276 REPORT— 1882. 



Committee. Of all other specimens Mr. Forbes is to retain uncontrolled 

 power of disposition.' 



This arrangement was accepted by Mr. Forbes by telegram on Feb- 

 ruary 21 of the present year ; and, as had been arranged with his repre- 

 sentative, the time being pressing, a credit for lOOL was telegraphed out 

 to him at a cost of 21. 14s. 8d. 



Subsequently the following letter, dated April 1882, was received 

 from Mr. Forbes : — 



' Bat a via. 



' My dear Sir, — I have deferred writing to you till all my arrange- 

 ments for the Timor-laut expedition had been completed, and I ti-ust you 

 ■will pardon my seeming want of courtesy in not writing directly to your- 

 self before this. 



' On arrival here at the beginning of the year from Sumatra, I at 

 once made application to the Government for the continuance of the 

 grant of the war vessel made to me by the late Governor-General, without 

 which it would have been almost impossible for me to have accepted the 

 Association's grant. Last year I was under the impression that vessels 

 belonging to certain Arabs went there evciy year. This I now find to be 

 erroneous. They do not go to Timor-laut itself, nor to any of the near 

 islands, nor is there any means of communication save from Amboina 

 in the boats used by the tortoise-shell gatherers, which could not well 

 take me and my baggage, nor bring back my botanical collections. I 

 had to wait a very long time for the reply of the Governor- General — in 

 fact, until March 12 or 13, when I telegraphed to London. My arrange- 

 ments are now to leave here by the first steamer — in fact, the first since 

 my reply from the Government here — for Amboina, where the Tagal is 

 now lying. I asked that the vessel should remain with me, but the 

 Admiral here cannot grant that, the full disposition of the steamer being 

 in the power of the Resident (Mr. Riedel), who, I have some hope, will 

 accompany me to the island. From the Gardens here I am taking- 

 Wardian cases; and while the vessel stays, if it be for a short time 

 only, I shall fill them, and have them sent to Buitenzorg to be estab- 

 lished before sending them home to Kew. Part of the duplicates must 

 remain here, both for the purpose of replacing such as die on the way to 

 London, and partly as the return to the Government for the use of the 

 Tagal. If the natives are too hostile, I may not be able to remain 

 entirely unprotected, but 1 believe they are very much more friendly 

 than is supposed, in which Dr. Machlucho Macleay, whom I had the 

 pleasure of meeting here recently on his way to Europe, confirms me. If 

 so, and if the Tagal cannot remain with me, I shall risk residence on the 

 island by myself and my company, and take what chance may pi'esent 

 itself of getting oS". 



' The mere transport is excessively expensive — from Batavia to 

 Amboina alone it is 401. Had it been necessary for me to find my own 

 way down to Timor-laut, lOOZ. would not have paid the expenses even of 

 landing me there. 



' I have to thank you for telegraphing to the Bank here the credit of 

 1001., of which I was at once informed. When I have seen Mr. Riedel 

 at Amboina, I shall write you fully of the prospects of success. 

 ' Believe me, yours very sincerely, 



(Signed) ' Henry 0. Forbes.* 



