280 Capt. Temberton's Mission to Bootan, 1837-38. [April, 



in it. The Booteas shew some taste in their selection of wild flowers, 

 which is more than can be said for the natives of Bengal, who 

 approve of such vile things as Ganda, and Champa, and many other 

 equally strong or equally gaudy productions. With Booteas rhodo- 

 dendrons, especially the scarlet and the white arboreous sorts, are 

 favourites, and I observed formed the greater part of some offerings 

 lying in the presence of the Dhurma. 



The only cotton, and it was a miserable specimen, that I saw, I have 

 mentioned as occurring along the Monass; yet we were told that a 

 good deal was cultivated in similar places throughout Bootan. That 

 we saw none is accounted for by the bulk of the population wearing 

 woollen cloths, and by the remainder obtaining their supplies from the 

 Plains. No plants were observed used for making cordage, the ropes 

 used for fixing the loads being either made of twisted rattan, or horse- 

 hair. On emergencies the bearers resort to the jungles, in which 

 some very tenacious creepers may be found; but they appear to 

 prefer the species of Daphne for this purpose, as the inhabitants of 

 Upper Assam do the Ood-dal, a species of Sterculia. 



No sugar is cultivated in Bootan ; a few solitary specimens occurring 

 about villages being the only specimens we saw. The cane itself is 

 imported from the Plains, as well as ghoor. The same is equally appli- 

 cable to tobacco, large quantities of which must be consumed, as all the 

 men are great smokers. 



They do not appear to me to be great pan eaters ; their supplies 

 of this are also derived from that source, which they do not scruple to 

 drain so freely. A few straggling plants of hemp are to be met with 

 amongst most villages at rather low elevations, but I never saw any to 

 an extent sufficient to warrant me in supposing that any use was made 

 of it. 



Of plants cultivated for dyeing, I am not aware that any cultivation 

 is carried on. At Phullung, one villager was attempting to rear a few 

 plants of the wild indigo, so much used in Upper Assam, and which 

 I have elsewhere stated is a species of Ruellia. Of this plant which 

 appears to abound in colouring material of a deeper, but less brilliant 

 hue than that of indigo, I have not been able to meet with any ac- 

 count that can be depended on. I have seen that in one of the volumes 

 of the Transactions of the Agricultural Society it is mentioned as 

 Ruellia carnosa: no good authority for the name is given, and on 

 that of the book itself few, I imagine, will be willing to adopt it. 



The most common dye in Bootan is that furnished by the mungisth, 

 it appears also to be the favourite colour. As the supply obtained from 

 the jungles is plentiful, no means are resorted too to cultivate it. It 



