wight's botanical letters. 181 



cursory way, and feel quite satisfied that we could reduce 

 the number of new species, if we only had the specimens to 

 compare with ours. Thus Cocculus Dakis looks too like our 

 C. cordifolia, Cissmnpelos mucronata^ hardly a variety of C. 

 convolvulacea, Triumphetta pentandra, resembles our T. angu- 

 lata so much that if I saw it growing in this country I should 

 pass it as such. I shall attend more to the varieties of that 

 plant. Heudelotia Africana, belongs probably to the same 

 genus as our Protimu Gileadense, and is I suspect a native 

 of India, at least I found a large shrub, very like it, near 

 Bellary. Dalbergia melanoxylon seems neither more nor 

 less than our D. frondosa. I have had another letter from 

 Ceylon from Col. Walker, with more tracings of Orchidece; 

 some time ago I received some dried plants from him, and 

 others have reached Tuticoreen, for w'hich I will send when 

 I dismiss your box. 



November llth. — I have sent you several little sketches of 

 generic characters, &c. ; they are all numbered to correspond 

 with the plants to which they belong. You have to thank 

 \eragoo, my factotum, alias butler, for many of the odds 

 and ends at the top of the box ; my time was up when that 

 part of the business was in progress, but I know enough to 

 have reason to think you will stare when you see them. 

 Runzie (my draughtsman) " sends compliments, and hopes 

 master will think drawings very good." 



Palajicottah, 27f/i November, 1835. 

 I have been for some days past devoting all my spare time 

 to Col. Walker's plants, and have found some \ery inter- 

 esting ones among them. There are some duplicates which 

 I will send you by the next opportunity, along with the 

 remainder of the Courtallum plants. I had a letter a few 

 days ago from Griffith and Wallich, they are making great 

 progress in collecting, the whole party are in good health, 

 but gettiniif into the midst of the rainy season. Griffith had 

 found a new ChamoBrops^ the height of the plant was fifteen 

 feet. I forgot to tell voii in mv last that there is a work on 



