8 pp. illustrations, 1 folded map. This book describes the travels undertaken by Alexander Hosie during his tenure as a British consular agent in Chungkiung, from 1882–1884. At the time this was the most important city in Szechuan Province, W. China; situated on the Yangtze River, 1, 500 miles inland from its mouth, it was seen as the potential nexus for trade, giving access inland to the majority of the Chinese. Hosie’s main task was to assess the commercial potential of this remote part of China, hence his long and difficult journeys. Besides the hardships and dangers, Hosie described the landscape, details of manufacturing processes, the skills of the artisans, the great salt well near Tzu-liu-ching, the tea trade, methods of bleeding the opium poppy, and the pitiable work situation of Chinese laborers. Hosie served in Chinese cities until retiring in 1912. In honor of his contribution to botanical studies, a plant species was named after him, Osmosia hosiei.