June 2, 1890.] THE TROPICAL 
ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS, PERADENIYA, 
CEYLON, IN 1838 AND SUCCEEDING YEARS. 
(From Official Records.) 
(Continued from page 809.) 
To His Excellency the Rt. Hon'blethe Governor, 
Sir, — I have the honor to acknowledge the re- 
ceipt of Your Excellency's letter with its enclosure 
of the 4th instant, and am truly grateful for the 
compassionate feeling which it expresses for my 
illness. 
The fine climate however of Nuwera Eliya in so 
Bhort a time, added to the exceeding great kindness 
of your excellent lady, Mrs. S. Mackenzie, has done 
wonders to assist the safe recovery I have now 
nearly experienced. I feel sufficiently strong, though 
perhaps anxiety may excite it a little, to return 
to Peradenia, which I purpose to do on the 8th, to 
arrive on the 10th instant, and when there my ut- 
most careful attention shall be paid to secure to 
the China and other plants the success Your Ex- 
cellency has been pleased to calculate upon. The 
list of those from China contains many that we 
have at Peradenia, as the Dimocarpus, Cookia, 
Mespilus, Gardenia, Diospyrus, Ixora, Myrtus, Olea, 
Camellia, Magnolia, &c, but the varieties of them 
and those plants not here inserted will prove a great 
acquisition to the Colony. The vines are parti- 
cularly well-selected, but the list of them does not 
contain the 4 other fruit trees as specified by Your 
Excellency. 
This box with the 4 others if pleasing to Your 
Excellency would be better sent up to Peradenia 
as early as possible, a nursing attention being of 
such essential service to plants, after a long passage 
to a foreign climate, and that immediate if practicable. 
Whatever plants Your Excellency would wish to 
be returned to Europe, in the glazed case, shall be 
immediately prepared when the list is furnished to 
me. Being aware that Your Excellency is unattended 
by an Aide-de-camp in Colombo, I humbly beg to be 
pardoned the assurance of addressing this to my 
last letter direct to Your Excellency. 
I have the Honor to be, Sir, Your Excellency's 
most obedient humble Servant, 
J. G. Leak. 
Nuwera Eliya, 7th, April 1839. 
His Excellency the Rt. Hon'ble the Governor, 
Sir, — I have the Honor most humbly to request 
that Your Excellency will be pleased to allow the 
accompanying petition of Mr. Solomonsz to have 
some weight in his favour with Your Excellency's 
Government. 
The present situation of Mr. S. with a large 
family, however merited it may be, renders him an 
object that lays claim to the feelings of human 
generosity and kindness. 
I have the Honor to be, Sir, Your Excellency's 
most obedient Servant, 
J. G. Lear. 
Royal Botanic Garden, 19th April 1839. 
His Excellency the Rt. Hon'ble the Govehnor. 
Sir,— I have the Honor to acknowledge the re- 
ceipt of Your Excellency's letter of the 16th in- 
stant with its enclosures and one box of seeds 
quite safe, respecting which I will pay the greatest 
attention to Your Excellency's commands. The 
collection contains a lew packets not inserted in 
the list, which I will add to it for Your Ex- 
cellency's information) and for which purpose, I beg 
Your Excellency will be pleased to allow me to 
keep it with the letter until uoxt tappal. I also beg 
to inform Your Excellency that tho 4 oases of 
105 
AGRICULTURIST. h$ 
China plants, and 1 from the Horticultural Society 
arrived in good order last evening (as far as 
carriage goes;. 
The plants in the China cases, I am sorry are 
much injured, and I fear the major part of them 
are dead ; those in the case from the Horticultural 
Society have also suffered ; the case had not screws 
sufficient in the framework of glass ; and the heat 
has warped it a little in several places ; the air has 
consequently had access to the plants much to their 
injury. Eleven only of the eighteen vines are living, 
and those are very weak, three of the four other 
fruit trees are also dead. The Kei apple from S. 
Africa is the one surviving. 
The whole of the above must remain a day or 
two in the cases before removal, when I hope to 
have the honor of forwarding to Your Excellency a 
more detailed account of their quality and condition. 
I have the Honor to be, Sir, Your Excellency's 
very humble and obedient Servant, 
J. G. Lear. 
Royal Botanic Garden, 19th April 1839. 
His Excellency the Rt. Hon'ble the Governor. 
Sir, — I have the honor to enclose herewith for Your 
Excellency the letter and list from Doctor Lindley. 
A copy of the list is made agreeable to Your Ex- 
cellency's directions to be kept until required. With 
respect to the collection of seeds, I have the honor 
to inform Your Excellency that upon examination 
there appears to me no very urgent reason for any 
portion of these being sown at any other place than 
Peradenia, though there is particular care required 
in watching such seeds during the process of vege- 
tation, a moderately high temperature during that 
period is not an objection but often of great 
assistance ; it would still be necessary to move many 
of the plants to Nuwera Eliya, when vegetation is 
completed, to have a nursing care in the more 
congenial air of that place, and a selection shall be 
made accordingly, but it is highly to be wished 
that a person should take them in charge, who 
would feel interested in their well doing and pay 
more attention to them, than the generality of 
people on this island would feel inclined to bestow. 
It is a want of spirit of this nature that the more 
forcibly induces me to keep the whole collection 
under my own eye for the present, until they are 
more fit to bear indifferent usage, otherwise to give 
them the fairest iwssible chance. I should like to 
try a few at Nuwera Eliya ; and with Your Excel- 
lency's permission, if I may be allowed to proceed 
occasionally there, as the different stages of the 
plants would require me, I will still reserve a few 
for that purpose, and perhaps a soldier could be 
found and permitted to attend to them punctually 
by my directions. Shou'd this suggestion meet the 
approval of Your Excellency, I will immediately 
proceed to its adoption while every other command 
from Your Excellency shall have my best constant 
attention, 
I have the honor to be, Sir, Your Excellency's 
very humble and obedient Servant, 
J. G. Lear. 
Royal Botanic Garden, 20th April 1839. 
His Excellency the Rt. Hon'ble the Governor. 
Sir, — I have the Honor to forward to Your Ex- 
cellency's address per this day's tappal the Oouul, 
Melon seeds &o. as directed by Your Excellency's 
letter of the 19th instant, which I hope will arrive 
in good condition. 
I have the honor to be, Sir, Your Excellency's 
most obedient humble Servant, 
J. G. Lear, 
Royal Botanic Garden, 21st April 1839. 
