervants o f the Company are occafion-
ally permitted to make their parties o f -pleafure. In the neighbourhood
o f this village are extenfive gardens for the fupply
o f the city with vegetables. In fome we obferved nurferies for
propagating the rare, the beautiful, the curious, or the ufeful
plants o f the country ; which are fent to Canton for fale. On
this account we were not forry to be obliged to fpend the
remainder o f the day at this place. Among the choice plants
we noticed the large Peonía before mentioned, white, red, and
variegated ; -the elegant Limodorum Tankervilliee, and that Angular
plant the Epidendrum Jlos aeris, fo called from its vegetating
without the affiftance o f earth or water; the Hybifcus mutabilis,
the Abelmofchus, and other fpecies o f this genus ; • the. double
variegated Camellia fap on ica; the great holly-hock; the fcar-
let amaranthus and another fpecies o f the fame, genus, and a
very elegant 'Qelofla or cock’s comb; the Nerium Oleander,
fometimes called the Ceylon rofe, and the Yu-lan, a fpecies o f
magnolia, the flowers o f which appear before the leaves buril
from the buds. O f the fcented plants the plumería and a
double flowering jafmine were the moil efteemed. We obferved
alfo in pots the Ocymum or fweet Bafil, Cloranthus incon-
fpicuus, called Chu-lan, whofe leaves are fometimes mixed with
thofe o f tea to give them a peculiar flavour; the Olea fragrant,
or fweet fcented olive, faid alfo to be ufed for the fame pur-
p ofe ; a fpecies o f myrtle ; the much efteemed Rofa Sínica; the
Tuberofe; the ftrong fcented Gardenia florida, improperly called
the Cape Jafmine; the China pink and feveral others, to enumerate
which would exceed the limits o f this work.