Page:History of the Indian Archipelago Vol 3.djvu/542

 dil(j DESCRIPTION OF grape, are very limited. The black teas for ex- portation are all produced in the north-west part of the province of Fokien, and the green in that of Kiangnau, in the neighbourhood, and to the west of the city of Whe-chu-fu. Both Fokien and Kiangnan are maritime provinces, and two of the richest of the empire. Fokien is, in a manner, isolated from the rest of the empire by a chain of mountains, which surrounds it in every way on the land side. It is among the vallies of the portion of these mountains, called Bu-ye, * that the black teas are grown. A very small portion of them only is brought to Canton by sea, and the rest is transported by porters over the mountains, and ge- nerally without the advantage of internal naviga- tion. The distance, in a straight line to Canton, from the black tea districts, cannot be less than 320 miles, and, by the usual calculation for the winding of the roads, not less than S60. Wher- ever land-carriage must be resorted to in China, it is attended with peculiar disadvantage, from the total absence of wheel carriages, good roads, and beasts of burthen. The green tea districts in Kiangnan cannot be less than 700 miles from Canton in a straight line, or 800 miles follow- ing the direction of the road, although, perhaps, from the advantage of internal navigation, the cost term erroueouj'ly to the wuibt detcriptiou ol black which we import.
 * Of which the worJ Bohea is a coriupUon. We apply the