294 Calcutta Garden. 



without incurring any increase of an expenditure, already much too 

 great. 



One object of considerable importance connected with the difficulty ex- 

 perienced by Dr. Wallich of cultivating in Bengal, seems to be entirely 

 omitted in his report. Were such plants of temperate climates as ap- 

 pear on the list of distribution freshly imported, or had they in any 

 measure overcome the difficulties which doubtless exist in lower Bengal, 

 Cerasus puddum, Viola odorata, Camelia Kissi and caudata, Fragaria 

 vesca, Spiraea Roxburghiana, Achillse nobilis, Fraxinus floribunda, &c. 

 would have given valuable statistics on this question. The localities of 

 all the plants in the list should have been enumerated, and the useful 

 properties of such as possessed any, should also have been stated. 



The labour expended in lists of mere names, might have been made 

 to afford a valuable contribution to Botanical Geography. Of the 

 ornamental plants, the richest portion of the list consists of Indian 

 species, and yet it does not embrace above a third of our list of 

 Melostomacese. Of Compositse, containing some thousand species, 

 many ornamental, the list only presents 18. 



Another point of great importance is omitted; no details of the extent 

 to which any useful plants have been introduced. Is Melanorrhsea 

 still one of the Plants; Asiaticae Rariores ; or are cabinet-makers likely 

 to be able to avail themselves of its beautiful varnish ? 



Mr. J. B. Tassin. 



This gentleman, whose Maps are so well known to the Indian Public, 

 being about to return to Europe, we cannot allow the opportunity to 

 pass without offering our tribute to the liberality with which his time 

 and acquirements, as a Lithographic artist, were always held available 

 for works of a scientific or literary character. On our return from 

 Assam, Mr. Tassin offered to lithograph the whole of the Drawings of the 

 Animals collected on that occasion, free of expense beyond the actual 

 cost of paper and printing. The Plates of the Journal and Researches of 

 the Asiatic Society were lithographed by Mr. Tassin, on the same liberal 

 terms up to the departure of Mr. James Prinsep, who was so sensible of 

 the obligation, that had he lived, Mr. Tassin would not have been allow- 

 ed to quit Calcutta without a vote of thanks, or some higher mark of 

 the Society's respect. 



