92 Narrative of the Proceeding.^ and Scientific 



quiry into the resources of the valuable forests of that and the 

 neighbouring districts. Until this be effected the full extent 

 of his successful researches cannot be known. The number 

 of species collected by him amounted, when the mission left 

 him at Amherst, to about sixteen thousand, of which five 

 hundred and upwards are new and undescribed. Among 

 these last may be mentioned seven species of oak, two species 

 of walnut, a rose, three willows, a raspberry, and a pear ; se- 

 veral plants discovered by him are so remarkable as to consti- 

 tute themselves new genera. Among the latter may be men- 

 tioned one which has been called Amherstia, in compliment to 

 the Lady Amherst. This constitutes probably the most 

 beautiful and noble plant of the Indian Flora. Two trees of 

 it only are known to exist, and these are found in the gardens 

 of a monastery on the banks of the Salwen. The number of 

 specimens brought to Calcutta amount to little less than 

 18,000, among which are many beautiful live plants for the 

 botanical garden, chiefly of the orchideous, scitamineous, and 

 liliaceous families. Dr Wallich when at Ava obtained per- 

 mission of the Burmese government to prosecute his botanical 

 researches on the mountains about twenty miles from Ava. 

 In these, which are from 3 to 4000 feet high, he spent eight 

 days, and brought from them some of the finest parts of his 

 collection. These mountains contain several plants which are 

 common to them with the Himalaya chain, but the greater 

 part of their Flora is rare and curious. The botany of the new 

 provinces to the south is considered to be highly novel and 

 interesting, combining in a great degree the characters of 

 the Floras of continental India and the Malayan countries. 



In economical botany a good deal has been effected. The 

 tree producing the celebrated varnish has been discovered and 

 described, and the process of extracting and using the varnish 

 observed. * The different mimosas producing catechu have 

 also been determined, and the processes for extracting the 

 drug observed. The localities of the different teak forests 

 throughout the Burman empire, as well as the quality and 

 price of the timber, have been ascertained. The valuable 

 forests of this tree, discovered in our recent cessions, were 



• See a subsequent article in this Number. — Ed. , 



