INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 47 



often obscure, so that a number of the genera described by 

 Loureiro have not yet been identified, while others, not being 

 recognized, have been described as new, and re-named by sub- 

 sequent botanists. 



We must refer to the Introduction of Wight and Arnott 

 for full details regarding the illustrious series of botanists*, 

 commencing with Konig and ending with Wallich, who in- 

 vestigated with so much success the botany of continental 

 India. The volumes of the ' Asiatic Researches,' and of most 

 of the systematic works of the end of the last and beginning 

 of the present century, afford ample proof of the value of 

 their labours ; but none of them brought their materials to- 

 gether in the form of a flora, except Roxburgh, whose ' Flora 

 Indica' however remained in manuscript for some years after 

 his death, in 1815. Two editions of it have been published 

 since that period; one, which is incomplete, was edited by 

 Drs. Carey and Wallich ; it extends to the end of Pentandria 

 Monogynia, but contains many additional plants not con- 

 tained in Roxburgh's manuscript, and requires therefore oc- 

 casionally to be quoted ; the other, which is an exact reprint 

 of the manuscript as left by its author, is in three volumes, 

 and was published in 1832. 



Besides editing this portion of the 'Flora Indica' of Dr. 

 Roxburgh, Dr. Wallich commenced, in India, an illustrated 

 work on Nipal plants, which was the first specimen of litho- 

 graphy ever produced in that country ; and after his retm-n 

 to England, he published a series of 296 plates of plants in 

 the ' Plantse Asiaticae Rariores,' a work which, with the equally 

 valuable Coromandel plants of Dr. Roxburgh, in three folio 

 volumes, with three hiindred coloured plates, forms the prin- 

 cipal contribution of the Indian Government to the illustra- 

 tion of botanical science. 



The eastern or Malayan Peninsula of India was unknown 

 botanically till it was visited by Jack, whose descriptions of 



* Jone8, Fleming, Hunter, Anderson, Berry, John, Koxbui-gh, Heyue, Klein, 

 Buchanan Hamilton, Russell, Noton, Shuter, Qovan, Finlayson. 



