ships ; and the loss sustained by the premature 

 death of an ardent genius, and eminent votary 

 of science, however paralysing and painful, 

 should rather induce us to redouble our exer- 

 tions, if not with the hope of repairing the 

 loss, at least with the view of lessening its 

 effects, as far as the circumstances of the case 

 may admit of. 



Extract of a letter from Dr. Wight, dated Coimbatore 6th March, 



1845. 



" I send along with this a little paper the joint production of 

 Mr. Gardner and myself as commencement of a quarterly series of 

 Botanical Papers from one or both of us. The modest labours of Mr. 

 Griffith has placed your Journal in the first ranks of Botanical 

 Periodicals. I do not anticipate that we shall be able to maintain 

 that high tone but still, we are anxious to do what we can towards 

 placing Indian Botany as nearly as we are able on a par with English, 

 as exhibited in the only purely Botanical Journal published at home. 

 Should we fail in this, I trust we will still be able to satisfy Euro- 

 pean Botanists that the Calcutta Journal of Natural History is the 

 proper source to which all must apply who wish to be informed 

 regarding the progress of Botanical Science in India. 



Calcutta, \ 

 15th April, 1845. ) 



