Manchurian Books

In many books, and, for instance, in Zimmerman's "Pocket-Book of
Travels," I read under this head that the poppy plants reached a
height of forty feet in India and Persia, and that the capsules were
as large as a child's head, and held nearly a quart of seeds. This
is not correct. I saw the finest plantations in India, and
afterwards also in Persia, but found that the plants were never more
than three, and, at the most, four feet high, and the capsule about
as large round as a small hen's egg.
8th February. Madopoor, a wretched village at the foot of some low
mountains. Today also we passed through terrible ravines and
chasms, which like those of yesterday, were not near the mountains,
but in the middle of the plains. The sight of some palms was, on
the contrary, agreeable, the first I had seen since I left Benares;
however, they bore no fruit. I was still more surprised to see, in
a place so destitute of trees and shrubs, tamarind, and banyan or
mango trees planted singly, which, cultivated with great care,
flourish with incomparable splendour and luxuriance.


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