jyill PREFACE. 



^^ SO practical, the mass of information so great, that it wouhi be a 

 ^•' mortal sin not to publish them. The work will do Voigt very 

 *^ great credit — it must have cost him great labour, and I can 

 " answer for it, that it will perpetuate his name as an Indian 

 " Botanist. You know such works are the statistics of Botanical 

 " Systematic Science. 



*' The Catalogue would certainly command an European sale, 

 ^■' as it would be essential to all real Botanists. Indeed I know of 

 " none, which would contain so much interesting information. The 

 '• present size perhaps had better be adopted ; it is a common one 

 '^ on the Continent, and is not altogether unwieldy. To complete 

 " it, you must give a short outline of Voigt's life. ***** 



'^ I hope the work will be profitable pecuniarily, for I should 

 '^' like to see a handsome monument erected to Voigt, if possible, 

 " in these gardens, where, as his memory would then be associated 

 '• with that of Roxburgh, Jack, and I hope Buchanan, it would be 

 " in good company.* 



" The MSS. when printed will be a mass of information avail- 

 "able to the Public. They give exact references to the native 

 '^ country, the Bengalee name, the medical or economical proper- 

 " ties, date of introduction and flowering season, and whether or 

 " no the fruits are ripened, also the description of plant, whether 

 " shrub, tree, etc. etc. 



*^ It will be on the ground of its being a Genera of Plants of 

 "Lower Bengal, and its great practical utihty, that I shall be 

 *' delighted to recommend it as the systematic hand-book of the 

 " Botanical class, as such it will constitute era the second in 

 " Bengal Botany. '^f 



The Indexes and other parts necessary to the publication of the 

 Catalogue were still untouched when Mr. Griffith's death frustrated 



• Dr. Griffith was so bent on seeing the wish here mentioned accomplished, 

 that he selected a monument himself some time before his departure lor 

 Malacca, and on the day of his embarkation desired that " it might still be 

 reserved as he had originally directed for erection in the Garden on some 

 future day in memory of Dr. Voi;^t." It is a melancholy fact, that the same 

 monument has since been purchased by his friends for erection on his own 

 remains at Malacca. 



f The number of Genera described is 1737, distributed under 278 orders, 

 which with tlic number of species is enumerated in a subsequent page, as 

 showing; at a •'laucc the contents of the work. 



