Sept. 1850. DRIED FISH. CINNAMON. 300 



very trifling. We proceeded across the Jheels* to Chattuc, 

 and then north again to Pundua, and so to Chnrra. 



Having pretty well exhausted the botany of Churra, 

 Dr. Thomson and I started on the 13th of September for 

 the eastern part of the Khasia and Jyntea mountains. On 

 the Kala-panee road,f which we followed, we passed crowds 

 of market people, laden with dried fish in a half-putrid 

 state, which scented the air for many yards : they were 

 chiefly carp, caught and dried at the foot of the hills. 

 Large parties were bringing down baskets of bird-cherries, 

 cinnamon-bark, iron, pine planks, fire-wood, and potatoes. 

 Of these, the bird-cherries (like damsons) are made into an 

 excellent preserve by the English residents, who also make 

 capital cherry-brandy of them : the trade in cinnamon is 

 of recent introduction, and is much encouraged by the 

 Inglis family, to whose exertions these people are so greatly 

 indebted ; the cinnamon is the peeled bark of a small 

 species of Cinnamomum allied to that of Ceylon, and 

 though inferior in flavour and mucilaginous (like cassia), 

 finds a ready market at Calcutta. It has been used 

 to adulterate the Ceylon cinnamon j and an extensive 

 fraud was attempted by some Europeans at Calcutta, 

 who sent boxes of this, with a top layer of the genuine, 

 to England. The smell of the cinnamon loads was as 

 fragrant as that of the fish was offensive. 



The road from Kala-panee bungalow strikes off north- 

 easterly, and rounds the head of the deep valley to the 

 east of Churra ; it then crosses the head-waters of the 



* The common water-plants of the Jheels are Vallisneria serrata, Damasonium, 

 2 Myriophylla, 2 Villarsice, Trapa, blue, white, purple and scarlet water-lilies, 

 IFydrilla, Utricularia, Limnophila, Azolla, Salvinia, Ceratopteris, and floating grasses. 



t The Pea- violet {Crotalaria occulta) was very common by the road-side, and 

 smelt deliciously of violets : the English name suggests the appearance of the 

 flower, for which and for its fragrance it is well worth cultivation. 



