288 



Report on the Botanic Garden of Calcutta. 



tendent. 



By Dr. Wallich, Superin- 



This document, like the report of Dr. Falconer, consists exactly of 

 nineteen paragraphs; but here the resemblance ceases. As to the expense 

 of his establishment, Dr. W. is silent, conscious perhaps, that the least 

 said is soonest mended. In doing himself the honour of submitting his 

 report, he asks permission to make earnest apologies for not having 

 furnished it earlier. The report embraces a period of five year3, from 

 January 1836 to 31st December 1840, during which period the garden 

 cost probable about 2,50,000 rupees. 



In the 2nd paragraph, Dr. Wallich ventures respectfully to rest his 

 hopes of approbation on his anxious efforts to promote the Agricul- 

 ture and Horticulture of India, on the list of plants (list A.) distri- 

 buted from the Garden during the last five years, and on the list of 

 persons to whom they were given, and the boxes in which they were 

 sent. This is referred to as list B. 



We have been at some trouble to analyse both these lists, and the 

 following is the result abstract of plants dispatched from the Botanic 

 Garden for the last five years, to the following places : — 



Names of places where the Plants were sent to. 



No. of sorts 

 of Plants. 



Total 

 Number. 



ax 

 <o 



CO 



eg 



Plants sent to England, 



Ditto ditto to France, 



Ditto ditto to British Colonies, 



Ditto ditto to Africa, 



Ditto ditto to Stations in India beyond \ 



V. RICH LI (X y ••• • • • ••• ■ • ■ 



To residents in Calcutta and its vicinity, 



4,251 



1,392 



414 



427 



1,609 



5,645 



1,612 



602 



1,787 



8,177 



1,72,109 



261 

 58 

 25 

 39 



128 



145 



The total number of plants distributed in and around Calcutta in five 

 years, thus amounts to 1,72,109 ; to all other parts of India and the rest 

 of the world during the same period, the total number of plants distri- 

 buted is 17,823, or rather less than one-tenth of the number of plants 

 given out to persons residing in the vicinity of the Garden. Dr. 

 Wallich carefully inserts in list A, the scientific names of no less than 

 1,431 species distributed as above in five years; but he omits to distin- 

 guish in this list the useful from the useless, and the merely ornamental 



