BOOKS.

FORTUNE'S TEA DISTRICTS O' CHINA AND INDIA.*

Mn. FORTUNE'S narrative contains a good deal of useful information as regards the tea-shrub and other Chinese plants, together with many sketches of Chinese scenery and towns. Its chief popular in- terest arises from the tours that the author made through the tea districts in the disguise of a Chinaman, purporting to come from a place some distance beyond the Great Wall. His means of observ- ing what is called life, or wandering in tourist fashion through great towns were of course limited, to avoid unnecessary exposure to scrutiny • the incidents of his journey were few, and seldom reached beyond an occasional " row " in which his servants rather than himself were implicated ; but the narrative opens up so much novelty in manners, characters, and modes of life, while it is throughout pervaded by that amusing feature of comedy which consists in one of the dramatis personre taking another for what he is not, that the travels have the interest of a novel of the Gil Bias schooL The reader, moreover, gets a picture of China such as it would be vain to seek for in the pages of a known European tra- veller; for he would neither see the people so undisguisedly nor could he mingle so much among them in an every-day manner.

This picture confirms the representations of the Jesuits as to the high civilization of the Chinese, and the regularity and power of the Government at least for preserving social order,—un- less we ascribe it, as in the case of Britain, to the orderly habits of the people. Of course, persons who associate civilization with the inventions of the last thirty or forty years, and reckon every country barbarous that has not steam-boats, railways, and electric telegraphs, will dissent from this opinion. Those who have somewhat larger views' yet cannot abstract their ideas from the state of society in which they were bred, may deem locomotion by horses and chariots essential to civilization ; but this will not be found in China at least in the districts Mr. Fortune passed through. The general mode of travelling is by passage-boats, tracked when the wind or current is adverse ; or by chairs, after the fashion of our old sedan-chairs, only made much lighter, especially for short jour- flies. Hence, the roads are often narrow ; but they are well made, and well kept, being sometimes paved. Those who are aware of the state of cross country-roads, or even of the high-roads in England within the memory of persons yet living, and who can fancy what they were in the Highlands of Scotland and in Ireland a century or two ago, can appreciate the regard for public con- venience which constructed the following way through so wild a district, and not on a leading line of traffic. "An excellent paved road led us up through a deep ravine. Frequently the branches of the trees met above our heads and darkened the way. Every- thing had a wild appearance. Streams were gushing from the mountain. sides and fell over rocky precipices, when they were lost to the eye amidst the rich and Tropical-looking foliage of the pines. Uniting at the bottom of the mountains, they form a river and flow onward to swell the waters of the Min.

"When we had got some distance from the base of the mountain, the road became so steep that I was obliged to get out of my chair and walk. Once i or twice, when I found myself a considerable way n advance of my men, the road seemed so wild and lonely that I felt almost afraid. It seemed a fit place for tigers and other ferocious animals to spring upon one out of the dense brushwood. We reached the top of the pass in about an hour from the time we commenced the ascent. As the day was close and hot, I was glad to find there a small inn, where I procured some tea ; which was most acceptable and refreshing.

"Resting awhile on the top of the mountain, I enjoyed one of those glo- rious prospects which well reward the traveller for all his toil, and then pur sued my journey."

Everything shows the same old society and long-established order and civilization. The chairs are as numerous and as readily procurable, even in the lesser class of towns, as a cab in London : the passage-boats are as regular, and much more numerous than they used to be here in our more limited waters, before steam was applied to navigation and the improvement of the roads facilitated rapid travelling by land. The inns are numerous and well-con- ducted, reminding one of the Feat hostels of the later middle ages in Europe ; while the Buddhist priests, who receive travellers in their monasteries as was formerly the case in Christendom, and as it it still occasionally is in very remote districts, call to mind the refec- toriesof the middle ages. The more important towns are full of hand- some shops ; the streets thronged with a busy population; and the roads leading from the great Bohea district to the emporiums are almost as crowded as the streets. Signs of a civilized, indeed a refined society, are seen in the trades ministering not only to luxury but to taste,—as in a business peculiarly likely to attract Mr. For- tune's attention, that of nurseryman or florist. The public dras matio amusements, the richness of the costumes, and the peculiari- ties of Chinese architecture and gardening, are well known ; but it seems the Celestial amateurs of floriculture like to exhibit their rarities, as we do, and there are also show-places, exhibited pre- cisely as in England.

