125 
leathern dresses brush forcibly through tbe plant», 
and tbe resin which adheres to them is then scraped 
off. And Dr. McKinnon states, tbat in Nepal the 
resin is gatbered on the backs of naked coolies. Dr. 
Royle says, “ The glandular secretion is eolleeted 
“ from the plants on the hills by the natives pressing 
“ the upper part of the young plants between the 
“ palms of their hands and scraping off the secretion 
“ which adheres.” 
V. In the preparation of the eleetuaries, &c., 
butter is used as the means of separating the active 
principle, consequently these compounds are very 
apt to become rancid. 
They are thus described by M. Charnac in the 
“ Annuaire de Therap.” for 1846:—1. Preparations 
mixed with honey or melted sugar. 2. A more 
active form called hachich leava-mesk (musked drug), 
containing musk, esseuce of roses and almonds. of 
pasty consistence, and of the colour of impure honey; 
the quantity used being about the size of a walnut. 
3. Two kinds are found at Smyrna, called Israel, 
the one a fine powder, the other a roll of firm mastic 
consistence. 4. A black round kind has great aphro- 
disiac repute among the Fellahs, but in this case it 
is found that cantharides is added to increase the 
effect. 
At Cairo the compound from which the various 
conserves are prepared is thus made. Equal parts 
of well-sifted haschich, butter and water are put in _a 
vessel on the fire, after some boiling the water is 
dissipated; the residue is twisted in a cloth to isolate 
the fatty matter, and to this the different spices are 
added. 
Haschich is to the Arabians what opium is to the 
Turks and Chinese. Hachach, signifymg in Arabian 
drunkard, is the epithet applied to those who eat 
haschich. 
The Arabians smoke the powdered plant, free of 
seeds, which contain fatty, disagreeable-tasted matter, 
along with tobacco. 
VI. Länderer describes a tincture of hemp used at 
Cairo, called chatsraky, made by infusing in spirit 
for three wecks with a gentle heat, the varnish- 
covered bark sliced from the stems when the plants 
are in flower. 
As the activity of the preparations of hemp depends 
on the presence of a resinous varnish on the leaves, 
and consequently as the most active of these is found 
to contain tbe largest quantity of resin, it becomes a 
matter of great importance to decide upon the proper 
period for collecting the plant. 
M. Gastinell, an apothecary at Cairo in 1849, states 
that he found the active powers of hemp to depend 
on a resinous matter which forms on the leaves as 
the seeds ripen. Again, M. de Charnac observes, 
that in Egypt the tops of the plants are used at the 
end of flowering, but before complete maturity of the 
seeds. And Mr. Jameson, Director of the Botanic 
Gardens at Saharumpore, makes a like statement in 
a letter dated 17th August 1849. As this letter con- 
tains an interesting account of hemp in that part of 
India, it has appeared to me to be well worthy of a 
place in this essay. He says : — 
“ In Kimaon and Gurhwal cannabis is grown in 
' large quantities, partly in order to obtain its resinous 
D.—( 
Observations by R. Saunders, Collector of Ghazee- 
pore, forwarded with the specimens to this Exhi 
bition . 
The cultivation of poppy in India can be traced 
back as far as the sixteenth Century. An allusion is 
secretion, and partly for its bark, from which a strong 
coarse cloth called bungila is manufactured; it forms 
the dress of the poorer inhabitants, partioularly 
through Gurhwal. It is sown in July and gathered 
in October. From the female plants only the churrus 
is procured. Towards the beginning or middle of 
October the seeds begin to form, and when in this 
unripe state the upper part of the plant is pressed 
between the palms of the hands, it deposits upon 
them a yellowish green secretion, which is scraped 
off with a blunt lcnife; this is the well-known 
churrus. From the male plant bhang and cath are 
prepared. Bhang is prepared by drying the leaves 
and other paris of the plants, both male and female, 
and is thus used:—A small quantity is put into a 
mortar with a little water and pounded, the refuse 
water being thrown arvay, an additional quantity of 
water is then added, from half a pint to a pint, 
depending on the strength required, and well mixed; 
it is then strained through a fine cloth, the residue 
thrown away, and the liquid is ready for drinking, a 
wine glassful or more being taken at a time. Gangah 
is the thin preparation, and is the produce of the 
upper portion of the stem, that is about 1J foot; it 
is only used in the hookah to smoke; this also 
applies to the churrus. The gangah is carefully 
dried and mixed with an equal quantity of tobacco, 
and -well rubbed together in the palm of the hand; 
it is then ready for the hookah. We have thus the 
three preparations:—1, churrus ; 2, bhang, or subzi; 
3, gangah, or ghangah. The first is only prepared 
on the hills, and the two latter are common to both 
hill and plain, but bhang is principally prepared in 
the latter. At Bhaeit, about 16 miles from Saha- 
runpore, it is prepared in large quantity, and is 
subject to a heavy duty; yearly from 40,000 to 
50,000 maunds are produced (a maund is equal to 
SOlbs.). The reason why the churrus is not pre 
pared in the plain is, because the plant does not 
secrete the resinoid principle, showing that its 
secretion is connected with climate. But still the 
plants are identical in external eharacters, and you 
will, I think, find that the European and Indian 
plants are also identical. In order to ascertain the 
fact, I send you a small packet of hemp seeds pro 
cured at one of the Gurhwal villages, where it is 
grown in vast quantity. In your letter you say that 
the active principle forms on the stems and leaves ; 
this is not the case, as it is only procured when the 
seeds are in an unripe state; attempt to procure it 
before this period, and none will be forthcoming. It 
will appear stränge how ignorant natives can dis- 
tinguish female from male plants, were you to see 
the plant growing your surprise would soon be 
removed. The female plant when ready for making 
churrus has at its upper part a ‘ buncliy’ appearance, 
whereas the male plants have become by this time 
mere stems and leaves, the flowers also having 
fallen off. 
“ In October, in Crossing the Himalayas from 
Almorah to Missouri, I have passed through dozens 
of villages 6,000 to 8,000 feet above the level of the 
sea, and seen hundreds of men, women and children, 
all employed in making churrus. The plant grows 
to a height of from 10 to 14 feet.” 
made to the opium and saltpetre monopolies of the 
Emperor Akber in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, in 
the celebrated Ayeen Akber of Abul Fuzul, prepared 
during the latter part of the sixteenth Century. 
The poppy plant has been cultivated in Nepaul for