wight's botanical letters. l(jl 



the western ; the other, the eastern hills. Unfortunately there 

 was not a botanist with either of our armies, so that both 

 opportunities of investigating these districts were lost. From 

 what I have heard, there appears strong reason to believe 

 that the Aconitum ferox is a native of the Peninsula, the 

 wells in the North Circars having been poisoned with a root 

 HI the same way as was attempted in Nepaul, and unfortu- 

 nately with more success; many of tlie troops suffered 

 severely from its effects before the cause was discovered : as 

 yet, we can however only conjecture that the root is an Aco- 

 nite, the plant not being seen. ...... My only discovery here 



is an Asclepiadeous plant belonging to the tribe Periplocece, of 

 which there are specimens in my herbarium under the name 

 oi Echites grandifiora ; it is nearly allied to Wallich's Fin- 

 laysonia, and Brown's Cryptostegia, if not the identical plant, 

 a point which I have not yet been able to determine for want 

 of my books. I got some specimens of what I think a new 

 genus of Primulacece, so like a gentian that nothing short of 

 the positive certainty of finding the stamens opposite to the 

 lobes of the corolla, could have made me think it any thing 

 else. I have also got specimens of Cokbrookia, which was 

 new to me, and some two or three other things which I have 

 not yet carefully examined. 



P.S 9ith Sept. I set off to-day for Bellary, and have no 



time to add more. 



Bellary, Wth October, 1834. 

 (N. Lat. 15° 15', E. Long. 77'^.) 



I informed you in my last, that I had received great addi- 

 tions to my herbarium since my arrival at Madras. I was 

 sorry that time was not allowed me to lay out specimens for 

 transmission to you, and not less so, that I had been obliged 

 to leave them and the greater part of ray books and herba- 

 rium behind me. The want of these silent monitors I feel 

 ^ore and more every day, owing to my having added con- 

 siderably to ray collections in the course of my journey to 



Vol. III.— No. 19. Y 



