CORTEX CINCHON Ji;. 



•-• 4 d 



by Royle, in a report addressed to the East India Company, in which 

 he pointed out that the Government of India were then spending more 

 than £7,000 a year for Cinchona bark, in addition to about £25,000 for 

 quiuine.^ 



After some unsatisfactory endeavours on the part oi the liritish 

 Government to obtain plants and seeds through the intervention of 

 H. M. Consuls in South America, Mr. Markham offered his services, 

 which were accepted. Markham, though not a professed botanist, was 

 well qualified for the task by a previous acquaintance with the country 

 and people of Peru and Bolivia, and by a knowledge of the Spanish 

 and Quichua languages, — and even more so by a rare amount of zeal, 

 intelligence, and forethought. Being fully aware of the difficulties of 

 the undertaking, he earnestly insisted that nothing should be neglected 

 which could ensure success ; and in particular made repeated demands 

 for a steam-vessel to convey the young plants across the Pacific to 

 India, which unfortunately were not complied with. He further urged 

 the desirableness of not confining operations to a single district, but 

 of endeavouring to procure by ditierent collectors all the more valuable 



species. 



Markh 



Avas enabled to engage the services of Ricliard Spruce, the distinguished 

 botanist, then resident in Ecuador, who expressed his readiness to 

 undertake a search for the Red Bark trees {G. succirubm) in the 

 forests of Chimborazo. He also secured the co-operation of G. J. 

 Pritchett for the neighbourhood of Huanuco, and of two skilful 

 gardeners, John Weir and Robert Cross. The last-named was employed 

 m 1861 to procure seeds of G. offi^cinalis from the Sierra de Cajanuma 

 near Loxa, and in 1863-64 those of G. pitayensis from the province of 

 Pitayo in Ecuador.^ 



Markham reserved for himself the border-lands of Peru and Bolivia, 

 in order to obtain G. Galisaya ; and for this purpose started from Islay 

 in March 1860. Arriving in the middle of April by way of Arequipa 

 and Puno, at Curcero, the capital of the province of Carabaya, he made 

 nis way to the villac^e of Sandia, near which he met with the first 

 specimens of Cinchona in the form of the shrubby variety of G. Gahsaya, 

 termed Josephicma. He afterwards found the better variety a. vera, 

 and also G. ovata R. et P., G. micrantha R. et P., and G puhesce-,i8 

 v^ahl. Of these sorts, but chietly of the first three, 456 plants were 

 shipped at Islay in 'June 1860. ■ , ,, 



. In consequence of the hostile attitude of the people, and tbe 

 jealousy of the Bolivian Government, lest an important monopoly 

 Should be broken up, added to the difficulties arising from insalubrious 

 climate and the want of roads, the obstacles encountered by Markham 

 were very great, and no attempt could be made to wait tor the 

 ripeninsr of thp. uf^.(^^^ nf t.l.,. n«.li«p.vfl which takes place m the month 

 of 



August.3 



1 J ^^70, the Indian Government pur- 



nh t T ^^^^ *^^" 8^ ' ^f^ ounces of sul- 

 pnateof quinine, besides 8,832 ounces of 



^ne sulphates of cinclionine, cinchonidine 



^"fi aiunidiDe. The quantities bought in 



,,, ,?f ll'^ent years have been nnicli smaUer 



'iutU the present vear (1874). 



a jiepoH on the Expedition to procure seeds 

 of C Condaminea [1862]; also Report io the 

 Under Secrdary of State for India on the 

 Pifai/o Chfvchona, by Robt. Cross, lS6o. 



3 Great difficulty was at first expenenced 

 in successfully conveying living Cinchona 

 plants to India, even in Wardian cases; 



