AOOO T TNT 0 771 THE HI ST ORK 0^ THE PUBLICATION 
otp ttip, ^iaiakan flora.. _ 
The publication of the Flora Of The Malay Peninsula ms 
originally suggested by K.K* Sir 00o.il Smith in 1888* It ms 
to be based on the collections of Mr.^ray and Rev Father 
8 corf echini, which were to be worked out and published by 
Sir Joseph Hooker and Br. (Now sir ) George King.The work was 
to be done in five years#The *£cpenses were to be paid partly 
by the Colony and partly by the Governments of Perak and 
Selangor* Sir Joseph Hooker and Sir George King were to re¬ 
ceive five hundred pounds each after completion of the work* 
This was approved by the Secretary of state (Govt*I08R/I888) 
Owing to age however Sir Joseph Hooker retired from the work 
which thus fell on By# King only# 
2#- Owing to the vast accession of the additional 
materials based on the collections made by the present 
Director of Gardens 8*8# and by Mr.Charles Curtis of Penang, 
the work increased very largely and its publication was much 
delayed. In order therefore to get the work into the hands of 
botanists,foresters and other persons to whom it was of irapoV^ 
—ance with as little delay as might be, without waiting till 
the whole was done it was agreed (Hisc. HOB/OX) .King's letter* 
of January 3rd* 01) to bring the wort out in a preliminary 
form as "The Materials For A Flora Of The Malay Peninsula”* 
3.- The first eleven parts of this were published by 
the Asiatic Society of Bengal at no cost to the Straits 
Government except that of Ps8B8 annas 13 which was paid for 
certain extra copies. 
In the same letter Dr.King asked the Government to pay 
the cost of the future volumes of the "Materials” as the 
Asiatic Society of Bengal were unable to afford the cost# 
4 ,- The Government then suggested that the publication 
should be done by the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic 
Society,but that Society was too poor to bear the expense 
and refused to publish this* 
