Mr Crawford's Account of the Mission to Jva. 367 



new and undescribed. Among these last may be mentioned seven species of 

 oak, two species of walnuts, a rose, three willows, a raspberry, and a pear ; 

 several plants discovered by him are so remarkable, as to constitute them- 

 selves new genera. Among the latter may be mentioned one which has been 

 called Amherstia^ in compliment to the Lady Amherst. This constitutes, pro- 

 bably, 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 lilia- 

 ceous families. Dr Wallich, when at Ava, obtained permission of the Bur- 

 mese government to prosecute his botanical researches on the mountains 

 about twenty miles from Ava. In these, which are from 3000 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 upon 

 the point of being minutely explored by Dr Wallich. Lieut. Scotland^ under 

 the instructions of Sir A. Campbell, had, just before the arrival of the mission 

 at Amherst, made a journey by land to the Siamese frontier, in the course of 

 which he passed through two teak forests, towards the source of the Ataran 

 river. The largest of these was five miles in breadth, and scarcely contained 

 any other tree than teak, many of which measured from eighteen to nineteen 

 feet in circumference. 



" One of the oaks already mentioned, and which grows to a large size, is 

 found in great abundance, close to the new settlement of Amherst ; and should 

 it prove a valuable timber, which is most probable, it may be obtained with 

 every facility. A fine durable timber, called by the Burmans thingan, and 

 Avhich they place next to the teak, or almost on an equality with it, is found 

 every where throughout the new provinces. Dr Wallich has ascertained this 

 to be the Hopea odorata of Roxburgh. Another valuable timber, the Uses of 

 which are well known in our Indian arsenals and timber yards, the soondree, 

 Herietera robusta, is found largely in the maritime parts of the Martaban dis- 

 trict, and of a size much exceeding what is brought from the Sunderbunds of 

 the Ganges. Of these woods, and many others in use amongst the natives^ 

 although as yet unknown to us, specimens will be brought to Bengal by Dr 

 Wallich, for the purpose of subjecting their qualities to rigid experiment. 



" In the department of zoology, if we except the fossil bones already de- 

 scribed, the inquiries of the gentlemen of the mission have not been so sue- 



