130 
Calcutta, Aug.19, 1818.—“ Dr. Wallich 
has kindly insisted on my staying with 
him to pursue my Botanical researches : 
he has an excellent house in a delightful 
situation, about six miles below Calcutta, 
where I hope to pass my time most agree- 
ably, free from those temptations to fatigue 
and exertion which beset me at Calcutta, 
and where I trust to be so much benefited 
by ease of body and mind, that my health 
will improve as fast as it could do from a 
sea voyage, to which so many inconve- 
niences are attached. Though my plans 
are h arranged, I expect that my 
Botanical e will turn to some ac- 
count. I am now engaged in drawing up 
a paper on some of my discoveries, which 
I have promised to furnish for a periodical 
work, about to be printed at the Serampore 
press, to which Dr. Wallich has agreed to 
contribute, and he wishes for my aid in 
the performance. We also propose, some 
time hence, to undertake jointly a Botanical 
work, for which we possess ample materials 
in the immense number of new plants 
eue he has already received, and is daily 
ceiving from that most glorious and 
netten field, Nepaul. It will be illus- 
trated by figures, and you must know we 
have got natives instructed to engrave in a 
manner that will surprise you. Iam pro- 
digiously busy preparing my paper, and 
making some drawings of the new vege- 
table productions, which I discovered dur- 
ing my Nepaul campaign. Dr. Wallich is 
really a most noble excellent man, and has 
shown the warmest and strongest interest 
in my favour.” 
Botanical Gardens, Calcutta, Nov. 10, 
1818.—" I hasten to inform you of the 
occurrences of the last few days, which 
have made a considerable alteration in my 
plans, since I wrote to you. Some days 
ago, Sir Stamford Raffles, the governor of 
Sumatra, came here to see the pation and 
spent the day, during which Dr. -Wallich 
and I had a long conversation with him, 
the result of which has been, my agreeing 
to accompany him to Sumatra, and his 
promising to forward my views, and in 
particular, to afford me every facility for 
‘MEMOIR OF THE LATE MR. WILLIAM JACK. 
exploring the Natural History of that is- 
land, where I doubt not to meet with 
many new and interesting things, by send- 
ing which home, I may form some useful 
connections. I expect to sail, shortly, 
with Sir Stamford Raffles, in the Com- 
pany’s cruizer, “ Nearchus.” The party 
will consist of Sir S. and Lady Raffles, 
two Civilians on the Bencoolen Establish- 
ment, an Artillery Officer, and two French 
Naturalists, who have been recommended 
to Sir S. Raffles, and whom he employs 
as such; their subject is the Animal 
Kingdom—one of them is nephew to the 
celebrated Cuvier. Sumatra being, in 
part, a volcanic country, I intend to study 
its Mineralogy as well as its Botany, and 
have purchased the last edition of Jame- 
son’s Mineralogy, by the aid of which, 
with two other works on the same subject, 
and all the observation I can bestow, I 
hope to make some progress. Sir S. Raf- 
fles possesses a large and very scientific 
library, which he kindly offers to place 
entirely at my command.” 
Pulo Pinang, Tth March, 1819.—“1 
am botanizing with great ardour; there is 
a great field here, and it is really astonish- 
ing how much I find that is new in a place 
that has been so long in British possession. 
The fact is, that the whole of the Eastern 
Islands have been scarcely the subject of 
scientific research, or in so superficial and 
imperfect a degree, as rather to excite than 
satisfy curiosity. Sumatra is almost a vir- 
gin country; for though we have had a 
settlement on it at Bencoolen, no individual 
there before Sir Stamford ever penetrated 
into the country twenty miles beyond its 
limits. Java, which is much better known 
to us, differs, though situated so near, from 
Sumatra, in its whole constitution, being 
entirely volcanic, while the latter is in @ 
great measure, of primitive formation; the 
soil, productions, every thing is unlike. je 
The vast Eastern Archipelago seems to — 
present four ign divisions, diene 
Malays, and forms, as it were, the extre- 
Va ye 
i i aye cde 
1 
