THE BOTANY OF THE CHITRAL RELIEF 
EXPEDITION, 1895. 
By J, F. DuTHIE, 
The military operations, which were undertaken in connection 
with the relief of Chitral during the-spring and summer of 1 895, afforded 
a good opportunity for investigating the flora of a large tract of 
unexplored country included within 71° — 73° E. Long, and 36° — 34° 
N. Lat: 
Permission having been obtained for a plant collector from the 
Botanical Department of Northern India to accompany the ex- 
pedition, Inayat Khan, an experienced collector, was sent off early in 
April with orders to repjort himself to Surgeon-Lieutenant Harriss, 
who was specially deputed by the Principal Medical Officer to 
superintend the collection of botanical specimens. 
A very interesting collection was obtained of all the plants 
observed along the route northwards as far as Chitral, and -the care- 
fully recorded information supplied by Surgeon-Lieutenant Harriss 
as regards the locality and the elevation above the' sea of each 
gathering added very much to its value. - - ' _ 
This officer unfortunately fell about th( beginning of July, 
and as no other officer was available at the time for superintending 
the work, the plant collector was ordered to return to India. 
Early in August I was informed by General Gatacre, C.B., D.S.O., 
who was in command of the^advance brigade, that he had been col- 
lecting botanical specimens since the commencement of the 
campaign. He very kindly offered to make over the whole of his 
specimens to the Botanical Department ; another plant collector was 
therefore sent to meet him at Mirga in order to complete the collec- 
tions and bring them back to Saharanpur. This contribution proved 
to be a most valuable addition to the previous one, as several of the 
specimens were collected in many out-of-the-way localities which 
Surgeon-Lieutenant Harriss was unable to visit. 
A third contribution was received later in the year from Surgeon- 
Lieutenant-Colonel Hamilton^ whose co operation was^ secured by 
General Gatacre. This collection, which consisted chiefly of plants 
found in the neighbourhood of Drosh, was very acceptable, as several 
of the species were not included in the two previous instalments. 
