PREFACE 



THE history of this Work may be told briefly. 



The Dictionary of the Economic Products of India, 

 written by me and published 1885-94, having been out of 

 print for some time, it was resolved by the Government 

 of India that a corrected and abridged edition should 

 be brought out. The instructions provided that the 

 work should be limited to a single volume, the arrange- 

 ment of which should follow that of the Dictionary ; 

 that it should be confined to products which are of 

 present or prospective industrial or commercial impor- 

 tance ; and that Sir W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, Director 

 of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, be requested to 

 exercise supervision over the compilation of the work. 

 In acceding to this request, Sir William recommended 

 that a definite plan for the work should be settled 

 before commencement by a small committee in com- 

 munication with the author. This recommendation was 

 adopted by the Right Hon. the Secretary of State for 

 India, the committee appointed being empowered to 

 make recommendations on any other points of detail 

 not sufficiently provided for in the instructions issued 

 by the Government of India. The Committee were as 

 follows: Sir W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, K.C.M.G., C.I.E., 

 F.R.S., Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, 

 Chairman; Mr. J. S. Gamble, C.I.E., F.R.S. ; Professor 



