418 EXPLORATION, LABOUE QUESTION, ETC. 



in the east and south-east of the Latiika country (Jebel Ghattal, 

 Jebel Sereten, Jebel Kuron), and I take the opportunity which 

 Consul Hansal's courtesy affords me of sending you a speci- 

 men in spirit, with the request that you will kindly determine 

 its species. The Shiili call it lakerda* The raw shoots are 

 used for cleaning and polishing shields. Its vertical distri- 

 bution is from 2500 to 3000 feet. Together with this plant 

 you will receive the leaves and blossoms of a tree which I have 

 introduced here from Uganda, and which thrives well ; its seeds 

 (also sent you) produce a considerable amount of fine yellow 

 oil, and when we ran out of soap, we made a good substitute 

 by mixing the crushed seeds with potash. The tree shoots up 

 like a bamboo to a height of some twenty-five to thirty feet ; its 

 stalk, however, is too weak to be of any use. It grows singly 

 in the banana groves in Uganda. Is it the Moringa ? 



The rice + which you were good enough to send me grows 

 splendidly, and I shall take the liberty of forwarding you a 

 sample of it. The " horse- tooth " maize which His Excellency 

 Stone Pasha sent me also thrives well ; each crop, however, 

 requires to be sown on new ground, for if two crops are sown 

 on the same field, the plants of the second crop are small, and 

 the grain is small and round, like that of the usual sorts. It is 

 curious to notice the tendency which every variety of maize 

 sown here has to produce dark, often almost black, grain. The 

 grass % f° r pasture which has been sent me has not grown as 

 well as I had hoped ; perhaps the soil was too moist. I have 

 just sown a fresh crop. After considerable trouble I have 

 managed to rear some ten to fifteen Eucalyptus trees from two 

 and a half to three feet in height ; the seeds which Gordon 

 Pasha obtained from the English Consulate in Algiers sprouted 

 well, but withered immediately. 



The fruits which flourish best are figs, lemons, citrons, 

 Anonas, and the Carica papaya. Pomegranates bear little fruit. 

 I have no pineapples. Three species of banana bear well ; my 

 dates are still young. May I ask you to send me some good 

 wheat to experiment with in the Shiili district (3 OOO feet) ? I 



* It is Schnizleinia (Uypoxis) sp. n. — G. S.. 



f The rice was sent by Rosette. — G. S. 



+ Guatemala grass (Euchlcena luxurlans). — G. S. 



