List of Seeds sent by DR. ROXBURGH for the African Institution.

Crotalaria juncea, or Salsette hemp. Sunn of the Bengalese. Corchorus capsularis. Paat or Jute of the Bengalese. Melaleuca Leucadendron, or the Cajaputta oil tree.

Tectonia grandis. The justly-famed timber called Teak. Dalbergia Sissoo, Sissoo is the Hindoo name of this quickgrowing, most beautiful, and useful timber tree, the wood of which is much used in the marine yard, for furniture, &c. &c.

Terminalia Catappa, and Procera. Two beautiful and highly useful timber trees: besides, the kernels of their nuts are as good as filberts.

Aleurites triloba. A large tree. The kernels of the nuts yield a very pure oil. Akh-rowt is the Hindoo name of the

tree.

Phascolus lunatus;

Dolichos tetragonolobus, and gladiatus ;

Carpopogon niveum. These four are all very excellent substitutes for kidney and Windsor beans.

Cultivation of the Sunn Plant (CROTALARIA juncea of Linnæus), and Preparation of the Fibres of its Bark, called Sunn by the People of Bengal.

IT is a tall annual, and very generally cultivated over the southern parts of Asia for the fibres of its bark, which may be called the hemp of those countries where it is cultivated. A very full and particular account of the various methods of cultivation, &c. will be found in Wissett's book on the culti

vation and preparation of Hemp and Sunn, published in London in 1804; and some remarks by myself in one of the vo lumes of the Transactions of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, &c. I will, however, give a brief statement of the usual modes in Bengal; and add such remarks as I think may be of use to improve the quality of the fibre, which is naturally excellent; probably not inferior to the hemp of Europe.

When cultivated during the rains, which is very generally the case in Bengal, an elevated, rich, friable soil is required; which ought to be well ploughed, or otherwise dressed, to free it of weeds and bring it into good tilth. The seed, about eighty pounds weight to the acre, is sown when the first showers fall about the beginning of the periodical rains; and covered in by the harrow, or any other mode. Little or no more is required, as the plant grows so rapidly as to keep down the weeds itself. By August the plant will be in flower, and from five to eight, or more, feet high. When the fibre is required of a fine quality, it is pulled in this stage of its growth: if strength is required, it must stand till in seed, or even till the seed is ripe. When thought fit for the purposes intended, it is cut, or pulled up by the root. Some recommend steeping it immediately when it is pulled, in standing fresh water, &c. as with hemp in Europe: others, and I believe with good reason, recommend its being dried for some time previous to being steeped upon this head much will be found in Mr. Wissett's book.

The length of time required for steeping, depends on the season of the year, the heatof the weather, and the state of the water. In August and September, from two to three days is generally sufficient. When that is accomplished (which will be known by the bark separating freely from the stalk-but not longer, as over-steeping weakens the fibre much), the people employed in the work stand in the water in which the plant has been steeped ; each takes a handful, which he breaks in one

or more places: after having washed off any mud or filth, he then grasps it by one end between both hands, and beats it against the surface of the water, which quickly removes the reed from the fibres; when the parcel is turned, and the other end treated in the same manner.

This simple mode is very generally followed by the natives over Bengal, and not only removes the reed quickly, but washes the fibres at the same time. Hence the sunn of this country (Bengal) is always whiter than that of Bombay or Salsette, though they are the produce of the same plant : and is probably the most expeditious mode that can be devised; but, unfortunately, the fibres are always so materially entangled, that they give but little support to each other, until by the heckle they are in some measure restored to their natural situation, with the loss of nearly one half of the original quantity; which renders the heckled sunn of Bengal high priced.

About Bombay, the Salsette sunn, or hemp, as it is generally called, is reckoned particularly good; not inferior to the best Russian hemp; and that is all peeled by the hand. Numerous experiments made by me, induce a belief that its superiority depends on the peeling.

In that country, and in many other parts of India, the seed is sown toward the close of the rains, when a stronger soil is said to be required. In other respects the management

is the same.

Method of cultivating the Paat Plants (Corchorus olitorius, and capsularis) in Bengal, and cleaning the Fibres of their Bark, there called Jute.

LIKE sunn, it delights in a free, open, rich soil, which is rather moist, but not so low as to be readily overflowed

during heavy rains. The ground requires to be well ploughed, cleaned of weeds, and reduced as fine as possible. The seed (about ten pounds weight to the English acre) is generally sown in April or May, with the first showers, before the periodical rains begin, which generally happen in June. The young plants require frequent weedings, till about eight or ten inches high: they are then strong enough to keep down the weeds, their growth being rapid.

In August or September they will be in full blossom, with many of the capsules almost full grown. Now is the usual time for cutting the crop; an operation performed with the common country sickle, a few inches above the ground. If the plants are very long, they are cut in two, to render them more manageable. They are then laid in heaps in the field, for four or five days; during which period the leaves are detached; and the rest probably undergoes a necessary fermentation, or heating, which the strong, almost woody, stems may require to soften them, before committed to the water. When this operation is finished, the plants are tied up in bundles of about eighteen inches in circumference, and committed to the steeping process, as for sunn, in stagnant fresh water, for from eight to sixteen days, according to the age of the plants, the quality of the water, and state of the weather-(heat hastens the process much.) The operation is known to be completed by the same signs hemp and flax are judged by in Europe-viz. by the bark parting readily from the stalks. The bundles are now divided into handfuls: these are grasped by the operator, who stands about knee-deep in the water, and beats on the surface of that fluid; turning and rubbing it frequently with the hands, till the boan or stalks, and the medullary connecting substance, which unites the fibres of the bark, are entirely removed, leaving the horle, or clean fibres, in his hands. These are laid even, spread out upon the grass, or hung upon ropes exposed to the sun-shine, till perfectly dry: then

twisted up into bundles, and carried to market, or put by for

use.

A stout reddish variety of this species (C. capsularis) has been introduced from China into Bengal, under the name China hemp the material of which is more abundant, and every way better. One biggah (a third of an English acre) was sown with two pounds and a half of seed on the 18th of May, 1808; and on the 9th of September it was cut, when most of the blossoms had decayed, and the capsules were fully formed. The biggah yielded 332 pounds avoirdupois of the clean fibre. The whole expense of cultivation and cleaning, the rent of the land excluded, was five rupees and a half: and if a rupee and a half is added for the rent of the biggah of ground, the whole will be seven rupees; which is a little more than five shillings for the hundred pounds weight. It is the seed of this sort that accompanies this memorandum.

R.

Queries relative to Africa.

§ 1. Geography, Statistics, &c.

1. WHAT is the extent of territory belonging to the state, and what are its boundaries?

2. Between what parallels of latitude is it comprised? 3. What is the general aspect of the country; mountainous or champaign; dry or marshy; open or covered with wood?

4. What is the nature and temperature of the climate, the range of the thermometer, the course of the seasons, &c. ?