45 OM HEMP AND 



Immediately on being taken out of the water, and while 

 wet, the fliools are fingly taken in the hand, rubbed with 

 feme coarfe materials, fuch as a little dry grafs or gunny, to 

 remove the exterior pulpy lamina or epidermis of the bark, 

 which is deftitute of fibres. This part of the procefs is eafily 

 effe6ted ; and when done, the clean ftioots are to be made up 

 into fmall bundles, and placed under weights, cr fome other 

 equal preflTure, to keep them firm at the middle and top, either 

 under the furface of the waters, or out of it ; the fibrous bark 

 is then feparaled with the fingers from a fmall portion at the 

 end of the ligneous iboot or fialk, which the operator takes 

 hold of^ and draws (mi one by one > when thefci are removed, 

 the pulp, or parenthyma, which fills the interfiices between the 

 fibres, and conne6ts them together, forming in the living plant 

 that part of the bark which may be called its inner lamiua, or 

 cellular tifTiK*, h immediately vvaflied out in cold water, and 

 the clean fibres fpread out in the fun to dry. Such was the 

 fimple procefs by which this fubftance (which may very properly 

 be called Indian Hemp or Flax) was prepared. 



I have now under cultivation about the third of an acre (a 

 biggah) of ground in the Botanic garden with this plant ; the 

 refult fiiall be carefully noted from time to time. It might have 

 been prudent to have withheld this account until that time; 

 but the f^rong defire of making known a dilcovery, which may 

 • in a.ftiort time become beneficial to the public, induces me to 

 be thus precipitate. • 



For a farther account of this plant, I beg leave to refer to my 

 drawing anddelcription thereof, fent to the Hon. the Court of 

 Dire6lors fome years ago, and numbered 415. 



W. ROXBURGH. 

 Botanic Garden, near Calcutta, 

 Jan. 31, ISOl. 



Additional Experiments on the Strength of Sun, (No. VII.) 



Additiooal ex- Some tajmed fail-twine, made of this fubfiance four years 

 periments on the ^go, for the infpe6tion of the Marine Board, was made into a 

 cord of three flrands; each of the ftrands compofed of four 

 threads of the fail-twine. 



Some more of the fame fail-twine, (anned twelve months 

 ago, was made into a fimilar cord, and another was made of thQ 

 white unprepared twine. 



Th^ 



