wight's botanical letters. 185 



natives; tliey were all slow of recovery, and one of the 

 strongest men of the party is still an invalid. I took advan- 

 tage of the circumstance to visit Ceylon for a few weeks 

 for change of air, and was fortunate enough to return as 

 stout and well as I ever was, and have so continued ever 

 since. 



In the course of my residence in Ceylon, 1 made a fine 

 excursion with Col. Walker, and succeeded in forming a 

 good collection of plants; take it all in all it would 

 have been much better had my collectors been in firmer 

 health, and my conveniences greater than they were for 

 preserving what I got, but be that as it may, I believe I 

 may have between five and six hundred species, perhaps 

 more : a pretty complete set of which you may depend on 

 receiving as soon as I can find time to look them over. 

 Among those I have examined, (which of course were not 

 many, during the hurry and bustle of the trip,) we found the 

 types of two new ? orders : one near the Annonacece, between 

 it and Magiioliacece : the other near Lytideae: the first diflPers 

 in having a copious but not ruminated albumen and some 

 other points : the other {Pouslowia, mibi,) is remarkable for 

 havin<T two or three series of involucral leaves finelv colour- 

 ed, and resembling petals, but surely not petals, as they are 

 alternate, not verticillate. (see p. 192). I have since found it 

 on this (Malabar) coast, or one so like it, that I have not 

 been able to distinguish the two by habit and foliage : the 

 coast plant is not in flower. On my return from Ceylon my 

 first business was to write a long report for government in 

 connexion with my present appointment, and then I set off 

 on an excursion to this coast, where I have been fortunate in 

 getting several plants which I had not formerly in my collec- 

 tions : these are daily increasing, notwithstanding the pre- 

 sent rainy weather. I have a Salomonia, a Sccevola, (S. Tac- 

 ^(ida, Roxb.), a Sagittaria (apparently S. cordifolia Roxb., 

 but differs in having the posterior lobes of the leaves quite 

 round, not unlike smaller sized leaves of Nymphcsa ccendea,) 

 ^ species of Nymphaa, (with very small white flowers smaller 



Vol. ril.—No. 20. 2 B 



