368 Dr. Cantor on the Flora and Fauna of Chusan, 



vinces with a detachment of H.M. troops^ part of which had 

 been under my charge on their passage from England, and had 

 arrived in the vicinity of Hazareebaugh, when I was reheved 

 with orders to proceed to the Presidency. On my subsequent 

 return to Calcutta I received intimation that H.E. the Com- 

 mander-in-chief had been pleased to post me to H.M. 49th 

 regiment, then en route to join the expedition to the eastward. 

 In an interview with the Rt. Hon. the Governor- General, I was 

 honoured with his Lordship^s commands, that I should collect 

 objects of natural history for the Museum of the Honourable 

 the Court of Directors, to which effect I was to be furnished 

 with materials and instructions, that I should inquire among 

 the medical officers of the expedition if there were a bo- 

 tanist capable and willing to undertake the botanical part of 

 the future inquiries. I was further instructed to correspond 

 upon matters connected with my charge with his Lordship^s 

 private secretary. Fully imbued as I was with a sense of the 

 high honour which his Lordship had been pleased to confer, 

 I became also aware of the responsibility it devolved upon 

 me. Hitherto my labours in natural history had been of a 

 strictly private nature, and to this as well as to the diffi- 

 culties which I have had to encounter, I have always attri- 

 buted the liberal encouragement with which my humble ex- 

 ertions have been received by some of the first philosophers. 

 During the few days which elapsed after my interview with his 

 Lordship, I w^as vigorously engaged in making arrangements 

 connected with the execution of my scientific mission, when 

 I was ordered to assume the medical charge of a detachment 

 of H.M. 26th regiment, with which I, the following day, em- 

 barked for China. My sudden departure from Calcutta pre- 

 vented me from obtaining his Lordship's instructions, and 

 also a number of articles absolutely necessary for preserving 

 objects of natural history, all of which were now to follow. 

 Our visits to Penang and Singapore enabled me indeed to 

 obtain a few of those necessaries, which, however, notwith- 

 standing their exorbitant prices, proved to be utterly ineffi- 

 cient. Nearly during the whole month of June 1840 we were 

 detained at the island of Lantao, in Canton River (Choo- 

 keang or Pearl River), which afforded me an opportunity of 

 becoming somew^hat acquainted with the leading features of 

 the flora and fauna, and I commenced forming botanical and 

 zoological collections during the hours of leisure left by my 

 military duty. On our arrival at Chusan in July we had the 

 good fortune of landing our original number of troops, all in 

 fine state of health, which I chiefly attribute to the excellent 

 arrangements of the commanding officer, Captain Paterson, of 



