Hamilton’s account of the east indies.

510

omit it; but the aforefaid Mr. Fountanay told me, that the winter feafon is much colderthan in France , and, that in the month of November, the fraternity bought three deers,and hung them up.in a pantry without fait, and when they had a mind for fome venifon,they cut what they wanted for their ufe till the beginning of March, and what was leftthen began to grow dale, but not before, which fhews the fubtile coldnefs and drynefsof the air there.

And now being at the end of my journey on the continent of Afia, I will make fomemore general obfervations on the product of China , and return to the fouthward, totake a view of the iflands that face the fea-coafts of China , and fleer back to the north-ward as far as Japon . ' »

As there are many mountains in China , fo they have many different qualities. Someby their fituation and prodigious height, fhew their lofty tops above the clouds, alwaysclear and ferene; but none dare prel'ume to go to their tops, becaufe the air beingtoo much rarified, infenfibly takes away perfpiration, and caufes death. Others,though as high, by nitrous and fulphureous mines in their bowels, fend up thickvapours that always hide their tops ; and at the foot of thofe mountains are fpringsand wells of fire, that continually burn in their own cells, but never break forth inany other places.

Other mountains are covered with trees of various forts. The pine is the largeft,fome being fix foot through, and four of five fcore covets high, or according to Englflhmeafure, an hundred and fifty feet in length, and they produce bamboos, as long,and fo big, that one joint between the inter-nodes or knots can contain above ten cattiesof water, which are of great ufe to fea-faring men, to hold their frelh water in. Theyalfo produce the rofe-tree, which preferves an agreeable finell and colour as long asthe wood lafts, which is not lefs than a century or two.

In the fouthern provinces, I have been told, that a tree called quanlang, has a foftpulp growing within it, which the inhabitants dry and pulverize, and apply it to allthe ufes that wheat-flour ferves for, having the fame tafte and quality. I heard a mif-fionary affert, that not far from Limpoa, in the province of Chequiam, he faw fometrees that bore a fruit pretty hard on the outfide, but within a fat pulp, which beingput awhile in the air, becomes good white tallow ; and it ferves for all intents and pur-pofes, for the fame ufes that tallow is put to, only with this advantage, that it doesnot defile the hand, nor greafe and ftain clothes.

All the provinces of China are well ftored with fruit-bearing trees, and being of folarge an extent, and the feafons fo different, that in one place it is fummer, while inanother place winter predominates, as in the provinces of Quanfi and Quantung it ispleafant fummer, while in Zanfi and Peking the chilling colds of winter, and ftormsdifturb the air, and fhut up the pores of the earth.

All the provinces produce tea in abundance, but Nanking and Chequiam afford thebeft. I faw four or five tea Ihrubs growing on the eaft fide of Amoy, but it was mthe end of September, when all the leaves were off. It is pretty like a young willow;and I was informed, that they plant once in three years, and pull all up, or cut downall that are above that growth. I was alfo informed, that, about the middle of June,they pulled off the firft and beft leaves, and about the beginning of Auguft they had acrop of Sungloa tea, which is fomewhat groffer than the bing or firft crop. Both thofeforts are put under a Ihade to dry with the wind, and in September they ftrip the buffiof all its leaves, and, for want of warm dry winds to cure it, are forced to lay it onwarm plates of iron or copper, and keep it ftirring gently, till it is dry, and that fort