124 NEW riJBLIOATIONH. 



visit, several allciiipts luid been inach; to obtiiiii some kiiowledj^e of ilie 

 vegetation. Kyd, in 1791, introduced, probal)ly from Port Cornwallis, 

 several Andaman plants into the Botanic (iar(l(;n at Calentta, wliich 

 were described b_y Jloxburgli in liis ' Flora Indica.' Dr. UeU'cr made 

 large botanical collections when deputed to these islands, but, being 

 killed by the aborigines, his (lolleetions wen; niixcul with his Tenasse- 

 riin ])iants. A few plants have becMi gatlujred by l)rs. I'layfair and 

 Liebig ; and more nnumlly tli(! Rev. C. Parish, of Moulmein, has made 

 some botanical exj)lorations in the group. Mr. K\irz arrived in the 

 islands on tin; 'Jth of y\pril last, and explored the neighbonrhood of 

 Port l>lair, and other parts of the east(;rn, western, and southern coast. 

 \\ni on the llth of May, when on the point of entering the interior of 

 South Andaman from ll^seape l^ay, he was seized by the Burman con- 

 victs whom the Supcirintendeni of Port Blair had given him to assist 

 in his work, and " was left ticul up in the jungles by hand and foot on 

 the ground." 'I'Ik'sc and " Hid)sc(picnt circumstances" (illness?) ren- 

 dered the carrying out of his proposed excursions through the islands 

 impraelicable, and oblig(!(l him to return to Calcutta, where he arrived 

 in .lidy last. 



Tiu! shortness of this excursion, coupled with the unfavourable time 

 of the de[)utation, in the two hottest^ iruonths of the year, led to a less 

 productive result than might have IxMin antici])ated ; but we have now, 

 nevertheless, a mueli nu)r(' complete ae(!onnt of the vegetation of this 

 singular group of islands than has ever been presented ; and we trust 

 that when such large tracts of the group still renuiiu to be explored, 

 another expedition will be sent there, dispatched at a more suitable 

 season of the year for exploration. 



Mr. ICurz commc^nees his report with an account oflhc geology, cli- 

 mate, and general botanical as|)eet of the llora, and shows that the 

 vegetation is generally a Malayo- Burmese one. " The peculiarities do 

 not consist in the prescMice of many new and ran; s])ecies, but rather in 

 the absence of vviill-knovvn." There is a total absence of Mat/no/ iaccfS, 

 Ouai/rtrr/fff', Uiiihcllifercd, Vaccinerc, ytntlrrhhuifP, LabiatfB, Polygona- 

 ccrp, Aniarnntace(P., Snholncere, CupiiUfcrcc, Coit'if<'rfe, Pontederiacem, 

 ] 1 l/poxldcte , etc. The absence of Niimplucacefe, JIaloragece, Lentibu- 

 lariere, Najadetv, Lemnacea:, Hi/dropterkks, liicciaccvc, aiul all other 

 freshwater plants, is supposed to be in accordance with the scarcity of 

 water during the dry season. But short-lived water plants possibly 



