1909. | Proceedings of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. |xxxvii 
Hospital, Calcutta. Thereafter he did duty with the 4lst Regi- 
ment of Native Infantry at Agra, then was Civil Surgeon of 
Muthra for a short time, then Assistant Surgeon of the Ist 
Central India Horse, and then Assistant Surgeon in medical 
charge of the Jodhpur (Marwar) Political Agency, his last 
purely medical appointment. In December 1868 he was 
in the Forest Department for about a year and half, until on 
appointed at the same time to be Superintendent of the Bengal 
Cinchona Department and Professor of Botany at the Medical 
College, Calcutta. 
In 1871 the condition of the Botanic Garden and of the 
Cinchona Department was the reverse of encouraging to the 
new Superintendent. The devastative cyclones of 1864 and 
1867 had played such havoc with the Garden that it was little 
tter than a swampy wilderness of ‘‘ ooloo’’ grass, while 
the Cinchona Department had almost succumbed in the struggle 
with initial difficulties. 
With the confidence and liberal support of the Government 
of Bengal, King set himself to his double task ; and both the 
confidence and support were admirably justified. With a 
delicate appreciation of landscape effect, and through years of 
labour, the Garden became transformed from a wilderness to 
a scene of beauty such as Heine imagined when he wrote :— 
‘‘ Auf Fliigeln des Gesanges 
Herzliebchen, trag’ ich dich fort. 
Fort nach den Fluren des Ganges, 
ort weiss ich den schénsten Ort ; 
Die Lotosblumen erwarten 
hr trautes Schwesterlein. 
Dort wollen wir nieder sinken 
Und Lieb’ und Ruhe trinken, — 
Und traiumen seligen Traum.” 
