ON THE FLORA OF CUTCH. 757 



one. It was just the fact, on the one hand, that the flora of Cutch is 

 very incompletely known and, on the other, that Cutch occupies an 

 almost isolated position, that induced me in December last, to pay a 

 visit to that out-of-the-way country. If 1 am now able to add some- 

 thing to our previous knowledge of the Botany of Cutch, it is greatly 

 due to the untiring efforts of my companion, the Rev. H. Sierp, s.j., 

 Professor of Chemistry, who, with valuable suggestions and practical 

 aid, was a great help to me throughout the whole journey. 



As the physical aspects and meteorological conditions of a country 

 determine the special character and development of its vegetation, it 

 is advisable to give first a short sketch of the territory of Cutch. 

 I consider this less superfluous because comparatively very few are 

 personally acquainted with Cutch, and if others try to form an idea as 

 to its physical configuration, I am afraid, the picture they draw of 

 Cutch will not be accurate, not to say incorrect, if I am allowed to 

 draw a conclusion from my own experiences. 



The Province of Cutch extends from 20° 47' to 24° N. Lat., and 

 6H° 2& to 71° 10' E. Long., being crossed by the parallel of the 

 tropic of cancer about 14 miles north of the capital, Bhuj. On the 

 north, east, and south-east it is bounded by the Rami ; on the south by 

 the Gulf of Cutch, on the west by the Arabian Sea, and on the north- 

 west by the eastern branch of the Indus. Its extreme length from 

 east to west is 160 miles and its extreme breadth 70 from north to 

 south, while in one place it is only 35 miles wide. It contains about 

 6,500 square miles, exclusive of the Grand Rami, which, including the 

 islands with the portion bounded by the Gujarat Coast in the east and 

 south-east covers an area of 10,000 square miles. Perhaps the most 

 striking feature to the visitor of Cutch is the sterility of the country. 

 Sandy plains and naked rocky hills present a strong contrast to the 

 more fertile parts of India. The barrenness is increased by the scarcity 

 of trees and general absence of anything that can be called jungle. 

 "From the sea on the south and west, and from the Rann on the 

 north and east, the coast of Cutch is in some places very slightly 

 raised and fringed with mangrove swamps. In other parts it rises 

 in rows of sand hills, or as in the north-west, in broken rocky cliffs. 

 Inland, especially on the south and east, are broad plains, some deep 

 soiled and well tilled, others bare and furrowed with water-courses. 

 Beyond these plains rise the central lands of the province, in places 



