PREFACE. 
Vll 
in my keeping, many of which were taken from plants of unde- 
scribed genera, and by far the greater number from unknown species. 
They formed part of the shipwrecked collection. * 
From the kindness of Sir George Staunton, to whom I gave a 
small collection of China plants, and of Captain Basil Hall, to whom 
I gave a small collection of China rocks at Canton, I have derived all 
the specimens which have enabled me to give the slight geological 
and botanical notices of China contained in this work. To the latter 
gentleman, and to his friend, Mr. Clifford, I am also under other 
obligations of an important kind ; and in naming them, have to 
mention the loss of collections equalling my own in value. In 
taking leave of the Embassy on its disembarkation in the Gulf of 
Pe-tche-le, they took charge of a case of bottles with spirit, for the 
purpose of preserving any interesting marine animal production 
which might fall in their way ; and the necessary means for the 
preservation of plants. On rejoining the Embassy five months after- 
wards, they presented me with a collection of Zoophytes and an 
extensive collection of plants from the Lew-chew Islands. These also 
perished with the Alceste, but do not complete my catalogue oflosses. 
A fine collection of madrepores made by Capt. Maxwell may be added 
to them, and will still leave it unfinished. Whilst the Alceste and 
Lyra explored the Corean coast and the Lew-chew islands, the other 
ships of the Embassy visited the coast of Tartary. Lieut. Maughn, 
of the East India Company’s service, went with them, and hav- 
ing taken directions as to the mode of preserving dried specimens 
of plants, surprised me on my arrival at Canton with an extensive 
geological and botanical collection from the coast of Tartary. These, 
encreased by a collection which had been made from the same part of 
the world, for Mr. Livingston, one of the surgeons to the British fac- 
tory at Canton, and which I received from the kindness of that gentle- 
After leaving the wreck of the Alceste, I had the mortification of hearing that the 
cases containing these seeds had been brought upon deck and emptied of their contents by 
one of the seamen, to make room for some of the linen of one of the gentlemen of the 
Embassy. 
