18 DR FRANCIS HAMILTON on the Plants of India, 



until I had time left only to convey me to Purneah (Puraniya), 

 before the fair weather of 1 809 should commence. 



The English jurisdiction of Purneah (Latine Purania) forms a 

 part of the ancient Hindu kingdom of Mithila, with a small por- 

 tion of Angga around the ruins of Gaur ; but my journey, during 

 the dry season, added little to my botanical stores. This, how- 

 ever, was amply recompensed by my stay, during the rainy sea- 

 son 1810, at Nathpur, on the frontier of the Kiratas or Ciratas, 

 subject to Nepal, from whence, as well as from the forests in the 

 northern parts of Mithila, I procured a great variety of rare and 

 curious plants. 



In autumn 1810, so soon as the weather cleared, I proceeded 

 to the district of Boglipore (Bhagulpur), the eastern part of 

 which is included in the ancient Hindu kingdom of Angga, while 

 its western portion is in Magadha, and the portion on the north- 

 ern banks of the Ganges is partly in Angga, partly in Mithila. 

 The greater portion of this district being waste, was very favour- 

 able to me as a botanist, and I had here an opportunity of ex- 

 tending my knowledge of the rigid vegetation of the Vindhiyan 

 Mountains, which the Hindus consider as bounding the Gangetic 

 plains on the south, and as extending from the southern banks 

 of the Ganges to the Southern Ocean. These hills are here much 

 lower than the parts of the same mass which I examined in the 

 south ; but their vegetable productions are nearly the same, and 

 have a similar rigid thorny appearance ; but, the rains being more 

 copious, the vegetation is not quite so much stinted, although it 

 is very far from being so luxuriant as that towards the east or 

 north. 



The rainy season 1811 I passed at Mungger, where the vici- 

 nity of the hills gave me a considerable increase to my stock of 

 plants, and I employed a Hindu physician, not deficient in learn- 

 ing, to point out the plants which he considered officinal, and to 

 give me both their Sanskrita and Hindu names, which I compa- 



