200 JACK'S LETTEES TO WALLICH, 1819-1821. 



pleasure of seeing his own flesh devoured before his eyes. Cutting 

 off his head is the conclusion of the ceremony. Will you give 

 credit to this tale? however incredible, I fear it is a fact. How- 

 ever it is our intention sometime or other to pay them a visit, and 

 have the evidence of our eyes to the matter. AVe are resolved to 

 witness a human feast. Shall I send you a tit bit preserved in 

 pyro-ligneous acid? The palms of the hands are epicurean mor- 

 sels, or will you have a great toe? More of this however at another 

 time. 



I enclose to you two letters for Mr. Colebrooke and Mr. 

 Lambert, 104 which pray forward. Read them and tell me if you 

 approve; I wrote them in hopes of being aide to send them per 

 Carnatic, but was too late; I wrote Brown 195 by her. Pray how 

 goes on the report, has it gone in? L wish we could have finished 

 it together, but it will be just as good otherwise. I shall be anxious 

 to hear what it produces. We must keep in view the bringing 

 about a connection between us in the Dept. 



I shall also enclose letters for Calder 198 and Lindsay; 107 you 

 see I do not spare you in any way. There are enough of requests 

 and commissions in this for one letter at least. 



Sir Stamford has completely recovered on the way down, and 

 is now as well as ever. By the bye. lie wishes to ask you some 

 •day that you happen to be in Calcutta, to take a look at the speci- 

 men of the Bintooron, 11 ' 8 an animal sent up from Malacca by 

 Major Farquhar to the Asiatic Society and in the Museum, and 



ascertain the number of its teeth; is a desideratum; also 



if you can, whether it is what Cuvier calls a plantigrade, i.e., 

 whether the whole length of the foot is applied to the ground. 



194. Aylmer Bonrke Lambert (1761-1842), a great collector of plants. 

 He inherited a considerable patrimony which he used freely for the 

 furtherance of science, chiefly by getting together large collections which 

 were at the service of savants. David Don -was his curator, the author 

 of the Prodromus -flora? nepalensis, which was based on material obtained by 

 Lambert from Wallich. Eaffles and Jack sent to him Sumatran plants. 

 And at his sale in 1842 lot No. Ill was catalogued as probably from 

 Jack and lot 255 as from Eaffles, and others. According to information 

 most kindly supplied by Sir David Drain, Director of the -Koyal Botanic 

 Gardens, Kew, the first was bought by the dealer William Damplin for 

 £1, the second by someone named Eich for £3 : their subsequent fate is not 

 known to the writer. Lambert was one of the original members of the 

 Linnean Society and for nearly fifty years a Vice-President. 



195. Eobert Brown, see note No. 73 p. 168. 



196. See note No. 38 p. 161. 



197. See note No. 81 p. 172. 



198. Artictis Binturong — the Cat-bear which occurs from Assam to 

 Java; and the habUs of which are still but incompletely known. The word 

 missed out is illegible. 



Jour. Straits Branch 



