302 The late Mr. William Griffith. 



these collections, and the hopes I had of making them subservient 

 to a general scientific flora of India, I need not press on you, how 

 much I am interested in their proper disposal, and their being properly- 

 brought before the scientific public ; and I would say the same re- 

 garding my drawings and manuscripts.' The two can easily be 

 combined by printing and publishing the whole in this country be- 

 fore sending a single line or drawing out of it. Once published, they 

 are at once and for ever safe, and doubtless they will be as carefully 

 edited here as they could be in Europe, where those of his friends 

 who are really qualified to do them justice, and would be willing for 

 his sake to take the trouble, have for the most part occupation 

 enough of their own. 



" But even supposing we had an Editor in Europe ready to engage 

 in the duty, which is far from being the case now that Mr. Solly 

 is no more, still as nearly all his labours have reference to Indian 

 Botany, his papers to my mind, ought beyond all question to be 

 first published in India, especially under the existence of a proper 

 medium for doing so in your journal, which is very fairly supported 

 by the public. 



" On these grounds I am strongly of opinion that an immediate 

 application should be made to Government for them, for the purpose 

 of publication in the journal previous to their being sent to Europe, 

 of course giving the assurance that the utmost care will be taken 

 of the originals, and that no pains will be spared towards having 

 them as correctly edited as circumstances will permit. It could at 

 the same time be urged, as you observe, that publication here does 

 not interfere with ultimate publication in Europe in a more perfect 

 form, accompanied with all his already published papers ; nor do I 

 think that previous publication in the Journal would at all interfere 

 with the sale of a complete edition of all his works, should such be 

 afterwards published. I confess I feel most anxious for the pub- 

 lication of his Botanical papers in this country, under the impression 

 that, should they ever find their way to the India House before pub- 

 lication, the labours of the greatest Botanist that ever set foot in 

 India will be lost, perhaps for ever swamped, amidst the accumulated 

 records of hundreds of men, that are daily being added to their stores. 



