1856.] Herbarium of the Calcutta Botanic Garden. 405 



Notes on the Herbarium of the Calcutta Botanic Garden, with espe- 

 cial reference to the completion of the Flora Indica. — By Thoma.s 

 Thomson, M. D., F. E. 8. t Supt. H. C. Bot. Garden. 



It is probably known to all the members of the Asiatic Society who 

 are interested in the science of Botany, that Dr. Hooker and my- 

 self have undertaken the publication of a complete work on Indian 

 plants, the first volume of which, under the title of Flora Indica, 

 was published last year. The continuation and completion of this 

 work is of the utmost importance to the advancement of Indian 

 Botany, which is much retarded by the want of a properly digested 

 catalogue. The further progress of the work will, however, in a 

 great measure depend on the co-operation of botanists throughout 

 India, the materials here, though extensive, being too incomplete, 

 to enable me to advance without further contributions. 



I bring this subject before the Asiatic Society therefore with a 

 double object. I wish in the first place to make known the nature 

 and extent of the Herbarium belonging to the garden, and in the 

 second, by means of the Society and the Journal, to bring to the 

 knowledge of botanists in all parts of India, the assistance which 

 it is in their power to render in furthering the progress of a work, 

 the object of which is, to render available to the student of Indian 

 plants information scattered over a thousand detached works, and 

 therefore only accessible to the professional botanist. 



The Calcutta Botanic Garden is associated almost with the com- 

 mencement of modern Indian Botany. The classic work of old 

 Bheede who, two centuries ago, illustrated a series of drawings, often 

 remarkable for their fidelity, by a condensation of all the facts 

 obtainable from the most intelligent Brahmins of Malabar, belongs 

 to a former epoch, and stands alone. It was for many years almost 

 the only source from which botanists could know Indian plants, 

 and even now we have in many cases to refer to its plates instead of 

 to nature for the types of the genera of the older botanists. 



Modern Indian Botany began with the Danish missionaries of 

 Southern India, who were attracted to the science, in the first 

 instance, by the benevolent wish to combine the practice of the 



