GREAT STRENGTH OF RHEEA AND WILD RHEEA FIBRE. 355 
that, when the peculiarities of the Rheea fibre, or China-grass, 
are more generally known, its excellent qualities will be fully 
appreciated, and it will come into more general use as a rival to 
the finer kinds of Flax; yet at present there are, I believe, but 
few. spinners who thoroughly understand its management or 
have machinery to do it justice. It is not likely therefore to 
realise its full value in the market at present. Hence it was 
desirable to have its strength tested as a substitute for Hemp, 
as it might not all be required to supply the place of Flax. Mr. 
W. Cotton has been good enough to have a bale of Rheea fibre, 
and also one of the Wild Rheea, twisted into five-inch rope, and 
prepared by the warm register in Messrs. Huddart’s rope- 
manufactory at Limehouse ; the strength of each was carefully 
tried and compared with similar rope made of Russian Hemp. I 
am happy to state that the experiments which I this day (16th 
Jan., 1854) witnessed were most satisfactory, neither rope 
breaking until the Rheea fibre bore above nine tons weight, 
and the Wild Rheea, within a few pounds, nearly as much. 
The results of the experiments are stated in the accompanying 
memorandum, with which IT have been favoured by Messrs. 
Huddart. (v. p. 373.) 
“ Bon Rheea or Jungle Rheea.—Though it is to be hoped 
that the Rheea fibre will prove too valuable to be only employed 
for rope-making, the Wild Rheea, on the contrary, is well cal- 
culated, and is indeed sent, for this purpose. No information 
has been sent respecting the plant yielding it, but it is no 
doubt one of the Nettle tribe, and from being called Bon or 
Jungle Rheea, it has been inferred that it-is the Rheea in a 
wild state. But though we have no proof of this, it is satis- 
factory to find that Major Hannay describes it as ‘ uncultivated, 
but very common in all parts ‘of the province:’ and again, 
“common in most of our forests; by proper management, any 
quantity of young shoots can be obtained, and as the divided 
roots afford numerous shoots, and the plant can be propagated 
by slips as well as by seed, its cultivation for its fibre might be 
carried on with facility? He further says, ‘it is cultivated 
largely by the Hill tribes on the west of Yeunan, and by the 
Singpoos and Dhoanneas of our own north-eastern frontier, toa 
small extent only for a coarse cloth, but chiefly for nets.” It is 
recognised by the Nepaulese as the Leepeeah of Nepal. Capt. 
