Foreign Notices : — India. • 343 



at last gained the ascendency, to the great delight of the organs of sensation 

 in both boys and horses." 



Art. II. Foreign Notices. 



INDIA. 



Taking Bees in India. — The following curious method of taking bees in 

 India is extracted from Addison's Indian Reminiscences : — "A large swarm of 

 bees had fixed their abode on the ceiling of a veranda ; and, in due time, 

 when the honey was deposited, we wished to collect it, but were, for some 

 time, at a loss for the means. Hearing, however, that there was a gardener 

 who possessed a method of doing it unhurt, he was sent for and desired to 

 bring down the honey. I watched him closely through the whole process, 

 and was told by him, and believe, that he used no other precaution than the 

 following. He took some of the plant called toolsy, and rubbed it over his 

 body, face, arms, and hands : he then chewed a little, and held a sprig of it in 

 his mouth. With no other than this apparently slight defence, he mounted a 

 ladder, a large dish in one hand, and a sharp knife in the other j and, though 

 as thinly clad as his class usually are, with thousands of bees swarming about 

 his naked body, he, with the greatest sang froid, cut immediately through the 

 upper part of the comb, where it was suspended to the roof, and, receiving 

 the whole of it in his dish, brought it down without having suffered from a 

 single sting. 



" The plant is the black ocymum of botanists. Its aromatic odour is, per- 

 haps, the strongest there is. I know that some of the species of this genus 

 are cultivated with success in England : this, therefore, might be, in all 

 probability, if it is not so already. Sir William Jones addresses it in one of 

 his poems : — 



' Hail ! sacred toolsy, pride of plains I ' 



This epithet he has given to it from its particular prevalent use in the Brah- 

 minical rites : indeed, the extraordinary sanctity attached to it is evinced by its 

 forming, with Ganges water, the base of the Hindoo's most solemn oath : his 

 mode of swearing is by touching these. The legend respecting it in the Sans- 

 crit I'ecords is, that it was once a most beautiful nymph of the same name, 

 passionately beloved by Crishna, who, to perpetuate her memory, transformed 

 her into this plant, and ordained that no worship to him should be availing, 

 or complete, which was not graced by her presence : hence it is invariably 

 used in all poojahs made by the followers of Vishnu." (Ind. Rem., Sfc, sent by 

 J. B. W., Feb. 1. 1838.) 



Art. III. Domestic Notices. 

 ENGLAND. 



M. Franz Rinz of Frankfort, leaving England, cannot deny himself the 

 pleasure, before he goes, of expressing his most sincere thanks to his friends 

 and patrons for the very kind reception he met with in England and in' Scot- 

 land during his journey in both countries. The recollection of the proofs 

 which he received of the hospitahty of Great Britain will always afford him 

 the greatest pleasure ; while, on his part, it shall always be his endeavour to 

 render himself worthy of so much kindness and confidence. — London, 

 May 16. 1838. 



Bristol [Fhilo-Botanical Society. — This Society, we are informed by the 

 president, is daily increasing; and, thinking that a perusal of its rules may 

 lead to the establishment of other societies of the same kind, though some of 



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