A CATALOGUEOFTHE FLOWERING PLANTS ANDFERNS, &C. 165 



was broken up. Unfortunately many specimens appear not to 

 have been adequately labelled, and some of those cited in 

 books as coming" from Penang may have come from Cochin 

 China. Wallich named the rare Asclepiad Fiiilaysonia 

 ohovata after him and his name has been perpetuated by 

 two of our commonest and most charming orchids Brom- 

 headia Finlaysoniaiia and Cymbidinni Finlaysonla?i2tin. 



After his return to Calcutta Wallich received many plants 

 from collectors employed in Penang and chief among these was 

 George Porter, whose name is associated with the common 

 dwarf Dracaena Draccena Porteri. Dr. Prain has kindly ex- 

 amined the Wallichian correspondence at Calcutta to find out 

 something about this collector, and Mr. Kynnersley has 

 also given me some additional information about him. The 

 latter says that in August 1822 the Headmaster of the Penang 

 Free School resigned and Mr. PoRTER who was recommen- 

 ded by Dr. Wallich was appointed at a salary of ^100. 



The same year however a Government Botanic Garden was 

 started near Ayer Hitam and Porter was put in charge, though 

 a judge, Mr Leycester, was nominally the curator. He re- 

 mained there till 1834, at least, when the gardens were sold 

 by Governor Murchison for 1250 rupees. He did not appa- 

 rently have a very happy time as Superintendent of the gar- 

 dens for Governor Ibbetson or rather his wife made trouble 

 because Porter did not supply enough vegetables for their 

 table. In 1834 he sent the first plants of Patchouli to Calcutta 

 Gardens, and this is the last I have heard of him. Dr. Prain 

 thinks that he got appointed Schoolmaster again through the 

 interests of Walltch's friends. 



The East India Herbarium was eventually dispersed, the 

 study set being preserved at the Linnean Society's rooms in 

 London. Wallich compiled and published a catalogue of it, 

 and the plants distributed are quoted in this paper as (Wall. 

 cat.) After this period botany seems to have faded away in 

 Penang, and nothing was done in it for many years. 



Mention must be made however of Governor W. E. Phillips 

 who sent some plants to Kew which are mentioned in the Flora 

 of British India. Mr. Kynnersley is my authority for the fol- 



