

242 CULTIVATED VEGETABLES. 



of Arabia, and the northern parts of Africa; 

 in addition to which Mr. Bruce found it in 

 Upper Egypt. That it is an indigenous 

 plant to some parts of the East Indies is not 

 to be disputed. Marco Polo, the Venetian 

 traveller, found sugar in abundance in Ben- 

 gal, about 1250. The Dutch found it grow- 

 ing in China, when their first embassy visited 

 that country in 1655; and Nieuhoff states, 

 that the Chinese cultivated the sugar-cane 

 in the province of Suchue, long before they 

 knew the art of extracting sugar from it. 

 This author says, " The province of Suchue 

 produces great store of sugar-canes, from 

 whence they draw large quantities of sugar, 

 and that none of the worst; and though 

 there has grown for a long time great abun- 

 dance of such canes in this province, yet 

 the inhabitants never knew how to extract 

 sugar from them, until they were taught by 

 a certain Indian priest, who, accidentally 

 riding with his ass through a field of sugar- 

 canes, was detained by the owner thereof for 

 spoiling the same, who would not let him 

 pass until he had made satisfaction for what 

 damage he had done : whereupon the priest, 

 to redeem his ass, discovered to the country- 



