INTROUUCTOltV ESSAY. 61 



were not always made with a view to extensive distribution, 

 and he frequently could not pay the necessary attention to the 

 preservation of specimens in a fit state for future examina- 

 tion, devoting his time mainly to making notes, which are of 

 extreme value, and to a certain extent obviated the necessity 

 of many specimens. Of these collections we believe one and 

 the only complete set is in Calcutta, and was retained for Mr. 

 Griffith's private use, as containing the manuscript numbers 

 referred to in the journals; the specimens were small and 

 poor. It is of the utmost importance that this should be 

 transmitted to England and deposited in some safe quarter 

 for public access. The total number of species collected by 

 Griffith is probably not under 9000, which is by far the largest 

 number ever obtaiaed by individual exertions. Amongst the 

 distribution of his miscellaneous collections were three conspi- 

 cuous ones : — 



a. Malacca^ Tenasserim, and Afghanistan plants, distri- 

 buted numbered by himself. The best sets of these went 

 to the late Dr. Lemann, and the majority will form part of 

 the Cambridge University Herbarium ; the Afghan ones were 

 transferred, previous to Dr. Lemann's decease, to Mr. Ben- 

 tham, and are incorporated with that botanist's extensive and 

 admirably-named herbarium. The second sets were commu- 

 nicated by Mr. Griffith to Sir William Hooker's herbarium. 

 Others were sent to Dr. Gardner of Ceylon, and Dr. Wight 

 of Madras. Of these, Gardner's were sold at his death, when 

 Sir William Hooker purchased the Malacca specimens. 



b. A distribution, through the late Dr. Lemann, of Khasia 

 and Assam collections; of these, some were formed by Mr. 

 Griffith, at his own expense, and others, we believe, formed 

 part of the Assam Tea Deputation collections, and were due to 

 the joint labours of Dr. Wallich and himself. 



c. More lately there has been a distribution of Khasia, 

 Bhotan, Mishmi, Assam, and Calcutta garden specimens, and 

 of miscellaneous Palms, under the direction of the East In- 

 dia Company. 



