INTRODUCTION. XXI 



plants, wholly new, or such as have been hitherto 

 imperfectly described. 



The other branches of natural history are under 

 the care of Messrs. N. A. Vigors, Edward Bennett, 

 J. E. Gray, Richard Owen, Dr. Richardson, R. N. s 

 and Mr. T. Lay, the naturalist to the expedition, 

 and the geology of Professor Buckland and Captain 

 Belcher, R. N. ; to all of whom I must express my 

 warmest thanks, for their cordial assistance, and for 

 the ready and handsome manner in which they have 

 taken upon themselves the task of describing and of 

 superintending the delineation of the various speci- 

 mens. Their contributions will form another 4to. 

 volume of species entirely new, or, as before, of such 

 as have been imperfectly described. The public in 

 general are not aware how much is due to these 

 gentlemen, without whose zeal and aid they would 

 be deprived of much useful knowledge ; for, not- 

 withstanding the liberal assistance of his Majesty's 

 government, there is so little encouragement for 

 works of the above-mentioned description, that they 

 could not be published unless the contributions were 

 gratuitously offered to the publishers. 



vul. i. 



