183 JACK'S LETTERS TO WALLICH, 1819-1 MM. 



were nearly exhausted in Bengal without having done much, and 

 the credit of the collection they now make, will of course he theirs, 

 though the property of it he British. This I believe from some 

 private conversation I had with Sir S. on the subject of deriving 

 the most advantage from their labours, to be nearly his plan, and 

 certainly they may be very useful, as the subjects are by no means 

 such as are generally cultivated, particularly in this country. 

 They also regard less than most people the trifling inconveniences 

 of bad smells, putrescency &c. &c. and are therefore well fitted 

 for anatomists. What I have now mentioned, as I have not heard 

 Sir S. speak openly on the subject, is of course private between us. 

 It will explain however, why I do not like to make any private 

 collection for myself, or to do anything that could look like inter- 

 fering, especially as they might feel a kind of jealousy, and I do 

 not suppose they entertain any affection for me : that of course 

 I care very little about, and they are liberal enough of politesses, 

 but as Sir S. evidently endeavours to keep them in good humour 

 by little attentions, I do the same, or at least nothing to the con- 

 trary. If I wished anything, particularly anything of that des- 

 cription, I would ask Sir S. for it. You see therefore it will be 

 very little in my power to send to Col. Hardwicke. as he is himself 

 a correspondent of Sir S. who will probably send from himself. 

 If I should ever be separate, the case would alter. 



A species of Quercus was brought in to me a day or two ago. 

 Xat. name Punning. 143 Eoxb. I see has several Penangian. I 

 have been thinking how it would do to employ a man with you to 

 sketch off rapidly on thin paper, the outlines of such of Roxb.'s 

 drawn species as I am likely to meet with here, which would be 

 of considerable use to me and would there be any objection to 

 such copies being taken ? yes, one suggests itself this moment, the 

 putting the vols, in the hands of natives to finger, by which they 

 have already suffered ; however you will judge, and whether it 

 would be worth the trouble. I have found also the Ccesalpinia? 

 s^waWana Poxb., 144 and the Brucea sumaifana, 1 * 5 the latter figur- 

 ed in Eumph. 



113. Apparently Quercus racemosa, Jack, in Malayan Miscellanies, 

 ii. (1822), No. 7, p. 86, which is found to be the same as Quercus spieata, 

 Smith (Pasania spieata, Oerst.) a widely distributed species. 



14-1. Eoxbnrgh had described in MS. Ccesalpinia sumatrana from a 

 plant introduced into the Calcutta gardens from Sumatra. It is found to 

 be a Mesoneuron and becomes M. sumatranum, W. & A. It has been collect- 

 ed since Jack 's time on the Bencoolen coast. 



1-15. Brucea sumatrana, Eoxb., had been introduced into the Calcutta 

 Gardens similarly and described by Eoxburgh, in the manuscript of his 

 Flora indi"a. It is a common Malayan plant recorded for the Bencoolen 

 coast in other places than this. One interest which attaches to it, is that 

 Wallich collected it in Singapore island, where it had ceased to grow 

 towards the end of the last century, probably in consequence of clearing 

 (vide Eidley in the Agricultural Bulletin of the Straits and Federated 

 Malay States, i, 1902, p. 343). 



Jour. Straits Branch 



