334- Dr. Hamilton on the Plants of various Parts of India, 



Calcutta, I visited the district of Cliatigang, which, together 

 with that of Komila, formed the chief part of the ancient king- 

 dom of Tripura; and I afterwards skirted the hills of Komila, 

 ■where the tribe of Tripura still maintains a kind of indepen- 

 dence. Here I had a full opportunity of examining the splendid 

 vegetation of the well watered districts of Further India {ex- 

 tra Gangem), which bounds the extensive Gangetic plain on 

 the east, and extends south from what we call China to the 

 ocean. It must be observed, however, that this Further India, 

 as it has been called, is the proper China of the Hindus, from 

 whom we derived the word, while what we name the Chinese 

 empire, the Hindus call INIaha China, or the Great China. 



The largest portion of this Further India, or Southern China, 

 is mountainous and well watered ; but its mountains no where 

 rise to an alpine elevation, and, owing to a copious supply of 

 moisture, and a deep soil, are, in general, covered to the sum- 

 mit with lofty forests. I have already mentioned that a great 

 part of the proper kingdoms of Pegu and Ava differs a good 

 deal from the general appearance of the neighbouring countries, 

 the former resembling more the southern plains of Bengal, and 

 tlie latter the southern peninsula of India ; but by far ihe greater 

 portion of this Further India, in its vegetable productions, re- 

 sembles Chatigang ; and what Rumphius called India Aquosa, 

 or the immense Eastern Archipelago, including the Andaman 

 and Nicobar islands, may be considered as belonging to the 

 same vegetable arrangement. Of this the most prominent 

 feature is a tendency in trees of considerable size to twine 

 round others, forming thus forests almost totally impervious. 

 These twining trees, the Funes s^lvestris of Rumphius, are often 

 thicker than the human body, and extend to great distances, 

 overwhelming the most lofty and vigorous woods ; and so 

 strong is the tendency to this kind of vegetation, that some 

 e\en of the Palmce {Calamus, L.), a tribe in general remarkable 

 for erect stiffness, are here climbers, and, after overtopping the 

 highest trees, again drop branches to the earth, which take 

 root, and climb up the trees that are adjacent ; and thus, with 

 other thicker, though less powerfully armed climbers, form a 

 mat which becomes almost impenetrable. This thick vegeta- 

 tion produces a delightful coolness, and preserves a moisture 

 that encourages the growth of numerous and beautiful parasi- 

 tical plants, Filices, Aroidete, and Orchidecc ; but renders the 

 climate rather sickly to constitutions unaccustomed to such a 

 moisture. In this fine region, the valleys between the hills 

 are uncommonly fertile, and, being well watered, produce 

 abundant crops of rice, the grand source of nom'ishment for 

 the inhabitants, althougli the tuberous Aroidccv and Dioscoreas, 



both 



