i S i i S i i T ” ?
XiAs-f-s.. • -by thefe ftEhermen is of a remaskable light make, and. is often .earriçd
- to the Iake,-together with the fifhihg:fcfed£>:by the men who-are there to
he fijpported by .it.” - ;
The large fake of Wee-chaung-ihoo is alfo .defcribed ip the embaffy as
a jugular foene lo£ nature, and of induftry-; this lake, with feveral
oth^s, appear to- he omitted in the na^ps,. That ©f Tai-dte® is
rounded by a c.ham'of piâurefque hills, and was .fuil}pf;pieafe*e,boatsr
many of them rowed by a Angle fepiale.5 .
tem.iiA.rr... Cdnceraing the- extenftve ranges of Ghinefe mountains, no general-
and accurate information has yet been given. Du- Haldë’s ample de-
feription of the Ghinefe empire only informs' us that fome tabound with,
mines of filver,- others produce marble and cryftal, -while fome fppply-
medicinal herbs.. But the ancients give ideas a to n s e g e n e ra l. and-
preeife, while modern reformation is confufed from
nefti and the confidèration of the. grand features of naturels làcrifieed;
to that of the petty exertions of man, Frem-thedamesautbor we Igpm
that the provinces ôf Yunnan, Koeitcheou, Setehuen, and Fokhn,. are1
fo mountainous as greatly to impede their cultivation ; and that o f
Tchekiang has dreadful mountains on the weft. . In-theujtëo^inôç efF
Kiangnan there is a diftridt full ©f high 'mreirtBraç, which alfo abound
in the provinces of Chenfi and ofShanfi. This imperfect information
/ is little enlarged by the account publifhed of. the . late embaffy ;*• and
perhaps Mr. Arrowfmith’s recent map of Afia contains as authentic information
as can be , procured concerning the cpuifeand extent of.th.er
Ghinefe mountains. It hence appears that a confidserable branch -extends
from thofe ia centré Afia, running fouth to. the river Hoan-hp4
Two grand ranges, running E. and W., imerfedt the centre of .the empire,
feemingly continuations of the enormous-chafes of Tibet. In the
fouthem part of China: the principal ridges appear to run from. N.
to S.
The Chinefe chafes o f mountains, fome o f which are fiippofed to
to rival the Apennines and Pyrennees, may be feven or eight in number *
but fo imperfect is ftill our knowledge o f this empire, that no general
i 5 Staunton, hi". 220.
• The Abbé Grofier’s.account is equally imperfeft,-and only filled with idle tales.
appelappellations'ha'#
bpdn conferred,-arad'fcare^^lSl thfe’ name of bne Chi- Mouhtaink
nefe mountain ck'ifewn/ta^^ogrl^hy. D ’Afivilfe» atriidfe all. -bis.pare,"
and exuberances of tJmfcfcma^hhfrOm Ff-en'dbij'efuits'^ho had Ibhg-r'efided
«m'jChina* fdys down the- mountains' o$! his arl^laT^1 fe all his
maps*, as-^nlpfedffpotis the whofe^iJaVy^lm^hat in
this grand department he -ftiays '-be fzk'A tp 'yireltT feved*%d- 4he» mean eft o r™
- hispfedeCefibfs.: .f
:Such is-the. -cultivation-diffiffed''4ltrSiigh&hf-Ghina*' that-' f^w-ifoflgfts Fordhf
remaip except in ’ the *m©untaiU0^ ^frii£tsf '•■ «Meat' the 'toyd^pafenes
there are indeed faefts'of.gfeape^tekfey^but'the^ father bear ,tbe appear-
ancetolart than of*nature;
The humber;‘©f-Europeans who lhave{bp&^;alla^ed^fe Wififthjein- Botanyv
terror .of Qhiaaf&jfo fmall, and thdfe'lt® whom.fei^;\pm-ilege has-been
granted having abjedfe ©f more.urgeney.tojifttend.to tfhkntfhe fedlgetrous
plant s.-pf this :vatft. empire, we nre as yet'only ^in pOffeflion ,©f feme feat r
tered fragments o f the -Ghinefe .flora. The neighbourhood fhf rGariton
has been-furveyed by .Qfbeck, and ameagrelilhof plants ,isft©.,he 4®pnd
in Stauntjpms account,off He Englifh ■ erobaffy-th>ere,' ■ Thefepre alnroft-
fhe .only authentic Tources: that-hav,e'been hit-bertp opened, and are calculated
"rather tp excite. than to fatisfy - the .botajiicafenqiitrer.
Amopg.thejrees aod larger -fhrubs We had partieularked the thpya'
o^entdis,, an elegant -evergreen; the laucus camph®ra, camphor 4nee^
whofe wood* makes an excellent and durable -timber, .aird from the-roots
of which that" fir^gjjant fubftanee camphor is prpeured ,by^Iftillatk«i’;
euphorbia neriifolia,-. etecwder-kavedjjpurge,,, a .large £hrub ufedtas »ajyim-
terial fbr hedges ; 'hibifeus hcujneus .anS mptabjlis, the' latter* Af .which
is a tree of c^nh^erable fi^e, and eimh.ently-cpnlpicu.6ps fgr itVfplendid
blolfqms ; rhamnus f ineatusa ^ lawfonia inermis ; crolon, febifetum,
tallow tree, from the fruit of which a green wax .is procured, that .is
manufactured into candles; ^ c p s - . t h e fpfeasing^tanyan t^eet'
growing amengiobfe focks; falix Babyldflica, weeping wiflofy; fagus-
caftanea, Spani/h theftmtt; and pinus'latijc, the IfirfhJ / Of the ffuit fhees
the following-ate the principal: * citrus •'medich 'did'i ehiri^tiltf,'-
orange; • oSUfe paradifiaea,- pkehtiafai p
morus albus and-papyrifetus, the-tE^jV^ scoApaper 7tri$l/erTy‘tttt^ the’fdr- |
■ ■ 5 p I ' mer>'