bamboo is applied in China. Indeed it would be nearly as difficult to say what it is not used for as what it is. It is in universal demand, in the houses and in the fields, on water and on land, in peace and in war. Through life the Chinaman is almost dependent upon it for his support, nor does it leave. him until it carries him to his last resting-place on the hill-side, and even then, in with the cypress, company juniper, and pine, it waves over and marks his tomb. At the time of the last war, when the Emperor of China, very considerately no doubt, wanted to conquer the English by withholding the usual supplies of tea and rhubarb, without which, he supposed, they could not continue to exist for any length of time, we might have returned the compliment, had it been possible for us to have destroyed all his bamboos. With all deference to the opinion of his celestial Majesty, the English might have survived the loss of tea and rhubarb, but we cannot conceive the Chinese existing as a nation, or indeed at all, without the bamboo.

When I had reached my old rooms in the priest's house, I found two of my Shanghae friends—Mr. Bowman and Dr. Kirk domiciled there. The Doctor had been trying to astonish and instruct the priests by showing them a siphon, and by emptying one of their troughs with it; but it is difficult to astonish a Chinaman, or to convince him that there is anything he does not understand! The man looked on in silence for a second or two, and then, with a triumphant smile on his countenance, pointed to his bamboo tubes, which are here used for conveying

water to the priests' houses. "Did not the water rise perpendicularly in them, and to any height he pleased?" It did, but not on the siphon principle, for the source of the spring which supplied these pipes was high up on the hill-side.

In a day or two I left the temple, in company with my two friends, for the lakes of Tung-hoo. Having engaged boats, we sailed over the lakes and visited all their shores. When it was known that one of my companions was a medical man, he had many applications from "the sick, the maimed, and the blind," who fancied he could heal all manner of diseases. During an interview which the Doctor had with one old man, a laughable incident occurred. My friend supposed, from what the man said, that he wished to tender a fee; but upon inquiry it turned out, on the contrary, that he was trying to make the Doctor understand that his advice and assistance could only be taken if they were given gratis!

During the three days we were here I had my hands full enough in collecting objects of natural history. The shores of the lakes were rich in plants, and richer still in insects. Many of the latter are perfectly new to entomologists, but my collections are not yet arranged and examined.

I could have lingered much longer in this part of the country, but my servants had returned from the Bohea mountains, and my holidays, for the present, had terminated. I therefore returned to Ning-po, and made preparations for another and perhaps still more important journey.

CHAPTER IX.

Leave Ning-po for the Bohea mountains

- Our boat seized for debt and

My guides- A flag and its history - The Green River again - Spring scenery on its banks Yen-chow and Ta-yang A storm in a creek Boatwomen A Chinese Mrs. Caudle and a curtain lecture Natural productions - Funereal cypress and other trees the sail taken away A Chinese creditor Town of Nán-che Its houses, gardens, and trade Vale of Nán-che Productions and fertility City of Chu-chu-foo Moschetoes and Moscheto "tobacco" Arrive at Chang-shan.

I was not quite satisfied with the result of my journey up the river Min. Although one of my men had brought me a fine collection of tea-plants and seeds from the celebrated black-tea country, and although the expedition was planned so that he could scarcely have procured them elsewhere, had he wished to deceive me, I confess I felt that it would be much more satisfactory if I could visit the district myself. I did not like the idea of returning to Europe without being perfectly certain that I had introduced the tea-plant from the best black-tea districts of China into the Government plantations in the North-western Provinces of India. There may also have been a lingering desire to cross the Bohea mountains and to visit the far-famed Woo-e-shan. At all events I made up my mind to make another attempt, and determined to start from Ning-po, where the people are not so greatly prejudiced against foreigners as they are farther to the south, about Foo-chow and Canton,

The man who had just returned from that country expressed his willingness to accompany me, and as he was well acquainted with the road I could not have found a better guide. He showed me a small triangular flag which he had in his possession, and which he had obtained from a mandarin with whom he formerly travelled to Peking, and told me that with this in our hands no one would dare to interfere with us. I confess I was rather sceptical as to the power of this flag, but allowed him to have his own way.

Having hired a boat, we left Ning-po on the evening of the 15th of May. The tide and wind being both in our favour, we swept rapidly up the river, passing in quick succession the British consulate and the houses of the missionaries, which stand on the river's banks. It was a dull and dreary evening, and the rain began to fall heavily as the darkness closed in around us. I felt rather low-spirited; I could not conceal from my mind that the journey I had undertaken was a long one, and perhaps full of danger. My road lay through countries almost unknown, and the guide I had with me was not fully to be depended upon. But the die was cast, and, committing myself to the care of Him who can preserve us alike in all places, I resolved to encounter the difficulties and dangers of the road with a good heart.

My servant now presented himself, and reminded me that it was time to make a change in my "outward man," and adopt the costume of the country.

When this operation was finished I doubt whether my nearest friends would have known me. Indeed, when I looked into the glass I scarcely recognised myself. "You will do very well," said my servant; "and when we reach the town of Nan-che I shall buy a summer hat, which will make the dress more perfect."

The next morning at daylight we found ourselves passing a town of considerable size, named Yu-yeou, which had been visited by our troops during the war. This is a walled city. The walls and ramparts enclose a hill of considerable extent, on whose summit many Buddhist temples have been erected. The suburbs stretch along the banks of the river, and form the principal part of the town. A few miles beyond this the river becomes narrow, and seems to be lost in a network of canals, showing that we were near its source. Soon after this we arrived at the drawbridge, or inclined plane, which I have noticed in a former chapter.

A curious circumstance happened whilst we, with about fifty other boats, were waiting for our turn of the windlass. Most of these boats had come from. Ning-po with the same tide as ourselves, and were going to the little town or village of Pak-wan. We had to wait about an hour until our turn came. During this time a strong noisy fellow of a boatman, evidently a bully, who was astern of us all, began to get impatient, and came pushing past the other boats, thinking to get over before his turn came. Amidst a great deal of clamour and threats he succeeded in

M