HIMALAYAN JOURNALS. 



CHAPTER I, 



Sunderbuuds vegetation — Calcutta Botanic Garden — Leave for Burdwan — Rajah's 

 gardens and menagerie — Coal-beds, geology, and plants of — Lac insect and 

 plant — Camels — Kunker — Cowage — Effloresced soda on soil — Glass, manu- 

 facture of — Atmospheric vapours — Temperature, &c. — Mahowa oil and spirits 

 — Maddaobund — Jains — Ascent of Paras-nath — Vegetation of that mountain. 



I left England on the 11th of November, 1847, and 

 performed the voyage to India under circumstances which 

 have been detailed in the Introduction. On the 12th of 

 January, 1848, the "Moozuffer" was steaming amongst 

 the low swampy islands of the Sunderbunds. These 

 exhibit no tropical luxuriance, and are, in this respect, 

 exceedingly disappointing. A low vegetation covers them, 

 chiefly made up of a dwarf-palm (Phoenix pahidosa)&iid small 

 mangroves, with a few scattered trees on the higher bank 

 that runs along the water's edge, consisting of fan-palm, 

 toddy-palm, and Terminalia. Every now and then, the 

 paddles of the steamer tossed up the large fruits of Nip a 

 fruticanSy a low stemless palm that grows in the tidal waters 

 of the Indian ocean, and bears a large head of nuts. It is a 

 plant of no interest to the common observer, but of much to 

 the geologist, from the nuts of a similar plant abounding in 



VOL. I. B 



