Il8 ADDITIONAL KEMARKS ON THE 



scent and in power than the Sumbulof the Lower Asia 9 

 which, unless my smell be uncommonly defective, is 

 a strong Valerian ; especially as they could only 

 have used the dry nard of India y which loses much 

 of its odour between Rangpur and Calcutta, One 

 question only remains (if it be a question) whether 

 the Sumhdul Bind be the true Indian spikenard ? 

 for in that case, we know the plant to be of the 

 natural order, which Linn^ t js calls aggregate. 

 Since the publication of my paper on this subject, 

 I put a fair and plain question severally to three 

 or four Musselman physicians : •• What is the Indian 

 *' name of the plant which the Arabs call Sumbulu'l 

 " Hind?''' They all answered, but some with more 

 readiness than others, Jatamansi. After a pretty long 

 interval, I shewed them the spikes (as they are 

 called) of Jatdmdns;, and asked, what was the 

 Arabic name of that Indian drug? They all answered 

 readily, Sumbulu'l Hind. The same evidence may 

 be obtained in this country by any other European 

 who seeks it ; and if among twelve native physi- 

 cians, versed in Arabian and Indian philology, a 

 single man should, after due consideration, give dif- 

 ferent answers, I will cheerfully submit to the Roman 

 judgment of non liquet , my own inquiries having 

 convinced me, that the Indian spikenard of Dios- 

 c or ides is the Sumbulul Hind; and that the Sum- 

 huhH Hind is the Jatdmdusi of Amarsiuh. I am 

 persuaded, that the true nard is a species of Va- 

 ierian, produced in the most remote and hilly parts 

 of India , such as Nepal, Morang, and Butan, near 

 which Ptoljlmy fixes its native soil. The commer- 

 cial 



