64 
ftill continues to be in much more 
general ufe in Turkey than in this 
part of India. 
The genuine Tabafheer is un- 
doubtedly a production of the 
Arurdo Bambos of Linnzus, the 
Tly «of the Hortus Malabaricus, and 
the Arundo Indica arborea maxima, 
cort ice fpinofo, of Herman. 
“Fhe bamboo in which the Ta- 
baiheer is found, is vulgarly called 
the! Female Bamboo, and is diftin- 
guifhed by the largenefs of its ca- 
vityy from the male, employed for 
{pitars or lances. They are faid to 
be feparate trees; but this fact I 
have not had it in my power to af- 
¢ertain. 
Of the feven pieces of bamboo 
w hich accompany this paper, four 
are from the mountains in the vi- 
citity of Vellore, and three from 
a place twenty miles from hence. 
T he former were perfectly green 
-on, their arrival at Madras; and 
th e others were fele¢ted from a large 
peircel, which were green alfo when 
they came to’ my hands. Thefe 
were all felected on a conje&ture of 
tineir containing Tabafheer, from a 
certain rattling perceived upon 
fhaking the bamboo, as if fmall 
jtones. were contained in the ca- 
vity. oh 
In the month of April, one of the 
jbamboos, confifting of fix joints, 
xeceived from Vellore, being cauti- 
wufly fplit, each joint was examined 
deparatcly. In two of them no vef- 
tige of the drug was difcovered ; 
veach of the others contained fome, 
‘but in various quantity ; the whole 
collected amounted to about twenty- 
seven grains. 
The quality alfo was ‘various. 
‘The particles reckoned of the firft 
quality were of a bluifh white co- 
lour, refembling {mall fragments of 
ANNUALS REG FS: TER, Sayoo. 
fhells ; they were harder than the © 
others, but might eafily be crumb- | 
led between the fingers into a gritty 
powder, and when applied to the 
tongue and palate, had a flight fa- 
line teftaceous tafte: they did not 
exceed in weight four grains. The 
reft were of a cineritiovs colour, 
rough on the furface, and more 
friable ; ‘and intermixed with thefe 
were fome larger, light, fpongy 
particles, fomewhat refembling pu- 
mice-ftones. 
In the month of July, forty-three — 
green bamboos, each confifting of 
five or fix joints, were brought 
from the hills, fifty miles diftant 
from hence. Six, appearing to con- — 
tain more Tabafheer than the others, 
were fet apart; the remaining 
thirty-feven were fplit, and examin- 
ed in the manner before mentioned. 
The refult was as follows : 
In nine out of the thirty-feven, 
there were no veftiges of Tabafheer. 
In twenty-eight fome were found in © 
one, two, or three joints of each; 
but never in more than three joints — 
of the famebamboo. ‘The quantity 
varied, but in all was inconfiderable; 
and the empty joints were fome- 
times contiguous, fometimes intef- 
rupted, indifferently. 
The drug confifts of very diffimi- 
lar particles at firft when taken from 
the bamboo, as will appear in leok- 
ing into the {mall fpecimen, N° 1; 
which, having collected myfelf, ‘I ‘ 
am certain has undergone no adul- — 
teration. 
The whiter, fmooth, harder par- 
ticles, when not loofe together with 
‘the others in the cavity, were moitly 
‘found adheriag to the feptum that 
“divides the joints, and to the fides’ 
contiguous ; but never to the fides 
about the middle of the joints; and 
it may be remarked, that, initead 9 
Cr | 
