418 EXPLORATION, LABOUR QUESTION, ETC.

in the east and south-east of the Latuka country (Jebel Ghattal, Jebel Sereten, Jebel Kuron), and I take the opportunity which Consul Hansal’s courtesy affords me of sending you a specimen in spirit, with the request that you will kindly determine its species. The Shuli call it lakerda.* The raw shcots are used for cleaning and polishing shields. Its vertical distribution is from 2500 to 3000 feet. Together with this plant you will receive the leaves and blossoms of a tree which I have introduced here from Uganda, and which thrives well; its seeds (also sent you) produce a considerable amount of fine yellow oil, and when we ran out of soap, we made a good substitute by mixing the crushed seeds with potash. The tree shoots up like a bamboo to a height of some twenty-five to thirty feet ; its stalk, however, is too weak to be of any use. It grows singly in the banana groves in Uganda. Is it the Moringa? The rice+ which you were good enough to send me grows splendidly, and I shall take the liberty of forwarding you a sample of it. The ‘ horse-tooth ” maize which His Excellency Stone Pasha sent me also thrives well; each crop, however, requires to be sown on new ground, for if two crops are sown on the same field, the plants of the second crop are small, and the grain is small and round, like that of the usual sorts. It is curious to notice the tendency which every variety of maize sown here has to produce dark, often almost black, grain. The grass { for pasture which has been sent me has not grown as well as I had hoped; perhaps the soil was too moist. I have just sown a fresh crop. After considerable trouble I have managed to rear some ten to fifteen Eucalyptus trees from two and a half to three feet in height; the seeds which Gordon Pasha obtained from the English Consulate in Algiers sprouted well, but withered immediately.

The fruits which flourish best are figs, lemons, citrons, Anonas, and the Carica papaya. Pomegranates bear little fruit. I have no pineapples. Three species of banana bear well; my dates are still young. May I ask you to send me some good wheat to experiment with in the Shuli district (3000 feet)? I * It is Schnizleinia (Hypoxis) sp. n.—G. 8.. + The rice was sent by Rosette.—G. 8. + Guatemala grass (Zuchlena luxurians).—G. 8.