414, Linnean Society. 
with Mr. Fielding, he published a ‘ Sertum Plantarum,’ containing 
figures and descriptions of many of the novelties of that gentleman’s 
collection, and he also contributed several other descriptions of his 
plants for Hooker’s ‘Icones Plantarum.’ He became a Fellow of 
the Linnean Society in 1842; and published in the 19th volume of 
our ‘Transactions’ a paper ‘‘on Peltophyllum, a genus allied to 
Triuris.” 
In September 1843, at the recommendation of his friend Sir Wm. 
Hooker, he received from Government the appointment of Super- 
intendent of the Botanic Garden of Ceylon. The first object of his 
ambition in entering upon the duties of this appointment was the 
formation of a complete Flora of Ceylon, to which he constantly 
devoted his time and energies. In order to compare the relations 
of the botany of Ceylon with that of the Southern Peninsula of 
India, he made an excursion to Madras in the beginning of 1845, 
where he had the opportunity of consulting the rich herbarium of 
Dr. Wight, in company with whom he herborized extensively in the 
Neilgherry Mountains, where he formed a very interesting collection. 
After his return to Ceylon he made several journeys into the interior, 
and to many distant parts of the island, adding thus constantly and 
extensively to his collections. During five years he made great 
progress in the accumulation of materials towards his projected Flora, 
which he expected to complete for publication in 1851. In allusion 
to this great object of his ambition he wrote in 1844: “I trust to be 
able to publish, in the course of a few years, a Flora of the island 
worthy of the richness and beauty of its vegetation and of the en- 
couragement afforded me by the home and local Governments. This, 
however, as you are well able to judge, will be a work of no little 
labour, as it must contain descriptions of from 4000 to 5000 species, 
being considerably more than half of the plants defined by Linnzus 
in the last edition of his ‘ Species Plantarum.’ ” 
He returned about the middle of last year from one of his long 
excursions made in company with Sir Emerson Tennent to Jaffna, 
Trincomalee, and the eastern districts of the island: subsequently he 
was constantly occupied in examining and registering the characters 
of the plants of the large collection made during that journey, and 
frequently complained of pain in the head, which he attributed to 
too close application to these sedentary pursuits. He therefore 
gladly availed himself of an invitation from Lord Torrington, 
Governor of the island, to join him at Newera Ellia, the famed 
Sanitarium of Ceylon, to which place he repaired on the 10th of 
March last. He arrived there in excellent spirits, at three in the 
afternoon, and after lunching with the Governor and his family re- 
tired to rest after his long ride, when he was suddenly attacked by 
a fit of apoplexy, which rendered him quite insensible, and of which 
he died in a few hours. In communicating this sad news by the 
last overland mail, Lord Torrington, Sir Emerson Tennent, and many 
other persons of consideration in the island, spoke of it not only as 
an irreparable public loss, but expressed extreme regret upon being 
thus suddenly deprived of an invaluable friend, for whom they felt the 
