Salsola. PENTANDRIA DIGYNIA. 61 
Company’s Territorial possessions in India for want of 
encouragement, and enterprizing men. 
The two species of Salicornia, already described, and 
this plant, might be made to yield barrilla suflicient to 
make soap and glass for the whole world’; at the same 
time such a work would give bread to thousands of poor 
starving labourers ; which no doubt would greatly pro- 
mote population, and the consumption of the productions 
of these fertile countries ; for, except during years of re- 
markable drought, there is always more grain produced 
than can be sold on the spot, I will not say than can be 
eaten, because few of the poorer classes can, at the best of 
‘times procure a sufficiency of food during the dry season 
of the year, when there is little or no employment for 
them, It therefore appears the more necessary to insti- 
tute such branches of manufacture as will employ those 
people during the dry season ; such as oe these 
plants and burning them for the Alkali. 
Our extensive, and I may also’ say imnpenetrible fo- 
rests (Jungle) which occupy such large tracts of the best 
lands in India might by degrees be cleared, and turned 
_into potash,. for the same reasons, and by the same 
means. Certainly labour is as cheap here as in Russia, 
where the largest quantities of that useful commodity are 
made. In this hot climate we have many advantagesthat _ 
the Russian manufacturer must ever remain deprived of ; 
viz, immense tracts of wood of the most solid texture which 
requires little labour to prepare it for the fire, on account 
ofthe great drought and heat which prevails at the sea- 
son this manufacture could best be carried on. The same 
heat and drought is fully sufficient to evaporate the ley, 
without the least assistance of fire. All that could be ne- 
cessary, would be some broad shallow vessels, exposed 
to the sun, and wind. (In this manner would 1 recom. 
mend the extract of my new Fever bark to be prepared. 
- But to effect such highly interesting objects, the I abou! 
