WILLIAM ROXBURGH. 5 
any doubt as to what Roxburgh’s species are. With the characteristic caution of his 
nationality, Roxburgh had several copies male of the manuscript of the Flora Indica, 
One of these he took home with him, intending to occupy the remainder of his life 
in amending and passing it through the press. Another copy he left with his friend, 
the Revd Dr. Carey, the celebrated Christian Missionary, who was himself an 
ardent Botanist, and who had brought together, in the Garden of the Mission House 
at Serampore, a collection of living plants second only to that under Roxburgh’s 
charge at Sibpur. So competent a Botanist was Dr. Carey acknowledged to be, that 
he was put by the Local Government in charge of the Botanic Garden when Roxburgh 
was obliged to leave it; and he continued to held charge of it until relieved by Dr. 
Buchanan-Hamilton, who was nominated its Superintendent by the Court of Directors in 
England. Dr. Roxburgh had not long left India before Dr. Carey passed the Mortus 
Bengalensis through the press, and thus secured for his absent and sick friend priority for 
many of his species. Тһе Hortus Bengalensis consists of two parts, the first being а list of 
the plants growing in the Garden when Roxburgh left it, the second a catalogue of plants 
described by Dr. Roxburgh in his manuscript Flora Indica, but not yet introduced into 
the Botanic Garden. The former list contains about three thousand* five hundred species, 
of which no fewer than fifteen hundred and ten (including many new genera) had been first 
described and named by himself; the second list contains fonr hundred and fifty-three 
species, mostly Roxburghian. As has already been stated, Roxburgh took a copy of his 
manuscript Flora Indica home to Scotland with him, with the intention, in the light of 
the most recent views of systematic Botanists in Europe, of improving and amending it 
prior to publication ; and (as he wrote to Dr. Carey) he hoped to have secured the assistance 
of Robert Brown in this matter. His ill-health, and death so soon after his return home, 
prevented, however, his doing anything towards this object; and the Flora remained in 
‘manuscript and untouched for six years. In the year 1820, however, Doctors Carey and 
Wallich undertook its publication. Dr. Wallich, then Surgeon to the Danish Settlement 
at Serampore and a young Botanist of much promise, had been appointed Superintendent 
of the Caleutta Garden at the end of Dr. Buchanan-Hamilton’s short tenure of office; 
and he had employed the early years of his Superintendentship in making extensive col- 
leetions in Nepal, and subsequently in the Straits of Malacca and in other parts of India 
which had never come within the scope of Roxburgh's efforts. It was decided that 
descriptions of these collections of Wallich should be incorporated with Koxburgh’s manu- 
script, and that the whole should be published under the joint supervision of Carey and 
Wallich. The first volume of this work, covering the Roxburghian manuscript to the end 
‘of Tetrandria, appeared in 1820, and that volume contained but few of Wallich's inter- 
polations. The second volume, which did not appear until four years later, contained, 
however, a great many of them, and it did not quite finish the Pentandria of the Rox- 
burghian manuscripts. In fact, the decision to include Wallich’s novelties was the cause 
of the failure of the whole project. For Wallich’s capacities for collecting were so far 
in excess of his leisure for description and classification that he had to abandon the idea 
of carrying on his share of the work. The publication of the Carey and Wallich 
edition of Roxburgh’s Flora therefore ended prematurely with the second volume. Eight 
years having elapsed without anything having been done towards the completion of its 
publication, its author's two sons, Captains Bruce and James Roxburgh, neither of whom ` 2 p. 
. * Of this number, three hundred were growing in the garden when Roxburgh assumed charge of ii. 
