As we were passing along a street in Canton, a gentleman, long a
resident there, suddenly stopped and pointed to a large quantity of an
herb, spread in the sun. “That,” said he, “is jasmine, which is one
of the principal ingredients used to give your teas a flavor.” But I
will not venture further on this topic, only observing that one of our
party who took tea with us in the idol’s temple, (tea without sugar and
cream,) testified that there was an aroma about it to which exported
teas were strangers.