ROYLE’S BOTANY OF INDIA. 
663 
sionapies. who say, it is c?u\e^Tai hoang, in the 
province of Setchuen, from the mountains call* 
ed Sue-chan, or of snow, which extend from 
N. lat, 26^ to 33*% and .from about 100^^ 
to 105*^ of E. longitude. 'I hat, from the lat- 
ter province probably forms much of what 
is called China rhubarb : the hiissionaries 
met large quantities of it brought down in 
the months of October and November. That 
from Kansu may afford some of what is 
called Russian rhubarb ; but both Pallas 
and Rehman have ascertained that the 
greater portion, if not the whole of this, is 
obtained in April and May, fi’om the clefts 
of rocks in high and arid mountains sur- 
rounding lake Kokonor. Bell also learnt 
that it was the produce of Mongolia, and 
Marco Polo, of Succuir, in d'anguth. Dr. 
Rehman ascertained that the trade is in the 
hands of one Buchariaii family, who farm 
the monopoly from the Chinese government, 
and reside at Si-ning, a Chinese town on 
the very frontiers of Tibet, 3,000 verstes 
from Kiakhta, and twenty days' journey 
from Kian-sin and Schan-sin, d'angutian 
towns, where the Buchavians go to purchase 
rhubarb. I'his would bring the rhubarb 
country within 95® of E long, in 35^ of N. 
latitude, that is, into the heart of 'i’ibet. As 
no naturalist has visited this part, and nei- 
ther seeds nor plants have been obtained 
thence, it is as yet unknown what species 
yields this rhubarb. Pallas thinks it may be 
R, compacturn, as the leaves are said to be 
round and toothed ; the rhubarb merchants, 
to whom he showed the plant, did not know 
i2. palmatum. Both these were obtained from 
China and i'artary, as well as R. tataricum 
and undulatum. It is probable, therefore, 
that some of these yield a portion of the 
rhubarb of commerce, as they have some of 
very good quality, when cultivated in England 
and France. But as it is improbable, from 
the nature of the country, that the best rhu- 
barb is confined within very narrow limits, it 
becomes interesting to ascertain how near it 
approaches the British territories in India, 
in order to share in the trade, or attempt the 
cultivation. 
“That this might very reasonably be un- 
dertaken within the British territories, will 
be apparent from the distribution of rhubarb 
in the Himalayas. Passing from Hindoo- 
khoosh, where is found Rheum Rihes 
of the Persians), mentioned by Chardin, &c., 
more recently by Lieut. Burnes, who also 
met with rhubarb at Caubul and Bokhara, 
■we find rhubarb common in the Himalayas, 
as on Choor, near Jumnotree, onjochoin 
Kemaon, Gossainthan in Nepal, and near 
Tassisudon in Butan, that is, from30® to 
27®, and from E. long. 79oto89®, and at 
elevations of 9,000 and 10,000 feet. Mr. 
Moorcroft discovered rhubarb at Niti, and 
next day between Niti and Gotung, that is, 
at elevations of 12,000 feet. His companion, 
Major Hearsay, thought he saw three kinds, 
and has described two of them to me, one 
ro'und-leaved and long- stalked, and the 
other short-stalked, but large and broad- 
leaved (R. Moorcroftianum, nob.), with the 
root more purgative than that of the former. 
'I’hese are called doelooh or dooloo by the 
Bhoteas, and tanlara (Webb), rantra 
(Hearsay). One of these appeals to be the 
rhubarb described by Dr. Meisner under the 
name R. Einodi R .Webl iannni, nob.), which 
diifers from the original R. Emodi, described 
by Mr. Don, urrder the name, .ff, Australe, If 
we turn our attention to the northern face of 
the Himalaya, which has so many features 
of a Tatarian climate, we find R, spiciforme, 
nob., discovered by dir, Inglis on the Khe- 
rang Pass, and at several places beyond. Dr. 
Gerard describes the table-land of 'I'atary as 
covered with rhubarb, at elevations of l6,O00 
feet. Mr. Moorcroft sent some rliubarb, 
which, for com[»actness of texture, colour, 
and .properties, was as fine as any 1 ha ve 
ever seen, from near Ludak, in N. lat. 34«, 
and E. long. 77i°. 
“But these are only the western bounda- 
ries of the elevated, cold, and bleak regions, 
known under the names of Tatary, Mongolia, 
and 'Fibet, of which Kunawur is essentially 
a part, participating in the same great phy- 
sical features, climate, and vegetation ; al- 
ready possessing one, if not two species of 
rhubarb, and having the best growing in its 
immediate vicinity. There can therefore be 
no rational doubt about the successful cul- 
tivation of the true rhubarb in territories 
within the British influence, as in Kunawur, 
or the Bhoteah pergunnahs of Kemaon, and 
that with little more labour than placing the 
roots or seeds in favourable situations, and 
this in a country where little else can be pro- 
duced fit for export. The only difficulty will 
be to obtain specimens or seeds of the true 
rhubarb. But it must be considered, that 
even the eastern boundaries of the country 
producing the best rhubarb, and which, to 
make their purchases, the Chinese reach, 
after a journey of twenty days, is only one 
half the distance from the British territories 
in Upper Assam, that it is from the Russian 
town of Kiakhta. Also, that there is reason 
for supposing rhubarb may be found much 
further to the westward, and consequently 
still nearer to the Himalayas. It would 
not therefore be difficult from Kuna’.vur, 
or Upper Assam, or for such active and 
intelligent officers as Messrs. Traill and 
Hodgson, in Kemaon and Nepal, to obtain 
some of the seed or roots. They might at 
the same time succeed in establishing a trade 
in rhubarb with 1 ibet or Western Mongolia, 
by means of the Tatars who resort to the 
hill fairs. 'I'his trade might easily be en- 
couraged by the government purchasing all 
the rhubuab it requires, which might thus be 
employed for hospital use after crossing the 
frontiers, instead of, as now, after making 
a journey of 20,000 miles, or nearly the cir- 
cuit of the globe. 
“ Even this would not probably be so 
difficult as at first sight appears; for the whole 
of the Tatarian rhubarb trade is not engross- 
ed by the Russians, as much of it takes a 
western ' direction, and has always formed 
