| arrive at a more satisfactory result. My 
visit to Courtallam was a professional one, 
and extended to eight days only; those of 
my arrival and departure included. In 
that time I made five excursions, none ex- 
ceeding one fourth of the distance of that 
which I have above described, and return- 
ed to Palamcottah with species belonging 
to about eighty Natural Orders, exclusive 
of about fifty species still undetermined, 
and of a great number of plants lost in 
the drying from having run short of paper. 
The number of species of which I have 
actually got specimens, considerably ex- 
ceeds three hundred; I cannot say how 
many were lost. Besides these, no speci- 
mens were gathered of a large proportion 
of the high trees, which we had time nei- 
ther to cut down nor climb; but several of 
them were ascertained from the fallen fruit 
to be new. The more common plants, of 
Which I already possessed specimens, or 
could easily obtain at any other time, were 
altogether rejected, making a total of pro- 
bably not fewer than five hundred species 
seen in flower or fruit, in the short space 
of five days, and at a rather unfavourable 
‘Season of the year. These numbers afford 
data, from which I think we may safely 
infer, that a very small portion of these 
» hills, say twenty miles square, possesses a 
Il Flora of probably little short of fifteen hun- 
s dred species of vascular plants, including 
Fers im the wider sense of the term; and 
if the field be extended to the higher hills 
to the North and South-west, I have no 
. doubt that five hundred more may be 
added. I say five hundred, for the hills 
alluded to rise more than fifteen hundred 
feet above the one we ascended ; a height 
E at whichanalmost new Flora presents itself. 
Tf there is any truth in this calculation, it 
follows that on this mere speck of ground, 
3 Flora of the whole of the British Islands, 
| me nearly equalling in amount the number 
| . ^ Species described in Roxburgh's Flora 
Indica, Surely, if ever a country deserved 
7e scrutinizing search of an able and dili- 
t Botanist, it is this. So satisfied am I 
BOTANICAL EXCURSION IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF COURTALLAM. 
331 
on this point, that I have now three native 
collectors employed here. It is true, I do 
not expect much from their exertions, as 
natives are always timid explorers of the 
jungle, unless led by an European, when 
they will cheerfully follow; but, as the 
field in itself is one of the richest I know, 
I send them to it, as one from which I 
have the best chance of procuring valuable 
additions to my already extensive collec- 
tions, and one which my other occupations 
do not permit me to investigate by my own 
exertions. 
As this letter greatly exceeds its antici- 
pated limits, I must conclude with the 
hope that my unfavorable expectations re- 
specting the success of my collectors, may 
not be realized. 
I remain, &c. 
P.S. 4th September, 1835. 
There being no ships about to sail when 
I finished the preceding communication, I 
kept it open, in case anything additional 
should occur to be added. And it so hap- 
pened, that my services being required a 
second time at Courtallam, I availed my- 
self of the opportunity to make several 
excursions, by which I have nearly dou- 
bled my collections, and added a great 
many new plants. Among them may be 
mentioned several Annonacee, five or six 
handsome Balsams, one so very curious 
and distinct, that I propose to constitute it 
a new genus, under some such name as 
Koryanthus, in allusion to the helmet 
formed by the two upper sepals. Two or 
three very remarkable Melastomacee will 
form, I believe, a novel and very distinct 
genus. I have also a very fine new Cero- 
pegia; two undescribed species of Didy- 
mocarpe@, one of them I think, constitut- 
ing a distinct genus, allied to the Wulfenia 
of Wallich's Tent. F7. Nepal. ; a great va- 
riety of Orchidee ; a number of Aroidee, 
among which is an enormous Pothos, and 
two or three genera quite new to me. Of the 
Bamboo, 1 found flowering specimens, but 
not in a very good state, and several Ca- 
rices which I have not seen before; and 
