of the Himalayan Mountains and of Cashmere. 187 



respondence. In concluding the remarks referred to, Mr. 

 Royle observes : — 



" The extent to which the acclimatation of plants may be carried, or the 

 benefit which may be derived, it is at present difficult to conceive ; for not 

 many years have elapsed since true principles have, even in England, been 

 applied to the subject, where, as my friend Dr. Graham expresses it, * every 

 rare plant was supposed to require heat ;' and now the gardens and shrubberies 

 are adorned with the richest varieties, and all intelligent cultivators seek for 

 plants from congenial climates. India, open by sea to the productions of 

 South America, has already possessed herself of such as the guava, custard- 

 apple, pine-apple, tobacco, maize, capsicum, and others, which appear as much 

 at home as its native productions : but the difficulty of communication on the 

 north, and the nature of the countries and people which intervene, are suf- 

 ficient to account for the few productions of the Oriental region which have 

 travelled southward. It is fortunate that the Honourable Company's Botanic 

 Garden at Saharunpore, with a nursery in the hills, is so favourably situated 

 for carrying on the experiments necessary for the acclimatation of the useful 

 plants of this region ; which, no doubt, the present zealous superintendant. 

 Dr. Falconer, will carry into execution, as the means are afforded or oppor- 

 tunities offer. Such experiments, though they can be extensively or bene- 

 ficially carried on only when the climate and natural products of a country 

 have been ascertained, are well calculated to convince those who, unacquainted 

 with a subject, are yet inclined to question its utility j and, though incapable 

 of appreciating the worth of the information obtained, or the truth or error of 

 the inferences deduced, yet consider themselves fully qualified to pronounce 

 upon their value. But the botanist, contemplating his science in all the bear- 

 ings with which modern improvements have invested it, in examining the 

 peculiarities of a new vegetation, ascertains also what it is capable of yielding 

 useful to man, either as diet, in medicine, or in the arts ; and, connecting 

 structure with the climate in which it is found, infers, with almost unerring 

 certainty, for what useful productions of other countries it is particularly 

 adapted ; and has thus the gratification of contributing at once towards the 

 perfecting of his science, and pointing to the means for improving the re- 

 sources of the country for the benefit of which his investigations are, in the 

 first instance, especially intended." 



Qoriariece. — There are some species of Coriarieae found at 

 from 5000 ft. to 7000 ft. of elevation, which would probably 

 endure the open air in England. The fruit of the Indian spe- 

 cies is eaten on the hills, while that of the European is con- 

 sidered poisonous, fifteen French soldiers having died by eating 

 this fruit in Catalonia. C. 7?2yrtif()lia, rich in tannin, is used in 

 Europe for staining black ; and the leaves, in France, have been 

 employed to adulterate senna leaves, and have produced fatal 

 consequences. 



All the orders hitherto treated of by Mr. Royle belong to 

 the subclass Thalamiflorae ; the next subclass is Calyciflorse. 



Celastnnece. — A number of species of Z^uonymus are found 

 in the Himalayas ; some, as E. Hami\touzd?ms, have already 

 been introduced into England, and stand the open air, as will, 

 doubtless, all the others. It may be laid down, we think, as a 

 general principle, that when we find one or two species of a 

 genus decidedly hardy, all the other species that truly belong to 

 that genus will be hardy also. There are, doubtless, at present 



p 4 



