X PREFACE. 



For our material from Lower Guinea, we are almost wholly 

 indebted to the courtesy of Dr. Friedrich Welwitsch, who, with 

 rare liberality, has freely granted us the opportunity of inspecting 

 his collections, which, in respect of judicious selection and 

 admirable preservation, are without rival. His carefully accurate 

 notes upon the fresh plants have also been at our service. Without 

 the access to Dr. Welwitsch 's Herbarium, this region would have 

 been comparatively a blank in the present work. There remain 

 but few Natural Orders treated of in the first volume, of which 

 we have not yet had the opportunity of inspecting his specimens, 

 and, of these, we may be able to embody the novelties in an 

 Appendix. To this distinguished naturalist I tender the warmest 

 thanks on behalf of my collaborators and myself. 



A set of plants, from the Congo, collected by Professor Christian 

 Smith, and a few gathered on the banks of the same river by 

 Mr. Consul Burton, are in the Kew Herbarium, also a small 

 collection from Elephants' Bay, made by Dr. Curror. 



South Central : from this region we possess a few plants, 

 collected by Drs. Kirk and Meller on the Upper Zambesi,* and a 

 small collection, made under adverse circumstances, by Messrs. 

 Baines and Chapman towards the southern tropic and about 

 Lake Ngami, in their adventurous journey from Waalvisch Bay 

 to the Upper Zambesi. 



From the Mozambique District Kew possesses — 



The large collections from the Zambesi, its tributary the Shire, 

 Lake Nyassa, and adjacent country, made by Dr. John Kirk, the 

 accomplished naturalist and medical officer of the Livingstone 

 Expedition, received in 1860-62. These collections are accom- 

 panied by valuable notes and drawings made upon the spot. 

 From the same region we have also a number of specimens, 

 gathered by Dr. J. Meller, attached to the Church of England 

 Mission, associated with Dr. Livingstone's Second Expedition, 

 and by Mr. Horace Waller. 



* The bulk of the Upper Zambesi collections, made by Dr. Kirk, was 

 unfortunately lost. 



