23 6 JACK'S LETTERS TO WALLICH, 1819-1821. 



only ones that can be of real interest come not. There is still one 

 chance, that Mackenzie may bring some, though they might as 

 well have been put under a wild goose wing as given to him. I 

 begin to abominate this place very grievously, however it is a 

 nasty gloomy day, I am out of humour on many accounts, and 

 there is no saying how I may alter my mind when the weather 

 clears up and matters begin to go smoother. A man should never 

 sit down to write a letter in the temperament T am now in, so I 

 will have mercy on you. and spare you a jeremiad. 



I add descriptions of three more Araliae 312 and my new genus 

 of the same family. 



W. Jack. 



Bencoolen, 



October 6th, 1821. 

 My dear Wallich, 



I wrote you pretty fully in August by my cousin Andrew 

 Henderson, but 1 cannot allow this opportunity which may be the 

 last for some time to pass without sending you a few lines. I am 

 still without any account from you, nor do I know whether this 

 will find you in Calcutta, though I think it most probable it will. 

 Mackenzie arrived here some time ago but brought no letters at 

 all, so that I cannot help thinking there must he some strange 

 mistake which prevents my hearing by the direct arrivals from 

 Bengal. The monsoon is now about to change, and I hope abun- 

 dance of communications this season will recompense the disap- 

 pointments of the last. Mr. Palmer' 13 is here on his way up from 

 Java, with which he seems to be highly delighted. We are going 

 on in our usual quiet way ; plants and stones, the order of the day. 

 I have drawn up a short paper for Mr. Colebrooke on the Geology 

 of Sumatra, giving him an outline of our present information on 

 the subject. This may serve as an inaugural dissertation to the 

 Society as they have dubbed me a Member. Bv the bve, will vou 



312. These cannot be identified. 



313. Mr. John Palmer, a merchant of Calcutta, called "the prince of 

 merchants'' (vide MacDonald's "Narrative" p. 128) of the firm of 

 Palmer and Co., active in many enterprises. Mr. Palmer's firm were agents 

 to Sir Stamford Raffles, and to Said Husein, father of the pretender to 

 the throne of Acheen, as well as to the Dutch and therefore came into 

 opposition with Raffles. Mr. Palmer was influential enough to get for the 

 Acheen pretender a pension after the trouble had been dispersed : he was 

 also influential enough to get a merchant sent as the Company's agent to 

 Siam, whereby the Company was put to great expense and their possible 

 trade diverted to the agent. In partnership with Sir William Rumbold he 

 was in those unscrupulous banking transactions in the Nizam's dominions 

 which brought down the Court of Directors upon the government in India 

 and drove Lord Hastings into retirement. In 1828 the firm unable to reap 

 in the exorbitant interest that they had counted on, went bankrupt. (Vide 

 Anderson's Acheen, London, 1840 p. 78 and Marshman's History of India 

 London, 1871, i. p. 371). 



Jour. Straits Branch 



