HISTORY OF THE BOTANIC GARDEN. 35 



editior and chief author of the Flora of British India ; 

 and joint author, with the late Mr. G. Bentham, of 

 the most important English Botanical work of the 

 century, viz. the Genera Plantarum. 



John Forbes Royle, M. Z>., F. R. S., of the 

 Honorable East India Company's Medical service, was 

 another distinguished botanist. He was Superintendent 

 of the Botanic Garden at Saharanpore from 1823 to 

 1831. His * Botany of the Himalaysj and Fibrous 

 Plants of India^ are works of great merit. 



Rottler>s name should not be omitted from this 

 list. He was one of the group of scientific botanists 

 who, during the latter years of the last and the earlier 

 years of the present century, formed a Society for 

 promoting the knowledge of Indian botany. Other 

 members of this Society were Sir William Jones, Flem- 

 ing, Hunter, Anderson, Berry, John, Roxburgh, Heine, 

 Klein, and Buchanan-Hamilton. 



A MORAL. 



For us Indians, the history of the Botanic Garden, 

 Calcutta, and the short biographical sketches of the 

 distinguished botanists directly or indirectly connect- 

 ed with that institution, have a moral which may be 

 expressed in the words of Gilbert White of Selborne 

 recorded upwards of a century ago. " The productions 

 of vegetation have had a vast influence on the com- 

 merce of nations, and have been the great promoters of 

 navigation, as may be seen in the articles of sugar, tea, 



