70 Dr. Burke's Reports. [Jan. 



For the period of two years, for 1832 and 1833, in which there has 

 been a King's Regiment in Agra, the average proportion of deaths to 

 strength per cent is, 



Officers 



Men 1-91 



Women 1*45 



Children 892 



I have the honour, &c. 



(Signed) W. R. BURKE, 



Inspect. Gen. Hospitals H. Majesty's Forces in India. 



Art. VIII Observations on the Burmese and Munipoor Varnish 



Tree, " Melanorrhoea usitata," which has lately blossomed in the 

 Honorable Company's Botanic Garden, By N. Wallich, M.D. 



When I published my account of this tree in 1830,* I had only met 

 with it in fruit, and was obliged to confine the description of the 

 flower to what could be gathered from a few decayed and not very 

 perfect samples in my possession. The generic character was chiefly 

 derived from specimens of another species, Melanorrhoea glabra^ 

 a native of the coast of Tenasserim. As I have recently had a tree of 

 M. usitata in flower in this garden, I am able to furnish the following 

 details, accompanied by a lithographic sketch of a flowering panicle, 

 from a drawing made by one of the painters of the establishment. 



The individual tree to which I allude is one among several which 

 were raised from Munipoor seeds presented by Mr. George Swinton. 

 The seeds were sown in July 1827, and began germinating exactly 

 a fortnight afterward. About the same period some seeds that had 

 been procured from Martaban, being more fresh, sprang up seven 

 days after being put into the ground. The tre*e which has blossomed 

 is the largest among the seventeen individuals which we at present 

 possess. It measures in height about 22 feet, with a clean stem of 

 seven feet, having a circumference near the base of 14 inches. It has 

 not many branches, and is now very scantily furnished with leaves. 

 It began opening its flowers on the 20th of January last, and continu- 

 ed nearly one whole month in flower. There are at present a small 

 number of fruits on the tree, which I expect will ripen in the 

 course of next month. 



* Plantae Asiat. Rar. 1. p, 9. tab. 11 and 12. 

 f Ibid 3. p. 50 ab. 283. 



