LoTEX. 



250 ISLAND OF CEYLON. 



to the fides of the twigs ; are of a round fliape, and of the fize 

 of a common plumb: each has within two nuts, of no fort of 

 ufe; the leaves are triangular, and grow in pairs. The timber 

 is ufeful, efpecially for fliingles to cover houfes. Of the pith 

 may be made a fort of Sago, but far inferior to the true kind. 

 ^oHN Gideon I AIM fo much indebted to my late worthy friend 'jobn Gideon 



Loteti, Efq. for my acquaintance with the zoology of Ceylon, 

 and various particulars refpe«fting its natural hiitory, that it 

 •would be ungrateful in me not to pay the full tribute of praife 

 to his memory. I became acquainted with him a few years 

 after his arrival in England, in 1758, and long enjoyed the 

 valuable frienddiip of a man of the ftridteft honor, integrity, 

 liberality, fimplicity, and gentlenefs of manners. He was by 

 birth a Dutchman, a native of Utrecht. He went to India 

 in the year 1732, where he exercifed feveral of the higheft 

 offices at Batavia, and in the iflands of Ceylon and Celebes, with 

 the higheft credit, he alleviating the cares of his important 

 duties with the fulleft cultivation of the liberal arts. At Colombo 

 he eftabliflied a botanical garden ; and in every place made the 

 pleafing ftudy of natural hiftory a principal object. He brought 

 over with him a large colkdtion of drawings, done with equal 

 neatnefs and accuracy, fome by the natives, others by Euro- 

 peans whom he found in the country\ I was indebted to his 

 friendfliip for copies of feveral ; but the greater part he at my 

 requeft liberally communicated to Peter Broivn, an ingenious 

 artift> a Dane by birth, who engraved not fewer than twenty- 

 one, and, with feveral others from different places, publifhed a 

 3 fplendid 



