On the Persian Cotton Tree. 217 
the cotton plants from thence: a conjecture which 
seems to have acquired some degree of credit from 
the late discovery of Sir William Jones: viz. that 
the Hindoos, or inhabitants of India, were original- 
ly a colony of the ancient Iran or Persia, which 
seems to have been the cradle of the human species, 
since its ancient language appears to have been the 
mother of all those now existing (with the exception 
of the Arabic and Tartarian), of which, neverthe- 
less, it contained many words. 
Now, it is very possible, that the first colony car- 
ried the cotton plant with them to India; and that 
it was afterwards dispersed from Hindostan to the 
adjacent countries and islands. ~The cotton plant 
is widely dispersed likewise throughout Europe and 
some parts of Africa; particularly the annual or 
herbaceous species (the very plant treated of -here) 
reared in the north of Persia, and which is also 
cultivated in Malta,* Sicily, Chio, Lemnos, and 
other islands of the Archipelago, although possibly 
the cotton of these islands may be varieties of the 
species, from difference of soil, climate, &c. 
The best of the European cotton is brought from 
Cyprus; but Smyrna, Aleppo, Damascus, Jerusa- 
* There is a kind of cotton cultivated in Malta, of a 
nankeen colour, which exceeds in fineness all other cotton 
and is much superior even to that from the Antilles, 
VOL. V. DD 
