THE PALMS OF BRITISH INDIA AND CEYLON. 37 



scientific knowledge is communicated in this counti-y, more especially 

 in the Medical and other Colleges, from which all that is to be 

 expected in the dissemination of this science among the natives of India 

 must at present be derived . . , The determination of the species 

 having been difficult, indeed nearly insuperably so to me, in reference 

 to the means possessed in India, the numerous names new to science 

 proposed in this work, must be taken with some qualification. I shall 

 never regret to see any of these names cancelled in favour of others 

 justly prior, that is to say, prior by definition, and by publication. 

 However imperfect the definition may be ; and it must be confessed, 

 that most of those of palms are necessarily imperfect, still it bears 

 evidence of a wish on the part of an author to do his duty by the 

 science, for which, moreover, he thus endeavours to show a proper 

 respect. But I would not be disposed to waive my right, in favour 

 of mere MSS. names originating in indolence, and too often fostered 

 by a courtesy of a very mischievous nature, inasmuch as the practice 

 is directly opposed to proper observation and due discrimination. 

 Such names are, in fact, only weak and temporary usurpations of 

 authority." 



The materials from which the work has been prepared were an 



extensive collection of palms made by Griffith himself and his friends 



in various parts of India, more especially at Malacca, and in Assam, 



and of a few found in the Botanic Gardens of Calcutta. To these we 



must add the species figured in Roxburgh's national collection of 



drawings and most of those described in his " Flora Indica." The 



species of Buchanan Hamilton, amounting to nine in number, Griffith 



has not been able to determine, in default either of manuscripts, 



specimens, or drawings. For the rest, Griffith has been much assisted, 



as he says himself, by Martius' great work on palms, so far as regards 



the sections, and from Mohl's contribution to it he derived most of 



what relates to structure. It was Griffith, on the other hand, that 



enabled Martius to describe in his 3rd volume a considerable number 



of Indian species, as only a few months before his death he had sent 



his whole collection of palms to Martius, who at that time was 



engaged in finishing his monumental " Historia Naturalis Palmarum." 



During the lifetime of Griffith and especially in the second half of 



the 19th century, valuable work has been done in the exploration of 



the palm-flora by many botanists in various parts of India. We 



