Foreign Notices. — Asia, Australasia. 503 



Here too a stunted cork tree and a small European oak sadly contrast their 

 sickly forms with the pi-oud oiFspring of the tropics. The vanilla (Epiden- 

 drum Vanilla) with its long suckers, the black pepper (Piper nigrum) oi Asia, 

 hang suspended on the boughs ; the gaudy blossoms of the Passiflora and 

 long tubes of the Solandra appear amidst the wood, mingling their blos- 

 soms with those of the neighbouring trees in wild confusion ; while, at 

 intervals, the Agave vivlpara throws up its princely column of fructification 

 from a host of spears. Innumerable Cacti and Euphorbit^ covered with 

 fruit or flowers, differing in the articulations of their stems, the number of 

 their ribs, and the disposition of their spiculaj, give variety to the scene. 

 At every step, plants, remarkable for their beauty or fragrance, ornament 

 your path. But I should tire the reader by continuing to enumerate the 

 vegetable wonders of this paradise. In proper beds, prepared for them, we 

 meet with the useful herbaceous species, or the vegetables with which our 

 tables are supplied. By the side of every rivulet rise large clusters of the bam- 

 boo, without a doubt the most generally useful of our plants. Nothing can 

 exceed the beauty of this arborescent gramen, which rises to the height of 

 60 or 80 ft,, waving its light and graceful foliage at every breath of wind^ 

 The Cycas revoluta and several kindred plants, so valuable for their nutri- 

 tious fecula, are scattered about, attaining their greatest height in spots 

 where nothing is allowed to impede their free developement. 



South American Clover. — At a late Meeting of the members of the Ly- 

 ceum of Natural History at New York, there were presented many speci- 

 mens of natural history, among which v/as some clover seed from the country 

 surrounding Mexico, where, owing to the favourable nature of the soil and 

 climate, the clover attains a growth of 4 ft. in the space of thirty days from 

 the time of sowing the seed. {Scotsman, April 2.) 



ASIA. 



Ghazeepon is celebrated throughout India, for the beauty and extent of 

 its rose gardens ; the rose fields occupy many hundred acres ; the roses are 

 cultivated for distillation, and for making attar. The price of a sieve, or 

 2 lbs. weight (a large quart), of the best rose-water, is 8 Unas, pr a shilling. 

 The attar is obtained after the rose-water is made, by setting it out during 

 the night, until sunrise, in large open vessels exposed to the air, and then 

 skimming off the essential oil which floats on the top. To produce one 

 rupee's weight of attar, 200,000 well-grown roses are required. The juice, 

 even on the spot, is extravagantly dear, a rupee's weight being sold at the 

 bazaar (where it is often adulterated with sandal-wood oil) for 80 s. r., and 

 at the English warehouse for 100 s. >•., or 10/. sterling. Mr. Melville, who 

 made some for himself, said he calculated that the rent of the land, and 

 price of utensils, really cost him 5l. for the above quantity. {Bishop Heher's 

 Narrative, p. 266.) 



A Tree of a new Genus, called, by Dr. Wallich, Amh^rstk nobilis, has 

 been discovered in the provinces recently ceded to us by the Burmese. It 

 grows to the height of about 40 ft., and bears large pendulous pannicles of 

 vermilion blossoms, forming an object, the splendour of which is un- 

 rivalled in the Flora of India, or perhaps of any country. The Burmans 

 call the tree Thoka, and the flowers are offered to the images of their 

 saints. {Ipswich Journ,, Aug. 2.) 



AUSTRALASIA. 



Fruits of New South Wales. — The following account of the fruits of 

 New South Wales, is extracted from Two Years in New South Wales, by 

 P.Cunningham, Surgeon, R.N., a work recently published, which contains 

 a great fund of useful and amusing information concerning that colony : — 



" Of native fruits we possess raspberries, equal in flavour to, and not othtr- 



KK 4j 



