PAPER, RICE. The rice-paper plant is the Aralia papyrifera, Hooker. Chinese rice-paper had long been supposed to be cut from cylinders of a pith which has always a central hollow chamber, divided into compartments by septa or excessively thin plates. The supposition was con firmed by Sir William Hooker receiving from China specimens of the rice-paper plant, which very closely resembles, in botanical characters as well as in outward appearance of size and habit, the Aralia plant of Sikkim. The largest speci mens are about five or six feet in height, and from six to eight inches in circumference at the base, but nearly of an equal thickness all up their stem. The stems are crowned at the top with a number of palmate leaves on long footstalks, which give to the plant a very ornamental appearance. The under side of each leaf, its footstalk, and the top part of the stem, is densely covered with down of a rich brown colour. It flowers and seeds during the winter and spring months at Hong-Kong and Calcutta. The proportion of pith in these stems is very great, and from this pure white substance the beautiful rice-paper is prepared. The Chinese call this plant the T'ung-ts'au. The T'ung-ts'au is largely cultivated in many parts of the island of Formosa. The Canton and provinces are the chief consumers, and the town of Fu chit alone is supposed to take annually not less than 30,000 dollars' worth. In the Chinese market, 100 sheets (each about three inches square), one of the most beautiful and delicate substances with which wo are acquainted, are procurable for or 1id.
It is a delicate vegetable film, consisting of long hexagonal cells, whose length is parallel to the surface of the film, and which are filled with air when the film is in its usual state ; the peculiar softness which so well adapts it for receiving colours, is owing to this structure. The pith is carefully taken out and cut in sheets, by running a knife round it, and smoothing them with an iron. When the tissue breaks, the fracture is connected by a lamina of mica. Paintings on Chinese pith - paper, or rice - paper, are much sought after for their splendid colourings. Its velvety surface contrasts admirably with brilliant colours. An India-ink outline is first transferred by damping and pressing it upon the paper, when the ink strikes off sufficiently to enable the work man to fill up the sketch ; one outline will serve for limning several copies, and in large establish ments the separate colours arc laid on by different workmen. The manufacture of these paintings at Canton employs between two and three thousand hands. Another tissue sometimes used by the Chinese for painting, more remarkable for its singularity than elegance, is the reticulated nerve-work of grape leaves, the fleshy green part of the leaf having been removed by maceration, and the membrane filled with isinglass. The appearance of a painting on this transparent substance is pretty, but the colours do not retain their brilliancy.-1Villiams' Middle Kingdom, ii. p. 145 ; Eng. Cyc. ; 111`C. Com. Dic.