EXTRAORDINARY TREATMENT OF MR. LAIDLAW. 
155 
of the people who inhabit the Indian 
Empire. The enlightened portion would 
scarcely fill- an English village. We will how- 
ever join our voice to his and call out against 
the apathy of the majority of British sojourn- 
ers which is in our opinion, too often impro- 
perly ascribed to the climate. Why is not a 
similar indifference evinced in commercial 
and other occupations in which we see an 
energy and devotedness which is not to be 
surpassed by speculators in any other part 
of the world. The following remarks shew 
however that a similar apathy existed in our 
own parent land. Dr. McClelland’s observa- 
tions on Mineral Topography are worthy of 
notice. 
“ Up to the beginning of the present 
century, the English even at home were 
sadly behind other great nations in this 
department of science, and from 1724 to 
1799, nineteen works only were published 
on the mineral topography of districts in the 
United Kingdom. 
In France, from 1750 to 1799, sixty-two, 
and in Italy, thirty-six works on mineral 
topography were published ; while Germany 
and the rest of Europe contributed to the 
world, two hundred treatises on the same 
subject. 
During the time the science of geology 
was thus progressing in Europe, (as well as in 
America, where twelve descriptions of districts 
were published about the close of the 
eighteenth century,) it may be curious to 
learn what attempts were made in India, 
either to improve the resources of our new 
empire, or to extend the boundaries of science. 
The papers on the subject of mineral topo- 
graphy of countries in the East Indies, up to 
the end of the eighteenth century, are/owr.* * 
The first of these is by’Johannes Gerhardus 
Kbnig, and is published in the 4th volume 
of the Natural History Society of Upsal, 
entitled “ Observationes Mineralogicae, in 
India Orientali ; e litteris ejus excerptae a 
Joh. Jac. Ferber*.” 
* Dryander’s Bibliotheca Banksiana^ vol. iv. 
p. 12. 
* Dryander’s Bibliotheca Banksiana^ vol. iv. 
p. 72. Konig was the pupil and correspondent 
of Linnaeus, and the founder of Oriental 
Botany. “ He was singularly qualified for the 
employment he had entered into;” says Dr. 
P. Russell, (pref. Roxb. Plants of Coroman- 
del,) “ more covetous of fame than of fortune, 
he persevered in his pursuits with an enthu- 
siasm that set bodily fatigue, s-pare meals^ and 
a scorching climate, at defiance.” He appears 
to have been supported during his labours by 
a pittance from the Nabob of Arcot ; butthree 
or four years before he fell a victim to 
science, we are told in the same work, that 
the “ Madras Government, with the sanction 
of the Court of Directors, made an addition to 
his salary,” i. e.an addition to the sum allowed 
him by the Nabob ; he died suddenly 
before he had time to profit by his labours. 
The second is by James Anderson, and is, 
“ An attempt to discover such Minerals, as 
correspond with the classification of Cron- 
stedt, and thus lead to a more extensive 
knowledge of mineralogy in this country, the 
Coast of Coromandel, 1797*.” 
The third is by Carl Peter Thunberg ; and 
was published in 1785, under the title of 
“ Beschreibung der Mineralien und edlen 
steine, auf derinsel Ceylon'j'.” 
The other is by Georgius Josephus Kamel, 
and is found in the early Philosophical Tran- 
sactions, under the title of “ De Mineralibus 
et Fossilibus PhilippensibusJ.” 
It appears that much was anticipated by 
our scientific men in Europe, from the 
encouragement which Sir John Malcolm, 
when appointed Governor of Bombay, would 
give to the “ Mineralogical examination of 
India.” Sir John brought out with 
him Mr. Laidlaw, a gentleman educated 
as a Civil Engineer, and an excellent 
practical Mineralogist and Geologist. Our 
author says, that Dr. Thomson anticipated 
from the labours of this gentleman numer- 
ous discoveries as interesting to the scienti- 
fic world, as they would prove of great 
importance to our Indian Empire. Of the 
encouragement Mr. Laidlaw experienced 
from “ the triumphantSoldier and success- 
ful politician Dr. McClelland speaks as 
follows. 
“ In the midst of the busy scenes into 
which he was hurried, forgot the humble, 
and perhaps eccentric, man of science; or 
abandoned him with all his faults and peculi- 
arities to strangers, who may have expected 
to find him all perfection^. Whatever they 
* Of James Anderson, we know little more 
than that he was an eminent physician in the 
army. 
t C. P. Thunberg, afterwards knight and 
successor to Linnaeus, in the University of 
Upsal; a fellow of the Royal Society, and of 
most of the learned Societies of Europe and 
America. 
t Kamel, or Cameli, was a Missionary ; and 
probably a native of Portugal. He made 
many valuable communications to the Royal 
Society about the beginning ofthe last century, 
regarding the Natural History of the 
Philippine Islands. He was probably the first 
European who described the tea plant, and 
his name has been bestowed by Thunberg, on 
a genus of plants nearly related to tea. 
^ The position of parties in this case bears 
some analogy to that of Burke and his friend 
Barry ; but, alas, how the great Indian 
statesman loses by following up the compari- 
son. To the forbearance of Burke with the 
foibles of genius, the British nation is no doubt 
indebted for those sublime achievements of 
the painter that now adorn the walls of the 
Society of Arts. Burke saw that he must 
either bear with his friend’s peculiarities — 
that he must at least endeavour to improve 
them only by gentle means, or that his country 
must lose the benefit of his genius. 
