90 
ILLUSTRATIONS OF INDIAN BOTANY, 
PRINCIPALLY OF THE SOUTHERN PARTS OF THE 
PENINSULA. 
By Ricuanp Wicnr, M. D., &c. &c. 
[In this country, and; indeed, throughout Europe, there has 
very lately been the greatest interest excited in what relates 
to the Botany of our Eastern possessions. For a long series 
of years, the East India Company have, with a liberality 
which does them the highest honour, manifested a disposition. 
to foster this delightful science, well aware how much we 
owe to the vegetable creation for our food, our clothing, out 
ships, our buildings, and innumerable articles connected with 
the arts, domestic economy, and medicine; so that commerce 
might in consequence be materially benefitted by an increased 
knowledge of the vegetable productions of India. 
In the year 1788, we learn from the excellent Dr. Carey's 
Introduction to the Hortus Benghalensis, that a Botanie Gaf 
den was formed at Calcutta, and, as it would appear, placed 
under the management of Colonel Kydd, who had, pte 
viously, a private garden, nearly on the same spot. In 1793 
Dr. Roxburgh was appointed to the charge of this establish- 
ment. By his abilities and exertions, the number of species 
it contained in 1814, was 3500: With the aid of native 
artists, whose talents for flower-painting are truly asto 
ing, he also formed a collection of nearly 2000 drawings 
~- which, with the descriptions made by himself from the recent 
plants, were transmitted to the museum of the Hon. East 
India Company, in London. From these, under the 
direction of Sir Joseph Banks Mr. Dryander and Mr. 
Brown made aselection of the most useful and curious 
from which the three magnificent volumes of the Plants of 
Coromandel have been compiled. During the same det. » 
which Dr. Carey printed the Hortus Benghalensis, or “ 
