1

Letter from Mr T. Bowser, to Dr James Anderson.

Dindigul, March 13. 1792.

DEAR SIR, I HAVE seen a specimen of the bread fruit tree, the same as that at Tritchinopoly; and having a promise of some young trees, in order to transplant, as also seed, I make no doubt by the information received from the country people, of bringing it to perfection at this place.

What was brought here, came from the valley of Din. digul, forty-eight miles off; and although I have been silent, I have not been inattentive; for I have now in my garden many thousand mulberry cuttings, in a most thriving condition, which have been taken from my own mulberry trees.

What I have done hitherto, has been for my own amusement, and managed by my gardener; however, should you think that I could give the smallest aid to your laudable plans, command me without ceremony. And believe me always yours, c.

Letter from Dr James Anderson, to captain C. Dighton.

DEAR SIR,

Fort St George, March 21. 1792. I AM very much obliged by the distinct and full account of the bread fruit tree at Shevellapatore, and will be glad of some of the seed, as my trees are yet so young that there is fruit only on one of them.

You will see by the publication I have made, of which I have the pleasure to inclose you a copy, that government have promised to write to Sumatra, for twe different kinds of this tree which are known there.

I have, in consequence of Mr Andrew's letter, taken the liberty to send you nopal plants, in the same manner as to our mulberry plantations, for which you will be so good

March 6. as to accept of the best apology I can make, that I am happy to place them out in such an able hand. I am, bc.

Letter from Mr George Powney, to Dr Berry at Madras. DEAR SIR, Cochin, March 4. 1792. EXCUSE me for not having replied to your letter of the 27th of January, before now, which requests information of the bread fruit tree;-my public avocations have prevented me from paying that attention to this object which I wifhed to do.

The bread fruit tree appears to thrive very well both at Cochin and Ayacotta. At the former place, there are several of them; but paid little attention to either by the Dutch, or the natives. Indeed there is a ridiculous prejudice prevails amongst the former, that the fruit is unwholesome, and that the tree, planted near a house, gives diseases to the inhabitants of it.

It is called the Maldive jack, both at this place and Ceylon, where I understand there are a great number of

the trees.

From every information I have been able to obtain, I conceive it is indigenous to the Maldives, from whence it was brought to Ceylon about thirteen or fourteen years ago, and from that place to this.

I was told by a Dutch gentleman, that the bread fruit is very common at Batavia, and has been for many years past, used as food by the Malays.-I ate of it myself some time ago, and thought it resembled a yam; but of a very superior flavour.

There are no kernels or seeds in it; and it must be multiplied in the manner described by Dr Anderson, in his letter to Dr Mein, of the 29th of January 1792. Such is exactly the manner practised here; but it is not planted in the red volcanic earth mentioned by Dr An

39 derson, but in common black mould; and this cannot be done for want of the former, as the soil here abounds with it. I have for Dr Anderson two very fine plants of it, one three feet high, a leaf of which I have now cut off, and send in this letter. I have likewise several cuttings from the root; they are all in boxes, and ready to be sent by the first opportunity. I have incrusted with wax, two of the fruit, which fhall be sent at the same time.

I have received by three or four of the last tappals, some of the nopals, I take them to be? They are from Dr Anderson; but he has given me no instructions about them; and I was not so fortunate as to meet with his former publications which made mention of them. I have, however, planted them; my dubafh knew them, and called them Ella Kalli.—The people here say that the Travancore country abounds with it.

Mr Martin has not yet sent me the silk worm eggs, and I imagine that his breed must have failed. Yours very faithfully, 'c.

Letter from Dr James Anderson, to captain T. Bowser. DEAR SIR, Fort St George, March 24. 1792. I HAVE received your obliging favour of the 13th instant, and am very sensible of the value of its contents. As before this reaches you, your garden will be stocked with nopal plants, which, on the permifsion you have granted, I must request you will take the trouble to distribute slips from, to every village in your neighbourhood, abundance of which they will afford in the course of three or four months; and independent of their use in the expected cochineal business, these plants will prove a nourishing and wholesome vegetable to the natives of the country.

By a letter just received from Mr Powney at Cochin, it appears there are plenty of bread fruit trees there, and at Ayacotta, he is sending me two, which by all accounts are the Sookaon, as yours is the Calawee of Sumatra ;-it is therefore likely we shall be able to procure enough of both kinds without crossing the seas.

Mr Powney can send you the sago, and many other valuable trees, which are mentioned in the Hortus Malabaricus, not known to exist at present on this side of the hills; and in case you have any vacant choultries, or spare houses, at Dindigul, I will send you some of the silk worm eggs, as they require good shelter against the monsoon, although the worms are spinning upon the trees in my garden at this season. I am, &c. To be continued.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

ANOTHER packet of the Traveller is received, and seems to improve. The continuation will be looked for at the time promised.

A second letter on popular writers is also received, containing Gibbon, Stewart and Gregory, for which the Editor returns thanks to the obliging communicator;-the remainder will be very acceptable.

The Editor is much obliged to Yoric, for his very ingenious observations on the book of Job. They deserve to be preserved; but they would not altogether suit; he fears the taste of a majority of his readers; for which reason he must reluctantly decline to insert them. They fhall be carefully preserved in case the writer fhould call for them. Owing to misdirecting postage was charged. Nothing but newspapers pafs at the Post Office under a similar addrefs.

Thanks to I. T. P. for his very ingenious communication, the conclusion of which is requested before this can be inserted. The paper to which he alludes is not yet returned, but fhall be called for soon. If he formerly gave his private addrefs, it has escaped the Editor's reco'lection; and begs the favour when he next writes, he will have the goodto mention it.

The Editor is much obliged to an old correspondent for the very ingenious hints on what he stiles the Political Bible, which though on a subject he wishes seldom to touch upon, is written in such a pleasing manner, and contains observations which he thinks so just, that he is persua ded, his readers will much approve of These hall appear as soon as pofsible.

119.

THE BEE,

OR

LITERARY WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER,

FOR

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13. 1793.

ON THE POISON OF SERPENTS.

For the Bee.

No subject has engaged the attention of philosophers more than the poison of serpents, with regard to its nature, and method of operating. In this efsay I will first treat of the weapons which the animals employ in communicating their poison; next with regard to the poison itself; and lastly, as to the method of

cure.

Of the weapons which the animals employ in communicating their poison.

The ancient opinion was, that all the serpent race communicated their poison by means of a sting in their tail; and indeed some of the most early writers give figures of serpents with the sting in their tail; some have invented a similar fiction, that serpents stung by means of a forked tongue; while others, affecting superior discernment, have ascribed it to the teeth in general. These are all very erroneous opinions; for no serpent can poison either by the forked tongue or tail VOL. xiv.

F