PREFACE. 



THIS work was at first meant to be a simple catalogue of the 

 economic specimens from the vegetable kingdom belonging to the 

 Museum. But as these daily increased, and as the collection can 

 only be regarded as in a provisional state until the Victoria 

 Museum is ready for its reception, it appeared wiser to make it a 

 catalogue of the vegetable produce of the Western Presidency. 

 As the primary arrangement of its contents is economic, it will 

 thus serve not only for the collection provisionally lodged in the 

 Town Hall, but for the Victoria Museum. This is an advantage 

 which fully compensates for the absence of the running numbers 

 corresponding with numbers on the specimens, usual in cata- 

 logues. The Museum is, however, not intended to be limited to the 

 economic produce of this Government. It aims at illustrating the 

 natural productions and industries of India, and of all other 

 countries, particularly those in direct commercial connection with 

 the great and growing store-city of Bombay. At present indeed 

 little more than the Western Presidency is illustrated, and probably 

 but little more than this will be done for some years. In the 

 Catalogue, therefore, prominence is alone given to local products : 

 all others, Indian or foreign, are merely mentioned in their 

 economic order, in the notes or remarks on the former. They 

 are mentioned, whether in the Museum or not, that the Curator 

 may always have his wants in mind, and able also at once on its 

 receipt, to place any specimen on its proper shelf. This plan 

 admirably preserves order in a growing museum. In the cases 

 corresponding with the Classes of the Catalogue, the upper shelves 

 are occupied by Bombay products, the next below by the products 

 of the rest of India, and the remainder by those of other countries 

 in the order of their proximity to Bombay. The collection is thus 

 arranged : first, in an economic point of view ; secondly, in a 

 topographical ; and, thirdly, according to the natural system of 

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