FRANCIS HAMILTON (ONCE BUCHANAN), lxi 
simultaneously about 1821, but about 1895 he laid aside Rumphius after havinz dealt with 
the two first books and concentrated his attention on Rheede. With the latter hia 
progress became more rapid, for he had finished the tenth volume early in 1826, and 
sent the manuscript of the last part of the work to the linnesn Society of London 
in 1828. 
It was perhaps unfortunate that a writer 
devoted himself to so thankless a task as he ве before himself. Yet his object 
in taking it up is very evident. We are apt now-a-days to forget the extent 
to which the figures of Rheede and Rumphius form the basis of species and 
even genera recognised by Linneus, Lamarck and other less influential exponents 
of the binominal method of nomenclature. The conflicting views held regarding 
the plants figured in these two works, end the often extraordinary identifications 
of the plates of the two authors, suggested in the seclusion of European 
herbaria by the botanists of the latter half of the eighteenth century, were 
only too distracting to the ordinary field worker in India and Malaya; and the 
serious attempt made by Hamilton to satisfactorily elucidate these two books, then 
considered and treated аз fundamental, strikes us now аз a singularly public- 
spirited act. He certainly brought to the task the three essential qualities of ripe 
scholarship, cultivated observation, and. wide personal knowiedge; all that was lacking 
for the successful accomplishment of his design was sympathy оп the part of those 
whom he desired to benefit. 
To the Hortus Malabaricus Hamilton devoted about six years of his valuable life." 
The discussion of the first book was published іп 1822 by the Linnean Society; that 
of second appeared in 1825; that of the third in 1827; that of the fourth was not 
published till 1837. 
The delay in publishing the fourth part till ten years after the manuscript reached 
the Society appears to have been due to the same cause that led to the disappear- 
ance of Lambert’s Hamiltonian specimens. Тһе distribution of the great Wallichian 
Herbarium in 1828 led to the idea that Rheede and Rumphius were now of minor 
importance, А year later Dillwyn, who had for some years been endeavouring to 
ascertain the names of the plants figured by Rheede, and for this purpose had consulted 
the libraries and collections in London, printed privately a review of the dual dps 
to Rheede’s work. This public-spirited action, instead of stirring the Linnean Society’s 
council to a sense of their duty to their Indian and Malayan fellow workers, wa the 
unlooked for result of putting an end altogether to the publication of peng" и 
Dillwyn, as he tells us, had access to Hamilton’s unpublished manuscripts, p" ч сас 
have been supposed that Dillwyn's references made further publication y ; ۴ жей 
work unnecessary. However, Dillwyn's list, excellent. as it is, does A К ы n 
much more than an improved Dennstedt, and the decision to аў the grea ді Е 
of Hamilton’s Commentary, though doubtless 1t seemed wise and necessary | 
: i i sourca оЁ keen regret to 
council of the Linnean Society at the time, has been а 
botanists in India ever since. 
of Hamilton’s calibre should have 
a ; iii: IL Trans, Linn, бос, xiv: IIL, 
1 A commentary on the Hortus Malabaricus: I. Trans. Linn. Soe. xiii: IL Trans 
Trans. Linn, Soc. xv: IV. Trans. Linn. Soc. күйі. ) ) Lkensfein, 1 vol, 8то. Swansea 
2 d review of the references to the Hortus Malabaricus of Henry van Rheede van Draa 
1839: not published. The preface is dated Dee. 25, 1838 
. H 2 — А imer i 1818. 
з Dennstedt : Schluessel zan Hortus Indicus Malabaricus. 1 vol 4to. Wei : і 
