318 Royle's Illustrations of the Himalayas. 



REVIEWS. 



Art. I. Royles Illustrations of the Botany., and other Branches of the 

 Natural History, of the Himalayan Mountains, and of the Flora of 

 Cashmere, %c. ; Parts VI., VII., VIII., and IX.; completing the 

 work as far as p. 336. of the Illustrations of the Natural Orders ; 

 each part contains nine beautifully coloured plates. Folio. Lon- 

 don. 2O5. each part. 



We are bappy to find this admirable work brought near a 

 conclusion, which will be effected, we believe, by Part x. The 

 letterpress of No. ix. carries it on to Artocarpeae, which is the 

 1 54th natural order. We propose, at some future time, to notice 

 the information given under these different orders more in detail; 

 at present, we shall confine ourselves to one or two short notices 

 of facts stated in the work; one of the most remarkable of which 

 is, that tobacco is actually grown in India, and sent to the 

 London market, where it can be sold at as low a price as Sd. 

 per lb. ! This branch of industry alone, if pursued with vigour, 

 will contribute wonderfully to extend the commerce of the East; 

 and, whatever increases the commerce of any one country, ne- 

 cessarily influences in a beneficial manner the commerce and 

 prosperity of every other. 



Among the plants useful in Britain, the iZheum australe is 

 noticed. " The roots of rhubarb secrete the peculiar principle of 

 rhabarbarin, possessing properties which make them useful as 

 purgative medicines ; but these are also accompanied by astrin- 

 gent properties, while the stalks secrete acid, chiefly acetic and 

 tartaric, with oxalate of lime (Fee), oxalic acid (Turner). This 

 is most fully developed in sorrel (Z2uraex Acetosa and Aceto- 

 sella) ; while the astringent principle dependent on the presence 

 of gallic acid and tannin, in many of the roots of the Polygo- 

 neae, is most fully secreted in Coccoloba uvifera." (p. 317.) 



The buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum and tataricum), which 

 is grown in several parts of Europe, is cultivated in the Hima- 

 layas along with F. emarginatum. " The two first are, no doubt, 

 originally inhabitants of the mountains of Central Asia, and were 

 first known in Europe under the name of 'frumentum Sarra- 

 cenicum.' Both are much cultivated in Russia and Siberia : 

 the first is usually preferred in other parts of Europe; but the • 

 second grows in every soil, and requires less time. Professor 

 De Candolle says, it is preferred to F. esculentum in Piedmont, 

 in the Luzerne valley, because it ripens quicker ; and, therefore, 

 it is much grown in late years, and at high elevations in the 

 Alps. In the Himalayas, Fagopyrum esculentum (paphra and 

 kooltoo of the natives) is also most commonly cultivated; but 

 F. emarginatum (ogla), which comes very near the Linnaean 

 specimens of F. tataricum, is preferred in higher and drier cli- 



