94 MATERIALS FOR A FLORA OF THE MALAYAN PENINSULA. 
f., and T. soapy have divided British India into botanical 
provi cheme, the hand of Dr. Thomson is too 
svidaht’ he has divided the North-west ae where the flora i is 
botanically one, into a large number of very small provinces, 
sonally acquainted are divided very little. The English portion of 
the Malay Penins at is oe arated from the Siamese by the dividing 
t : 
(western) portion is saies (by Hooker, f., eink . Thomson) into 
the two provinces o h 
two provinces were very imperfectly known (geographically and 
botanically) at the date of the earlier parts of the Flora of British 
India. “We will confine ourselves to ‘‘ The Malayan Peninsula” (as 
above defined), which extends from Singapore about 700 miles 
north to the Roetdivetihs boundary. For this area the only special 
previous botanic writings Hooker, f., an omson refer to are 
the excellent but short papers of J ack. For material they had the 
collections (all made during short calls on a sea him e) at Penang, 
alacca, and Singapore ; also even when e Anonacew were 
lections (with snes made by Dr. Mains , who was resident at 
Malacca. Also 1 
the excursion Rinatul to Mt. Ophir (alt. 5000 feet), which excursion 
supplies an extraordinary number of peculiar and reese 
species. A glance at tle map will show that these collections 
far from botanically exhausting the province. It is clea r that th the 
Malayan Peninsula (as we are narrowing it down) must cules a 
similar vegetable wealth to Sumatra or Java (cutting off the upper 
4000 feet of those islands). The last twenty years have greatly 
extended our sphere of knowledge in the Malayan Peninsula: 
owing to the large discoveries in tin, the state of Perak has been 
invaded by English —— and has been brought closely under 
a oe control 
ove and further considerations, Dr. King was led 
to rite idinalnd attention to the Malay Peninsula as a field 
of research whence to enrich the Galsttte: Herbarium. He sent 
collectors to Perak especially, and to neighbouring states that were 
- — up ” for European visitors. The results surpassed his 
expectations. His collectors visited the old collecting ground in 
Penang and found numerous fine new species there. This is not 
ve 
aa himself. Father Scortechini, a most enthusiastic collector, 
one a long visit to Perak, and his collections came to the Calcutta 
Dr. ing, though able as well as ally aeuith man to ipailien the sapaltate 
of the secsltiiclnks Wed thes: Bods almost driven, to undertake the 
