177 
travelled in quest of knowledge throughout eastern regions. 
Hence, if we deny originality to the Hindoos, we cannot but 
allow them antiquity of application to scientific pursuits. 
Tlie sciences more particularly cultivated by the Hindoos, 
we have already noticed, and proved or at least shown the 
extreme probability, of the Arabs having been indebted to 
them for their first knowledge of Chemistry, as well as of 
some portion of their Medicine. The Hindoo Materia 
Medica being extensive, and comprising substances from 
the animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms, would indi- 
cate their having turned their attention, at least, to these 
departments of nature. But from the imperfect knowledge 
we possess of their books, it is impossible to say whether 
they contain any attempts at a scientific classification ; or 
if they ever advanced from the observation of facts to genera- 
lisations of principles. That their arrangements sometimes 
proceeded beyond a merely alphabetical one, we see even 
in their dictionary, the Amera Cosha, which is arranged in 
a great measure according to subjects. The mineral kingdom 
they must necessarily have obtained some knowledge of, 
from their cultivation of chemistry. The vegetable articles 
of the Materia Medica, we have already seen, are grouped 
according to a system, adopted in even our latest and best 
books, as those of Martius and Guibourt ; that is, according 
to the part of the plant employed, or the nature of the pro- 
duct collected (v. p. 54). From the familiarity with which 
Indian gardeners talk of male and female plants, it would 
appear that the Hindoos had obtained some knowledge of 
the sexes of plants. So also the rules which are given for 
the collection of medicines, and the pi'operties of plants as 
connected with the climate and soil in which they grow ; 
indicate that they generalised as well as observed. For 
not only is the kind of climate and soil mentioned, but also 
the characteristics of the inhabitants, their prevailing 
9, A 
