joumey to Beyond Sou-cKoo-Foo, > the whole ilie -eouritrv
HStwchoo* . , 11' t '• . L . ' fo°- to a consider ableuis tance presented a fore&i o f mulberry
jxIant^tldBSi, interspersed with a' few tallovvofregs. - Frota
the fruitiof this last tree,; th&krotMsehiferum‘b& Life
jaaeus, the Chinese obtain a kind of ; vegetable; fat with
which they make a great proportion ;o£ their-seandles.
This fruit, in. its ^external appearance, bears some rOSSM-i
blanete to the herrie's of the ivy. As soon as it'is ripe,
the. Oapsule opens and divides into tw o ,'o f
qutenfly, three divisionsiattd&llin^&ff,(fe^yeiS& many
kernels, each attached'by a'separate"' foot-stalk, and djrjl
vered with a fleshy substance of a snowy whiteness,^contrasting
beautifully with the leaves of the tree, whilh^at
this season, are of a tint; between a purple and a* scar'letl
Th e fat or fleshy substance is Separated from thefkefhblS
by criMiing ‘and .boiling them in water: The&eSndfes
—made of this fat are firmer than thoselof tallow, as well
ks free from all offensive odour. They are not, however,
equal to those of wax or spermaceti. The latter S^b5-
stance is indeed unknown in China, as- well as'-theoini^
maf which produces it. The art of blanching4>ee‘s W-kx,
is also little known to the Chinese ; and that-'species of
wax is chiefly used for ointments and plasters. The
wax for candles, is generally the produce of insects, feeding
chiefly on the privet, as is mentioned in the chapter
o f Cochin-China, in the former volume. It is naturally
white, and so pure as to produce no smoke ; but it is
to be jsiawe Cud
dear..kGheap candles»are .alsomade ó f ..tallow, -and ey£n fo<v>
of greaseof too littlef^Msi®teheettotbe,used;i without* the """"
con trivanca.ofheingöGbateds with the firmer substance
ofi ah ev,tfellovc | tree^dirghfi vwax. The * surface; o f those
eaiidliesifaa?©also/someteknes paintedired. Wicks are;made
of. many. diffe«enitj<ma!feKialsi?j'vThosemf©rrjiamp^}wi
of .thfiafajanthus, which bums without beijag>3^psunx-
able in fib©! hr Jof tdie. artfeteisia,»and theii'carduuS* jha-
raeus-,with;,whicfr tinder is.also'tnadè ; butLfor candlds*
a light-ipflhfnmable woodiauspd, in thedb'&ersg.xtr-emifty.
ofjw hitch, is»*pierbed>ai small tube' ito^rèèéive arïii^oh.pin,
whichv is^fikfed.'on the; jffabitop of the^oandlestiojkahd ■
thus, supports dhe> candle, without'the mcesgity^of a
socket. Thfe- ebohomicab spirit of the Chi®€sesindJSQ§?>v
thorn to':eoashler thait this, form of t-hei3 c a n d I r e s t i -
swers also the*pufcpjbse;öf what the pqorerfcMssosionfyitf:
the' people know, elsewhere ’sandeh-thev denomination
o( a. save-all,.wh i cfr-isi supposed to»make | |
a tenth, or thereabouts, iri the ,eonsümptión*ofthat ne?
cessaryiaTticle. j The .tallowytreprirf • said, to" have been,
transplanted to'Carolina, and to floérish there'a§i:w.§h?as
in China. Few oth^jtrees^^yerp plantedhn this partiof
the banks ofiihtógreatcaoaldwhich >was’hgieDwithout,a
current, and-so widb thapafstone hradgejpf norljéssjthan
ninety'-afphes was -in1 one‘place th^owrihvéo it;, -
The canal Gontinuedt-to b e ^ f ; a w id th between sixty