[Vol. 2 

 214 ANNALS OF THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN 



duced nutmegs, cloves, and cacao, but the Garden was un- 

 fortunately abolished in 1829. 



The botanical enterprise of this remarkable man in Java, 

 Malaya, and Sumatra, deserves an honorable place in our 

 botanical history, and no more fitting memorial of his genius 

 could be found than the present beautiful garden at Singa- 

 pore, founded in 1878, which has so ably upheld the best tra- 

 ditions of the founder of the original garden. 



The first botanic garden established in Ceylon 1 was cre- 

 ated by the Dutch on Slave Island, near Colombo, but this 

 was neglected when the island passed into the possession of 

 Britain, and it was not until 1810, when Sir Joseph Banks 

 suggested a site, that a new garden was established, also on 

 Slave Island at a place still known as Kew. William Ker 

 was transferred from Canton, in 1812, and appointed superin- 

 tendent. The Garden was not a success, owing to its situation, 

 and in 1821, during the superintendence of Alexander Moon — 

 who had been sent out by Banks — the Garden was transferred 

 to Peradeniya. In its new site its history has been a record 

 of prosperity, and its usefulness has been considerably in- 

 creased by the formation of additional gardens in different 

 parts of the island suitable to the varied climatic conditions 

 of the country. 



The scientific researches in pure and applied botany, in 

 tropical mycology and chemistry, and the cultural experi- 

 ments which have been carried out in the Gardens and labora- 

 tory in Ceylon have thoroughly justified the existence of the 

 institution at Peradeniya, and prove, if proof were needed, 



the inestimable value of scientific botanical establishments in 

 the tropics. 



The colonizing of Australia soon led to the foundation of 

 botanic gardens, and those at Sydney 2 have the honor of 

 being the first to be founded in the Australian Continent. 



1 Trimen, Henry. Hand guide to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya. 

 Colombo, 1885. 



'Sydney Botanic Gardens. Kew Bull. Misc. Inf. 1906: 205-218. 1906. 



Maiden, J. H. Presidential address to the Royal Society of New South 

 Wales, 1912. Roy. Soc. N. S. Wales, Jour, and Proc. 46: 1-73. 1912. [See 

 p. 49.] 



