78 Observations on Provincial Exhibitions, [no. 3, new series, 



Professor of Botany at Madras, has himself made extensive Col- 

 lections and numerous drawings of the plants of the same part of 

 India. 



Instead, therefore, of employing Botanists from Europe to make 

 fresh investigations, I conceive that it would be much more bene- 

 ficial for the diffusion of a taste for, and a knowledge of, the ve- 

 getable productions of the Peninsula, to employ a man like Dr. 

 Cleghorn, who is as well qualified for the task as any man likely to 

 be found here, to prepare a manual with brief characters of what 

 is known of the Botany of the Peninsular. But contrary to the 

 opinion of Dr. Wight, expressed at p. XXIII. of his preface, I 

 would advise the careful addition of the Native names of plants, 

 as I have always found, that such as are of use and are there- 

 fore important, have names by which they are well known to 

 the Natives. These names no doubt differ in different districts 

 and applying them may be more troublesome in the Madras Pre- 

 sidency than elsewhere, from the languages differing so much in 

 different parts, but this very fact makes the task more necessary. 

 If Dr. Cleghorn, could afterwards, or even at seasonable parts of 

 the year, make excursions into neighbouring districts, he might 

 usefully make any observations on the Geographical distribution 

 of the plants of the Peninsula, especially as connected with soil 

 and climate, as these would give principles for the cultivation of 

 some and the introduction of other plants. 



The above point is independent of that of the establishment of 

 a Botanic Garden at Madras which is recommended by the Right 

 Honorable the Governor. This however is not the first time that 

 there has been such an Institution at Madras, for without referring 

 to the times of Dr. Anderson, there was formerly, if I am not much 

 mistaken, a Botanic Garden at Madras, of which Dr. Wight was 

 Superintendent at the time that it was abolished, that is when Mr. 

 Lushington was Governor. This, however, does not militate against 

 the establishment of another Garden with definite objects, that is 

 for the introduction of useful plants of other parts of India, or 

 other warm countries and for the culture of Horticultural and 

 Agricultural Products. This I would therefore call an experimental 



