33" 



somewhat neglected, but have proved useful. Murton made 

 collections of local plants, some of which he sent to Kew but 

 what became ot the bulk of his collection said to be a large one 

 is not known. There were very few of his specimens to be found 

 in the Herbarium in 1888. Mr. CANTLEY who succeeded him in 

 I880, commenced to form the first collection of native plants 

 adding also specimens of those cultivated in the Gardens. 



He employed a collector to visit Negri Sembilan and also col- 

 lected largely himself and especially turned his attention to Ferns. 

 He visited many parts of the peninsula including Gunong Bubu 

 in Perak, where he obtained a number of interesting novelties. 

 Unfortunately most of his specimens were not localized nor had the 

 tickets supplied with them any information on them. Those of his 

 plant collector, Brewer, however, were labelled with some account 

 of the plant, its native name and use. The specimens were 

 mounted on sheets of paper and kept in cabinets in a room adjoin- 

 ing the office. Mr. CANTLEY was no botanist and at the period 

 but little was known of the flora of the peninsula. There had 

 been but few plant collectors previously, and of those the most 

 important were Surgeon-General MAINGAY and GEORGE GRIFFITH. 

 George Griffith was employed by the East India Company as 

 Government Botanist. He arrived in Malacca in 1845 and died 

 there in that year. During this year he continued to make extensive 

 collections in various parts of Malacca including Mount Ophir and 

 published a well-known work on the palms of East India and a 

 number of his notes and rough sketches were published after his 

 death. His collections were stored away by the East India Com- 

 pany in vaults in London and so neglected that many perished. 

 The remains were eventually rescued and are at Kew, and some 

 of his plants at the British Museum. MAINGAY was an enthusiastic 

 amateur who collected chiefly in Singapore and Malacca. His 

 collections were obtained by Kew. NATHANIEL WalLICH, the 

 well-known Indian Botanist resided in Singapore at its foundation 

 for a couple of years on his return from his Nepal trip, to recover 

 his health, and collected plants in Singapore and Penang, and also 

 received plants from the latter island from GEORGE PORTER, a 

 thenat A StCr hVt ° f ^ Pena " g Botan ' C GardenS 



From these collections all made in the Colony, all that was then 

 known of the Botany of the Malay Peninsula was derived. Nothing 

 was known of the plants of the Malav States, and little or nothing 

 was known of the plants which produced the rattans, dammars, 

 rubbers, drugs or timbers of the peninsula. 



The first Botanists in the Malay Peninsula were Father 

 SCORTECHINI and KUNSTLER. The former a Jesuit pries 



employed by the Botanic Gardens of Calcutta to 

 f in the Taiping Hills and L. WRAY too made exp< 

 rak and collected largely. These three collection: 



collect 



