400 Literary a?id Scientific Intelligence, and Miscellanea. [April 



Liter art and Scientific Intelligence, and Miscellanea. 



Encouragement to Science by the Honourable the Court of Directors 

 of the East India Company. — Having now dwelt at some length upon 

 those aids and encouragements to science which emanate from, 

 public societies and institutes formed for that express purpose, we 

 must be allowed to advert to another association, whose objects, 

 indeed, are commercial, but whose patronage of science in all that 

 relates to the civil and natural history of Asia is without parallel, 

 and entitles The Honourable Company of Merchants trading 

 to the East Indies, not only to a place among the scientific 

 institutions of this empire, but to rank with the first and fore- 

 most of those in Europe. We here look to this Company only in 

 its connection with the literature and science of the East. The liberality 

 which the different Courts of Directors have shown, for a long series 

 of years, in bringing to light the ancient records of that vast empire 

 over which their authority extends, is attested by the publications these 

 materials have given rise to, and t'e efficient patronage that has uni- 

 formly been extended to their authors. Every thing, in short, which 

 could illustrate the ancient state of those singular nations now under 

 the dominion of Britain, has been studiously sought for by the servants 

 of the Company, and deposited in their archives. The Asiatic Society, 

 celebrated for its learned Transactions since the days of Sir Wm. Jones, 

 owed its origin to their fostering care ; while the splendid library and 

 collection of Oriental MSS. at the India House attest the feelings which 

 have so long pervaded their councils. If we turn, on the other hand, 

 to what has been done for elucidating the natural history of their pos- 

 sessions, the result is still more conspicuous. A botanical garden, 

 worthy of an eastern monarch, superintended by distinguished botanists, 

 having at their command ail necessary assistants, has disseminated the 

 splendours of the Indian flora over all similar establishments in 

 Europe. Yet this liberality is not confined to public gardens, or to 

 favoured botanists. Any individual of respectability, upon his return 

 to Europe, may receive a collection of seeds and roots from these 

 gardens, free of expense. Nor are these all the benefits resuming to 

 the botanical world from the munificence of the Company. The dif- 

 ferent provinces of India have been explored by competent botanists ; 

 and thousands and tens of thousands of dried specimens, prepared 

 under their superintendence, have been transmitted to England, 

 arranged into separate collections, and then distributed among the 

 scientific botanists of Europe. The same patronage has been extended 

 to every thing regarding zoology. No sooner had the British arms 