"(n the following day, while walking on shore with some of the other passengers, we came to a village in which there was a celebrated garden and temple belonging to a family of high rank and influence in the country. The head of the family himself had died a short time before, • but the place was still kept up in excellent style. It seemed to be open to the public, and we determined to go and see it. "The place had no pretensions to what in England would be called a fine garden ; but it was evidently considered unique by the Chinese in this part of the country. Small square courts were seen here and there, ornamented with rock-work, and planted with the favourite flowers of the district. The • A Journey to the Tea Countries of China, including Sung-b and the Bohea Hills; with a short Notice of the East India Company's Tea Plantations in the Iiimalayt Mountains. By Robert Fortune, Author of Three Years' Wanderings in China." With Map and Illustrations. Published by Murray.

fragrant olive, moutan, sacred bamboo (Nandina domestica), and other com- mon shrubs, were met with in great abundance. Some pretty ponds were filled with the favourite water-lily. But the most interesting plant of all was a new evergreen holly, with leaves somewhat like the Portugal laurel, very handsome and ornamentaL

'tAmongst the buildings there was a pretty small pagoda, which we as- cended, and from its top had an excellent view of the surrounding country. The whole place had evidently been laid out for the purpose of giving plays and Wes on an extensive scale. Summer-houses, ornamental towers, balco- nies, and ancestral temples, were scattered over the grounds. The tout en- semble had an imposing appearance, and was just such as the Chinese most admire. Guides conducted us through the place in the same way as at the show-houses in England, and also expected to be paid for their services. The resemblance went a little further, for we were passed on from one guide to another, and each had to be paid." ' One of the strongeet proofs of the long-established social civili- zation of China—so long established that it is now probably decayed, and awaiting but a tempest or two to break it up—is the freedom of locomotion enjoyed by the people. The tea-cultivators whom Mr. Fortune engaged for the East India Company's planta- tions in the Himalaya, had no difficulty in leaving their district and embarking for India. There is no passport system to impede the traveller for business or pleasure ; nor did Mr. Fortune meet let or hinderance from guards or police, and a slight inquiry was only once made of his servants on passing from one province into another. The garrulity of one of his followers betrayed him to his fellow passengers in a boat, and he was once evidently sus- pected at an inn by merchants from Shanghae and Canton who were familiar with the European physiognomy ; but no unpleasant result followed.

Neither did any actual inconvenience arise upon any occasion ; but, as there is some of the via (*mica when Mr. Fortune appears among the Celestials, as a man from a far distant region imper- fectly speaking the language of the district he is in, so the "fo- reign devil" in his turn contributes to the comedy, when the acci- dents of the road place him in a position where discovery seems to be imminent. This generally arose from some roguery on the part of his servants, or persons engaged by them' in desiring to appro- priate to themselves a part of the money belonging to others. An example of this kind took place at lfang-Chow-foo, a city which Mr. Fortune reached by passage-boat, and where he changed his line of route.

"Wang, who had been sent on shore at daybreak to procure a chair, and coolies for our luggage, now came back and informed me that he had suc- ceeded in arranging all this at an inn bard by, to which we must now go. Leaving the boat, we walked up a crowded street for nearly a quarter of a mile, and then entered the inn in question. No one took the slightest no- tice of me ; a circumstance which gave me a good deal of confidence, and led me to conclude that I was dressed in a proper manner, and that I made a pretty good Chinaman. "Our Shanghae boatmen accompanied us, carrying our luggage ; indeed I believe they bad recommended us to the inn at which we had now arrived. To my astonishment, they at once informed their friend the innkeeper that I was a foreigner. Having been paid their fare, they had nothing more to expect., and I suppose could not contain the secret any longer. I now ex- pected that some difficulties would be experienced in procuring a chair, either through fear of the mandarins, or with the view of extorting money. The old man, who made his living by letting chairs and selling tea, took everything very quietly, and did not seem to despise a good customer, even if he was a foreigner. A chair was soon ready for me to proceed on my journey. The bearers were paid by the master of the house to take me one stage—about half way; and a sum of money was given them to engage an- other chair for the remainder of the journey, to a place calledKan-du, which is situated on the banks of the largo river which here falls into the bay of Hang-chow.

