86 Mr. Saunders’s Account of the 
foil is rocky. The true rhubarb (Rheum palmatum) is like- 
wife the native of a cold climate ; and though China fupplies 
us with much of this drug, it is known to be the growth of 
its more northern provinces, Tartary, and part of the Ruffian 
dominions. The great difficulty is in drying the root. People 
verfant in that bufinefs fay, that one hundred pounds of the freffi 
root ffiould not weigh above fix pounds and a half, if properly 
dried, and it certainly h&s been reduced to that. I have feen 
eighty pounds of freffi root produced from one plant ; but, 
after drying it with much care and attention, the weight of the 
dried root could not be made lefs than twelve pounds. It was 
fufpended in an oven, with an equal and moderate degree of 
heat. Little more than the fame quantity of this powder 
produced a fimilar effect with the beft foreign rhubarb. 
The other plants common here are the fervice-tree, bleffed 
thiftle, mock orange, Spiraea filipendula, Arum, Echites, Punica, 
Ferula communis, Erica, and Viola. Of the rofe-buffi 1 have 
met with the five following fpecies ; Rofa alpina, centifolia, ca- 
nina, Indica, fpinofiffima. 
The culture of pot-herbs is every where neglected ; turneps, 
a few onions and ffiallots, were the beft we could procure. 
Mr. Bogle left potatoes, cabbage, and lettuce-plants, all 
which we found negleCted and difperfed. They had very im- 
properly (from an idea moft probably of their being natives of 
Bengal) planted them in a fituation and climate which ap- 
proaches very near to that of Bengal at all feafons, as we ffiall 
find afterwards. Melons, gourds, brinjals, and cucumbers, are 
occafionally to be met with. The country is fitted for the 
production of every fruit and vegetable common without the 
tropics, and in fome fituations will bring to perfection many 
of the tropical fruits, 
2 There 
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