152 JACK'S LETTERS TO WALLICH, 1819-1821. 



We landed on the 31st and soon forgot everything unpleasant. 

 Among the first objects that sainted me were the Nutmeg and 

 Clove i 1 of the latter there are two trees in full blossom before my 

 door. The pride of the East, the Mangosteen, next presented itself. 

 I must seek and get someone to attempt grafting it for the pur- 

 pose of being sent round. The variegated Pineapple, 2 I believe 

 is only a variety of the cultivated ; but I have heard of another kind 

 which probably differs specifically. The Melastom,a malabaihrica 

 is in the greatest profusion. The situation of the anthers before 

 flowering is very remarkable. 



I am convinced this Island will produce many things entirely 

 new. I have already met with and described two species of Mangi- 

 fera,- which must be quite new. The first is called the Bachang 

 and for which I intend the specific name of M. rubicunda. 3 

 [ c Foliis lato lanceolatis retusis, paniculis ascendentibus, floribus 

 submonandris, corollis infundibuliformibns limbo patente demum 

 reflexo']. The other is a very singular one, which I propose to 

 call M. quadrifida* [foliis oblongo lanceolatis, paniculis axillaribus 

 laxis, floribus quadrifidis, monanclris, petalis nudis glandulosis] . 

 Another very interesting discovery is the Nelumbium javanicum, 

 Lamarck, 5 which seems to have been overlooked by later authors, 

 but is without doubt a distinct species from the N. indicum. I 

 have also found the Bubus alcecefolius, Lamarck, which also seems 



1. In the year 1818 there were 6,900 nutmeg trees in bearing in the 

 island of Penang (vide Ridley, Spices, London, 1912, p. 102) besides large 

 numbers of younger trees or males — the acquisition of 22 years; for it was 

 in 1796 that the East India Company undertook the introduction and sent 

 Christopher Smith to the Moluccas for the purpose: and by 1802, when the 

 trees first fruited, Smith and his successors had sent out from the Moluccas 

 71,266 in all, mostly to Penang. 



To the same date they had sent out 55,265 clove trees, also in chief 

 part to Penang; but there was only a lesser measure of success with them 

 up to the time of Jack's visit. 



2. It is quite possible that the pineapple with variegated leaves was 

 familiar to Jack from existing in the Calcutta garden. Roxburgh the first 

 Superintendent of the Garden, knew of its existence "in Malacca." It 

 thrives well in Penang. 



3. Jack subsequently found that the bachang had received the name 

 of Mangifera foetida from Roxburgh: and in these letters we find him 

 first suspecting that this was so, asking Wallich for a diagnosis: then 

 sending specimens to "Wallich, which appear to have reached Calcutta 

 safely for, in or after 1828, Wallich when distributing the collections of 

 the East India Company sent out under No. 8488 material of M. foetida 

 collected by Jack. We find in Carey's and Wallich 's revision of Rox- 

 burgh's Flora Indica a description borrowed from Jack (vol. ii., p. 440). 



4. Mangifera quadrifida, Jack, found a place in the same work, where 

 occur almost the very words used above. 



5. Nelumbium javanicum, Lamk., has been reduced to Nelumbium 

 speciosum along with N, indicum. 



6. Bubus alcecefolius, Poir., is the common bramble in the low ground 

 of Malaya, which has passed in our floras as B. moluccanus. It is interest- 

 ing that Curtis had not found it in Penang (this journal No. 25, 1894). 



Jour. Straits Branch 



