JACK'S LETTEBS TO WALLICH, 1819-1821. 235 



his relationship to Lady E., but from the great regard and esteem 

 in which he was personally held. He was a man of most engaging 

 manners and superior mind, and had embarked on an extensive 

 speculation with every prospect of success, which is now destroyed 

 by his premature death. He had been my companion on the trip 

 to the Sugar loaf, and bore the fatigues of it much better than 

 I did. It was a singular circumstance that the natives strongly 

 dissuaded us from attempting the ascent as they said it would 

 provoke the anger of the Dewas whose sanctum is on the summit. 

 We of course laughed at such a reason, but they tried everything 

 at the difficult parts of the ascent to induce us to turn back by 

 representing it was impossible to get further. Our party con- 

 sisted of four, three of us persevered in reaching the summit and 

 one gave up half way. On our return the people declared one of 

 the three, Auber, Salmond 309 and myself would be sure to die for 

 having profaned the sacred spot; and now they are of course firmly 

 persuaded of the special interposition of the offended spirit of 

 the Mountain. The coincidence is certainly singular and the more 

 so as Auber to all appearance was the least likely to have suffered 

 of any of us. His death however does not appear to have had any 

 connection with the trip or exposure in the course of it. 



These unfortunate events have depressed all our spirits; Sir 

 Stamford himself has not been well, and the fatigue and anxiety 

 of looking after so many invalids has almost knocked me up. I 

 wish all was quiet again that I might take my ease for a few days 

 and get well by indulging the luxury of doing nothing. Sir S. 

 as you may recollect in Calcutta, is a very bad patient, for there 

 is no keeping up his spirits when he is ill. 



I have employed some odd hours in overhauling my Hexan- 

 drous plants for you, and send you herewith for entry in Rox- 

 burgh, three species of Tradescantia, 310 three of Curculigo, four 

 of Loranthus, 311 and a new genus, which pray tell me what you 

 think of. If I find time before this vessel sails, I shall add some 

 more, but I am much at a loss how far back or forward to go until 

 I learn something of your progress in Roxburgh. 



21st July — Another arrival from Calcutta, and not a line from 

 you, or from C alder to whom I look for my Europe dispatches. 

 This is very inexplicable and very provoking; other letters that I 

 care not for three straws, arrive with perfect regularity, while the 



309. Captain Francis Salmond was harbour master of Beneoolen and 

 afterwards in Singapore (vide this Journal No. 65, 1913 p. 43). On one 

 occasion having been sent to Palembang by Baffles, the Dutch carried him 

 a prisoner to Batavza (Memoir of Sir Stamford Baffles, p. 394). 



310. Wallich apparently was unable to make use of Jack's descrip- 

 tions of Tradescantia and Curculigo. 



311. Loranthus cylindicus, L. patulus, and perhaps I. ferrugineus, 

 all of which Wallich inserted into his and Carey's revision of Boxburgh's 

 Flora, together with another which cannot be identified even approximately. 



R. A. Soc, No. 73, 1916. 



