Semi-weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1852-1853, 1853-04-02
from the New York Evening Post.l
LETTER FROM MIR. BRYANT.
Cairo, EGYPT, January II, l

commander was Captain Moresby, a veteran III Ii.o
British naval service, known to geograPhers Dy ms
chart of the Red Sea and the Maldlye lSianas.
We found crowd of English on board, on their
wav to India army officers, civilians medical men,
a score of ladies'. a lord or two, the Governor Of
Honr Kong. Chief Justice of the India bench,
and laroe number of cadets, some OF them scarce
" fIl GROWN sent out to fill the civil and military
employInents, which are kept for young men who
mus: be provided for
49, These youths said major in the British SER
vice. who had been my fellow passenger on board
of-the arctic, and whom was very glad to meet
again, will find in the climate of India, severe
trial forheir constitutions and yet it is necessary
that they should go out thus early, in order to
qualify them properly for the posts they are to
hold. A great many of them will die, and leave
their places vacant for other adventures l look
ed at their fresh and healthy countenances, as he
said this and wished them we'll through the trial
The cabins in the Ripon, called with us state
rooms contain each generally four berthS, and when
occupied By more than two persons, are particular
lv announcement As we found of them
vacant, our party was biletted i'll different chamb-
ers. among persons who doubtless wished us back
to America with all their hearts The proportion
of ill-bred people on board was greater than L cX-
pected to find. Passengers, late at night, would
come singing to their berths, whistle perseTer-
inoly as they turned over and arranged the con-
tents of their pormanteaus, or bore you With their
elbows, and commit various other acts OF petty
rudeness One dav-it was the first OF January
the captain gave champagne at dinner, and I'M
mediatey a strife arose among about \ third part
of the passengers, as it seemed to me- to see who
should get possession of the bottles, and swallow
the most of their contents. The supply was iber-
al, and we had noisy night.
Among the passengers was Mr.. Fortune, the
botanist and traveller, who had already made two
visits to China, with view of ascertalnlng which
of the vegetable productions of that country might
be advantageousy introduced into the British do
lninions, and was proceeding on a third Voy-
ago to Shanghai by way of India. sought an
acquaintance with him, which lie did not decline,
and | was much interested by his conversation.
[" You are attempting the introduction of the tea
plant into America" he said, "but doubt wheth-
er you will succeed. Your climate, with its warm
summer is well adapted to its cultivation, and you
will probably have no difficulty in finding soils
suitable for its growth but labor is dear in the
United States, and SO cheap in China, that the
Chinese will send it to your doors at far less cost
than you can produce it at home. am at present
engaged in the experiment of Introducing the tea
plant into India. On the slopes of the llimalaya
mountains is a soil and climate perfectly adapted
to its cultivation; country where land can be had
for almost nothing, aud labor costs very little.
Here we are forming gardens Of the tea-pIant
the undertaking."
We talked of the culture of the grape in Ameri-
ca. II, as you say" said Mr.. Fortune, " the
European grape does not succeed well with YOU,
should advise you to import stocks from those va
rietes of it which are cultivated in China, where
the climate much resembles your own in its
changes and extremes. In the northern parts Of
China which 1 visited, found a table grape very
common, though they make no wine. You might
easily have the plants brought over, you
now beginning to have pretty extensive commerce
with the ports north of Canton. We have better
fruit of the kind in Europe, than saw there, but
You might perhaps improve it"
"There is one kind of fruit he continued,
Switch am introducing into northern India, and
which, | am sure, would succeed in some parts of
your country. 1t is called in China the yang-a5aae
fruit of the size of plum, resembling that of the
srbetus, but larger-a crimson berry, covered all
over with small projecting points, very agreeable
to the palate, and with just acidity enough in its
flavor to make it refreshing. You have in Ameri-
ca some plants of the genus to which it belongs,
the myrica."
instanced the neyrica cerijtra, or candleberry
myrtle, bearing large quantities of berries.
''The yang-nsae also" proceeds Mr.. Fortune &" is
an abundant bearer. 1t will not answer for Eng
lan1, as summers are not warm enough, but
in those parts of the United States, where the
mercury in Fahrenheits thermometer does not fall
IN winter below twenty, or, at the utmost, twelve
degrees, and where you have nice warm sum-
mer"-such his phrase" to ripen it, the fruit
would be produced in perfection It would be well
worth the while of some of your horticuturists to
take measures for introducing it from the northern
parts of China"
In subsequent conversation, Mr.. Fortune men
toned ahardy kind of palm, the only one which |
will grow in cold climates, and very common in |
some parts of China 1t requires" he observed |
:" warm summer, and Will bear severe winter,
and is the very tree for the United States 1T |
ehomerops, genus of the palm family, Of which |
there are several species, all of the tropical plants
but this. 1t looks strange, in the depth of whit
er, to see this tree, apparently production of the
tropst with its large evergreen leaves loaded with
snow. The Chinese obtain from the upper part
OF 1t KIND OF net work, the sheathing OF the young
leaves, knotted with the most perfect regularity, |
which they apply to many useful purposes"
On his way to China, Mr. Fortune was takino
out with him to Calcutta, several cases containin9
clnchona piants-the tree which produces the Pc.
ruyian bark-brought from South America, with
the design of introducing it into India
AS we approached Egypt, the weather grew
rainy, and at length the pharos Of Alexandra an
peared above low flat shore A pilot of slender
figure little STOPPING. with dirty white turban |
on his head sand loose blue bag covering his leos
from the waist to little below the knee came On
board. Our steamer made a sudden turn svent
into the harbor and dropped anchor in a violent