FRANCIS HAMILTON (ONCE BUCHANAN). xi 
interesting enough for yublication, I сап get Shcolbred or petheps Bruce to look over them with me 
and to correct the language. Both of them write with a considerable degree of elegance.” 
The (бароку cessation of Buchanan’s correspondence with Roxburgh, for there is 
no letter ا‎ an January 1798 till 16th Octuber 1798, was due to Roxburgh's absence 
from India. rhe letter of 16th October, which was addressed to Roxburgh at the 
Cape, is given below :— 
“ Your application to the Гоага of Trade for my going to Chitagong was successful and I had a 
charming botanical excursion Íor near 3 months; the latter part of it, however, was much interrupted 
by the rains which. set In remarkably early and are not yet over. I found many places with a 
most excellent soil in Chittagong, but have my fears that the climate will not be sufficiently mild 
for the spice plants. I however sent in a report to you, communicating it to Fleming and mentioning 
that I would communicate my journal? which contains the remarks I made on the soil, produce, culture, 
and people of the country through which I passed, and thet I would also communicate my specimens 
of dried plants which are pretty numerous. І have sent a good many seeds and growing plants to 
the garden and have laid things in such a train that I expect many. more. Іп what condition the 
seeds and plants have arrived I cannot ғау, as I have not yet been able to go down to the garden. 
Among my specimens are four species of Gurgeon or wood oil trees; а tree which yields a very acrid 
varnish which I suppose is the same with that of the Burmas and Chinese; another the bark of which 
united with indigo is said to form a black dye. I saw not the fructifieation of either, but suspect the 
first to be a species of Semecarpus and the latter to be a Ricinus. I sent growing plants of both. 
What will be the result of my report I cannot ғау, as Fleming does not intend giving it in till Smith 
goes away to the eastward which he will doin а few days. He says that I will have some difficulty 
in getting expenses paid owing to my being so late of making а charge. 
ж ж ж ж ж ы ж ж ж 
According to your recommendation I was appointed to Barripur on the 15th Мау” - 
* е 40 z * I could not leave with propriety before the first of 
this month. I was thus fcra long time kept ina disagreeable situation and run great risks of having 
my interests materially injured, yet as very frequently happens in our profession I did not even receive 
thanks from those I had so materially served. Fleming has been very angry with me for staying 
so long, but I know that if I had come away * Y * would have raised such a clamour 
about inhumanity that I should probably [have] been looked upon by every civil servant as a monster. 
Fleming at one time I am told had strong intentions of going home, but as he is now as much 
in favour as ever I hope he will not think of it. I dined yesterday with Boswell, who is very well and 
in gcod spirits, and I am happy to bear from him that you are so much pleased with the Cape." 
From the beginning of October 1798 till the commencement of 1800 Buchanan was 
stationed at Baruipur in the 24-Pergunnshs, not far from Calcutta, and while here he 
kad cecasion to make several voyages in the Western Sundribuns. Not having Roxburgh 
to correspond with, he appears to have given less attention than usual to botany, for 
he collected no specimens; any drawings or descriptions that he made were sent to 
his friend Smith. His zoological studies were, however, steadily pursued, more particularly Ç 
bis investigation of the Gangetic fishes, This subject had already engaged his atten- 
tion while at Puttahaut, for in a letter from there to Roxburgh, dated 30th November 
1797, he says:— : 
“I have given my old painter a gold mohur a month and have him employed on fishes. І am 
attempting to make him do the outlines with some degree of accuracy; when he succeeds іп that I 
shall begin to colour." d 
! This paper, and another on the languages spoken in Burma, were published in Asiatick Researches, vols. v. and vi. 
з This journal was never published, but a good deal of the information it contained appeared subsequently in three 
papers on the froatier between Bengal and Ava, іп the Edinburgh Journal of Science, vols, ii, iii. and iv. 
c à 
