PREFACE. 



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It will appear strange to many when they hear for the 

 first time that no popular work has yet appeared^ devoted 

 exclusively to the commercial products of the Vegetable 

 Kingdom; much however has been written^ and WTitten 

 well^ in various large works^ by several authors upon Botany 

 and Materia Medica^ especially by Sir William Hooker^ Dr. 

 Royle^ Dr. Lindley^, and Dr. Pereira^ and from their writings 

 much of the information contained in this volume is derived. 

 I am more particularly indebted to the last -mentioned gen- 

 tleman. No one has done so much as Dr. Pereira tow^ards 

 dissipating the cloud of ignorance which envelopes the his- 

 tory of vegetable products ; and it is much to be regretted 

 that, by his melancholy death, the splendid edition of his 

 large work should have been left unfinished ; it is however 



