172 DR FRANCIS HAMILTON on the Plants of India, 



I shall give a more full account. Those of Pegu nearly resemble 

 those of the southern and eastern parts of Bengal, while those of 

 Ava bear a stronger resemblance to the productions of Mysore. 

 The reason of this seems to be, that the territory of Pegu enjoys 

 much more copious rains than Ava, which, like the southern 

 parts of what we call Hindustan, is a parched country, and, in 

 order to bring rice to maturity, requires artificial irrigation by 

 means of reservoirs or canals. On the way, however, between 

 Pegu and Ava, where we approached the mountains bordering 

 Arakan on the east, we had a vegetation much resembling that 

 of Chatigang, and of the mountains extending from thence along 

 the eastern frontier of Bengal, which will be afterwards de- 

 scribed. The plants, which I collected during this journey, were 

 transmitted, together with a good many .drawings, to the Court 

 of Directors, and were given to Sir JOSEPH BANKS, in whose col- 

 lection they probably remain ; but copies of most of the draw- 

 ings, partly coloured, were preserved by me, and deposited in 

 the Company's Library. I also preserved a copy of the Notes, 

 which I took on the spot, and this will be found in the same 

 collection. 



In 1796, 1797, and part of 1798, I was stationed at Lukhi- 

 pur, in the south-eastern part of Bengal, and in the ancient king- 

 dom of Tripura. My time was there much occupied in describ- 

 ing the fishes of the country ; but I took many descriptions of 

 plants, which are also deposited in the Company's Library ; but 

 I did not preserve specimens. I corresponded, however, very 

 frequently with Dr ROXBURGH, and transmitted to him what- 

 ever he thought would be acceptable, learning, at the same time, 

 what both he and KCENIG called various plants. 



In spring 1798, by the desire of the Board of Trade at Cal- 

 cutta, I visited the district of Chatigang, which, together with 

 that of Komila, formed the chief part of the ancient kingdom of 

 Tripura, and I afterwards skirted the hills of Komila, where the 



