li INTRODUCTORY NOTICE. 
i i i igning Botanical names, to probably 
i i I should have had little difficulty in assigning B : 
boo SS Ocionel Ful alacge eotiestion of woods: and on being supplied view angel materials, rte 
rear ae to lend my aid in enhancing the value of such collections, by determining the See pee Ss, 
oor eit foal {Meat -ais Breve to any one who may favour me with sucha collection (whether of the trees 
u 
: , : : : i to expect Botanists 
his paucity of the English language in names of plants, the English people seem to 
to find Reglish Cree I veril baltave. for every plant under the sun, and in conversation, such is t 
even well-sounding and easily pronounced Botanical names ; that they will rather adopt any other, however bar- 
the opprobrious cognomen ofa “Blue !” In England, where the plants spoken of are Eng- 
fish, god hove eetish iis ‘ihadal abet there the same plants bear very different names in different 
counties) this is well enough, but when we carry this prediliction for English names out of the country, it b 
idi for how can a plant probably never before seen by an Englishman, have an English name ? 
sonal aig ba ati expect to find Tamul octal oo names in England, as an Englishman, English names of 
lants in India : but if in the absence of these, we are disposed to content ourselves with native names, we must 
ar in mind, that in India, as in England, the same plants have different names in different provinces, and not 
unfrequently the same name is given to a variety of plants, or vice versa, a great variety of names to the same 
in different native languages, of the plants 
figured in this work, as well as the collections mentioned above, with a view to the formation of a compre- 
both, 
To prep y one language, is always a work of 
reat difficulty, but in this country, where so many languages are spoken, requiring for its successful execution, 
& any i uch a cat 
or, forms a most suitable com- 
I should say ought never to be separated, as a reference to it, will often 
enable the investigator of native names to ascertain whether the native teacher is giving correct informa- 
tion, by showing whether the plant named, belongs to the genus to which his name refers, 
Mapras, 20¢h February 1838. 
