122 FLORA INDICA. 



collecting when travelling, to bear upon the rich materials 

 collected by his predecessors and himself. His exertions 

 have already given him a prominent position amongst Indian 

 botanists ; and from his continued labours we hope to see the 

 Cingalese Flora folly illustrated in an economical and bota- 

 nical point of view. 



2. Malabar. 



We shall employ this term in its widest signification, and 

 as usually applied by older geographers, to designate the 

 whole of the narrow belt of country (rarely above fifty miles 

 broad) west of the great Peninsular chain, from Goa to Cape 

 Comorin : it thus includes the British district of Malabar, be- 

 sides Canara and Kiirg to the north of it, and the kingdoms 

 of Cochin and Travancor to the south. The eastern political 

 boundaries of these districts coiTCspond nearly, but not uni- 

 formly, with the crest of the mountains ; and though some 

 parts of the latter are included politically in the provinces of 

 Mysore and the Carnatic, we shall consider them all as one 

 province botauically. 



Malabar is in general hilly and mountainous; a narrow 

 strip of low land borders the sea, frequently intersected by long 

 sinuous salt-water creeks, and covered with Cocoa-nuts ; the 

 hills which are thrown oflT as spurs from the main axis often 

 reach the sea and dip suddenly into it : they enclose well cul- 

 tivated valleys, and, though generally low to the west, they 

 rapidly rise to the east, where they join the chain. 



The climate of Malabar is characterized by extreme humi- 

 dity, and an abundant rain-fall dirring the south-west mon- 

 soon, when the temperature seldom rises above 75° (the mean 

 of the year l:eing 81°) . In many parts the rains commence 

 as early as the middle of March, but rarely become heavy 

 till May, continuing thenceforward incessant till October, and 

 depositing more than one hundred inches on the coast. In 

 the extreme south the rain-faU is less considerable ; at Quilon 

 '11 inches, and at Trivandram 65 inches, probably from the 



