Book I. AGRICULTURE IN ASIA. 16S 



101& Till f. mr'-Tr'Trl. r---- - "~" ~'lf n ttt if Ttr ViiTft i il iiiiw<iii i 



wider hesTen, and mmn to be in a great measnre in capalii e of adcure. It ritritityi qdIy lov ntetw 

 liiBt.witboatanTT>siblevc; - ., . - . .^ ... . . ^- 



> Te8rtaio^ or exteuBve aiid plains, both of the moBt stent and sbiiribatB a^ect, 

 fnauai^ fttU as little as they pndaocL 



1017. TV agricwlhtre of Thibet has many obstacles to contend witfa. Its common 

 products are wheat, peas, and baiiey. Rke grows only in die soutbeni parts. IVm^s, 

 pumpkins, and cnnnnbers are abundant. The greater part of die plants which traTdkrs 

 hare noticed are such as are met with also in Europe anid in BengaL At the foot of die 

 mountains are fiwrests of bamboos, bananas aq>is, birches, cypngses, and yew trees. The 

 ash (O'rnus floiibunda) is retnarirably large and beautilul, but the firs small and stunted. 

 On the snow-dad mountains grows die ghenm undulatum, which the natires use fix- 

 medicinal puixxises. The counliy contains, both in a wild and cn l t imte d state, pwnchw 

 and apricots, apples, pears, oianges, and pomegranates. The CkdyKa saracenioi sores 

 for the manufifecture of dbm^ a qiiritnous and sli^itly acid liquor. 



1018. Tliiet oioitiids m omMols, partly in herds and flocks ; but chie% in a wild state. 

 Hie tame iKNTses are small, but full of s|Hrit and restiTe. The cattle are only of middlii^ 

 beigfat. There are numerous Bodes of dieep, genovlly of small breed; tfadr head 

 and l^s are black, their wool fine and soft, and their muttim excellent ; it is eaten in a 

 raw state, after having been dried in the cold air, and seasoned with garlic and spices^ 

 The goats are numerous, and celelvated fiir their fine hair, wiuch is used in the manu- 

 facture <^ shawls ; this grows undo- the coarso' hair. The yak, or grunting ox, fur- 

 nished with long and diick hair, and a tafl singular for its silky lustre and undulating 

 fonn, furnishes an article o luxury common in all the countries of the East. The musk 

 ox, the ounce, a spedes of tigor, die wild hwse, and die li<m, are among die aniipa ls of 

 the country. 



1019. TkatdtgmU qtecimenstfckiilardd- 

 teeturet both in the cmistructii of mansi<xts 

 (^. 134.), <- palaces, and in bridges and 

 other public works, should be found in such 

 a country is rather singular. In Turner's 

 journey through this mountainous regi(, he 

 found bridges of various descriptions gene- 

 rally of timber. Orer broad streams, a triple 

 or quadruple depth of stretching timbers pro- 

 ject one over the other, their ends ins^ted 

 into the rock. Piers are almost totally ex- 

 duded, on account of the extreme nqtidity 

 of the rivers. The widest river has an irwi 

 bridge, consisting c^ a number of iron chains which support a matted platfiorm, and two 

 chains are stretched above parallel with the sides, to allow of a matted bordo* for the 

 safety of the passenger. Horses are permitted to go oto- this bridge, one at a time. 

 There is another bridge of a more simple construction, formed of two paralld diains, 

 round which creepers are loosdy twisted, sinking voy much in the middle, where suitable 

 planks are placed for a path. Another mode of passing rivers is by two ropes of rattan 

 or stout osier, stretched from one mountain to anodio-, and eadreled by a hoop of the 

 same. The passenger places himsdf between diem, sitting in the ho(^ and sdzing a 

 rope in each hand, slides himself along with facility and spo?d over an abyss tronendous 

 to behold. Chain and wire bridges, constructed like those of Thib^, are now becoming 

 common in Britain ; and it is singular, that one is described in Hutchinson^ Dmrimm 

 (Newcast. 1785) as having been erected otw the Tees. 



SuBSECT. la Of the prtseni State of JgncuU^are m <Ae Asiatie Islands. 



102a 7%e islands of Asia form a considerable part of our globe ; and seem weO 

 adapted by nature for the support of dvilised man, though at presoit they are mosdy 

 peopled by savages. We shall nodce these islands in the ordor of Sumatra,' Bonieo, the 

 Manillas, the Celebes, the Loodboo Isles, and the Moluccas. 



1021. Sumatra is an island of great extent, with a climate m<e temperate riian that of 

 Bengal, a surface of mountains and plains, one third of which is covoed widi imperrious 

 forests, and a soil consisting of a stratum of red clay, covered with a layor of black mould. 

 The most important agricultural product is rice, whidi is grown both for home consump- 

 tion and export. Next may be mentioned the cocoa-nut, the areca palm, or betd-nui 

 tree, and the pepper. Cotton and coftee are also cultivated ; and the native trees aSard 

 the resin benzoin, cassia or wild dnnamun, rattans or small canes (^^ruodo Batttng)y canes 

 tor walkingsticks, turpentine, and gums ; besides dwny, pine, sandal, teak, manduneel, 

 iron wood, banyan, aloe, and other woods. 



M 2 



