'A voyage from England to India, in the year 1754, and an historical narrative of the operations of the squadron and army in India, under the command of Vice-Admiral Watson and Colonel Clive, in the years 1755, 1756, 1757 ... Also a journey from Persia to England by an unusual route. With an appendix, containing an account of the diseases prevalent in Admiral Watson's squadron, etc.' [‎462] (515/562)

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of the trees yielded the Euphorhium fpontaneoufly, and ail the gum juice
that at any time was found about the Hem of the tree, might eafily be
traced as coming from a wound.
In all the other parts of India except Ceylon, I never fiw any part of the
tree that was woody, but the plant from the very ground was compofed of
thofe late mentioned joints. At Bombay, and fome other places, there is a
fpecies of it, which the natives plant around their fields and gardens, and
which grows three or four feet high j this is of a yellowifh colour, and as
thick as a large man's wrill, fquare, but as it were a little twiftedj on the
angles grow very numerous iharp fpines, and round thofe fpines very fmalt
leaves and flowers, fuch as are between the joints of the fort before de
scribed j the juice of this, is of the fame kind as that of the other
fort.
M ilky H edge.
This is rather a Ihrub, which they plant for hedges on the coafl: of
Coromandel \ the root of it grows in all diredions, and is woody. In thefe
hedges the ftems are not to a great degree woody, but where they are fo,
then the bark is grey and cracked, the wood white, and pretty folid. The
whole fhrub grows very bufhy, with numerous ered branches, which are
compofed of cylindrical joints, as thick as a tobacco pipe, of a green
colour, and from three to fix inches long •, the joints are thicker than the
other parts, but upon any accidental violence, the plant always breaks firft
at thole joints, and then it yields an exceflive cauftic milk, which prevents
,any human being going through the hedge, for it biifters whatever part
of the fkin it touches, yet I have feen buffaloes and goats to cat of it.
When the joints are broken off at each end, the tube then contains but very
little of this milk, with which I once ventured to touch my tongue,
and found it a little fweet. At Bombay it grows to the fize of a fmall tree,
and the wood is greatly valued there for burning to charcoal for the fineft
gunpowder. As to the great medicinal virtues which it is fuppofed to
contain, it will be neceffary, in order to convey an idea of them, to relate
•the ftory that gave rife .to its' fame.
There was in my time a poor Portugueze widow woman, who was the
.oldeft female of her family, and had wrought furprifing cures in the
moft inveterate venereal diforders, many of which had been pronounced by
.all other praditioners, even European phyficians, as incurable ; thefe noto
rious fadts had induced the .company's fervants, and particularly their fur-
geons, to offer a very confiderable premium to the woman, for a difcovery
of her medicine, but Ihe always refufed to comply, affigning for her
reafon, that while it was a fecret, it was a certain provifion for the main
tenance of the family, as well in the prefent as in future generations. On
account of this denial, our furgeons 3 when a particular cafe Jbas been under
her management, have been at the cxpence to have her motions with
out