168 wtght's botanical letters. 



have from Assam ! VVallich thinks some thousanils of species. 

 A fine alpine country at the foot of the Himalayahs must be 

 rich, but I should like above all things to have a couple of 

 years on the Malabar range and Neelgherries. I have now 

 a great many and interesting plants from the former, that I 

 never saw before, nor any one else I believe, but qf that 

 anon. 



Palamcottah, 18^A April, 1835. 



I find myself most comfortably situated here, and have my 

 hands full. Witli respect to contemplated arrangements, my 

 present idea is, as soon as my plants arrive from Madras, to 

 make a packet of the whole of the Cryptogamiay and despatch 

 them to you without even looking them over or taking speci- 

 mens ; because to do so with some of the tribes would take 

 more time than I can spare at present, owing to the rapidity 

 with which specimens are pouring in upon me, much faster 

 than I can find places for them. The Tree-fern of India, or 

 rather of the Neelgherries, is as you say, an Alsophila: I have 

 since got more specimens on the Shewarey hills, at an eleva- 

 tion of between four and five thousand feet, nearly the same 

 elevation as on the Neelgherries. None of these large Ferns 

 is found on the plains, unless on the Malabar coast, whicli 

 abounds with Ferns ; but whether the tree-fern be among 

 them or not, I cannot say. I received many ferns and 

 mosses from Courtalium the other day, with a rich store or 

 other things. I have had two collectors in that neighbour- 

 hood for more than a month, and have got several good 

 plants from them : not the least worthy of mention are Ancis- 

 trocladus, (but not in fruit), a very curious PoMos with beau- 

 tifully reticulated leaves, a Rnbiaceous plant with a five-celled 

 capsule, the cells many-seeded like a Hedyotis. There are 

 also among them several Compositcc; and lots of specimens ot 

 what I suspect to be our Gynoon, but so covered with fruit 

 that I could not find a flower in good enough state to enable 

 me to determine the genus with certainty. Among the Gra- 

 ?ninece are one or two I have not yet made out; but among 



