!3tj jMPr'*S*s,i f r o m -forty to Teyenty rf^gs.frQm the fliore.,< Their effeft bn
the feafpns has been already mentioned; and it cgafes at Surat, -where
% s. ,w . wind;earners uninterrupted moifture over Hindoftan. The
high terrace in the middle öff®é-Deccan receives little rain ; and the
f oa^ of Coromandel, which receives its rain from tlie'N. E. monfoon,
. is alfo.of a dry foil as already .defcribed. .
Befis*.. - ■ . The .fiu-idy defert on th l Sift of the Indus ;muft -not be. omitted, extending
in length between four and five hundred Britifh miles,, and i-n
- breadth from fixty to a hundred and fifty. O f this great defert the acc
o s t s are imperfect; but it is ftyjed that of;Agimere, and feems to
have been known to Herodotus. I Such-wide expanfes ©f barren fand,
&rm features peculiar, to Afia and-Africa. x
ISjJjjJjj Of this extenftv'e portion, of Afia a great part remaining, in primitive
wildnefs, there are large forefts.in various quarters; parSeularif; near the
mouth of tho-Qanges,':and in the wide unexplored ‘£ègipns>,ign theuweffc
of the Sircars. Thefe-iprefts furpafsin exuberance -of vegetation any
idea which Europeans. <san imagine j eregpffig^gjaptgijff
and length, extended from tree to tree, forming an impcnptrahlp. g|pom r
and a barrier, as it were, facred to> the fiyft myfteries.of.nat-urp* • •
The general obfervations which- were made .on India beyoqd the
Ga“ g«b aBP1y with ftill greater propriety to the botany -of Hindoftan*
A &*1» and a climate better adapted to*the moft profile
luxuriance o f vegetation than the well watered trads in this v-aft penmfula
eapqpt poftibly be found in any part, ó f the known world-. . The liber-'
rality^ with which nature- has~ fcattered over this favoured country the
ehoiceftofthofe plants that contribute to-the fiiftenan.ee,Xhfecdn-venicnce,
and elegance-of human., life,, is bpundlefs, and. almoft; without compel"
titioq doublé harvefts, two crops, of Emit- from many; of the trees,.and
%m. moft. of the reft a. copious- and regular fupply during the, greater
i l l e^t^-e y eaii»;are the great bafes. that fupport its, fwarm.ing popula~
tTop, while: its. timber, of every-quality, its-plants of;medicinal virtue,,
' "r gennell, ^..an^.hJs.Map.'oEtjd Deccan,- .'too, In ^hÜ i th.cf*juthcTnfTnountóns are' well-
txprened ' Among the animal*.'are numerous elephantsand if wc believeWefdm, 214' wild'
oxen.-teji feet high, with, fine a(h. grey hair.. The Arm ofuhe. north,are-black, cattle,, faidto be-
fourteen feet high ! Ib, note*.
its
its numerous apd and„other Botapr.;
g^fabl^aï^ieleS'?jf chiathi^g^jof^pijE'fs^tita inhabitants theima-teriilg ©f eu-
j o y tried t, and cmlizatiopj Vl
The moft, diftingijifhingtfeaCure -in1t rqpicalflandfcap,es ia the> multitude.
of lofty trees ©f the palm! kind ; all thefie rile with a fimple| trunk £
to a confideraMe 1 height-,htepfainated by; a;ituft -oHrlarge'ileaves, and’ .
wholly deft i tut e vpf branches.texqepti while sbeylave in; f ru it^ h f thefe"
m a n y - fp-eeies'’are natives jef India* s- T h e lco ^a -n u t t-fée;>pprhapsS the
moft widely diftufedtOjf any, if f(5?tM3‘d.''iftaaha0,dan.ce;Ga the- Gpjaft|--offMalabar:
and Coromandel: i t& fru it ;fuppliesfan,ïagseeabler'nü;trirfient; and!
the ftbrous covering of the nut- ist.:mamifa6|«red.in|o'|the":'m;©ftielaftic-
cables fhatr are k-nownh T he adeea. palmds-anothbr ©fthis family, of.
rare ocearrehce- in a . truly w-ild-ftate^ibutbénltivatèd overall India,fof ils.--: ’
lime, rare ,'in. generabeequeft for chewing as tobaceö;i$iufëd in Europe..
The fmallee fan-palm (iboraffiae flabellifortois),. is- diftihguiftied -for- ifs-
broad fan-ftiapsft leaves;. winch are ufed for Writing $n and-for thatch-'
i6g-*rfite’ wópd is in high-tefteehr1 for ’rafters* ; and of its juice thfe befit
paltp -toddy,-the common. (Milled fpirit of: the .country is; /This,, ' •
although- a- large, tree^ is-far- inferior to the great gigantic fan-palm, (so—
rypha umbraculifiara}-iWhich abounds on- the -dowèr^mouptains/pffthe:
Cai-natio;. each, leaf of this vaft tree is! '.capable;, of co-Veriog ten ,0=r.;a-.
dozé^-sHieni.: and. two or>-thrs'e' of them- ate {Sufficient to-xpef-a, cottage.
Thé moft- beautiful of all-, the (ago palm, isalfo-fohadhere,. though not'
& ptentifhllyftis- & fbm@ of the .'Inffian iflandsi /-^êfides/thefe-may. te-
meirtiöhed* the' el&ié' fyltsèftritj,- - wKèffi ■; fwëét 1 ffi—
voür-ité'ï^pafts of thé thé^éaryOta; üfea^ --tb hafidfoffiéS
tree ; and the plantain, Bifti^milSed bylits fuft of broad fimple light,
green leaves, and its- whólefome fanr aceüus^fi uit
Of the other früit-bearing trees the number is fer-great, And they are
fór the mófï fiart fo little known,, éven by name, to Eü-röpeans,fffa&t
only- a, few- of the - principal need be here mentioned : thefé afè the
papaw fig; two fpecies of the genus known to bptanifts by the-narpe
eugenia, and remarkable, for, the.-fweétüeis and rqfe. -flavouf df theivv
fruity