-"Everything being satisfactorily arranged, I stepped into the chair, and desiring my two servants to follow me, proceeded along the narrow streets at a rapid pace. • *

• "When we were about half way through the city, the chairmen set me down, and informed me that they went no farther. I got out and looked round for my servants, from whom I expected an explanation, for I had un- derstood that the chairmen had been paid to take me the whole way through. My servants, however, were nowhere to be seen—they had either gone some other road, or, what was more probable, had intentionally kept out of the way in case of any disturbance. I was now in a dilemma, and did not clearly see my way out of it. Much to my. surprise and pleasure, however, another

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chair was brought me, and I was informed that I was to .proceed m it. I now understood how the business had been managed. The innkeeper had in- trusted the first bearers with a sum of money sufficient to hire another chair for the second stage of the journey. Part of this sum, however, had been spent by them in tea and tobacco as we came along, and the second bearers could not be induced to take me on for the sum which was left. A brawl now ensued between the two sets of chairmen, which was noisy enough ; but as such things are quite common in Chinn, it seemed, fortunately for me, to attract but little notice. The situation in which I was now placed was ra- ther critical, and far from an enviable one. Had it been known that a fo- reigner was in the very heart of the city of Hang-chow-foo, a mob would have soon collected, and the consequences plight have been serious. • • • "I had taken my seat in the second chair, and was patiently waiting until anch time as the first men could give the second satisfactory reasons for spending part of their cash in tea and tobacco. The first notice, however, which I received of the unsuccessful result of this attempt, was an intima- tion that I was to be ejected from the chair. I knew this would not do, as from my imperfect knowledge of the language I might have somedifficulty in finding another conveyance, and I did not know one foot of the way which I was going. I was therefore obliged to inquire into the dispute, and put an end to it by promising to pay the difference when we arrived at the end of our stage. This was evidently what the first rascals had been calculating upon ; but it had the effect of stopping all further disputes, and my bearers shouldered their burden and jogged onwards. • • • -." I had seen nothing of my servants during the whole way, and was be- Linning to expect a scene or adventure at the end of this part of the journey. Tr chair-bearers spoke a peculiar dialect, which I could scarcely make out, a d I kept wondermg as we went along what would happen next. The only thing I could make out was, that they were taking me to a Hong-le; but what a Hong-le was, was beyond my comprehension.

" To carry out my own principles and trust to circumstance; seemed to be

e on y way of proceeding, and I gave myself very little uneasiness about tlie result. At length I heard the men say that here was the Hong-le ; and as I .was about to look and see what this might be, the chair was set down, and it was intimated to me that we had reached the end of the journey. Greatly to my surprise and pleasure, I now found that this Hong-le was a quiet and comfortable Chinese inn, which was frequented by passengers from all parts of the country. Getting out of my chair, I walked quietly up to the farther end of the large hall, and began to look amongst a number of packages which were heaped up there for my own luggage. I had seen no- thing of either that or-any servants since I left the former inn. It had ar- rived, however, quite safely, having been sent on by a coolie before me ; and i a few minutes my two men also made their appearance. • * * " The inn in which I was located was a large old building, pleasantly situ- ated on the banks of the Green River. All the lower part formed a sort of shed or warehouse, which was filled with goods of various kinds and the lug- rage of passengers. At the upper end of this apartment a table was placed in the middle of the floor, and served for the host and his guests to dine upon. Around this table were sitting five or six respectable-looking Chinese merchants, smoking from long bamboo pipes, and discussing the news of the day and the state of trade. These men politely made way for me at the table. I took the seat offered, and ti be neighbour-like commenced smoking as fast as any of them. In other parts of the warehouse the servants of these men and other travelling servants were lolling . about, or sound asleep upon the chairs or goods. No one seemed to take any particular notice of me, and I soon sat perfectly at my ease."

