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Asiatic Society of Bengal, 
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57 Park Street, 
Calcutta 15 th April 1902, 
No • 36 
The Secretary to Government 
Straits settlements. 
Singapore. 
Sir, 
I am directed by the Council of the Asiatic Society of 
Bengal to acknowledge receipt of your letter No* Mis: 292/02 of I6th 
January 1902 informing the society that His Excellency Sir Prank Athel 
-stane Swettenham,K,G.M.G., the Governor of the Straits Settlements has 
been pleased to make them a grant, of $2,800 or Ks8,750 for the purpose 
of completing the publication of the "Materials for a Flora of the 
Malayan Peninsula "by Sir George King,K.C.I.E* formerly , Superintendent 
of the Botanic Garden near Calcutta-. 
2* The series of papers bearing this title is really a Mftnograp/: 
modelled on the lines of HookerS well-known Flora of India, of the flo¬ 
wering plants of the Malay Peninsula and the adjacent smaller islands, 
and it is as useful to the student as it is to the systematic botanists 
The series was commenced in the Journal of the Asiatic Society for 
1889 and up to last year nearly. 1400 pages including 52 Natural orders 
or rather more than half the work,have been published. One order,legurn 
-inosae,has been contributed bji Major Prain,and Dr. 0. Stapf of Kew 
has collaborated in the preparation of the Sub-orders Melastomeae, 
3. In 1897 the condition of the Society's finances came under 
discussion and some doubts were expressed as to their ability to carry 
out so large an undertaking as the Malayan Flora. At this juncture the 
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Government of the Straits Settlements,which was naturally, interested 
in he completion of the work,held out to the society the prospects of 
financial aid being afforded,and eventually sanctioned the liberal do¬ 
nation of Rs8,750. 
4. I am to ask ypu to express to His Excellency the Governor 
the cordial thanks of the society for this timely; assistance,which 
places them in a position to complete without delay the publication of 
Sir George King's important: contribution to the advancement of botani¬ 
cal research. The society desire to offer for the acceptance of the 
B 3 . fat 
