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description having been taken of it at the time, its publi- 

 cation has been deferred. An opportunity of examining « 

 fresh flowers having subsequently been afforded from the 

 same extensive collection, we have ascertained that it is 

 the Urtica naucleiflora of Roxburgh. 



It is one of the multitude of curious and beautiful 

 plants for which our country is indebted to the splendid 

 liberality of the Honourable Court of Directors of the j 



East India Company; a liberality truly worthy of that 

 princely body, which has been exercised in a manner 

 absolutely unheard of in the annals of the most wealthy 

 potentates, or of the most powerful governments ; and i 



which may be justly asserted to have conferred more 

 real benefits upon science than the united efforts of all 

 the sovereign princes of Europe. Under the patronage 

 and protection of the East India Company, and by the 

 indefatigable exertions of Dr. Wallich, the Flora of India 

 has been explored to a degree wTiiclT could never have 

 been anticipated in the present generation ; and the bril- 

 liant results of these researches have not been left to perish 

 in a few private Gardens, or to moulder in the garrets 

 of inaccessible and unarransed Museums. On the con- 



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trary, enormous distributions have been making for years ; 

 not only all England, but the Hothouses of the most 

 remote Gardens of Europe have been supplied with the 

 vegetable wealth of India ; and the best part of the Flora 

 of Nipal will soon be as well known in the flower-gar- 

 dens of English cottagers as to the Nipalese themselves. 

 Of dried plants, unheard of multitudes are destined by ( 



the Company for distribution, under the direction of -1 



Dr. Wallich, among the public and private collections 

 both of England and of Europe. In short, the obligations 

 irnposed upon us by these acts of truly Oriental mu- 

 nificence are of such a nature, that it has become the 

 bounden duty of all men who have the interests of science 

 and of civilization at heart, to take every opportunity of 

 expressing the deep sense which they cannot but feel of 

 measures which so redound to the honour and glory of the 

 Company. 



For an opportunity of consulting the unpublished Flora 

 of Roxburgh, we are indebted to the liberality of our friend 



Dr. Wallich. From the account of Urtica naucleiflora in 



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