1770.—"They (Dutch at the Cape) receive a still smaller profit from 60 lecques of red wine, and 80 or 90 of white, which they carry to Europe every year. The lecque weighs about 1,200 pounds."—Raynal, E.T. 1777, i. 231.
LEE, s. Chin. lī. The ordinary Chinese itinerary measure. Books of the Jesuit Missionaries generally interpret the modern lī as 1⁄10 of a league, which gives about 3 lī to the mile; more exactly, according to Mr. Giles, 274⁄5 lī = 10 miles; but it evidently varies a good deal in different parts of China, and has also varied in the course of ages. Thus in the 8th century, data quoted by M. Vivien de St. Martin, from Père Gaubil, show that the lī was little more than 1⁄5 of an English mile. And from several concurrent statements we may also conclude that the lī is generalised so that a certain number of lī, generally 100, stand for a day's march. [Archdeacon Gray (China, ii. 101) gives 10 lī as the equivalent of 3⅓ English miles; Gen. Cunningham (Arch. Rep. i. 305) asserts that Hwen Thsang converts the Indian yojanas into Chinese lī at the rate of 40 lī per yojana, or of 10 lī per kos.]
1585.—"By the said booke it is found that the Chinos haue amongst them but only three kind of measures; the which in their language are called lii, pu, and icham, which is as much as to say, or in effect, as a forlong, league, or iorney: the measure, which is called lii, hath so much space as a man's voice on a plaine grounde may bee hearde in a quiet day, halowing or whoping with all the force and strength he may; and ten of these liis maketh a pu, which is a great Spanish league; and ten pus maketh a daye's iourney, which is called icham, which maketh 12 (sic) long leagues."—Mendoza, i. 21.
1861.—"In this part of the country a day's march, whatever its actual distance, is called 100 li; and the li may therefore be taken as a measure of time rather than of distance."—Col. Sarel, in J. R. Geog. Soc. xxxii. 11.
1878.—"D'après les clauses du contrat le voyage d'une longueur totale de 1,800 lis, ou 180 lieues, devait s'effectuer en 18 jours."—L. Rousset, À Travers la Chine, 337.
LEECHEE, LYCHEE, s. Chin. li-chi, and in S. China (its native region) lai-chi; the beautiful and delicate fruit of the Nephelium litchi, Cambessèdes (N. O. Sapindaceae), a tree which has been for nearly a century introduced into Bengal with success. The dried fruit, usually ticketed as lychee, is now common in London shops.
c. 1540.—"... outra verdura muito mais fresca, e de melhor cheiro, que esta, a que os naturaes da terra chamão lechias...."—Pinto, ch. lxviii.
1563.—"R. Of the things of China you have not said a word; though there they have many fruits highly praised, such as are lalichias (lalixias) and other excellent fruits.
"O. I did not speak of the things of China, because China is a region of which there is so much to tell that it never comes to an end...."—Garcia, f. 157.
1585.—"Also they have a kinde of plummes that they doo call lechias, that are of an exceeding gallant tast, and never hurteth anybody, although they should eate a great number of them."—Parke's Mendoza, i. 14.