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



and M. alpestris, 300 being from the very summit. I believe I told 

 you of my having sent Brown a Monograph on E. Insular Melas- 

 tomae with an attempt at a new subdivision found on the similitude 



or dissimilitude of the alternate anthers It contains 



now 17 species all new except M. malabathriea and M. decemfida 

 of Roxb., and Osbeckia tetrandra Roxb., 301 which is my Melastoma 

 glauca (certissime no Osbeckia). My other Alpine discoveries 

 are a species of Rhododendron, 302 one of Vaccinium, 303 lots of 

 Begonias, 304 an Impatiens, 305 a Lobelia, 300 a new Alpinia.' 1 " 7 and a 

 second species of a pentandrous genus I sent you with 3-valved, 

 1 -celled capsules, related to the Pittosporeae. 308 T am anxious to 

 know what progress you are making in Roxburgh's Flora : the 

 second volume ought to be nearly complete. I hope the next 

 arrival will bring me the remaining part of it. or a copy complete. 

 You will probably ere this have received an answer from my 

 father to your letter. Some fatality seems to have lately attended 

 my correspondence, for I have not a line from home by any of the 

 late opportunities. I am utterly at a loss to account for having 

 none by the way of Bengal, tho' I suspect it to-be some mistake 

 of Calder's as to the sailing of the vessel. 



My best regards to Mrs. Wallich and believe me always. 



My dear Wallich, 



Yours very truly. 



William Jack. 



July 18 — Since I began this letter distresses have accumulated, 

 upon us and thrown a gloom over everything. The first visitation 

 was the death of Sir S/s eldest boy, one of the finest and loveliest 

 children I ever saw. Scarcely had Sir S. and Lady R. begun to 

 recover some degree of composure after such an affliction, than 

 Capt. Auber fell ill, and was carried off after a few days by an 

 apoplectic stroke. This has been a severe blow, not merely from 



300. Melastoma alpestre, Jack is Medinilla alpestris, Blume. 



301. Osbeckia tetrandra, Eoxb. is no Melastoma; but in the subdivi- 

 sion of that genus it has become An plectrum glaucum, Triana. 



302. Rhododendron malayanum, Jack in Malayan Miscellanies, ii. 

 (1822) No. 7, p. 17. 



303. Vaccinium sumatranum, Jack in Malayan Miscellanies, ii. (1822) 

 No. 7, p. 18. 



304. Begonia. Eight species of Begonia are described together by 

 Jack in the Malayan Miscellanies, ii. (1822) ; and one among them is said 

 to come from the foot of Gunong Bengkoh, the Sugar Loaf Mountain. 

 Some others are said to have come from the interior of Bencoolen and 

 were possibly got on this journey. 



305. The Impatiens was not described by Jack. 



306. The Lobelia was not described by Jack. 



307. An Alpinia capitellata, was described by Jack in the Malayan 

 Miscellanies, ii. (1822) No. 7, p. 4 from the interior of Bencoolen, which 

 is probably this. 



308. Celastrus pauciflorus, Wall. For this plant see p. 246. 



Jour. Straits Branch 



