Jjn TIC A OE^. 337 



a case of dacolty investigated near Madura in 1886, it was 

 found tLat ganja liad been given in food served up to some 

 travellers. It is resorted to by tbe relatives of converts to 

 Christianity in Travancore, to prevent them changing their 

 religion or to punish them for doing so. 



Dr. Hove, a Polish savant, who was sent out to Bombay by 

 the British Grovernmcnt in 1787-89, speaking of Cannabis, says 

 (p. 141) : '''I arrived at Mithampoor and waited on the Eajah, 

 who ordered provisions for my people and guards. He also 

 ordered to each person a basinful of a beverage which 

 is called by the inhabitants Beng, This is nothing else but 

 a decoction of seeds, and bruised leaves and stalks of the 

 Cannabis, which has, however, such powerful quality, that even 

 the steam where it was served overpowered me in a few 

 minutes, so that I was imder the necessity of leaving the 

 room.'* We have no doubt that Cannabis is much more 

 frequently used in India for drugging people than is generally 

 known. 



Commerce. — The sea-borne trade In preparations of hemp is 

 insignificant ; a small quantity of gan^fa goes to Europe for 

 medicinal use. The imports by trans-frontier routes do not 

 exceed 2| lakhs of rupees yearly, and the exports 20 to 25 

 thousand rupees. As regards internal trade, the total annual 

 revenue transactions (transfers, &c.) amount to about 15 lakhs of 

 rupees. The wholesale cost of ga}2ja duty-free is about 4^ 

 annas per lb,, and of bhang, Rs. 8 per cwt. The revenue 

 realised by the Indian Government by the duty on hemp is 

 about 30 lakhs of rupees yearly. For full particulars of 

 the Hemp trade in India, see Dirt. Econ. Prod, of India, ii., 

 p- 113, 



FICUS RELIGIOSA, Lhm. 



Tig.— King, Fie. 55, f. 67 A, 84u ; Wight Ic, t 1967 ; 

 Eheide, Hort. MaK /., t. 27, 



Hab. — -India, The root-bark, 



r- 



in.— 43 



