102 



Selections. 



[NO. 3, NEW SERIES, 



I wish I could add to this very favorable change in-the state of 

 the Annamullays, that it was no longer the resort of smugglers, but 

 unfortunately the Native States of Travancore and Cochin have not 

 yet followed the liberal policy of the British Government in sacri- 

 ficing the profits of the Tobacco Monopoly to the moral well-being 

 of the people. 



SELECTIONS. 



New Cinghalese Plants. 

 No I. 



We now proceed to avail ourselves of the permission accorded 

 to us by Mr. Thwaites* to republish the new Plants discovered by 

 him, in the Island of Ceylon and contributed to the Kew Miscellany. 



The two following plants occur in Vol. IV. page 1, of that valu- 

 able and interesting publication. 



The first of the two is a new species of an already established 

 genus. Epicarpurus, one of the group of Batie^: which after hav- 

 ing been included among the Euphoreiaceje has now been rightly 

 transferred to the natural family of Urticace^:. The Batie^: are 

 well represented in Southern India by Baits spinosa of Roxburgh, 

 common in the N. Circars under the name of Gorati or Koriti ; 

 Epicarpurus orientalis {Tropins spinosa Roxb.) Telugu name, Sita- 

 nica ; and Tropins aspera frequent in all parts of 'the Carnatic, in 

 Telugu Barinika, in Tamil Piraya. To the same group also belong 

 the celebrated cow tree of the Caraceas, Galactotlendron utile or Palo 

 de Vaca of Humboldt and the Jamaica bread-nut tree, Brosimum 

 Alicastrum, Sw. 



The Indian congeners also abound in a milky juice but it does not 

 seem to be turned to any economical purpose, except in the case 

 of Tropins aspera, the juice of which is sometimes mixed with cow's 

 milk and heated to cause it to curdle. Its leaves are employed as 

 a polishing agent by workers in ivory. W. E. 



* Journal Vol I. p. 2834, Proceedings of March 12, 1857. 