The larger half of a century has elapsed since Adam Smith con- sidered that China had reached the declining state of political eco- nomy. The decline of national spirit had doubtless commenced before the Tartar conquest, or that would never have taken place. To discover the reasons of this decline, would require a much greater knowledge of Chinese history and institutions than Euro- peans in general possess; but an immutable conservatism seems to have had much to do with it. The ruling classes—the Emperor, the high state officers, the bureaucracy, and the guides of education —persisted in upholding traditional dogmas, that were no longer applicable in their integrity to the feelings of the Chinese, or the widely altered state of the outward world. The communication between the Chinese and Europeans, limited as it was, shaped and added to the influences of time. The late war has dissipated the foreign prestige as to the power of China, and the national opinion in the districts that were the seat of it. The deepest shock, per- haps, has been the permission of residence, which already -has affected the greatest changes at Shanghae : Mr. Fortune found a wonderful difference between his present and his former visit. "When these remarks were written, the war had just been brought ti a satisfactory termination, and the treaty of Nanking had been wrung from the Chinese. The first merchant-ship had entered the river, one or two Eng- lish merchants had arrived, and we were living in wretched Chinese houses, eating with chop-sticks, half-starved with cold, and sometimes drenched in bed with rain. When the weather happened to be frosty, we not unfre- quently found the floors of our rooms in the morning covered with snow. A great change has taken place since those days. I now found myself, (Sep- tember 1848,) after having been in England for nearly three years, once more in a China boat sailing up the Shanghae river towards the city. The first object which met my view as I approached the town was a forest of masts, not of junks only, which had been so striking on former occasions, but of goodly foreign ships, chiefly from England and the United States of America. There were now twenty-six large vessels at anchor here, many of which had come loaded with the produce of our manufacturing districts, and were returning filled with silks and teas. But I was much more sur- prised with the appearance which the shore presented than with the ship- ping. I had heard that many English and American houses had been built— indeed, one or two were being built before I left China ; but a new town, of very considerable size, now occupied the place of wretched Chinese hovels, cotton-fields, and tombs. The Chinese were moving gradually backwards into the country, with their families, effects, and all that appertained unto them; reminding one of the aborigines of the West, with this important difference, that the Chinese generally left of their free will and were liberally remu- nerated for their property by the foreigners. Their chief care was to remove, with their other effects, the bodies of their deceased friends, which are com- monly interred on private property near their houses. Hence it was no un- common thing to meet several coffins being borne by coolies or friends to the Westward. In many instances, when the coffins were uncovered they were found totally decayed, and it was impossible to remove them. When this was the ease, a Chinese Might be seen holding a book in his hand, which contained a list of the hence, and directing others in their search after these the last remnants of mortality. "It is most amusing to see the groups of Chinese merchants who come from some distance inland on a visit to Shanghae. They wander about along the river-side with wonder depicted in their countenances. The square-rig- ged vessels which crowd the river, the houses of the foreigners, their horses and their dog; are all objects of wonder, even more so than the foreigners themselves. Ifr. Beale, who has one of the finest houses here, has fre- quent applications from respectable Chinese who are anxious to see the inside of an English dwelling. These applications are always complied with in the kindest manner, and the visitors depart highly delighted with the view."

The volume contains a good deal of information relative to the tea districts of China, and the cultivation and preparation of the plant. Mr. Fortune also made an official tour in the Himalayas, to inspect the tea-plantations of the Company, as well as to locate the Chinamen, and to attend to the plants he had transmitted thither. He reports that the climate, soil, and site in many places, are well adapted to the growth of the plant, and the population fitted for the production of tea, after they have been instructed in the management; very low wages being an essential element, at least for competition with the Chinese commodity. The existing plantations flourish in exact proportion as nature and the practice of China are followed. Naturally the plant grows on elevated land, and the Chinese never irrigate : in the Himalayas, some of the tea-gardens were very like rice-grounds in point of level, and the plants kept in a damp state : the gardeners had applied the lows of rice cultivation, which they understood, to that of tea, of which they were ignorant.