The late Mr. William Griffith. 303 



" So much for Papers, now to Collections. For the same reasons that 

 it would be wrong to send home his papers uncopied, I think it 

 would be equally wrong to send his collections in mass. 



" A complete set of his specimens ought, I think, to be retained for 

 India. This might be easily accomplished, as requiring, on the part 

 of the person making the division, no Botanical knowledge ; all that 

 is wanted on his part being to lay aside one or two specimens from 

 each paper, with copies of whatever remarks or labels might be 

 attached to the original specimens, so as to make the set kept back 

 for India, as nearly a facsimile of the other as possible. Thi ssugges- 

 tion I think it would be judicious to bring to the notice of Govern- 

 ment, both with a view to guard against accidents, and to preserve to 

 India a lasting and proud memorial of the most Herculean labours 

 of one of the most philosophical and industrious men that ever tra- 

 versed its soil for the purpose of investigating its natural products." 



Dr. Wight next alludes to the probability of the collection being 

 for a time useless. " But still these should not stand in the way of doing 

 justice to the memory of Griffith, were it for no other purpose than 

 to act as a stimulus to those who come after. And to ensure this 

 work being done in the best manner, I will willingly give my ser- 

 vices to seeing it executed, first by securing the specimens against 

 the attacks of insects through the application of a spirituous solution 

 of corrosive sublimate, and then having them properly glued down 

 on suitable paper for reference, at the same time arranging them as 

 correctly as my limited time and imperfect knowledge of many of 

 them will permit, into their proper natural orders and genera. 



" So prepared, they might then be deposited among the Garden 

 collections for the benefit of all future Indian Botanists who might 

 wish to consult them. The cost of thus securing them against all 

 contingencies, would not I dare say, exclusive of the paper which 

 would come from the stores, exceed one hundred rupees, while the 

 cases to contain them might be provided for probably at 100 or 150 

 rupees more, and to Indian Botanists such a collection must be well 

 worth ten times the amount. I would urge the adoption of this 

 plan, for the sake of all future Indian Botanists," 



" From the same, dated Coimbatore, 20th June 1845. " As you re- 

 mark, I do not see that poor Griffith's final instructions regarding 



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