PREFACE. xv 



the handsome manner in which they volunteered me 

 their assistance in these laborious operations. Mr. J. 

 Muller resided at Dorjiling during eighteen months of 

 my stay in Sikkim, over the whole of which period his 

 generous zeal in my service never relaxed • he assisted 

 me in the reduction of many hundreds of my obser- 

 vations for latitude, time, and elevation, besides adjusting 

 and rating my instruments; and I can recal no more 

 pleasant days than those thus spent with these hospitable 

 friends. 



Thanks to Dr. Falconer's indefatigable exertions, such 

 of my collections as reached Calcutta were forwarded 

 to England in excellent order ; and they were tempo- 

 rarily deposited in Kew Gardens until their destination 

 should be determined. On my return home, my scientific 

 friends interested themselves in procuring from the 

 Government such aid as might enable me to devote 

 the necessary time to the arrangement, naming, and 

 distributing of my collections, the publication of my manu- 

 scripts, &c. I am in this most deeply indebted to the 

 disinterested and generous exertions of Mr. L. Horner, 

 Sir Charles Lyell, Dr. Lindley, Professor E. Forbes, and 

 many others ; and most especially to the Presidents 

 of the Royal Society (the Earl of Rosse), of the Linnean 

 (Mr. R. Brown), and Geological (Mr. Hopkins), who 

 in their official capacities memorialized in person the 

 Chief Commissioner of Woods and Forests on this 

 subject ; Sir William Hooker at the same time bringing 

 it under the notice of the First Lord of the Treasury. 



