94 VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES. 



" Bowstring," because it is used by natives of the 

 Circars for the purpose of stringing their bows. 



Another species, Sanseviera guineensis, found wild 

 in great abundance on the west of Africa, has lately 

 been brought into competition with New Zealand 

 flax, to which it is said to be superior. 



The Chinese hemp, or Corchorus capsularis, is a 

 plant growing in India as well as China, and which 

 is capable of affording serviceable fibres for cordage. 

 It is an annual, and cultivated in Bengal for food as 

 well as for cordage. It was generally supposed, a 

 few years ago, that this plant, as its English name 

 imports, was a superior kind of hemp, but it has 

 been found to be not even of the same species ; and 

 Dr. Roxburgh affirms that of all the numerous 

 varieties of seeds he from time to time obtained 

 from China, he never saw any of the cannabis 

 sativa, nor could he, from his most extensive in- 

 quiries, learn that any existed there. It has, however, 

 been since ascertained that the cannabis sativa is 

 cultivated in the northern provinces of China. At 

 Tung-Chow (as we have shown in our account of 

 hemp) Mr. Clarke Abel saw it growing with sida. 



Jt was supposed that the corchorus capsularis 

 was much superior to European hemp, and attempts 

 were made to introduce it into England. An account 

 of the particulars of the different trials made of the 

 cultivation of the Chinese hemp is given in the 72d 

 vol. of the Philosophical Transactions. We learn 

 thence that seeds of this plant were sowed in Eng- 

 land, and produced plants fourteen feet high and 

 nearly seven inches in circumference. In conse- 

 quence of this success more seed was procured from 

 China, but notwithstanding the care and attention, 

 which were bestowed on the cultivation but few 

 produced mature seeds. Some plants were raised by 

 Dr. Hinton, but they were so sickly and unpromising 



