ii 



INTRODUCTION, 



ed than the unparalleled accession to our stock of plants from all parts of the globe 

 within the last hundred years. 



The Botanical Garden at Calcutta was begun by Colonel R. Kydd in March, 

 and collections of plants from different parts of the east were soon introduced into 

 it with so much success, that, notwithstanding all the labour and difficulties which ne- 

 cessarily attend a first undertaking of this kind, the number of plants brought into 

 it in the short space of eight years, f amounted to somewhat more than Three Hun- 

 dred; all these are mentioned in the catalogue as introduced before the year 1794. 



The unremitted attention paid by Dr. Roxburgh to the improvement of the garden 1 , 

 and his eminent abilities as a botanist, are far more fully exhibited in the following 

 Catalogues than they could possibly be by any eulogium from a friend. The number 

 of described species now in the garden amounts to about Three Thousand Five Hun- 

 dred; for the knowledge of no fewer than One Thousand Five Hundred and Ten of 

 which, as named and described in this catalogue, we are indebted to his indefatiga- 

 ble and discriminating researches. Among these are a great number of new gene- 

 ra, some of which have already a considerable number of species ascertained. To 

 these should be added, those plants contained in the second catalogue, which, 

 though not yet in the Botanical Garden, have been described, and many of them ac- 

 curately drawn by him ; these amount to Four Hundred and Fifty-Three. This, in- 

 deed, forms as important a part of bis valuable labours, as the description of those 

 already in that rich repository of Indian plants* The total number of plants drawn 

 and described by him is One Thousand Nine Hundred and Sixty-Three. 



The extensive correspondence which he has maintained, not only with gentlemen 

 in all parts of India, but in most parts of the world, will be witnessed by the list of 

 donors to the garden which he superintends; and the liberality with which he has al- 



* A part of it had been previously cultivated as a private garden by Col. Kydd, but it was aug- 

 mented, and became a public establishment at the time above-mentioned. 



+ Dr. Roxburgh came to it in the autumn of 1793, so that the time was not more than seven year® 

 and a half. Most of the grasses, and other indigenous plants which appear all over the country 



as weeds, it is presumed were in the Garden from Us commencement : Dr. Roxb nrgh afterwards de- 

 scribed them. 



