TO DR. R. WIGHT. 



Iv 



or Sarcanthus ? arrived in excellent order. The little Eria has not 

 at all the usual habit of the genus : what beautiful bulbs it has with 

 their delicate net work. I inaagine it is a congener of a Khasya 

 plant, called Conchidiura, which technically comes close to Eria. 

 This same Conchidium has since been defined by Lindley, but I for- 

 get the name and place, thanks to the thousand and one periodi- 

 cals throughout which botanical papers are now published. This 

 white fruited Calamus appears new, and evidently is of the same 

 section . 



I have just got a new Phoenix from Jenkins, which "confirms my 

 suspicion of there being at least two species lurking under P. acaulis, 

 this one differs in its very narrow leaves, and long exserted fruit 

 peduncles, so that it will be easy to give it a proper name. The 

 stems are like scaly bulbs, as are those of the P. acaulis, but these 

 are much larger. 



After looking over my Calaminae, again I find, little room for 

 doubt of most of the species being firm ones. C. floribundus comes 

 close to C. viminalis (Reinwardtii) Martins, C. Roylea looks much 

 like C. tenuis, but I believe it is different. I intend studying these 

 plants at Malacca intimately. I have just got a new box of plants 

 from Emanuel, my Malacca servant : many appear to be new. 

 There is one remarkable Euphorbiacea, with the peduncles dilated at 

 the end into a cup. I enclose some of the flowers. I have only 

 glanced at the contents of the case. 



I am excessively busy in getting up my final report, in which as 

 usual I speak plain, although I get little credit for being disinterested ; 

 but my aim is not so much to expose what is wrong, as to get the Gar- 

 dens placed on a really proper footing. They might be made to do 

 so much good, and once get them well set up, public opinion would 

 do the rest. 



I have just heard from Munro, who seems a very enthusiastic 

 person : and up to his work ; 1 should like to have him here for three 

 months to inoculate him with the desire of visiting the Khasya hills, 

 to which all others that I have seen, are unequal 



If ever you go to the place of Podosiemon, endeavour to get 

 some germinating, or at least very young plants. I can fancy how 

 an Acotyledonous plant gets a stem, but how a Dicotyledonous plant 

 loses it, and becomes as some of these do, mere discs spread over 

 rocks, is another thing. 



